Category Archives: Botswana

Chobe’s Jacana alley

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Jacana alley is a small inlet just off the end of the north channel before it meets the southern channel. The two channels join a few hundred metres up river from the Chobe Safari Lodge before flowing for around four kilometres onto the rapids and down to joins the mighty Zambesi river at Kazungula.

Jacana alley is so-called because of its year round Jacana activity, the height of which is in the summer months. Our trip was in early winter, June in southern Africa. It was chilly first thing in the morning especially with a breeze. The next video shows a serene soft coloured morning gliding into the alley with the boat motor turned off – bliss!!

“Gliding into dawn with not a word spoken nor a ripple from the bow. The morning light bathed the alley in soft pastels pinks and blues. Not a time for reflection but for anticipation.” ~ Mike Haworth

Even though June was not the main Jacana breeding season, which is around March, we still saw plenty of Jacana activity. There were a few males looking after their offspring. Jacana’s are precocial, meaning they can fend for themselves from the time they hatch and are polyandrous meaning the male looks after the eggs and chicks. The new image is of a fledged sub-adult as it still had is juvenile plumage.

The chicks are easily identified by their small size and outsized legs and feet. The juveniles lack the black colouring on the crown and back of neck. They also still have to develop their distinctive blue beak and frontal shield.

African Jacana’s have long legs and exceptionally long toes. This feature enables them to spread their weight on a lily pad giving them just enough time to feed on the insects on the water lily flower and water lily’s floating leaves before it starts to sink.

Jacana chicks start feeding themselves from the time they hatch. We were fortunate to see a few males with their chicks on each occasion we ventured into Jacana alley. They dash across the lily pads picking midges off the lily pad surface and will happily take a bigger insect if they can find one.

The chicks are adept swimmers and will happily swim from one raft of lily pads to another until they are able to fly across the gap. When a chick senses a predator close by it will either run for cover of the reeds if they are close, alternatively, the chick will quickly dive underneath the lily pad to avoid detection.

Jacana fathers nurture and protect their young. If their father senses danger he will call out to the youngsters who quickly tuck under their father’s wings for protection. If need be the father will lift up the chicks under his wing and run across the lily pads to get away from danger. It was cold early in the morning in June so we often found one or more chicks tucked under their father’s wing for warmth.

The next image is of a juvenile Lesser moorhen. Its brown colouring and yellow beak are characteristic of the juvenile. The adult will have black plumage and a mostly yellow bill with a red stripe which reaches from the top of its frontal shield to the tip of its beak.

The Lesser moorhen is smaller than the Common moorhen. This is normally a shy species but these youngsters happily walked across the lily pads in front of us feeding on insects. The Lesser moorhen is not often seen mainly because it is so shy.

A female Southern brown-throated weaver. This was not breeding season so we did not see the male in his yellow plumage with a dark brown throat. We often see these weavers in the reeds in Jacana alley.

This female Brown-throated weaver was feeding on all the midges on the surface of the water while using the water lily flower as a support.

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

An African darter sunning and drying itself on a frosty June morning. This darter is also colloquially called the “snakebird” because when it is swimming all you can see its its head and long snake-like neck above the water. The male is a glossy black with white belly streaking while the female is browner. Their primary and secondary wing feathers are a glossy brownish black and their tertial wing feathers are extra long and horizontally striped. Unlike many other waterbirds, the feathers of the African darter do contain oil but are not completely waterproof. This reduces its buoyancy and enhances its diving capabilities. The downside is that the darter has to dry its wings to warm up and be able to fly. While drying the darter preens its feathers which enables the darter to coat its feathers with an oily substance from the uropygial gland, or preen gland.

The shy and skittish Black crake. Normally as soon as a Black crake sees you it rushes back into the reeds out of sight. For some thankful and inexplicable reason a pair of Black crakes ventured onto the lily pads in Jacana alley and as long as we did not try to get too close they happily fed on insects on the lily pads for about 20 minutes.

“Nature has been for me, for as long as I remember, a source of solace, inspiration, adventure, and delight, a home, a teacher, and a companion.” ~ Lorraine Anderson

The Black crake has striking coloration. It is all black with a vivid yellow beak, red eyes and reddish-pink legs. The colour of the legs become a bright red during the breeding season. The relationship between eye colour and function, however, is still largely unknown by ornithologists.

You are likely to only find a Black crake next to freshwater or in wetlands. More often than not you can hear them duetting in the reeds, but they seldom present themselves. Although these Black crakes ventured onto the lily pads they did not have the long legs and long toes of a jacana so they had to keep moving quickly.

Little bee-eater is the smallest of the southern African bee-eaters. It was also the only bee-eater we saw in June. These Little bee-eaters look like green jewels in the winter colours. Like all bee-eaters it has a black stripe across it eye, but the Little bee-eater also has a turquoise stripe above each eye adding a touch more glamour to its already gorgeous colouring. The black malar stripe across the eye may serve the same purpose as the malar black stripe below each of the Cheetah’s eyes. It reduces the sun’s glare from obstructing their view.

The Little-bee-eater feeds on insects which it catches in flight. It tends to hunt from a perch. It sits on a reed stem waiting for an insect to fly by which it then hawks. This small bee-eater is endemic along the Chobe river but will move depending on insect activity.

“Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen — that stillness becomes a radiance.” ~ Morgan Freeman

We found quite few Squacco herons hunting in Jacana alley in the reeds along the side of the inlet. They usually stand on the fallen reeds and grass along the water’s edge and hunt from there. They are able to massively extend their necks so have a decent reach when hunting from the edge.

“Each day has a story to be told, because we are made of stories. I mean, scientists say that human beings are made of atoms, but a little bird told me that we are also made of stories.” ~ Eduardo Galeano

Two pairs of Pygmy geese near the entrance to Jacana alley. These are beautiful miniature geese. We saw many pairs all along the river in June. They are very skittish and will not let you get close. The female which was following the male in both of these pairs but is usually the first to flush. Pygmy geese have have short bills, rounded heads and short legs with a rufous-colored chest, white abdomen and face, glossy-green upper plumage, The male has light-green sides of the neck with a black border. The female is duller colouring and does not have the green markings with a black border on the side of their neck. The female’s beak is a dull brownish-yellow while the male’s beak is bright yellow with a black tip.

Wonderful warm colours in the early winter morning with a Purple heron perfectly blending into the colour of the reeds and grass. This heron was hunting from the fallen grass and reeds along the edge of Jacana alley.

There are many inlets along the Chobe river. Jacana alley just happened to be a particularly productive section and is frequented by many African jacana and their chicks, crakes, weavers, several heron species and the occasional marsh harrier which scours the reed beds from its aerial advantage.

“The more you look the more you see. The more you see the more you yearn to understand and the more questions take flight from the river like birds flushed.” ~ Mike Haworth

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

Have fun, Mike

Chobe’s Herons and Egrets

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The Chobe river flows east along the Botswana border past the town of Kasane until it meets the Zambesi river just above the Victoria Falls. The Chobe is a perennial river though its water level varies many metres with the flood waters flowing through around May and June each year. The flood waters come from the rains in Angola many months before.

“Stars do not struggle to shine, rivers do not struggle to flow, and you will never struggle to excel in life because of the power of your passion.” ~ Donald Driver

In the winter month of June in southern Africa, we did not get to see all the herons and egrets that one could see along the Chobe. We did not see the night-herons, the Black-crowned night-heron nor the White-backed night-heron. I was rather hoping that they might come out in the late afternoon in winter but it was not to be! I was also hoping that the rising high flood waters might attract them. I have never seen a White-backed night-heron along the Chobe but have seen many Black-crowned night-herons getting ready to start fishing in the late afternoon in the summer months.

“At the start of the day, I clear my expectations and open my awareness. I need all my senses to see. It is about hearing that alarm call before seeing the predator. It is about watching the bird’s behaviour before it is about to hunt. It is about feeling something will happen which will need stillness and patience.” ~ Mike Haworth

The Goliath heron is an uncommon visitor. Goliath because it is the largest heron by far. This is a large heron standing around 140cm. Its back and wing feathers are a slaty grey and its belly, neck and head are a rufous ochre or chestnut colour.

The Goliath heron is an excellent fisherman. I have seen a Goliath heron beat a large barbel into submission and swallow it. The Goliath does not have a David in the egret world but it does have major competition from Fish eagles which try frequently to steal its prey. The Goliath has a major defensive weapon, it has a long sharp beak and a neck with surprising reach. The Goliath heron is not a fussy eater, it will prey on everything from barbel to bream, and from frogs to rats, snakes and even prawns.

“Don’t just look. There is a reason for everything in nature. Delve deeper into the why. It will reveal unseen intelligence and design. These insights will provide endless fascination and realisation that everything is more dynamic and interconnected than can be seen at a glance.” ~ Mike Haworth

The Goliath heron is a solitary hunter wading in the shallow waters along the edge of the Chobe river. It seems to enjoy this aquatic environment but is not a fast mover, until it is time to strike its prey. The Goliath heron is a good flier moving with slow heavy wing beats. Interestingly, this heron flies with its legs slightly lowered and not horizontal like other smaller herons. This could be due to its size but it flies with its neck retracted so it could be for longitudinal balance. This heron, similar to most herons, has long, wide wings which are markedly bowed in flight. The low aspect ratio (square of the wingspan/wing area) of the wings is ideal for gliding and manoeuverability.

