Photo of the Day
Sohebele male tucking into his buffalo |
Morning Drive
No drive
Afternoon Drive
(Chad)
3 x lions (Sohebele males on buffalo kill) – Motswari, Kevin’s
Camp
2 x lions (Jacaranda sub-adult lionesses) – Peru, Concrete
Crossing
1 x breeding herd of buffalo – Motswari, Xinatsi Dam Rd
South
3 x buffalo bull – Motswari, Xinatsi Dam
1 x breeding herd of elephants – Argyle, Peru Entrance Rd
1 x breeding herd of elephants – Argyle, Argyle Dam
Daily Synopsis
With Grant’s guests having had an amazing five days and
leaving early this morning, there were no drives directly from the lodge, but
the guys out in the bush had a fair morning – Giyani found a rhino and a calf
as he searched for a herd of buffalos in the north; luckily the buffalos headed
north, so we had a mission for the start of the afternoon drive.
With my brother and sister-in-law visiting me, I was hoping
the animals would play along, and for a first drive, I don’t think that they
can have any complaints! We started off
heading straight to Xinatsi Dam to see if the buffalo herd had arrived yet, but
sadly only found three buffalo bulls there, and tracks for the herd moving away
to the east. Luckily, they hadn’t moved
far and a bit further down the road, they appeared amongst the thick mopanes,
so we enjoyed time with them and a large number of yellow-billed oxpeckers –
still amazing to think that only a few years ago we didn’t see these birds in
our area!
Buffalo bulls, buffalo herd and dark chanting goshawk with a lizard kill |
Leaving the herd, we heard that another herd (try say that
after a few bottles of wine!) was making their way to Xinatsi Dam from the
south, but I had the intentions of going to see another buffalo instead...well,
not really a complete buffalo, but a buffalo none-the-less! Arriving at the site of the Sohebele males’
buffalo kill, we found all three brothers busy feeding and goring their already
fat bellies on the kill and spent a lovely time watching these boys feast. The last time my sister-in-law had seen them,
they were little cubs of 5-months old!
Sohebele males feeding on the buffalo |
With the vultures gathering in the dead trees and snooping
around for scraps, the lions didn’t move far from the kill, but two brothers
shifted to the road and flopped over into a comatose state, no doubt brought on
by eating far more than they should have!
Hooded vultures around some fat and sleepy lions |
We took this as our cue to leave and headed to Argyle Dam
for a drink; along the way we enjoyed some impalas rutting, a herd of shy zebras
that ducked behind a tree, two herds of waterbucks and some distant hippos –
but more importantly, a wonderful sundowner whilst listening to the hippos in
the distance; in fact, it was a night filled with amazing sounds!
Waterbuck and impalas |
Following drinks, I thought I might try my luck with the two
young Jacaranda lionesses that had been located near Concrete Crossing, and
slowly bumbled along there. To my shock,
the area was “busy” with vehicle activity, and for the first time in a week I actually
saw a few other people in the north!!!
Oh dear, I hope my quiet playground hasn’t been discovered! Anyway, a couple of lights flashing about in
the distance didn’t put us off too much, and we soon relocated the lionesses
still lazing about in the middle of the rocky river bed, but their fat bellies
meant that they had no reason to move any time soon...and well, they didn’t! The surreal screams of a nearby elephant herd
were probably the most memorable moments of the sighting, and we bumped into
them on the way out.
More fat and sleepy lions; Jacaranda sub-adults! |
As this wasn't going to provide the excitement I was after I
went to see if the Machaton male leopard had returned to one of his impala
kills, but while there was enough meat to warrant a return, it was clear that
he had abandoned it and moved on, and so did we. Going past Argyle Dam, we got spoilt with several
hippos out the water, including a mother and her tiny baby! We again were kept company by the sounds of a
herd of elephant feeding in the woodlands on our right, as well as a hyena’s
whooping call, but the sound of dinner was strong too, so we ambled back to
camp for a marvellous dinner under the starlight with just the four guests in
camp, and looked forward to what tomorrow might bring!
LOL those Sohebele boys look about 36 months pregnant !! Rosie.
ReplyDeleteHey Chad, I love reading your blog -- to me it's like going for a quick game drive when I get home. Have been going to Ingwelala since 1984 and just love the place. Question -- you seem to be happy to stop ( switch off engine too ? ) and just sit amoungst breeding herds of Elephant ?? Whilst I really like these magnificent beasts , I have always given them a wide berth and have found them rather keen to do the same with us ?? I could handle the odd cheeky mock charge from the babies but the big mommy's not - - - Your comments??
ReplyDeleteMorning!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, and glad you can enjoy the bush while living in the city!
Oh yes, most definitely switch off the engine when viewing elephants!!! the sound of a running engine annoys them, hence them chasing you/other vehicles away. We park at a 20-30m distance, turn off and sit quietly - if the elephants are happy to come feed 5m from you then, they will...if not, they will move off in a direction away from you...but the engine must be off :) the breeding herds in the area are extremely relaxed and will approahc very closely without hassles...just be aware of elephant bulls in musthe, and rather dont even view them and look for more elephants :)
hope that helps!