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Month: August 2021

Moremi Crossing Camp, August 2021

The days are warming up as we head towards summer, and the waters have started to shrink back as the days lengthen again. The Boro River was still high enough for boating safaris, however, and boy did they deliver! 

As the floodplains empty again, renewed grazing opened up, bringing the plains animals with them. Guides at Moremi Crossing noted an abundance of wildlife during water activities. Elephants and buffalo splish-splashed to get to the best grasses, while Red lechwe, baboons (over 100 of them at one sighting) and impala mingled about on the riverbanks together. We were also fortunate to catch sight of a pack of wild dogs on the hunt! Eight adults were skipping along the shores searching for prey, and we lost them as they diverted into the long grasses. 

The birdlife was equally prolific. Fish eagles were a regular fixture, along with their wetland friends, the herons, ibises, egrets and storks. It’s been a particular joy to watch the puny Malachite kingfishers on the hunt. While malachite is a beautiful green coloured mineral, these spectacularly colourful birds feature a fluorescent feathering of blue and ochre with a glittering metallic head of turquoise.  

While the owl family may not be particularly colourful, their brown coats better allow them to blend in, so it was with particular glee that we found a Pels Fishing Owl. We saw the nocturnal owl fishing along the river line around camp! 

An enormous troop of baboons was also observed foraging in these verdant, towering riverside trees during a boating safari. 

We enjoyed witnessing fresh patches of termite mounds being maintained. As the onset of summer begins, these busy insects need to protect their towering homes against the coming rain.

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Dinare Camps, August 2021

The Dinare Camps have lived up to their name this month. Mma Dinare means ‘Mother Buffalo’ in Setswana and sits in a glorious site on the Gomoti River in the south-eastern side of the Okavango Delta called Santawani. Since the annual flood has flourished in this area, we have experienced enormous herds of buffalos.

Herds congregate at the remaining waterholes during this dry season, wading deep into the water, grumpily shouldering their way into the best drinking positions. Buffalo social structures are matriarchal, just like the elephant, and these breeding herds can sometimes number over 1000.

Thanks to these massive herds, the lion population is thriving too. After almost six months without a pride male in the area, more males are sneaking into the territory for mating opportunities, Kwando guide NT says. “We are expecting a new generation to emerge anytime now! We have seen the lions mating with a few of the resident females”. The team also saw a coalition of five lions feeding on a giraffe and one healthy male digging into a warthog kill. One afternoon, we tracked two males to room nine at Rra Dinare Camp. They were exploiting the sweet shade for a fitful nap below the deck. 

There has been a spate of excellent Wild dog sightings. Guides noted that these only consisted of adults out on the hunt, and they suspect a den must be nearby. The tracker and guide teams are still pinpointing an exact location. 

The mokoro station has been a busy neighbourhood with hippos bobbing about in the water, crocodiles basking on the banks, elephants on one occasion crossed the Gomoti River in a lively herd numbering 25 strong. Then there was also a leopard sighting. Unusually, some hippos were also seen fighting outside the water. 

Our game drive transfers between Maun and camp have been equally productive. One day guests were treated to giraffe, zebra, elephant and a pair of leopards mating before check-in! A healthy cheetah was also seen feeding on the road that leads to Maun. 

Santawani has been dubbed the honey badger capital of the world, and the August records sure reinforce the label. One evening a night drive yielded a sighting of three honey badgers. Black-backed jackals and the civet were also regular spotlit sights. Civets are stocky animals that resemble cats, are dog-like in size but are actually closer to the mongoose family.

Likewise, the Brown hyena is neither cat nor dog but an order all its own. We were thrilled to catch sight of one this month while on the way to the mokoro station! Predominantly nocturnal, these animals are easier to see in August because they tend to travel further during the dry season. Brown hyenas will seek carcasses to scavenge on or protein-rich ostrich eggs to crack open using their strong jaws. These curious creatures also hunt small vertebrates, such as birds, amphibians and mammals and can walk up to 30km in one evening. During the rainy season between December and March, they travel and scavenge less. 