Grey heron hunting in the shallows along the Chobe river. The black streak from its eye back across its head is an identifying characteristic. By contrast, the Black-headed heron, which is a similar size, has a black head. These herons are waders and prefer an aquatic environment yielding a diet of small fish, frogs, insect and beetles. Unlike the Goliath, the Grey heron is gregarious and breeds in colonies called heronries. Herons have feet which are designed for standing on soft muddy wet soil while their beak is designed for spearing their prey.

“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order to the one you have in your mind.” ~ David G. Allen

Other visual differences between the Grey and Black-headed heron are firstly the Grey’s yellow beak while the Black-headed has a dark grey beak. Another differences is the colour of the legs. The Grey has yellowish-brown legs while the Black-headed has dark grey legs. The Grey heron is altogether a lighter colour grey with a predominately white neck with black streak in the front of the neck. The bBack-headed heron tends to hunt in the wet lands adjacent to the water rather than in the water itself like a Grey heron.

Herons can swallow surprisingly large fish. Herons do not have the ability to tear their prey apart and eat it in smaller prices so they need to be able to swallow it whole. First they keep the fish out of water long enough for it to suffocate then they drop it in the water to lubricate it while actively repositioning the fish so that it is head first in the beak.

Birds do not have teeth and therefore do not chew so have to swallow their prey whole. It is vital that the prey is lubricated with water and that it is positioned head first, especially with fish so that they will slide down the throat without the fish’s dorsal fin spines catching in the heron’s throat. The fish scales also need to be laid pointing backwards on its body. I have often wondered how a heron does not choke when swallowing a large fish. Birds, unlike humans, do not typically choke in the same way as humans. Birds do not have an epiglottis which covers its trachea. The bird’s tongue shape and grooved mouth aid the movement of food past the tracheal opening.

All fish eating birds have a specialised two chamber digestive system. The first chamber secretes the acid which helps break down the bones and scales and the second chamber, the gizzard, grinds up the food into smaller bits.

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

Herons do not seem to be harassed by crocodiles. There is a lower drag on the wing when the bird is flying within a wing length of the water, it is called the “ground effect”. This means it is easier for a bird to fly closer to the water. Usually the inland water surface is relatively flat so flight is easy and does not require the same manoeurveability that a seabird needs on the surface of the sea.

Great heron in flight along the Chobe river regaled in its non breeding plumage. From a distance the egret species could be mistaken so you need to rely on the key colour differences in the beak and legs for identification. The Great heron has a yellow bill in non breeding season and a black bill, often with a greenish lores, in breeding season. The Great heron’s legs are black throughout and it feet are black.

During breeding season the lores of the Great heron turn green and it develops plumes on its back. It legs are always black.

A pair of Little egrets fighting in the shallows. These Little egrets are usually solitary. When breeding, the bird acquires distinctive head, chest and back plumes and red lores. The Little egret has all white plumages, black legs with yellow feet.

Normally these Little egrets fight over food but for some reason this appeared to be a turf fight. They did not seem to have breeding plumage but the yellow feet are clear on the attacker and the egret in the water did have the two long white feathers on the rear of its crown.

“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” ~ Emma Smith

I was surprised how savage and prolonged the fight lasted. Although in the shallows, the airborne egret tried hard to “dunk” its opposition.

Little egret in flight on its way to the next feeding spot along the Chobe river. The adult in breeding plumage has greyish-blue face and reddish lores. It also develops two white long and fine feathers on the rear crown, extending from the nape to mid-neck. It also has “aigrettes”, long feathers on the upper breast and recurved scapular feathers. In winter , the Little Egret’s plumage remains white but its lores are grey and its feet turn a pale yellow or greenish-yellow colour. It also loses the long nape feathers, and the “aigrettes” on its body.

Purple heron standing in the reeds along Jacana alley just off the north channel of the Chobe river. We don’t usually see many Purple herons but on this occasion we saw them surprisingly frequently in the reeds around this part. Perhaps there is a seasonality factor but it was wonderful surprise.

The Purple heron appears to have a more slender build than a Grey or Back-headed heron but its the colour of its plumage is distinctive. It is not purple but from a distance is back and wing feathers are grey mixed with chestnut brown which gives its slightly purplish appearance. It has a black crown that extends down the back of its neck. The sides of the head and the neck are buffish chestnut, with dark streaks and lines down either side of the whole the neck. The front of the neck is a buff colour with dark brown streaks.

The Purple heron has the most snake-like neck of all the herons. It was perfectly blended into the wintery brown and yellow coloured reeds along the river.

A sub-adult purple heron in flight which has not get grown its distinctive adult plumage.

The Purple heron is surprisingly well camouflaged in the winter reeds. This Purple heron, like all large herons, has the prominent characteristic of its very long neck, crooked in the middle to resemble an S shape, which helps to support the heavy bill and head. The neck has a modified sixth cervical vertebra which allows them to draw their neck into an “S” shape and then shoot their head and bill forward with lightning speed when striking at prey. This adaptation also allows these birds to fold their neck while flying, which helps longitudinal balance and improves the aerodynamics of their flight.

Squacco heron in flight in the late afternoon light. This is one of the most attractively coloured of the small herons. As the next image shows the Squacco heron displays all white wings when in flight. We only saw solitary Squaccos along the river in June but there have been times when I have seen hundreds of Squaccos spaced about 30 metres apart in the low grass on a flooded island.

The small herons tend to stand the same way with their heads pulled down onto their shoulders. The Squacco heron has two distinct breeding plumages. In the non-breeding phase, the plumage is brown with streaks on the head and throat and the bill and legs are greenish to yellow in colour.

In the Squacco’s breeding phase, the feathers become longer. The plumage is whiter with the back a cinnamon colour. The bill also turns blue. The previous and next image shows a Squacco in breeding plumage. I found it interesting to see how Squaccos were in different stages of the breeding plumage development along the same river at the same time. This Squacco was successfully hunting on a floating raft of reeds in the middle of the Chobe river.

Slaty egrets are uncommon so this was a wonderful sighting. The Slaty egret can be mistaken for a Black egret in bright light but the Slaty has some distinctive features which are quite different to the Black egret and its fishing style is very different to the Black egret’s umbrella-wing hunting technique. This Slaty egret was alone foraging along the edge of the Chobe river. Slaty egrets breed in temporary wetlands which the seasonal rains have filled to their highest level which is probably why we saw this individual in June.

A Slaty egret could be mistaken for a Back egret in certain light but a closer look reveals its characteristic salmon pink coloured throat and grey legs. The Black egret is all black including its throat. Both egrets have yellow feet.

In the grass next to the river adjacent to the Chobe Safari lodge we found these two Yellow-billed egrets fighting over a fish. The airborne egret held a fish in its beak as it was coming in to land when the second egret saw an opportunity to steal the fish. Needless to say with some deft manoeuvering, the airborne egret managed to keep its meal.

A Yellow-billed egret is identified by its yellow bill but it legs are two tone. The leg colouring from the elbow up to the body is a pinkish yellow. Below the elbow, the legs are black as are the feet. The greenish lores were an indication of the egret’s breeding colouration.

So often we see the Green-backed heron sitting on a branch overhanging the water in deep shade. This heron favours fresh water that has dense vegetation overhanging the water. Most Green-backs are very skittish but every now and then you will find one character that is not so skittish and will pose for a few seconds. Beside the beautiful greenish grey wing feathers, this egret has a bright yellow loral stripe in front of a yellow eye.

The Green-backed heron has a greenish black back with distinctive grey underparts. The long bill is bicoloured, it is black on the upper mandible and yellow on the bottom mandible. Green-backed heron are normally found solitary, foraging in the dense vegetation at the water’s edge. It is often seen in a hunched posture. This heron, like a Squacco, it quite acrobatic. It can hang from a branch and stretch its neck much further than you might expect when striking at its prey. The Green-backed heron is very territorial when it comes to feeding areas.

Chobe is known for it prolific bird life in winter and summer. Many of the waders are resident as are the storks, kingfishers and ducks. Even though we went on the Chobe in winter there was abundant birdlife despite the absence of the of the migratory birds.

“I choose to listen to the river for a while, thinking river thoughts, before joining the night and the stars.” ~Edward Abbey

I have been on the Chobe river many times and not once has it ever been the same. The level of the water and temperature has prevailing effect on the activity of the bird life. That said, you will find different birds in numbers at different times of the year. Just to keep the waders on their guard the Fish eagles are always on the lookout especially if they are struggling to find fish near the surface of the river.

“I experience the river differently every time I am on it. The water level changes, the flow fluctuates and the water temperature changes with depth. The light changes and the colour changes depending on the time of the day and the weather. All of these influences dictate changes in the wildlife activity along the river bank. Being aware of these dynamics creates endless fascination.”~ Mike Haworth

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

Have fun, Mike

Chobe’s water loving buffaloes

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Cape buffaloes can exist in herds of thousands. Equally, they can coexist in a small mixed breeding herd consisting of few females and their offspring, young males, and older, dominant males in their prime. The old buffalo bulls tend to lag behind the herd when they are on the move.

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

The bulls are also found in bachelor herds, and after a certain age (around 12), most males move away from the safety of the breeding herds and live out their lives in small groups or on their own. These old bulls are often bad-tempered possibly because they are often harassed by lions and elephants. In southern Africa, the summers are hot, so to cope with the heat, the buffaloes love to wallow in the water and in mud pools.

