AFRICAN SAFARI NEWS
November 2005

The rains have completely transformed Mombo. One very noticeable change this month has been a significant reduction in average temperatures, caused by the number of cooler, cloudier days we have had. Often though we experience our hottest days just after rain, when the dust has been washed out of the air, and the sun's rays reach northern Botswana in full force.

Environment and Ecology
Many parts of our concession are almost unrecognisable now; such has been the transformation that has occurred with the onset of the rains. Dry, sandy areas have turned green overnight, as though painted with sweeping strokes - countless small plants have sprouted, rejoicing in the sudden availability of water, and a verdant carpet has spread across wide areas of once bare sand.

In the acacia woodlands, pans that were dry and cracked have become oases of life as they have filled with water again. This sudden profusion of water means that animals are no longer so dependent on the channels and floodplains, and can now spread further afield. These oases are a gift to the wading and diving birds which have flocked to them, including Dabchicks and Painted Snipe - flickers of colour darting across the muddy waters.

Grasses and trees everywhere are shining with a new lustre of life. Newly washed zebras contrast beautifully with the greenery in the lush meadows, and elephants now come in three shades of grey as they wade through channels in the gentle rain - dark wet feet, dry dove-grey flanks, and medium-grey, medium wet backs.

The rains have had a reviving effect on every aspect of life at Mombo. They illustrate the synchronicity of Nature's plan for the Delta perfectly: just as the last floodwaters dry up, and the last hapless barbel are speared by Yellow-billed Storks, the clouds gather, thunder drums across the sky like the hooves of running zebras, and then the flash of forked lightning unzips the clouds and down comes the rain. This brilliantly dove-tailed change in the seasons achieves a balance and precision that no watchmaker ever could, and ensures the ongoing survival of this area as a perfect haven for wildlife and humans alike.

New Life
The onset of the rains not only revives the vegetation and animals, but it is also the signal for an incredible explosion of new life. Termites are perhaps the first to respond, as their mounds erupt with clouds of potential kings and queens, taking to the air to search for mates and then begin new termite colonies. This nuptial flight represents a bounty for birds especially (and for birdwatchers too) as Marabou Storks, Yellow-billed Kites, Bateleurs, and even Fish Eagles gather to swoop on the millions of termites. Those that aren't taken in the air must run the gauntlet of mice, jackals, and baboons, and in some parts of Botswana, humans too: the termites are fried to make a delicious protein-rich snack. Anybody hungry?!

This week we have seen the first baby tsessebe and impala, the forerunners of a great tide of new antelope life set to break over Mombo any day now. In a further demonstration of impeccable timing, thousands of baby impalas will be born as the rains begin, and all of them within just a two-week period. This inundation of babies is designed to swamp the predators - many of them will fall prey to leopards, hyaenas, and even baboons, but many more will survive. The first few babies have taken their initial uncertain steps in the world, fur still wet from the womb, following the gentle calls of their mothers as they guide them away from danger. To watch the first moments of a new life is an incredibly heart-warming, affirming experience. No matter how many times we see a brand-new impala lamb, it is impossible not to be moved by its determination to keep up with the herd and to survive.

Even in these numbers, the lions don't get everything their own way, and some of our guests spent a spell-binding morning watching interaction between the big cats and a herd of buffalo. At one point, a buffalo cow had two lions on her back, but she valiantly struggled back towards the herd who came to her rescue. The lions hung on until the last moment, before giving up and dropping off their chosen victim, who lived to fight another day - there was no kill that morning.

Cheetahs
This month has seen the end of an era for Mombo's cheetahs. In a very poignant example of predator competition, a coalition of two male cheetahs killed an impala and the noise of this kill attracted a nearby pride of lions, which attacked their much faster rivals. Caught by surprise, one of the cheetahs was badly mauled and subsequently died of his injuries. This was the end of an incredibly long-running and successful partnership between the two male cheetahs known as the "Steroid Boys." Regularly seen on game drives at Mombo for many years now, they were justly famous for their hunting prowess and had even graced the cover of National Geographic. The second brother was uninjured in this incident, but it is hard to believe that no longer will we thrill to the sight of these two grizzled, but still lightning-fast Mombo veterans, gazing out across the floodplains from a termite mound vantage point, nor racing along at breakneck speed in pursuit of a fleeing lechwe. We will all mourn the passing of this very special cat. But in the bush very few stories have absolute endings, and there have been sightings of a young female cheetah in the Moporota area, who could be a breeding prospect for the surviving Steroid Boy brother.

