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Week in Pictures : Wildlife Photos Set to Trump the Photography Poll

The title of this week’s “Week in Pictures” seemed fitting given the recent election results. But we’re not here to discuss politics – our focus is capturing the art of wildlife movement, photographing melodramatic landscapes and filming geographical marvels that would leave David Attenborough’s speechless. Our photographers get the vote this time round and their photography certainly trumps the turmoil of politics. If there was a photography poll, we’re pretty sure these photos would get the vote from our readers!

For us, there is no clear winning shot. Each photo encapsulates something different about the bushveld and its wonder. Serene scenes, hazy dusty pink skies and wild take downs serve to remind us what is important in the world – authenticity, the wild life and the often stark reality of nature. Get away from the buzz, the noise and the anarchy – come stay at one of our camps.

Xobega Island Camp and Tuskers Bush Camp

Tucked away in the middle of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, is the mystical Xobega Island Camp. Recently refurbed, this remote island offers the best of wild game viewing and water safaris. Photographers Jen, Greg and Dan captured many moments through their lens, but the highlight of Xobega was the birding and the sunsets.

This past week, they witnessed a pair of marabou storks mating. A rare and exceptional moment!

Then, cue the arid Kalahari style bushveld crossed with mopane trees and you have yourself the perfect habitat for big cats. This week, we saw the return of the skittish lions.

A male was spotted mating with a lioness and wouldn’t leave her side. A thirsty leopard took to the drainage pipes in search of water and ripped open a pipe. This aloof male leopard has been spotted on a regular basis while out on drive with Tuskers Bush Camp.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

The ever graceful Marula leopardess was photographed descending a tree. The Klaserie leopard sightings have been sporadic and this is probably because of the heavy presence of lions on the traverse. For 4 consecutive days the older Mapoza male lion has been mating with one of the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses. The other lioness was sitting with her buffalo kill for a few days. Obviously the fresh carcass attracted a wealth of hyenas, vultures and other scavengers.

We’ve just heard that the rains are falling heavily in the Kruger! A fantastic sign for the arid bushveld. This would explain the frantic behaviour from our elephants over the past few days. Could they have sensed something was brewing? Either way, the rains will bring with it an emergence of different species.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Leopards Tatowa and Mxabene have stolen the show in terms of their presence on the Umkumbe turf. Both leopards were caught in the act of snoozing – basically doing what leopards do best. Apart from the award-winning big cat sightings, the hyenas have also been out and about. Clans of these laughing species were seen enjoying the fresh water of a waterhole close to the lodge. The Sand River that runs in front of Umkumbe Safari Lodge has seen its fair share of the usual suspects enjoying the riverbed and banks. Waterbuck, elephants, buffalo, nyala and giraffe are just a few of the epic sightings enjoyed this week.

Ezulwini Game Lodges

Lions feasting, elephants playing and scavengers on the prowl for any form of leftovers. This is what you see while on safari with Ezulwini River Lodge and Ezulwini Billys Lodge. The buffalo and hyena have been taking advantage of the water sources – plenty of mud baths for a variety of species. A lone male lion was also spotted patrolling his turf in the dead of night.

Celebrating the Graceful Antelope of Ezulwini Game Lodges

The grazers and the browsers of the Balule Nature Reserve form an integral part of the delicate eco-system of the Kruger. The graceful antelope are often overlooked in favour of larger game, but the role of these even-toed ungulates in reserves is paramount to its success. Antelope are ruminants and use their lower incisors to bite grass, leaves and stems – their herbivore way of life certainly helps to keep the bushveld well-manicured! There are at least 21 species of antelope found within Kruger, with the most common species being the impala.

Antelope are either grazers, browsers or both. The browsers gain most of their daily moisture content from leaves and are thus less dependent on water intake than grazers which need to drink every couple of days. Graceful, gentle and poised, the Balule’s antelope species are more than just food for predators.

Here are a few facts about our more commonly spotted antelope:

Impala

The chickens of the bushveld! Arguably the most commonly spotted species, the impala is part grazer and part browser. Impala live in single-sex herds – ewes have often been seen in herds of up to 100, while bachelors live in smaller herds. Impala often alarm call when there is danger about, alerting other antelope and smaller creatures of the presence of carnivorous predators. Guests on game drive with Ezulwini Lodges are always rewarded with an abundance of impala sightings.

