07th May – Babies on Show!

Photo of the Day

Rockfig Jnr and her cub grooming

Morning Drive

(Chad, Marka, Herold and Johannes)

2 x leopards (Rockfig Jnr and cub on impala kill) – Vielmetter, Elephant Dam Rd

2 x rhinos (female and calf)

1 x breeding herd of buffalo – Java, Buffalo Kill Rd

1 x breeding herd of buffalo – Motswari, Giraffe Pan

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Motswari, Wisani Crossing

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Vielmetter, Back Nines

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Argyle, Argyle Dam

1 x elephant bull – Peru, Western Cutline

1 x elephant bull – Motswari, Airstrip

1 x elephant bull (Classic) – Kings, Hyena Rd

1 x elephant bull – De Luca, Mpela-pela Access

Afternoon Drive

(Chad, Marka and Herold)

1 x breeding herd of buffalo – Jay Dee, Makulu Crossing

1 x breeding herd of buffalo – Argyle, Long Rd

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Argyle, Argyle Dam

Daily Synopsis

So after a good first full day back on drive, I was keen to get out there again this morning, and despite being disappointed by the cloudy weather, I still had high hopes for the day.  I made the trip south to begin with, hoping to catch Rockfig Jnr and her cub nice ad early; the drive down was quiet, with nothing but a couple of impalas showing themselves – despite it being good weather for wild dogs, as I had mentioned to my guests.

Tawny eagle eating a puff adder

The leopards were awake and grooming one another not far from the impala kill that had eventually been hoisted up a marula tree, but they eventually moved into a mopane thicket, and after checking on some impalas that were alarm calling nearby, we lost them and carried on with the drive.

Rockfig Jnr and her cub

We went down the road to follow up on our rhino and her calf after they had been found earlier in the morning, and Tiyani took all of 2 minutes to find them on foot, so I did a U-turn and went and enjoyed a great sighting of them as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds – the calf is amazing relaxed, and it was my first proper sighting of him which was great.

Rhino and calf

After whining for a while as he followed mom, he eventually got the milk he was after before they disappeared into an impenetrable thicket and we left to go have some coffee.

Along the way, we met up with our massive elephant bull, Classic, and his full musthe condition meant that he didn’t enjoy having us around and it didn’t take him long to pursue us, so we left him and headed to Entrance Dam.

Classic - what an impressive beast!

On finding another vehicle there, we carried on, only to bump into a herd of elephants on their way to the dam, so spent time with them – one interesting sighting was a large male trying to break the electric fence around the solar panel that pumps the water to the dam; why he was doing it was beyond me, but he succeeded!

Elephant herd going to Entrance Dam

As the time was now against us, we left coffee and headed back to camp, only passing a pair of jackals, impalas and a lone elephant on the way.  Herold had seen the massive buffalo herd on Java after tracking them down, and Marka tried for a lone male lion in the north, but ended up having a rather quiet morning, as did Johannes.  As it turned out, the weather was indeed good for wild dogs, and two were found at Lily Pan late in the morning!

Black-backed jackals

The afternoon saw sun shining, but the animals didn’t feel like shining themselves.  We ticked off a distant zebras, impalas, kudus, a lone elephant cow and calf, a small herd of buffalo, hippos, very, very distant giraffes and waterbucks near Argyle Dam, but little else.

Game between camp and Argyle Dam - kudus, buffalo, elephants, impalas and hippos

We found some closer giraffes, but they were not conducive to good photos, and their behaviour led me to chasing after a phantom leopard that I imagined they were always staring at!  The sunset while watching them was well worth it though!

Giraffes anda  stunning sunset over the Timbavati

After more kudus, we stopped along the Nhlaralumi for a wonderful evening drink before heading back to camp, but it was very quiet!  We did luckily end off with a family of three porcupines on the airstrip, but all-in-all, it was a quiet afternoon...still, we didn’t see another vehicle the whole drive, and that is always special!

Sunset and moonrise over the bush!

Hoping that tomorrow brings some much needed lions to the area, but I guess we shall have to wait and see!