Wilkinson's World

Was the moon being eaten by a dog?  Swallowed by a snake?  Watching this event as it slowly unfolded in the clear skies over Windhoek, it was easy to understand some of the myths that were developed by our forebears to explain the slow “disappearance” of the moon.  Of course the moon being swallowed by a snake makes a certain amount of sense if you believe the myth that there is a rabbit living up there!

The more accurate explanation that the moon is simply passing behind the earth so that the sun’s rays could, for a short time, not reflect off the face of the moon is not nearly as much fun as the myths!

In many cultures eclipses of the sun or moon are strongly associated with pestilence or calamity, as it is thought that the sun (in the case of a solar eclipse) or the moon (in the case of a lunar eclipse) was growing weak through an illness that could be spread to folk on earth by the rays that reached us.  Pots, pans and other utensils should be turned upside down to prevent them from becoming “contaminated” during the period of the eclipse and causing devastating illness when they are subsequently used to prepare food.  Some people stay in their homes with doors closed and curtains drawn until the horror has passed.

When a solar eclipse takes place it can be seen from a relatively small part of the world, but a lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere within that half of the world that is experiencing darkness at the time the event takes place.  A lunar eclipse also lasts for considerably longer than a solar eclipse, so it seems reasonable that it is seen by many more people.

The colour of the moon can become quite spectacular at the height of an eclipse, as the dust particles in the air cause the blue light to be scattered and the moon becomes red as a result.

Lunar eclipses are not very rare events; and even total lunar eclipses such as that seen on 15 June 2011 occur every few years.  Nevertheless, to have one occurring in the early evening (before bed time!) and to have clear skies throughout was a treat.

In practice photographing an eclipse can be a little tricky as the light is reducing continually until the point of maximum coverage of the moon, and therefore the exposure needs to be adjusted minute by minute.  As shutter speeds are lengthened a tripod becomes essential, and the surprisingly quick movement of the moon becomes problematic if you don’t have the equipment to track the movment.

The accompanying photographs were taken from Windhoek on 15 June 2011 and are timed from the approximate start of the eclipse; the time elapsed until each picture was taken can be seen by moving your mouse pointer over the picture.

 

 

Then it was the turn of the sea birds, with lots of gulls, pelicans, cormorants and a lifer that generated a lot of excitement for us – a Subantarctic skua.   The gull below would have been a good subject for a Garmin advert!

We also saw two shy African penguins that dived underwater when we got a bit too close for their comfort.  We cruised past oyster beds and rusty old factory ships, long since abandonned, and made our way towards Pelican Point which was not only lined with hordes of smelly seals, but home to thousands of cormorants as well.

Throughout our journey our guide was enthusiastically pointing out the inhabitants of the bay and warming us up with shots of  sherry (or “Namibian coffee” as she called it).

The highlight of the cruise had to be when a pod of Heaviside dolphins swam in the spray at the bows of our catamaran.

As they dived and surfaced happily they elicited plenty of oohs and aahs from the tourists on board.  This has to be the next best thing to actually swimming with dolphins.  No less exciting were the Dusky dolphins that were also visible in the bay area.

Before we headed back to the jetty where our ride began, we were given a taste of fresh oysters and some snacks, washed down by sparkling wine.  Definitely a lifestyle we could get used to!  It was a professionally run operation and perhaps the only fault we could find with the whole excursion was that they didn’t have enough oysters!  If you’re visiting Swakopmund or Walvis Bay, be sure to take a marine cruise with Mola Mola – you won’t be disappointed.  They also offer trips to Sandwich Harbour.

We saw some in the Kruger National Park, but they are popping up in various odd locations as they’re being sold to private nature reserves and game farms.

Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) are large antelope that prefer to move around in small herds of between 5 and12 animals.  Males and females tend to stay in separate herds, with the females guarding their calves and young ones.  Males are very territorial and often have lethal fights for dominance in the herd.  The sexes are easy to distinguish as the females are much smaller and don’t have horns.

Their habitat is in dry floodplains and areas close to water, although Waterbuck, as their name might imply, are not aquatic animals like the lechwe or sitatunga.  They do, however, take to water when in danger, even if crocodiles are present.  Waterbuck have a number of predators (spotted hyena, wild dogs, lions and cheetahs), but they have a rather unpleasant smelling secretion from their skin (to waterproof their fur), which sometimes deters their attackers.

Calves are born throughout the year, usually singly, and take about three and a half years to reach maturity. The mother licks the baby after it suckles to remove its characteristic odour and confuse predators.  But in spite of this, they have a high mortality rate.  Numbers are kept up by females mating within six weeks of giving birth, and calves are born after a gestation period of about nine months.

Waterbuck eat grass, fruit and leaves and drink a lot of water.  If they can escape being part of the food chain, they can live up to fourteen years.

 

 

 

 

When the climate warmed up, it caused great glaciers and ice fields to melt, which resulted in severe flooding.  This, in turn, uprooted and broke many enormous trees and sent them on a journey far from their origins.  Completely buried in silt and sand, the trees were not exposed to their usual decomposition.  Over time, more and more sand covered them and the quartz present in the sediment above the trees dissolved, causing rich silica deposits to leech into the wood.  The acidity eventually dissolved the organic matter in the trees and replaced it with crystalline quartz.

When Gondwana broke up and split, the upheaval pushed the ground up and further erosion took place over the centuries.  Eventually the trees were once again exposed in the dry desert conditions where they can now be seen as fossilized trunks.

The trees grew to heights of 40 meters and were members of the Cordiates family (Dadoxylon arberi Seward).  Their structures were like conifers and pine trees as we know them.

It is fascinating to see fossilized trees – you can see the bark, the rings, as well as the knots!

We were shown around by a trained local guide who had a very good knowledge of the trees, as well as the unusual welwitchia mirabilis plants that also thrive in this arid environment.

Namibia has some interesting fossil sites – apart from the Mesosaurus that I have already mentioned, you can also see dinosaur footprints near Omaruru.

 

We were taken on a short tour by Giel Steenkamp, the owner of the farm – a funny and colourful character who struck it lucky when his young son, Hendrik, noticed an upturned rock containing a fossil during a road making operation on the farm.  This life-changing discovery of the mesosaurus fossil was the first of a number of fossils found on the farm and the family have opened this interesting site up to the public ever since.

About 280 million years ago a huge inland lake, known as Lake Gai-As, lay in the middle of the great continent of Gondwana and it was on the shores of this lake that mesosaurus lived.  When fossils of this crocodile-like reptile were found deep inland in both southern Africa and South America, it supported the theory that the two continents were once joined together.

In southern Africa mesosaurus is known as Mesosaurus tenuidens, whilst in Brazil the same fossil is known as Mesosaurus brasiliensis.

These water-going reptiles lived in a time called the Permian age and are thought to be the first reptiles to have returned to the water to live.  They ranged in size from 40 cm to 1.5 meters.

Oom Giel jokingly referred to himself as a young fossil and it is evident that he thoroughly enjoys showing visitors the sights on his farm.  Apart from the numerous fossils on display, one can also see a quiver tree forest of about 5000 trees, a dolorite park similar to Giants Playgrond and the war grave of a young German soldier killed in the native uprising at the beginning of the 20th century.  As if that’s not enough, you will also get treated to a “rock concert” when Giel plays a basic rendition of the South African national anthem (Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika) using a small rock to pound a stacked rock formation.

After the tour he leaves visitors alone to wander around and take photographs.  It’s a special place, well worth a visit.  Accommodation in the form of chalets or campsites is available for guests who’d like to spend the night on the farm.