In May this year Helen and I visited Bushwa Game Lodge. For a long time we wanted to stay in the Waterberg as we drove through it every time we travelled to Mashatu and it always looked diverse and fascinating. Bushwa is located about 15 kilometres north east of the town, Vaalwater in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The main lodge is positioned on top of a koppie which creates a wonderful vista across the Waterberg plains. Bushwa is located in a massive basin with the Waterberg mountains to the south and a mountainous and hilly region in front of Lephalale about 60 kilometres north west of Bushwa.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us” ~ Anonymous

Bushwa was a farm which is in the process of being rewilded into a private game reserve. It has some unusual species such as Sable and Roan antelope. It is also home to buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest and zebra and the smaller antelope like nyala, impala, reedbuck and duikers. This male Roan antelope was in great condition. This species is named for its roan coloured (a reddish brown) neck, back and sides. It has a white underbelly, a black face and cheeks with white eyebrows which spread half way down its nose. It also has a short, erect mane and a light beard.

This striking male Sable antelope was grazing in an open grass area. He is still a relatively young bull as the sweep of his scimitar shaped horns had not fully curved back yet. The herbivores have a relatively peaceful time as Bushwa does not have lions. It does have smaller predators such as Black-backed jackal, Brown hyaena, Caracal, Civet, Genet and it must have leopards though the bush was thick so the chances of seeing one was low.

The couple of days we spent at Bushwa were mainly overcast, cold and the wind was blowing. That said there is always that break in the clouds that allows the sunshine to pour in over the plains adding splashes of brightness and warmth to the skies.

“Time spent outdoors reminds us that we’re part of something larger: a beautiful universe brimming with endless possibilities” ~ Unknown Author

The bush is thick in many areas and there was quite a lot of water around even in May. The buffaloes seemed to enjoy the thick bush. There were a few buffalo bulls with huge bosses.

The Waterberg is known for its biodiversity both in terms of flora and fauna. There was plenty of birdlife though the cold weather and wind kept most of them sheltered of the thick bush. This male Cocqui francolin stopped in the middle of the track to have a good look at us while we were travelling on one of the dirt tracks one overcast morning.

A petite and beautiful Marico flycatcher hawking insects one afternoon when it had cleared and warmed up a bit.

Bushwa appeared to have a thriving herd of Roan antelope. The next image shows one family herd comprising a bull, two adult females, an adolescent and a newly born calf. These Roan were accompanied by Oxpeckers, Glossy starlings and Blacksmith lapwings all of which were benefiting from the antelopes disturbing insects as they moved through the grasses.

“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead. Each day brings new possibilities for exploration and discovery.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Judging from the small piece of umbilical cord under its belly, this Roan calf must have been one or two weeks old. When the calf is born, its mother usually conceals it in tall grass and does not wander too far from it but the protective environment in Bushwa allowed a change in behaviour. Roan are primarily grazers, preferring to crop the top portions of grasses, especially stands of medium to tall grass stands in open savannas.

The Roan bull was protective of his offspring and did not let his new born wander too far from the family. The male Roan antelope is large and usually only Eland and Buffalo can exceed it in weight. The Roan antelope stands 135–160 centimetres at the shoulder, and weighs 230–320 kilograms.

The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve is home to many endemic and insects, reptiles and fish species, making it an extremely important conservation area. The birding too in this area is excellent. This Southern black tit was very busy feeding on the fruit of a tree outside our bedroom.

The Waterberg savanna consists of rolling grasslands and a semi-deciduous forest, with trees such as Mountain syringa, Silver cluster-leaf and Lavender tree. The canopy is mostly leafless during the dry winter. Native grasses include signal grass, goose grass and heather-topped grass.

““When the sun is setting, leave whatever you are doing and watch it.” ~ Mehmet Murat İldan

The view from Bushwa’s main lodge looking across the swimming pool deck onto the plain below at sunset. As is so often the case the clouds cleared on our last evening.