Here are 3 facts about impala:

Impala give birth midday to avoid their newborn being snapped up by predators that are normally active at night. A pregnant impala can actually delay the birth if the conditions are unfavourable!

When confronted by a large predator, impala will scatter in many different directions. This confuses the predator who cannot focus on a single target with all the helter skelter happening.

Impala actually need to drink daily and will use the heat of the midday to approach waterholes. This is when the big cats are lethargic and prove to be less of a threat.

Waterbuck

Waterbuck are, as their name suggests, water dwelling antelope. Ezulwini River Lodge is located on the banks of the river, which means there are plenty of sightings of this species with its intricate markings. Although the waterbuck has many big cat predators, they’re not a favourite meal. Their waterproofing secretions make the meat take on an awful odour.

Here are 3 facts about waterbuck:

They drink water daily and prefer to feed on grasses nestled on the banks of rivers. They eat the greens and grasses that other antelope don’t normally enjoy.

The waterbuck has a shaggy coat and only the males have horns. They’re easily identifiable by the white ring on their rump. They call this the ring from the toilet seat!

Females live in small herds with young males and the older bachelors live a solitary lifestyle.

Kudu

Kudu are the most majestic and graceful of the Kruger antelope. Notoriously skittish and exceptionally alert, kudus are one of the best antelope to see while on safari. Kudu can jump up to 3 metres high and they’re incredibly agile, which is useful when outrunning predators.

Here are 3 facts about kudu:

Bulls live a solitary lifestyle or form loose associations with other bulls. Females travel in related herds of other females and their offspring.

Kudus can actually survive long periods of time without water. Most of their moisture content is gained from wild fruits and nutritious vegetation.

Kudus actually only for up to 7 years in the wild.

Week in Pictures: Welcoming the Silly Season

A week into November, and silly season is soon upon us! The world is beginning to think about the holidays that lie ahead and perhaps some are heading into the African wilderness for an end-of-year celebration. In the bush, we see less of the festive season decorations adorning shop windows, and more of the seasonal changes that we have become accustomed to seeing this time of year. The dams in the Kruger are filling up, which is a relief from the drought that has penetrated the area for a year. Botswana’s Okavango Delta is seeing flocks of those migratory yellow-billed kites, European bee-eaters, and the seasonal drop in the water level, revealing extensive grass plains where there used to be swamps.

Highlights of the week include unbelievable camera trap activity in the Kwatale Conservancy where Tuskers Bush Camp is tucked away. Shy lions discovered under the cover of darkness, and leopards prowl after Cape fox’s at the local waterhole. Swimming hyenas, mating Mapoza male lions, and a brand new elephant enters the world in the Klaserie, while the Balule Nature Reserve continually impresses with unpredictable and astonishing wildlife activity. Take a look at the Week in Pictures and discover what makes us excited about the silly season!

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Xobega Island Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

VIDEO: Newborn Elephant Finding Its Feet in Klaserie

When Africa on Foot guide, Mike, stumbled upon a small herd of elephants standing in a huddle, he was delighted to see there was a small calf hiding in the middle, offering his guests a rare opportunity to see the world’s largest land mammal as a tiny baby. They are among the cutest of the cute, with wildly flapping ears, wobbly legs, and trunks they don’t quite know how to use. After a minute or two at the sighting, the big female elephant picked up a mass of fleshy tissue, which initially looked like the remains of a carcass, and started thrashing it around. Mike and his guests watched in awe as it dawned on them that the baby elephant they were seeing was freshly out of the womb, and that they must have missed the birth by minutes! The mass of tissue was in fact the mother’s placenta, which many mammals are known to consume or bury in order to get rid of the scent, which might otherwise attract predators.

We couldn’t have imagined a more incredible scene to witness so unexpectedly. Elephants are known to be emotional animals, and have a very close-knit social structure, especially among the females in a herd. It takes 22 months for a calf to come to full term in the womb, and when the time comes for birth, all the females (all blood-relatives) will position themselves around the mother in labour and create a wall of protection.