(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!)

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Nxai Pan Camp, August 2021

Nxai Pan Sightings Report

As we approach spring, some trees and plants start to flower again in a resilient reminder of the renewal that follows winter. However, August is still a season of survival.

Kwando Safaris guide Matt shares the story of Black-backed jackals on the hunt. These animals are bold scavengers, always circling on the sidelines of lion kills and cheetah snatches. However, they are capable hunters too and vital – ecologically speaking – for removing injured and sick animals from the bush.  One pair was seen hunting Helmeted guineafowls around a waterhole with their two subadult pups. Sadly, their attempts at a catch were thwarted by a Martial eagle that flew overhead, which caused the ground birds to scatter back to safety.

Matt also reported regular sightings of Aardwolf. These ‘Earth wolfs’ are typically nocturnal and somewhat secretive. It’s been a pleasure to see them rearing their young at a den near the camp! They seem to enjoy basking in the sun just in front of the entrance to their burrow.

One lonely lesser flamingo was seen in the Baines’ Baobabs area. Every year, these birds stop to use the water that collects across the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans network as breeding sites on their regular migrant routes. There was also plenty of general game along the road leading to Baines’ Baobabs. Springbok, Gemsbok, Greater kudu, Plains Zebra and Blue wildebeest were all spotted in the golden grasslands.

All the shallow pans dried up near the end of winter, and animals navigated towards permanent water sources. A large number of elephants (particularly breeding herds) regularly frequented the waterhole in front of the camp. Other prey species try to get in for a drink too, but the hefty animals don’t permit them much chance! We’ve checked off buffalo, zebra and Bat-eared foxes plus Black-backed jackal roaming the area.

When the elephants are absent, it pays to keep those eyes peeled. A pride of ten lions were seen drinking by the camp waterhole one morning. The group consisted of three adults with seven teenage cubs. At another waterhole on the eastern fringe of the Nxai Pan National Park, guides became alert to a Black-backed jackal making an alarm call. Upon driving in the direction of the eerie noise, they encountered two male lions walking through the bush.

Although it may not constitute the ‘kill’ of an imagined safari, it was fascinating to see a Rock monitor lizard walking along the Middle Road one morning. It was cruising along, keeping to shade and licking up ants as he went.  

(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!)

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Pom Pom Camp, August 2021

Our guides at Pom Pom Camp reported some super sightings from the Okavango Delta this month. Our favourite has to be the tale of the leopard, hyena and crocodile in a standoff over a lechwe carcass. As Ryder says, “In August, we had great wildlife in Pom Pom Reserve”. 

The waters start to recede as we head towards summer, but the levels were still suitable for mokoro trips and short boat cruises. Ryder reports that while on board, guests saw the Angolan painted reed frog, Rubber banded frog, Guttural toad and Monarch butterflies. 

Plenty of birds graced the eyes too during water activities — cormorants, herons, storks, African darters, eagles, African jacana and vultures. Ryder also noted a diversity of fish species, such as bream, catfish, African pike, and many beautiful flowers that sat on the water’s surface. The Waterlily, Vlei ink flower and Cornflower vernonia are all in blossom at this time of year.

Even away from the water, birding remained brilliant, however, with species such as the Blue waxbill, Red-billed firefinch, Red-billed buffalo weaver, Bearded woodpecker, Southern ground hornbill, plus the Long-crested eagles and elegant Wattled cranes going onto the record. We were also pleased to welcome the colourful Carmine bee-eaters back!

Regular grazers remained on guard in the grasslands — buffalo, giraffe, elephant, zebras, blue wildebeest, tsessebe and impala — and a pack of two Wild dogs were seen within the reserve hunting some impala but were not successful. The other pack, a group of ten adults, have been more triumphant. We’ve seen them return to feed their six puppies often. The little ones love to play outside, around the den at our boundary.