“Men argue. Nature acts.” ~ Voltaire

The massive grumpy old bulls are affectionately known as “dagga boys”. The word “dagga” originating from the Zulu word “dagga” meaning mud. These bulls spend hours wallowing in the mud and can often be seen driving their horns and boss through the mud. In this process, mud builds up on their bosses which seems to add to their stature. These natural mud packs not only help control ectoparasites such as ticks, but they may prevent unwanted skin and tissue infections caused from skirmishes with predators or gashes incurred during power struggles. Mud wallowing also assists with thermo-regulation.

Cape buffaloes are never too far from water. They are good swimmers and I have often seen a herd crossing the wide and deep channel in the Chobe river to get to richer grazing grounds. They swim surprisingly fast and tend to cross the channels in large groups to minimise predation by crocodiles.

“When a buffalo looks at you. Its stares straight at you, its focus intense. With head raised, it lifts up its nose searching for your scent. Only once it flicks its head and turns away can you start to breathe again. Do not take you eyes off that buffalo until you have enough flight distance” ~ Mike Haworth

The male Cape buffalo is an impressive creature, reaching a shoulder heights of 1.8 metres and weighing 850 kilograms. A record-sized Cape buffalo bull weighed 1 000kg.

A Cape Buffalo is most aggressive when it has been wounded, or, if one of the calves from the herd is under attack. Also known as Black Death, the Cape buffalo is said to have killed more big game hunters than any other animal in Africa. An angry or wounded buffalo will double back, circle and stalk its aggressor, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. When in herds Cape Buffalo also engage in mobbing behaviour when fighting off predators.

“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the Sunset.”~ Crowfoot

It takes the bulls about five years to fully develop their horns. The structure of the horns of the Cape buffalo give an indication of age and gender. The females and young males do not have the hard shielding that protects the base of the skull found in large adult males.

A Cape buffalo’s boss typically spans 130 cm. A characteristic feature of the horns of adult male Cape buffalo is that the base grows very close together to form a shield referred to as a “boss”. From the base, the horns diverge downwards, then smoothly curve upwards and outwards and in some cases inwards and or backwards. In large bulls, the distance between the ends of the horns can reach upwards of one metre (the record being 164 cm).

Shaka was the ruler of the Zulu nation from 1816 until his assassination in 1828. This Zulu king was responsible for developing the famous Zulu battle tactics known as the “Horns of the Buffalo” (izimpondo ze-inyathi). This tactic was originally used by the Zulus for hunting, but Shaka adapted it for battle with devastating effects. The horn formation comprised three elements: the “horns”, or flanking right and left wing elements, to encircle and pin the enemy.

“A Cape buffalo’s horns tell many tales. It signals who is the boss and its etching show the fury of fights. The boss is smoothed with many contacts. Frequent digging in the mud smooths the horns to shiny ebony. But the horns do not reveal how many have been impaled on these weapons.” ~ Mike Haworth

The horns form fully when the animal reaches the age of 5 or 6 years old, but the bosses do not become “hard” until it reaches the age of 8 to 9 years old.

Buffaloes are carriers of foot and mouth disease and they also suffer from bovine tuberculosis. Therefore they are not allowed beyond certain areas as they might infect other animals, more particularly cattle. In Africa, the movement of live cloven-hoofed animals is inevitable but requires strict veterinary intervention. This is the case in Botswana. Possibly the best known fence is the ‘Buffalo Fence’ that separates Maun from the Okavango Delta. It literally stretches across the breadth of the country. There was a huge outcry when the fence was erected but it has since been acknowledged by many that the fence may have saved the Okavango Delta.

Many Cape buffaloes can be seen along the Chobe river where there is water all year round. They can be seen crossing the river’s channels “en mass” and a few “old dagga” boys can also be seen standing chest deep in the water eating the floating water lily rhizomes and roots, which looks salad-like.

Buffaloes need a good fresh water supply as they love to cool down and also drink water daily. Bulls especially like to lie in water and mud hollows where they can roll in the mud and take mud baths to rid themselves of flies, horseflies and ticks.

Cape buffaloes have a thick hide, covered with brown-black hair. Three species of birds tend to move with the buffaloes: oxpeckers, cattle egrets and wattled starlings, and occasionally carmine bee-eaters. The red-billed oxpecker is the most common of the two oxpeckers species. It is a starling sized-bird. The adults are brown and have totally red beaks and distinctive yellow rings around their bright red eyes. The adult has a wide bill, stiff tail, and sharp claws. Their claws help them hold onto their moving host and the stiff tail provides support while feeding. These oxpeckers feed on ticks, flies, and maggots from their host’s hide. The red billed oxpecker is slimmer than its yellow-billed cousin and has a flatter beak which it uses in a scissor-like motion to its cleaning work. These oxpeckers, as the name suggests, pecks at any sores or scabs on the host cleaning up the wound but in the process often causes it to bleed. When alarmed, these birds hiss, alerting their hosts to possible danger.

Learning about the interrelationships between species helps me understand the connectedness of the different species in the scene. It also helps me better anticipate behaviour, a crucial element in wildlife photography. All species have a role, no matter how big or small.

When I am watching a Cape buffalo bull standing chest high in the waters of the Chobe river, I am always amazed at their nonchalance about crocodiles. They blissfully munch on the diet of salads provided by the water lilies. I have only seen the large “dagga boys” standing chest deep in the river. The buffalo cows and calves are too vulnerable so only drink from the river’s edge.

Breeding herds of Cape buffalo travel together on land and in water. Just upstream from Kasane, the Chobe river splits into a south and north channel around Sedudu island. The next image shows a small section of a much larger breeding herd of buffaloes walking west upriver along the edge of northern channel of Sedudu island. In June each year, the level of the Chobe river is high as it is carrying the flood waters from Angola. The high water level results in partial flooding of Sedudu island. At this time of the year, the buffaloes have to cross several shallow inlets as they walk along the bank of the northern channel.

Every now and then, the herd is spooked by something and they charge through the shallow water creating an impressive display. It is easy to see why a crocodile does not want to get tangled amongst those hooves while trying to hunt.

The whole herd charges through the shallow water, calves included among the adults. It is easy to see how a calf could get trampled in this situation.

A female will have her first calf at about five years of age, and these calves are born during the rainy season. The bond between mothers and calves remains strong or up to three years, before the next calf is born.

When the herd gets spooked it tends to charge through the shallow water. The larger adults plough through the water easily. Small calves are slowed in the water and often lose contact with their mothers. This calf was left behind in a water rush and was wading through the water on its own. This is a vulnerable time for the calf and it would be easy prey for a decent sized “croc”.

It is only when you watch a buffalo feeding on the leaves and stems of the water lilies for half an hour or more, do you do you begin understand the dynamics and the subtle relationships which are not evident at first glance.

“Learning to see is vital in photography. It is beyond just looking at your subject. It is taking the time to understand the dynamics of the context. It takes patience to pick up patterns in behaviour. It requires respect to give the subject its natural space.” ~ Mike Haworth

This massive Cape buffalo bull was unperturbed by a petite sub-adult African Jacana feeding on the insects disturbed by the buffalo while he was munching on the lily leaves in front of him.

It was clear the buffalo could see his small avain friend right in front of his nose but never tried to push it away.

Commensalism is a positive relationship between two species. In this relationship one of the species gains a direct benefit from associating with the second species, and although the second species does not benefit from this relationship and it is not harmed in anyway. So is the relationship between the buffalo bull and a African Jacana.

“Symbiotic relationship in nature teaches us cooperation and shows that we are all connected” ~ Sanchita Pandey

Mutualism is another form of symbiosis whereby both species benefit from the interaction with each other. One of the most well-known examples in the bush is the relationship between an oxpecker with various species such as giraffe, rhino and buffalo. 

In parasitic relationships, one species benefits while the other one is negatively affected. Klaas’s Cuckoos have been known to lay their eggs in other birds’ nests.

When the herd gets agitated and starts to stampede, it is easy to see how a calf is separated from its mother. In the water stampede, if the calf fell in the water it is easy to see how it could get trampled by the adults.

Cape buffalo communicate through a complex series of grunts, gargles and mumbles. Gargling sounds are often heard in communication between adult females and calves. Unlike wildebeest, many different females live in the same herd and they help each other out with motherly duties, and not just between a specific mother and her own calf. Long gargling sounds are used to warn calves of impending danger. They are also a means of locating a calf and guiding it back to its mother and herd.

A young buffalo calf is well protected by its herd. Whilst on its own it looks very vulnerable but is tougher than it looks. I have seen a Cape buffalo calf attacked by about nine hyaenas early in the morning in the Masai Mara. For some strange reason, the herd had left this particular calf behind which left it highly exposed in the Mara. Hyaenas so picked up on this lone calf and attacked it by biting and hanging on as the calf ran around in a circle dragging several attached hyaena with it for about half an hour before collapsing. I was astounded at the calf’s strength and tenacity. Despite having lost much blood and having part of its intestine exposed during the repeated hyaena attacks, it carried on running around trying to get away from the hyaenas. Being grossly out numbered by hyaenas and without back up from its herd the calf was never going to survive.

While the “old dagga boys” are wonderful photographic subjects, you under estimate the power, speed and strength of these old boys at your peril. On walking safari, unsuspecting hikers can have a buffalo barrelling out of a reed bed next to them as they walk along the river’s edge, not for a second expecting almost a tonne of fury lying unseen in the reeds.