Leopards
Logadima's mother, the Tortillis female, produced two cubs in very late October - a very exciting event, and we had high hopes that these twins would be as successful as their big sister, now fully grown, and who seems to be taking up residence in the Bird Island area. However, at just a few days old, these tiny, defenceless cubs vanished. We saw the mother return to the place where she had hidden them while she went hunting, and heard her calling for them in an increasingly plaintive voice, until it became all too apparent that they had disappeared, possibly killed by a hyaena, although we will never know. With the exception of Logadima, the Tortillis female has lost every other cub she has had, and it seems particularly cruel that she should now suffer a further, double tragedy.

Camp and Guest Experience
Mombo is such a beautiful camp that even a rainy day cannot dampen spirits here. We have all become adept at cloud watching and picking the right days for our legendary "bush brunch" picnics, and traditional boma evenings, when guests can experience the rich musical and dance traditions of the Tswana people, and sample the delights of Botswana's traditional cooking (minus the termites, of course!).

This month we finally saw an advance copy of 'Elephant in the Kitchen' - Craig's long-awaited Mombo cookery book. Much more than a recipe book, it is the story of all his adventures (and one or two misadventures) over more than five years at Mombo, and how the natural beauty we are all marinated in every day has shaped his unique cooking style, infused with the flavours of a continent and of one very magical organic pantry - the Okavango Delta.

We invite you all to come and share in this feast with us... and here are the experiences of a few of the friends who have drunk deep from the cup of plenty with us this month in paradise... A cornucopia of delights awaits!

Guest Feedback
* The highlight was seeing a rhino, and the marvellous termite mounds!
* I will be back next year!
* The Camp itself if so beautiful, and the staff so friendly and efficient…
* Absolutely we would be happy to recommend Mombo to our friends! The friendliness, helpfulness, and care were wonderful - we loved it!
* The Little Mombo team made our trip to Africa an unforgettable experience... thank you very much...
* The traditional Botswana dancing at dinner was a real highlight!
* Our safari was fantastic!
* An incredibly memorable two days - thank you all very much!
* Brandon, Kate, Jean and the whole Mombo team treated us like royalty and we felt very special, especially with the dinner on our deck to celebrate our honeymoon!
* We have never seen so many lions together!

That's all from your November Mombo and Little Mombo teams: Brandon & Debs, Tlamelo, Craig, Pete & Sharon, Jean, Kate, Thompson, Siobhan, and Nick.

We have had an incredible month birding-wise with migratory species like Great Snipes, Bar-tailed Godwits and Black Cuckoos being heard and seen at regular intervals. We had another record broken with a group of clients having seen 213 species in two days and four species counted as "lifers" by the experienced specialist guide Dave Luck, well done Dave! Skimmer Pan, at the top end of Xigera Lagoon, has at least 20 pairs of nesting African Skimmers. These birds are a protected species and at Xigera we have made a concerted effort to keep the human influence to a minimum on the breeding area as they are sensitive to outside pressure.

Guest-wise, we have had another busy season and our new honeymoon tents are beautiful. These new tents look out on the floodplain that is on the east side of the island. Guests can be woken up early and greeted by spectacular sunrises while sipping on a steaming cup of strong coffee.

Our famous footbridge and "sandpit" have yielded interesting results throughout the month. Most nights spotted hyaena and the smaller genet cross, but if you are lucky or patient you could be rewarded with sightings of our resident male leopard as well as the occasional lion pride. Our guides have found a new leopard in our concession and to our surprise we discovered that she has a small cub. We have had excellent sightings of her and her young cub and the cub has on occasion entertained by testing her nascent stalking skills on the Land Rover – disconcerting at first, then a treat to behold.

The month of November gave us our first rains for the season and on one day we had over 74mm which was much-needed by the dry islands in the area. The large Mangosteen trees are nearing the end of their cycle of producing fruit but a few trees still have fruit on the upper branches where adventurous vervet monkeys can still feed readily.

Well, best wishes for the festive season and for the new year.

Wade McKenzie & Jean Niemand
Xigera Camp

Almost 75% of impala lambs are born within three weeks of each other, flooding the ‘market’ with young animals. The predators will take a certain amount but the vast numbers mean that many should survive through their first precarious months into adulthood.

