A Week in the Bush Vol. 457
on Apr 26, 2023Hands down, the highlight of the week goes to the Southern Pride’s newest members…
Daybreak on a crisp cool morning revealed the signs of a struggle during the night. On further investigation we discovered two lionesses guarding the carcass of a Blue Wildebeest, however there was something unusual about the scene, their mother, the adult female of the Southern Pride was nowhere to be found.
Guide and Tracker discussed her possible whereabouts, we knew she was denning somewhere and that she was suspected of having cubs, but it was yet to be confirmed. This got us thinking that maybe, just maybe she had gone off to get her young cubs so they could also feed on the carcass. We made our way to an area we reckoned she might move through, and that was where we stumbled upon her and her 3 healthy, beautiful cubs, slowly and cautiously moving towards the kill her daughters were guarding. We watched on as she led her inquisitive cubs off along one of our winding roads and out of sight.
Read more about the sighting in Andries’ blog, “Pride of the South”.
An early morning roar from a male lion close to Bush Lodge got everyone out of bed quicker and easier than previous mornings. As our guests arrived for their morning coffee, everyone gulped down their hot drinks, excited to go out and investigate what happened during the night. One of the Gijima males was found not too far from Bush Lodge, roaring as the sun slowly came up. We could not see his male companion, and he could be roaring to communicate with and find his brother. No better way to start your morning in the bush.
After tracking in circles for quite a while, we heard the soft contact call of a lion. We headed towards the direction of the call and found one of the Southern Pride females lying in an open plain. She seemed to have been separated from her mother and sister and might possibly be looking for them, which could explain why her tracks where around in circles.
Hearing the rumbling roar of male lions throughout the night and finding tracks in the early morning, we followed up and managed to track down the beautiful Southern Pride females and one of the Gijima males in a big open area.
In the morning sunlight the lions looked content and relaxed, only getting up occasionally, and moving from one shady spot to the next. We watched as they would interact with each other, rub heads together just to keep the bond that they have secure and strong.
The unmistakable excited chatter of a pack of wild dogs sent us on a chase. The pack was after a herd of impala, moving quickly through very dense vegetation where they managed to catch at least one impala. By the time we managed to navigate to the pack there was not much left of the kill. With all members well fed on a hot morning the pack took to the shade for some well-deserved rest.
Tucked away in thick vegetation we found Ntsumi and the Nottins male feeding on remains of an impala kill. Although the Nottins male should go independent soon, his mom still tolerates him, but shows no mercy when it comes to sharing a meal with him. While her son was busy feeding, Ntsumi found a water puddle close by to quench her thirst, before returning to the kill, growling at her son to move away.
The growling and snarling attracted a hyena that must have been close by and waited for an opportunity to steal the carcass from the two leopards. As the sun disappeared, the hyena had enough courage, and made a quick successful move and stole the kill from them.
A few days later Ntsumi was on a mission moving quickly with the Nottins male following closely. This could only mean she had once again had a successful hunt. The pair stopped briefly for some water at a small seasonal pan before Ntsumi led him straight to the carcass of a large male impala.
The beautiful leopards of Africa are one of the most wanted sights for anyone. Having that opportunity right on your doorstep is something extra special and we had the privilege of having the beautiful Golonyi female come through Selati Camp.
We made our way past the lodge and spotted the female drinking water from the private pool at the Ivory Presidential Suite. In awe, we stopped and watched as she elegantly jumped up on the wall and made her way onto the roof, where she got comfortable for the rest of the night. What a sight!
For the past few days Kigelia and Mawelawela have been mating once again. It is now clear that Kigelia’s last litter has not survived, and we can only be hopeful that she will be a mother once again and raise her new cubs to their independence.
A Lilac-breasted Roller was spotted on a dead tree with what appeared to be a kill. On closer inspection we found the Roller had taken a scorpion. It made its way into the nest with the meal.
Lilac-breasted Rollers do not excavate their own nests, as in this case they will often use an existing cavity for nesting with parents returning to the nest with food for chicks.
Our guests had one last sighting on their way to our Private Airstrip… We were lucky to find a hyena busy hunting some impalas. With the cover of the long grass, the hyena saw an opportunity to make a kill. Fortunately for the impalas this time, they were on high alert and got away from the hyena.
Although hyenas are extremely good hunters and we have witnessed many successful hunts, they often choose an easier meal by stealing kills from other predators.
As the name indicates, the Yellow-billed Oxpecker has a yellow bill but with a red tip and lacks the conspicuous yellow wattle around the eye of the Red-billed Oxpecker. The Yellow-billed Oxpecker tends to prefer feeding from larger mammals like rhino, buffalo and giraffe.
Spiders are an integral part of our ecosystem, providing an incredible insight into the health of our environment. Like this Golden Orb Web Spider, they are positioned at the top of the invertebrate food chain and these creatures require various forms of prey, which in turn provide their own functions in supporting all life in this ecosystem.
A sub adult Verreaux’s eagle-owl calls out to the darkness.
Until next time…
Blog by Wendy Claase
Images by Andries Ndlovu, Coenraad Stapelberg, Daniel Greyvenstein, Devon Jansen, Jason Street, JP van Rooyen, Macs Toich and Ronald Mutero.
