01st November: Goodbye Again!

Pic of the Day.

Morning Drive.

( Grant, Herold & Shadrack.)

Buffalo ( Breeding Herd) / Buchner.

Buffalo ( Breeding Herd) / Buchner.

Buffalo ( Dagha Boys) / Peru – Daghaboy Rd.

Elephant ( Kambaku) / Buchner.

Rhino ( 2 x Unknown)

Afternoon Drive.

( Grant, Herold & Shadrack.)

Buffalo ( Dagha Boys) / Scholtz – Scholtz Access.

Elephant ( Kambaku) / Argyle – Argyle Rd.

Daily Synopsis.

While escorting the guests back to their rooms after dinner the sky's began to spit and a cool breeze started to pick up. Lying in bed myself a while later the electric storm that had been threatening for the past hour finally blew in and the skies opened up. The storm lasted all of an hour itself and by the end of it we had ourselves another 17mm. Not so great for morning drive but incredible for the bush!

Waking to clouded sky's the threat of rain still hovered about but for the time being it was dry. Hearing of the good fortune we had had with Elephant in the North the previous afternoon, both Herold and Shadrack needing Elephant headed off to try replicate our success.

We in turn needed the Rhino that they had seen the previous day. So heading out West we also hoped to replicate their previous afternoon. With conditions not being ideal and all the tracks having been washed away it was going to be a struggle. So to increase our chances we headed to the West and checked on all their favourite spots. Slowly heading further and further South we were not having much luck with our Rhino or it's tracks. We did however manage to find a Honey Badger, Giraffe, Zebra and a couple of Warthog up until this point.

By the distant sounds of things Herold and Shadrack were having far more luck as they not only found one but two different breeding herds of Buffalo. While sitting in amongst these herds they also had the distant visual of a Elephant Bull that they would later be able to visit.

Our luck also changed when I was informed that two Rhino were spotted heading South West in the region we had just driven. Obviously we were a little early as they walked on top of our vehicle tracks. Turning around we headed back to try help relocate them as they had been lost in a particularly difficult area. With Jacky on foot I went about checking the surrounding roads for any sign of them. Driving a complete block it appeared that they must still be within it as we found nothing crossing the roads. This was confirmed by Jacky as he had seen them feeding in amongst some Zebra and Giraffe. Unfortunately when they saw the trackers they all panicked one another and went of galloping in different directions. I fortunately happened to be in the right place at the right time as two Rhino came running right past us. We were also fortunate that the area we were in was clear and we were able to keep up with them as they steadily moved through the bush, getting and ok view of them. As the bush thickened up this became more difficult until we eventually lost them as they headed through a very tight area of Mopane Shrub. Not wanting to put to much pressure on them we chose to leave it at that and went back to fetch Jacky.

With not much else out there we decided this would be a good opportunity to visit the Hyena Den. It was also the ideal weather conditions for it and they should be outside the den. Driving the long windy road down to their den which is to be found in a Termite mound along a drainage line we were in for a surprise. Not only did we find the two pups but mom was also home and the two youngsters were busy suckling from her. This makes a change for us as nine times out of ten we visit a hole in the Termite mound. Watching as they jostled and repositioned for the best position we spent the rest of our morning with them before heading back to camp for brunch.

Walking after brunch the weather once again took a turn for the worse and we had ourselves a walk that was interspersed with rain. This was to set the tone for the afternoon and shortly after game drive commenced it began raining. It was a frustrating rain as it was not hard enough to justify heading back to camp but it was hard enough to send the animals in to hiding! This they did very well and the radio remained dead most of the afternoon, actually thinking back on it the most that was spoken was when it slowly got to much for the guys and one by one they began to close down for the evening. I kid you not when I say we saw a herd of Impala and a single Ram for the first two hours of the drive and by the sounds of things this was far more than others.  

Even a Lilac Breasted Roller couldn't brighten the afternoon.

 We lucked out when we stumbled across a trio of Dagha Boys, who had not hide themselves well enough and Eagle-Eye Jacky found them lying in amongst a Mopane thicket. To celebrate our find we even stopped for sundowners, not that there was ever any sun in sight today. Resuming drive the only thing that had changed was that it was now dark and I think Herold and myself were the only two left out. We both persevered but on this occasion it did not pay off and we returned back to the lodge with a little extra time for a warm shower.

Here's hoping tomorrow will be a little drier during game drive time.