There is a herd of about eight tsessebe which are often on the floodplains in front of camp, several with young calves.

The rain has filled up many of the temporary pans, meaning that the animals are no longer restricted to areas with permanent water and appear to be more widely dispersed. All the trees are in leaf and where there was simply dust, new shoots of grass now cover the ground, providing food for all kinds of creatures.

The damp earth provides ideal conditions for termites to found new colonies. At times the air is filled with flying termites who have only limited amount of time to find a partner and dig into the earth, taking advantage of the softening effect of the rains. The termites lose their wings, and must then found their colony before the next heavy rains wash them or their partially built structures away.

The warmer temperatures and abundance of water and nutrients stimulate insects to reproduce, in turn providing food for many birds, reptiles and mammals. Reptiles are very evident, terrapins and tortoises patrolling the pans and plains respectively. We have seen many young monitor lizards in camp and think they may be recently hatched from a local nest. These creatures are incredibly interesting and often overlooked. They feed on mainly insects but devour any small creatures, eggs and the like. They are considered a delicacy by many Motswana living in rural areas but are now protected under Botswana law and will not be found on the menu at Tubu!

Another animal seen lately was the spiky porcupine. Porcupines are actually rodents, mainly nocturnal, and some guests in November were lucky enough to view one on an evening game drive.

As for birds, summer migrants such as Striped Cuckoos, Barn and Red-breasted Swallows, and Eurasian Orioles are definitely in residence, as are summer visitors such as Paradise Flycatchers, Broad-billed Rollers and Woolly-necked Storks. Moa witnessed a flock of over 40 Carmine Bee-eaters busy catching insects on the wing, preening and resting in the mopane veld to the east of the camp. He also came across a Ground Hornbill nest not far from the road, and observed a female taking food to the nest. We are keeping our distance from the nests so as not to disturb the birds. Ground Hornbills are an endangered species and have incredibly low reproductive success, partly due to the lack of suitable nest sites in old trees, as the holes need to be big enough to accommodate the birds whilst secure enough to be safe from predators, but also due to the incredibly long time it takes the birds to mature – up to nine years! We will continue to monitor the site and feel very privileged to host it.

Another spectacular sighting was of an African Fish Eagle feeding on a terrapin, probably a Helmeted or Marsh Terrapin.

Mokoros are no longer available at Tubu as the flood levels have now receded, leaving only the deepest channels with water, accompanied by the odd grumpy hippo hanging onto the last pools.

As you can see, life at Tubu is incredibly busy and every day brings something new! Come and see…

Tubu Greetings,
Anton & Carrie

Top

We have had a spectacular amount of rain for the month of November. In less than three weeks we have had over 150mm of precipitation, which was way above our expectations. The landscape transformed from a dull brown to a vivid green almost overnight. The outlying pans in the woodlands have filled up with water, providing a reliable supply there for both grazers and browsers, taking pressure off the riparian edges of the channel systems. The elephants have now moved deep into these woodlands. The rain has also triggered mass births among the antelope species, so everywhere there are tiny impala, tsessebe and wildebeest - some naturally fall prey to predators while others find safety in numbers and survive.

Just before the rains came, huge herds of buffalo were seen moving through the concession. One herd numbering over a thousand came within a couple of kilometres of the camp, and some splinter herds from this wandered by right in front of the camp.

The wildlife highlight of the month was when Ebs spotted a rare sitatunga antelope along Lechwe road - the first seen here in a long time. It almost became the last, because as he and his guests watched, a male lion, up to his belly in water, was stalking the antelope. The sitatunga ram nonchalantly watched the lion approach, confident that in that depth of water that he had the advantage should evasive action be required. As soon as the lion attempted his final lunge from about 30 metres, the sitatunga leapt, effortlessly leaving the lion clumsily splashing through the water. He has since been seen a few times in the same area, and we hope that he will remain, giving us more sightings of his singular and rare beauty.

The next highlight is that Mosadi Mogolo, the Acacia Road Leopard, has given birth to two beautiful little cubs. This brings the total number of leopard cubs we know of in the area to three - Ebs found another female with a cub in the Maun Road area. For three days Mosadi Mogolo and her cubs stayed near a kill right next to Airstrip road, so often this was the first sighting people had arriving from the airstrip!

