The hatching of Ubizane's Ostriches:

There has been much anticipation here at Ubizane Wildlife Reserve, as we patiently await the arrival of our baby Ostriches. We first noticed one of our females sitting on eggs on the 27^th of September, and many of you who follow our blog posts will recall the details.  

After the torrential down fall our excitement soon turned to fret, as we found the eggs submerged in a puddle of ice cold water abandoned by the parents, and after much consideration and discussion, we decided to remove the eggs and attempt to incubate them ourselves.

2 weeks of careful monitoring and care finally paid off on a Monday evening, at  22:00 pm one of the eggs began to move and  small hairline cracks began to emerge. The little ostrich proved to be a real fighter, only resting momentarily from its constant struggle against the porous egg shell. Not long after the first cracks were made, a tiny beak emerged through the jagged egg shell, under the constant watch of the staff, the large tangled mass of a chick struggled some more, breaking the shell more. An hour soon passed , and a soft muffled  ‘cheep’ could now be heard as the ostrich fought beak and nail to come into this world.

3 hours and countless cups of coffee later, you could now make out the shape of the mini replica ostrich, tightly packed into the shell that it has called home for 6 weeks. Its powerful leg kicking, with what looked liked frustration, and its large black eye peered out on to it’s new surroundings, almost in amazement. The excitement reached the tipping point as with one last push, the chick pushed free of it’s egg. Lying with it’s legs tucked under its body and it’s neck stretched out, the tiny life form breathed heavily, exhausted I’m sure. True to it’s instincts, after a short power nap the chick struggled to its feet, feathers still damp and neck still supple and wobbly but the exhaustion of coming into the world proved to be too much, and it soon collapsed into a sleeping bundle. 

The newborn chick is still being kept in the glass cage with its unborn siblings, here he or she will stay under the warm light until it is strong enough to stand and eat, then it will be relocated to a larger enclosure. We all at Ubizane are delighted to welcome yet another addition to the family and are holding thumbs for the rest to arrive sooner rather than later!

Be sure to keep a watchful eye on all our social media pages, as we will be sure to document every milestone in these precious chicks’ life!

When it rains, it pours!

It is has been a rather dry winter here at Ubizane, The parched grasslands scattered with dry tufts of grass and the sun baked roads wait in anticipation for the first rains to quench a seasons thirst and settle the  ever accumulating dust; that seems to creep into every possible space.

On a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, the entire Ubizane had mixed emotions towards the arrival of the rain, elated with the thought of no more sporadic veldt fires breaking out and the prospect of the scenery turning green over night but at the same time feeling quite limited, as we had planned a beautiful  boma dinner for our guests that evening. 

Over the last 3 days we fully grasped the meaning of when it rains it pours! The constant rain seemed to have no end (Not that we were terribly upset about it, as the reserve needed it badly) day and night it continued to come down in buckets.

The Ubizane landscape seemed to have reached its capacity, with +/- 150mm of rain fallen in 2 days! The roads around the reserve proved to be every Warthogs dream; with a slippery mud puddle on every bend. The seasonal Mzinene River that snakes through the farm has also begun to flow, for the first time since last rainy season, the small bridge crossing over the river was submerged as the water gushed over it. After a cautious crossing we made our way to the fence where the strength of the flowing water had clearly proved too much for the wire fence; the wire buckling as the water swept past it.  

Partially soaked and with an odd splatter of mud here and there, we made our way back to the Lodge, as we approached the area where we last saw the female ostrich on eggs we found ourselves on the edge of our seat! For according to our calculations, the eager hatchlings should be arriving any day now!

Our excitement soon turned to fret, as we saw the eggs abandoned and partially submerged in a puddle of water, and both mother and father nowhere to be seen! After much consideration and discussion, we decided to remove the eggs and attempt to incubate them ourselves.  So be sure to keep an eye on all our social media pages for details on the 9 Ostrich eggs! 

