We visited the northern section of Kruger Park in late April. It had been an extended wet summer season and the vegetation was verdant. Our first stop was Punda Maria camp, which we made our base for three days.

“Nothing but breathing the air of Africa, and actually walking through it, can communicate the indescribable sensations.” ~ William Burchell

There are three main drives around Punda Maria – Mahonie Loop, the Klopperfontein road (S60, S61) past the sacred Gumbandebvu koppies and the tarred road (H13-1) between Punda Maria Gate and Dzundzwini Hill.

Close to the Punda Maria camp, on the S60 heading towards Pafuri, lies the long, flat hill of Gumbandebvu. The hill is named after a chief who’s daughter, Khama, was reputed to have had the gift of rain-making. During years of drought, people from far and wide would bring gifts to Khama and implore her to bring rain. The story tells that she would slaughter a goat, prolonging its death cries so that the ancestors would hear the desperation of the people, and then climb to the top of the hill with bones and potions and implore the spirits to change the weather. Many people from this area today believe the hill is sacred and haunted. (Source: Siyaboga Africa).

“Anticipation is one of the magical aspects of a game drive. You just never know what is around the corner.” ~ Mike Haworth

Our first adventure was along the Mahonie loop. It is only about 30 kms but there is much to see and it can take many hours to complete. At the start of the Mahonie loop is this large Marula tree. The elephants have had a go at digging into its bark. During the dry season, elephants turn their attention to foraging from suitable species of trees, consuming leaves, twigs, roots and bark, and of course fruit and flowers when they are available.

After driving under the large Marula tree and another 100 metres further down the gravel road we found this elephant bull browsing on the leaves of another large Marula tree on the top of a low stony kopjie.

Further along the Mahonie loop, there is a wonderful view down onto the sandveld leading down to the Luvuvhu river in the middle distance. There were scattered clouds around but it was hot, well over 30 degrees centigrade.

A Burchell’s coucal was perched on a bush next to the gravel road. It had fluffed itself out to dry out after its skulking in the heavily dew-laden grass. This species of coucal has a beautiful ruby red eye. The fine barring on the upper tail coverts is a diagnostic feature of the Burchell’s coucal. The Senegal coucal looks similar but lacks the barring on its upper tail coverts.

Further along the Mahonie loop we stopped at the Maritube waterhole. There we found three old “dagga boys”, large old buffalo bulls, wallowing in a mud pool below to the waterhole. They rolled in the mud to cover themselves in it. The mud dries and acts as a form of skin protection from biting flies. One of the old “dagga boys” was enjoying a rub against a tree. Above his back you can see the amount of flies they have to content with.

A Lilac-breasted roller sitting on top of an anthill rubbed smooth by passing buffalo which needed a scratch. It was a perfect perch from which to hunt for insects disturbed by the buffalo wallowing in the mud close by.

A massive baobab tree which had lost almost all of its leaves in early autumn. The baobab tree is an icon of the African continent and probably the most recognisable tree too. This long-lived, majestic tree is the source of many traditional African remedies and lies at the heart of local folklore. Baobab trees grow in 32 African countries. Many lists of the oldest trees confine their classification to single-trunked plants that produce annual growth rings. These kinds of trees are easier to date. Scientists called dendrochronologists focus on assigning calendar years to tree rings and interpreting data within those rings. These long lived angiosperms (flowering plants with fruits) reach up to 30 metres high and up to an enormous 50 metres in circumference.

“Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.” ~ Sir David Attenborough

The Baobab is endemic to Africa and prefers the dry and arid areas. It is a succulent, which absorbs water during the rainy season and stores the water in its vast trunk, and produces a nutrient-dense fruit in the dry season. By virtue of its life saving offerings in the dry winter, it has became known as “The Tree of Life”.

A Purple roller perch hunting from the dead branch of a tree. Its elevated position gave it a good view of its surroundings and insects disturbed by animals. Its upper parts are mainly dark olive-green and the rump is a blue-purple. The closed wings look dark rufous and the tail is square. The sides of the head and underparts are a pale purple-brown, with heavy white streaks. This roller prefers well wooded dry areas.

A wild foxglove beautifully backlit in the early morning light. Despite its beauty, the entire wild foxglove is poisonous to animals and humans.

After having travelled along the Mahonie loop, we decided to venture around the Kopperfontein loop which is off the S60 which links with the main road from Shingwedzi camp to Pafuri. This is an interesting seven kilometer loop but the main feature is the Kopperfontein dam which is fed by the Shikuwa river which, in turn, is fed by a large catchment area.

Klopperfontein is a spring which was named after a hunter who camped in this region while on hunting trips before the park was proclaimed.

Northern Kruger is home to numerous large Baobab trees. They seemed to be in different stages of undress. Some still had all their leaves while others were leafless. The Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is southern Africa’s most distinctive tree by virtue of its great girth, fleshy trunk and widely spreading crown. There are many African legends around the origins of the Baobab. One such legend holds that a giant child of the gods once pulled the Baobab out of the ground and then stuck it back upside down, which accounts for its root-like branches.

On average, Baobabs start to flower and bear fruit at the age of about 20 years. Most Baobabs flower once a year and the flowers last for one day. Baobab flowers are beautiful large, white chiropterophilous flowers, which means that they evolved specifically for bat pollination. Baobabs are fertilised by beetles, hawkmoths, bats and bushbabies. Throughout Africa it is thought that bats are their main pollinators.  A science project conducted by Dr Sarah Venter, founder of the Baobab Foundation, together with her colleagues in 2020, found that bats were not pollinating Baobab flowers in South Africa. The research team is currently analysing Baobab nectar and scent in order to help them understand what role these characteristics are playing in determining what and how Baobab flowers are pollinated across Africa. After fertilisation, the ovule forms a seed and the ovary develops into a fruit pod. So each flower may produce a single fruit pod with many seeds if fertilisation is successful. The fruit pods are equipped with very tough shells. The seeds are embedded in a white pulp. The pulp can be diluted in water and drunk. It is rich in Vitamin C.

A dainty Emerald-spotted wood-dove foraging for grass seeds in the sand on the side of the gravel road. This wood-dove has its characteristic emerald green wing-spots, two rows of iridescent green spots on each wing. It also has blackish bands on the lower back and tail. When it takes flight, the underside of its wings are a beautiful rich ochre colour.

Once we arrived at Kopperfontein dam we found this elephant bull standing in the shallows at the edge of the dam. He was squirting water from his trunk onto a wound on his side. It was obviously troubling him. It looked like a piece of branch or a large splinter of some sort.

We had been watching the lone bull for about half an hour while quietly drinking a cup of coffee when he was joined by a group of four large bulls. The biggest was this magnificent bull. He was well on his way to becoming one of Kruger’s big tuskers.

“In a world where everything is changing so fast, there is something reverent about seeing a a big tusker. He is breathtakingly big. To attain his stature requires wisdom, intelligence, and an ability to adapt.” ~ Mike Haworth

A “big tusker” is a male bull elephant with tusks that weigh over 50kgs (110lbs) each. Tusks of that size are usually longer than two metres in length. Long enough to scrape along the ground when the elephant walks.

A SANP survey in 2017 revealed 12 previously unknown tuskers in Kruger National Park. A dozen of the 28 elephants assessed met the criteria to be considered “potential tuskers”. Their tusks typically weighed more than 50 kilograms (110 lbs) each.  According to Sanparks, there are 25 big tuskers in the park at present. When a new tusker is identified, current policy requires that he be named after his home range or characteristics unique to the individual tusker.

We watched the five large elephant bulls drink from the dam for about half an hour. The largest bull appeared to be the leader. When he had finished drinking he walked a few metres from the water’s edge and stopped. He waited for the others to finish drinking then turned to walk back into the bush and the others followed.