” Learn to see – accustoming the eye to calm, to patience, to letting things come to it; learning to defer judgement, to encircle and encompass the question on all sides.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Buffaloes are worthy opponents to lions. A skilled lioness can take a buffalo cow by the head but it will take two large male lions a hour to bring down a strong old “dagga boy”.

It is easy to glide past these browsing bull buffaloes standing shoulder deep in the river without giving them a second glance. Next time, ponder on the context of what you are looking at!

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” ~ Brian Herbert

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

Have fun, Mike

Lions along the Chobe

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A long awaited return to the Chobe river, one of my favourite places in southern Africa. The Chobe river demarcates the border between Botswana and Namibia. It is part of the Cuando-Linyanti-Chobe river system in the region of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. The Cuando river flows from Angola down along the Namibia border with Botswana and turns sharply east, still forming the border with Botswana where it becomes the Linyanti river. This river flows through a seasonal lake, Lake Liambesi, and becomes the Chobe. The Chobe river flows along the Namibian -Botswana border into the Zambezi  just above the Kazungula Ferry.

“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.” ~John O’Donohue

The trip was hosted by Elana Erasmus, a superb guide with CNP Safaris. Elana is extremely knowledgeable and is an excellent photographer. One of the unique features of CNP Safaris is that it uses specialised photographic boats from which to shoot wildlife along the banks of the Chobe river. The boat provides a unique perspective, as you are invariably shooting almost at eye level and the wildlife allows the boat much closer than it would a road vehicle.

“The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men.” ~ Mark Twain

We visited the Chobe river in mid-June which is just past the time when the river is at its highest. The high water enables the boat to get much closer to the river bank in certain sections of the river.

On our first morning, after a cup of coffee and a rusk at around 6h30, we set off up river. There is a south and north channel past the Sedudu island. We usually take the south channel with the Chobe National park on our left and Sedudu island on our right. It must have been around 7h00 as we had just passed Pygmy Goose bend when we started to hear baboons barking and they sounded agitated. This is a place where we often find baboons beginning a lazy morning sunning themselves along the river bank.

“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.” ~ Laura Gilpin

But, not this morning. The reason was that a lioness was wandering through the bushes along the bank of the river. Baboons have excellent eyesight, so soon discovered her.

The lioness was walking back to meet up with the rest of her pride who were relaxing in the early morning sun high up the river bank among the crotons.

The large troop of baboons had climbed into a large Natal Mahogany tree and proceeded to shout at the lions from their safe arboreal lookout. When the lions got close to the tree the baboons had chosen, they started throwing branches down onto them and urinated on them. Neither reaction seemed to worry the lions much.

As we were watching the antics of the sub adult lions, the pride suddenly took note of a large male lion making his way along the river bank towards them. He had his eyes fixed on them probably to make sure there was no threat.

The male stopped briefly to see what we were up to and quickly assessed we were no threat and soon moved on toward the pride.

With the sunlight fully in the lion’s eyes while he was staring east directly into the sun showed it was still early in the morning.

As the male lion walked up to the pride it was clear that this was his pride and there was no animosity. Most of the youngsters steered clear of the adult male but one lioness seemed very impressed with him. It is not behaviour I have seen before. The female approached him from his right side then walked up behind him. She tried to catch his hind legs with her paws to slow him down. She positioned her head under his under his tail and actively sniffed his gentials without him so much as even turning around to stop her. I have seen male lions doing this to females but never the other way around. I was expecting him to spin around and give her a swipe with his paw but he never did. This was a snapshot from a video I took of this interaction.

A few minutes after the interaction with the lioness, the male went to the other lionesses and greeted them. The pride then walked down to the river and some lions drank from the river and while others started to play. The male lion did participate in the pride’s playfulness nor did he engage with the buffaloes.

Needless to say the baboons did not move from their high lookout. They continued to bark at the lions while they were drinking and playing along the river bank.

The lions were playful and youngsters played with the lionesses. This young female was running alongside a lioness and trying to give her a paw swipe.

“Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, wisdom is of the future” ~ Native American proverb

The youngster connected and hit the lioness on top of her head. Needless to say the female recovered very quickly and soon had the youngster on the ground – another lesson learnt.

The male lion did not partake in the frivolities. He walked back up the river bank in the direction he had come from.

The lions stopped their play once they saw the buffalo bulls walking toward them. The demeanour of the pride changed instantly. The lions were all of sudden more focussed.

These old buffalo bulls, “dagga boys”, were not going to take any challenges from a bunch of young lions. One buffalo bull sent the adults scattering while two youngsters watched from a gap in the bushes. Needless to say once he turned his attention on the two sub adult lions they quickly scattered into the undergrowth. The next four images were snapshots taken from a video of the interaction.

The three dagga boys eventually turned and ran up river along the bank. As soon as the buffaloes started to run away the lions gave chase. As is so often the case, human beings interfered with the natural course of events.

“It is not enough to understand the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.” ~ Edward Abbey

The buffalo bulls ran past the vehicle but the lions pulled up adjacent to it, unsure of what it was doing there. An exciting build up to a buffalo-lion interaction was cut short by a tourist vehicle positioned off road and in the way!

We do not often see lions at the water’s edge let alone a buffalo chase. It was exciting to watch the goings on from a respectful distance. This is a key reason why I prefer the boat to a road vehicle.

“No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure.” ~ Paul Oxton.

It is always a privilege to spend time photographing wildlife. The Chobe river attracts abundant wildlife and the birdlife along the river is superb even in the autumn and winter months when most of the migrants have headed north.

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

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu: mystical Mmamagwa

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Mashatu game reserve has a northern western annex. This northern part is along the Motloutse river. It includes the Motloutse lookout, Soloman’s wall and Mmamawaga hill where the remains of the Motloutse ruins can be seen.

“We rush through our days in such stress and intensity, as if we were here to stay and the serious project of the world depended on us. We worry and grow anxious; we magnify trivia until they become important enough to control our lives. Yet all the time, we have forgotten that we are but temporary sojourners on the surface of a strange planet spinning slowly in the infinite night of the cosmos.” ~ John O’Donohue

The Motloutse ruins are situated on top of Mmamagwa hill. There is virtually nothing left of the ruins except a few artifacts scattered in the sand and in crevices. On top of this hill a lone baobab stands like a sentinel looking down from its sandstone footing onto the mopanis and thornveld below .

About two or three kilometres directly north west of Mmamawga hill is Soloman’s wall which is positioned across the Motloutse river. It is a 30 metre wide and 20 m high (above the river bed) vertical basalt dyke. It formed a natural dam wall across the Motloutse river which eventually, through erosion, was breached.

A closer view of the right hand side of the eroded Soloman’s wall as you look down the Motloutse river toward the Limpopo river which flows down to the sea through Mozambique. It is hard to believe but this river can flow bank to bank after good rains which adds significantly to the Limpopo river’s flow.

A closer view of the right hand buttress as you look west. Looking at the size of this natural wall and the flatness of the upriver area, it must have created an impressive dam in days of old which stretched back beyond the Motloutse outlook many kilometres to the north.

“Each of us carries a unique world within our hearts.” ~ John O’Donohue

A view looking back from a ridge next to Soloman’s wall along the road that will take you back to Pont Drift border post on the southern edge of Mashatu. In the distance, on the left hand side of the next image, is a sacred hill which you will pass on the way the Motloutse lookout point. Only the Paramount Chief is allowed on top of this hill. Legend has it that whoever goes up there (other than the Chief) will not come back.

The sandstone hill upon which the sentinel baobab grows was part of the larger Mapungubwe region. The first people in Mapungubwe were early Iron Age settlers who lived there from about 1000 AD to 1300 AD. According to historicans, Mapungubwe was the first state in Southern Africa in the period 1220 to 1300AD. The Kingdom of Mapungubwe which existed in the Limpopo – Shashe basin, one thousand years ago, appears to have been the centre of the largest known kingdom in the African sub-continent. The civilisation thrived as a sophisticated trading center. There is a trail, 1000 years old, linking Vilanculos on the coast of Mozambique with the home of the little golden rhino, Mapungubwe. Artifacts found along the trail suggest the people who lived along this route transacted in gold, iron, ivory, ceramics, cloth and glass beads – from as far away as Arabia, India and China. Gold findings were evidence of early gold smelting. A large amount of artifacts from the royal family were discovered at Mapungubwe in South Africa. The best known of these objects is the golden rhinoceros. The Mouloutse ruins are thought to be the remains of satellite city of the main Mapungubwe city.

“May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.” ~ John O’Donohue

I have never seen animals on Mmamawaga hill but have seen elephants, impala, zebra, baboon and hyena down in the valley at the foot of Mmamagwa, where there is a natural spring. There are droppings of klipspringer and even elephants on top of Mmamawaga, signalling their erstwhile presence. In the rainy season, the water collects between the rocks providing ample water and rich pickings for those animals who dare to venture onto this hill’s crest.

Rhodes baobab, a lone baobab tree which must have had the top part of its trunk broken off when it was much younger. Perhaps there was an exceptionally high wind on top of the hill which did the damage. It is difficult to judge the age of this baobab and it is generally difficult to tell the age of a baobab tree. The reason being that they have a succulent trunk which gets stripped by elephants for water and does not have any clear growth rings, and some of the bigger ones are hollow. These are revered trees which alongside the lion and elephant and are iconic symbols of ancient Africa. Rhodes baobab is thought to be around 1000 years old Its girth is about 20 metres. It is difficult to know how this baobab seeded itself high on this sandstone ridge so many centuries ago. It might have been a bird or even a dung beetle removing its dung ball from elephant’s droppings and rolling it away and burying it in the sandy section where it stands today.

