We participated in the iNaturalist City Challenge on Table Mountain Cableway this past weekend, where we grew the database of creatures, through the iNaturalist app. A newsletter (one of many) from Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, let us know about this event, and we immediately started thinking about which site we could visit, in order to participate.
Location, location, location
Given the fact that the challenge took place over the Freedom Day weekend, we (briefly) considered participating while attending the National Instameet in Arniston. However, given the distance and the fact that the car is still not 100%, we decided to stay in Cape Town, and look for a site that was different from the norm. Kirstenbosch seemed to be the obvious choice so, we dismissed that idea and instead, thought about Cape Point or Silvermine, instead.
Yes, I didn’t miss the fact that the words “city challenge” was part of the title, but I really didn’t want to add more pigeons to the app by going to the CBD, or visit the Waterfront to add more seagulls.
Given the fact that both the Two Oceans Aquarium and the V&A Waterfront both had programmes running for the weekend, I’m sure that there is more to those sites than just birds. But probably not all that much 😉
Table Mountain
It was at that point that Cape Town Big 6 got in touch and asked if we wanted to log the birds and the bees at the top of Table Mountain instead. We immediately jumped at the opportunity and ended up taking lizard selfies all day long. FYI, the Kidz Season special is back and 2 kids can travel free of charge, with 1 full paying adult for just R290.
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We always enjoy visiting Table Mountain and Saturday was the perfect day, weather wise, to really explore properly. For the first time since we got lost looking for the path to Maclear’s Beacon, we walked the full Klipspringer walk, and even looked over the edge of Platteklip gorge.
There were plenty of lizards from a few gorgeous Agama to a large number of Black Girdled lizards who were also all enjoying the sunshine. Did you know that the head of the male Agama turns bright blue during mating season? We had no idea and had a great time watching it move between the rocks, and eat ants while waiting for Ms Right to wander along.
Creature Comforts
After taking a gazillion pictures and with a cellphone battery in serious trouble of conking out completely, we headed to the air conditioned WiFi lounge near the upper cable station, to recharge ourselves (and our phones). It was super easy to upload pictures on the app using the fast and free WiFi, and it was lovely to get out of the sun during over lunch time. The cafe in the lounge is a great place to grab a drink and snack while you enjoy the views, far from the maddening crowds.
We haven’t spent a full day out of the house in ages and our cat let us know that she was not impressed. After giving us the hairy eyeball, we were graciously forgiven once we had treated her to lots of stroking and a cozy lap to snuggle on. She has made sure that we understand that this sort of thing is not allowed to become a habit, though.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by The Cape Town Big 6, but all words, pictures and opinions are our own.
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