Day work is so cool but the hours are still just as long.
We were out sunrise to sunset in search of Chipfongwe. It was only when we got to the east that we picked up signs of elephants, plenty of them, all around Nduna dam. But by midday still no further sign of the elephant. Just this lone Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest that thought it was a zebra.
We spent some time at Lojaan dam waiting, hoping in today’s heat they would surely be down for a drink and swim. But it was only my friendly hippo that provided us with the usual entertainment.
Eventually after climbing many hills we picked up Mandlovu and her herd in the north east. And there were many more elephant all feeding in the mopanie.
Brutus was there too and made sure we knew about it giving us several of his close up stares peering down his nose at us.
And of course the herds were giving the grumpy dude a wide berth. He never really hassled us though and slowly the herds were moving south towards Nduna where they probably arrived after dark to drink and swim.
Mandlovu and her herd are all well with little Chipfongwe still doing great. Good to see the little lad again. Of course Mandlovu and Chip’s aunt came to the car as one and had to test us with heads held high they greeted us only feet away before moving on.
Early in the morning after seeing lion tracks near Hwata pan and hearing impala alarm calling in the area we found 6 members of the Nduna pride. They were already chilling out for the day. Manyari was there with her 3 cubs and 2 young males.
I’ve just done a round trip of 1000kms around the country. What a stunning country it really is!
So of course I didn’t get out in the field today. Todays elephants having a mud wallow was the event that followed the elephants in green on Lojaan dam the other day.
The calves were having a whale of time dusting themselves after wallowing and then had to leave when mom took them off.
After following a leopard for the last month it’s hard to imagine that it would be difficult to locate, not just one elephant, but a whole herd.
Eventually I did find a small group close to Bandama pan. They were feeding in the mopanie and in the cool weather were in no rush to drink.
But a herd of Sable Antelope slowly ventured in to drink. They seemed nervous and didn’t hang around.
And the only other elephant I saw was this big tusker at Hwata pan. So where is Mandlovu and Chipfongwe and the rest of them? I wasn’t even seeing tracks. Maybe they’ve taken the weekend off.
At dawn there was a bachelor herd of impala on the airstrip and just about all the boys had paired off and were fighting. Well actually just playing. With the rut over some of them still just have it in them to want to fight. But without the high levels of testosterone that they have during the rut, the fighting was just playful stuff.
While filming the impala this massive cloud bank came stooping in and for the rest of the day kept temperatures down.
And as usual in this cool weather the animals just seem to hide. Who knows where!
Back to day shift and an almost normal lifestyle.
Sleeping in a bed last night was absolute bliss! The camera box ain’t too bad but after a month a bed is a real comfort.
I was out at dawn looking for elephant taking a break from Khayeni.
As huge as they are the elephant didn’t just pop out the woodwork.
A huge herd of buffalo ventured on to Banyini to drink and as quickly as they came out the woodland they were back not wanting to be caught out in the open.
I waited at Hwata pan for some time but none were forthcoming. This seems to be one of their usual hideouts but the herds seem to have moved on from here. Not even lone bulls visited Hwata today.
But tracks were all over the place around Nduna dam and to the north. Knowing that they very seldom drink to at Nduna dam in the middle of the day I headed out to Lojaan dam.
It was quiet there too! I took a stroll to get photos of the Barn Owls in the old Hammerkop Nest just below the dam wall. But they weren’t there either. Then just as I crested the wall the elephant came running in from the west. They were keen to drink. And with no wind around today the duckweed lay spread green across the whole dam. It was an amazing sight to see the elephant in all this green and I so hoped they would swim but it obviously wasn’t cold enough.
The elephant drank and then moving around the dam a young bull just had to hassle the zebra and Egyptian geese as they fed on the shores.
Before they moved off the elephant all dived in to a mud wallow at the upper reaches of the dam and then headed out to feed again.
I took a break for the rest of the afternoon and went for a paddle in my kayak on the dam and then a jog in the bush. I find I have to exercise regularly as I spend most of my day/night sitting in a vehicle and would soon turn into a huge bubble without any exercise.
Khayeni is now more accepting of us.
At dusk there were 2 leopards calling in the area of Nhoro pan. We never got to see the other leopard.
From Nhoro pan Khayeni headed north and then back west onto Khayeni open area. She was active for a lot longer than usual last night and the great thing is, she now accepts us following her in the open, down vehicle tracks and even when she climbs trees.
It definitely seems as if she’s moved into a new gear of acceptance of us. And the only way that this is accomplished is spending time with her. We’ve still got a ways to go where she totally ignores us and goes about her behaviours totally naturally. And that’s where I want to be ‘cos then I can be sure that everything I document with her is natural and not affected by my presence.
Khayeni hunted mice, several herds of impala and even trailed a baby giraffe, walking on its heels for ages but she just couldn’t pluck up the courage to pounce on it.
But with all her activity she had no success, which I think is a lot to do with the moon.
Once the moon was down and the night really dark she very quickly caught a Scrub Hare, which she took off into the thickets to feed on peacefully and rested up there for the rest of the night.
Earlier in the evening she was pestered by a young hyaena cub and took refuge in a tree until the little fellow had got bored of waiting and moved off.
We still did our fair share of bashing through bush last night after Khayeni which took its toll on my vehicle. I managed to bend my exhaust at 90 degrees! Also have a major oil leak, which needed to be sorted back at camp, and so it was early back to base.
It was a long night of waiting.
Khayeni was on the move soon after dusk through her favourite thickets, but it wasn’t long and she rested up. It was around 2 in the morning that she was on the move again hunting north across Khayeni open area. She made an attempt on some impala but was without luck.
So she resorted to mouse hunting, but only one success there. Why did she appear to be so hungry after having fed so well last night?
She approached a Knob-thorn tree staring into the upper branches. I couldn’t see anything up there. But as she scaled the tree a Francolin flew away. Khayeni didn’t give up and went charging after the flying bird. Just as it landed Khayeni was onto it.
She ate her feathered prize in the thickets before moving deeper into them to spend the rest of the night. Such is the life of a well fed cat.
We left her before dawn and headed south.
A big herd of buffalo were approaching Banyini but stayed in the mopanie woodland grazing. They weren’t too keen to have me following and when I realised they weren’t about to move on to Banyini to drink I left them alone.
Near Hwata pan several giraffe were browsing when this white rhino cow and calf approached. The cow was keen to drink but approached the waterhole cautiously. Why would she be so nervous? Is she just being protective of her calf? Surely with her bulk nothing should scare her.
Unfortunately their instinctive fear of man, and rightfully so, is still very strong and they will always be cautious should anything alarm them to his presence. Yes I was there!
The cow did eventually drink, but her calf is still too young to be drinking.
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