Lion sightings have been equally fantastic, Ryder recalls. “One evening, we saw the lioness killing a male red lechwe with two cubs and started eating at the front of our vehicle, which was such a special sighting for everyone!”  There have been sightings of two lionesses — one with four younger cubs (roughly two months old), and the other has two cubs that are seven months old. Two big males and five sub-adult males have been frequenting the reserve too. One day, guides found them on a kill of two buffalo feeding at Manongthoto Island.

Several different leopards were also reported this month, as well as little cubs. One morning, the trackers picked up fresh paw prints. After assessing the impressions and following the signs for over an hour, our team found the leopard feeding on a Red lechwe pulled up onto a broad Sausage tree branch. This one got to keep its kill, unlike his comrade that lost it to a croc.

Several nocturnal species have been spotted on the evening drives:  African civet, Porcupine, Serval, African wild cat, aardwolf, Small spotted genet, Side-striped jackal, plus the prolific little Scrub hare.

This months photographs were taken by our talented guest, Peter Ismert, at Pom Pom Camp.

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Lebala Camp, August 2021

Lebala Lion sightings

Listen carefully. Sometimes you have to stop. Switch off the engine and sit in silence. Was that a bark? A gruff? A huff? A mere sneeze? Impala and kudu alarm calls alert guides to the presence of predators, such as lions. The Wapuka pride are still around Lebala.

Lebala Lion sightings

We saw lions several times during August. One small pride suddenly spied a squadron of warthogs on a hunt close to camp and started stalking. The warthogs and their babies narrowly escaped into a clandestine burrow, but the lions didn’t give up there. Without warning, one luckless warthog ran out again straight into the jaws of the waiting pride.

Doing what they do best, lions were also spied sleeping below a tree. Much to everyone’s delight, they woke up and started to play with the sub-adult cubs. This social activity is crucial for honing hunting techniques. On another occasion, patiently watching a sleeping male likewise yielded a great sighting. After a yawn and a stretch, the lion began scratching up the dirt, scent marking and tracing his territory before clambering up a tree!

“It was also amazing watching two female lionesses stalking some wildebeest”, Wago reports. “They tried to catch one but didn’t make it. The chase was very close!”

Three other male lions were then found with a single female that seemed to be on heat. Mating soon commenced, which can be a very intense affair. Usually, a pair of lions will mate every 15-20 minutes for about four days to ensure a successful litter. One such fertile lioness was seen feeding on a wildebeest with her three sub-adult cubs with jackals circling close by, waiting for leftovers.

We have to agree with Wago when he says. “It was a marvellous moment of the day. Starting with wild dogs on the chase was fantastic!”. Wild dogs were also seen moving through the camp. A remarkable sighting of this particular pack because they were away for a month and a half. They were full-bellied and found asleep in the cherished shade of a sausage tree.

On one afternoon, guests saw two different leopards in one drive. One leopardess on a hunt, and she tried to take some impala. Unfortunately (for her), the antelope recognised a threat and sounded those indicative alarm calls. The second leopard lay in a tree.  

Another cat was spotted on the aptly named leopard road. Usually seen in the Lagoon area, this female was also out on the hunt. One minute she was strolling secretly, the next, she had darted down to a pan in an attempt to snap up some doves at the water.

Most of the pans still had plenty of water, which is great for waders and seeing large herds of Red lechwe leaping through the shallows. “Birdlife was also fantastic as there is still a lot for the birds to eat”, Wago shared. “We also saw a kill! A fish eagle swooped down to catch a catfish right in front of us”. The spectacular carmine bee-eaters were also seen flying alongside the game viewer hawking insects disturbed by the vehicle in stunning displays.

Many antelope species enjoyed the short grass right in front of camp where we had mowed a fire break ahead of the driest part of the year. Wago also noted hippos playfighting in the pools. Calves in creches often engage in these lighthearted sparring matches. 

Productive night drives yielded several notable species such as serval, an aardwolf digging around for insects and a porcupine.

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Lagoon Camp, August 2021

Why do wild dogs time their denning to sync with the end of the impala rut or breeding season? Some researchers think that at this time of the year, there are plenty of stressed-out rams in poor condition that make easy prey targets. At least, the sightings coming in from the Kwando Private Reserve certainly reinforce this hypothesis.

