A Week in the Bush Vol. 531
on Jan 15, 2025The summer rains have well and truly arrived with the reserve receiving more than 190mm over the weekend.
With the recent abundance of rain, many previously dried-up waterholes have sprung back to life, teeming with frogs and other aquatic creatures. Among the flurry of activity, we spotted a unique bird attempting to catch its meal in one of these small waterholes.
Green-backed Herons are typically seen hunting by wading or stalking prey in shallow water. However, they occasionally dive for prey in deeper water, showcasing remarkable adaptability. After such a dive, they may need to swim back to shore, aided by the small webs between their middle and outer toes, which assist in propulsion.
The summer rains trigger the nuptial flight of termites, filling the late afternoon sky with countless flying insects. These swarming termites rarely go unnoticed by other animals, attracting a diverse array of opportunistic feeders. Birds, small mammals, and frogs eagerly take advantage of this airborne buffet. Among them, a young baboon spotted a termite it wanted and skilfully ensured it didn’t escape its grasp.
The striking symmetry of this young waterbuck bull's horns immediately drew our attention as he stood intently focused on something within the dense thicket. We waited, curious to see what might emerge in front of him. To his, and our relief, it turned out to be nothing more than a Francolin scuttling through the tall grass. With the moment of tension passed, he moved gracefully toward a nearby waterhole to quench his thirst before the approaching nightfall.
This large crocodile is thriving and seems to have developed a preference for buffalo. With the abundance of buffalo on our reserve, the waterhole in front of Earth Lodge has become a prime spot for them to drink, and the perfect hunting ground for this crocodile. We’ve witnessed multiple occasions where he has taken down buffalo, both small and large, using his infamous death roll to subdue them. While many other species visit the waterhole to drink, most avoid entering the water like buffalo do. This behaviour gives the crocodile a significant advantage, allowing him to approach his prey without the challenge of manoeuvring in shallow waters.
We came across vultures and hyenas fighting over the remains of a lion's kill from a few days ago. Only the ribcage was left, and some hyenas were dragging large bones away, leaving the vultures to scavenge for small scraps of flesh between the ribs.
Typically, larger vultures like Lappet-faced vultures do not descend for such small carcasses, but their presence at this sighting signified just how hungry and desperate they were, as there was barely anything left.
Observing a bachelor herd of elephants slowly making their way to a waterhole is always fascinating, especially as you witness their hierarchy in action. Dominant males assert their status by drinking first, often chasing off younger or lower-ranking males.
What began as a peaceful warthog sighting, with a mother and her piglets leisurely grazing across a small clearing, quickly turned into a race for the treeline as thunder rolled through the area. The young piglets bolted across the open space, tails held up high as they followed their mother.
Warthog tails are always seen sticking straight up when they run, resembling little antennas. This behaviour acts as a “follow me” signal, helping them stay together while moving through the bush. Interestingly, this is an involuntary muscle response, meaning they don't control it, and the tail automatically lifts when they move faster than a normal walking pace.
We came across the Ntsumi female with a large male impala kill. She was resting under the shade of a large tree, searching for a secure spot to stash her prize. Unfortunately, before she could hoist it to safety, a hyena stole it from her.
After the heavy rain of the previous day, our hopes of spotting leopards were low. However, our luck quickly turned when we came across the Nottins male resting just beside the road. It was a perfect sighting - he groomed himself before gradually becoming active as the sun dipped below the horizon. This young male is beginning to explore, seeking a territory to call his own. Only time will reveal where his journey will take him in the coming year, and whether he has the strength and resilience to claim a territory for himself.
In the late afternoon, we managed to locate the N’weti male leopard as he made his way to a waterhole to quench his thirst before continuing his patrol, scent-marking his territory along the way. This male is in excellent condition, and with the recent rains washing away most scent marks, he was forced to re-scent his boundaries to ensure no rival males encroach on his territory.
The following day we searched the area where we had previously seen N’weti and to our surprise, we found him with an impala kill stashed in a fallen tree. He spent most of the morning sleeping, and we had no idea he was hiding the kill just a few metres behind a bush near where he was lying. A disturbance in the distance suddenly caught his attention, prompting him to rise and head directly to the spot where he had left his kill.
Earlier in the week, we followed up on the Southern Pride as this pride has been lingering in the southern section of our reserve over the past few days. We successfully found them near the Sabie River, where they were resting in a small, open clearing. With temperatures already soaring early in the morning, it was evident that the lions would spend the day in the shade before becoming active after sunset to hunt.
Now that the cubs are older and less vulnerable to predators, the Southern Pride is confidently traversing their entire territory as a unified group, leaving no member behind.
The weekend ushered in the return of four familiar figures, now bearing the heft and confidence of their newfound strength - the Kambula males. Their reappearance on Sabi Sabi marked a bold move as they ventured into the domain of the Gijima males. For an entire weekend, they lingered, their intentions cloaked in mystery.
The recent heavy rains had triggered a natural marvel, with winged termites, or alates, swarming into the warm evening air. As a trailing vehicle's lights illuminated the scene, the silhouettes of the Kambula males were framed in a golden glow, with the alates flitting about like gilded flecks in the wind. The combination of raw power and ethereal beauty created a scene both eerie and enchanting, a testament to the wild's unpredictable charm.
Until next time…
Blog by Wendy Claase
Images by Benjamin Loon, Conrad Cooke, Franco Hay, JP van Rooyen, Ronald Mutero and Ruan Mey
