9 September 2016
We left camp
at sunrise this morning, after an early breakfast, for our first morning drive
of the Safari.
It warmed up
quite early so we were lucky to find some predators early on; a rather full
female spotted Hyena was lying by her den-entrance, trying to rest but every
now and then her ears would perk up and she would look around interestedly in a
certain direction. It soon became apparent what she was interested in, as a few
hundred meters further on, we found other members of most likely the same clan,
2 adults and 4 youngsters of about 5 months old. They were quite playful and
active, especially the youngsters, chasing each other around even though
they appeared to have eaten very recently, as a few of them had fresh blood
smears around their mouths, throats and even paws!
A little while
later we came across an old male Lion lying in the sparse shade of a small
tree. He would lift his head every now and then to sniff the breeze or watch as
some Impala moved past, at what they perceived to be a safe distance! There
were a few Vultures circling high overhead and he also appeared to look up at
them quite regularly, perhaps in the hope of being led to an easy food-source.
After lunch
and some relaxing time back at camp, we went out for a late afternoon
drive, during which it was Elephants, elephants and more elephants, when
we found what appeared to 3 different herds close to each other and close to a
large waterhole - the main attraction for them during these dry times. Several
young males were putting on a show, drinking mud bathing and play-fighting in
and around the waterhole! One was nearly fully submerged, on his side,
occasionally popping out the tip of his trunk for a quick breath!
A special
sighting to end off a great day!
10 September 2016
After loading
luggage and an early breakfast, we set off for our final morning drive of the
Safari.
We started off
on a high note, with a beautiful bull Elephant in very good condition, feeding
right next to the road, occasionally turning the tip of his trunk in our
direction to get our scent - the only sign that he was very slightly interested
in our presence.
One of the
early highlights was an African Harrier-Hawk, flying with it's lazy wing beats
from tree to tree, stopping off to investigate various tree activities for the
contents, as these birds mainly feed on hole-nesting species and their chicks,
using their long legs to pull out whatever they find inside.
The next highlight
was when we found what is possibly the most relaxed female Steenbok ever,
browsing right next to our vehicle. These antelope are normally fairly quick to
run for cover if they get too much attention, but this female wasn't bothered
by our presence at all and just kept picking the fresh green leaves off small
shrubs next to the road; quite a special sighting considering that they are
often just seen running through the long grass.
We found 4
Giraffe, 2 females and two calves, in the road shortly before drop-off, a
fitting end to a great days on Safari!
11 September 2016
After an early
breakfast we departed on the first day of our Birding Safari with Jonathan
Hardacre.
It was an
absolutely brilliant day's birding with great sightings throughout the day.
However, a few
sightings stood out. At a large mud pool we found a gorgeous breeding pair of
Saddle-billed Storks, hunting along the edge of the pool.
Not much
further, we found a family of Southern Ground-hornbill foraging along the road,
flicking through the leaf-litter with their long beaks, looking for a snack. A
breeding pair of Wahlberg's Eagle, one dark morph and one pale morph were
courting and also flying back and forth with nesting material, restoring the
nest they've used repeatedly over the last few seasons and putting on quite a
show for us!
A great day of
birding and looking forward to what the next few days will bring.
