Download Newsletter March 2012 - Meyersdal Eco Estate

BUSHVELD BANTER
Managers Comments:
The maintenance to the fountain at the main entrance to the
estate is now almost complete.
Electricians are in the process of upgrading the electrical
network at the clubhouse to provide an improved service to the
function hall facility. Please remember that the function hall is
for the use of residents only. The installation of new floodlights
at Tennis Court # 1 has also been done and we expect to see a
considerable saving on electrical consumption. The installation
on Tennis Court # 2 will commence shortly.
I am in the process of finalizing a proposal for the upgrade of
the Hans Meyer road, down towards the Meyer farm gate and
will keep you informed of the progress on this project.
Gardens
Dams
We always take it for granted that the residents are aware that there
are a number of dams throughout the Eco Estate, however we have
come to the realization that all residents are not aware of the newly
constructed dams at the crusher site. These can be seen behind stand
307; water runs from the overflow of this dam to the other dams on
the property. We have eventually managed to ensure that all the dams
remain full. Residents are welcome to visit these dams. A table and
benches have been placed at the big dam, situated more or less in the
center of the Estate. The animals visit this area quite frequently.
Staff clothing
Uniforms have been procured for the maintenance and environmental
staff - picture included. Thank you to board members for the approval.
They now look like a professional team and can be easily recognized
as Eco Employees.
The Environmental Committee has asked me to request
residents to plant Acacia, Bush willow, Apiesdoring and
Kiepersol trees on the nature area boundary of your properties –
these are trees favored by the Giraffe and by doing this we can
ensure future feed for them.
Security
A shortcoming in the guard patrolling system was identified
and it was decided to upgrade to a new system for all fence
patrols. The E-guard monitoring system was implemented, this
system allows for “real time” recording of each guard’s actual
movements. In the event that a guard becomes stationery an
alarm is registered in the control room and this can be
investigated…no more sleeping on the job! I have to take this
opportunity to commend the Security Sub-committee with
Martin Wolmarans as Chairman and FSS; we have not recorded
a successful fence breach or house burglary since the beginning
of last year. This should not be any reason for complacency, as
we live in an environment where crime is rapidly escalating and
we remain vulnerable.
Pet Register
A pet register has been initiated by the estate secretary and we wish to
encourage residents to participate, this will enable us to identify lost
pets very easily and return them to their rightful owners. The response
thus far has been very good.
Estate agents accreditation
We are finally in the process of inviting a couple of identified estate
agents to register with the Eco and those agents will receive benefits
and access cards to assist them and residents with the selling process.
An annual fee will be levied from those seeking accreditation.
We are hoping to have this process finalized by the end of March.
Building report update including
January 2012
Occupied stands = 179 (last month 177)
Stands under construction = 45 (last month 43)
Vacant stands = 40 (last month 49)
Dormant stands or sites with no building activity = 7 (last month 7)
Stands with no plans submitted = 4
Stands under construction & vacant from developer = 6
You scratch my back, I’ll scratch
yours!
Mutualism
An insight into some of the unique relationships in
nature.
Mutualism is the relationship between two or more
In Nature Symbiosis can be described as the living together in
organisms where both
benefit.
permanent or prolonged close association of members of two
different species, with beneficial or negative consequences for at
For Example
Lichen is a symbiotic combination of a phototroph
least one of the parties
(carries out photosynthesis) and a fungus. The
These relationships take various forms, however three main forms
phototrophic component is usually either a green alga or
are recognized which are namely Commensalism, Mutualism and
cyanobacteria
lastly Parasitism.
There are currently 20 000 of known species of lichens.
Commensalism
But only about 15 different species of alga enter the
relationship.
Commensalism is a positive interaction or relationship
between two or more organisms in which only
benefits and the other not harmed
1 partner
The phototroph photosynthesizes carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere to form starch and the fungus obtains all its
.
carbohydrate requirements from the alga. Thus the
phototroph produces food for both members of the lichen.
For Example
Cattle Egret following a Zebra or any other antelope, as the
antelope move through the grass, they disturb insects, which are
then caught by the cattle egret. The egret benefits and the zebra do
not. Some argue that the antelope receives a bit of an advantage to
However, it is still unclear how the phototroph benefits
from the relationship. It has been suggested that the
phototroph obtains water and other minerals from the
fungus as well as protection, mainly against desiccation.
avoid predation as the bird may serve as early warning system
Rainfall
September
October
November
December
January
February
March (1st-14th )
Total
2mm
58mm
79mm
180mm
56mm
47mm
40mm
456mm
Do you have any interesting
photographs you wish to submit?
Compliments, Complaints and
Suggestions??
[email protected]
Brood for thought
1 of the Organisms (parasite) benefits from the
interaction, whilst the other organism (the host) is
usually,
negatively
affected
For Example .
The interaction between a blood sucking tick and
another animal. The tick benefits while the host animal
Of the world’s 9000+ bird species, only about 1% consists of brood
parasites.
South Africa is rather rich in parasitic bird species, with about 24
parasitic species occurring in the region
The three main groups of parasitic birds are namely
 Cuckoos
 Honeyguides
 Whydahs and Indigobirds
often suffers from a disease caused by a bacteria which
is carried by the tick.
For Example
Some Parasitic birds have a number of hosts while others may only
have one or two. The Diderick cuckoo is known to have up to 27
different host species.
ISSUE
# that allow them to
But what adaptation abilities do VOL
these#birds
have
live a lifestyle of this nature?
Various species of parasitic birds such as the Didericks
Cuckoo lay their eggs into nests of a foster parent, and
will not involve itself in any parental care.
Firstly, Distraction plays an important role. The host species is able
to visually identify the parasitic bird. The male will approach the
nest and attracts attention of the host bird species which is
eventually lured away from her nest by the male. The parasitic
female hides in vegetation relatively close to the nest then uses this
short opportunity to lay her egg(s) while nobody is home.
In general, brood parasites are larger birds however they have the
ability to lay relatively small eggs in relation to their body size, to
ensure a close match to that of the host’s eggs. This also applies to
the eggs color, shape, and markings
Brood parasites are able to lay an egg much faster than normal birds
as little as 10seconds per egg.
http://www.astrocape.org.za
The incubation of the parasite egg is usually much faster
When the eggs hatch, the parasitic young, may respond The parasitic female will often remove one egg to ensure that the
host does not realize that there is an extra egg in the nest
to the presence of eggs or young in many ways:
The rapid rates at which chicks develop give them a competitive
 May Hatch first and evict the host’s eggs
 May outgrow the host chick and eventually advantage for survival.
As mentioned competitors are often eliminated
smother it

May be reared with the chick of the host parent.