The Black-necked Spitting Cobra

We have a lot of snakes where we live and a lot of them are venomous as well. Even the non-naturalist will recognize some of the names such as the Black Mamba, Boomslang, Puff Adder, and Black-necked Spitting Cobra. I love telling people that not all of their bites are fatal but you might lose a limb. All joking aside, snakes are a threat but most if you are aware of your surroundings and take care at night or when shuffling around stationary items, you'll probably be fine.

The black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) is a species of spitting cobra found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. They are moderately sized snakes that can grow to a length of 1.2 to 2.2 m (3.9 to 7.2 ft) in length. They are pretty common in our area and they don't just have a clever name; they are known to stand upright and "spit" venom up to 3 meters (10 ft). If their venom enters your eyes, mouth, or open wound, you will be in trouble for sure. I've seen a few spit but I have been lucky to have been in a car each time. There used to be one that lived in a tree outside our banda but it has since moved on. 

A young one ready to spit at me in the shower

 

A year late I suspect this is the same individual.

Well, last year we found a young one in our shower and we suspected he was living underneath the structure. The shower area is full of geckos at night and we've seen a few different types of snakes in there over the years. You gotta be careful at night! 

I recently saw a black-necked spitting cobra during the day and suspected it was the same individual due to its size. After seeing the snake during the day, we noticed in the evening that a gecko was sticking out of a hole, a very unusual position for this particular species of gecko which does not normally spend time in holes. We poked the gecko and sure enough, it was not responsive. It makes sense that the snake had grabbed the gecko and prefers to consume it in the comfort and safety of its home.

Turners thick-toed Gecko has met its end

Birdwatching at home

Bird watcher equivalent to the beer bottle on the beach

 

Repurposed grinding stone

 

We are lucky to have a covered porch area and a pair of bird baths to provide entertainment for us. The bird baths are actually repurposed grinding stones, something which is rare to see in the global north but still very common here. I am particularly fond of one in particular as I collected it on an expedition to the bush from an area that is now uninhabited. It's fascinating to contemplate its age and echoes of human history. But for now, it is filled with water and enjoyed by birds (and critters) of all types. 

The bird bathes receive more attention in the dry season when water is more scarce but it still receives visits year round. The bird baths are situated in an area about 4.5m (15 ft) from our sitting area allowing for easy viewing. We can appreciate them with the naked eye or enjoy more detail using binoculars but they are certainly close enough for easy identification when binoculars are not handy. 

I really enjoy having my coffee in the mornings and watching the different groups of birds pop in for a drink or quick bath. We've seen 225 of species at camp since we moved here with about 55 of them having been recorded each month. That means there are plenty of familiar faces while also the possibility of a rare visitor turning up. It's fun to note the behaviors and etiquette at the bird bath; Ashy Starlings come in a large group and trash the place, the African Bare-eyed Thrush bullies everyone and doesn't share, weavers overwhelm the bath but readily share with smaller birds, and on and on.

A sample of the visitors, including our resident Shikra

The bird aren't the only thing attracted to the bird baths. Toads, frogs, wasps, bees, mongooses, monitor lizards, smaller lizards and skinks, jackals, dogs, and everything else that needs water to survive occasionally find their way to the water source. It's a simple addition to our outdoor space that provides constant entertainment and wildlife sightings!

The dog and the toad friendship

We have a few dogs here at camp and they have a ton of freedom very rarely afforded to dogs in the west, or as is now en vogue to say, the global north. Our camp dogs roam free in an area of about 50,000 square meters or 12 acres. There are a few different structures scattered throughout our property but the area has a lot of wild spaces with trees, shrubs and grasses. The area surrounding us is sparsely populated with the majority of disturbed areas being fields and farms. As a result we did a significant amount of boundary training with the dogs when they were young to ensure that they could lead a life of freedom in adulthood. 

The dogs are great at barking at intruders such as bush pigs, kudu, and the occasional lion, but they are frankly very cowardly dogs. When they were young we initially had them sleeping in a large enclosure. One night a hedgehog roamed into their territory and they were petrified. They were so traumatized that the next day they didn't want to go back in! They were also terrified of a leopard tortoise the first time they saw one, much to my amusement. 

Over the years they've gotten to recognize friend from foe and although they are still cautious they are no longer terrified at every single thing. In fact, they've been able to forge friendships that I would have initially never thought possible. 

One of the more common critters in the dry season are toads. Specifically, the species named guttural toad (Sclerophrys gutturalis) are most common here. They are experts at digging shallow holes during the day and at night finding water sources to wallow in. They're one of those creatures that's kind of always around no matter the time of year. They show up in the bird baths, the residue from our bathing water, and any other random pool of water that happens to form. 

Toad in the day burrow

We recently bought a bowl for the dogs to drink water at our banda. We should have known but when we put it out the toads immediately began to gather in the night. Perhaps they liked the bowl's dimensions or the clean water but for whatever reason, we saw a concentration of toads that we had never previously seen. At one point there were five toads in the bowl with others lurking in the background. It was a little alarming to walk by and have them all simultaneously scatter. 

We wondered what the dogs would think and it turns out they don't really care. They initially looked at the toads with amusement but then later chose to dismiss them. It even reached the point where the toads would remain in the bowl while the dogs drank, though I'm not entirely sure if that's based on familiarity or a lack of awareness from our occasionally dopey dogs.

The good life, from a toads point of view.

The toads began to make themselves at home, spending more and more time on our veranda/patio space. Once again, the dogs were initially curious but then ignored them. It reached the point where the toads would potter around and literally on top of the dogs while they were sleeping. Sometimes the dogs will pop their heads up seemingly startled, only to see the toads and give a kind of, "Oh, just these guys" look before settling back down to sleep.

The toad is using him as a pillow.

End of rainy season

 

Mid-rainy season vs. end of dry season, same spot

 

The end of rainy season and transition to dry season is quite different than the transition from dry season to rainy. When rainy season initially arrives a deluge of rain immediately causes a flurry of grasses and leaves to appear. I've posted about this transition before and it's truly a shocking change. When the rainy season ends it's more of a gradual drying out of the area. I always feel like there is one week where you realize that instead of growing, plants are beginning to fade. Everything is still green but instead of being perky and strong, plants are subtly wilting.

I enjoy this transition period because there aren't as many biting insects as the peak rainy season but there is still a significant amount of foliage and vegetation to not have the landscape appear so naked. The mosquitos die out but there are still enough insects to keep a naturalist entertained (mainly beetles, crickets, and katydids) and although the migrant birds depart, there are still the usual suspects around with some birds trying to squeeze out a final clutch (most notably this year we had a very late season African Paradise-Flycatcher clutch). 

It won't be long before there is not a single blade of grass and the landscape appears more desert than tropics. The dry season is a tough time but the rhythm and changes of the seasons is one of my favorite aspects of life here.

Mid-rainy season vs. end of dry season, same spot

 

Another view