AFRICAN SAFARI NEWS

As we approach the end of March, we are experiencing clear, hot days and early evenings resplendent with stars that we have not had the luxury of seeing all that often lately! Deep into the night however, during the quiet hours, when very little stirs and even the frogs are silent, distant rumbles begin and the lashings of rain against canvas drum into one's dreams until dawn. Miraculously, gorgeous sunrises bubble out from the night's clouds, turning them flamingo pink and revealing the lush, wet tangle of bush we are now accustomed to.

The water levels at Mombo are similar to those when we are in full flood, normally between the months of April and August. The floodplain in front of Mombo Main Camp shimmers with water, attracting pods of hippo grazing at night, and providing profound relief to buffalo trying to escape the infestations of flies in the area. Due to the high level of standing water from four months of rain, the flood has arrived at Mombo much earlier than is the norm (last year the flood arrived on about 10 April). The crystal-clear floodwater is evident in many areas already, pushing into the channels and across the floodplains. This in turn forces the herds of game to congregate onto the islands - journeys of giraffe intermingled with impala, zebra, wildebeest and warthog are a common sight, bewildering us all with the incredible diversity one can find in a limited area.

Climate
In February we received 215mm of rain, and March being a month when rainfall is supposed to decline dramatically, we received 196mm! Amid the many overcast and warm days, we have seen cloudless, cobalt days with soaring temperatures. The heat and humidity can be felt sucking against one's skin, only to be released in walloping thunderstorms at night. One night's deluge was just off 40mm, and it has rained at some point during the day for a little over half the month. Temperatures have remained fairly constant this month although with a slight downward trend. Maximum daytime temperatures have been an average of 30°C while minimum temperatures ranged from 15-18°C.

Lions
Lions are very clearly still the main act in the predator realm of Mombo, and they continue to try their paws at tree climbing. It is the general consensus that this is an attempt to avoid the many biting flies and it seems to be working, because all of the prides are doing it! The area north of Vultures' Baobab has been the prime territory of the Moporota Pride and their five new cubs. Here there are abundant large Acacia trees, primarily A. tortilis, which the pride have been using as an escape from the flies. The Mathata Pride, still 28 of them and still gobbling every zebra, giraffe and buffalo they can, have been spending more time further south in the Suzie's Duck Pond and Simbira regions of the concession where there is an profusion of prey for them.

As the water begins to rise, and influence the territories which the different prides and nomads patrol, it will be interesting to witness the interaction between them; these can be violent, clamorous clashes that occasionally leave members of the prides badly wounded or dead. The Buffalo Boys, the two young males that are regularly seen on the floodplains in front of the camp harassing herds of buffalo, are now being forced onto Mombo Island itself. As nomads with no real territory of their own, they will have to tread very carefully between the Mathata Pride males (4) and those of the Moporota Pride (2), with a short-lived but raucous standoff between the nomads and the Mathata males one morning in front of camp indicating the tensions simmering under the surface.

The Mathata Sub-adults (6) have been spending much time around the Mombo Airstrip, and have shown a good success rate at hunting. Their frequently fat bellies show their skills at hunting together as a stable pride are improving, and the young males are beginning to resemble the powerful adults they are about to become. It is interesting to see the sudden, blatant contrast in size between the sexes at this stage of their development.

The interplay between the existing prides of lion and the burgeoning clans of hyena is going to be equally fascinating. Lions generally enjoy prime position in the predator hierarchy, while hyena come in a close second. This is, however, a delicate balance of numbers and power; it can be rocked. One morning in mid March, the Mathata subadults brought down a pregnant female giraffe. Satiated from the previous day's feed on a zebra, they only managed to eat one haunch before retiring to the shade for a nap. All day the haunting beckon from the hyena could be heard across the terrain as the members of the clan congregated and their loping forms were seen heading in the direction of the carcass. Beneath an apricot sky, the day came to its close and the hyena moved in. Within a few hours more than 30 hyena had chased away the pride and demolished the giraffe carcass - their fits of giggles, excited whoops and warning growls heard from the camp as they gorged themselves happily on the lion's share.

Leopards
This enigmatic cat is without question the highlight of many guests' stay at Mombo, and there are few species that can create the awe one feels on watching the slow prowl of their dappled pelt melt through emerald grass. Sightings have been surprisingly consistent this month, given that the lofty tendrils of abundant grass are the perfect means of camouflage. The major advantage of plentiful rain, however, is the fact that leopards do not enjoy walking through mud, so tend to stick to the roads or can be found high up in trees escaping the flies.