The UNESCO Waterberg Biosphere Reserve was designated in 2001 and comprises a total area of just over 654 000 hectares. It is situated in the Bushveld district in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The Waterberg, is a water catchment area for this arid region. The area consists of low mountain ranges and escarpments with poor soils and a relatively low level of economic activity, much of which is now eco-tourism oriented.

“The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We’re part of that. Our existence is dependent on it in ways that people haven’t even begun to appreciate. Our existence depends not just on its existence, but its stability and its richness.” ~ E. O. Wilson

The vegetation is dominated by different veld types characteristic of mountainous savannah areas which creates a rich biodiversity with more than 5,500 species of plants, 129 mammals, and 350 bird species. It is also home to at least 18 threatened or scarce plants species, 11 bird species, 4 reptile species, 4 species of fish, one butterfly species and 18 endangered mammals. All are deemed of the utmost importance for biodiversity conservation.

“There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.” ~ William Cullen Bryant

Our Bushwa trip has whetted our appetite to explore this part of South Africa more extensively, perhaps in 2024.

We hope you had a wonderful festive holiday and wish you an inspired 2024.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

The Chobe river is the east section of the northern border between Botswana and Namibia. The Chobe river starts at the south east section of Lake Liambezi flows to Ngoma and on to Kasane. The so-called “Chobe riverfront” spans from Ngoma in the west to the rapids below Kasane town. From the rapids, the Chobe river flows a further eight kilometres past Impalila island before it joins the mighty Zambezi river at Kazungula. We normally only venture higher up river from Kasane to Serondela because of time and fuel limitations. Up river from Kasane, the Chobe splits into two channels one on each side of Sedudu island. We usually travel up river in the southern channel and return via the northern channel. We travel up river along the southern channel for about two kilometres to Pygmy Geese bend after which the river joins and we travel for about five or six kilometres up to Elephant Valley and then on to Puku flats. Serondela is another seven to eight kilometres further up river. The amount and variety of wildlife along this stretch of river is astounding and keeps us occupied with our cameras for hours and days.

“Shallow ecology is anthropocentric, or human-centred. It views humans as above or outside nature, as the source of all value, and ascribes only instrumental, or ‘use’, value to nature. Deep ecology does not separate humans – or anything else – from the natural environment. It does see the world not as a collection of isolated objects but as a network of phenomena that are fundamentally interconnected and interdependent. Deep ecology recognizes the intrinsic value of all human beings and views humans as just one particular strand in the web of life.” ~ Fritjof Capra

I have been fortunate enough to have photographed with CNP Safaris on the Chobe river since 2009. I have only seen lions on three occasions. These two lionesses were just resting early in the morning on the river bank close to the water. We did not see any male lions or cubs.

One of the reasons for going to the Chobe in the summer is that it was hot. This caused major cumulus cloud build ups from early in the afternoon. The storm clouds provided wonderful moody backgrounds.

Jacana ally is one of our favourite spots to stop early in the morning because there is usually plenty of Jacana activity on the rafts of water lily and pond weed. This protected inlet is also home to many other waders such as herons, moorhens and the secretive Black crakes. There are also various ducks species and Pygmy geese in the ally.

“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity?” ~ EO Wilson

We usually find Pygmy geese at Pygmy Geese corner, hence the name. There are lots of reeds and water grass to feed on and they roost in the large Jackalberry trees on the river bank. The male Pygmy goose is more glamorously coloured that than female.

A white water lily flower which opens with the sunlight during the day and closes at night. When open it is a magnet for insects which attracts the Jacanas when there is a raft of water lily pads and flowers.

Afternoon skies over the Chobe river. This was the start of the Water cart river loop, a sand track along the river. We have seen everything from elephants and buffalo to lions at this bend in the river bank.