Ben and his guests had the excellent fortune of encountering a mating pair of leopards near the new hide area - a sight that few ever see. Ebs found an aardwolf near Phinley’s Pool, and subsequently it has been seen a few times again in that area.

The Chitabe pack of wild dogs has once again had a run-in with lions, this time with fatal consequences. One adult and two pups were killed, leaving six pups and six adults in the pack. Subsequently, one more adult and one more pup have gone missing. Now there are ten left. More encouraging news, however, is that after an absence of a year, Phinley came across sixteen dogs of the Mogogelo Pack east of the Maun road area, and we have reason to think that there may be more in the pack.

In the Gomoti area, a family group of four cheetah were sighted a few times, while in the Old Chitabe area one male has been operating on his own - he has left his mother and sister, who haven’t been sighted this month.

The lion vs. hyaena battle continues, with losses racking up on both sides. A male lion killed a large hyaena in front of Trails Camp one night, and the hyaenas killed six of the youngest lion cubs over the next three weeks. Two large male lions are also regularly being seen on the Gomoti channel, which has started to dry up. The pride there has also been seen feeding on hippos that were killed in territorial battles beside the dwindling river.

The weather has cooled down significantly with the advent of the rain - the average lows have been around the 20°C mark, with the highs never going above 32°, making an altogether pleasant change from the burning heat of October. All the water around has contributed to a rise in humidity, however. For December we expect very similar weather – humid and warm, with thundershowers every few days.

The start of the month was intense with the usual dry season elephant population congregating around the Savuti waterhole at the front of camp, desperate for a sip of fresh water. The end of the dry season is a testing time for the elephants, with very little vegetation left and very little water around. Animals stress levels are up and only the strong survive. Predators have taken advantage of young, weak elephants, and hyaena took advantage of those that couldn't fight the dry season any longer.

Sightings of wild dog early in the month were exciting, with a few right outside of camp. There was quite intense fighting between wild dog and hyaena near Manchwe Pan in the middle of the month, with both parties finally relenting to a more peaceful co-existence. The cheetah brothers (the Savuti Boys) were around for quite a bit of the month and both chases and kills were seen. Our female leopard and 8-month-old cub were also spotted regularly during the month, with very relaxed sightings of them resting and feeding. The Savuti Pride of lion was active towards the middle of the concession and the Linyanti River with sightings of mainly the three females and three juveniles. Small lion cubs, approx. 5 - 6 weeks old were sighted which is always delightful to see.

Right outside of camp we were witness to two young male lion giving a family of porcupine a hard time! The young males were attempting to steal a very small porcupine baby, but mom and dad were giving the lions a very difficult time, protecting their young one with all of their efforts. Luckily, the porcupines won, and the two young boys moved off, probably hoping to find slightly easier prey!

On the 11th of November, we had our first rainfall of the season, always a spectacular event to witness. The skies opened up and huge amounts of thunder and lightning stole the show. We only received approx. 32mm that afternoon, but it was enough to cool everything down and make the animals (and us!) very happy. With the rain, the elephants knew that it was time for them to move on, and slowly made their way out into the bush for better feeding areas. It was literally days after the rain that we went from having up to 200 elephants outside of camp, to nothing! It was quite an eerie feeling falling asleep to the sounds of just the bush and not trumpeting elephants.

The rains have been reasonably frequent since then, which has brought about thick, lush vegetation throughout the area - the Savuti Channel is looking like a championship golf course!

Lots of fun was had at our traditional nights, with dancing and singing - by staff and guests too! Peggy and Mike returned for their 5th visit to Savuti, and were impressed again with their game viewing. Several pairs of honeymooners enjoyed the surrounds of Savuti during the month - to all those that came, our wishes to you for a long and successful marriage – and how about a return visit for one of your anniversaries!

Average maximum temperature was 36° Celsius, with our maximum reaching a very hot 41°C! Minimum temperature was down to quite a cool 10°, with the average minimum being 15°. Rainfall for the month totalled 61mm.

The team at Savuti would like to wish all of its guests and colleagues a very happy holiday season, a safe, happy and healthy year ahead, and we hope to see you all in the near future.

Kind regards,
Tammy, Alex, Richard, Kane and the whole Savuti Team

November is the month of changes and the area is certainly changing with the return of the rains. October was an extremely hot and dusty month and the first two weeks of November were no different. On the 11th we received our first rains. This immediately cooled the area down and settled the dust. Clouds now fill the skies and the promise of more rain is in the air. Altogether we have received 97 mm of rain this month. The maximum temperature this month was 42 degrees Celsius and the minimum 19.

