Sun Destinations Blog - Page 79 of 117 - Sun Destinations Safari

4 Of the Big 5 on Safari with Ezulwini

You know you’re winning when your game drives consists of 4 of the famous Big 5, and the only one that evaded you is our shy friend, the leopard. A nocturnal cat by nature, leopard is most frequently seen in the evenings and in darkness (although Ezulwini been very lucky in seeing these cats during the day), but we were distracted enough by a host of other species not to feel too sad about missing out on the elusive leopard.

The Balule is home to a number of strong, successful lion prides; all said to have stemmed off one megapride known as the Olifants West Pride. As a result, Ezulwini guests bump into these king cats all over the place on game drive. The Balule Pride, the York Pride, and the original Olifants West Pride were seen on various occasions over the last few days, and one day in particular, our safari sightings consisted of 2 lion prides, rhino, buffalo herds, and a bull elephant in musth. That’s a solid 4 out of 5 on our watch!

The York Pride, led by 2 adult male lions (one quite a bit younger than the other), was seen covering ground, and possibly on the hunt for something to feed their bellies. With such a large group (numbering 13), they would need to take down something as big as a giraffe to satisfy each member. The second pride we saw was the Olifants West Pride, which has 10 members, led by a fantastic blonde-maned male called Duma. This pride was impressing everyone with their highly typical lion behaviour: sleeping. “Flat cats”, as we like to say in the bush, meaning that it is unlikely that they will become active any time soon.

While it’s not easy to beat seeing 2 large lion prides on one game drive, Ezulwini got that extra bit of luck, and guests heard a third pride roaring from over the river. A sound that leaves you quaking in your boots and marvelling at the wonders of this wild world we live in.

Herds of buffaloes have been moving through the area, and creating quite the spectacle at one of the dams where they almost fully submerged themselves in the cool relief of the water. The heat is tough for everyone, but the recent rains have filled the dams and it is evident that these big bovines were celebrating!

Later on in the drive, it turned out buffaloes weren’t the only ones loving the water. A bull elephant was spotted splashing around in a shallow mud wallow, cooling himself down with layers of the cool dirt being thrown over his leathery skin. This bull was in musth, which is a hormonal stage for a male elephant, and can make them quite temperamental and destructive. Typically, one can tell an elephant is in musth by clear secretions coming from the temples, and streaks of urine on the back legs. This can last any length of time between a few days, to a few months. Ezulwini guests received a fair warning from this male elephant with a shake of the head and a threatening trumpet, and we soon left him in peace.

Fantastic way to wrap up a day on safari at Ezulwini!

Ezulwini’s Top 3 videos of the Week

Our top 3 videos of the week highlight the eclectic mix of videos depicting safari life at Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge and Ezulwini River Lodge. From wine pairing in a luxury cave underneath the Balule wilderness to watching a pack of wild dogs chase a leopard; Ezulwini certainly has been ear-marked as one of our top safari lodges in the Kruger.

Wine Cellar at Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge

We can’t help but love the wine cellar at Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge. Set in natural stone and reminiscent of an ancient cave, it certainly provides a unique underground escape from the world above the ground. If you’re lucky enough, Laurence (owner of Ezulwini) will introduce you to a few of his favourite wines and educate you about the history of the Balule. Here is another great clip from our “cellar collection”.

Kruger Sundowner on Paradise Deck

The Balule Nature Reserve boasts a diverse terrain of rocky outcrops, the mighty Olifants River, thorny thickets, and sandy drainage lines. Ezulwini River Lodge takes its sunsets very seriously and has constructed a rustic, elavated wooden viewing deck which takes advantage of its position. This viewing deck is reserved for the “golden hour” – the time when the sun sinks into the horizon and creates a hue of colours across the endless Kruger sky. The place is called paradise deck and you’ll need to watch the video to find out why.