Once again we were disappointed this month when the Far Eastern Pan Female lost her cub(s?) to the Buffalo Boys. They discovered the cub concealed in a bush, plucked it out and killed it. The Tortilis female is now confirmed pregnant (again), but with her atrocious track record we are not holding our breath for a successful litter from her. We do live in the hope that her mothering instinct improves at some point in time. Legadimo is faring well, and, as she enters her third year in age, we await the day when she first mates. She has not been as active around the actual camp as previous months, tending to spend more time around the Hippo Hide and Old Trails Camp area where she remains beyond the territory of her extremely territorial mother.

Cheetah
The remaining Steroid Boy is back. For the latter part of March, he has been seen around the Moporota area where he preys predominantly on lechwe, especially the young. He is, however, well beyond his prime now and in terrible condition. The flies (we think) appear to have affected his fur horribly, and it has peeled away along the back of his neck and spine, leaving raw pink skin that is constantly irritated by the flies. Furthermore we suspect he has been attacked by lions, as he has a bad puncture wound on the top of his head. It is heart wrenching to witness the demise of a being that has dominated with such grace and skill here for so long. But it is the way. All animals exist within this cycle designed for prey and predator, the weak and the strong. We watch his passage with interest.

Birds
As summer reaches its end, we are about to say farewell to our migrants once more; the plunging call of the Woodland Kingfisher is heard less and the Wahlberg's Eagles are gone. As I write this the Blue Cheeked Bee Eaters are gathering for their journey northwards, their distinct chirruping rising and falling with their acrobatics. There are, however, plenty of resident species - a pair of White-backed Vultures have made their nest in the apex of Vultures' Baobab and we are presently observing the progress of three tiny, cream coloured Red Billed Francolin eggs found beneath a small acacia one game drive. Wattled Cranes, those solemn and refined beauties of the floodplain, can be seen carefully picking their way through the grass, or sliding past a flaming sunset in the evenings. We are seeing them in large flocks of up to 30, which is a spectacular sight indeed.

Camp and Guest Experience
At Mombo we not only have migratory birds, we have migratory guests as well. Those who make their annual pilgrimage towards the Okavango to get their fix for the year, returning home to plan their next trip back! It is always with great joy that we welcome familiar faces back to our home and we say "until next year" to Neil Andrews, David and Mary Baldwin, Mike Lorentz and Billy Winter.

The rain has not managed to dampen the spirit of Mombo. The rhythm of life here is one that hums its own unique tune, and the swell of Batswana voices in the night air around the fire is a sound few guests will forget. Great excitement this month - our Mombo Choir have touched so many people who visit us that we decided to capture their amazing sound on CD and we hope it will be available for purchase in the near future. The choir had a festive time during the recordings, and we cannot wait to hear the finished product!

And so, enough from us in our world of golden green and cerulean blue; space, beauty and room to breathe. Lessons can be learned from this place, and we hope our guests take some back with them.

Red lechwe have joined the herds of wildebeest on the floodplain in front of the lodge and the elephant are once again daily visitors.

Game drives were very rewarding during March, producing sightings of leopard, lion and elephant in abundance and not letting the bird lovers down.

Two mating lions decided to settle in front of the lodge during the day, while during the nights they occupied the camp, the roar of the male sounding at regular intervals. Our resident bushbuck were nowhere to be seen for a few days. The lions however, showed no interest in hunting and instead seemed intent on creating enough offspring to fill the entire Delta.

Leaves have yet to start falling and the vegetation is lush and green as a result of the wonderful rain which sometimes lingered for a day, falling softly and at other times came down furiously, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Tubu got the thumbs up, once again, from all who visited with compliments for our guides Moa and Moyo topping the list. To quote one guest, who has been visiting the area for the past seventeen years and knows all about travelling in the Delta: "A beautifully designed camp, comfort and good taste, friendly staff. A fantastic stay."

Tubu Tree greetings,
Dave, Leigh, Moa, Moyo, Salani and the team

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Simon our Executive Chef has been cooking up a storm. His food has earned him a good reputation across the camps in a very short while with guests. People coming from other camps say "they heard the food at Jao is very good" and without a doubt Simon Clemmens has improved our cuisine by 150% and not just because of his cooking but just being himself. He is a very flamboyant man enjoying a good conversation and with some good food making a great experience. We hope to have him around for a long time to come.

In general the game viewing at Jao has been amazing as the guests saw everything from lion to buffalo, elephant to hippo. The drives have been exciting seeing hordes of game every day especially the locally common red lechwe which is spread across the Jao floodplains like the wildebeest in the Masai Mara. The water levels have made the drives even more interesting as lots of it has been happening in our Green Submarines, as the guests call them. Every now and again some big crocs were spotted right in the road!