During this period the Linyanti River was the only source of water for many kilometres and the game was incredible! Visibility was at its peak and in the afternoons the river was crowded with elephants, buffalos and zebras, all coming for the life-sustaining waters of the river. However, many of the animals were in poor condition due to the harsh stresses of winter and because of the long walk between the last remaining foraging areas in the woodlands and the permanent waters of the river.

From the beginning of the month the clouds were building up in the sky. Big, fat, dark, pregnant clouds, showing us that the dry period was almost over. Finally on the 11th the clouds let loose and the rains began to fall. On this day we received 20 ml of rain and within a day or two we could see a green flush over the sand where the new grass was pushing up through the dry earth.

The rains have also heralded the arrival of a few of the summer flowers, and scattered throughout the riverine woodlands are patches of bright red “Fire-ball Lilies”. These flowers are quite amazing to behold. They consist of numerous small florets that are arranged in a ball-shape (about the size of a volleyball) on top of a short stalk. Near the base of the stalk a few bright green leaves appear. These lilies often occur in small patches in the woodland and it looks quite incongruous to see these bright red areas in amongst the green of the leaves and grass.

Immediately after the first rains had fallen the elephants dispersed from the river, and they are now difficult to find. A few bulls are still in the area and one cheeky bull has been seen on a few occasions in the camp. After the first rains we also saw a reduction in the numbers of zebra and buffalo. Both of these species have now started their long trek towards the Savuti Marsh, approximately 70 km to the south-east of camp. These creatures migrate towards the marsh after the first rains to take advantage of the palatable grasses that start to grow there. It is also at the Savuti Marsh that the zebra give birth to their young foals. Although most of the buffalo and zebra disappear from the Kings Pool area during the summer months we have been fortunate to have sightings of a large herd of buffalo (+-300) that seem to have remained behind after all the others have left and have been frequenting the grassy area near the airstrip. A small herd of zebra (1 male, 3 females and 1 teenage foal) have also been seen in the grasslands to the west of camp right up until the end of the month.

With the onset of the rains most of the migrant birds have returned. It feels like we are once again seeing old friends after they have come back from a long journey abroad. The Carmine Bee-eaters are all back and are busy digging holes in the river banks in which to lay their eggs. The shrill “Yip-trrrrrrrrrr” call of the Woodlands Kingfishers resounds once again from within the woodlands as they too start to look for mates and nest in holes in the dead trees.

Another hole-nesting bird that has returned from its wintering grounds in Central Africa is the Broad-billed Roller. Another stunning arrival is the Paradise Flycatcher. The cuckoos have also arrived back now and can be seen flying quickly through the woodlands in search of nests in which they can deposit their eggs, leaving them for the surrogate parents to raise.

Early one morning, while sitting at the fireplace drinking coffee, we were surprised by an adult male Pennant-winged Nightjar which flew slowly right over our heads with his beautiful long white wing-streamers fluttering behind it.

Just before and after the rains have fallen we have often seen the emergence of huge numbers of winged termites (Alates) that have come out to take part in their nuptial flights and to start new colonies.

The snakes have also started to appear and we have already had a few sightings of these reptiles. A large Banded / Snouted Cobra has been seen on a few of the game-drives. This is a particularly impressive snake with thick bands of cream interspersed between bands of black or dark-grey. We have also seen a few Rock Pythons on many a night drive towards the end of the month. These snakes can get quite large and are constrictors; suffocating their prey by wrapping coils around it and tightening the coils each time the prey exhales.

With the rains that have fallen the night sounds are dominated by the sounds of the different frog species. Banded Rubber Frogs give a high pitched trilling sound, while the Bubbling Cassinas make a loud “blooip” sound (reminiscent of bubbles bursting or water droplets falling from a height into a pool of water). Raucous Toads add to the cacophony of sounds with their loud rasping calls. At night on the road one can see numerous Bull Frogs and Tremelo Sand Frogs in the puddles. Platannas (Clawed Frogs) can also be seen after the rains, hopping in the veld.

Towards the end of the month the impalas started to give birth to their young. There are now baby impalas throughout the riverine woodlands, gathered in small crèches and extremely cute. Near the camp we have noticed a baby impala that is rather different. This particular baby has large white blotches all over its body and is partially albino (leucistic). It is quite noticeable and we hope that it will manage to survive to adulthood, even with its camouflage seriously jeopardised.

