18th & 19th September – What a morning to end on!

Photo of the Day

18^th September Morning Drive

(Shadrack, Marka, Herold, Peter & Andrea)

Lion (2 Mafikizolo males) / Peru - Tawny Eagle Link

Lion (2 females of 'Motswari' 6) / Motswari - Airstrip Link

Lion (2 males and 1 female of 'Motswari 6') / Peru - Timbavati-Umbabat Cutline

Elephant (1 bull) / Jaydee - Tambotie Pan

Elephant (Breeding Herd) / Karans - Karans Southern Access

Leopard (Argyle Jnr's male cub) / Peru - Just north of Vyeboom Dam

Buffalo (2 Daghaboys) / Peru - Western Cutline

18^th September Afternoon Drive

(Herold, Marka and Shaddy)

4 x lions (Mafikizolo Pride on buffalo kill) – Mbali, Woza-Woza Cutline

1 x lion (lone Motswari Pride lioness) – Peru, Sohebele Dam

3 x lions (2 x lionesses and 1 x young male of Motswari Pride) – Peru, Umbabat Cutline

2 x rhinos (female and female calf)

1 x breeding herd of buffalo – Peru, Tshabalala Rd

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Peru, Sohebele Dam

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Java, Confluence Crossing

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Vielmetter, Back Nines

 

19^th September Morning Drive

(Herold and Marka)

5 x lions (Motswari pride with buffalo kill) – Argyle, Buffalo Pan Access

1 x lion (Mafikizolo young male with buffalo kill) – Mbali, Woza-Woza Cutline

1 x leopard (Nthombi’s boy) – Vielmetter, Steep Nhlaralumi

1 x rhino (relaxed bull)

2 x rhinos (sub-adult male and female)

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Karans, Moeniejag Crossing

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Peru, Broken Dam

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Karans, Western Cutline

 

19^th September Afternoon Drive

(Herold and Marka)

5 x lions (Motswari pride with buffalo kill) – Argyle, Buffalo Pan Access

1 x leopard (Argyle Jnr female) – Peru, Sohebele Dam

1 x breeding herd of elephants – Peru, Sohebele Plains

 

Daily Synopsis

I planned to go down the hyena den and as it so often happens, nothing ever goes according to plan. I started by heading to an area with lots of vultures hoping to find a hyena nearby and instead having a great sighting on a side-striped jackal! The radio was abuzz as something had definitely gone down the night before. Lions calling, hyenas wooping confusing tracks and different lion at the kill site. Yip, the Mafikizolo pride had come in and chased out the 'Motswari 6' and were now feeding on their kill. While Peter had found the Mafikizolo males at the buffalo kill, Shadrack found one of the Mafikizolo females at Sohebele Plains while Herold found two of the 'Motswari 6' near Argyle Dam. After having viewed the two females, we found the other 3 of the 'Motswari 6' who had now split up and despite them calling to each other, they had not regrouped yet. So there were luckily lions all round and grew views of them too.  

After a drinks stop we headed home via Vyeboom Dam and found Argyle Jnr's cub resting up on a rock - the same rock I had said to jacky a few days before that I was just dying to see a leopard lying on. He lay there for a little while before slinking off into a hole in the rock. What a beautiful boy - he is fast becoming my favorite out here. Morning drive finished off with a very relaxed Sharpe's Grysbok which was amazing and then a little Malachite Kingfisher!

I go on leave today, and Chad will be back on duty from tomorrow! After a drive like this morning, I am rather sad to be leaving but I will see you all again soon

Andrea

.....and as usual, looks like I missed out on another great week of game viewing!  Thank you Andrea for some truly special blog posts over the last week; you did a great job and we all hope that you enjoy a well deserved rest!

Im only back on drive on Friday, so will just keep you in the loop about what is going on out there until then.  The Mafikizolo Pride did eventually end up at the kill that they were incorrectly identified at and simply chased the Motswari Pride off and gorged themselves on what was left – not to worry though, the Motswari Pride simply headed a bit further north and nabbed themselves another buffalo, so we were sitting once more with two prides of lions on their respective buffalo kills!

Elephants, rhinos and buffalos seemed to be making their presence known in all parts of the reserve, and even a couple of leopards have played along the last few days as the temperatures once more headed pretty close to 40 degrees Celsius!