After a spellbinding hour or so at Kopperfontein dam all on our own with the elephants we decided to slowly make our way back to camp. The next image is of another magnificent giant in Kruger. This was an especially tall Baobab.

One reason Baobabs are thought to live so long and become so enormous is because they grow new stems, much like other trees grow new branches. Over time, these stems fuse into a ring-shaped trunk structure with a cavity in the middle. Over the course of a day the baobab’s girth can expand and shrink by several centimeters, based on water loss and absorption. When a dry period is followed by a hard rain, the trunks can swell rapidly.

Whenever we drive past a Baobab we are always on the look out for a leopard peering out from the shadows between the branches. We often see elephants standing in the shade of these giants.

“Advice from a tree: Stand tall and proud, Sink your roots into the earth, Be content with your natural beauty, Go out on a limb, Drink plenty of water, Remember your roots, Enjoy the view.” ~ Ilan Shamir

The next post from this trip will explore and discuss the Mphongolo loop which stretches loops off the H1-7 at Babalala and runs along the Mphongolo river to rejoin the H1-7 a few kilometres above the Shingwedzi camp.

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

Have fun, Mike

We only spent three days in Tiger Canyon private game reserve. It felt like much more because we saw and experienced so many different aspects. This is a unique private game reserve. Unique because of its raison d’être, its location, its wildlife and its diversity.

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Tiger Canyon exists because a few far-sighted people believed they could create a separate Tiger gene pool outside Asia. They also participated in the Endangered Wildife Trust’s metapopulation breeding pool project to bring cheetahs back from the brink of existence. It has taken and will continue to take bravery, dedication, diligence and investment to create and sustain this environmental project.

This reserve’s actions are having a keystone effect. A keystone species is a species which has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance, a concept introduced in 1969 by the zoologist Robert T. Paine. New species have been introduced and some species have been reintroduced after having been absent for 100 years. Interest in the idea and the place is growing.

“There is a love of wild nature in everybody, an ancient mother-love showing itself whether recognised or not, and however covered by cares and duties” ~ John Muir

Tiger Canyon is in the southern edge of the Free State in South Africa, just above the Vanderkloof dam, which is in fact a lake that extends for some 50 kilometres to the west. It is the second largest dam in South Africa. The reserve is in the Karoo ecosystem. The Great Karoo is a natural wonder of endless plains and fascinating rock layers. It is one of the world’s most unique arid zones.

The Tiger project is thriving. There are currently 17 tigers resident in the reserve and there are now three generations of tigers that have been raised in the reserve in the wild.

There is abundant natural fauna. While looking for tigers we caught the attention of this magnificent kudu bull.

As an avid avian enthusiast I was keen to see what birdlife was present in the reserve. One unique bird is the Blue Korhaan. It is medium sized with a large head, long neck and long legs. Both sexes have a striking bluish-grey neck and underparts, while their upper are dull chestnut in colour. The legs and feet of both sexes are yellow in colour.

Despite many similarities the sexes of the Blue Korhaan are dimorphic. The male Blue Korhaan usually has a black and white face and chestnut ear coverts. The adult female Blue Korhaan has similar colours but her neck and underparts are dull grey, and the ear coverts are buff.

Coursers prefer the warm and dry areas of Southern Africa. We found numerous Double-banded coursers in the main enclosure which is essentially open grassland. These desert dwellers have a range of physiological and behavioural adaptations that enable them to thrive in such harsh areas, especially in relation to the lack of water. They are cryptically coloured and superbly camouflaged in its arid surroundings.

“The Wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask.” ~ Nancy Newhall

We followed a tiger wandering through the grass plain in one of the primary enclosures. These enclosures are large – greater than 1000 hectares.

This was a first for me, I had never seen a Golden wildebeest before. The Golden wildebeest is a rare variation/mutation in colour from the Blue wildebeest. Golden Wildebeest naturally occurred along the Limpopo River basin, adjacent to the Tuli-Block of Botswana. Early farmers in the 1920’s, called them “Vos Wildebeest”.

A Bokmakierie happily calling from a bush covered in spider’s web.

The Cape Ground squirrel is found in the drier parts of southern Africa. Ground squirrels eat bulbs, fruits, grasses, herbs, insects and shrubs. They forage daily but unlike other squirrel species do not hoard food. The Cape Ground squirrel usually does not need to drink as it gets sufficient moisture from its food.

Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve is a member of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Metapopulation Project. Here the cheetah offspring are relocated to other reserves within the Metapopulation in a bid to help increase the cheetah numbers and keep the genetics clean.

These open grasslands are ideal for a variety of species of lark. This Red-capped lark is a medium-sized, slender, pipit-like lark. It has a distinctive white eyebrow, a diagnostic brick-red crown that can be raised like a small crest, and reddish sides to the chest.

An Ant-eating chat is a stout dark brown chat with an upright posture. It flies fast on short round wings, exposing bold white patches in the outer webs of the primary feathers which are diagnostic. These chats prefer open grassy country, especially near dense collections of termite mounds. It can be found sitting on fences, rocks, or low bushes looking for ants, termites, and other invertebrates to feed on.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”~Henry David Thoreau

Rufous-cheeked warbler sitting and singing from the top of a leafless sickle bush. This is a long-tailed, pale prinia-like warbler with a rufous facial patch on the side of the head and a neat black band across the throat on otherwise white underparts. These warblers avoid trees, preferring arid open shrubland on sparsely vegetated plains, where they can forage on and among low shrubs.

A pair of Blue cranes in the main tiger enclosure where there are large open grasslands. We found this pair in the long grass early in the morning where the male was displaying for his mate. The Blue crane is also known as the Stanley or Paradise crane. The national bird of South Africa, the Blue Crane, is endemic to southern Africa with most of its range falling in South Africa. It is the world’s most range-restricted crane. This crane’s plumage is pale grey colour, with the lightest tones on head and darkest on the tertial plumes. Their long tertial plumes are diagnostic, which almost trail on the ground, as are their rounded heads and differently shaped bill; and in flight by the outstretched neck. 

A late afternoon scene with two young tigers walking through the grassland to drink at Shellduck dam.

We were also fortunate to go out one evening for a night drive. There was a whole other world active in the Karoo at night. We saw the tigers patrolling. The guineafowl were roosting the few decent sized trees. We saw numerous springhares but they are relatively small and difficult to photograph in the long grass at night. We came across two aardvarks both of which were very skittish. I was amazed to see how fast one of the large adult aardvark could run. Aardvarks are known to reach speeds of just over 40 kms per hour and are surprisingly agile, being able to zigzag at speed. We also saw several aardwolves foraging in the long grass but they too were skittish.

A young tiger enjoying the cool water in Shellduck dam in the late afternoon.

A female Grassveld pipit feeding its youngster. Like all members of the family they are slender, short necked birds with long tails, long slender legs with elongated (in some cases very elongated) hind claws. The length of the hindclaw varies with the habits of the species, more arboreal species have shorter, more curved hindclaws than the more terrestrial species. The bills are generally long, slender and pointed. In both size and plumage there is little differences between the sexes.

A female cheetah savouring her springbok kill in the open grasslands of the large cheetah enclosure.

On our last morning game drive we found a pair of young tigers in one of the eastern enclosures. The female was trying very hard to encourage the male to mate with her but he was too laid-back to take much notice. They were lying near a stream which was surrounded by lush vegetation and it was lovely and cool.

This post has illustrated a small selection of the remarkable diversity that can be found at Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve. We visited this fascinating private game reserve in summer. I am interested to go back again see how different the vegetation and wildlife behaviour will be in winter. This place has a surprising diversity of flora, fauna, ancient geology, and is steeped in history.

