Tag Archive for 'ornithology'

Lions Socialising: Video

Published

on February 6, 2007

. 3 Comments Tags:adventure, africa, animal-kingdom, birding, birding-african-birds, blogumentary, buffalo, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephants, experience, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, hunting, lions, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, ornithology, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, podcasting, polls, predators, rain, teach, video, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

I thought the lions were in for some big action last night.

And maybe they were involved in some tough games as they tackled a herd of buffalo. But not being with them all night, I’ll never know.

I did see a big herd of buffalo close to Banyini yesterday afternoon and this morning the lion’s tracks were over theirs.
By dawn the lions had only moved about 3kms south from where I’d left them last night. They were now lying up near Chekwa pan and that was them for the day. And they didn’t look like they had fed last night.

Moving on east I was hoping to pick up on the elephant herds on the Mahande but had no joy. There were some tracks in the hills near Chimbye but only a few individuals.

I’m keen to find Snorkel again to see how he’s doing and if his breathing has improved.
Temperatures are rocketing now. February is one of our hottest months and usually really wet. But we haven’t had any rain for the last 10 days and the veld is drying up fast.

But this hasn’t stopped the Quelea nesting. Massive flocks are seeing flying around all day and there are now 3 breeding colonies on Malilangwe. They breed at a rapid rate. In 3 weeks the eggs are laid, chicks hatch and fledge. And in some years they can breed up to 3 times in a season. We could be in for amazing spectacles of millions of birds on the wing.

Sunbird Feast: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on January 31, 2007

in videopost

. 17 Comments Tags:adventure, africa, african-birds, animal-kingdom, birding, birding-african-birds, blogumentary, conservation, documentary, eagles, ecotraining, education, elephants, flickr, giraffe, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, kill, lions, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, ornithology, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, podcasting, polls, predators, rain, teach, video, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

It’s that time of year.

February and March are always tough times to be working in the bush. Our main rains fall over this period and the bush is just so thick we battle to find the game and then to stay with it.
I usually try and take some time off in this period because of it just not being very productive. And the last couple of days have proven just that, with it not looking like getting any better in a hurry.

The elephants were still in the south in those clays that have me running scared. Did I say I was scared? No ways, tough guys don’t say that. Must have been the American.

But I was able to catch up with the lions and that wasn’t fun. They had placed themselves in some really horrible bush. Thick thick stuff! But after much crashing and twisting and turning I was able to locate them. No they weren’t on a kill, just sleeping and hardly visible. I waited a while with them in case I might have missed a kill in that thick bush, but nothing materialised and I bashed my way out of there.

Up in the hills the Sunbirds were having a feast on the Aloe Erythrina. This is a lovely big specimen of these rare trees. But they get heavily persecuted by elephants and only survive when hidden in the hills in inaccessible places.

On Banyini at sunset the quelea are back! They’re nesting in huge numbers in several places on the reserve but only have eggs at the moment. As soon as the chicks hatch the predators (eagles, storks snakes, etc.) will descend on them. But in such huge numbers the predators have little impact on the overall population.

Elephants create bushveld pans: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on January 28, 2007

in videopost

. 3 Comments Tags:adventure, africa, animal-kingdom, birding, birding-african-birds, blogumentary, conservation, documentary, eagles, ecotraining, education, elephants, endangered-species, experience, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, ornithology, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, podcasting, polls, teach, video, waterhole, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

After the good rains yesterday the elephant herds moved back into the sandveld they so love when it’s moist.

They can stand around for ages digging and throwing the moist red soil over themselves while Chipfongwe falls into these holes getting in the way rolling around.

Of course further south in the clays the rain had filled up a number of mud wallows and as soon as temperatures showed any tiny sign of getting hot, the herds ducked into a wallow.

I think I too have to master this art then at least I won’t be cooking in the heat.
While following the elephant I disturbed a pair Wahlberg’s Eagles on the ground. They took off and on investigation I found they had killed this European Roller which they had been feeding on.

When the elephant kept moving south into the clays I abandoned them.

Arriving at Lojaan dam soon before sunset a lone hippo started displaying for me. Or rather at me in the vehicle. It was fun to watch him open his mouth as wide as possible as if yawning, but it was a dominance display to say watch out I’ve got a big jaw and big teeth. Then he jumped half out the water only to crash back in again. And when he wasn’t doing that he would surface in spray of water. Quite the display. But then he is just a young bull all on his own trying to make it in the world.

(Earlier in the day I had been challenged by a 22year old American guy working here as a volunteer for a few months. How rude of him to want to challenge me, more than twice his age! This challenge has been on for several weeks now and soon became America vs South Africa. The challenge was to kayak around the Malilangwe dam, about 20 minutes and then a 6km run. He sure was a confident fellow with a big mouth, but lots of fun! Unfortunately he let America down badly in both events!!! Now he’s calling for a mandatory drugs test! Next he’ll be calling his mother.)