“A very successful morning!” KB reported. “We managed to follow wild dogs on the hunt closely and caught them dropping an impala”.

After a few days of confrontation and uneasy interactions with other animals, we kept a close eye on this pack. We observed them digging around in some different abandoned holes, trying to find a suitable and stress-free new den. Wild dogs make use of old aardvark burrows and line the cavity with grass and leaves to make it more homely. Six adults were then seen soon afterwards moving five of the pups – sad news because we believed the dogs had lost two pups! 

With a new wild dog den active, our guests loved seeing the pups playing around while the adults went out to hunt. One day, waiting to watch their cute antics paid off. The adult dogs returned with full bellies after a successful kill to regurgitate and feed the young. “A smile came back on our faces”, KB said, “because when the parents came back, all seven puppies came out of the new den!”. Guides had found two pups on their own at the old den and believed that the mother would come to get them, so it seems this happened. Trackers then followed the adults back to their kill, where they were seen feeding on an impala.  

We were able to visit these frolicking pups and their new den several times. On another occasion, a commotion broke out in the bushes. Three spotted hyenas had found the wild dogs as they attempted to hunt, thwarting any chance of dinner for the den that day.

One morning, trackers followed fresh lion tracks, and they led to some carcasses caused by the wild dogs. “It was very interesting to watch”, KB reported. “We saw 14 lions scrambling over very few leftovers”.

This considerable pride was seen frequently through August. They preferred to lie in the shade of Kalahari Apple Leaf trees and were skilled at finding food because they were often noted with full bellies.

Guests were thrilled to see the pride taking down a buffalo, and succeeding that, two of the lions and five cubs were seen feeding on a zebra. Another morning, the pride was located on Cheetah Valley Road, resting once again with well-stocked stomachs. When we returned in the afternoon, they set off to hunt as dusk darkened the day. We followed the group through the evening, but they had no luck in landing prey. Perhaps that’s why they sometimes resorted to wild dog scraps!

A leopard was seen with her cub resting up in a tree. The leopard mother often moved off to hunt, leaving her young behind stashed safely in the foliage. Later that evening, she was located again near Firewood Pan and came very close in her chase of an impala. One day, two additional leopards were seen fighting for territory in an impressive display, but they disappeared into the thickets before resolving the issue.

The general game was great. We recorded substantial numbers of eland, with some herds numbering over a hundred, and they were very relaxed, affording fantastic views for our guests. One day we tracked two adult cheetahs resting on a termite mound. When they moved off to hunt, the cats followed once such sizeable herd of eland, but they were not successful in killing any. Both the handsome Roan and statuesque Sable antelope were sighted too.

Unusually, we saw several typically nocturnal species during the day. Cooler weather conditions often yield this type of behaviour. African civet, African wild cat and porcupine were all seen before the sun set. The porcupine lingered for ages and drank fitfully from the waterhole. We were also very pleased to catch sight of a caracal this month! 

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Splash/Kwara, August 2021

A Botswana safari is unparalleled, largely thanks to its water. Exploring the floodplains and boarding the boat to explore the Okavango Delta certainly yielded some of our best sightings during August. 

A mating pair of African rock pythons were seen at the boat station, and the little Marsh mongoose was seen twice this month! The big, dark-coated mongoose is extremely shy and a very rare sighting. Each time it was spotted, it would instantly merge with the marshes and disappear. It is also primarily, but not strictly, nocturnal. 

The landscapes at this time of year are beautiful, especially on the boat cruise. There are plenty of palm trees and Palm swifts diving in and out of the fan-like foliage. An adult male Sitatunga was identified during a boat cruise in the Muanachira channel. He was busy foraging but froze in alert when we stopped the boat. After a minute or so, he disappeared into the papyrus again (much like a Marsh mongoose). 

The Xobega heronry is still highly active, with waterbirds nesting in large numbers. Marabou storks, Yellow-billed storks, Cattle egrets, Squacco herons and many more contribute to the cacophony. It’s fascinating to sit and watch the nesting, mating and tending of fluffy chicks. 