“A rainbow is the product of physics working for your appreciation of beauty.” ~ Kyle Hill

You have to be ready because when Pygmy geese take off from the water they are fast, so much so that we call them “pocket rockets”. Usually the female takes off first but in this instance the male was the “early riser”.

In the afternoons on the boat, the rain filled skies would darken the background while the sun illuminated the river in the foreground creating that mood of expectation.

A Little bee-eater warming itself in the early morning sun in Jacana ally.

This bull elephant is immersed in the reed beds foraging happily on his own. Although the Chobe is full of large Nile crocodiles they know better than to tangle with one of these giants. The White Cattle egrets benefit from all the insects which are disturbed by the elephant’s movement in the reeds.

Looking down river from just below Elephant Valley. A beautiful rainbow rising from the Kasane ridge.

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” ~ Lord Byron

A pair of Wire-tailed swallows on a dead tree trunk at the entrance to the main channel leading up river. The male on the left of the image had been trying to mate with the female but she was having none of it.

A White-browed coucal in the Chobe Safari Lodge grounds at the water’s edge. The white eyebrow is distinctive. Its black head and nape are clearly marked with white streaks.

The reason for the presence of the adult White-browed coucal was this juvenile White-browed coucal in the thick vegetation next to the river.

An adult Fish eagle landed on the bank on Sedudu island and was calling its mate with the distinctive throwing back of its head while it was calling. It does this whether on the ground or flying. The African fish eagle is probably the most recognised and vocal eagle in Africa, with its evocative “weeah-kyow-koy-koy-koy” call.

The Chacma baboon troops are an endless source of entertainment and photographic opportunities. The youngsters are always playing and when one or two are being scolded they let the whole troop know with their screeches.

“The human family has invaluable friends and irreplaceable allies in the plant and animal worlds. We cannot continue to tug at the web of life without tearing a hole in the very fabric of our earthly existence – and eventually falling through that hole ourselves.” ~ Van Jones

A Pied kingfisher with its sizeable meal that it had just caught by diving into the water from above. This kingfisher will beat the fish to death on the dead tree trunk. Once dead it will manoeuvre the fish and swallow it whole and head first so that the sharp spines on its dorsal fin do not get caught in its throat.

We always make a point of stopping at the eastern most part of Sedudu island to photograph the iconic three Jackalberry trees at sunset. The colours and mood of the sunsets vary enormously and always create a sense of wonder and enormity.

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” ~ John Muir

Some of the sunsets looking west over Namibia were so vivid that the sky looked like it was on fire. We were on the Chobe in early April which is the end of the rainy season but there were still dramatic cloud formations.

I have been to the Chobe river to photograph wildlife more than twenty times. You might ask why the same place. The answer is that the mood of river, the skies and the wildlife we see have never been the same. We very seldom see the same thing in the same place. One afternoon we will see a herd of Sable antelope drinking at Elephant valley and then never see them there again on that trip. We could see many White-fronted bee-eaters along a particular section of the river one day and they will gone the next never to return to that spot.

“Perhaps the most poignant image of our time is that of Earth as seen by the space voyagers: a blue sphere, shimmering with life and light, alone and unique in the cosmos. From this perspective, the maps of geopolitics vanish, and the underlying interconnectedness of all the components of this extraordinary living system – animal, plant, water, land, and atmosphere – becomes strikingly evident.” ~ Richard Benedick

My photobuddy and long standing friend, Elana Erasmus, was our guide on the CNP photographic boat. Thank you Elana, your knowledge, patience and love of wildlife and photography added enormously to the enjoyment and productivity on the trip. I am looking forward to our next trip in March 2024.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

In April this year, Helen and I joined CNP Safaris on their photographic boat on the Chobe river. This has become a tradition which we have done since 2009. The Chobe river has a wonderful diversity of wildlife, both mammals, reptiles and birds. Photographing wildlife from a boat specially equipped for photography offers a unique shooting perspective. The wildlife is less intimidated by a nearby boat in the river than it is from a nearby safari vehicle on land.

