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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.

Umkumbe Leopard & Lion Update from Mauritz

During the course of the week we shared Marius Zeilinga’s images from his game drives. This week, we’re focussing on Mauritz Senekal’s series of crowd pleasing photographs taken in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve; a haven for a variety of wildlife. Mauritz is a ranger at Umkumbe Safari Lodge, which is a gem of an affordable lodge in the heart of one of South Africa’s premier reserves. In this series of images he focusses on the lions and leopards of the Sabi Sand. Let’s take a visual tour of the big cats seen while out on his game drives…try not to fall off your chair in wonderment.

Kigelia, Little Bush’s Cub

Kigelia is Little Bush’s cub and is often seen together with Little Bush. Kigelia has broken away slightly because Little Bush has two new cubs. Hopefully we’ll catch a glimpse of the cubs in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here are a few images of Kigelia.

White Dam the Shy Leopardess

White Dam is a shy leopardess who boasts a series of storytelling scars. She is often seen hiding in the thicket and prefers to move from one bushy area to another. She isn’t a fan of being out in the open. This leopardess has two cubs sired by Mxabene – a couple of weeks ago we saw her together with one of her cubs. This past week we saw her alone patrolling an area alone. This was a special sighting because she was in full view of the camera and didn’t engage in her normal aloof style of behaviour.

Charleston Male Lions

Marius reported that one of the Charleston male lions was seen with the Southern Pride lionesses. The location of the second male was undetermined. Mauritz noticed the male has since left the Southern Pride lionesses and was heard contact calling for the Charleston male (the one with the broken tooth) who was apparently spotted in the Lion Sands region. We have seen found out that the Charleston males have finally been reunited after being separated for a considerable amount of time.

These moments in time which Mauritz captured on camera are nothing short of incredible!

The Week in Pictures: Best in Show

This week, it’s photography’s Best in Show from our safari camps in the Greater Kruger Park and Botswana. With so much to see and everywhere to look, it doesn’t take a lot for the Average Jo to recognise the natural beauty that abounds in regions like the Okavango Delta, the Olifants River, the vast Klaserie, and the Sabi Sand, but it takes something special to capture moments on camera that evoke wonder and amazement from the audience. These are our picks for this edition of the Week in Pictures.

The Klaserie’s treehouse-inspired safari lodge has hosted weddings and honeymoons in simple elegance, and with the essence of the bush in every detail. nThambo Tree Camp conducts Big 5 game drives and guests have come to expect encounters with lions and elephants almost every day. Aside from the big beasts of the wild, there are smaller members of the bush to note, like this African scops owl feeding on a spider, and a little bee-eater basking brightly in the sunlight. The big and bulky hippopotamus is far from small, but somewhat overlooked as it mostly stays submerged in the water. This one, however, emerged with a splash!

In the wilderness that is Botswana, Afrika Ecco Safaris delves deepest. From the most recently appointed World Heritage Site – the inimitable Okavango Delta – to the phenomenal wild land of Moremi Game Reserve; this mobile camping operation offers some fantastic photographic opportunities. The stark landscape of Makgadikgadi Pans, and the lush Green Desert of the Central Kalahari in summer add to the list of destinations that Afrika Ecco explores by road, by river, and on foot. This week, our selection of Best in Show are these shots of an elephant in the Okavango reed bed, a herd of impala clustered together at sunset in Moremi, and a spotted hyena hot on a trail of something tasty.

On the open border of the Kruger National Park and possessing a long stretch of the Olifants River is the Balule Nature Reserve. Within these boundaries lie Ezulwini Game Lodges, two luxury locations for a safari holiday that will leave you overflowing with wild inspiration. The diversity of this reserve hosts a variety of wildlife from the greatest of all eagles, to the smallest of the tallest mammals, while the tranquil presence of the river offers the perfect platform for a pink sunset.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge in the prestigious Sabi Sand – Greater Kruger’s most well known safari destination – produces some of the best leopard sightings in South Africa. There’s no secret about that. This private Kruger Reserve is part of ancient history, and here in the midst of big cat paradise lies Umkumbe Safari Lodge. Many safari guides are inspired by their wild environments and pick up the hobby of photography. And why not? The subjects are some of the earth’s most sought after creatures, and this is an opportunity to watch and record them in their beautiful, natural habitat. These shots of a Charleston Male lion, a leopard called Mahlatini, and a herd of dangerous buffalo were shot by Umkumbe guides, taking their experience in the bush to the next level.

Africa on Foot‘s modest position in the vast Klaserie Game Reserve makes it one of the wildest places to go on safari. With unfenced perimeters and a treehouse out in the open, this is where an experience with the wild world comes alive. Early morning walking safaris and evening game drives in the private big 5 reserve result in some of the most quality game encounters one could wish for. The changing season is transforming the thirsty bushveld, bringing the water-loving leopard tortoise out into the open, and framing even the wartiest warthog rather beautifully.

Can You Take a Better Safari Selfie Than These Guests?

If you answered “yes”, then you need to hurry up and enter our #SafariSelfieSunDestinations social media competition. By entering you stand a chance to WIN a 6 night safari at 3 of our camps in the Kruger. The camps are: Umkumbe Safari Lodge in Sabi Sand, Africa on Foot in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve and nThambo Tree Camp in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.

The competition is easy – simply upload a maximum of 3 selfies to your personal Twitter or Instagram account and #SafariSelfieSunDestinations. There is one rule though – your selfies MUST be taken at one of the Sun Destination’s camps.

Click here for a full description of the #SafariSelfieSunDestinations safari competition guidelines.

Here are all of the entires into our fabulous competition. Ask yourself this question – CAN YOU TAKE A BETTER SELFIE THAN THESE GUESTS?