“… there’s a silent voice in the wilderness that we hear only when no one else is around. When you go far, far beyond, out across the netherlands of the Known, the din of human static slowly fades away.” ~ Rob Schultheis

The Karoo is a land of extremes. Winter days are crisp and cold with blue skies and bright sunshine while nights are clear with wonderful starlit skies. In summer, temperatures can reach over 35℃ with hot sunny days, occasionally interrupted by spectacular thunderstorms which bring the majority of area’s annual rainfall. During winter in the Karoo (June to August) the afternoons are mild and sunny, with an average temperature of 17°C/63°F. Nights and early mornings, however, are very cold and average just 3°C/37°F.

“One who will not accept solitude, stillness and quiet recurring moments…is caught up in the wilderness of addictions; far removed from an original state of being and awareness.” ~ T.F. Hodge,

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

Have fun, Mike

Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve’s objective is to conserve and create a separate gene pool for two endangered big cats, the tiger and the cheetah. This game park also boasts a diverse range of mammals such as aardwolf, aardvarks, serval, caracal, Bat-eared fox, Cape fox, Grey mongoose, springbok, zebra, blesbok, kudu, wildebeest and wild horses. There is also an impressive range of birds in the reserve.

“The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those have not viewed the world.” ~ Alexander von Humboldt

Tiger Canyon’s cheetahs are the first to return to this indigenous habitat in over 100 years. Due to the encroachment of sheep farming, there have been no free-roaming cheetahs in the Free State since the early 1900’s.

“The beauty of Africa is not man made, it is natures gift to humanity.” ~ Paul Oxton

Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve is a member of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Metapopulation Project. As part of this project, cheetah offspring are relocated to other reserves within the Metapopulation in a bid to help increase the cheetah numbers and keep the genetics clean (Source: https://tigercanyon.com/wildlife/).

We watched an adult cheetah chase down, catch and kill an adult springbok. The chase was unusually long so the cheetah did not start to eat immediately but lay next to its kill until it had caught its breath.

“This curious world we inhabit is more wonderful than convenient; more beautiful than it is useful; it is more to be admired and enjoyed than used.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

These close up images of an adult cheetah were possible because the cheetah in the reserve are habituated.

We were in the cheetah enclosure around mid-morning on our second day of our stay in Tiger Canyon when we saw this cheetah walking towards a small herd of springbok a few hundred metres away in the long grass with its head down showing intent. The enclosure is massive, probably over 1 000 hectares. The terrain is open and reasonably flat but the grass was relatively long after the good summer rains at the start of the year.

Cheetahs are visual hunters and hunt predominately in diurnal hours when most of the competing big cats are resting.

Once the cheetah had got its breath back, it started to drag its kill a few metres away from where it killed the springbok. There was no shade for the cheetah to pull its prey into to get some relief from the heat of the direct sun.

A cheetah is capable of reaching speeds over 110 kms per hour in just over three seconds. The cheetah’s unique body structure: flexible spine, semi-retractable claws, long legs and tail enable it reach speeds over 100km per hour. The cheetah’s tail is long and flattened in the central section and acts like a rudder at high speeds.

Cheetah are naturally wary predators especially when they have just made a kill. This cheetah fed for a short period then sat up and carefully looked around to ensure there was no encroaching threat.

A blood soaked muzzle. Cheetahs have relative a small head, small ears and high set eyes. The shape of the head and the position of its large eyes facilitate maximum binocular vision. The large nostrils and lungs provide quick air intake necessary for their rapid acceleration and high speed run – which lasts for around 30 seconds. This facial structure also allows this cat to breathe while suffocating their prey.

Cheetah have distinctive black “tear marks” that run from inside the corner of the eyes along the nose down to their mouths. The “tear marks” help in reducing the sun’s glare during daytime hunting. These lines are also thought to act like sights on a rifle which help the cheetah aim when they are running at top speeds after their prey.

Although this cheetah was habituated when anyone got too close to it – and particularly its kill – it snarled and hissed a warning to back off.

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN red data list. Cheetahs face extinction pressure from climate change, hunting by humans, and habitat destruction, which is reducing the size of their populations. Cheetahs’ genes also pose a challenge to their continued survival. Cheetahs have a low rate of reproductive success. With fewer offspring, the population struggles to grow and adapt to changes in the environment. (Source: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/cheetahs-brink-extinction-again/)

The Cheetah Metapopulation Project was initiated by the Endangered Wildlife Trust in 2011. The project supports cheetah populations in several small reserves, most of them private. While relatively safe in these small reserves, the likelihood of inbreeding remains high. In the wild, cheetahs are wide-ranging carnivores that exist in low densities. By swapping animals between participating reserves, the project helps private and state wildlife custodians to manage overpopulation and underpopulation on their land and identifies new areas of suitable cheetah habitat.

South Africa is home to around 1 300 of the world’s roughly 7 100 remaining cheetahs. It is also the only country in the world with significant cheetah population growth, thanks largely to the Cheetah Metapopulation Project, a conservation project that depends on careful and intensive human management of small, fenced-in cheetah populations. In 2020, there were 419 cheetahs across 60 reserves. (Source: theexpeditionproject.com). Most of the reserves that take part in the Cheetah Metapopulation Project are privately funded. The majority of them rely heavily on tourism revenue to fund conservation.

“Right or Wrong Don’t know

But those things don’t give me Money,
But gives Satisfaction

It consumes my time,
But gives me happiness

Those things can’t give me Future,
But I can’t live without them

These things can’t give me fame,
But adds value to my life

So Conservation is life”
~ Kedar dhepe

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

Have fun, Mike

After spending three days in Mokala National Park, we continued our journey down to Tiger Canyon Game Reserve. This reserve is located 25 km west of the town of Philippolis positioned on the Free State side of the Van der Kloof dam in the Karoo of South Africa.

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

Tiger Canyon is a conservation project to preserve the remaining Bengal tiger species. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) there are about 4 500 tigers left in the wild. This reserve has the only wild population of tigers outside of Asia.

The reserve was established by conservationist John Varty (JV). It is an ex-situ experiment which began in 2000 with the rewilding of two captive-born cubs, Ron and Julie, which JV acquired from a zoo in Canada. The first step was to see if these cubs could be rewilded in Africa, and learn to successfully hunt indigenous game in the long grass and rocky outcrops of the Karoo. This rewilding process worked with JV teaching the cubs to survive and hunt in the Upper Karoo region of South Africa. The two founder cubs thrived encouraging the later introduction of two more captive-born cubs, Shadow and Seatao. Once adult, these four tigers went on to establish a breeding population which over last twenty years resulted in 11 wild tigers and 11 wild-born cubs at Tiger Canyon. The first wild cubs were born at Tiger Canyon in 2008. In 2014, two new tigers were introduced to diversify the genetic line.

“The world is waiting for a new direction. One based on Nature.” ~ John Varty

Varty’s partner in the project, Rodney Drew, first visited Tiger Canyon in 2009. Inspired by the project, Rodney and Lorna Drew purchased adjoining land in order to expand the reserve. Tiger Canyon now comprises 6 100 hectares. The Drew’s are now major shareholders in Tiger Canyon and Rodney is the managing director.

Since 2017, IUCN has recognised two tiger subspecies, commonly referred to as the Continental tiger and the Sunda Island tiger. All remaining Island tigers are found only in Sumatra, with tigers in Java and Bali now extinct. These are popularly known as Sumatran tigers. The continental tigers currently include the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese and Amur (Siberian) tiger populations, while the Caspian tiger is extinct in the wild. The South China tiger is believed to be functionally extinct. (Source:https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger).

I have tried to name the tigers shown in the images by matching their facial striped pattern of the tigers presented in https://tigercanyon.com/our-tigers/. Apologies to our Tiger Canyon guides, Adi Stander and Daniella Kueck, if I have got the names wrong.