Male Leopard Escapes Pack of Wild Dogs

An unknown male leopard managed to narrowly escape to wrath of a pack of wild dogs. The dogs were on a mission and decided to eliminate competition for food. They chased the leopard up a tree and then left the scene. Unfortunately, the excitement happened in a matter of seconds so we only managed to capture the latter part of the incident. Wild dogs are endangered, nomadic creatures and sightings are quite rare. But seeing wild dogs chase a leopard up a tree? Well, that’s just unheard of…

Umkumbe Wildlife Images from Ranger Nicki Steenberg

We’ve displayed a fantastic series of Umkumbe ranger images from our khaki-clad men Marius Zeilinga and Mauritz Senekal. Now it’s time to give Nicki Steenberg a bit of air time. Nicki appears to have quite an eye for bird photography and we’re wondering if she’s not an ornithologist at heart! To throw us off the bird trail, she’s also showcased a few leopard images. Then again, Umkumbe is located in the heart of Sabi Sand, which is like a busy train station of leopards! It just wouldn’t be right if we didn’t spin a leopard story or two.

The last leopard report was the sighting of Mxabene “guarding” a warthog burrow. On the weekend Max attempted to take down an impala and used the vehicle as cover. Leopards are cunning, clever and industrious. Max certainly used all available resources to attempt a take down! On the leopardess front, Kigelia was spotted parading in front of guests on Marius’s vehicle. Kigelia is Little Bush’s cub who is now old enough to venture off alone. Leopard cubs lead a solitary life and generally leave their mother’s at roughly 12 – 18 months when they are old enough to live alone. Kigelia appeared to be on the prowl and attempted to hunt a bushbuck but was unsuccessful.

That’s two unsuccessful leopard kills over the weekend. Leopards are opportunistic hunters so they’ll find their next meal soon enough!

Talking about carnivorous creatures, Umkumbe guests have have enjoyed quite the array of raptor and wader sightings. It’s always nice to display a portfolio of bird photos for our keen twitchers. The Wahlberg’s eagle hunts reptiles, small mammals and birds; and it is often found in woodland areas closet to water. The plumage of a Wahlberg’s eagle is dark brown except for grey streak on the underside of its flight feathers. It also has a mohawk looking crest on top of its head and bright yellow legs. Interestingly enough, the Wahlberg’s eagle remains paired with the same mate for years.

Featured below are the marabou stork and saddle-billed stork, our wading birds. The marabou stork is an opportunistic scavenger and feeds off of carcasses. Their odd shaped bill means they actually cannot cut meat and thus prefer to scavenge. The saddle-billed stork is the tallest stork in the world and stands at an impressive 5 feet tall! They are shy but territorial birds preferring large masses of water home to an array of fish. They are easily recognisable by their yellow crinkled, leathery looking belt across their bill.

Thanks Nicki for the images!

Week in Pics: Summer is Emerging

Summer is upon us and with it comes a rather complex, anxiety filled weather system. The purple skies littered with swirls of thunderous clouds and bolts of lightning are a clear indication that a new season has emerged. With the landscapes shifting and the foliage changing colour, new species begin to show their faces. Wildlife will change their feeding and mating patterns and the Greater Kruger will be splattered with a variety of colours.

Here are the top photos from the week, a selection of creative wildlife photos taken during the emergence of Summer.

nThambo Tree Camp

The Klaserie has recently seen incredible bolts of lightning and thunderous, echoing skies. As the Summer season approaches, so are the storms. Such tumultuous skies have not deterred our wildlife. One of the Trilogy male lions was seen mating with one of the Ross Pride breakaway females – the same one who lost her cubs a couple of months ago! This mating ritual of theirs has been witnessed on two separate occasions!

Just the other night, we noticed a kettle of vultures circling above the landscape. Rangers tried to find a possible kill site, but were unsuccessful. At least Kevin managed to photograph these notorious birds of prey. With the change in weather and the shifting landscape, all the interesting critters are making themselves known.