“Many of us have made our world so familiar that we do not see it anymore. An interesting question to ask yourself at night is, What did I really see this day?”~ John O’Donohue

While looking across the ‘Land of the Giants’ from the towering vantage point on Mmamagwa hill, you can see a series of parallel sandstone ridges which stretch from inside the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa north along the Motloutse river.

While we were having sundowners, we had several visitors. When the sun was up we were visited by common flat lizards and skinks. As it got a little darker, an elephant shrew came out but it was too dark to get decent images of this fleet-footed mouse-like creature. The Elephant shrew is one of Africa’s “little five” (other four are Ant lions, Leopard tortoises, Buffalo weavers and Rhino beetles).

I did manage to get a few images of this Common Flat lizard which is easily identified by its dark green back with light green spots, bluish belly and rust to yellow coloured tail. It is endemic to this area and frequents these rocky outcrops normally feeding on invertebrates but will readily eat the crumbs dropped from our sunset drink snacks. The Flat lizard family are specialised to live on these types of rock outcrops. This group is so-called because of their flattened body shape which helps them fits into crevices in the rocks.

“As I sit under your bough, I am reminded of ‘Grandmother Willow’ and my musings paint with all the colours of the wind. I listen to the singing sandstone cliffs and wonder if I will hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon.” ~ Mike Haworth with memories of Pocahontas.

Some of the oldest baobabs are estimated to be over a thousand years old. The oldest baobab is thought to be Panke, a sacred giant in Zimbabwe, which is estimated to be between 2 450 and 2 500 years old. Baobabs are called the pachycauls of Africa. These are plants with a disproportionately thick trunk for their height and have relatively few branches. Baobabs are affectionately called the “upside down tree” because when bare of leaves, the spreading branches of a baobab look like its roots sticking up in the air. Africa is home to two of the nine species of baobab. Interestingly, these trees bloom at night and are pollinated by several species of fruit bats. The flowers are large enough to support the bats while they lick up the nectar and do their cross fertilisation work.

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”~Abraham Lincoln

On the west side of the trunk of Rhodes baobab, about 1.5 metres off the ground, you can faintly see the initials CJR and ADS carved into the bark. The tree has, over the millennia, thankfully healed and mostly covered up Rhodes’s desecration. CJR are the initials of Cecil John Rhodes and ADS is Antonio de Silva, who was Rhodes’ secretary. The history books show that Rhodes was in the region around 1893 surveying a route for his proposed railway line from Cape Town. Cecil John Rhodes had a dream of building a railway line from the Cape to Cairo. It transpired that the terrain was not suitable and the railway was built from Kimberley to Mahikeng in South Africa and on to Gaborone and Francistown in Botswana and on further north to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

There is a mystical quietness on top of Mmamagwa. You sense it as soon as you stand on top of the rocks near its sentinel baobab. The enormous vista enables you to see far and wide. One of our favourite times of the day to visit this magical place is in the late afternoon so that we can watch the sunset from its impressive sandstone ridge. I have said it before, but one gets a sense of reverence on top of Mmamagwa hill. I am not sure whether it comes from the quietness and perspective you get from looking down from such a height or whether there is a lingering sense of many souls who have lived here in another time and in another civilisation.

Once we hear the baboons barking in the gloom and hyaenas starting to whoop, we know it is time to descend and come back to earth. It is a tricky descent in the semi-light because you have to clamber over rocks and the bottom section is littered with loose stones.

“I gaze down upon your vastness and beauty with serenity. The quietness has a spiritual quality. The faint breeze carries voices from across the millennia. It is a place that humans can visit but could never call their own. History echos around this wild place.” ~ Mike Haworth

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu: wandering through Eden

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This is my fourth post from our last trip to Mashatu. This is a private game reserve located in the south eastern corner of Botswana at the confluence of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. This part of the world undergoes a phenomenal transformation in the wet season, which is from November until April.

“Nature has hidden lessons for mankind underneath its silent saga. The trees teach us to give without discrimination, the seasons proclaim that time keeps changing for the better and the vastness of the sky bears the amount of love we should hold in our hearts for everyone we come across throughout the day.” ~ Sanchita Pandey

We were fortunate to be able to visit one month before the coronavirus lockdown which closed Mashatu game reserve and the country’s borders. By pure chance our timing was perfect. Heavy rains had just stopped and we were visiting before the magical transform was about take place from its dry barren brown into a ‘garden of Eden’ draped in green with carpets of yellow flowers.

“True, the sun and the wind inspire. But rain has an edge. Who, after all, dreams of dancing in dust? Or kissing in the bright sun?  ” ~ Cynthia Barnett  

On our second day, at first light we left camp to go and explore The sun had not yet risen as we drove around the rock outcrop behind our camp. We often hear a leopard coughing from this outcrop before dawn. There is also a hyaena den close to this outcrop, on the opposite side to the camp. This particular morning we saw a kudu bull standing on top of the outcrop. I was quite surprised as any ‘get away’ would be very difficult. There must have been some very tasty bushes on top of this outcrop to attract this browser.

Sure enough not long after we saw the kudu bull we found this female hyaena on her way back to her den after a night of actively searching for food. Judging from her swollen teats, I presume she was suckling her cubs. Her face was still covered in blood so she must have been feeding earlier on a kill somewhere nearby.

As the sun climbed high in the azure Botswana sky we made our way down to the Majale river. There were still large pools of water in the river but it was no longer flowing bank to bank as it had been days earlier. Knowing how dry this part of the world can be in winter, the water in the river is a beautiful sight.

“Petrichor is that pleasant earth scent that accompanies a storm’s first raindrops. Of course rain itself does not smell. This smell actually comes from the moistening of the ground. Petrichor is a combination of fragrant chemical compounds, some of which are organic oils but mostly of which are from actinobacteria.”~Tim Logan

A male Steenbok lying in the semi-shade. This small antelope has large ears which were turned outward suggesting there were other sounds behind it. The ears rotate horizontally on the side of his head to locate the direction of the sound. This little antelope is a browser and survive the dry winter periods with minimal water as he gets his moisture from the vegetation that he eats. These little antelope are territorial and mark their turf on the ground with their defecation and scent mark bushes from the glands below their eyes.

Warm dawn light washes over the mist laden vlei in the south of the game reserve. It was quiet, still and colourful creating the sense that dawn held her breath for just a moment.

A scout came out of his underground labyrinth to see if it was safe for the rest of the family to come out. This male banded mongoose was on guard. Having seen us he decided the family should stay under ground until we left.

“If I have ever seen magic, has been in Africa.”~ John Hemingway

A young male kudu sitting down in the shade around mid-morning just up from the Majale river. His youth was evident in the partial first twist in his horns. He needed to be alert as he was vulnerable among the bushes near the river.

A family of warthogs. The male at the back watching out for his family with the female and her three semi-grown piglets watching us. The piglets had just been suckling when the parents suddenly realised we were watching them. This was a typical warthog family but they can extend to seven piglets. The presence of lion, leopard, hyaena and cheetahs in Mashatu are likely to trim any large warthog family.

“When life throws you a rainy day, play in puddles.”~ Pooh Bear

As we were making our way back to camp for brunch, we found this leopard tortoise enjoying a drink from a puddle of rainwater in the middle of the gravel access road. We stopped and watched his character drink his fill and wander back in the bush undisturbed.

This lioness had her cubs nearby but she saw the big lenses staring at her and reciprocated. This has happened many times with a large prime lens. The lioness must have just seen a large eye and was watching it extremely carefully for any sign of a threat. The size of her irises was small responding to the bright sunlight beyond the shade. Her stare was mesmorising and threatening at the same time. Once she had assessed there was no threat she relaxed and gave a soft grunting sound to call her cubs after which she got up and moved with her cubs for a little more peace and quiet, probably away from the stares.

Two young giraffe sticking together away from the parents. The tufts of hair on their ossicones signify their youth. The one on the right is a few months younger than the one on the left. Difficult to tell what sex they are as their leg positions hide the possible penal bump on the belly, if they were boys.

A bat-eared fox in a threatening posture with its fur fluffed out on its back and tail, and its back arched to make it look bigger. These diminutive foxes feed mainly on insects such as termites, scorpions and spiders preferring beetle larvae. They detect the underground larva with their large highly sensitive ears. Once located they use their paws to dig out their meal.

Steenboks are very vulnerable to most species of predators, from caracals, servals, jackals and leopards. Normally a Steenbok will remain dead still and use concealment as the main form of defense but as the last resort will dash away from the threat. This male Steenbok used the last resort option.

Late afternoon – busy day. This large young male baboon was just ‘chilling’ while the rest of the troop where foraging and “chemering” to each other. His reclined posture looked remarkably human-like.

The stillness of the morning was reflected in the mirrored surface of this large pool of water in the Majale river. A time of abundance.

A group of three female eland standing in front of a wide bent in the Majale river on a partly cloudy morning.