There is a definite sense of celebration in the herd, and once the little one arrives, all the elephants reach out to touch it with their trunks, as if introducing themselves to the newest member of their family. When the calf tries to stand, it receives help in the form of the elephants’ nurturing trunks, lifting it up and helping it carry its weight on its new legs. They are known to throw grass and soil around and on themselves, as if part of a ceremony. Usually, the evidence of the birth is buried or covered, or the mother elephant will eat the placenta, which hides the scent from predators. This time, however, we watched as the mother elephant picked up her placenta in her trunk and flung it around, covering her body with the blood and tissue.

It is amazing to watch how attentive their mothers are with their young, and to watch how they stick close to their mother’s side, and then when they become a little more confident they put on famous attitude-fuelled displays of mock charging and trumpeting at their audience. This little one was still trying to figure out this big new world, and it seemed as if he initially attached himself to the wrong female, while his mother was busy seeing to the afterbirth! The little one had the right idea, and appeared to be searching for the teat between another female’s front legs, looking to get his first drink of milk. He popped his own trunk into his mouth a few times and realised that wasn’t right, and finally Mike and his guests watched as the tiny newborn latched on to his mother and got the nourishment he needed.

We are so privileged to be able to watch the first steps, the first breaths, and the first moments of an elephants life as it is born into the wild. The responsibility we have as visitors in the Kruger Park is enormous, and it is richly rewarded as we get to bear witness to these precious moments.

Tales from Tuskers Camera Trap : Leopard Explores the Pan

Daniel Dugmore, one of our avid wildlife photographers, is based at Tuskers Bush Camp. His unwavering passion for the bushveld and intimate knowledge of the Kalahari Moremi corridor area of Botswana, makes him the ideal candidate for documenting the wildlife mysteries of this 365 000 hectare concession! Over the past few months, prior to Dan’s arrival, conservationists strategically placed one of the camp’s camera traps close to the pan in front of the boma area. Subsequent to that, they placed the camera in other high wildlife traffic areas and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of predator activity right on their doorstep!

We had yet to identify the current lion pride dynamics and their origin; but hopefully with Dan there, we’re better equipped to studying, observing and photographing the abundance of game hiding in the thickets. In conjunction with the appearance of lions on the Tuskers Bush Camp Camera Trap, there has also been regular leopard sightings. Just a few nights ago, the camera trap revealed a majestic leopard exploring the area around the pan in front of the lodge. It was patrolling possible turf and exploring the thickets. The leopard became rather fixated on a small Cape fox that was oblivious to the presence of this master stalker!

Hearing the contact calling at night from lions and the unmistakable bark of leopards, it has become clear that the camp is rife with predators. A decision was taken to monitor activity at the pan in front of the lodge and set up the camera in the perfect position to monitor all nocturnal antics. We’ve introduced the Tuskers Bush Camp lions that made an appearance at the pan outside tent 6 and a few months ago we introduced you to the leopards of Tuskers Bush Camp, that were also spotted outside tent 6 (this tent seems to be an attraction for predators!).

We have a confirmed presence of two leopards and the possibility of a third. At the beginning of the year, a leopard gave birth to a cub close to the store room at camp; so it makes sense that the two leopards seen at camp are the mother and cub.

What do we know about leopards and their natural behaviour?

When a leopard cub is born it remains in the den for up to 3 months, after which it will start to accompany its mother on hunts. It stays with its mother for 12 – 18 months and at 2 – 3 years the cub will being to produce their own offspring. We suspect the two leopards on our turf are the mother and her cub from the beginning of the year.
Females are drawn to territories because of presence of possible den sites and availability of prey. Males are drawn to areas because of the presence of females and have wide territories. The possible presence of the third leopard, seen on occassion, could be a male.
When a leopard is ready to begin its aloof lifestyle and hunt alone, the mother will tolerate the cub on the periphery of her range. She will even tolerate young leopards crossing over in an attempt to explore new territories.
Leopards lead aloof lifestyles and are opportunistic hunters. With their master stalking skills and finely tuned ambuhsing ability, they’re ready for anything.

The Tuskers Bush Camp traverse is a place where nature unfolds and unravels while you sleep soundly in your tent. Tusker’s Bush Camp is nestled on a 365, 000 traverse and there’s plenty of untamed wildlife hiding in the arid thickets, waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves.

Tales from Tuskers Camera Trap: Lions at Tent 6 Pan!