The mating lions have been at it again and our resident males have been trying their best at courting the lionesses. Our resident female leopard and her cub disappeared early in the month and we have not seen a trace of her. Luckily we have been seeing another female closer to Kwetsani with two cubs! The giraffe and zebra have moved off the floodplains as they became inundated and the elephants have also dispersed because of all the rain.

The birding has been out of this world. We have such a great abundance of endangered species such as the Slaty Egrets, Wattles Cranes, White-headed Vultures, Rosy-throated Long Claw and Ground Hornbills. We are recording the majority of these species and sending the data recorded on a monthly basis through to BirdLife Botswana to help with their monitoring. Our migrants the Woodland Kingfishers are still around and the Barn (European) Swallows were falling out of the sky at one stage in the middle of the month as we had a cold front coming through the area and killing these small birds by the hundreds over the northern parts of the country. The kingfishers have been very abundant having our guests seeing all 5 local species (Pied, Malachite, Brown-hooded, Woodland and Giant) on one activity. We have also had regular sightings of two further threatened species - the Long-crested Eagle and the Southern Banded Snake-eagle. Fish eagles by the dozen have entertained our guests as they try and fly off with some bigger-than-usual catfish.

The month of March has been fantastic in general. We have a good team and great staff and all of this making our guest feel "at home". A chef that cooks brilliant food and guides that show and teach our guests all they want to see and learn. What more can we say, we are looking forward to the next month and making our guests experience even better.

Freddy Combrinck

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Water levels have now reached the mark we associate with the first flood push. This is said to be mostly as a result of rainwater and not the actual flood, but we have noticed a small increase in other areas where the water is now flowing in to fill floodplains and roads and therefore surmise that the flood must be here!

As a result of all the water, game viewing around the camp has been relatively quiet. Plenty of hippo of course but fewer sightings of species such as elephants. One bull we see regularly and which guests might remember as 'Jack' did give us a visit a week or so ago, but has not so far returned. Out in the open water though we have had some great sightings of sitatunga and also increased hits on the Pel's Fishing Owl and some great views of small concentrations of Darters and Slaty Egrets.

Game drives out on the flooded plains have been rewarded with lots of lion sightings, including an amorous mating pair, some good leopard sightings and the occasional elephant. The plains are teeming with birds however. They range from egrets to a trio of Saddle-billed Storks, not to mention Wattled Cranes and Goliath Herons.

The rainfall has sprouted serious plant growth and this has in turn attracted a host of butterflies. Orange Tips, Little Blues and host of real and imitation African Monarchs and many more unfamiliar species that need some effort to identify them.

Fishing is a little quiet. We suspect that most fish species have used the abundant water to move into shallower areas to breed. Many Bream and Tilapia species can be seen nesting in areas of thick grass. The patterns they create are quite interesting, reminding one of a poaching pan or a giant colander.

The climate seems to be changing a little as the evenings are getting colder and the mornings are covered in dew. The rain is yet to stop and be replaced by endless sun and blue skies. Maybe things will return to normal soon. With April arriving, we look forward to observing the continuing flood and all the changes around the camp as animals arrive and birds flock to our part of the world.

Vonan and Chrizelle will be looking after the island with the guides being Jargon and George.

We wish everyone a Happy Easter.

The Jacana Management Team

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Environment
March-April is the change-over period for the seasons. From May we will be truly entering Autumn/Fall. April has seen quite a bit of rain (>105 mm) and there is water lying everywhere, in puddles and pools across the concession. The maximum temperature this month was 30°C and the lowest 16°C. Scattered clouds appeared on most days and produced rain on a total of 8 days, mainly in the afternoon and at night. Although the area is wet it is not particularly humid. May should see the ceasing of rain altogether and the slight dropping of temperatures.

As a result of all the rain, the bush is dense and camp looks like a jungle: all the shrubs in full leaf and many bushes bedecked with trailing creepers. Many of the small herbaceous plants have still got flowers: yellow Wing-stem Daisies, Bur-marigolds and Wild Lucerne form in clusters, small white Acrotomes are dotted throughout the bush, the Cat's Tails have formed thick stands of knee-high pink drooping flowers and the grasses are also still in flower and standing quite tall, although they are changing colour and becoming browner. In the Savuti Channel and the surrounding woodlands the grass is still knee height or higher. Visibility is not at its greatest and on a few occasions this month that we have spotted animals in the road, which, as soon as they left the road disappeared immediately and were lost. The trees are all still in leaf and the area is still quite green and lush.

