We experienced plentiful rains again, and the Gomoti River is rising rapidly, as has abundant grass.
With the herbage so long and green, it’s been tough to spot the secretive leopard. However, the dedicated patience of our trackers paid off, leading guests to one on a kill and another leopard panting up in a tree, trying to escape the heat of the day.
A fine arrival!
They did not have to work nearly as hard for lion sightings! One morning, guests arrived via bush plane to 18 lions perched beside the runway of our Santawani airstrip. This pride continued to awe us with their presence and we benefitted from several sightings. We also savoured the sweet sightings of two female lions with their newborn cubs at just two or three weeks old.
Wild dogs have also been in the area repeatedly, specifically a very active pack of three. We had a fresh kill in camp one day after they landed an impala and remained in the camp area for over a week, much to the delight of our guests.
Elephant sightings have been excellent. They adore the floodplains in front of the camp, and we found them splashing in the mighty Gomoti River several times, but we did notice fewer big buffalo herds. However, the dagga bulls were still around, making the most of the soft marshes and easy-to-chew grasses. General game during our drives included the usual dazzles of zebra, wildebeest herds, plus plenty of impalas while hippo and crocodile continued to cruise the waters.
Night drives proved fruitful, and our spotlight revealed civets, African wild cat, and Spotted hyenas. Two black-backed jackals were also seen feeding on an elephant carcass, which appeared to have died of natural causes.
Our summer visitors remained to enjoy their southern sojourn, and many birds continued to feast upon the insects to stock up before their long flight back. It may not be a migrant, but one Giant eagle-owl followed the feeding suit, and we found it with an impressive snake kill.
There was a slight chill as we set out at dawn on our activities, and winter sure is looming. We tentatively expect a beautiful season ahead because it seems like there is sufficient food and water across the reserve.
(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!)