Monthly Archive for October, 2006

Baby Elephant Patrol: Video

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Wildcaster
on October 31, 2006
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The shade was hardly the shade today. Well the term didn’t really mean that much as temperatures soared over 40 degrees Celcius in the shade. (104F)

Driving around in the midday heat in my open vehicle is hard to discribe. I don’t know of situation where the heat is so intense. It was like opening the oven door and being hit by that barrage of heat. Except this is continuous and sucks all the energy and moisture from ones body. Actually I just shouldn’t have been driving, as parked in the shade was a lot more comfortable.

Double trouble

Our little elephant herd was in very much the same place I’d left them last night. But they must have been to drink somewhere in this time as they couldn’t possibly survive without water in these temperatures. And again for most of the day they stayed in a small area feeding and resting all day.

Safe

The little calf just followed as he should. Life for him was no more than follow my leader. AND drink when he wants.

This little male calf is only about 2 weeks old and will probably become a key player in our elephant film. BUT HE NEEDS A NAME. So if you have any suggestions for names, please submit them under the “Recent Comments” tag.

Bewildered

While he was lying shaded up under his family I headed south to Hartebeest pan and sure enough some elephant bulls were making the most of the mud. They would leave the waterhole for about an hour, feed close by, then back for another cooling off session. Made sense to me but I just wasn’t prepared to go that far too keep cool.

In action

Back with our elephant family at dusk and they headed east into the hills. I could only follow on foot, which I did at a distance as I wanted to see where they were headed. Sure enough they cooled off at the seep at Chimbiya (:map:). There wasn’t enough water for drinking and they continued east in the hills, leaving me to return to my vehicle and back to base.

Buffalo en masse: Video

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Wildcaster
on October 30, 2006
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We found the elephants early this morning, including the mother with her tiny calf. So we looked forward to a day with the herd.

Flowing sand

By 8 am as temperatures again soared the herd had taken refuge in the shade of a huge Pod Mahogany. And the little guys took advantage of this to collapse and pass out.

Reassurance
Even a couple of subadults followed suit while the mothers stood around slowly waving their huge ears to keep cool and occasionally throwing cool dust over themselves. All of this they seemed to do in their sleep, sleeping standing up.

Team rest

Midday came and went and they were still in the shade. Luckily I’d found myself some shade too. Eventually by 5pm I threw in the towel leaving the herd in the same place, and headed down to Banyini where this huge herd of buffalo were drinking.

Heading out

Once they had left and with the sun almost on the horizon the Quelea flocks came pouring in for a last drink before moving off to roost in the reedbeds.

Catching the light

So what do I have to show for sitting it out in this summer heat all day? Well nothing from the elephants thank you.

But the golden sunset hour produced a great spectacle of buffalo and dust and the Quelea finished it off in a flurry of feathers. So in the end I was a happy camper.

Cutest Baby Elephant: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on October 29, 2006
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Last night rains fell on the reserve but seem to have been rather scattered, and we’ll only see in a few days time if they will actually produce that much awaited green flush. But with temperatures soaring again tomorrow, this little moisture might just become atmospheric by day two.

Giant scene

No rain fell at Chiloveka dam which is now just a dried out pan guarding its small soft muddy centre where catfish/barbel struggle for an existance and have to contend with the resident fish eagle making its daily sorties threatening their survival even further.
Chiloveka dam maze

But what a bargain to pick up on this small breeding herd of elephant. The little calf, only a couple of weeks old, was an absolute delight. The little fellow is so hairy too and has a small white moustache on the sides of his mouth. Oh so very cute! He kept me entertained for hours just being his tiny self.

Skies the limit

And another tiny little fellow was this lion cub taking refuge in this thicket waiting patiently for mum to return.

Lion cub

Elephant boys go mud!: Video

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Wildcaster
on October 28, 2006
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The morning started excitedly with reports that our wild dogs were down at Nyari pan.

By the time I had got there they had moved off into the hills. But on chatting to the rangers, it appears it was the other pack of dogs. They also have 12 pups but these guys are all the same age.

Just down the way from Nyari pan piles of vultures were scrumming it over the remains of an impala carcass. A couple of Marabou Storks stood around like soldiers guarding the carcass, but they didn’t get anything for their services.