Ezulwini River Lodge and Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge

The bountiful Balule has had the lion’s share of the sightings this week! The Olifants West pride were seen patrolling their normal turf, the males from the York Pride broke away from their female counterparts and the Balule Pride has also been spotted. Two unknown leopards and the graceful blue-eyed boy, Chavaluthu, were also seen during the course of the week. Our most exciting sighting to date is the appearance of a rather cheeky pack of wild dogs who took it upon themselves to chase a leopard up a tree!

Our lone buffalo bulls, bugs of the Balule and plains game are also dominating sightings. We’ve selected a few creative snapshots taken during the week. These are the ones you haven’t seen – we’ve kept them especially for today!

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Leopard activity in the Sabi Sand is at an all time high! During the course of the week, Mxabene came out to play. Mxabene displayed a huge amount of patience while waiting for his prey. He was clearly out for blood. These photos depict a perfectly poised leopard showing off his grand stature. Mxabene was actually maintaining his statuesque pose for quite some time – he was waiting for a warthog to come out of its burrow. The Mxabene sighting certainly has been a highlight of the week at Umkumbe Safari Lodge.

Africa on Foot

While the lightning was putting on a display for guests, a herd of elephants approached the swimming pool and decided it was a perfect time to drink. Moments like these don’t happen often! The Trilogy male mating with the Ross Pride breakaway female was a sighting enjoyed by both Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp. Hopefully we’ll see cubs in the near future! We seem to say that quite often…

Bolts of Lightning and Elephants Drinking from the Pool

There was an ominous and eerie atmosphere last night at Africa on Foot. Over the past few days we’ve been threatened with stormy weather and last night it became a reality. When darkness fell, bolts of lightening lit up the dark sky and created incredible silhouettes. Africa’s natural torch illuminated the landscape, reminding guests and rangers of the sheer power of nature. A gentle herd of elephants came out to play under the arguing skies and decided it was an appropriate time to wow guests with their presence.

While a handful of guests were idling around the swimming pool marvelling at the African sky, a small herd of elephants with little ones approached the swimming pool. Mike, a ranger from Africa on Foot, happened to be sitting on one of the sun loungers. The elephants came up so close to the lounger. In the background behind the pool is the rangers block and the bush protecting the elephant apparition is Tjankbos, one of the guest chalets.

I spoke to Chloe Cooper, who witnessed this remarkable moment. She said, “The elephants drank while we sat quietly with our feet in the swimming pool. Mike was on the lounger and was really close to them. After drinking, they moved off and fed in the bushes behind Tjankbos chalet. Guests were all standing on the lawn watching the lightning light up the sky and illuminate the ellies”

Yet another perfect evening at Africa on Foot!

Bizarre Bugs of the Balule

Our delicate planet is home to more than one million species of insects, a statistic known to delight avid entomologists worldwide. There are some six-legged bugs which are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye and those that could be the protagonist in a teenage horror movie. However, looks aside, bugs have a vital role in the ecology of an area; which is why we spend time studying their distribution and population dynamics. Insects, in fact, rank as the most successful organisms on the planet!

The Balule Nature Reserve is crawling with an array of arthropods and the sheer diversity of bug species is staggering. Time spent at Ezulwini River Lodge and Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge meant the opportunity for Jochen to photograph nature’s otherwise neglected species of wildlife. Here’s to the misunderstood, glamorous and bizarre bugs of the Balule.

The Dung Beetle

Probably one of the most recognised beetles in the Balule is the dung beetle. These industrious creatures are referred to as “coprophagous”, which means they eat excrement from other organisms. Dung beetles have a preference for herbivore dung because many of the grasses are generally undigested. Dung beetles spend much of their day rolling dung where the female will lay her eggs. When the larvae emerge, they have an endless supply of food.

Dung beetles need to roll their dung ball in the direction of their “home” and to do this, one of the beetles will climb on top of the dung ball to steer it. They often seem confused when on top of the ball and may seem disorientated; but they are merely orientating themselves. Latest research confirms that one particular species of African dung beetle uses the stars to steer itself home.