November is definitely the month of babies and we have also been seeing a tiny baby hippo wandering around in the company of its large mother in front of camp.

Predator sightings have been pretty good this month, particularly before the rains started falling. All in all we have had 22 recorded sightings of leopard this month (on 17 out of 30 days).

The Chobe 1 Female / Deadwood Female was seen on a few occasions this month, mainly in the region of Chobe 1 Road and the Weather Station. On the 6th we heard the francolins and squirrels giving warning calls in the thick bush. On investigating we found the sub-adult (Chobe 1 Female’s cub) lying up on a dead tree trunk. She then climbed down and a short way along the path, she came across a bull elephant, who took exception to her presence and gave her a warning charge. The leopard reacted quite calmly and stood her ground as the elephant towered over her. When the elephant returned to his browsing, she then carried on walking in the direction that she had been going. The elephant then decided to follow her and as he came closer she disappeared into the thick bush. The elephant then lost sight of her. The leopard then climbed up another dead tree trunk and lay there resting. We could see that the elephant had lost her and was trying to relocate her, without success. We then left her lying there, quite amused with the whole scenario that we had witnessed.

The stars this month have undoubtedly been the Boscia Female and her young cub. The cub is now approximately 8 weeks old and is extremely cute. Its eyes are still bluish in colour and its fur is still fluffy and greyish. Boscia has been hiding her cub near Waterbuck Pan and we have seen the two of them on a few occasions. One of the den sites was in a large hollow log near Purple Pod Road. On The 5th we saw the two lying nearby the log, the cub suckling, which was an amazing sight.

Lion sightings have also been reasonably good this month. We have seen lions on 16 out of 30 days. On the afternoon of the 6th we found the two Savuti Females and their three cubs resting in the shade near Chobe 1.

The two DumaTau females were seen feeding on a dead elephant near Chobe 1 on the morning of the 9th. They were with their two young cubs who were either playing with each other or suckling on one of the females (“Black-eyes”). They stayed at the carcass until the 12th, at which stage the carcass was positively ripe and smelly, yet the females were still feeding on it.

On the 18th we were called in to a sighting of the two DumaTau females and the two cubs just behind DumaTau Camp. We were watching the cubs suckling and playing when “Isis” suddenly started staring intently into the bushes to the south. Out of the bushes appeared two other females. It was the two Savuti females. They were followed by their three youngsters. The Savuti females approached the DumaTau females, rubbed heads with them and then lay down next to them. The three Savuti cubs then came running up and appeared to be quite curious of the two younger cubs, but “Black-eyes” gave them a warning growl and they seemed to realise that they were not going to be permitted to play with the younger ones. From this date on these two groups have joined up and have been walking together.

On the 30th we were on a site inspection of Savuti Camp when we were informed that Silas (a guide at DumaTau) had spotted these lions near Forest Rd. When I arrived there the lions were resting in the shade. I noticed that there were only two of the older cubs present and only one of the younger cubs. It appears that one of the older cubs and one of the younger cubs have disappeared and I assume that they have been killed. This is very sad news.

We managed to see wild dogs on only two days this month, right at the beginning. On both occasions it was sightings of the DumaTau Pack (consisting of 12 adults and 11 pups). We understand that they have spent the rest of the month outside of the concession. We have not seen the Linyanti Pack this month.

That’s all for this month
Best wishes from all of us at Kings Pool.
We wish you all a merry Christmas and a great New Year

Ciao,
Brian

Average min/max temperatures for the month were recorded as 22° and 34°C respectively. Total rainfall for the month amounted to 75mm. Another treat of the season is seeing the heavily pregnant impalas now starting to drop their lambs. Within days our area has come alive with the boundless energy of sprightly youngsters running around all over the place. Of course this is also prime time for the many predators in our area to grab a tasty snack.

On the opposite side of this eating scale and especially during the first part of the month, we had numerous sightings of lions feeding on young elephants. Now, with the start of our rains, the vast majority of elephants in our area have moved off into the Mopane forests as they are no longer dependant upon the permanent waters of the Linyanti river system. Notwithstanding this, we still see elephants on our drives although not in the huge numbers that we had during the dry season. Our wildlife sightings for the month included the following: elephant, wild dog, African wildcat, leopard, lion, cheetah, zebra, hyaena, wildebeest, roan antelope, black-backed jackal, hippo, crocodile, kudu, African rock python, giraffe, baboon, warthog, impala, red lechwe, steenbok, waterbuck, kudu, leopard tortoise, buffalo, Ground Hornbill, White-backed Vulture, Hooded Vulture, Marabou Stork, Wattled Crane, Giant Eagle Owl, Wood Owl, Barred Owl and numerous other bird species.