Scrapping over scraps

I was on a mission today to find the breeding herd of elephants. Sounds easy! Well they manage to hide day in and day out. I had those bulls at Hartebeest pan and then only late in the afternoon did I pick up a small breeding herd right up the top end of Malilangwe dam. By then it was too late to follow after them AND they were in Devils Jungle, which is just that!

This herd of Lichtensteins Hartebeest were down at Chiloveka dam drinking from a seep on the limestone. The country down there is so very dry and I often wonder how any animals manage to survive on that dead dry grass and trees with not even the slightest tinge of green.

Hearty Hartebeests

I was so chuffed (happy) to see these Ground Hornbills again on Banyini. They seem to be hanging out here and are fairly relaxed. I’m sure these guys will soon be my stars for the Ground Hornbill film when I get working on that. I first need to habituate the birds that I can walk with them, which will allow me to get all those great camera angles. And the bargain with these birds is, they’re predatory and don’t fly off to kill something over there. They do it right infront of you on the ground!

Ground Hornbills

Leaving the breeding herd of elephant near the dam, I saw this flock of Open-billed Storks all take off. I thought they were leaving to roost elsewhere. But they just seemed to be catching their sundowner thermal. Then suddenly some of them would twist and dive hundreds of feet before swooping up again. They really are incredible fliers and seemed to be having a real blast. And after about 10 minutes they all folded their wings into a dramatic dive, swooping from side to side and landed on the shores of Malilangwe dam.

Squadron

Close to where the storks landed this buffalo bull was lying in the mud, probably having been there for several hours cooling off. These old bulls get their name from doing just that and always being covered in mud. Dagga Boys. (dagga means mud)
Dagga Boy

Rhino dust dancing: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on October 27, 2006
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I spent most of the day at Hartebeest pan far down in the south of the reserve.

Spray Paint

As the temperatures danced up into the nineties and over the animals moved down to the pan for some relief.

Marching on

Elephant, zebra, lichtenstein’s hartebeest, sable, rhino, impala and flocks of quelea.

Leaking hose

I took refuge under a Knobthorn, the only tree with fresh foliage in the area, which was great to be out the heat. And the quelea had similar ideas. With so many of them it didn’t take long for my vehicle and myself to look like we’d been covered in confetti. Little white specks of quelea droppings all over the place.

Getting down to it

Elephants Struggle to Survive: Video

Published
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Wildcaster
on October 26, 2006
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[Click here if you cannot view the video, above]

Although it was not quite stepping out of London into Africa, it sure is hot! (England was great for that short while and I had a very successful trip to the Wildscreen Wildlife Film Festival, with a lot of interest in Wildcast. But it’s sure great to be back)
With temperatures around 100 degrees F in the shade, it was just great to be back smelling the dust, the heat, the sweat and all the animals there to great me.

Being away for 2 weeks I was expecting so see some big changes in the bush at this time of year. Trees in full green flush and animals happily taking advantage of them. But none of that. No rains have fallen yet and with temperatures soaring daily the way they are, nothing is going to chance sending their innocent lush green leaves into the torturous world of heat and instant attack by many hungry animals. One of the few mopanie trees with it’s stunning flush of shiny green leaves was the first victim. Being the only green in sight the tree was felled by an elephant bull to statisfy his desires.

Although Africa is harsh, the animals have adapted over the millenia. The zebra were their usual fat selves. It’s extremely rare to see a thin zebra.

Patterns

The giraffe hugged the river banks where some trees were sprouting green.

Giraffe herd

The warthog are taking strain. They are always some of the first victims in a drought. Although this lad is looking rather lean he’s still got lots of life in him and will be sure to survive into the rainy season. Well unless he’s that unlucky that a predator makes dinner of him.

Warthog dude

The impala are great survivors. Being grazers and browsers they are extremely hardy and often survive bad droughts.

Thirst Quencher

The little Sharpes Grysbok too is a great survivor and doesn’t need that much food. Browsing in the lower canopy these little guys do well, except when they have to compete with big impala herds. So they tend to keep to the thicker bush and in the hills.
Sharpes Grysbok

The buffalo though are looking rather lean. Being bulk grazers and with grass cover right down, they are taking strain. But they adapt too and with any green flush they are known to resort to browsing for a while until the rains come.

Buffalo undercover

Apparently the forecast for this year is not that bad. The rains will start a bit later than usual but they expect we’ll have a slightly lower than average year. Whatever the case, these animals are used to dry years and well adapted to it. It’s just extra hard on the old.

So Africa goes on.