Large Brown Longhorn Beetle

The large longhorn beetle is easily recognisable by its unusually long antennae which are often longer than the beetle’s body. Beetles are attracted to light and will lay their eggs in wood cracks. The larvae of the longhorn beetle can be quite destructive to timber because the grubs will tunnel through the wood and feed as they tunnel. These grubs are actually considered to be a delicious delicacy in certain parts of the world – apparently they taste like roasted peanuts!

Emerald Jewel Beetle

This pretty iridescent beetle lives up to its namesake. It certainly looks like a bright jewel in the otherwise dry vegetation. The adults live on a diet on foliage, nectar and pollen. Mature adults do not live for very long but the immature beetles can take up to 35 years to complete their developmental cycle.

Red Velvet Mite

These fluffy red creatures are called red velvet mites and they spend their days hiding in soil litter. Because of their vibrant colouring they are often mistaken for spiders. Interestingly enough, the oil secreted from the red velvet mite is used in Indian medicine to treat paralysis.

Handmaiden Moth

The beautifully coloured handmaiden moth is a diurnal insect. These moths are often confused with the poisonous Burnet moth. There is speculation that it mimics the Burnet moth in order to ward off predators.

Guess the Bug !

Do you know what type of insect is below? Help us identify the below bug. It’s certainly unusual !

6 Wild Dogs Chase a Leopard at Ezulwini

As if seeing the rare African wild dog isn’t exciting enough, just this morning guests at Ezulwini River Lodge caught sight of a pack of 6, PLUS, they were seen chasing a leopard! Unfortunately, the speed of the chase meant there was too little time for photos, but after the cheeky dogs managed to scare the leopard up a tree they continued to trot up the main Olifants Road in Balule, and guests managed to get a good look at the unique “painted wolves”.

Notoriously elusive leopards are rarely found in an area where there are many more powerful predators, such as lions, or humans. In the Balule, where 4 lion prides actively operate, it is more likely that predator sightings will be of big lion prides than of the shy leopard. However, with the healthy habituation of the wildlife with Ezulwini’s safari vehicles, guests regularly enjoy sightings of Chavaluthu, the blue-eyed male leopard, plus a couple of other familiar faces. And over the last 2 game drives, Ezulwini caught sight of 2 unknown leopards – one of which was being chased up a tree by the wild dogs this morning!

African wild dogs operate highly successfully in packs that vary in size (a Kruger National Park pack is famous for its large membership of 30 individual dogs!), yet they are the second most endangered large carnivore on the African continent. Sadly, this is due to unethical hunting of the dogs, plus diseases such as rabies, all due to the burgeoning growth of the human population. The dogs – also known as Cape hunting dogs or painted wolves – are listed as endangered, and are protected in environments such as the Kruger, so guests are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them sometimes.

This is the second sighting of the dogs in a couple of months, so we counted ourselves lucky this morning! The high population of lions, plus a number of known leopards makes this dangerous territory for the vulnerable wild dogs, and in addition to this, it is in their behaviour to keep moving unless they settle down briefly to rear newborn pups. Fantastic couple of days here at Ezulwini with lions, leopards, and now wild dogs on the sightings list!

Top 4 Videos of the Week: Leopard, Lion & Lodge

Balule Lion Dynamics: The Lowdown

If there’s one thing we know for sure about wildlife, it’s that you don’t know any thing for sure about wildlife. The unpredictable nature of the wild world and the animals that live in it is exactly what appeals to every lover of nature, and it is certainly what keeps us on our toes! Lions are the most social of all cats, famously living and operating in prides numbering only 2-3, to megaprides numbering up to 3o. Notoriously territorial, lion prides don’t like to share their turf with strangers, and any wandering cats are at high risk of being brutally eliminated if they trespass.

What we have come to learn about typical lion behaviour, it is that male lions fight for dominance, and the weaker males either run in fear and go in search of their own territory or pride to take over, or they die during battle. What happened in the Balule at Ezulwini Game Lodges is that the once megapride, known as Olifants West, was divided after the two dominant males ‘Big Boy’ and ‘Mazinyo’ died. The two sons of Big Boy fought for new dominance in the pride (while sometimes, brothers will remain in a coalition and both dominate the pride), and the Olifants West Pride split.

