Aardwolves were regularly seen near their den on Middle Road, and scrub hares were often spotted at night feeding on the palatable grasses inside the camp.
Bat-eared foxes were also particularly active. It was denning season! There were several dens across the pan, and we often observed their adorable kits.
We located a lioness with three cubs, about 5 to 6 months old, near Baobab Loop. This was our first time seeing them in this area. We were thrilled to find one of the resident lionesses pregnant the following day. She was accompanied by four other pride members, plus two cubs around two months old, bringing their total number to seven.
We reencountered these lionesses at the wildlife waterhole, where they fed on the carcass of an elephant, likely a victim of dehydration or old age. The same day, a male lion mated with one of the lionesses. These lionesses spent the next four to five days by the waterhole, continuing to feed on the elephant carcass. Later in the month, we tracked them to the middle road, where they had made a springbok kill and we also sighted a solitary male lion resting in the shade on the west road.
A lone spotted hyena fed on this elephant carcass at the wildlife waterhole. While we occasionally heard hyena calls at night, cicadas were especially active, and their calls filled the air both in camp and throughout the surrounding bushes during the day.
Dragonflies, like the eye-catching red-veined drop wings, were frequently seen hovering above the waterholes, feeding on smaller insects. Ground agamas were spotted foraging insects in the area, and leopard tortoises were seen along Baobab Loop and the west road. Butterfly sightings were also notable, with African monarchs, yellow pansies, scarlet tips and painted ladies all fluttered through the area.
Birdwatching at the waterhole was equally delightful. Egyptian geese, grey herons, red-billed teals, African open-billed storks, red-backed shrikes, cattle egrets, lesser grey shrikes and nesting white-backed vultures were all seen. Summer visitors began to arrive, including yellow-billed kites and blue-cheeked bee-eaters.
Summer rains and the zebra migration at Nxai Pan
General game sightings were fantastic this month, especially with the increasing presence of elephants. We observed numerous breeding herds and bachelor herds coming to drink at the Nxai Pan Camp waterhole, with bulls frequently indulging in mud baths and dust baths to cool off in the afternoon heat.
The trees were lush and green, with flowering plants like trumpet thorns erupting with white blossoms. The grasses in the pan started to grow, and the zebra sightings were excellent, especially along the route to Baines’ Baobabs, where we saw large numbers. As the rains began, we expected more zebras to gather at the pan in the coming weeks.
Buffalo sightings around the waterhole were abundant early in the month, but with the recent rains, they moved to other natural water sources. We spotted giraffes near the airstrip, where the trees began sprouting fresh leaves. Springboks were plentiful in the pans, grazing on the nutritious new grass, often alongside impalas.
(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!)