The dominant male in the group of eland. His darkening grey pelage indicates his age. Aging adults tend to lose their hair resulting in the overall colour becoming bluish-grey due to the skin reflecting through the coat. A longer tuft of dark blackish-brown hair covers the forehead of adults and is associated with a gland that secretes a strong, scented substance. The colour of this tuft in adult bulls changes to copper red-brown and becomes bushy with age, giving the appearance of a hairy proboscis known as the rostrum according to Deon Furtsenburg of GeoWild Consult. The clicks of his knee tendons were clearly audible as he walked. These clicks are signals to other males of the his size and fighting ability. They sound like castanets and can be heard a hundred metres away.

Ever stealthy, this young female leopard was lying in the cool dappled shade. It took the “eagle-eyes” of our guide Justice to see her lying under the thick green bush.

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” ~ Wayne Dyer

This Temmnick’s courser found a patch of soft soil in which to have a dust bath.

This wildebeest bull was vigorously defending this territory when we found him. He was chasing other males away from the females in his territory. He also must have dug his horns into the mud to make himself look bigger. I have seen eland and kudu doing this. It was fascinating to see how hyped up this character was.

Two lion cubs distracted in the midst of their play. Something caught their attention.

As we were driving back to camp after sunset we came across this Mozambique spitting cobra moving down from the rock outcrop toward the road. This cobra is around one metre long when fully grown and is most active at night. This snake’s back is varies in colour from slate to olive or tawny black in colour with some of the scales havimg black-edges. Its underside varies from salmon pink to purple yellowish, and it has black bars across the neck. The ventrals are speckled or edged with brown or black. Ventral scales are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck. This cobra is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa. It can spit its venom over three metres and usually at its victim’s eyes. It’s bite causes severe local tissue destruction much like that of a puff adder. Needless to say we just watched this character from a distance.

Sunset over the Majale river. I often find I have to pinch myself when I look at the colour saturated sky. It seems so other worldly. With every evening being so different, I could never grow tired of looking at such beauty.

Wandering around the “garden of Eden” is a humbling experience. The transformation took place without any human intervention. The change was miraculous and reminded me that I have much still to learn from the bush and the community of beings which live in the wild.

“A balmy evening bathed in saturated sunset colours, standing high on the bank above the quietly flowing Majale river. A bitterly cold drink in one hand and spiced cashews in the other. The warmth of friends animated chatter. The sky perfectly reflected off the water’s surface. The musical “queeto-queeto” of the last sandgrouse taking off and making their way home at last light. The male Scops owls starting his “bruuup” calling to his mate on this calm balmy evening. A hint that later that evening the Pearl-spotted owl would start his fluted whistling “tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu”. The perfect end to another intriguing day in Africa with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and peace.” ~ Mike Haworth

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu: Tawny paws

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Summer is not the easiest time for predators in Southern Africa. Having good rains means that there is plenty of water all around and the animals which usually need to come down to the rivers to drink in the dry season, now disperse.

“Stop for a moment. Hold your breath and listen. The breeze carries a distant roar. Instinctively you know it is his place. The roar sends shivers down your spine – a reflex from some deep primal memory. The roar is far way but his message is clear to family and foe.” ~ Mike Haworth

Occasionally, as we are driving along a dry river bed densely lined with trees, we come across a predator either walking in the shade or lying on the cool sand.

The Mashatu logo on the door of a game vehicle. Mashatu is a land of large beings – trees, birds, reptiles and mammals – Mashatu trees, Martial eagles and Kori bustards, African pythons and elephants.

When the game vehicles go out first thing in the morning, the guides usually radio each other to communicate what they have seen either that morning or the evening before. It must have been around 7h30 when our guide, Justice, found the dominant male lion in Mashatu. Often when one group of visitors moves on after having seen the animal, the animal moves on, and the next vehicle needs to a little time searching and tracking to find where it had moved to.

The length of the shadows indicates it was still relatively early in the morning when we found this male lion. The shadow was to the right of the broken bush indicating that it was morning light and he was still lying in the open signalling that, although warm, it was not too hot for him. He was not with his pride so must have been resting while out patrolling his territory. He has had a relatively easy time without too much competition. He banished some of his sons a few years ago and they moved north and west. There has been surprisingly little competition and he has a handsome unscarred face to prove it. The status quo is always fluid so the time for a take over is coming.

The next day we found two females with cubs. Judging from their size they must have been around three to four months old and still sucking. The females, when they are in the mood, are remarkably gentle and attentive.

When your mother bares her teeth like this, even in a yawn, best you know your place. Judging from the condition of her canines she was a relatively young mother. We found her and her cubs around 17h00 in the evening and she was yawning as she was waking up and getting ready to get going. An adult lion’s clock is opposite to ours. They usually sleep during the day when it is hottest and do all their moving and hunting at night when it is cool and they can exploit their competitive advantage to its fullest, their night vision.

Cubs of the same sex often begin life long friendships when they are in the pride. The male cubs friendship group often grows into a coalition after they leave the pride, The females usually stay in the pride and bond for life.

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”~ Plato

The cubs, of course, do not follow the adults’ pattern and can be very playful during daylight hours. They use each other as sparring partners where they build their coordination and learn to practice some of the moves that they have learnt from watching their mother.

Usually the lionesses are very patient with their cubs and even the other lionesses’ cubs. They can bite and pounce on their mother with little reaction. It is only when they have made their mother’s nipples raw with their sucking and biting do the mothers react firmly. The mother will often get up and walk away from the cubs to get a break.

“Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.” ~ Unknown

When you spend a little time watching the cubs, it becomes very apparent that they have different personalities. Some are thugs, some are shy and retiring and others are more pensive and like to watch all the action from a distance.

Hide and seek, tripping, tackling sand stalking are all part of the games that cubs play at this age to build strength and coordination and begin to hone some of their hunting skills. Every lion has different skills and this is typically they time the differences start to show.

Lionesses usually have two to three cubs in a litter. She has only four nipples, so any more than four cubs is problematic. The cubs are introduced to meat around three months of age and are unusually weaned after about 10 months of age. Lactating females are prepared to feed any of the cubs in the pride and only chase them away when their nipples are getting too sore.

“Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.”~ Heraclitus

Cubs grow quickly in their first year. They are able to walk under their mother’s stomach until about two months old and reach just below their mother’s shoulder height by one year old. When looking at these cute little characters, it is hard to accept that around half of them die in their first year and about 80% of youngsters do not make it to adulthood. In Mashatu, the survival rate is higher as there is not the same level of threat from wandering nomad male lions but there are plenty of hyaenas and leopards. It is also not beyond a Martial eagle or a baboon to steal a very small cub.

On our third afternoon in Mashatu, we were out on an afternoon game drive. Justice, our guide, found the two lionesses and their cubs in an open area between two croton groves. It was late afternoon and the light was a rich golden colour. The lion families were lying in the grass in the shade but eventually some of the cubs started wandering toward a small pool of rainwater which was close by. Cubs are always playful even when they are just walking together.

One lioness moved out of the shade of the large trees surrounding this open sand patch and walked down to the pond to drink. What was so impressive about our guide, Justice, was that as soon as the cubs started to move toward the pond he moved the vehicle. With excellent anticipation he moved the vehicle in the opposite direction to everyone else and got us into position with a clear view of the pond such that the direction of the sun illuminated the pond perfectly. We then just sat and waited. Eventually, after about ten minutes, the first lioness walked down to the pond for a drink with the rich golden light bathing her from the front.

There is just no substitute for accurate anticipation of animal behaviour and good light. The anticipation of animal behaviour comes from spending time watching them and slowly learning their ways .

Once the lionesses were drinking at the pond, the cubs inevitably followed. The one lioness on the right hand side objected to one of the cubs biting her haunches. It was a sublime few minutes when all the lions gathered alongside the water’s edge to drink in the rich saturated late afternoon light. These times last a few minutes then they are gone, but the memory lasts long after the light has faded.

We are fortunate to always see lions when we visit Mashatu and usually see cubs of various ages. I never take for granted the privilege of seeing these “tawny paws” given the drastic dwindling of their numbers in Africa. I also value that we see these magnificent predators in the wild, not in some form of human containment.

“Lions were once found on three continents but have since disappeared from 94 percent of their historic range. Now fewer than 25,000 wild lions are estimated to remain in Africa.” ~National Geographic

I am fortunate enough to visit Mashatu twice a year and it seems to me that the lion population is relatively stable. There is plenty of game which also sustains a large population of hyaenas in the game reserve. The dominant male lion has had a long run with his pride, with little competition. The time must be coming that younger males will eventually wander into his territory looking to take over. New males will most probably come from the Zimbabwean side on the east of Mashatu, as the north and west have villages and the south borders on South Africa which is mostly fenced.

“There will be three cats, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find a fourth, and the battle between light and dark will be won. A new leader will rise from the shadows of his death, and the clan will survive beyond the memories of his memories. This is how it has always been and always will be.”
~ Erin Hunter

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu: an avian wonderland

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Mashatu is a private game reserve located in south eastern Botswana which undergoes the most amazing seasonal transformations. This post is about the avians we saw when we visited Mashatu in mid-summer in February which is also the rainy season in the southern Africa.

“Travel in Africa is not always easy. Sometimes the journey is difficult but it is also punctuated with experiences which are so evocative that they linger with you forever.” ~ Mike Haworth

At that time of the year you get to see not only the resident avians but also the international visitors. Migrants include the cuckoos, Lesser spotted eagles, sandpipers, both European and Carmine bee-eaters and kingfishers such as the Woodland.