Competition Questions:

       1.  Who is Shimba and where is her favourite hang out?

 

2. Chaulmoogra oil is from which tree and what was it used to treat in the late 1800′s and   early 1900′s?

 

3. True or False:  You can now get wireless interest access as soon as you drive through Ubizane’s gate? 

 

4. What percentage of Ostrich chicks survive to see their 1^st birthday?

 

5. How many cheeses are served on an Ubizane cheese platter?  

E-mail your answers and contact details to social@ubizane.co.za 

Extending our Family:

One of our gorgeous female ostriches is about to become a Mom! We could hardly believe our eyes when we came across her nest, or more accurately just a simple hollow in the ground. Ostriches generally nest communally, so we are very excited to see if the other ostriches will join the nest.   

Laying up to 20 eggs the female Ostrich is able to distinguish between her own eggs amongst the others in a communal nest. The glossy cream coloured eggs average 15cm long and 13cm wide, and can weigh up to 1.4 kilograms in weight. Interestingly the yolk of an ostrich egg is the largest single cell but the smallest egg relative to the size of the adult bird. 

The clutch is incubated mainly by the female during the day and by the male during the evenings. This is a rather ingenious way of sharing a duty, as this uses the colouration of the two sexes to blend into the natural environment and prevent the detection of the nest. The female with her drab plumage blends in with the sand, while the black male is nearly undetectable in the night. The pair shares the incubation process for 35 to 45 days. Typically, the male defends the hatchlings and teaches them to feed, although males and females cooperate in rearing chicks. Fewer than 10% of nests survive the 9 week period of laying and incubation, and of the hatched chicks, only 15% of those survive to 1 year of age. 

  

We are hardly able to contain our excitement, as we anticipate the arrival of our ostriches chicks. Watch this space as there will soon be new hatchlings running around here at Ubizane, extending our feathered family one step further! 

Splish Splash...

As many of you may know our ostriches have really become part of the family, quite literally. However, we were really surprised as to what one female got up to the other day.

 On Monday the 30^th one of our guests was enjoying a relaxing mid afternoon swim, and didn’t think much of the curious Ostrich’s presence (Those of you who have been to Ubizane know that the ostriches are very inquisitive and are forever milling in everyone’s business).  This time however it seemed it was more than mere curiosity that drew the Ostrich closer and closer to the edge of the pool.  

Clearly the heat had gotten to the Ostrich as well, and she boldly took a step forward and landed with a splash into the pool at Safari Lodge. After a casual swim to the steps of the pool, the drenched ostrich elegantly climbed out the pool and casually strolled away, as if nothing was wrong. This I’m sure you can imagine left our guest in amazement!  

Even though the ostrich may have a brain smaller than its eyeball, it clearly has enough brain capacity to realize when it is getting hot, and that the pool is an ideal place to cool off. Our only concern is that if the ostriches are taking a dip in winter, what are they going to be doing in summer? 

Birds of a Feather:

Many of our guests tend to feel a tad bit intermediated by the presence of Ostriches, as many of you who have been to Ubizane know they have become somewhat of a regular occurrence here both at Tree and Safari Lodge. 

 Noticing movement by Safari Lodge, one of the females decided to pay us a visit, after breakfast. We had guests from a Bat Mitzvah, and the children were so intrigued by the Ostriches’ presence in and around the lodge. 

The guests were fascinated when Tiaan one of the Managers helped them to touch the Ostrich, and answered many of their questions. Some of which consisted of: “Is it it a girl or a boy?”, “Where is her Boyfriend?”  And “Do Ostriches eat meat?” to name a few! Tiaan patiently answered all their questions, no matter how silly they may have seemed and even added some interesting facts here and there. 

 

Some guests were a little more adventurous than others and gave the Ostrich a stroke or two, while others just watched from a distance. 

Ruffling some Feathers

Those of you, who have read our blog, know that we recently received 7 elegant Ostriches. We were very excited and welcomed them with open arms.

Having had time to settle in, we are learning that each of them have their own unique personalities! Strangely it is always the females that are getting themselves in a sticky situation or being very inquisitive.  

A few days ago, our (what seems to be regular) female ostrich decided she will spend the afternoon basking in the sun at Tree Lodge pool area. She spent a few minutes milling around selecting her preferable location, before settling nearby our pool lounges by the bar.  

She seemed quite relaxed standing near one of the umbrellas, and at one stage she even had her eyes closed, catching a mid afternoon snooze perhaps?

After a good few minutes of some ‘down time’ she moved off to her next location of choice, the Managers office!

Here she constantly peers in through the window just to make sure that everyone is doing their work.