Wow the artist sure had fun painting these women. They’re obviously dressed in their animal skin skirts and looking ever so smart!
Monthly Archive for March, 2007
29th March 2000
On my run again today 8 lions popped out of the woodwork in the track in front of me only to pop straight back in again on seeing me. I kept my pose and didn’t see them again.
Just on leaving camp in the afternoon an elephant bull started crossing the flooded Sand river. A very brave thing to attempt which he soon found out on entering the main stream. It swept him off his feet momentarily as he struggled to regain his footing. Reaching the far bank he found it too steep and eroded to get out. Predicament! He had no option but to brave the strong currents again. Some 20 minutes later he struggled back out from where he’d come, exhausted, but lucky not to have been swept away. During his whole struggle another bull watched him from the far bank and was possibly his motivation for wanting to cross.
It rained all night, a very irritating soft drizzle which we could handle for several hours at a time before having to put the covers up so we could dry out. But every little insect around decided the cover suited them too, making life under cover very uncomfortable as most of these little critters bite.
The Windmill pride (14 lions) were on the move on the roads but later headed across country where we couldn’t follow.
Not too bad for a rainy day having shot some film again for a change.
As if overnight the bush has suddenly dried out and the grass is turning brown.
There is chance we might get rain this weekend but that will probably be the end of it for this season. Then the long dry season until the rains start up again in November December.
But generally we’ve had a good rainy season and the bush is in good shape to see it and the animals through this dry period.
And the Quelea? Well they just keep coming. I was at the pan again this afternoon and every time I see it I marvel that there can be so many birds in one location. And how don’t they kill each other in midair collisions when in such numbers? Each fends for itself and watches those next to it reacting to their movements and it seems to work.
They don’t need control towers and all the massive technology we do at our airports.
Just seeing a flock of tens of thousands of Quelea flushing as one from the pan when a falcon descends on them is quite is an engineering marvel when one thinks of them all having to take off in unison.
I was also at Chekwa pan earlier and there’s much the same density of birds drinking there too.
Hey farmers! Hold on to your crops the Quelea are coming! And coming!
This looks like a rather jovial scene acting out some dance. But the image on the right looks almost as if it’s been engraved in the rock. I think what has actually happened is the weathering and seepage of chemicals from the rock have reacted with the ‘paint’ and turned it this white colour.
Interesting too that the person is drawn with long hair, pointed nose and big eye. Maybe more of those trance impressions.
28th March 2000
The evening started off fine when we were able to spend a few moments with the White Cloth female leopard but as she headed across country we got stuck in our pursuit of her.
We were told to expect more rain yesterday and when none came it was another chance to blame the weather man, but short lived it was. Soon after dark the rain arrived, first as a storm and then the continuous drizzle. It let up for a while and then down again. (Under our covers we were able to show you a re-run of Tjololo’s buffalo kill from the 25th). We tried to sit it out but by midnight it was still raining heavily and finding the Maxipiri already flowing strongly we had to make a dash for camp, a good hour and a half away. It was a race against time as all the streams we crossed were already flowing strongly. Back at camp the Sand river is still rising rapidly.
This rain is more typical of our weather, but because the ground is already so waterlogged, any rain means serious runoff and flooding. But at least now our first cold front has arrived, not very cold, but it will hopefully mean less thunderstorms and a drying out.
It was great to get out again this afternoon and as usual things are changing all the time with surprises around every corner. Some good, some bad, some pretty, some drab, some happy and some sad.
The buffalo herd were chilling out in Chekwa pan but unfortunately moved on when I arrived.
It was already nearly sunset and cooling off, so probably time that they would have been moving anyway.
The Quelea were flocking as usual to the water in their hundreds of thousands. And I think just the noise of all these birds flying in and out is keeping other game species away from the water hole. It was common to see rhino coming in at dusk to drink here but nothing the last few days that I’ve been there.
Sadly on Banyini, lying near the water, I found an adult male wild dog that had died of what looked like natural causes. I didn’t recognise the dog, but then it’s been dead for a couple of days and the markings aren’t clear anymore. I suspect it’s a male from the Hunyugwe pack, as I had seen them in the area a couple of days ago.
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