At Moremi Crossing, a highlight of August guests won’t soon forget was witnessing the intense battle between a leopard and a monitor lizard.
Water levels at Moremi Crossing
The Boro River had less water than previous years during this flood season. After an initial flush of water, the river’s level gradually decreased, indicating an earlier dry period for September. Despite this, the receding waters revealed a thriving habitat for hippos and fish eagles (whose calls resonated across the riverbed) and more extensive game drive networks for tracking animals.
On a single excursion, guests often spotted highly sought-after species: sightings of lion kills and hunts, observing the stealthy movements of leopards, and witnessing the swift elegance of cheetahs. The area also boasted an impressive variety of reptiles, including crocodiles, water monitor lizards, a diverse array of snakes, water scorpions, giant bullfrogs, thick-tailed scorpions, and petite and strikingly colourful Angolan reed frogs.
The Moremi ecosystem teemed with diverse insects such as stick insects, grasshoppers, and ants, each playing a unique role in this thriving habitat, such as feeding the contented insect-eaters. Birdlife in the area was diverse and thriving.
This period marked the arrival of yellow-billed kites, carmine bee-eaters, magnificent great white pelicans, vibrant swallow-tailed bee-eaters, glossy ibises, spoonbill storks, red-billed teals, and the majestic broad-billed roller.
August also brought the stirring promise of spring to Moremi Crossing. Mornings arrived with a refreshing coolness that slowly yielded to the day’s warmth by late morning. The evenings were serene and calm, accompanied by a return to cooler temperatures, prompting the donning of jackets and huddling around the campfire.
(Please note: For the safety of the animals, we do not disclose the precise location of either rhino or pangolin sightings. Accompanying pictures are 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!)