Father Kumba and daughter Ziyanda. I wanted to show the relative size of a fully grown adult male tiger – massive. The adult male tiger is much larger than a fully grown male lion. Tigers are the largest felines in the world and can reach up to 12.5 feet in length (including the tail) and up to 650 pounds. By contrast, lions tend to weigh between 330 and 550 kilos and measure between 6.5 and 11 feet. Interestingly, lions have longer tails than tigers.

The Bengal Tiger is the most common subspecies of tiger, constituting approximately 80% of the entire tiger population, and is found in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal. The tiger, Panthera tigris, is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The largest of all cats, the tiger once occurred throughout central, eastern and southern Asia. In the past 100 years, the tiger has lost more than 93% of its historic range and now only survives in scattered populations in 13 countries, from India to Southeast Asia, and in Sumatra, China and the Russian Far East. (Source: https://www.iucn.org/news/species/).

The next image is of young tigress, Ziyanda, walking through the long grass in the one of the large enclosures in the late afternoon. There are several enclosures which are in some cases over 1000 hectares and designed to separate groups of tigers and the cheetahs from the tigers.

According to Tiger Canyon, the number of resident tigers varies with time and expanded to 26 at one point and reduced to a low of 10 at another point. The size of this private game reserve will have to be expanded if its tiger population is to be increased sustainably.

Early in the morning, we found the young male Indra and his sister Ziyanda in the main enclosure. Tiger Canyon Game Reserve comprises 6 100ha of prime Karoo landscape divided into separate territories for the wild tigers and cheetahs to thrive in and survive. The main enclosures are at least 1 000 hectares and stocked with herbivores ranging from zebra, and wildebeest to impala, springbok, blesbok and warthog.

Oria, an adult female tigress backlit in a rocky outcrop. She was on her own and appeared to be deliberately separating herself from her adolescent youngsters.

Oria walking across a rock outcrop in the early morning. She was watching her two youngsters lying in the long grass about a hundred metres away.

Oria, a full grown tigress. She was in her prime and looked to be in superb condition and thriving in the grasslands and rock outcrops of the Karoo.

Indra, a young male tiger watching his sister walking towards him through the long grass. The light changes dramatically in the Karoo depending on the time of day offering many photographic opportunities. Tigers generally gain independence at around two years of age and attain sexual maturity at age three or four for females and four or five years for males.

Kumba is a full grown male tiger. When he was not patrolling the fence line protecting his territory from the males in the adjacent enclosure he was patrolling his enclosure. I was struck by how big he was the first time I saw him.

Adolescent male Indra, drinking from Shellduck dam in the late afternoon. He was watching his sister approaching.

Adolescent cubs, Ziyanda and Indra, drinking from Shellduck dam in the late afternoon.

Tigers love water and are inquisitive so any movement in the water attracted Indra’s attention.

After drinking at Shellduck dam, Indra walked off to climb on a small rock outcrop to gain a vantage point from which to lookout over the grassland and keep an eye on us.

It is surprising how well camouflaged the tigers were in the Karoo’s long grass. This young male tiger was hiding in the “middelmannetjie”, the grass ridge in the middle of the vehicle track. He was waiting to ambush his approaching sister.

A young male tiger looking south east across one of the large enclosures in the late afternoon. These tigers roam entirely wild in these large enclosures, hunting, mating and fighting.

The elderly tigress, TiBo, lying on an outcrop of large rocks early in the morning. TiBo was in her own enclosure for her own protection.

TiBo could watch all the activity outside her enclosure from a high outlook point. White tigers carry a regressive gene which yield a white pelage and fawn to pale blue eyes.

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is most recognised for its dark stripes against an orange background. Less well known are three other pelage color variants: white, golden and stripeless snow white. The white tiger is a polymorphism that was first seen among wild Bengal tigers (P. t. tigris) in India, with white fur and sepia brown stripes. The golden tiger, also first sighted in the jungle in India, has a blonde color tone with pale golden fur and red-brown rather than black stripes. The snow white tiger is almost completely white, with faint to nearly nonexistent narrow stripes on the trunk and diluted sepia brown rings on the tail. (Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/cr201732)

Lions and tigers are two different species. They look different, they have different lifestyles, they vocalize differently, and they generally live on different continents. Yet when they are brought together artificially, they can interbreed. Such hybrids are called tigons and ligers. The offspring of a male lion and a female tiger is called a liger. The offspring of a male tiger and a female lion is a tigon. Tigons and ligers generally are sterile and short-lived — an evolutionary dead end. 

“At first encounter, the Karoo may seem arid, desolate and unforgiving. But to those who know it, it is a land of secret beauty and infinite variety” ~ Eve Palmer

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

Have fun, Mike

Mokala National Park is located in the northern Cape which is a large land locked province in South Africa with low rainfall. Given its position it is in the transition zone between the Kalahari and Nama Karoo biomes. As such it dictates the type of birds you are likely to see in the park.

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” ~ Chinese Proverb

We found many European rollers in Mokala, many more than its Lilac-breasted cousin. The European roller does not have the tail-shafts seen on the Lilac-breasted and Racket-tailed rollers. Rollers put on a flight display much like the lapwing where it twists and turns creating a sense that it is rolling, hence its name.

Its blue and brown-coloured plumage is the most distinctive feature of the European roller. This bird breeds in Europe in the northern hemisphere summer and winters in sub-Saharan Africa. It covers over 10 000 km on its migratory route. This is the only species of roller to breed in Europe. Rollers prefer to perch prominently on trees and bushes looking for large insects, small reptiles, rodents and frogs to prey on. The diet of adult rollers is dominated by beetles.

A Southern Pale Chanting goshawk is identified by its red-orange coloured legs, beak and cere. Its plumage is a lighter grey than its northern Dark Chanting cousin. The male vocalises during the breeding season. He will perch at the top of a tree and call to the female in a series of “kleeu-kleeu-kleeu-ku-ku-ku” chants.

The Southern Pale Chanting goshawk is distributed throughout South Africa but its dark cousin is distributed mainly in the Limpopo and North-west provinces of South Africa, northern Namibia, northern Mozambique, northern Botswana and throughout Zimbabwe.

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

A Steppe buzzard usually hunts by gliding down from its conspicuous perch. This individual was standing on its perch near Stofdam keenly watching for any potential prey. The Steppe buzzard differs from the Forest buzzard in that the Forest buzzard has more white on its belly and breast. It also prefers forests and thickly wooded areas while the Steppe buzzard prefers open areas.

Sociable weavers build their metropolis in Camelthorn trees. The next image shows one example of many to be found in Mokala. Where there are Sociable weaver colonies you are likely to find a Cape cobra and Pygmy falcons. Sociable weavers build large compound community nests. They are large enough to house over a hundred pairs of birds and last several generations.

Red-billed oxpeckers sitting on the neck of an old darkened giraffe. The adults have a distinctive red beak and red eye with a yellow eye-ring. The adult’s plumage is dark brown on its upper parts and a beige colour on its neck and belly. The juvenile will develop the red beak and colourful eyes. Oxpeckers have short legs but strong sharp claws which enables them to cling to their host. The Yellow-billed oxpecker has a stouter beak and uses a pecking motion to extract ticks from hosts, whereas the Red-billed oxpecker uses a scissor-like action.

A Shaft -tailed whydah which refused to turn around and face us. During the breeding season the male has black crown and upper body plumage, golden breast and four elongated black tail shaft feathers with expanded tips. After the breeding season is over, the male sheds its long tail and grows olive brown female-like plumage. This species imitates the song of the Violet-eared Waxbill, which it parasitises. All Indigobirds and whydahs are brood parasites.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

The next image is of a female Red-backed shrike. In the female and young birds the upperparts are brown and vermiculated. Underparts are buff and also vermiculated. This is probably a juvenile female as it has not yet developed the black eye band evident in the adults of this species. Shrikes like to perch prominently on the tops of bushes, fence posts and telephone wires, where they have a good view of potential prey. Items caught are then taken to a larder where they are impaled on a thorn or wedged in a fork.