Over the years, the guides and boatmen on the photographic boat have learnt to cope with the persistent water current and know where to find particular wildlife at particular times of the year. Jacana ally is one such understanding. Jacanas can breed all year round due to the permanent water but most of the breeding seems to occur between April and June of each year when the water level in the Chobe river is rising to peak around June/July.

“Fresh air is as good for the mind as for the body. Nature always seems trying to talk to us as if she had some great secret to tell. And so she has.” ~ John Lubbock

Jacana ally is an inlet at the east end of the Sedudu island just upriver from the iconic three Jackalberry trees and upriver from Kasane on the northern Botswana border. The tall reeds around the inlet provide protection from the westerly winds and is home to rafts of waterlilies and pondweed. This protected inlet is preferred by the breeding African Jacanas.

The African jacana is one of two jacana species found in Africa, the other is the Lesser jacana, which is much less common but can be seen on the waterlily and reed beds along the Chobe river. A week old African jacana chick must weigh only a few grams and is probably just 60mm in height. The chicks are minute bundles of fluff with two disproportionately large grey legs and feet.

“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” ~E.B.White

The chicks hatch from beautiful eggs which are a chocolate brown camouflaged with thick, wavy lines of dark brown and black. The chicks are precocial, meaning they are able to fend for themselves from the time they hatch. Given that the nest is so flimsy, it is easy to see why Jacana chicks need to be precocial.

When small chicks, these Jacanas hunt small insects on the surface of the lily pads and pond weeds.

Adult Jacanas have long and slender necks and their toes and claws are extremely long – up to 10.2 cm. The newly hatched chicks have legs and feet which appear to be nearly half their body length.

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” ~ Vincent van Gogh

Despite their large feet and long thin toes, these Jacana chicks are able to swim surprisingly well. If there is immediate danger and their father is too far away to gather them under his wings, the chicks are able to dive into the water and remain submerged with just their beak and nostrils above the water until the danger has passed.

Although the chicks are able to leave the nest and feed themselves very soon after hatching, their father plays a shepherding and protection role in the early weeks after hatching. The chicks are looked after by their father for between 40 and 70 days and reach adult plumage around one year of age.

The adult African jacana has striking plumage. It has a black crown, nape and eyestripe. Its cheek patches and neck are white and it has a golden necklace in the front of its neck between its white neck plumage and the rich chestnut brown upper and lower parts. The adult African jacana also has a sky blue frontal shield above its upper mandible which is thought to protect it when foraging among reeds with sharp leaves, and mate identification, sexual selection, and territorial defense.

The responsibility of caring for the chicks falls solely on the Jacana father, who incubates and raises the chicks. The male will protect the chicks and has also developed the ability to lift and carry the chicks under his wings.

“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.”  ~ Sigmund Freud

These huge feet enable them to occupy a very specialised ecological niche. They can walk right into the heart of the lily field and avoid ground predators. In the face of danger from above, they dive into the water and use their beak as a snorkel to stay underwater until the danger passes.

The male’s ability to carry his chicks under his wings helps him run across the lily pads to escape danger with all of his chicks at once. He is capable of carrying four small chicks under his wings.

Most species of jacanas are polyandrous, meaning that a single female will mate with several males and then lay eggs in each of their nests. Typically, a female will mate with two to four males. The female defends the territories of the males while incubation is occurring but abandons the nest and territory once the young hatch. The females are noticeably larger than the males but the plumage of both sexes is similar.

The male walks across the lily pads standing just long enough for the lily pad to support him. The adult’s feet are unique and the toes are around one third of the length of the body and distribute the weight of the bird over a wide area which substantially slows the sink rate on top of the lily pad.

When foraging the adult Africa jacana has a high stepping gait, primarily to lift its toes clear of the lily pad.