Almost every night, Tuskers Bush Camp resident photographer, Daniel Dugmore, has heard lions calling around camp. The deep, resonating sound has penetrated the still, dark atmosphere, and with there being no fences around the camp, the powerful roar can be heard loud and clear. Guests enjoying the evening skies from around the campfire are treated to the iconic call of Africa, enhancing their experience of the wild world of Botswana even more. This king of the jungle has kept to the shadows when we’ve been out following up on his vocalisations, and we’ve only managed to peer at him from about 20m. The beauty of camera traps, however, is that it gives us an eye into the wilderness without the wildlife knowing we are there, and we have been astonished at the density of predators that live around the camp! Take a look at our shy male lion and mate looking ultra-relaxed in the early hours of the morning at a pan in front of the camp…

The small pan located about 100m in front of Tent 6 is one of the closest sources of water to Tuskers, and it has proven an absolute hit among the plethora of wild animals that reside in this unadulterated wilderness. The concession is a vast 365 000 hectares of unexplored land, and Tuskers is the only lodge in the area, meaning that much of the concession remains entirely private, and an undisturbed area. Bordering Nxai Pan in the east and Moremi Game Reserve in the west, while Chobe is located not far north of the concession, there are famous wildlife areas circling Tuskers, and with the lack of fences in much of Botswana, animals roam free.

With the blissful privacy of the area, comes the reality of truly wild animals, which might not be used to the presence of vehicles. This could explain why these incredible lions prefer to watch us from the shadows, and really come out of their shells at night when they think no one is watching. It is a real privilege to solely occupy this spot in the wild bushveld and to get to know the lions no one else sees. After two years of extreme drought in Botswana, the natural water sources in the area dried up, and the wildlife would naturally have moved away to find more reliable water. Now, as Tuskers attempts to return water to the area and bring balance back to the concession, we have witnessed the presence of lions – the pioneer predator species. Exciting times lie ahead for safaris in this incredible private concession!

One night, Dan went out in the direction of the lion’s roar to see if he could catch a glimpse of this king of beasts as it sent its call out every night. The lion fell silent, and Dan patiently waited to hear him again. An hour or so went by before that ‘goosebumps’ moment arrived once again, and the lion bellowed into the darkness, sending vibrations through the air and warming the soul. Not only that, but on this post-dinner game drive, Dan saw a leopard crossing the dry pan right in front of the Tuskers camp main area, and after that bumped into a lioness lying silently in the sand road. She was relaxed, and happy in the presence of the vehicle, giving Dan the opportunity to snap a quick photograph through the shrubbery.

New Cruisers for Africa on Foot & nThambo

We’ve recorded so many magnificent memories trundling through the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve in our open-top Land Rovers, offering our guests front row seats to the Kruger’s most phenomenal wildlife sightings. The original Ross Pride at 20+ lions, old dominant males Tyson and Fabio, the Good and the Bad, the Trilogy, and now the Mapoza. Hundreds and thousands of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, kudu, warthog, zebra, and can you imagine how many impala? Epic leopards, honey badgers, porcupines, hyenas – the list goes on! And now, we retire our Land Rovers and welcome the shiny and new. A pair of Toyota’s tried and test, comfortable, classic, and brand spanking new Land Cruiser game viewers! Let the new adventures begin in these state of the art off-road machines!

The teams at Africa on Foot and nThambo are like family. Out in the bush, the guides spend weeks on end with one another, saying hello to new guests, and goodbye to those who have become friends by the end of their days in the Klaserie. Personal jokes and banter, and maybe a bit of healthy competition get the guides through their cycles, and there is certainly no doubt that practical jokes are pulled! Boss Man, Courteney Blunden, maintains a close relationship with the guides he appoints, and wouldn’t hesitate to pull a fast one on any one of them. The delivery of the new Cruisers seemed the perfect opportunity to catch out Africa on Foot guides Greg, Mike, and Enoch. When nThambo received the surprise delivery of their new vehicle last week, news spread to the neighbouring camp, where the guys were left wondering where their shiny, new game viewer was…

What must have been an agonising 24 hours went by, as Greg and Mike could only watch as nThambo’s sleek new game viewing machine purred passed them in the bush, until finally Courteney deemed it ‘time’. We secretly delivered the Africa on Foot Land Cruiser to nThambo Tree Camp where Courteney called for a ranger meeting. This was of course all part of the joke, and Kevin was on the scene, rolling camera, to capture the reactions of Greg, Mike, and Enoch as it was revealed that they too had been given a brand new Cruiser!