An adult male Long-tailed Paradise whydah dressed up in all his finery. In Mokala, this species is at the southern most reach of its southern African distribution. The breeding male has a display flight in which he holds his two wide short black tail feathers erect. Like a Pin-tailed whydah, he hovers over females in a slow bobbing flight which makes his long tail flow up and down in a mesmerising display. This species of whydah parasites Green-winged pytilias.

A Cape wagtail foraging for insects around the edge of Stofdam. This wagtail has dull grey upper plumage and a creamy-white breast and belly plumage. Like most wagtails it has a black collar and has a characteristic stride while wagging is tail up and down. There are six species of wagtail in South Africa.

A female Yellow canary. The male and female are dimorphic with the female having grey-brown upperparts, black wings with yellow flight feathers, a yellow rump and a pale supercilium. The underparts are white with brown streaking. The adult male colour ranges from almost uniform yellow in the northwest of its range to streaked, olive backed birds in the southeast. The underparts, rump and tail sides are yellow. This canary is abundant in the western and central regions of southern Africa. This is a gregarious seed-eater.

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” ~ Socrates

You can expect to see Pygmy falcons in Mokala. We saw several individuals along the main road between Mosu and Lilydale camps and along the Matopi and Kameldoring loops. This is the smallest bird of prey on the African continent which prefers dry habitats. It is the size of a shrike. This falcon preys on reptiles and insects and sometimes small birds and rodents.

In Southern Africa the Pygmy falcons have a symbiotic relationship with Sociable weavers. The weaver give up one of their nest chambers in exchange for a degree protection of their colony. These tiny falcons help deter predators, such as snakes, from the weaver colonies. The Pygmy falcon uses a nest in the Sociable weavers nest structure to roost and breed. The temperature variation is huge between night and day in the dry arid regions of Namibia, Northern Cape and western Free-state. The Sociable weaver nests regulate the birds’ environmental temperature and keep air cool in summer and warm in the freezing nights of winter. Pygmy falcons are not the only raptors occupying Sociable weaver nests, as Secretary birds and Giant Eagle owls also nest on top of deserted weaver nest structures.

We had a short three day stay in Mokala. This was not long enough to do it justice and see all this small national park had to offer.

Given its conservation and breeding orientation and that fact that it is in a biome transition zone, these features make it a unique park to visit. It is not a “big-five” park but it does offer buffalo and rhino. Spending a little longer in the park may yield sightings of Wild cat, Caracal, Aardwolf and Bat-eared and Cape foxes. Over 200 bird species have been recorded in Mokala so we only got to photograph a very small selection. We will definitely be returning to this fascinating park.

“It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility. ” ~ Rachel Carson

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

Have fun, Mike

Mokala National Park is South African National Parks most recently established national park. It was constituted in mid-2007. Mokala is a Setswana name for Camelthorn. This park is located in almost the centre of South Africa in the northern Cape about 80kms south of Kimberley. The northern Cape is a dry region with hot summers and relatively low rainfall.

“You cannot leave Africa, Africa said. It is always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; our drumbeats counting out your pulse; our coastline the silhouette of your soul.” ~ Bridget Dore

The ecosystem in the park is characterised as a transition zone between the Kalahari and Nama Karoo biomes. The landscape comprises large grass covered plains contrasted with low ridges and hills. These ridges and hills are formed by andesite larva outcrops and dolerite dykes.

Mokala is also characterised by its soils. The soil types vary from the Hutton red sands to the yellow Clovelly soils. There are sections which are stoney and most of the pans are very clayey.

The major conservation attraction of Mokala is it is a breeding reserve for several rare large herbivores such as Roan antelope, Sable antelope, Tsessebe, disease-free buffalo and both Black and White rhinoceros.

“Wilderness gave us knowledge. Wilderness made us human. We came from here. Perhaps that is why so many of us feel a strong bond to this land called Serengeti; it is the land of our youth.” ~ Boyd Norton

Mokala guarantees sightings of ungulates that are rarely spotted in other parks. Roan and Sable antelope, Livingston’s eland, Tsessebe, Mountain reedbuck and Black wildebeest can be seen in this park. There are no elephants in the park and no predators larger than jackals, and that includes hyaenas. There are wild cats, caracals, genets and even aardwolf. This is not a Big Five park, so for wildlife enthusiasts this is a fascinating place to visit.

A Cape ground squirrel foraging on grass seeds next to the road just below where we were staying at Mosu camp. This squirrel prefers open dry savanna. It is distinctive for its bushy tail which it uses as an umbrella. This squirrel is mainly herbivorous eating grass, roots and bulbs which it collects with its long sharp front paws claws.

The Cape ground squirrel has sharp incisors and strong long claws on its front paws to dig for roots and bulbs.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do” ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.

A vigilant Yellow mongoose. It dashed across the gravel road only to stop midway to stand on its back legs supported by its tail. This mongoose had a good look around before venturing off the other side of the road. The Yellow and Slender mongooses are found in Mokala.

A Scrub hare sitting in the late afternoon light in the gravel entrance to the waterhole at Stofdam. The afternoon sunlight illuminated this hare’s ears showing all the blood vessels. The Scrub hare’s leverets are born thoughout the year with birth peaking between November and April each year. The leverets are born ready to fend for themselves although parental care does allow suckling for a short period during the night. The large eyes indicate that this hare is mainly nocturnal.

A Leopard tortoise crossing the gravel road. The bony, convex, upper section of the shell is the ‘carapace’ and the flat, lower part of the shell is called the ‘plastron’. The markings of the shells vary with age and wear. The shell is made up of numerous small bones which are covered by separate plates of keratin called scutes. As a tortoise grows, extra layers of keratin are added underneath the existing layer, creating “growth rings”. These growth rings give an indication of age but are not always a sign of annual growth. The Leopard tortoise is distinguished by its high, domed shell with its distinctive yellow and brown spots and radiating circles.

An old warrior. This old eland bull had a broken right horn. His dark coat signaled his old age. Apart from a short rough mane, the eland’s coat is smooth. Females have a tan coat. The male’s coat is darker, with a bluish-grey tinge. The Livingston eland bull has a series of vertical white stripes on their sides (and is found mainly in parts of the Karoo in South Africa). Males also have dense fur on their foreheads and a large dewlap on their throats. This eland bull did not have the whitish stripes on its side so looked to be a Common eland not a Livingston’s eland which can also be seen in Mokala.

A young giraffe calf with the remains of its umbilical cords on its belly. This stout youngster was not far from its mother. There are supposedly no predators larger than jackals in the park, so no lions or hyaenas. It is hard to believe that leopards have not moved into the park given the abundance of food and lack of predator competition.

A South African giraffe. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) have divided the giraffe in Africa into nine subspecies based on range. Each subspecies also has a different pelage pattern. Giraffe thrive in Mokala with all the acacia fauna. There are no elephant in the park so the acacias and camelthorns remain intact.

“Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Mokala is known to contain both Black and White rhinos. We did not see any Black rhinos which gravitate more towards the hills. Apart from the difference in the shape of their upper lip, with the White rhino having a square upper lip and the Black rhino having a prehensile tapered upper lip, the White rhino has a flattish back with a bump near the middle, and a large elongated head. The Black rhino is smaller and has a concave back. It has a rounded head and its horns are more upright.

On the Matopi loop we found this female White rhino and her calf. The White rhino prefer the open grasslands where their big broad square upper lip is suited to cropping grass. With White rhinos, the calf usually runs ahead of its mother whereas with the Black rhino, the calf follows behind its mother.