The preferred diet of an African jacana is freshwater insects and larvae, spiders, crustaceans and molluscs, even small fish if they can catch them. The adults are not bound by one lily pad patch and do fly from one floating lily pad raft to another. Both the male and female African jacanas are territorial so they often noisily tangle with newcomers which can makes wonderful photographic opportunities for wildlife interaction. African jacanas are non migratory but relatively nomadic driven by droughts and flooding which forces them to seek new habitats.

“Everything is unusual about it. Colours, breeding behaviour and parenting. It calls water lilies home and has feet large enough to trot on water lilies. The more you look at it, the stranger it seems and the more bewitched by the wonder of it you become.” ~ Mike Haworth

The female African jacana is around twice as big as the male, averaging 260 grams compared to 140 grams of the male. Jacanas average 240 mm in length and have a wingspan averaging 510 mm. The adult has a short tail adapted for its short flight behaviour.

African jacanas have short rounded wings which enable them to fly short distances from one lily pad raft to another, but usually not more than 100 metres. When flying their necks and legs are outstretched much like stork, a configuration suited for longitudinal balance. They normally have to run across lily pads to take off mainly because the lily pad floats and is not stable.

African Jacanas are fascinating waders by virtue of their breeding behaviour, role play, morphology and their preferred habitat. They are diurnal feeders and are found along most river banks and on floating vegetation in rivers and dams.

“Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering – because you can’t take it in all at once.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

Inevitably, when quietly drifting among the water lilies we see many more species of birds such as Little and Blue-cheeked bee-eaters, many species of heron, Brown-throated weavers, coucals, and Black crakes to name just a few. When watching African jacanas there is always something happening. These unique waders are photogenic, very active and get involved in numerous interactions with competing jacanas, ideal for bird photography.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

On the fourth morning of our surprise trip to Mashatu in February this year, we were fortunate enough to see a Secretarybird on two separate occasions. The first was fleeting but the second gave us an opportunity to watch an adult Secretarybird hunting for about 45 minutes and it was fascinating to watch. As good as any mammal sighting.

“You never know what may cross your path and fuel the wildness of your soul.” ~ Robbie George

The Secretarybird is instantly recognisable as a very large terrestrial bird with an eagle-like head and body on crane-like legs. This raptor stands as much as 130 cm high. It is usually seen singly wandering across its hunting ground.

Unlike most aerial hunting raptors which catch their prey in mid-air, Secretarybirds are almost strictly terrestrial hunters and are diurnal (daytime) raptors. They often begin hunting and foraging for food before dawn returning to their resting area in the late afternoon. The high kicking stomp is regularly used to disable its prey.

We first saw this Secretarybird walking below a rocky ridge looking for grasshoppers, lizards and snakes and perhaps even small birds. Having little luck it crested the ridge to get a better view of the surroundings. Secretarybirds prefer savannas, scrub, and grasslands with scattered small thorn trees, and open patches in forests and woodlands, so Mashatu is an ideal habitat.

“If you eyes are opened, you’ll see the things worth seeing.” ~ Rumi

Being mainly terrestrial, Secretarybirds take to flight only to traverse difficult terrain or when threatened. The Secretarybird is a strong flyer. It can soar to great heights and cover long distances using its long wings with slotted primaries. Its preference is for prey that typically follows local cycles which dictates that it is quite nomadic in its habits, especially in drier regions.

This Secretarybird flew to a group of decent sized bushes further and lower down the rocky ridge. Balance becomes an issue for a tall raptor trying to land on flimsy branches. Its long wings helped but this individual struggled to stay balanced.

The plumage of this unique raptor’s crown, upperparts, and lesser and median wing coverts is blue-grey, and the underparts and underwing coverts are lighter grey to grey-white. The crest is made up of 20 long black feathers, resembling quills, growing from the nape. The scapulars, primary and secondary flight feathers, rump and thighs are black, while the uppertail coverts are white. It has grey rectrices which have a trailing black edge and in the centre of the tail two streamer feathers, which project around 50 per cent beyond the longest of the other rectrices.