“The way to make your dream to come true is to wake up”. ~Paul Valery

At the summer solstice, the sun rises around 5h15 and rises one minute later everyday until the winter solstice, so by mid-February the sun was rising around 6H15. On our first morning game drive we drove to the opposite side of the vlei (marsh) which was blanketed in a light mist, which was cool air trapped in the vlei for a short period.

Guineafowl and Spurfowl declare their territory early in the morning. This character was standing on a dead tree trunk talking to the world. There were a few Helmeted guineafowl on the ground around him but he seemed to be gathering the troops.

If you make too much noise you cannot hear. So every now and then this guineafowl would stop calling and listen intently.

The mist evaporated as the morning began to warm up. It was certainly not cold when we started our drive. When we first drove into Mashatu, it was wet but still looked barren. A day or so later with rain and a little sunshine this was the result. Acres carpeted with these yellow devil thorn flowers. The devil thorns are the seeds which germinate into the plants which produce this beautiful yellow bush carpet. The devil thorns are very soft at this point and most of the herbivores love to eat the soft shoots and flowers. Once the devil thorns dry out it is easy to understand why they were so named. This is not a place you want to walk barefoot in the dry season.

“Outer beauty is a gift. Inner beauty is an accomplishment.”~ Randi G. Fine,

The Lilac-breasted roller is the most widespread of the African rollers. There are 12 species in total, of which eight occur in Africa. This gorgeous multi-vibrant coloured insectivore is endemic to southern Africa. The birds prefer live in open woodland and savannah country with well spaced trees. The conspicuous colour and behaviour of this roller has captivated people since ancient times. In Zimbabwe, the lilac-breasted roller is often known as Mzilikazi’s roller – its feathers having once been used to adorn the head-gear of the 19th century Matabele king, a Zulu who founded the Matabele kingdom in what is now Zimbabwe. Mzilikatzi was originally a lieutenant of the Zulu king, Shaka and who revolted against the Zulu king and was forced to retreat North.

“The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart.” ~ Helen Keller

Lilac breasted rollers are frequently seen perched on a stump or on top of a bush. They are perch hunters swooping down to catch insects, frogs and lizards on the ground. These rollers are highly territorial. They breed between August and February so we were looking out for their breeding displays but it was little late in their breeding season. It is always a thrill to see these rollers swoop from great heights in a high speed dive, rocking and rolling from side to side – their hallmark breeding display.

Mashatu has numerous Kori bustards. This is the heaviest flying bird in Africa. It can be up to 120 cm tall and has a wingspan reaching 275cm. It does not match a Martial eagle for power or the wingspan of a Wandering albatross (4metres) but it’s impressive nevertheless. It is an omnivore, eating both plant-like berries and animals like lizards and snakes. These birds are fundamentally walkers. Ground dwellers which would rather walk away from you than fly away. In breeding season the males inflate their neck and trail its wings and dances impressively in front of the female.

Soloman’s Wall is in the north west part of Mashatu game reserve. It is a vertical igneous dyke which formed a natural dam wall across the Motloutse river. The dyke decomposed over the millennia and was eventually breached by the river. For much of the year it is just a dry sand river bed but when the rains come it can flow from bank to bank. In mid-February there was still enough water in the river to make it impassable for all but the most intrepid off-road adventurer. Its vista was impressive sprinkled with cattle egrets flying across the water in front of the buttress.

Down on the banks of the river we found this Wood sandpiper very busy foraging for morsels in the sand. This little wader migrates down to southern Africa to escape the northern hemisphere winters. It can be confused with a Green sandpiper but has a darker brown face with white flecks and a white supercilium and short dark beak. The plumage on top of its head, back and rump is dark brown with white spangling. Its neck has dark brown spots and its belly and top of its legs are white. It has yellowish green legs. The Green sandpiper has shorter greyish legs and a more distinct brown to white transition between its breast and belly. It always a wonder when looking at these small waders how they manage to migrate such vast distances each year.

We were on our way back to camp after a successful morning’s game drive when, in a tall dead tree which had grown out of the large rock outcrop near camp, we saw a pair of African Hawk-eagles. We sat in the vehicle watching them for about ten minutes. This looked like a serious hunting party. Perched in a lofty lookout, both were very alert with the sun behind them. They have piercing yellow eyes.

“Memories of old Africa are punctuated with dust, sleeping bags around campfires and stories around told by the flickering flames. Hyaenas whooping and nightjars trilling all night long. Early morning walks where all the fragrances make your senses swim. Big blue skies and emptiness.”~ Mike Haworth

When I was around 10 years old in Zimbabwe, long standing family friends, the Condys had a menagerie of wildlife at their home across the valley in Harare. Dr. John Condy was the chief wildlife vet for the Zimbabwean Department of Veterinary Services. In the Condy’s garden down near the stables, John had series of chicken wire cages to hold various birds some of which were raptors. In one of the cages he had an African hawk-eagle called Nimbus. On one particular occasion, John Condy asked his son Mike and myself to go and feed Nimbus. So we dutifully went and got some mince and entered the cage. To my astonishment and horror this hawk-eagle went for us. Throwing the mince in all directions we hastily escaped from the cage. That was my first taste of how aggressive this raptor could be.

Eventually the female, the larger of the pair, took off from the dead tree right in front of us. This Hawk eagle is not as big as a Tawny or Fish eagle but it makes up for it with aggression. An African hawk-eagle pair is a cooperative hunting team where the one partner flushes the prey and the other ambushes the fleeing victim.

An African hawk-eagle has a distinctive shape, size and colouring. Being around 1.5kgs it does not have the bulk of an eagle. A Tawny eagle weighs around 2.3kgs and Steppe eagle at 2.7kgs. This hawk-eagle’s plumage is blackish on its upper parts and its breast and belly are white and heavily streaked with black. The female is larger than the male and was the first to take off and she flew between us and the rocks.

On another sortie out into the game reserve, we saw this White-backed vulture which was waiting in the early morning summer sun for the thermals to start developing. It would use the thermals to give it the cue to catch the thermal elevator to reach great heights it needed to start its aerial surveillance for the next meal.

Another early morning just after dawn looking across the Mashatu vlei. The promise of a colourful day ahead.

“There is a silence in the imminence of animals and also in the echo of their noise, but the dread silence is the one that rises from a wilderness from which all the wild animals have gone.” ~ Peter Matthiessen

A Red-billed hornbill with breakfast. There are four species of hornbill in Mashatu, the Red, Yellow and Grey billed hornbill and the Southern ground hornbill. We saw many Red and Yellow billed hornbills on this trip and heard the piping call of the Grey hornbill.

On our last morning in Mashatu, we were privileged to find a pair of Martial eagles. I have a penchant for raptors created from my schoolboy days at Falcon College in Zimbabwe. The first time I saw a Martial eagle was on a Sunday morning when a few of us from the ornithological society went out with photographer and now raptor expert, Peter Steyn, to check raptor nests. The Martial eagle nest we went to see was located at the top of a tall tree high on the side of a hill with a spectacular view looking down into a valley. I was a good tree climber so I was summoned to climbed the tree to see what was in the nest. It was a very tall tree with few climbing branches, I eventually manage to crest the nest and as I did I saw the fledged juvenile Martial eagle launch itself off the nest, open its massive wings, and soar down into the valley below. It was an experience I will never forget as, for me, it represented the ultimate physical freedom.

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
~ Ansel Adams

This male Martial eagle was in a tree some distance from his nest. He took off and in doing so broke off a large branch. These are powerful raptors. They are the largest raptors in southern Africa. Martial eagles can weight up to 3.7kg, much larger than Steppe eagles.

It was exciting to see a Martial eagle pair. They were building a nest as they tend to breed in the wet season. The female does the incubation but the male does not feed her, though he does help with feeding the chick. You can see the female is much bigger than the male.

Martial eagles are strategic hunters. They are excellent flyers and hunters. The last time I saw a Martial eagle hunt was at Chudob waterhole in Etosha. There was a large flock of guineafowl drinking at the waterhole around mid-morning. We saw a Martial eagle sitting in a large tree about one hundred metres to the right far away from the waterhole. This Martial eagle took off and flew away in the opposite direction to the waterhole. Far way from the waterhole it gained sufficient height. It must have been a couple of hundred metres away and suddenly it tucked its wings in went into a stoop. This Martial leveled out about 20 metres above the ground flying at such a speed that its sounded like a low flying Boeing coming past, such was the roar of the air over its wings. The guineafowl heard or saw the Martial eagle and the flock scattered. The Martial hit one guineafowl which was taking off and hit it so hard that its was dead before it hit the ground. Before the Martial had time to collect its prize, a Black-backed jackal which had been watching the hunt from the ground stole the fallen guineafowl. It is difficult to explain how thrilling it was to experience a hunt like this, it is beyond imagination, utterly thrilling.

The wonderful thing about these sightings in the bush is that they are unexpected and often trigger floods of memories of previous incidents in the bush. Intriguingly what you see often rhymes but is never the same. The behaviour rhymes but the context and scene is always different. Understanding behaviour is a critical part of anticipating wildlife interaction and anticipating what is likely to unfold in a scene is a critical success factor to achieve these exceptional wildlife images.