The water levels in the lagoons and the Linyanti River are particularly high and Osprey Lagoon has extended past the road making this area un-drivable with Sharp-tooth Catfish swimming in the road now. The floodplains between camp and Kubu Lagoon are also wet up to the road. Zibadianja Lagoon is amazing! Just a year and a half ago Zibadianja Lagoon dried up at the end of the dry season. Now the water is higher than it has been in at least the past five years. The water from Zibadianja has pushed up the Savuti Channel, past the hide (a pod of hippos has taken up daily residence in front of the hide) and even over a kilometer beyond the Old Mopane Bridge, and is still slowly pushing forward. One must remember that the Savuti Channel last flowed in the early eighties and has since then become an open grassland with its head at Zibadianja Lagoon and its tail at the Savuti Marsh in Chobe National Park. Water has almost reached the first major corner in the channel from the Zib side. The rainy season is almost over now and we await a further potential push of water down the channel from the rising floodwaters of the Kwando River. This rise in water occurs every year, but if this last season's rainfall in Angola was particularly high and the Kwando and then the Linyanti Rivers rise high so will Zibadianja Lagoon and thus the SAvuti Channel (Zib Lagoon is caused by the backflow from the Linyanti River as it makes a right angle and follows the fault in the earth that caused the 90 degree turn). Should this happen I believe that many people would book both Duma Tau and Savuti Bush Camp just to see the river flowing again! ? But who knows? ? The African sun is harsh and the rise in water levels due to the floods is a long way off.

Birds and birding
Many of the summer migrants are still here. We have had sightings of Amur Falcons hovering over the grasslands of the channel, African Golden Orioles flitting through the woodlands, Paradise Flycatchers in the riverine forests, Barn swallows catching insects over the grasslands, Spotted Flycatchers with their characteristic flicking their wings as they land, Carmine bee-eaters taking advantage of the Kori Bustards by catching a lift on their backs as they stride through the grasslands catching insects, Woodland Kingfishers flying between the trees and even a few sightings of Wahlberg's Eagles and Broad-billed Rollers.

With the water pushing up the channel many waterbirds have gathered near the "Old Mopane Bridge". One morning when we arrived there we noted that there were more than 40 Black Egrets fishing in one spot in their characteristic umbrella-style fashion. The water at the bridge has also drawn lots of other birds. For a while there were over 150 Comb Ducks, numerous Little and Yellow-billed Egrets, some Egyptian Geese, a few Spoonbills, a few Spur-winged Geese and 5 Pink-backed Pelicans. At the edges of the water we also found numerous wading birds, including Ruff and Wood Sandpipers. One evening we were having sundowners near Zibadianja Hide, watching an incredible sky loaded with golden clouds upon a carmine background, when 9 African Skimmers flew past us, in the lowering light, all with their beaks in the water skimming the surface - awesome!

Other birding highlights this month include seeing a male Montagu's Harrier flying up the channel one morning, a Double-banded Courser in the open area of Cheetah Flats, regular sightings of at least five groups of Ground Hornbills in the Savuti Channel between Duma Tau and Savuti, endangered Wattled Cranes on at least two occasions, eight separate sightings of Slaty Egret, a Long-crested Eagle (very scarce in these parts), and an aerial contest between two Bateleur Eagles as they tumbled and grappled in the air for at least half a hour in front of us. We have also had quite a few sightings of a Lesser Moorhen and her 4 juveniles at a seasonal pool deep in the mopane woodlands.

Mammals
Because of all the water in the woodlands the elephants have spread out and are not frequenting the river although we are still seeing herds in the mopane woodlands and the occasional bulls striding across the Savuti Channel.

Lion sightings have been pretty good and we have had views of these big cats on at least 20 days in March. The Savuti Pride have been the stars this month. This pride consists of 4 adult lionesses and four cubs (two of about 1 year, and 2 of about 8 months). They have been seen mainly in the area of "Dish Pan Clearing" and "The Bottleneck" in the Savuti Channel. They have, on many occasions been accompanied by two of the Savuti Boys (part of a coalition of 4 adult male lions that arrived in the channel in mid-2004 and have been dominant since). On the 13th we watched as one of the females was walking in the rain along the road. She was drenched. As she was walking she called and searched for the other members of her pride and eventually led guides to the pride feeding on a zebra in the nearby woodlands. On the 17th they were discovered with the remains of a wildebeest. They were once again lying with bellies extended. The two males were sleeping right next to the carcass in the shade of a Feverberry, while the females and youngsters rested in the middle of the channel. On the 21st the females and youngsters were found to the east of Savuti Camp. Once again they had found a dead, fallen tree and were clambering about on it. Great to watch! During the month two lioness of the Linyanti Pride were also seen way beyond their normal territory/range south of Savuti Camp (one lioness was easily recognisable from a deep notch in her right hand ear).