“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.” ~ Jana Kingsford

After a minute of so of struggling to find a stable footing, this Secretarybird flew further down the ridge to more prominent bushes. Its short toes reduce its ability to grasp objects with its feet, especially thin branches.

It landed on top of a reasonable sized Shepherd tree and again struggled to find purchase and its balance. Although unmistakably raptorial there are several other aspects of its morphology which differ markedly from those of any other living bird of prey. Its long pink stilt-like legs are well protected from snake or lizard bites by a layer of thick scales. The toes are short with the hind toe being particularly reduced, and the talons blunt. Both features adapted to the terrestrial lifestyle of this ‘marching eagle’, and make effective stomping weapons.

There is a degree of sexual dimorphism in Secretarybirds with males being slightly larger than females and having longer wings and longer central streamer tail feathers. The male has a shorter more rounded head and more blue-grey upperparts plumage. Both adults have bare facial skin around the beak and eyes. The facial skin is yellow around the gape and cere, and red-orange around the eye. The eyes have unusually long eyelashes. The male has less extensive bare facial skin behind his eyes. So this wanderer looked to be a male.

“Glittering eyes in the wilderness is the poetry of nature in motion.” ~ Robbie George

When hunting, the Secretarybird strides across the landscape, arching its head back and forward like a metronome, in an immediately recognisable gait. Secretarybirds are estimated to walk at an pace of around 2.5 to 3.0 km per hour so can cover up between 20 and 30 kilometres a day.

This raptor species captures small prey, like insects, by simply bending forward and grabbing them with its beak before swallowing them whole. When the Secretarybird encounters larger prey, it compensates for the loss of grasping toes and sharp talons by stamping powerfully and accurately with its feet to dispatch its quarry.

These raptors are known to stomp on the ground close to shrubs where animals may hide to flush prey out into the open where they are more easily caught. The taxonomic name for the Secretarybird, Sagittarius serpentarius, translates as ‘the archer of snakes’ and reflects this bird’s ability to kill even dangerous venomous species of snake using its characteristic stomping technique.

When hunting, Secretarybirds stride across the ground looking for something edible. Once found, they stomp on it until it is dead or knock it down with a speedy kick. This method of hunting is commonly applied to lizards or snakes. It has a quick, powerful kick equivalent to a force equal to five times its own body weight. This hunter also uses its wings for balance in the attack. Although the Secretarybird has a reputation for killing snakes, including venomous ones, it seldom finds and targets them.

“Nature is the candle of inspiration that ignites the wildness of your soul.” ~ Robbie George

Secretarybirds can chase after their prey at high speeds, using their wings to boost speed and give added balance while running to catch its quarry.

Quite a lot of effort for a medium-sized grasshopper. With very short toes and limited grasping ability, rather than carrying prey away with its feet like other birds of prey, the Secretarybird tends to eat it immediately or carry it away in its beak. Secretarybirds normally eat their prey whole, although if too big they will hold it down with their feet whilst tearing it apart, similar to other birds of prey.

As Secretarybirds stride through the grasslands they do not get it all their own way. They are dive bombed by starlings and lapwings all trying to chase them away from their nests and young.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest.” ~ Sir David Attenborough.

Birdlife’s “Bird of the Year 2019” article highlighted that the Secretarybird was facing a bleak future. The Secretarybird’s global conservation status was last assessed in April 2020 and its status was elevated from vulnerable (in 2016) to Endangered. Unfortunately, the Secretarybird’s range is decreasing rapidly, especially in recent decades, from countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania. It has even dwindled dramatically in the Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest protected areas due to bush encroachment and an increase in the tall vegetation cover, resulting in loss of open habitat that the species prefers. Secretarybirds are intrinsically reliant on wide expanses of suitable habitat, so increasing human activities such as intensive crop farming, overgrazing, commercial afforestation and sprawling urban and rural human settlement are reducing, fragmenting and degrading the Secretarybird’s supporting landscapes at an accelerating rate.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu is a private game reserve in the south eastern part of Botswana and is the largest part of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve (NOTUGRE). The wildlife is free to move in and out of the reserve. To the east is the Shashi river which demarcates the border with Zimbabwe and is an area of intensive poaching. On the northern side of the reserve is the Tuli Circle. The western border is the Tuli Safari reserve. The southern border is along the Motloutse river which flows into the Limpopo river. In the dry season there is minimal water in the rivers so the water does not limit the movement of game. The elephants, lions and cheetahs seem to move wherever they want to.