Our guests enjoyed many interesting sightings, especially those of predator interactions. The most entertaining was watching wild dogs chase a leopard up a tree after it had attempted snatching their freshly killed impala. Our sighting of the month was probably seeing the Savuti pride and their respective cubs all being together for the first time in well over a year. What an awesome sight to watch 11 lions (4 adult females, 3 sub-adults, 2 cubs, and 2 adult male lions) going about their daily routine of feeding, grooming, playing and sleeping. This pride seemingly decided to go large this month and were often found feeding on elephant and also at one stage, an adult male giraffe which they brought down.

As our rainy season is now expected to gain momentum, we often hear the much repeated call of the Black Cuckoo as he utters with monotonous frequency: “Here comes rain!“ or at least that is what it sounds like to us!

We quote below just a few of the many great compliments we had from guests this month:
“Botswana is amazing and DumaTau has the best accommodation and wildlife.“
“This was our favourite camp – we had such a wonderful time.“
“3rd time at DumaTau and it is still a gem. Great staff and a Noah’s ark full of animals!“
“Thank you very much for such a wonderful stay. This is a very special place run by very special people.“
“The past 10 days of safaris, culminating in 3 nights at DumaTau equals the finest vacation EVER. This is said after visiting and travelling 5 continents. Top stuff, DumaTau!“

Well, what more can we say!

Linyanti greetings
IAN & the DUMATAU TEAM

It was the afternoon of the 9th of November, when after an incredible snorkelling excursion to Lala Nek, Rob and Landi decided to take the 5km walk back to camp along the beach. They could hardly believe their luck, when on approaching the bay, they happened upon a loggerhead turtle that had decided to come up onto the beach at 4:30 in the afternoon. They crept up to her, careful not to disturb her, and took a seat to watch this amazing creature do what her mother had done all those years ago. Right there and then, Rob decided to ask Landi for her hand in marriage! We wish you the best of luck, and we hope that you hold Rocktail dear to your hearts forever.

With all the “lovey-dovey” couples in camp through the month, the weather has been perfect. The outside temperature has risen considerably since October, as has the humidity. We have also had about 100mm of rain throughout November.

With perfect beach weather, word had seemed to have got around, and Rocktailers were astonished as well as pleasantly surprised to see their very first chacma baboon soaking up the rays and enjoying a view of the Indian Ocean. The lonely male had obviously heard via the “bush vine” about the nesting season along the coastline. If the lonely chacma is after a mate he sure is in for a big surprise heading into peak season for Leatherback nesting turtles.

Staying with primates, vervet and samango monkeys have been reaping the rewards of good rains which have brought plenty new succulent leaves and fruit for the young to feed on.

With no exception to the rule birding has been phenomenal. From beach to forest to grasslands, all have lived up to their expectations. The rich food source of the Indian Ocean has had Osprey, Fish Eagles, Palmnut Vultures and Yellow- and Black-billed Kites jostling for position in Rocktail Bay. The forest has produced some real coastal specials: topping the list has to be Narina Trogon, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Green Twinspot, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Livingstone’s and Purple-crested Turacos and White-starred Robin - all of which were seen on forest walks and at the famous bird hide. The grasslands seemed to bring out all the colours with Pink, Orange and Yellow-throated Longclaws keeping low to the ground as Southern Banded, Black-chested and Brown Snake Eagles soared above monitoring the rolling hills for easy prey.

News Flash
On an afternoon walk through the grasslands we stumbled across what looked like a “den” of some sort with fresh jackal tracks. Realising the significance of this, with the help of the community, we decided to monitor the area for some time. Lo and behold what should we find a small family of side-striped jackals. WOW!

The distribution of these incredible mammals in Southern Africa is from the northern parts of Namibia to the extreme north of Botswana, extending eastwards into Zimbabwe and down through Mozambique and stopping in the extreme north-east corner of South Africa. Which makes Rocktail their most southern occurrence on the continent! We are hopefully going to be monitoring these jackals on a more permanent basis.

