2 February 2016
Setting out
early this crisp, clear morning, we got a good variety of general game; a few
very nice Zebra sightings - big herds with some very young foals and
interspersed with their old traditional companions the Blue Wildebeest. We also
came across another large bachelor herd of Kudu, with a few really impressive
individuals.
It was a good
day for Giraffe and we had a few close-up sightings of some very large males.
One of the highlights was when we found 2 young male giraffe necking! They were
barely fully grown and slightly apprehensive about it, with the younger of the
two certainly being the aggressor and getting a few good shots in while the
slightly older male seemed rather disinterested and unimpressed by the
challenge...
We also had a
few good close-up sightings of elephant, including a breeding herd with 2 very
small babies crossing the road in front of us.
After our
breakfast stop we decided to follow up on some rumors of Lion somewhere along
the river. These ended up being true, as we eventually found 2 lionesses lying
in the shade of a clump of reeds in the riverbed. As we arrived at the spot,
one of the females got up and changed position, allowing us a good view before
lying down again, out of sight. The second female was lying in a gap in the
reeds, panting away as by this time it had warmed up considerably. A few
hundred meters further down river a large male lion was lying by the base of a
Jackalberry tree, on the near side of the riverbed and in the open. He had his
head up for most of the time we were there, allowing for some good picture
opportunities, before lying back down to sleep. He had a few fresh cuts from
what was most likely a fight with another male, but these didn't seem to bother
him much and he still appeared to be in good condition.
Driving along
the river we also had some good bird sightings, most notably a variety of
storks, including African Openbill, Marabou and Wooly-necked Storks.
All in all
another successful day on Safari!
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