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| There are over 110 species of trees occurring in Pigeon Valley, almost all of which are locally indigenous.<ref>Hemson, C. (2014)</ref> Pigeon Valley is also notable for large stands of ] (''Isoglossa woodii'') which grow in more open areas under the forest canopy and in forest glades. In recent years there have been a few discoveries of plants not previously identified. | There are over 110 species of trees occurring in Pigeon Valley, almost all of which are locally indigenous.<ref>Hemson, C. (2014)</ref> Pigeon Valley is also notable for large stands of ] (''Isoglossa woodii'') which grow in more open areas under the forest canopy and in forest glades. In recent years there have been a few discoveries of plants not previously identified. | ||
| Pigeon Valley is unique in having large numbers of the rare ], and of ]. A '']'' specimen found adjacent to the main track has so far not been definitively identified; it may be a species seldom found in the area or alternatively a hybrid. | Pigeon Valley is unique in having large numbers of the rare ], and of ]. A '']'' specimen found adjacent to the main track has so far not been definitively identified; it may be a species seldom found in the area or alternatively a hybrid. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" width=60% style="background: #FFFFFF; border: 1px dotted gray;" | {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" width=60% style="background: #FFFFFF; border: 1px dotted gray;" | ||
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| ==Community== | ==Community== | ||
| An active grouping, Friends of Pigeon Valley, undertakes clearing of ] plants, ensuring that the park is unusually free of alien species. There is a Facebook page with that name at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfPigeonValley |
An active grouping, Friends of Pigeon Valley, undertakes clearing of ] plants, ensuring that the park is unusually free of alien species. There is a Facebook page with that name at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfPigeonValley/ | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 10:46, 22 October 2017
Pigeon Valley is a Natural Heritage Park and formally declared municipal nature reserve in Durban, South Africa. It is an unusual example of an urban reserve with very high levels of biodiversity. It was established to provide protection for the Natal Elm (Celtis mildbraedii) and other forest giants of the coastal climax forest. Another rare tree that occurs here is Natal Forest Loquat (Oxyanthus pyriformis) which is endemic to the Durban area and to oNgoye Forest. Pigeon Valley is about 11ha in extent, and is situated on the Berea, overlooking Durban Bay. Its unusual north-south orientation may contribute to the biodiversity, with the south-facing slope covered in canopy forest, while the north-facing slope has thorny thickets. An adjoining reservoir, previously part of the reserve, provides a patch of coastal grassland.
Animals
The park is home to red duiker and blue duiker. There is a troop of banded mongooses as well as slender and water mongooses. Blue vervet monkeys are constantly present.
Various species of forest birds are found here including; green twinspot, Cape White-Eye, Southern Boubou, Spotted Ground-Thrush, Purple-crested Turaco and African Paradise-Flycatcher. The Black Sparrowhawk breeds here annually. Another bird that is seldom seen but that is generally present is Buff-spotted Flufftail. Unusual sightings of note in recent years include European Nightjar, Knysna Warbler, Lemon Dove, Mountain Wagtail, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Common Scimitarbill, Palm-nut Vulture and Knysna Turaco. The current bird list for Pigeon Valley includes 158 species.
The Spotted Ground-Thrush is of particular note, as Pigeon Valley is one of the places where this endangered bird can be most reliably found in winter. It arrives typically in late March or early April, and is present until August or September; in 2015 it was present until 5 October. Summer migrants include, occasionally, Black Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo and Red-backed Shrike.
Plants
There are over 110 species of trees occurring in Pigeon Valley, almost all of which are locally indigenous. Pigeon Valley is also notable for large stands of Buckweed (Isoglossa woodii) which grow in more open areas under the forest canopy and in forest glades. In recent years there have been a few discoveries of plants not previously identified.
Pigeon Valley is unique in having large numbers of the rare Natal Elm, and of Natal Forest Loquat. A Cryptocarya specimen found adjacent to the main track has so far not been definitively identified; it may be a species seldom found in the area or alternatively a hybrid.
