Our camps welcomed domestic guests in August, and the wildlife in and around Tau Pan did not fail to impress during game drives. One of the most photographed sightings this month was that of a male cheetah resting on a fallen tree.
As usual, the Tau Pan pride was active in the area. The large males from the pride were regularly sighted quenching their thirst at the waterhole, and two of the lionesses and their three cubs were spotted feasting on a wildebeest by the side of a road close to camp.
The waterhole in front of camp was also been a hive of activity for birds, such as the sandgrouse, shaft-tailed whydah and red-billed quelea. Raptors often lurked close-by to try their luck, preying on these smaller birds. A Southern pale chanting goshawk was successful and was seen feeding on a Cape turtle dove one morning.
As we arrived at the tail end of winter, the landscape around the pans was marked by dried yellow grass and many of the trees lost their leaves. Some of the trees, such as the camel-thorn tree, are adapted to have new leaves during this period, providing much-needed nutrition to browsers.
General game was excellent, especially in Passarge Valley where good numbers of oryx, greater kudu, springbok, giraffe, jackal, bat-eared fox and ostrich were encountered.
While tracks were seen along the camp’s pathways most mornings and his rasping calls heard during some nights, the resident male leopard remained elusive and shied away from being spotted this month.
(Note: Accompanying picture is from our Kwando Photo Library which consists of all your great photo submissions over the years, it may not be the most up to date, but we felt it was worthy of a feature alongside this month’s Sightings Report!)
