Barn Owl visits Inyoni Creek
“The status of the African Grass Owl is now regarded as ‘vulnerable’,” said Ms Ria.
A phone call regarding an owl spotted at Inyoni Creek on July 19 created great excitement for resident and environmentalist Ria Milburn.
The owl, perched on a beam underneath Avril Heller’s patio roof, took little notice of the interested onlookers and the noisy camera shutter because it was his or her bedtime. “At some stage the owl turned around to give us a perfect view of the magnificent markings on the wing. It was a Barn Owl – a nocturnal hunter that feeds mainly on rodents,” said Ria.
The Barn Owl occurs in a variety of habitats but the African Grass Owl is confined to grassland.
“The status of the African Grass Owl is now regarded as ‘vulnerable’,” said Ms Ria.
She added that she is concerned about the proposed Sizwe Housing Development because of the valuable eco-systems and the animals and birds that live there.
The mixed-use township that will comprise of 8 000 low-cost houses, schools and shopping centres will affect land that houses some 7 000 graves, a number of archaeological sites and pristine grassland.
It is situated between Club Street and Modderfontein Road up to the Elphin Lodge and Inyoni Creek retirement villages.
“The area of this proposed housing development falls within the endangered Bankenveld grassland vegetational type that forms a transitional zone between the Highveld grassland plateaux and the lower lying Bushveld.
“It therefore has high ecological value but sadly, about 65 percent of grassland has been transformed and only 1.38 percent has been conserved.
“Amongst conservationists there is a grave concern for the wildlife component that occurs in grasslands because 70 percent of the bird species and 20 percent of the mammal species of our country are reliant on the grasslands for survival. This proposed development is simply another nail in the coffin of extinction and the African Grass Owl will most probably be the first to qualify,” said Ms Ria.
Rand Aid, based in Edenvale, has joined scores of other organisations and residents in formally objecting to the development.
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