Elephant calf survives challenges: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on January 25, 2007

in videopost

. 5 Comments Tags:africa, african-birds, animal-kingdom, birding, birding-african-birds, blogumentary, buffalo, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephants, endangered-species, flickr, giraffe, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, lions, malilangwe, marabou-stork, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, ornithology, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, podcasting, polls, predators, teach, video, vultures, waterhole, white-rhino, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

Where did those lions get to?

Hopefully for them they’re sitting on a buffalo kill. And sorry for me if they really are, but I wasn’t able to pick up any trace of them.

The elephants were in the Albizia woodlands again but at midday headed southeast. All along the way they were dropping in at mud wallows to cool off.

So when they got to Bandama all they really wanted was lots of refreshment and then it was back on the move again.

There aren’t many bulls accompanying the herd at the moment. This could be that they are spending their time more to the south where the grazing is better and the cows are relying on the productive Albizia woodlands to sustain them.

I had a great jog today running along the shores of the Malilangwe dam. I came across about 20 vultures and some Marabou storks milling on the ground but closer investigation didn’t reveal anything. Really don’t know what they were up to. Further on I disturbed 2 buffalo bulls wallowing in the dam and they ran away. I also encountered some impala, zebra and a waterbuck with a small calf. The waterfowl that are usually in abundance around the dam are not there at the moment probably having moved on now that the veld is full of other surface water.

Wild dog pack might split: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on December 30, 2006

in photopost

. 6 Comments Tags:africa, animal-kingdom, birding, birding-african-birds, blogumentary, cites, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, endangered-species, flickr, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, hunting, IUCN-Red-List, kill, malilangwe, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, ornithology, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, polls, predators, teach, video, waterhole, wild dogs, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

The dogs are being successful but not giving me much chance.

After a long chase, which left me bashing through bush catching the odd glimpse of a dog rocketing through the undergrowth, they eventually all seemed to have lucked out and stopped for refreshment at a pan. But One-eye was missing.

Eventually he too arrived at the pan, but was well fed. The others realising it then back tracked on his trail and found the remains of an adult male impala he had killed up against the fence.

When they were done with that it was back to the pan for the day.

Late afternoon again they were on the move. This time the country wasn’t only thick bush but really rocky too. I bumped and bashed my way through with many new cursing words be uttered (well shouted actually). Then I heard the squabbling, but it was only a baby impala kill. Continuing north in easier country the dogs came out at the fence and looking lost, lay down and rested.

Their little break was interrupted with a ‘woo’ call from the north. Racing up there I found the dogs on female impala kill. She too was a victim of the dreaded fence.
I wonder if the dogs would be as successful if they didn’t have the fence to help them?

Black Rhino spook elephant herd: Video

Published

Wildcaster

on December 14, 2006

in photopost

. 6 Comments Tags:africa, african-birds, animal-kingdom, birding, birding-african-birds, black-rhino, blogumentary, cites, conservation, documentary, ecotraining, education, elephants, endangered-species, flickr, giraffe, GLTP, gonarezhou, Great-Limpopo-Transfrontier-Park, IUCN-Red-List, malilangwe, marabou-stork, mashable, narrowcasting, Open-Content-Alliance, ornithology, pamushana, peace-parks, photos, polls, quickmaps, teach, video, wildcasting, wildlife, wildlife-documentary, youtube, zimbabwe

A normal day in Africa, for me anyway.

Temperatures stayed moderate and there was nothing too exciting going on.

A little abnormal though, was finding the black rhino cow and calf in the early afternoon out in the open browsing. Such great animals with their very own charisma! At least they kept it to themselves today and left us out of it. But always great to even get a glimpse of them.

We had a great time with the elephant this morning with Lindy and Penny. They just loved Chipfongwe and I think he was the icebreaker in getting Lindy to overcome her fear of elephants. Up until today she was petrified of them and I always given her the right to tell me what to do if we saw elephants. Invariably she’d say “Go, drive away!”

Her fear for elephant came about several years ago when a cow charged and as I drove away Lindy was right at the back of the vehicle, closest to it.

The herd today were so chilled out and at times totally surrounded the vehicle. We would park ahead of them and they, of their own accord, would carry on feeding as if we didn’t exist moving on both sides of us.
I’ve never been able to do this with breeding herds of elephant elsewhere.
These elephants really are special!

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Tag Archive for 'ornithology'

Lions Socialising: Video

Sunbird Feast: Video

Elephants create bushveld pans: Video

Elephant calf survives challenges: Video

Wild dog pack might split: Video

Black Rhino spook elephant herd: Video

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