Being accountable for lodge property, and certainly the vehicles, is high up on the list of responsibilities as a guide, and when Luan, Ryan, and Issack at nThambo were bestowed the responsibility of these epic new Cruisers, it must have stung a little over at Africa on Foot! Now that the joke is over, both our teams are over the moon with the comfort and quality that comes with driving a Toyota Land Cruiser through the bush. Both vehicles have detachable canopies, which come in handy when summer’s temperatures soar into the 40s, while the individual bucket seats, cup-holders, a camera mount, and beanbag offer guests even more convenience when they are sailing through the Kruger, making memories to last a lifetime.

The Week in Pictures: Mama Africa

She lives and breathes through the earth, the rivers, the sky, and the sun. The wind is her whisper, and the trees are her limbs, reaching out to hold us in her embrace. She is beautiful, yet she is devastating; her moods can be joyous, and they can be foul. We marvel at her creation of the mountains, the oceans, the sand dunes, and the forests. We live at her mercy. There are moments of dead silence, when the flutter of wings can be heard echoing through a valley, and there are times of turmoil when the sound of a stampede can not be drowned out. She is Mama Africa, and we are her children.

Under the blue abyss we’ve seen change a million times, we venture out into the garden of the wild, where we find the true children of Africa surviving amid all the earth’s elements. Flawless leopardesses, ancient crocodiles, and delicate aves roam wild and free among the perfectly woven terrains of South Africa and Botswana, where safari gives us the opportunity to share in Mama Africa’s greatest creations.

After another week of astonishing sights and sounds, we’ve gathered our favourite moments caught on camera and present them here in the Week in Pictures. This is an adventure like no other; one where our guests get a glance into the world of this wild and wonderful continent.

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Umkumbe Safari Lodge, Sabi Sand Wildtuin, Greater Kruger Park

Xobega Island Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Walking Safari in Botswana : The Romantic Hornbill

Article by guest blogger Mike McCaffrey, Nomadic by Nature.

Taking game drives around Botswana, you are likely to see the yellow-billed hornbill flying around often. It is one of the most common birds in the country, however, the best way to get to know it is taking a walking safari in Botswana.

One of the first things people generally notice, is that when you see one hornbill, you should look for another. Hornbills are monogamous, and are often seen in pairs. Besides their beautiful dappled plumage, long eyelashes, and big banana-shaped beaks, this is what makes them so endearing.

Not only do they couple-up, but they cooperate to share the responsibility of parenting. After mating, they find a hole in a tree to make a nest, and they both help build a comfortable lining of grasses. Then the female hops in and builds a little protective wall at the entrance of the nest.

The male stays outside, hunting for them both for around a month while the female incubates the eggs. He flies back to the nest, sticking his long beak into the small entrance she leaves open and brings her tasty little treats.

Hornbills are also known to cooperate with mongoose, which is quite interesting. As the mongoose forages through the brush, the hornbill follows, eating all the little insects that are uncovered. In return the hornbill keeps watch, sounding an alarm whenever predators are near.

Besides being such caring birds, they are actually quite skilled hunters. They can be seen in trees, scouting the ground, and occasionally taking off to intercept flying insects. On the ground they use their beaks to forage around through the detritus. Hornbills have been known to eat a variety of things including small rodents, venomous scorpions, and centipedes, and even snakes and frogs.

One of the best parts of finding these birds while walking through the bush is that you can stay and watch them hunt. They hop around on the ground, peering through the grasses, with their brilliant yellow eyes. When they find prey, they stab it with a giant peck, and then will often fly up to a branch to enjoy it. My favorite part of the show to watch is when they throw their prey from their beaks up into the air, and then catch it in their mouths. They are quite flamboyant eaters!

So come to the Moremi East Wilderness Area to do a walking safari. When you see a hornbill, take some time to watch it hunt, and be reminded of the romance that exists, even deep in the bush.

Unexplored cities

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“Believe in yourself! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”
– Hosea Ballou

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Don’t forget to explore these things in Iceland

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