That magical light eventually came through at dusk.
With the rains of the last couple of weeks having now let up the sun was given a chance to break through the clouds. And it’s this light that is always so stunning.
We were out through the middle of the day and a group of 43 Marabou Storks were on Banyini taking advantage of the new water in the pan which had presumably flushed a number of frogs out of hiding.
I still haven’t got back in to filming, but by the end of the week will be fully back into the swing of things. My shoulder is coming on strong and has had the 3 weeks rest suggested by the doctor.
I’ve really enjoyed the break and it’s been great being able to spend this quality time with my girls having fun in the bush before they head back to school in a couple of days. No doubt with piles of stories to tell. Although it seems they don’t actually talk about their bush holidays much. This is probably because they are so used to it that they feel there’s nothing new and exciting to talk about.
With the weather clearing and as we move into autumn, night time temperatures are dropping fast. Soon we’ll again be driving in our sleeping bags through the night.
As much as it seems like the artists were having one huge party painting all these images, so too it looks like the images were depicting some joyous time in their lives.
So many figures but who is doing what?
9TH April 2000
Although we were unfortunate to miss several filming opportunities, it was great to spend so much time with Tjololo again traversing “no go” areas and only being stuck twice while on his trail.
After crossing north over the Maxipiri we were taken totally unawares when having lost Tjololo and still searching for him, the bush exploded ahead of us as several nyala took flight. But claw and flesh had already made contact as a female nyala succumbed to Tjololo’s strangle hold. Having killed the nyala he dragged it off to a tree. Our attempts to follow were short lived when I got stuck. While digging ourselves out we heard a brief growl as if Tjololo had been surpised by a hyaena.
Back on the trail again we were frustrated to find 2 lions with his kill. Another bit of action not recorded as the elements continue to play havoc with us. Both lions were very well fed and the young male just played with the carcass before both of them fell asleep next it without having fed.
Tjololo hung around the area for about an hour. After not hearing any feeding activity he went back cautiously to check on the carcass. Finding the lions still there he left heading east on the northern bank of the Maxipiri. Again we got stuck, but picked him up further east on the road. Eventually he headed south but was already a long way north of where we knew his territory to end.
By morning we had his tracks still heading south east and eventually into Kruger.
Tjololo continues to extend his territory without any signs of a competitor. When will he stop? Just his extension last night adds some 15% more area onto his present territory. He sure “Stands Alone”.
At dawn after leaving his trail we found ourselves in an area that quite honestly is not traversable. Nobody had been there for months and we found out why. The roads for some 3 or 4 kms were under water and mushy. We had no option but to go for it. If we’d got stuck in the middle of it, which we so nearly did when the road disappeared becoming a gully, we would surely be stuck for days as not even a tractor would have got to us. Will surely be staying out of there for some time.
Recent Comments