“…few can sojourn long within the unspoilt wilderness of a game sanctuary, surrounded on all sides by its confiding animals, without absorbing its atmosphere; the Spirit of the Wild is quick to assert supremacy, and no man of any sensibility can resist her.” ~ James Stevenson-Hamilton

We visited Rock Camp in Mashatu in February this year which was mid summer and usually the period of highest rainfall. Mashatu is a reserve of massive seasonal contrasts. November to March is the highest rainfall period and the reserve transforms into what looks like the garden of Eden carpeted with yellow, mauve and pink flowers and the place is a verdant green. In winter, from June to August and early spring, there is no rain and it becomes very dry and barren away from the rivers. In particularly dry seasons it can look somewhat like a moonscape.

“One cannot resist the lure of Africa.” ~ Rudyard Kipling

We stayed at a syndicated camp called Rock Camp, so called because of the large outcrop of highly weathered rocks next to the camp, an unusual feature in Mashatu. The rock outcrop attracts a resident Klipspringer family, a leopard family with the cubs hidden in a cave, and a family of hyaenas which have made their den in other side of the rock outcrop. The klipspringers come into camp regularly and seem to prefer a section of the outcrop where there is a large fig tree growing out of the wall at one section of the outcrop.

The hyaena adults were returning from one of their nightly hunting forays. We usually get going by 6h00 in summer so we were lucky to see them. The clouds show how overcast some of the mornings were.

The returning adults make a low sounding contact call which brought the cubs out of their den. The den was a cave deep in the rocks which was home to two small cubs.

The eternal competition between cubs vying for attention when the adults return.

One of the older cubs found a large bone, possibly an Eland’s tibia. It walked away from all the others to gnaw on the bone in peace.

After a cool rainy evening, this colourful Common flat lizard was lying on top of the rocks trying to warm up and waiting for insects to appear on the rocks.

On a rare sunny early morning we found a family of Black backed jackals lying in the devil thorn flowers. The two pups were playing with each other while their mother rested.

The jackal pups were carefree in their play as the yellow devil thorn flowers had not yet turned into actual devil thorns so the yellow carpet of flowers was still soft underfoot.

On another morning we came across a family of Banded mongooses. There is one family that visits the camp each day but this one was was just beyond the rocks foraging next to the gravel road.

There were always some members of the family which were scouting for any danger. Close to where these mongooses were foraging was a grove of large Apple leaf trees which was home to a family of Verreaux’s eagle-owls so vigilance was necessary.

With the rain overnight, there were many puddles in the road which attracted the mongooses. Both the adults and youngsters played in the water.

“The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” ~ African Proverb

Even though it was overcast most days it was still very warm. The mongooses seemed to really enjoy the shallow puddles of water in the gravel road.

There are many Steenbok in Mashatu. Away from the riverine areas it is more open countryside so these Steenbok were easier to see. This male Steenbok was resting amongst some bushes which the elephants had been feeding on.

A young male Steenbok, judging from the size of his horns, was lying under a young Shepherd tree partly for cover and perhaps some shade when the sun comes out.

There are many warthogs in Mashatu and they are prolific breeders. Warthogs live in small family groups called sounders. These consist of a male and female, along with one or more generations of their offspring. Sometimes sounders group together into larger groups, though each sounder keeps its identity.

