File:Nylsvley Brochure pg 3.jpg

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Nylsvlei Brochure, page 3

Summary

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Description
English: The brochure given out at reception upon admission (as of 19 January 2013).
"NYLSVLEY IS FOR THE BIRDS"
   THE NYL RIVER FLOODPLAIN is one of South Africa's largest and least impacted floodplain systems. It is located in the upper-reaches of the Mogalakwena River, a tributary of the great Limpopo, and stretches over a distance of about 70 km, reaching 7 km at its widest point. In years of exceptional rainfall the area under water may extend up to 16 000 ha. The three primary sources of water are small seasonal rivers that drain from the eastern slopes of the Waterberg range: the Olifantspruit, Groot and Klein Nyl rivers.
   The floodplain is not permanently under water; indeed it is dry almost as often as it is wet. The timing and extent of inundation is rainfall-dependent, and years of below-average rain often result in no floodwater reaching the plain. On average, this is the case one year in three, while flooding occurs to a greater or lesser extent in two years in three. Only once in about ten years is there a bumper flood that results in the entire floodplain being under water. Inundation typically occurs in late January and February; the water then gradually recedes, sometimes drying up completely before the next summer.
   Nylsvley was purchased in 1974 by the Provincial Government with the primary purpose of conserving a section of the floodplain; it was proclaimed a nature reserve in the same year. The reserve lies betwee 2436S/2840E and 2442S/2844E and straddles the floodplain near the towns Modimolle (Nylstroom) and Mookgopong (Naboomspruit). The reserve is 3975 ha in extent, lies at an altitude of 1080-1155m above sea-level; it receives, on average, 620 mm of rain per annum. Summers are warm to hot (max temp 38-39°C), winters are mild to warm with temperatures rarely dropping below zero.
   Nylsvley Nature Reserve was designated as a Ramsar site in July 1998. Ramsar is an international concention that seeks to recognise and urge protection for globally important wetlands. The reserve is one of about 20 sites currently registered in South Africa and one of 1600+ in the world. Nylsvley is also listed by BirdLife International as an "Important Bird Area". Much of this recognition stems from the variety and abundance of waterbirds that are attracted to the floodplain during times of flooding. More than 100 waterbird species have been recorded – more than that recorded in any other South African wetland. Many of these species are rare or highly localised elsewhere in the country – for example, the Great Bittern, Rufous-bellied Heron, Dwarf Bittern, Allen's Gallinule and Streaky-breasted Flufftail – and Nylsvley is an important breeding ground for them in wet years. Nylsvley is not just about waterbirds; the 380 species recorded makes it one of the most bird-rich reserves for its size, in South Africa.
   Plant communities on Nylsvley are also diverse and interesting; the plant checklist currently stands at about 600 species. Among them is rice grass Oryza longistaminata, the dominant grass on the floodplain, a species that is virtually absent elsewhere in the country.
   Acacias are the dominant tree species in the alluvial soils fringing the floodplain, with Acacia tortilis, A. robusta and A. karoo being the main species, alond with lovely old examples of the sherpherd's tree Boscia albitrunca, dense thickets of the numnum Carissa bispinosa and fine examples of jacket plum Pappea capensis and bushveld saffron Elaeodendron transvaalense. The southern part of the reserve is underlain by sandstone and resulting sandy soils support broad-leaved woodland dominated by the red syringa Burkea africana, silver clusterleaf Terminalia sericea, the lekkerbreek Ochna pulchra, and others. The northern side of the floodplain is underlain by erosion-resistant felsites resulting in rocky shallow soils, with Combretum species dominating the tree community – C. apiculatum, C. erythrophyllum, C. molle and C. zeyheri. Also occuring are mature specimens of beechwood Faurea saligna and the giant naboom Euphorbia ingens.
   The reserve's mammal list currently numbers 77 species of which the most commonly seen are giraffe, blue wildebeest, zebra, roan antelope, kudu, waterbuck, reedbuck, bushbuck, tsessebe, impala, warthog, black-backed jackal, vervet monkey and tree squirrel. The nocturnal species include bushpig, brown hyena, leopard, porcupine, lesser galago (or bushbaby), aardwolf, aardvark, scrub and Cape hares, and Jameson's red rock rabbit, springhare, serval and caracal, African molerat and striped polecat. You could also encounter hedgehog, clawless otter, slender, banded, yellow, white-tailed and marsh mongoose, Juliana's golden mole and large spotted genet. Less commony seen; wild cat, plus 9 species of bats, 9 of mice, 5 rat species, 5 shrew species plus a dormouse and a gerbil.
   Amphibians are well-represented with 19 frog species, of which the largest is the giant bullfrog Pyxicephalus adspersus. They come out of hibernation as soon as the wetland is inundated to breed in the ephemeral puddles along the floodplain margins where there is less likelihood of fish eating their tadpoles. Another noisy frog is the raucous toad, and the most colourful is certainly the banded rubber frog. Apart from a crocodile that resided at Vogelfontein for a while, a few years ago, the largest reptile present is the water monitor; it contributes to an impressive 58 species of reptiles and amphibians present in Nylsvley. The list includes a diverse complement of snakes, including python, black mamba, snouted (or Egyptian) cobra, puff adder, boomslang and vine snake; their presence dictates tha sensible shoes be worn when walking in the reserve.
Date
Source Nylsvley Nature Reserve
Author Friends of Nylsvley

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