Daily Archive for March 16th, 2007

Elephant calf enjoys the fun side of life

That hornbill nest!
I decided not to waste more time on the nest but did check it out a couple of times today and one of the adults did come to feed the chicks, but that was just as I arrived and there was no time to get the camera out.

Hibiscus pair
At dawn I found the one-tusk elephant cow and her family near Chekwa pan. True to herself, she sauntered up to my vehicle and pushed. This time I had it in neutral and she pushed me about a meter before backing away.
Again some time later she was back. Now she was bored with the bull-bar. She came and stood right up against it and then bending her head forward rested her tusk and trunk on my bonnet. Happily having made contact she again backed off. And again later was back for another push.

Wow!
But most of the time she would ignore me and just walk past.
She really is no threat and just seems to want to discover what this thing is about.

Bliss!
They moved on for a great drink and wallow in the midday heat, spending about an hour in the water.

Rising
I left them to go walking in the hills looking for more bushmen paintings to photograph. And some I did find. They seem to be there just about on any suitable rock surface. They were busy little men in this area back then. (Well we don’t actually know if it was the men or women who did the paintings.)

Golly you're heavy!
At sunset I was at the Malilangwe dam hoping to film the White-faced Ducks as they fly off in formation to their foraging grounds. It was all happening but far too late for me as the light was too dim for filming.

I'll suck your brains out

Mabhakweni No.18

bushmanlogo.jpg

At first glance this has to be a zebra. But what are those “spurs” on its hooves?

Was this maybe a horse that was hobbled? Quite possibly as the head is down and looks like could be attached by some means to the front hooves. Or is that my imagination going way overboard, just ‘cos I ride horses?

And strange that it was painted at that angle. (that wasn’t my bad photography)

Mabhakweni 18

Tjololo 15th March 2000

The Tjololo Diaries

15th March 2000
Had to shoot off to White River (home, 1 ½ hours drive away) to sign documents. Raining all the way there and back. Back on the reserve I was stuck for several hours on a road.
That was  it. There was no ways we were going to be able to work and had a good evenings break.