This Tsessebe was having a great time digging it horns and forehead into the mud patch in the middle of the road. In fact the road has detoured around these mud wallows. We came across numerous mud wallows used by ungulates, warthog and rhinos alike. The Tsessebe rut takes place from mid-February to March, and is a time when the bulls perform displays as a part of the mating ritual. The Tsessebe is reddish-brown in colour on the upper body and withers and has a dark face with purplish splotches on the shoulders. Tsessebe is a speedster who can run at a speed of 60 km/h.

A mature male Sable antelope striding through the long grass adjacent to the main road from Stofdam to Lilydale camp. Sable prefer areas of light woodland such as “miombo,” which is a mixture of bush and grassland. These antelope have have beautiful dark brown to black coats which have a slight ochre hue in the sunlight. This male has a major sweep of his scimitar-shaped horns. The older dominant bulls have an even larger sweep of their horns. You can also tell this is a male from his penal bump on his belly.

“It’s Better to Travel Well than to Arrive” ~ Buddha

Both males and females have ringed horns which arch backwards. In females, these backwardly arched horns can reach 61–102 cm, while in males they can be much longer from 81cm to 165 cm in length.

Sable calves are born reddish-brown, with virtually no markings. As they age, the white markings appear, and the rest of the coat gets darker. The older the animal, the more striking the contrast. This antelope is usually found near water, in areas with good drainage and good grazing.

We only saw Roan antelope on our first morning in Mokala at the end of the Matopi loop just below a rocky ridge. Although similar to the Sable, the Roan Antelope has a rufous-grey colouring. It has a different black marking on its face and although bigger in stature, its ringed horns are shorter and less curved than those of the Sable.

This was a young adult Roan antelope lying in the long grass in the shade under an acacia. The long tasseled ears of the Roan antelope are diagnostic as is the black-and-white facemask. Like Sable, the Roan antelope must drink regularly and inhabit areas where water is easily accessible.

This blue wildebeest bull had been rolling and mud-packing in the red Hutton soil.

A close up view of a Blue wildebeest bull in the early morning light. His preorbital gland is clearly evident just below his eye. This gland is rubbed on branches to deposit his scent. Both males and females have a preorbital gland. Mokala also has Black wildebeest but we did not see any in the short time we were there.

The next image shows a warthog boar leaving the remains of a springbok carcass. Warthogs are have a varied diet. They normally eat highly nutritious roots and bulbs but will supplement with bones, soil and stones for their mineral content. They are known to scavenge both the meat and stomach contents from a carcass.

A very young Greater kudu calf stopped in the middle of the road startled by our vehicle. We did not see its mother but she must have been close by in a thicket just off the road.

“The important thing is to never stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing” ~ Albert Einstein

The young kudu bulls appeared to have started “mud-packing”. Even for the young males, once the smell of estrogen reaches them, they start showing off. They are sometimes seen thrashing their horns through mud and bushes. It makes them highly visible and demonstrates their status to each other and the females.

A Red hartebeest seen on Matopi loop. This character had made himself even more red by digging his horns into the red Hutton soil. Red Hartebeest are well adapted for the harsh drier areas. Their narrow muzzle is well suited to picking the best shoots in the tuffs of grass and for occasional browsing.

Remarkably his eyes were clear of red soil. The males of some antelope, like Greater kudu, Eland, Tsessebe and Red hartebeest, are known to rub their horns in mud to make them look bigger and more intimidating. This behaviour is called “mud-packing”.

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” ~ Anonymous

One of the more intriguing aspects of Mokala is the different morphs of springbok which can be seen. The next image is of a Black Springbok in a small herd of normal-coloured springbok. We could not get close to a Black Springbok to get a really good image.

We were also able to find a Copper springbok. This young male had the copper coloured pelage. The copper or caramel colour replaces the white found on the belly of the Common Springbok below the side stripes.

“It is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.”~ Martin Buber

Copper Springbok is a rare mutation in colour from Common Springbok. Other than the colour variation it has all the same characteristics of the Common springbok. The Copper springbok is unique among the colour phases in that the colour mutation can repeat itself in the first generation.

There are only three species of zebra in sub-Saharan Africa. The Plains zebra inhabits the open savanna plains, the Mountain zebra which prefers mountainous terrain, and the Grevy zebra found in east Africa. The term “Plains Zebra” encompasses the species as a whole. There are subspecies such as Burchell’s. There is no agreement among scientists how many “subspecies” there are.

Quagga were a sub-species of the Plains zebra that were native to southern Africa, but were killed off in the 1880’s to preserve grazing land for settlers. The Quagga Project, based out of Cape Town University, used DNA from pelts along with selective breeding to bring the species back into existence using zebra as surrogates. The brown shading has been showing more with successive generations along with reduced striping. With their white flanks and back legs, they were easy to identify. The Quagga Project is an attempt to use selective breeding to achieve a breeding lineage of Burchell’s zebra (Equus quagga burchellii) which visually resemble the extinct quagga (Equus quagga quagga). (Source: http://www.quaggaproject.org)

The Quagga Project started in 1987 as an attempt by a group of dedicated people in South Africa to bring back an animal from extinction and reintroduce it into reserves in its former habitat. DNA analysis has shown that the Quagga was not a separate species of zebra but in fact a subspecies of the Plains Zebra (Equus Quagga) The Quagga, formerly inhabited the Karoo and southern Free State of South Africa. The name “Quagga” is an onomatopoeia from the sound the Quagga makes. 

We visited Mokala in mid-February. There had been good rains in that area and the park looked verdant green with extensive healthy grass plains for the herbivores. The heavy skies created a wonderful moody backdrop while the sunlight illuminated the foreground.

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

Not only did we see rare mammal species in Mokala but it also has some interesting avian offerings which I will show in my next post on Mokala.

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

Have fun, Mike

Summer in southern Africa is a time of warm evenings, hot days, rain and moody skies with thunder cloud build up in the afternoons. The rains normally begin in December and continue until April. The warmer wetter weather attracts summer avian palearctic migrants from as far as Russia. It is a time of bounty for the wildlife, especially the herbivores.

“Go to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, and find out.” ~ Rudyard Kipling

The next image was taken looking north east into the glare of the early morning sun from the Mashatu side of the Limpopo river. The river was flowing full but not in flood. The Limpopo meets the Shashe river at Shalimpo which is about 15 kilometres down river from where the next image was taken. When these two rivers are in flood there is a huge volume of water flowing along the South African-Zimbabwe boundary and on into Mozambique sometimes with devastating effects.

Looking west up the Limpopo river without the glare of the early morning sun. At this point, the Limpopo river is banked by South Africa on the south and Botswana and Mashatu on the north side. Although the earthen banks of the Limpopo are steep in places this river does, when in flood, burst its banks. Back in 2013, the Limpopo river burst its banks pouring a massive volume of water onto its flood plain in Mashatu. The flood waters reached well beyond the vlei about a kilometre from the normal course of the river.

Some mornings we were unsure of whether to go out for a game drive as the rain clouds were threatening. Of course this is just the time a wildlife photographer wants to go out as it offers unusual colours and moods and the wildlife behaves differently. The next image shows the cloud build up in the west which created a wonderful moody and threatening atmosphere.

“Jobs fill your pocket but adventures fill your soul.” ~ Jamie Lyn Beatty

On the south side of Mashatu lies a vlei (marsh) which becomes a wetland in summer. The low earth embankment serves as a dam wall which holds back big pools of water. These seasonal pools of rain water attract many species of waterfowl and waders. This dam wall is about a kilometre from the Limpopo river.

A view looking west across the vlei towards the red sandstone ridge which stretches for many kilometres from Mapungubwe in South Africa to Mmamagwa and Soloman’s wall at the far west boundary of Mashatu.