At Kwara Camp, guests aboard the mokoro were equally treated to magnificent little sightings. Painted reed frogs, African jacanas, and many other water birds crossed the path of our traditional dugout canoes. The water level is now receding due to the rising heat and evaporation. Nonetheless, an aquatic orchestra continues. Outdoor dinners are amazing, with effortless stargazing to the deep blowing sounds from bullfrogs and the twinkling of the aptly named Bell frogs emanating from the lagoon.

Large herds of buffaloes and exceptional herds of elephants have been noted on almost all game drive routes. However, you don’t have to venture far to see the pachyderms. They love feeding on the fruitful Jackalberries within the Kwara Camp island. It’s getting windy, and most of the trees are dropping their dry leaves in the change of season. The Sausage trees, however, are rich with wildlife due to the nectars being produced. Baboons, monkeys, and plenty of birds are enjoying the sweetness. We have also been seeing herds of zebras and wildebeest plus small groups of waterbucks and pelicans at the waterhole in front of Splash Camp. 

A very large flock of pelicans amounting to hundreds came to rest at Pelican Pan. They were on the hunt and fervently fishing. A pair of Tawny eagles nested on top of a Knob thorn acacia nearby, which helps prevent other predators from getting too close, and we often witnessed the adult feeding their chicks. 

Did you notice? We haven’t even mentioned the big predators yet! 

At the start of August, Kwara Camp guides located the Mmaleitlo pride with their three cubs. The animals were well-fed and actively playing along the marshland. This pride later took up residency in the Splash Camp area. Occasionally, they were joined by the Mbukushu boys’ coalition made up of five males. Guests didn’t need to drive out to see lions. They would alternate between sitting at the campfire area to watch the waterhole and Splash Enclave to follow with the lively cubs. Herbivore activity around the waterhole came to a standstill because of their presence! 

Two lionesses from the Splash pride we located resting on the runway. These animals were in a hunting mood, looking around for prey, but baboons saw the cats and raised the alarm. Guides and trackers could only see two lionesses, but as the alarm was so serious and tense, they investigated more closely. Three months old cubs popped up and ran towards the mothers from their hidden area! 

These two lionesses were located again, southeast of Kwara Camp, but this time with the whole pride of nine lions. The happy cubs were among them sniffing each one of the lionesses and being licked in return greeting. It seemed this was their first-day introductions to the pride. This pride was later seen on Sable Island with a kudu carcass, which seemed to be the first solid meal for the cubs. They didn’t do much with the ample meat and instead kept begging for milk from the mother. 

Guides at Splash Camp, meanwhile, came across three female lions and two males feeding on buffaloes. After examining tracks and closely assessing the circumstances, it appeared that the lions had chased a herd of buffalo into the water, and some of them drowned. It was a feast for all, including Spotted hyenas and Black-backed jackals who soon joined the party. 

Speaking of parties. It’s always on the day you’re keen to slow down that things seem to happen! One day guests wanted to take it easy and bumped into a pack of 23 Wild dogs heading toward Kwara Camp. They set off in pursuit and witnessed an impala kill. In the afternoon, they went back to check on the wild dog den and found a few adult dogs had stayed home on guard. When the rest of the pack got back, they called the puppies out for a meal of regurgitated meat, which they promptly turned their noses up at. In the end, the guard dogs took over their meal.

One morning drive, guides heard the alarm call of impalas. Something must be around the area, possibly a predator, they thought, and upon arriving, a female cheetah with her subadult cubs was suffocating an impala. Mr Special, the resident male cheetah, was located nearby just East of Kwara Camp, walking between the solar panels. 

Another day, a male leopard known as Golden Boy was spotted. He was very relaxed and tried to steal a lion kill while the big cats were resting beside their buffalo carcass. A different male leopard was seen on top of a tree just 100 meters from Splash Camp. He was also relaxed and very obligingly waited until everybody had taken a photograph before departing. 

We still have two active Spotted hyena dens near Kwara Camp, and hyenas have been seen nursing their cubs in the late afternoons.

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