“Anticipation is a craft. It is about seeing ahead. Being prepared, getting into the right position ahead of time. It is about understanding and interpreting behaviour and knowing what to expect.” ~ Mike Haworth

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu: summer spots

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Mashatu is a private game reserve in south-eastern Botswana. We visited this diverse and prolific reserve in mid-February this year and were fortunate to do so one month before the lockdown.

“A river doesn’t just carry water, it carries life.” ~Amit Kalantri

Mid-February is in the midst of the rainy season in southern Africa. The wildness of the place was emphasised by the strongly flowing Limpopo river which prevented us from crossing into Botswana via Pont Drift, the closest border post to Mashatu. We had to detour via the Platjan border post which is about 110 kilomteres to the south west of Pont Drift along the Limpopo river. This was the only way to cross the mighty Limpopo into Botswana by road from this part of South Africa. The dirt road from Platjan was very rough with numerous wash-aways and deep rain scoured ruts.

“Rivers are roads that move and carry us whither we wish to go.” ~Blaise Pascal

On our way to toward Mashatu we were surprised how barren and still relatively brown the area looked, indicating that the rains had come late and had not had enough time to bring the bush to life and transform into its summer colours. Only after a day or two in the game reserve did we see the transformation begin. The brown barren looking open spaces metamorphosed into a green Eden carpeted in yellow devil thorn flowers.

Summer is a time of frequent thunderstorms, wet gravel roads, and avian migrants. It is also a time of luxurious, verdant greens and vast carpets of yellow flowers. The rains allow the herbivores to scatter and not be obligated to make the daily hazardous walk down to the river for water.

One predator we always want to see when we go to Mashatu is a leopard. Mashatu is known for its exceptional leopard sightings which occur most frequently along the Majale river. This is the largest of the three main rivers flowing through the Mashatu game reserve. The other two are the Matabole and Pitsani.

There is a high density of leopards along the Majale river due to the abundance of prey and massive trees along its banks which provide them with protection. Leopard sightings are excellent and frequent in winter but can be more challenging in summer. When the rains come in summer, the vegetation grows much thicker along the river making the leopards more difficult to see and the prey is more scattered so the predators have to work harder to feed themselves.

“In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.”~ Patti Smith

We often see leopards up trees, especially in Mashatu where there are enormous Mashatu (Nyala berry) trees, Jackalberries and Figtrees along the main rivers. For some reason, unknown to me, on this particular trip we only saw leopards on the ground and they were active in the late afternoon and early mornings.

On our second afternoon, we were driving in the southern area close to the Majale river through the Mustard bushes when we came across this female leopard. She was on the move and clearly following something.

“She is free in her wildness, she is a wanderess, a drop of free water. She knows nothing of borders and cares nothing for rules or customs. ‘Time’ for her isn’t something to fight against. Her life flows clean, with passion, like fresh water.” ~ Roman Payne

Leopards are by nature secretive and rely on stealth and camouflage so are seldom seen in the open. This female was using the Mustard bushes as cover and moving between them to get closer and closer to a single Steenbok she had spotted. This area was about 30 metres from the Majale river.

As she was stalking between the Mustard bushes she would stop and listen. Judging from the turn of her head, a sound to her left must have caught her attention and made her stop in mid stride.

“Sometimes when you lose your way, you find yourself.” ~ Mandy Hale,

This is a view of one of the small tributaries which feeds into the main Majale river. Although it was in the midst of the rainy season these tributaries only flow when there is excessive rain. Several of these tributaries flow through Croton forests. The atmosphere in these forests is cool providing relief from the summer heat and wonderful cover for predators.

The female leopard closed the gap between to around 20 metres before the Steenbok looked up and dashed away. These dainty little antelope have especially acute hearing, a sense which saved its life that afternoon. Only when you get into the bush do you realise that these animals have senses which are so much more finely tuned than ours.

After missing the Steenbok, our female leopard melted back into the undergrowth. In the shade, a leopard will disappear from sight and just sit and wait until the next hunting opportunity arises.

Two mornings later we were driving in the same area along the Majale river when we saw another young female leopard as we came around a cluster of large Mustard bushes. There lying in the open was this young female leopard. Quite relaxed and unfazed by us.

We sat and watched her for quite a while but it started to get quite warm so she moved into the shade of some nearby bushes. This gave her cover and allowed her to watch all the comings and goings around her from relative concealment.

“It is only upon reflection that we learn to see.”~ Mike Haworth

It is fascinating to watch a leopard for a reasonable period of time. It is as if her eyes were not fixed on anything in particular but her ears were constantly adjusting to locate the direction of the different sounds.

Leopards, although masters of stealth, are vulnerable on the ground due to the lions in the area, and Mashatu is also home to numerous hyaenas. This young female leopard must have felt relaxed enough to begin preening herself. You will seldom see a dirty leopard.

“Freedom cannot be bestowed — it must be achieved.”~Elbert Hubbard

She was a beautiful leopardess – relaxed, alert and deadly.

The leopard’s spotted pelage transforms into rosettes from the neck down and then turns back into spots on her stomach and lower parts of her legs. Her tail is also spotted.

A large Mashatu tree between a Apple-leaf on the left and a Leadwood tree on the right. These large trees provide refuge and shade for many animals from leopards to baboons, squirrels and numerous birds. This Mashatu tree was anchored onto the bank of the Majale river. This also give leopards a good vantage point form which to scout for prey.

On our last morning, we were driving along the Majale river at about 7h30 and suddenly Justice, our guide, stopped the game vehicle. Without saying anything he pointed to a spot on the far river bank about a hundred metres from us. We could not see anything. After carefully explaining where to look we finally saw this mature female leopard lying in the shade on the cool sand of the river bank. She had a good view of an extensive section of the river in front of her. Justice drove us to a point on the opposite bank which gave us a much better view and this is what we saw.

This female leopard lay on the river bank for about half an hour just watching and listening to everything around her. Eventually she got up and strolled back in the thick underground behind her. Without our guide Justice, we would never have noticed her lying in the shade on the far bank.

It is very seldom you will see more than one leopard at a time. They are solitary cats. The only time you will see two leopards together are when they are fighting or mating. Alternatively you many be lucky enough to see a mother with her cubs – that would be a real treat.

“A photograph is like a wormhole into a memory or vision. The colour creates the mood and contrast creates the attention.” ~ Mike Haworth

This trip turned into a treat as we realised would be lucky to see a leopard given the thickness of the bush in summer. I have been to Mashatu in summer and not seen one leopard during our stay. The one aspect about the bush you can expect is to see the unexpected.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Cheetahs thriving in Mashatu

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Mashatu Game Reserve is in south east Botswana adjacent to the Tuli circle. Today, Tuli is a village in Zimbabwe which forms the centre of a circle described by a 10-mile radius. The Tuli village was the base for early poineers into the then Rhodesia. The circumference of circle was described by the radius of the canon’s firing range which was positioned in the camp at the Tuli village. The southern half of the Tuli circle stretches south of the Shashe River into Botswana.

“There is a delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm. The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value. Conservation means development as much as it does protection.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Despite being a dry area for most of the year, this is an area of prolific wildlife and birdlife. We are fortunate enough to be involved in a private syndicate operating in Mashatu. One of the special features of Mashatu is its leopards but the cheetahs are also thriving in this private game reserve.

On our first afternoon game drive we found one of the female cheetahs with four sub-adult cubs. It was dusk, it was dry and dusty. The cubs were clearly tired.

The cheetah mother was ever alert. This is the the inbetween time when the day time hunters are looking for a place to sleep safely and the nocturnal hunters are just starting to get moving.

Stop for a moment and think how stressful it must be as a cheetah mother trying to constantly stay alert and keep your little ones alive. Surprises are dangerous and can be deadly in the bush. I am always so impressed with their independence and self-reliance.

“The wilderness holds answers to questions man has not yet learned to ask.” ~ Nancy Newhall

The next day, mid-morning and we found this lone cheetah male who had just killed an impala ram. It was hot and the kill was out in the blazing sun. This male was panting heavily. As all cheetahs do, they rest for a short while to catch their breath and then tuck in to their kill because of the high probability of it being stolen.

This male cheetah has started to feed and opened up the soft underbelly but he was clearly very hot and did not look under nourished so he just stood assessing what the odds were and tryed to decide what to do next.

Eventually he decided to retreat into the shade of a Shepherd tree. It was too hot and he was too tired to drag the kill into the shade. I always marvel at bush cats’ ability to lie on rough stoney ground in apparent comfort.

“The wilderness and the idea of wilderness is one of the permanent homes of the human spirit.” ~ Joseph Wood Krutch

Wild animals do not seem to have regrets or harbour their thoughts on what might have been. They take stock of the area and start looking for the next opportunity.

The four sub-adults were in prime condition, testament to an excellent mother. It would not be too long before they would be abandoned by their mother, as her teaching would be done. True empowerment with consequences!

But for now the shade and the company would do just fine while they regrouped and waited for the next opportunity to present itself.

These sub-adults looked relaxed but they were still alert and as soon as a distinct sound was heard they all turned around to locate it.

I watch wild mothers and see how they protect their young as best they can and even more importantly they empower their young and teach them the way of the world to ensure they can survive on their own.

“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”

“We must not only protect the country side and save it from destruction, we must restore what has been destroyed and salvage the beauty and charm of our cities … Once our natural splendor is destroyed, it can never be recaptured. And once man can no longer walk with beauty or wonder at nature, his spirit will wither and his sustenance be wasted.” ~ Lyndon B. Johnson

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike