A little quieter this month in terms of guests but still plenty of sightings for those that do visit us in Nxai Pan!
The large zebra herds have moved off, and the shorter grass allows good visibility for us to see the smaller animals that move across the pans. Jackals abound everywhere, with the beige and silver coats blending in well as the grass dries. Bat eared foxes flatten their ears and camouflage into the dusky surrounds. A slight movement and their ears spring up like radar antennas, searching for the rustling sounds of potential prey.
Great sightings of general game, with oryx, small zebra herds, spring bok, impalas, and plenty of giraffes. Kori bustards stalk the ground, and hundreds of guinea fowl chirp along towards the waterhole. The cooler days and nights meant that the summer migratory birds have left, but we still have the resident raptors and larks. The queleas are building up in numbers, and in a few months it will be time to put the net on the pool again to stop them dive-bombing and drowing.
The predators still around the area, with one male lion found along Baobab loop, walking along and calling for the rest of the pride that he had become temporarily separated from. A wonderful arrival of a female cheetah with three young cubs spotted at the main waterhole. They were seen several times in the following days, with the cubs bounding along and following their mother, interrupting occasionally to play-fight amongst themselves. They even interrupted our early breakfast at camp one morning as they strolled over the plain in front of camp to the waterhole, so that mother could drink. Luckily it was still too early in the day for the elephants to be hogging the waterhole, and they were able to drink in peace.
The best news this month though, was the discovery on the 18th May at the main waterhole, the lioness with cubs. Last month we had not seen the female with cubs, and feared the worst, but it seems all is well, and the male lions looked after the cubs well enough, just waiting for the female to return!