Now, we have unfolded the dynamics of 4 different prides all frequently seen by guests at Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge and River Lodge and it is likely that in a reserve of Balule’s size, all 4 prides are somehow related to the original OW megapride. They keep to themselves, as separate prides tend to do, but these lions might cross each other’s paths as they travel through their home range.

Given that we can never assume to know exactly what is going on in the minds of wild lions, we like to speculate on what the movements of the Balule lions could mean. Over the weekend, Ezulwini enjoyed multiple sightings of the York Pride, which in total consists of 2 adult males (most likely a coalition between one older and one younger male), 3 adult females, and 8 subadult males and females. This fantastic 13-member pride is mostly seen south of Olifants Road that runs through the Balule, but two sightings of them on the weekend showed some interesting new movements.

The York Pride adult and subadult males were seen much further north than their usual territory, and they were without the females of the pride. It’s not unusual for a pride to separate temporarily within the territory, but to see the 8 males of the pride so far away from what we understand their territory to be, sparks some interesting thoughts. The following game drive, Ezulwini guests got the York Pride males once again, and this time they were even further north and heading right into an area that we often see the Balule Pride in. The Balule Pride is a small pride (by comparison) with only 7 members, and they are wedged between the large River Pride in the north near Ezulwini River Lodge, and the York Pride, whose known territory is in the south.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen the Balule Pride looking in pretty bad shape recently, sporting a couple of scratches and a limp here and there. Also, the latest sighting Ezulwini had of them, they were missing their 7th member. Again, this is not a definite indicator of fighting with other lions, and may be injuries inflicted through hunting, or from fighting with one another. However, this small pride seems to be losing space to call their own with the presence of the 10-member-strong Olifants West Pride, 13-strong River Pride, and the 13-strong York Pride.

Watch this space for updates on the movements of the Olifants West lions of Balule!

Awesome Arachnids and Roving Reptiles

Cast your eyes away from the looming lion pride in front of the game viewer and observe the ground, the surrounding low-lying thickets and the rock crevices. For these are the places where the fascinating small creatures dwell. Awesome arachnids and roving reptiles have their own story to tell and they’re an integral part of the delicate eco-system of the Kruger’s Balule Nature Reserve.

So, the next time you’re walking to your chalet or enjoying a guided walk in the bush, take in your surrounds. You might just spot an industrious baboon spider building a trap or see a cold-blooded reptile sunning itself on a rock.

There is a world of wonderful and ingenious creatures out there in the Balule. Just recently, Jochen came across two rainbow skinks and a horned baboon spider while staying at the Ezulwini Game Lodges. Let’s look at his photos and find out a few facts about these mighty creatures.

The Horned Baboon Spider:

The Kruger is home to 7 species of baboon spider. The horned baboon spider boasts a rather large, protruding horn out of its carapace.

The baboon spiders don’t build webs but prefer to dwell in a series of burrows underground. They have a funnel into the ground, which looks like a small snake hole. The funnel is normally covered by intricate interwoven covering of silk.

The horned baboon spider has an incredibly hairy body. The hair serves as a type of sensory organ which is used to feel vibrations and pick up scents.

The prey of a baboon spider includes an array of small invertebrates such as grasshoppers, beetles and mice.

Rainbow Skinks

The most commonly seen diurnal lizards in the Kruger are the striped skinks. The rainbow skinks are slightly more elusive and prefer more rural habitats than their counterparts. These colourful lizards thermoregulate and are often found sunning themselves on a hot rock.

Young rainbow skinks have electric blue tails and the females maintain this colourful tail into adulthood. Male skinks, when they mature, develop an dull orange tail and white flecks appear on their body.

Skinks have a bright tail in order to distract predators. They have the ability to self-mutilate and will discard their tail when under threat. The tail will keep moving in order to “fool” predators into thinking their intended target is alive.