Down at Figtree crossing on the Majale river is a rocky section. It forms a bend in the river which holds deep pools of water in summer. This is a favourite part of the river for leopards. Late in the afternoon, the west bank is cast in shade affording wildlife some respite from the afternoon sun.

“How many times have you noticed that it’s the little quiet moments in the midst of life that seem to give the rest extra-special meaning?” ~ Fred Rogers

Early one morning down at the vlei’s dam wall. We were parked on the wall looking at a pair of Fish eagles in a large dead tree when a flock of White-faced Whistling ducks flew in front of the dead tree to land on the dam wall. The large trees in the background are Mashatu trees, Leadwoods, Figtrees and Apple leafs which were growing close to the Limpopo river.

As the sun sets over the horizon we usually stop for sundowners. While the colours of the sky in the sunset are wonderful often by looking behind us the colours and scene can be just as beautiful and often more moody. The following image is of the moon rising partly obscured by clouds.

“Travel doesn’t become adventure until you leave yourself behind” ~ Marty Rubin

The impala rutting season is usually around April-May each year. The rutting is where males fight each other for the right to mate with the females. Successful mating usually results in a spate of new impala births around November-December to coincide with the rains and new grazing.

This is a view looking south across the vlei toward the large trees lining the Limpopo river. The edge of vlei close to the large trees is a favourite place for elephant families to forage. Beyond the trees on the South African side of the Limpopo is the sandstone ridge which runs through Mapungubwe National Park and Mashatu.

Leopards use these horizontal boughs of the large trees along the rivers to lie and sleep on. They usually spread their legs either side of the bough and look supremely comfortable. These boughs are high off the ground away from most diurnal threats except baboons.

The sandstone ridge runs from Mapungubwe in South Africa across the Limpopo river into Mashatu and on to Mmawagwa and Soloman’s wall on the far west side of Mashatu. In the sandstone ridge there are large dolerite intrusions which form massive rock outcrops.

Mapungubwe lies on the opposite side of the Limpopo river to Mashatu in a basin, called the Limpopo Mobile Belt, between two cratons (a large section of stable crust). About 250 million years ago the crust began to shift along the belt and molten rock from the mantle was pushed up through cracks in the sandstone. The molten rock formed dolerite dykes. Once the sandstone eroded away, the harder dolerite left behind created regular shaped ridges. These features can be seen in Mapungubwe National Park and Mmamagwa Hill on top of which can be found the so-called “Rhodes Baobab”. Solomon’s wall is an example of a vertical dolerite dyke which formed a dam wall across the Motloutse river. Over an extended period the dyke weathered to the point where the river breached the dyke. The two sides of the breached dyke either side of the Motloutse river are now called Solomon’s wall. (Source: South Africa.co.za/mapungubwe-geology.html).

” The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust

Mashatu is a place of great diversity. There are several different ecosystems. The area is steeped in history and the geology records a place of much change over the millenia. Wildlife lovers, photographers, botanists, ecologists, historians and geologists alike will find this a fascinating place worth exploring. Although Mashatu is Botswana soil, the dynamics of the area are strongly influenced by both South Africa and Zimbabwe.

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

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu Nature Reserve offers the photographer and wildlife lover endless fascination.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” ~ David Attenborough

The Limpopo river was flowing full. The first image was taken from the Mashatu side of the river looking west. The earth embankment shows how high the river level gets on occasions. There is a significant flood plain on the Mashatu side of the Limpopo river, the flatness of which allows the river, when it has burst its banks, to reach above the far side of the vlei which must be around a kilometre from the normal river course.

A pair of White-fronted bee-eaters which were hawking insects from a dead branch. The White-fronted and Little bee-eaters are resident in Mashatu. The Carmine and European bee-eaters are summer migrants.

We had great fun photographing the White-fronted bee-eaters flying from this perch, to catch insects, and then returning to the same perch. They did not always return to the same perch but they did often enough to encourage us to stay and try to photograph them.

Unlike the White-fronted bee-eater the Carmine bee-eater is an intra-African migrant. We saw many Carmines in the reserve in summer enjoying the feast of insects brought out by the rains and warm weather.

Each day we visited a Bat-eared fox den which we had found some distance above the vlei. The parents had three pups. When the wind blows they tend to flatten their ears to reduce the roaring sound of the wind. The sandy den entrance was surrounded by wild flowers creating a beautiful and peaceful scene.

“It is that range of biodiversity that we must care for – the whole thing – rather than just one or two stars.” ~David Attenborough

A Lesser Spotted eagle, one which did not fly away when we go fairly close. The stove-pipe leggings and size are diagnostic features of this predominately insect eating eagle.

Mashatu has several ecosystems. In summer the pans fill with rain water which attracts birds and animals alike. These spots can be very productive for wildlife photography.

“Your life requires your mindful presence in order to live it. Be here now.” ―~ Akiroq Brost

A summer migrant from Europe. There were many White storks in Mashatu in summer, all enjoying the bounty of insects in the grass and open plains.

I think there are two or three pairs of Saddle-billed storks resident in Mashatu. They can usually be found in the vlei or foraging in the river beds. This female Saddle-billed stork is identified by her yellow eye ring and she no yellow wattle under her beak. The male has a black eye and a yellow wattle under his beak.

The water filled pans attract waders of all sorts. This was a young member of a family of Kittlitz plovers foraging on the edge of the pan.

In the same pan as the Kittlitz plover family, this lone juvenile Marsh sandpiper was enjoying foraging in the shallow waters which offered rich pickings.

It was mid-morning and we were driving in the sand bed of a tributary which led down to the Majale river. In an open clearing in a croton grove we came across a leopardess relaxing with apparently not a care in the world.

There was also another vehicle at this sighting but she was completely relaxed and took no notice of either vehicle while we watched her for about 20 minutes.

“Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment.” — Deepak Chopra

Leopards look completely relaxed but they could react to a threat or hunting opportunity in an instant. Don’t ever be fooled!

She was a beautiful leopardess, majestic in her prime. Confident in her knowledge and capabilities.

The dam wall at the east end of the vlei in Mashatu. In summer it holds back water making large pools which attract waterfowl, pelicans and storks. I have never seen the water higher than what is shown in the image below other than when the flood broke the dam wall many years ago.

A breeding herd of elephants making their way out of the Croton grove feeding on the lush grasses in an open clearing. They must have been down at the Majale river to drink and bathe.

A lone lioness lying in the shade in the Majale river bed. This is the coolest place to be as the moist sand also helps her keep cool. It was still fairly early in the morning so she was relatively alert.

“Always hold fast to the present. Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I have been to Mashatu many times over the past 12 years and never grow tired of climbing on the game vehicle full of expectation of what I will see in the next few hours. The wildlife sightings and photographic opportunities are many and varied.

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” ~ Alice Morse Earle

There is also a benefit from getting to know a place intimately. The wildlife is dynamic and the weather is ever changing so I am always seeing different sightings in different places with the weather creating different moods and colours.

“Wherever you are be all there.” ~ Jim Elliot

In my next post from this trip to Mashatu I will show the different moods which Mashatu offers.

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

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu Nature Reserve is a private game reserve in the Tuli Bloc and is located in the south east corner of Botswana. It is a place of great contrasts and offers an unusual and remarkable diversity of ecosystems and wildlife.

Our family is fortunate to be part of a closed syndicate whose camp is located along the Limpopo river in Mashatu. The camp is positioned next to a large outcrop of rocks which gives the camp its name.

“We live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.” ~ Philip James Bailey

Everyday, weather allowing, we go out on two guided game drives, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In this post I decided to show the eclectic mix of sightings we were privileged to see on just one morning game drive. Each game drive provides wonderful photographic opportunities and the chance to be immersed in the bush with all its colours, sounds and smells. No game drive is ever the same. You see different wildlife in different places doing different things each time.

In summer, we gather on the veranda of the camp’s main lodge for a cup of coffee and a rusk at around 5h30. We are on the game vehicle and off out of the camp by 6h00. It is light by then and affords us approximately four hours on the game drive.

“The world is a great book, of which they that never stir from home read only a page.” ~ St. Augustine

This particular morning we had been travelling for about 15 minutes and were near the landing strip when we came across a clan of Spotted hyaenas. The clan has a den in the rocks near the camp so we hear them most nights with occasional visits by them while we are telling stories around the camp fire after supper.

The adults in the clan were still out hunting at first light.

The adult hyaenas picked up on a smell of the remains of a kill the night before perhaps from a leopard or lion. The older members of the clan have a well worn muzzle which gives them an even more unnerving look.

Very close to where we saw the hyaenas, who eventually found a few remaining bones from the carcass, a herd of blue wildebeest were watching the hyaena with interest as they had young among them. A group of the young bulls started advancing towards the hyaenas but were careful not to get too close.

We travelled further north above the vlei (marsh) where we found a family of Bat-eared foxes enjoying the warmth of the early morning sun.

The Bat-eared foxes were skittish so we did not try to get too close to them. This is where the long focal length lenses help.

“We are all too much inclined, I think, to walk through life with our eyes shut. There are things all round us and right at our very feet that we have never seen, because we have never really looked.” ~ Alexander Graham Bell

One of the Bat-eared foxes was watching a Steppe buzzard intently.

This Steppe buzzard which was the focus of the Bat-eared fox’s attention looked to have found a grasshopper or field mouse which it was feeding on.

Another Steppe buzzard had just taken off with its tail and wing feathers spread wide for maximum lift at low speed. Steppe buzzards are summer migrants like the Lesser Spotted and Wahlberg’s eagles.

On this particular trip we saw an unusual number of Lesser Spotted eagles. Although eagles, they feed mainly on insects such as flying ants and grasshoppers. We saw many of them down near the vlei. They are also skittish and do no like you to get too close. The stove-pipe like leggings are a diagnostic feature of this species.

In recent trips to Mashatu we have regularly seen Lanner falcons. They are usually solitary. Lanner falcons are fast and agile flyers and usually hunt by horizontal pursuit; they take mainly bird prey in flight.

“None but the ignorant can be bored by life. To the lovers of learning, life is pure adventure shared with adventurers.” ~ Pearl S. Buck

By around 9h00 it was already getting hot. The weather was variable with quite a bit of cloud around. Nevertheless, this leopard must have had a busy night because it was already asleep on a horizontal bough in deep shade high above harm’s way.

Near the Majale river we found many Village indigo birds. The Village indigo bird is identified by it back plumage and red beak. This is a small bird the size of a waxbill.

On the ridge between the vlei and the Majale river came upon a herd of Burchell’s zebra. One mare was lying down asleep while her two family members watched over her. This type of behaviour is more often seen among foals. You can identify the Burchell’s zebra by the brown shadow stripe in between the black stripes on its coat.

This was lucky shot of a Kurrichane buttonquail. This character happened to stop in the road to see what we were doing. Normally they flush at the last moment and you just see their backs as they fly 10 to 20 metres into the grass on the side of the road and are lost from view.

“We live in a mystery. Our lives have flowed from exploding stars, from tides of time and gravity beyond our ken.” ~ John Daniel

We got back to camp around 10h00. By now the sun was high and light was getting harsher. As we were driving past the rock outcrop outside camp we saw a family of Klipspringers. The adult male was on lookout. We saw several species of herbivores on top of the rock outcrop including zebra and wildebeest.

A female Klipspringer with her young appeared in the shadows. It is always intriguing to see these unique herbivores standing on what appears to be tip toes. Klipspringers are extremely agile on rocks with their unique hooves.

The sub adult Klipspringer settled down in the shade with its attention firmly focused on the Rock hyraxes running around on the rocks in front of him.

Back in camp around mid morning, we had breakfast together while chatting about all the sights and experiences we had during the game drive. The camp overlooks a waterhole so the game viewing continues all day with great views from the veranda of the camp’s main lodge.

After brunch everyone relaxes and we get together around 15h30 for the afternoon game drive. We were lucky enough to do this for six days.

“Be brave enough to live creatively. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can only get there by hard work, by risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful: Yourself.” ~ Alan Alda

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

Have fun, Mike

Mashatu is known, among many other things, for its wonderful leopard sightings. Most of the sightings take place along the Majale river or in the drainage lines feeding into the Majale. The Majale is the main river coursing through Mashatu Nature Reserve and it is seasonal. In the summer, December to March, the rains create numerous pools of water in this meandering river. Even in the rainy season it seldom flows bank to bank. The rains also fill up the pans so the wildlife spreads out and does not need to come to the Majale to drink.

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

Along the Majale is a selection of large Mashatu trees (Nyala berry), Leadwoods and Apple-leafs which provide ample shade and places for leopards to lie in the heat of the day, and there are also many Croton groves in which leopards can hunt.

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

Late one afternoon our guide, Justice, was driving the southern bank of the Majale. We had been following the meandering course of the river driving under all the large Mashatu trees looking for leopards. We also drove through the Croton groves where leopards can sometimes be found lying on the ground in the shade of the Croton bushes. Eventually travelling west we arrived at Figtree crossing. There lying among the rocks in the afternoon shade next to one of the remaining pools of water we found a solitary young male leopard.

This leopard, after spending some time just looking and listening, got up and went down to the water’s edge for a drink.

There were no baboons around so he got to drink in peace. Nevertheless he was alert and looking around while he was drinking.

After sating his thirst he got up and started walking east along the dry riverbed.

The late afternoon light cast a warm hue of golden light over the northern bank which was reflected in the remaining pool of water.

This young male leopard eventually climbed up the northern bank. He looked ready to hunt rather than just patrolling his territory. Regularly he would stop and just look and listen.

“In stillness lives wisdom. In quiet you’ll find peace. In solitude you’ll remember yourself.”~ Robin Sharma

The vegetation away from the northern bank of the Majale was verdant and gave him plenty of cover. As he wandered along the edge of a Croton grove he stopped in mid stride to listen to something that caught his attention.

After wandering for about 20 minutes he eventually climbed the trunk of a fallen acacia tree. This tree was probably pushed over by elephants but the fallen trunk gave him an elevated view of the surrounding area.

It was dusk and the light was fading fast. There was plenty of cloud so the late afternoon light would break through the cloud for fleeting moments. The leopard found a comfortable spot to lie down and just look and listen. In the distance he could hear baboons barking which made his ears turn back slightly. The baboons were far way, so there was no encroaching threat to him.

It is a real privilege to sit quietly and just watch a leopard sensing its environment.

This young male appeared relaxed and from a distance his coat blended in with the fallen tree remarkably well. In the fading light, if we had not seen him climb into the fallen tree trunk we might have not seen him at all. 

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

Young male leopards are usually chased away from the rich hunting ground along the Majale river by the mature males. The older males are considerably more secretive and less used to the game vehicles.

We spent an entrancing hour with this young male leopard. We did not need to get too close because I was using a long camera lens so while he was aware of us he ignored us.

“Can you be alone without being lonely? Can you spend time by yourself without craving noise or company of other people? Have you discovered the glory of quiet time spent alone, time spent listening to your soul? Solitude brings with it gifts that come from nowhere else.” ~ Steve Goodier

We usually see leopards in the early morning or at dusk. Often at dusk, a leopard will come down from his arboreal shady resting place and lie on the ground gathering himself for the night’s hunting. Last light is often a good time to see leopards come down to the pools of remaining water in the otherwise dry Majale riverbed. The baboons are usually making their way to the trees where the troop will sleep so the leopards are less likely to bump into a troop of baboons at last light. The early mornings can be quite a different interaction where the leopards have to be more careful.

Have fun, Mike