The year 2015 has come and gone, almost it seems in the blink of an eye. We have had some incredible experiences over the last year and shared so many memories with people from all over the world. This new year we hope to do more of the same and today we would like to share some of the amazing sightings we’ve had over the last two weeks. There will be a lot of what you, our readers, have come to expect as well as some new developments so please sit back and enjoy as we recount some of the most recent highlights.

We have yet to have any substantial rain so far this season, but general game has been in abundance. We’ve still been enjoying plentiful sightings of large buffalo herds moving throughout the reserve and thus, the lions have been very stable within their core territory, constantly following these herds in the hopes of getting a meal. Various herds of buffalo bulls have also been very constant, occupying areas around permanent water sources and taking advantage of the better grazing in those surroundings. Elephants have been moving through at a rapid rate, with some numbering over one hundred animals. I imagine they have been forced to move away from the perennial rivers of the area due to overgrazing or over-browsing of those locals, and moved off in search of better resources. This time of the year is also supposed to be Marula fruiting season, but with the lack of rain the trees have yet to produce substantial amounts of fruit and even those that have, are producing fruits with little flesh. In any event, it seems like every corner we turn there are elephant herds waiting for us, often in the company of newborn calves. I hope we receive some form of reprieve from the heat soon.

Bird species are at their most plentiful at the moment with the vast majority of species either breeding or having travelled thousands of kilometers from other countries to partake in the glut of termite alates. Hornbills are amongst my favorite at this time of year and I take great satisfaction in finding new nest holes. On some occasions, my guests and I can sit for hours waiting and watching as the parent birds come back consistently to feed their chicks within their tomb-like abodes. This is only one species though, and many more can be seen on a daily basis. The Summer is most definitely the best time of the year for such activities.

The lion dynamics have kept us on the edge of seats as always, especially with the surprise of some of our team having found a Southern Pride female with two cubs! I can’t say that we were surprised that they were going to produce them at some stage, since they were mating profusely with the Fourways males before the Charleston males decided to ‘stir the pot’ so to speak, but to have them born now is quite exciting and also quite worrying. It is not known if the cubs are still alive and we are not sure who the biological fathers are. It could be either of the two coalitions. One thing is almost certain and that is if the cubs are Fourways’ offspring, they will most likely be dispatched of by the Charlestons. This is unfortunately the way of the African Bush and there is nothing we can do about it, as hard of a pill as it is to swallow.

The Charlestons continue to assert their dominance over the area and the Southern Pride, with the larger Charleston brother not having left their side until two days ago. I personally have not seen him mate with any females and only seen them resist his advances, so we are back to square one where the females are going to test the will, strength and stamina of the two large males. I was sorry to see the Fourways males chased off so easily, but in all honesty, the Charlestons would make amazing pride males. They are very big, they’re strong and they’re full of confidence. Historically, we never had the chance to spend too much time with them, only seeing them every now and then, but watching them grow from young lions to the dominant force they are today has been truly exceptional. I hope to see them dominate the area for years to come.

Leopard viewing has been incredible as always, but there have been a couple of leopards in particular being very active on the reserve, namely White Dam and Little Bush. White Dam has been providing well for her young son and he is growing up to be a beautifully relaxed animal to spend time with. He definitely has his father’s (Maxabeni) good looks. White Dam too, has been much more relaxed with us in the last year than she ever was before and seems to have settled nicely within her range and under the protection of Maxabeni.

The Little Bush female has likewise been very active, making kills on a very regular basis in order to provide her two new cubs with ample food, almost ensuring their survival for now. Again, Maxabeni has been keeping out all rogue males from his territory ensuring that his females and cubs are well protected from danger. There are however, always challenges around every corner. Her daughter, Kigelia, has also been seen to be doing very well and from time to time still moves freely through her mother’s range, but I doubt whether she will be received well in an encounter, especially seeing as Little Bush has two new mouths to feed.

After a fairly lengthy absence and only a small handful of sightings in recent weeks, we have seen a lot more activity from the packs of wild dogs that occupy the area. Wild dogs are very sensitive animals and sensitive to environmental conditions, but if there is one group of animals that will flourish during this most recent dry spell, it will be the wild dogs. The Toulon Pack has been the most active with us and all the pups born during the winter have grown nicely into more mature animals with only a few having fallen by the wayside since then. I hope to see more of them as the season progresses.

Our last bit of exciting news for this week is the appearance of a male cheetah, having been found only a couple of days back. They are extremely rare around these parts mostly due the high densities of other predators, but those individuals that have made our reserve their home, are very well adapted to staying out of harm’s way. If we are lucky, he’ll stay with us for a longer period this time and I can’t see why he wouldn’t. There is an abundance of new life all over the area, from impala to duiker, waterbuck, wildebeest and kudu, all of which are fair game to Africa’s fastest land mammal. I for one, am holding thumbs.

I hope you have enjoyed the recap of the last two weeks with us and as we get back into the full swing of things, you can all expect the regular weekly supplement of “A week in the Bush”. Have a great week everyone! Until next time...