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| Pic of the Day. |
(
Grant, Herold & Shadrack.)
Elephant
( Kambaku) / Peru – Wild West.
Buffalo
( Dagha Boys) / Vielmieter – Phiva Rd.
Leopard
( Ntombi) / Kings – Tamboti Drive.
Leopard
( Unknown Male) / JayDee – Makulu Crossing.
Wilddog
( 13 x Pack) / Argyle – Peru Airstrip.
Afternoon
Drive.
(
Grant, Herold & Shadrack.)
Wilddog
( 13 x Pack) / Peru – Peru Entrance.
Rhino
( Tshangula)
Buffalo
( Breeding Herd) / Scholtz – Scholtz Airstrip.
Leopard
( Vyeboom Dam Female) / Peru – Peru Entrance.
Daily
Synopsis.
Waking
to very clouded sky's and the temperature having dropped somewhat
from the previous days, it resembled more a winters morning than
summer. Sitting at morning coffee we all discussed our plans of
action for the morning and where we were going to check. Herold was
going to head straight South check on the Hyena Den and then lookfor
Leopard in the South, while Shadrack was heading to the North and
then along the Western boundary we would check around Motswari and
slowly drift to the South West in search of Leopard or Rhino. Soon
after setting off on drive it began to drizzle a fine mist this was
not conducive to good game viewing. So when Ntombi was found in the
South everyone's plans went out the window and headed in her
direction rather wanting to play it safe with a confirmed sighting.
With the number of vehicles responding we decided to stick to our
plan and after checking around Motswari we headed to the West. We
would respond to the Leopard later, if we did not find our own, and /
or she was still around. No point in rushing off and missing
everything along the way! With hind sight maybe we should of as apart
from a couple Dagha Boys and a Elephant Bull we had ourselves a very
quiet morning.
To
make matters worse Ntombi crossed out of our traversing and only
Shadrack got to see her for a quick five minutes. Finding ourselves
in the far South Western corner we decided to take a coffee break at
Elephant Dam and plan our next move. While on break Herold drove by
saying that fresh Rhino tracks had been found to the West of us
having driven the far Western Boundary and not seen anything we
thought we might be close. Resuming after coffee we headed into the
area to try help track, with four of us working in the area and
another two on the outskirts it gave you the feeling everyone was a
little desperate for something to rescue their morning drive. I know
we were! Pushing the boundary on time we checked the entire area
about four times over and still found nothing. With the trackers on
foot they would keep us constantly updated on direction and areas
that we should check. By the end of the morning we had gone full
circle and we now did not know whether we were coming or going as it
appeared to walk the same circuit again. Thankfully we ran out of
time and the circus came to an end. With a long way home we headed
back North to face the wrath of the kitchen. Being late and in
trouble already we all did not hesitate in responding to our pack of
thirteen Wilddog who had been found very near our Northern Boundary.
As I
said at the beginning, the moment everyone immediately responded to
the sighting in the South we would be leaving behind something in the
North, hmm........I wonder what else we missed out on. Hopefully
that'll teach us to check our own area first.
With
things a little warmer and drier in the afternoon we held big hopes
for the drive hoping that the animals that were missing in the
morning would reappear. Herold and Shadrack were after Lion or
Leopard so they took a chance and headed to the East hoping to get
lucky with Kuhanya or maybe the Sohobele's. Once again having new
guests I could not afford to take a chance and we decided to play it
safe and stick to the more productive areas of Argyle and Sohobele
Dams. We may not get the Big Five but if times were quiet on that
front at least we were guaranteed general game. We could not sit back
and relax though as our two guests that arrived the day before still
needed Rhino and Leopard.
Hearing
that the Wilddog were still in the vicinity of where they had been in
the morning we decided to head in their direction as it was nice and
open and a number of Impala frequent the area. While making our way
there Giyani radioed in that he had found Tshangula, one of our large
male Rhino's, along the Tsharalumi River. Hmm......... what to do,
what to do? At first we decided to respond to the Rhino but then
changed our mind as the drive would flow a lot better if we went to
the Wilddogs first. It would also mean we would not be double backing
on ourselves and could drift to the Central and Southern regions
afterwards.
We
were quite fortunate in our choice as when we arrived the dogs were
all up as they showed some semi interest in some nearby Impala but
this quickly subsided and they went back to resting in amongst some
shrubs. By the time we left they had moved into a nearby drainage
line seeking shelter from the warming afternoon.
Hearing
that Tshangula had lay down in a mud wallow we took a nice easy drive
down the Tsharalumi River towards him. When we arrived with him we
found him very comfortable in a mud wallow beside the road. He had
slumped himself down in it and looked ever so content. While sitting
with him he would give out these huge sighs that sounded like he had
the weight of the world on his shoulders, such a tough life!
Eventually leaving him to his mud bath we continued South to look for
Leopard.
While
we did not have much luck in the South the guys up North did manage
to find themselves a Leopard. She was not far from Wilddog and not
having seen her I'm not sure who it was but apparently she was very
relaxed and went about hunting Impala along a drainage line without
any care for the vehicles presence. The name Vyeboom Dam female was
mentioned and she is apparently found in and around the area of the
dam. On the occasions that I've seen her she has been a little shy so
it's good to hear that she is relaxing. Being literally on the
opposite side of the reserve we did not even entertain the thought of
responding and visited the Hyena Den instead.
Our
first attempt did not yield any luck but returning after sundowners
we found the two youngsters outside. We sat with them a while and
hoped that their aunt would appear and draw out the latest pups but
with it getting dark we eventually had to leave. As we pulled out
looking down the road we could see the distinctive silhouette of a
Hyena making it's way in our direction, kind of the story of our
afternoon.
With
it being my guests last drive in the morning I hope our friends with
spots play along!
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