Leopard sightings have been more difficult this month due to the thicker vegetation and the species' natural ability to make use of this kind of cover. We managed quite a few good sightings though. On the night of the 9th for example a sub-adult male (Phoenix) was found lying up in a tree near Letsumo Sign. He was very relaxed and just lay there watching the vehicles below. He then saw some impala nearby and climbed down the tree, but the impala had already wandered off, so the leopard lay down in the grass and preened himself. On another occasions (the night of the 14th) I was driving down the Transit route when I came across a female leopard (Osprey) who was obviously taking her young cub (maybe 10 - 12 weeks old) to a kill she had hidden somewhere. As we approached she and the cub headed off into the bush on the side of the road. We watched as the two disappeared into the thick vegetation. On the 19th we were having a fabulous drive, (2 lionesses and 4 cubs; 2 cheetah) when, lo and behold, we came across a female leopard walking down the road ahead of us. On the 28th Kanye found the Savuti/Rock-Pan Female in the middle of the channel, to the east of "Rock Pan". She had killed a male impala during the night and stashed its carcass in the cover of a Feverberry Croton Tree. In the afternoon, we returned to the site of the kill and watched as she lay up in a large Leadwood Tree nearby where the carcass had been stashed. She was extremely relaxed and hardly even seemed to register that we were there watching her.

We saw two different groups of Cheetahs during March. One an unidentified group of two (seemingly a sub-adult male and adult female) and the other the coalition of two males known as the Savuti Boys. These two males (and a third who died tragically last year) have been famous in the area for quite a few years. They have maintained a territory the has encompassed the whole Savuti Channel, From Munchwe Open Area all the way to Zibadianja Lagoon and into the Selinda and even the Kwando Concessions. The remaining two brothers were seen to the South-east of Savuti Camp, lying in the open grasslands, on the 18th and 19th of the month. We assume that they headed even further to the east past Munchwe, quite a distance from Duma Tau.

There has been a conspicuous lack of sightings of Wild Dogs this month. We had not seen any of these "Painted Predators" until the afternoon of the 28th when three Wild Dogs came running into the channel in front of Savuti Camp. They then disappeared into the woodlands and shortly afterwards at least 19 other dogs came running into the channel from the woodlands. The pack (the Duma Tau Pack) then grouped up and headed up the road towards the airstrip. They obviously slept somewhere en route as Cilas spotted them up again, near the airstrip, the next morning.

As well as seeing quite a few of the larger, more well-known animals we have also been lucky to see quite a few of the smaller, equally interesting creatures. We have been fortunate to have a few sightings of Honey Badger, Large- and Small-Spotted Genets, Black-backed and Side-striped Jackals, Dwarf and Banded Mongoose, Slender Mongoose and the scarce nocturnal Selous' Mongoose, a few Bat-eared Foxes and a porcupine and then a Caracal. Perhaps the highlight of the month though occurred on the 17th when I noticed a francolin and two Burchell's Glossy Starlings squawking at something in the grass beneath them. I got out of the car and went to investigate, expecting to find a python or a mongoose. When I approached the area I saw a creature that was covered in a scaly body armour, and realised that I was looking at a Pangolin hidden in the grass - only my second sighting of a pangolin in over ten years of guiding. This one was approximately 30 cm to the top of its back and almost a meter from head to tail. It was hidden in the grass, feeding on ants, which were underneath a rotting log. We all got out of the vehicle and came up closer to take a look and it rolled itself into a ball. It was not long before it opened up and quickly walked, on its hind legs, into the thick bushes nearby. We then left him there. What a strange creature and what a privilege to see it!

And that's all for this month, we, at Duma Tau are really looking forward to what April brings.
Ciao, Brian

Things started and ended on a big note this month. Around 8-10 metres big, with a huge tail, white spots, tiny eyes and a huge mouth... guessed it yet? Yep, we have been blessed with three different sightings of whaleshark!

On the 1st of March the divers had a wonderful dive at Pineapple Reef and as they were hanging at their 5m safety stop, a curious whaleshark swam slowly past them, entertaining everyone for much longer than the mere 3 minutes required. Andrew (assistant manager at Rocktail) would say that the only reason everyone saw the whaleshark was because he wasn't on the dive - some of us seem to have that luck! Well, it seems that Andrew's luck was about to change, as Darryl spotted another. "Whaleshark" he whispered to Andrew, who laughed and carried on getting masks and fins ready. "No, really, whaleshark!" Darryl replied. At which point, in a blur, Andrew and all of the guests were in the water. They had a wonderful time!

The third sighting was on the 25th of March at 'Regal Reef' and this time there were others who had the luck. Maria, Alistair, Laura and Paul had been diving with us for a couple of days, with six o'clock starts and with 2-year old little Michaela, Laura had decided to sleep in. Maria had asked if we could dive at 'Regal' (her favourite dive site in the whole world). We descended into the blue water, to the beautiful maze below us: Each one of us inside our own gully, admiring the reef around us, trails of bubbles marking our respective positions. Alistair saw her first. As he was coming out of a hole he looked up and saw the whaleshark swim overhead. He motioned to Bruno, who pulled my fin, which caught Maria's attention, and we all began to swim across the reef. Looking back quickly, we made sure that Johan and Amilda (from Divestyle Magazine) were coming to film the whaleshark. They were, and they got some wonderful footage as the whaleshark turned and swam straight for the camera. Everyone was so overcome with excitement that they started hugging and shouting, except for Paul, who looked confused as Maria gave him a big hug. "What?" he signalled, "Did you see the BIG fish?" I signalled back. "No" he shook his head. "You're joking" I laughed in bubbles. "No" he replied. We could not believe that he had missed this 10-metre giant!

"Thank you to Michelle and Clive for taking me to those marvellous dive sites. Definitely deserves another trip! Thanks for your kindness." - BB - Paris, France

Although the official turtle-nesting season came to an end on the 15th March, we were still lucky enough to see the last baby Loggerhead on the 23rd March. Unfortunately a ghost crab had hold of it by the head and as we drove down the beach it dropped the little turtle in the surf. We took it out to sea to help it along, but unfortunately it didn't survive. An experience like this makes you really appreciate what a fight for survival these creatures have been through when you see the adults swimming along the reef, or sleeping under a ledge.

The following day we had a magnificent dive at 'Gogo's', where we were very excited to be joined by the same group of threadfin mirrorfish that were there last month! Great to see that they are still hanging around. This was a first for all of the divers and we hovered as these silver fish flashed past us trailing their shiny streamers behind them in the water.

'Solitude' is always a wonderful dive. This small dive site is covered with life. Green tree corals, swarming with goldies; a large branched black which is home to a tiny long nose hawkfish; honeycomb and black cheek moray eels; sand eels; schools of soldier fish; various starfish and pin cushion starfish; kingfish skirting the perimeter of the reef, looking for an easy target and rays on the sand. With so much to see and not that much time to spend at this 24m site it leaves you wanting more.

Our friends the bottlenose dolphins have been in a very sociable mood this month. A pod of up to 30 dolphins, with mature males and females, teenagers and babies were hanging out just north of 'Island Rock'. We watched them playing in the waves, some surfing, and some making impressive jumps right through the waves. We stayed with them for about twenty minutes, watching them circling the boat and frolicking with each other under the water, before deciding that it was time to head back to shore.

To Maria and Alistair (very proud grandparents), Laura and Paul (very proud parents) and the little gem Michaela (now 2 years old) - thanks for some very good laughs, even if they were at your expense Paul!
To Rijck and Frances, who managed to bring a flood to a desert on their latest African safari, it was wonderful to see you both and Darryl says you can keep the 'schnapps'!
To Mark and Greta, two very special people, always a pleasure! Greta, you better put in for leave now, Mark has already booked his Divemaster course!

"Thanks for a special 9 days and a very professionally conducted Rescue Diver Course! From the best Dive Team in South Africa." M&G, Johannesburg, South Africa

Till then, safe diving!

Darryl, Clive, Michelle, Jen
The Rocktail Bay Dive Team

Similar to the research time in October, March is also a very quiet month for sightings of turtles. We, unfortunately, have not seen any mother turtles or signs of them this month, and can now safely assume that they are all on their journeys, whether it be searching the oceans for jellyfish or making their way back to their home reef systems.

Sightings of hatchlings have also been quiet, and we saw only a handful of them during the first fifteen days of March. This year's hatchlings have not just had to deal with the normal dangerous situations that all baby turtles find themselves in, but they have also had to deal with the most horrendous natural elements that Neptune and Mother Nature teamed up to throw at them.

It all started on the 2nd of March, when part of a tropical cyclone moved over our coastline, causing a chaotic change in weather conditions. Just before everyone sat down for dinner that evening it started pouring down in sheets of rain. Actually, to say it was pouring would be an understatement; it thrashed down like we have never seen it before. Needless to say, with zero driving visibility, the turtle drive was abandoned that evening - not even the bravest souls were willing to endure a 120mm downpour.

This weather system moved in for the next five days, bringing with it wind, rain and huge seas, all of which added to the baby turtles' fight for survival, as well as making it extremely difficult for us to spot them on the drives.

Finally, on the 7th of March, the cyclone decided to leave Maputaland, much to the delight of Mr. and Mrs. Lacolina who had travelled all the way to Rocktail Bay from Italy on honeymoon. The weather was just right for them to attempt the midnight drive, and a successful drive it was. Gugu spotted Leatherback hatchlings making their way down to the sea across Manzengwenya beach. This sighting was a big relief, and confirmed that there were still some nests out there on the beaches that were unharmed by the brutal seas of the previous week.

The 15th of March saw the very last drive of the 2005-2006 turtle nesting season. Unfortunately, there were no sightings of turtles, but the play of the full moon's rays on the surface of a very calm Indian Ocean, made it an unforgettable way to end the season.

Memorable turtles of the past season
We probably say it every season, but the 2005-2006 turtle nesting season is going down as one of the greatest in the Rocktail history books. For the last report of the season, we though that we would refresh your minds by giving our own awards to the turtles that have given us the most cherished moments over the past five months.

The award for the oldest mother turtle seen this season goes, without a doubt, to Leatherback mother X228, who later in the season became known as Gran, when she was lovingly adopted by Derek and Pamela Machin. Gran was tagged an incredible nineteen years ago - the satisfaction that we received when we saw this old lady's tag number on the data sheet is hard to express. Well done, Gran, we hope you keep going for another nineteen years!

The award for most frequently seen turtle goes to Bibi with the famous tag number BB242. We saw her in December, January and February and each time we saw her she laid a successful batch of eggs. Bibi was originally tagged an equally impressive sixteen years ago, and for the past two years has had David and Bettina Harden as loving 'parents' - lucky lady!

The "first turtle of the season" award goes to Jenny, the Loggerhead Turtle, who got this season into full swing. She arrived on Lala Nek beach on the 24th of October 2005 at half past midnight. Not only was she the first turtle of the season, but she also wins the award for first "new" Loggerhead mother turtle of the season. Gugu, smiling from ear to ear, tagged her with the tag number PP621. Carl and Joy Campbell were fortunate enough to bear witness to this first sighting, and before they departed from Rocktail, Jenny was a happily adopted member of their family.

The first "new" Leatherback mother of the season goes to Caroline, with the tag number PP608. Gugu spotted her on the 10th of November 2005 at three o'clock in the morning on Manzengwenya beach, and wasted no time in tagging and micro-chipping her. Caroline was also seen again on the 1st of December 2005, when Mbongeni measured her enormous 1.5m long carapace. Richard Denman could not resist, and even though he did not actually see "his" Caroline, she was adopted and became part of his life forever.

Another award is for the largest turtle of the season award, and it goes to Travis and Alison Cooke's Tortuga the Leatherback, bearing tag number PP625. She measured in at a massive 1.80m in length. In total, she was seen three times during the season, and gave many of our guests pleasure in seeing such an enormous specimen of the world's largest and most endangered sea turtle.

We could not think of a title for this award, but we wanted to make special mention of it. Who could forget our desperate Loggerhead mother, who came up onto Rocktail Bay beach at half past five in the afternoon on the 5th of January 2006? For Kevin Boyers and Karen Deller, Patrick Trebbe and Birgitt Watts, Mr and Mrs Traube, the Perring Family, the Gunnell Family and the Masojada Family it was an experience that will be hard to beat in the future. Special mention must be made, once again, to Rauri Gunnell, for bolting all the way back to camp and reporting the exciting news to everyone.

Thank you
Looking back over our turtle adoptions for this season it is clear that it is impossible for us to award each adopter individually. Anyone who has ever adopted a turtle will appreciate how special it is, knowing that you have helped save future generations of turtles along the Maputaland coastline. However, the Rocktail Team would like to make a special mention of thanks to Brian Malk and Nancy Heitel, who have done more than their fair share to save the turtles. At the end of the 2004-2005 turtle season, Brian and Nancy adopted the remaining fifteen "orphaned" Loggerhead turtles. Once again this season, they are doubling what they did last year, and are adopting an astonishing thirty "orphaned" turtles. Isn?t that unbelievable?