Turtle season is in full swing as the end of November marks the peak season for both Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtles. What an awe-inspiring month it has been with numbers of nesting turtles increasing with every drive! So far Loggerhead nesting females lead the way with 67 successful nests and Leatherbacks follow with 17 nests. December generally marks the month of the Leatherback Turtle and we can be sure there are many more to come. The largest Leatherback Turtle to date has had a mammoth carapace of 1.77m in length and 1.65m wide, one “mamma” of a turtle. The “adopt a turtle” programme has been a huge success so far this season. Congratulations to our new adoptive parents!

Just a few of the guests’ comments:
“I am very impressed by this Wilderness Safaris operation and how it works in co-operation with the local community. I hope it continues to be successful”. RM – USA
“Many 5-star hotels could learn a lot from you”. A & MR – Switzerland
“Our stay was awesome. The staff all went the extra mile to make an unforgettable weekend come true”. HS – South Africa
“This was an old style Wilderness Safaris experience. Great staff, lovely feeling around lodge, great food and good activities”. L & ES – Cape Town
We wait in great anticipation for what December will bring and wish you all a very prosperous up and coming festive season.

Best wishes
The Rocktail Team

But one of the most amazing sights for me this month was Crooks’ Corner. At month end my wife Colleen and I were advised by some of our senior guides to go and have a look at what was happening there. Well when we arrived we were awestruck at the sight before us. The fast-flowing waters of the Luvuvhu River were pumping onto the sands of the dry Limpopo River bed. Although the strong Luvuvhu only pushed up the dry Limpopo River bed slightly, it flowed downstream with such force that anybody below the confluence would have thought that it was the mighty Limpopo flowing once again. What an awesome sight!

Mammal sightings
Again we are getting regular sightings of large breeding herds of elephant mainly in the Fever tree forest area to the east of Pafuri Camp, and also to the west along the Luvuvhu out towards Mangala. We sat and watched two young bulls for about twenty minutes having a mud bath from a puddle of water that was lying on the Fever tree forest road. We have also had sightings of solitary bulls around the camp and out towards the airstrip west of camp, and in small groups drinking from the Luvuvhu River in front of the camp.

We still have the three old buffalo (dagga boys) hanging around camp. They seem totally unperturbed by our movements in and around the camp. Sightings of herds continue to be regular with herds ranging in size from 20 to 100 animals and seen all over the concession. One memorable sighting saw a herd of about 100 animals in the grassland fringe of Banyini Pan in the north-west of the concession.

Sightings of species such as impala (we had our first lamb on the 14th of the month), nyala, bushbuck, waterbuck, kudu, warthog, chacma baboon, vervet monkey continue to be daily, while leopard eluded us with just a handful of sightings in the area around camp. Lion on the other hand were seen very couple of days with good sightings of males, lionesses and cubs. One evening three adult lionesses strolled along the southern bank of the Luvuvhu in front of camp giving all our guests a fantastic view.

Birding
We recorded a whopping 231 species this month. But the real excitement came with our big birding day held on the 26th. Our motto for the day was “quality not quantity” and we managed to see some exceptional species in the 24-hour period allotted for the event including: Three-banded Courser, Bronze-winged Courser, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Black-throated Wattle-Eye, Meves’s Starling, Grey-headed Parrot, White-crowned Plover, Green-capped Eromomela, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Gorgeous Bush-shrike and Crested Guineafowl.

Climate
Lowest temperature: 19°C Highest temperature: 47°C
Average min temp: 22.3°C Average max temp: 37.7°C
Rainfall 43mm

Pafuri Camp had the privilege of hosting the Children In The Wilderness programme this month. The children, aged 10-16 were selected by the South African Police Services from various shelters in each of metropolitan centres around South Africa. During their stay the children participated in a five-day edutainment programme, combining subjects such as nutrition and HIV/AIDS education with the thrills of wildlife viewing and bird watching. The SAPS were also very involved in teaching skills such as how to survive in an urban jungle and children’s rights. It was a wonderful experience for all of us here at Pafuri Camp to be able to work with these street children. We grew very fond of them and were extremely sad to see them go when it was all over. As we were waving good bye to them with more than a few wet eyes, one of our senior staff members asked the one question that had been bugging us all since our first meeting with them: “How can anybody abandon such beautiful kids?”

Thanks
Geoff Mullen