Greetings to all as we head towards the end of the year.
A decent rainy season has allowed the WL toads to breed well and indications are that we should expect better toadlet numbers than the last few years. I can hear the painted reed frogs singing as I type this. Having said that the dam levels are still nowhere near what they were in 2014/15 and we have a potentially dry summer lined up. The dam level had already dropped in the week leading up to the little rain we had on the 19th/20th November.
New residents
There have been a few new additions to the bird residents, the regular batches of Guinea fowl and Egyptian geese always make their presence felt, more notably we have two beautiful Dikkop babies as well as 4 or 5 Coot’s.
(Sadly, it seems that since the first edit of this newsletter the Dikkop babies have disappeared but the female is sitting on eggs again.)
Main gate, fencing & pathway
The main gate problems have finally been resolved. While waiting for the City to complete their tender process the FODO team decided to investigate the gate repair ourselves. We managed to find the problem and repair it so the access control buzzer is now working again. Normal hours resume as 06h30 to 18h30 as opposed to the manual open and close between 08h30 to 17h30. Let’s hope that the repair holds. We will however still ask the city to rewire as much as possible as there is some wear and tear to wiring.
The revamp to the paved pathway has been successfully completed by the City. It is level and neat we are very grateful for the City’s involvement where possible even though the financial support has dried up. This means that membership fees and donations are even more necessary than before. To that end, FODO has initiated a leaflet drop funds drive. The FODO team is generously giving of their time to deliver to the surrounding neighbourhoods. If any of you would be willing to drop leaflets on your normal walks through the neighborhood it will be appreciated. You can contact us on admin@dieoog.co.za for more information. FODO now has its own Snapscan code offering another easy way to donate. See attached if you would like to donate.
The palisade fencing to the bottom of the wetland is still in limbo at about 60% complete. As the City finds more fencing they will complete this but there is no indication as to when this is due. Frustratingly someone is stealing grass at the bottom of the wetland, just outside the fence leaving unsightly sandy patches.
Finding the spring’s ‘eye’
Finally one of the new projects on our agenda is to find the source of the spring or the “eye” which we believe is no longer flowing. We do not have any way of knowing for sure. If there is anyone out there who has experience or knowledge of such things or knows anyone who can assist, please will you make contact.
Regards
Brett Castel
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