A Week in the Bush Vol. 494
on Mar 06, 2024There have been plenty of highlights from the past week on safari… Enjoy the recap…
Chameleons are known as the Masters of disguise, even when they cross the open road! Flap-necked Chameleons are mostly arboreal but will occasionally descend to the ground to search for new feeding grounds or a mate. We were lucky enough to see this one before it camouflaged into some green grass.
These highly social birds seldom stay still long enough to grab a picture but on this occasion an Arrow Marked Babbler called out defending its territory allowing us a great photo opportunity.
Arrow Marked Babblers live in flocks up to about 15 individuals and defend their territory against other flocks.
The African Green Pigeon will very rarely leave the dense canopy of fruiting trees such as the Sycamore Fig or Jackalberry in which they roost and feed. One occasion they will move out into the open is to sun themselves in exposed branches on cool mornings.
Spending time with hippos can be very much the same as spending time with lions. They spend most of their day sleeping and usually all you get is a flick of an ear or a nostril as they breathe. One of the better times of day to spend with hippos is just as the sun goes down and they start getting active, this is when just like lions they start yawning and playing.
As hippos are nocturnal herbivores, they tend to become more active as the sun sets and can cover large distances and the cover of darkness in search of their primary food source, grass.
As we were having a sundowner drink with the light fading away, the calmness was disrupted as we heard a leopard rasping in the distance. Alarm calls from Francolins and Vervet Monkeys started moments later and we decided to pack up and follow up. We were surprised when we found the Khulwana male, as he is still a young individual but clearly having a very high level of confidence as he was scent marking heavily. This male has covered a lot of distance over the last couple of days and he is clearly feeling comfortable in this area. Only time will tell if he will be successful in taking over this territory from another big male. A young male like this will start scent marking over another male’s scent in order to challenge him and potentially take over his territory so it is going to be a tense next few months as we wait and see how things will turn out.
Overnight rain brough relief from a spell of very hot weather. Ntsumi and her two 8-month-old cubs took full advantage of the cooler weather and spent the morning practicing their hunting and tree climbing skills.
In the depths of the African wilderness, the Golonyi female gracefully descends from her perch high in a Marula tree. Hunger drives her as she prowls through the bushveld, her senses finely attuned to the slightest movement or scent. With each silent step, she embodies the essence of the hunt, a masterful predator navigating the intricate maze of her domain in search of sustenance through the drizzle of darkening skies.
After the Tengile female has successfully taken down an adult impala female, this ensured a decent meal for her and her cub. They spent most of their time around the kill and only moved off once everything was finished. The cub is still very young and vulnerable, and mom will try and make sure to keep this youngster out of harm's way. They later moved away and continued further north into our reserve until they reached a thick drainage line, where Tengile felt comfortable and safe enough to take a rest and let her cub suckle from her.
It was a cloudy and cool morning out in the bush, and we were covering the eastern section of our reserve. As we came around a corner, we were astonished by a pack of wild dogs lying in the road, also enjoying the cooler weather for a change.
These dogs are looking very healthy and most likely were successful in making a kill and having a meal early in the morning. They will spend most of their day in this area as it is also close to a dam, before getting active again later in the afternoon. A hyena was seen not far away, creeping around the wild dogs, waiting patiently for them to get active so he can follow them around and have an opportunity to steal their next meal. These two species are in constant competition with one another as they compete for the same food resources.
Having lion cubs on the reserve is a highlight for everyone. We came across them in the middle of a road. Mom was sleeping and the three cubs were playing with one another. Mom later got up and walked away with them deeper into the drainage line where she would most likely hide them away to go out hunting.
These spots where the mothers hide their cubs away need to be either very thick areas or areas which are difficult for other animals to access as the cubs are still fully vulnerable and can't do anything to protect themselves just yet. Cubs can spend hours by themselves where they need to be as quiet as possible, hence all the playing and running around while they have the safety of their mother.
It has been an eventful time for the Talamati Pride and their cubs along with the two Gijima males. After successfully taking down a kudu last week, the Talamati females spent time enjoying their well-deserved meal which took them into the weekend. The two Gijima males arrived late to the feast and with nothing left for them, they moved on with a trail of females and cubs behind them and settled in a drainage line where they rested.
Saturday evening, we could hear the males vocalising and decided to follow up on their location. We found the two Gijima males in an open area, marking their territory. We had a quick glimpse of the females with their cubs and decided to rather leave the area and follow up on them again the next morning where we found one female with three cubs cuddled up next to her. As the morning grew longer, the cubs started getting active, playing with one another and their mom. We are all excited to see what the future holds for these cubs.
Our most recent sighting of them started with us watching a crash of rhino and a dazzle of zebra feeding in an open area with the sun rising in the east. Unbeknown to us, two Talamati lionesses crept closer through the long golden grass. They stalked to within striking distance and exploded out of the grass. Their target was a large stallion who put up a good fight, but this was not his day.
While it's not easy to witness another animal paying the ultimate price for another to survive, it is necessary to ensure the natural balance in the ecosystem.
Until next time…
Blog by Wendy Claase
Images by Daniel Greyvenstein, Devon Jansen, Jason Street and Ruan Mey
Videos by Daniel Greyvenstein & Jason Street
