Flocks of queleas have been in the area recently. We have been watching them in the grasses and enjoying the show!
Breeding herd of elephants pass by
We had a wonderful elephant sighting a couple of evenings ago. A large breeding herd of about 30 or more, passed across the plain in front of the lodge. The evening light was perfect and this little video shows how green and lush the bush is now looking after good rains over the past few weeks. There is an amazing difference in appearance of our beautiful view and our winter visitors to the lodge may find it hard to believe. A real jungle appearance but along with this goes jungle temperatures and humidity.
Elephants at the birdpool
This pair of elephants passed by our small birdpool a couple of days ago. The temperature was soaring into the 40's and they spent a couple of minutes cooling off. Since then we have had a some very welcome rain and a spectacular thunderstorm. There is a definite hint of green in the grasses and we hope for some follow up rain to keep the new growth from drying up. News of 'One Tusk' is good - he's not been seen for a few days and we're hoping the extra hot chilli sauce on the gate posts will have helped, although that of course has now been washed off.
Breeding herd of elepants at waterhole
This breeding herd of elephants passed through the lodge yesterday and stopped briefly to drink.
Elephant feeding
This young collared elephant came past the house yesterday. It was fascinating to watch him pluck the various pieces of vegetation out of the ground, knock off the excess soil and then eat it. He seemed to particularly like the wild mouse-whiskers plant which we have been enjoying over the past few weeks since the rains.
Lions and waterbuck
Our lion saga continued. Each day bringing new sights, and on Thursday morning another lion, who arrived on the scene to join the feast - which as you can see in the video had been almost completely consumed. Thursday had dawned cool and windy, quite a relief as the carcass was by now very smelly. That evening was the last we saw of the lions but were treated to some mighty calls and roars during the evening. This will be a sighting we will remember for a long time.
Lions
Christmas has come early for these two male lions in the form of a waterbuck male kiled in a fight with another. Yesterday was a summer scorcher but these two divided their time between feeding on the carcass and panting it off under the nearest shady spot.
Burchell's coucal
It’s Twitcher Tuesday! This week’s bird of choice is a species you’re probably more likely to hear before you see – Burchell’s coucal. So turn up the volume on your device and give the call a listen. This species is an adept predator and feeds on small animals, eating anything from grasshoppers to mice and small birds.
After a few days of high winds the summer heat has picked up again and the bird pool has had a variety of visitors. Today's favourite was this family of warthogs. While the female got straight in for a good wallow, the piglets had to be content with drinking from the edge. They may not be as beautiful as some recent visitors but they're always entertaining!
Listen, to one of the most iconic sounds of the African bush. This male lion was relaxing down at the waterhole on one of the hottest days this summer. Suddenly, he began roaring, setting the ground vibrating as the hairs on our necks tingled; magnificent!