Warthogs have litters of two to four piglets but their mortality rate is quite high due to predators such as lions, leopards and cheetahs. Two or three female warthogs form small sounders with their young as they look after the piglets.

A family herd of Plains zebra grazing amongst the mustard bushes west of the Majale river. In February, the heavy rain clouds always made a more interesting background. A sign of a health zebra is when its mane stands upright on its neck.

The Plains or Burchell’s zebra has black and white stripes which fade away under its belly and they have a shadow brown stripe on the sides and legs between its black stripes. This male zebra was full of the joys of summer and was playing around galloping and bucking all on his own.

A small herd of Wildebeest watching us drive by on our morning game drive. This herd was grazing on a low ridge close to the vlei area.

The Wildebeest and zebra were followed by flocks of Cattle egrets which were attracted by all the insects disturbed by the movement of grazing animals.

A Wildebeest calf’s attention was drawn to the Cattle egret next to it, but the egret seemed unconcerned.

“Animals try to live with nature. Man tries to change nature.” ~ Anthony Douglas Williams

Eland are always skittish in Mashatu and as a consequence are usually running away when you try to pass them. This female Eland was part of a larger herd, all running away from us. The female eland has longer wider horns and a small dewlap under her neck compared to the male.

Eland cows are usually shaded between ochre and tan, occasionally with faint white stripes running down the flanks. The bulls are darker in colour, and the dominant males take on deep blue-grey colour. Mature males carry a large dewlap under their necks which is thought to play a role in thermoregulation. While both sexes have a set of twisted horns. The bull’s horns are narrower and substantially more robust.

There are numerous giraffe in Mashatu. They are the Southern African species. This young giraffe was resting in the early morning.

Mashatu is also known for its numerous elephants which can be found all over the reserve. They need water every day so do not venture too far from water. During summer when there are abundant rains the elephants tend to be more spread throughout the reserve. The carpets of yellow devil thorn flowers brightened up the landscape.

“They say an elephant never forgets. What they don’t tell you is, you never forget an elephant.” ~ Bill Murray

Two young elephant bulls in the mobile herd were constantly playing and pushing each other around as they were walking.

We only saw this one young female leopard the whole week. This was partly because we could only go out on four of the 12 possible game drives in the six days because it was raining. The leopards are found along the rivers where the undergrowth is particularly thick in summer due to all the rain.

This female leopard was on morning territorial patrol and frequently sprayed her urine as she walked past croton bushes. When there is a lot of rain the cats have to mark their territory more often because the rains washes away their territorial scent markings.

The view from a ridge near the Majale river in Mashatu looking across a plain toward the red sandstone ridge on the other side of the Limpopo river. The rains transform this landscape into greens and yellows in summer which is in stark contrast to the browns of winter.

“The sky is an infinite movie to me. I never get tired of looking at what’s happening up there.” ~ K. D. Lang

We found this lone male also patrolling his territory in mid morning. He is one of a coalition of two males that have taken over the Mashatu territory in the last two years.

This male was cooling under the shade of a small Shepherd tree. He was not asleep around mid-morning probably because he was patrolling this territory after the rains.

This handsome male who did not look battle scarred so the territory take over must have been relatively easy as they took it from a large single male who was pushed out east onto the Charter reserve. Male lions are known to move between Mashatu, across the border into South Africa and Zimbabwe and back again.

Despite the fact we only got to do a third of the possible 12 game drives because of the rain, the drives we did go on were very productive with good sightings. Just to drive around when it was so green and verdant with carpets of yellow and pink colours made a superb visual spectacle.

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” ~ Socrates

Mashatu Game Reserve does not have huge numbers of each species but it has a wide variety of species. Usually the leopard sightings along the Majale river are as good as you will see in any of the Greater Kruger private reserves. Being able to go off road is particularly valuable for photographers because it enables them to get into a better position and more often than not to get a lot closer to their subjects.

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~ W.B. Yeats

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike