Saturday PM game drive
Our plan for the afternoon was to revisit a site where we had seen a dead Impala in a tree. Our expectation was that the Leopard that put the Impala there would be back to feast on it later in the day.
On the way there were distractions including: seeing a dazzle of Zebras (a dazzle is a group of Zebras), then Elephants at a water hole. We were a little too close to one of the young Elephants so his mom bugled at us and displayed other threatening behavior; then she settled down. Another female was sucking fresh bore water from a pipe in the ground that replenishes the water in the water hole. Then went to the other side of the water hole and took a very efficient mud bath. Full coverage in six trunkloads! Then she returned to the pipe and took another couple of gallons of the bore water - probably to rinse out her trunk? Then we saw some Buffaloes and some Baboons.
Full mud coverage in six trunkloads!
By the time we got to where the Impala was stashed the Leopard had returned and was resting at the foot of the tree. We drove to within about 5 feet of him. He was not bothered. But after a few minutes he yawned a couple of times. Our Ranger told us to get our cameras ready because he would be getting up and climbing the tree very soon. Of course, he was right. The Leopard made tree climbing look easy. We were facing West and looking into the setting sun so our driver/ranger re-positioned us on the West side of him so we could see better. Our viewing position was perfect. We were within about 50 feet of the Leopard and his lunch.
While we were there another vehicle pulled in behind us. It was a rolling photography class. The students had lenses that were 18 to 24 inches long. One was mounted to the vehicle on a triple-articulating arm. The instructor was telling the students how to adjust F-stops, etc. One of our group had a 300 mm lens, but the rest of us had point-and-shoot cameras or digital SLRs. I am using a Sony Handycam. We were amused (some of our group were laughing hysterically - but doing a pretty good job of keeping the laughter quiet). The laughter intensified when the cameras started shooting. The cameras sounded like muffled Gatling guns. I am not sure whether we were more amused by the intensity of the cameramen or how inadequately prepared we were compared to them - with our point-and-shoot cameras .
We did not see a whole lot of animals, but what we saw was very memorable.
After we left the Leopard we saw several Pygmy Mongooses before we stopped for our "Sundowner". After it was dark we headed back to the lodge. Along the way we stopped. Our Ranger went to a small shrub about 20 feet off the road. He collected a Flap-neck Chameleon that was about 5 inches long including its tail. We still can't figure out how our tracker was able to spot it while we were driving along at about 15 mph.
Pygmy Mongoose
Sunday AM drive (our last game drive in South Africa)
Since Lions had been heard recently from the lodge we set out to find them. Along the way we saw Guinea Fowl (I see that I have been misspelling fowl in previous posts), We started off by seeing another dazzle, at least two herds of Elephants including some very small ones and, of course, Impalas.
We were not the first to the Lions. Four of the 5-member coalition of males that control the area had been spotted by another group. When the Lions got up and started walking our Ranger, Cedric, knew where they were headed so we went there and we waited for about a minute until the Lions showed up. They were walking almost directly toward us. They settled down for some additional rest within about 80 feet of us. We watched them for a while and then left.
We drove pretty much directly to where the fifth brother had been resting on the top of a concrete dam. After a few minutes he got up and headed away. He was making a low growling noises to seek a response from his brothers so he could find and reconnect with them.
We also saw a Goliath Heron as we were watching the Lion.
After that we went to a clear area with a water hole at one end. There were Buffalo, Zebras, Giraffes, and a Water Buck. One of the Buffalo was apparently feeling cocky. He banged heads with another Buffalo, then tried to find another willing opponent, but the others stayed clear. I did not anticipate the 1-hit battle, so I did not get it recorded. It did make an impressive sound when they collided.
Before we got back to the lodge we also saw a Marshall Eagle, a squirrel, and a Vervet Monkeys. After breakfast we went on a nature hike that emphasized birds. I did not get any photos. When we returned to our unit I saw a Rainbow Skink on a tree by the door of our house.
Our Unit
Rainbow Skink
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For a video of what we saw while staying at Arathusa Safari Lodge click on the following YouTube link:
To see what is currently happening at the Arathusa water hole click on the following link to see this live National Geographic link:
Then click on the "Arathusa Waterhole" tab. --Or, if you click on the "Live Safari" tab you can, during certain hours of the day see a live safari.
(since I posted this and another blog entry our-of-order I am including this information with both entries.)
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