The Rocktail Team would like to thank all of you who have adopted a turtle this season. As you all already know, you have gone out of your way to help these gentle marine reptiles.

To end this season on a high, we wanted to let you know that over the past five months in our research area we have tagged a grand total of 74 new, untagged mothers. There are actually no words to describe how mind-boggling this is for us. (To give you some idea, last season we tagged 29 new untagged mothers)

We once again want to thank all of you who have participated in this valuable project and we hope that the next turtle season, 2006-2007, will be as incredible as this one has been.

Until October 2006,
Kind Regards,

Dean, Leza, Andrew, Shannon, Simon, Gugu, Mbongeni and the Rocktail Team

Here are a few of the sightings highlights from the month:
- Hundreds of Marabou Storks gathered together to feast on armoured crickets.
- Lions mating on the Pafuri Camp access road: one young male and two females.
- Hippo bulls fighting under Pafuri Bridge.
- Baby giant land snails hatching.
- Blind/deaf civet seen during the day at our airstrip and who now is frequently seen in the camp.
- A large herd of buffalo frequently seen close to camp has one white female amongst them.
- Buffalo calves being born: herds on average of about 120 individuals seen almost everyday.
- Total of four elephant sightings. But the herds are showing signs of returning.

Mammal sightings
Leopard sightings this month were of the Mangala female and her cub and of the Bridge male. We have had no sign of the female with three cubs reported a couple of months back. Lion sightings have consisted mainly of two groups: the Pafuri Pride and a smaller group who have utilised the eastern area of the concession around camp. We were fortunate enough to see some interaction between the two groups and to gain a better understanding of the local lion dynamics. The smaller group consists of one adult lioness and a younger male and female. The young male of this group was seen clashing with the adult territorial male of the Pafuri Pride and this clash has lead to the departure of this smaller group from the concession. It has meant that the Pafuri Pride have moved back into the area around camp and despite his wounds, the territorial male has held his own and has been seen with the pride since then. As if to consolidate his position in the area he has often been heard roaring.

Sightings of the pride have ranged from all four lionesses and their cubs and sub-adults (16 in total) to smaller fragments of the different lionesses and their offspring.

Some of the other mammals seen this month are: Large spotted genet, African civet, spotted hyaena, dwarf and banded mongoose, klipspringer, nyala, impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, warthog, zebra, porcupine, to name a few.

Birding
Birding has been very good this month with a grand total of 243 recorded species. Some of the 'specials' spotted were: Mottled Spinetail, Pel's Fishing Owl, Freckled Night Jar, Lesser Gallinule, and Glossy Ibis. Other sightings include: Racket-tailed Roller, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Black-winged Stilt, Little Sparrow Hawk, Steppe Eagle, White-backed Night-Heron and Dwarf Bittern.

Climate
The average minimum temperature was 20°C, with the average maximum temperature 32°C. We received 50.5mm of rainfall in several short showers.

Thanks
Geoff Mullen

One impression of Kulala so far has been eating breakfast and being greeted by a Lark-like Bunting with his short 'tuc-tuc' call, sometimes joined by the Red-headed Finch and the occasional entrance of the Cape Sparrow to feed his youngsters down at the swimming pool where there is a nest. Mountain Chats and Pale-winged Starlings also hop around looking for insects to feast on! Insects and even reptiles have become part of our lives...having a pet spider in my room ('Floppie') or going home and a Horned Adder making us aware of his presence as he disappears into the grasslands or just sitting in the office and seeing a passing Jewel Beatle take a break on the windowpane. Around every corner is an armoured cricket lurking around and making a 'schrrrschrr' noise for making his presence heard.

Every day has a surprise of its own. Today I saw a herd of springbok passing by the lodge with two little ones jumping around as if they had just discovered jumping. I have been privileged today by also seeing two Hartmann's mountain zebra, a mare and foal - absolutely magnificent and proof that the desert is alive and thriving!

On our way to our neighbouring camp (Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp), we saw a group of gemsbok (oryx) grazing about and driving out into the Wilderness for our Nature Drive, saw plenty of springbok, Ludwig's Bustard and Rüppell's Korhaan - all in perfect contrast to the grassland and mountains. Further on into the mountains we passed a site called the Organ Pipes...they look like 1000 pencils clued together. We finally arrived at the Viewpoint for our planned sundowner, surrounded by nature and privileged to share this moment with friends.

In the background the sun was setting, and as we watched the sun disappearing behind the dunes leaving behind her red, orange and yellow colours forming Angel Rays, we felt honoured to witness this.