| Indigenous trees of Pigeon Valley | |
|---|---|
| (*) probably introduced | |
| Scientific name | Common name |
| Acacia robusta | Narrow-pod robust thorn |
| Acacia kraussiana | Coast climbing thorn |
| Acalypha glabrata | Forest false-nettle |
| Acokanthera oblongifolia* | Dune poison-bush |
| Acridocarpus natalitius | Moth-fruit |
| Adenia gummifera | Green-stem |
| Adenopodia spicata | Spiny splinterbean |
| Albizia adianthifolia | Flatcrown |
| Allophylus africanus | African false-currant |
| Anastrabe integerrima | Pambati-tree |
| Antidesma venosum | Tassel-berry |
| Apodytes dimidiata | White-pear |
| Baphia racemosa | Forest camwood |
| Bauhinia galpinii* | Pride of De Kaap bauhinia |
| Bersama lucens | Glossy white-ash |
| Brachylaena discolor | Coast silver-oak |
| Bridelia micrantha | Mitzeeri sweetberry |
| Calodendrum capense | Cape-chestnut |
| Calpurnia aurea* | Showy calpurnia |
| Canthium inerme | Turkey-berry |
| Canthium spinosum* | Coast turkey-berry |
| Capparis fascicularis subsp. zeyheri | Coast zigzag caper-bush |
| Capparis sepiaria var. citrifolia | Woolly caper-bush |
| Carissa bispinosa | Num-num |
| Catunaregam obovatum | Coast bone-apple |
| Celtis africana | White-stinkwood |
| Celtis mildbraedii | Natal elm |
| Chaetachme aristata | Thorny-elm |
| Chrysanthemoides monilifera | Bush tick-berry |
| Chrysophyllum viridifolium | Fluted-milkwood |
| Clerodendron glabrum | Tinderwood |
| Cnestis polyphylla | Itch-pod |
| Combretum kraussii | Forest bushwillow |
| Commiphora harveyi* | Copper-stem corkwood |
| Commiphora woodii* | Forest corkwood |
| Cordia caffra | Septee tree |
| Crotalaria capensis | Cape rattle-pod |
| Croton sylvaticus | Forest fever-berry |
| Cryptocarya latifolia | Broad-leaf wild-quince |
| Cryptocarya sp. | Unknown species |
| Cryptocarya woodii | Cape wild-quince |
| Cussonia nicholsonii | South coast cabbage-tree |
| Cussonia sphaerocephala | Forest cabbage-tree |
| Cussonia spicata | Cabbage-tree |
| Dalbergia armata | Thorny-rope flat-bean |
| Dalbergia obovata | Climbing flat-bean |
| Deinbollia oblongifolia | Dune soap-berry |
| Diospyros natalensis* | Acorn jackal-berry |
| Diospyros villosa | Hairy star-apple |
| Dombeya tiliacea | Forest dombeya |
| Erythrina caffra* | Coast coral-tree |
| Euclea natalensis | Hairy guarri |
| Ficus burkei | Common wild fig |
| Ficus lutea* | Giant-leaf fig |
| Ficus natalensis | Coast strangler fig |
| Ficus polita | Heart-leaf fig |
| Ficus sur* | Broom-cluster fig |
| Grewia occidentalis | Cross-berry raisin |
| Gymnosporia nemorosa | White-spot forest spikethorn |
| Halleria lucida* | Tree-fuchsia |
| Harpephyllum caffrum* | Wild-plum |
| Hyperacanthus amoenensis | Spiny-gardenia |
| Kiggelaria africana* | Wild-peach |
| Lagynias lasiantha | Smooth pendent-medlar |
| Maerua racemulosa | Forest bush-cherry |
| Magaritaria discoidea | Peacock-berry |
| Maytenus peduncularis | Cape-blackwood |
| Millettia grandis | Umzimbeet |
| Mimusops obovata | Forest red-milkwood |
| Mitriostigma axillare | Dwarf-loquat |
| Monanthotaxis caffra | Dwaba-berry |
| Ochna natalitia | Natal plane |
| Oxyanthus pyriformis subsp. pyriformis | Natal loquat |
| Pachystigma bowkeri | Forest crowned-medlar |
| Pavetta inandensis | Forest brides-bush |
| Pavetta lanceolata | Weeping brides-bush |
| Podocarpus latifolius* | Real yellowwood |
| Protorhus longifolia | Red beech |
| Psychotria capensis | Black bird-berry |
| Psydrax obovatum | Quar |
| Putterlickia verrucosa | Forest false-spikethorn |
| Rapanea melanophloeos* | Cape-beech |
| Rawsonia lucida | Forest-peach |
| Rhoicissus rhomboidea | Glossy forest grape |
| Rhoicissus tomentosa | Common forest grape |
| Rothmannia globosa | September bells |
| Scolopia zeyheri | Thorn-pear |
| Searsia chirindensis | Red currant |
| Strelitzia nicolai | Coast strelitzia |
| Strychnos decussata | Cape-teak bitterberry |
| Strychnos gerrardii | Coast monkey-orange |
| Syzygium cordatum* | Umdoni |
| Tecomaria capensis | Cape honeysuckle |
| Trema orientalis | Pigeonwood |
| Tricalysia lanceolata | Jackal-coffee |
| Trichilia dregeana | Forest natal mahogany |
| Trimeria grandifolia | Wild-mulberry |
| Turraea floribunda | Honeysuckle-tree |
| Uvaria caffra | Small-fruit cluster-pear |
| Vangueria randii subsp. chartacea | Coast wild-medlar |
| Vepris lanceolata | White-ironwood |
Public access
The reserve is open from 07:30 to 16:00 daily throughout the year. The entrance is in Princess Alice Avenue, Glenwood, opposite Rhodes Avenue.
Community
An active grouping, Friends of Pigeon Valley, undertakes clearing of invasive alien plants, ensuring that the park is unusually free of alien species. There is a Facebook page with that name at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfPigeonValley/
See also
References
- Bodenstein, J. (2009)
- Birds in Reserves, ADU
- http://birp.adu.org.za/site_summary.php?site=29523059
- Hemson, C. (2014)
Bibliography
- Pooley, T. and Player, I. (1995). KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife Destinations. ISBN 1-86812-487-8.
29°51′52″S 30°59′19″E / 29.86444°S 30.98861°E / -29.86444; 30.98861
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