April Week 3 Highlights

We were greeted by a male and female white rhino on Main Mac as we left camp. The female moved off but the male was quite intent in occupying the road. 



A female steenbok was found close to Main Mac. She was very relaxed as she browsed on vegetation.



The lion viewing this week has been fantastic. The old lioness with the seven month old male cubs was found near Windmill Kruger.



Later in the week they were once again found in the Day One River. We watch as all three leapt across the water.



Towards the end of the week they were located on the north eastern side of Brass Monkey Donga. 



One of the Mapogo Males was located on the clearings at Nkombe Dam. We arrived at nightfall and we were treated to the male roaring. This has to be the most spectacular sound that one can hear at night from the African bush.



Tlangisa has been seen up near the Sand River. She killed an impala ram close to a large termite mound. She feed on it for a couple of days, only to be chased off the kill by Xikavi. Female leopard don’t enjoy intrusions from strangers.

Tlangisa was watching her kill being devoured from the safety of a nearby marula tree.



Xikavi was later seen rolling in buffalo dung. This behaviour is normal as they like to mask there sent with the dung of large herbivores.

The Balabas male leopard was lying up on a termite mound on the western firebreak near Kelly road.


Shinzele was chased up a marula tree by four lions, male and female.



The Banded Legged Golden Orb spiders are gradually disappearing as they seek refuge from the approaching winter.


The following morning four Ground hornbills were perching in an old tree. These birds are rarely seen outside of protected areas.


Male cheetah tracks were found on Main Mac. After tracking the animal, he was found resting on a termite mound. 

Late that afternoon, Makamisa was lying up on the clearings at Mackenzie Windmill with a full belly.



The wild dog sightings have been great. We followed the pack to Gorman’s kaya were they crossed Newington Road. They killed a young Nyala before heading west to the den.



A young bull elephant was in full musth. He seemed quite relaxed as he walked towards up on Dumfries road,

The large herd of buffalo was seen on Johnsons Mumba Drift. A Red-Billed Ox-pecker was on the back of a male buffalo.

As we crossed Little Serengeti / Main Mac junction Metsi and her two cubs were heading east. We followed them to an impala carcass. As usual there was a lot of competition at the carcass.



The Kishane male attempted to kill a large male warthog. He missed and the warthog made a furious escape.



We had a very close sighting of a male hippo at Schotia Dam. He seemed quite relaxed close to the vehicle.



The pregnant female Burchels Zebra still has not given birth. She looks extremely uncomfortable.



After tracking a male giraffe we had a great sighting. The tall male was blind in one eye, but was very relaxed.



The birdlife at this time of the year is still prolific. Cattle Egrets, Lilac-Breasted rollers seem regularly.

A juvenile Martial Eagle was seen at Shona-lee Dam.

April Week 2 - Highlights

The week started off with a fantastic sighting of a male hippo at cheetah Flats Pan. The male launched himself out of the water. Then he left the water and proceeded to yawn and exposed his large teeth.


The Rhino sightings have been great with both groups of males and females. We enjoyed watching a female wallowing in a mud pool on the southern end of Mackenzie airstrip.

Metsi and her cubs are doing very well. She killed an impala ram. After collecting her cubs they returned to the carcass. They cubs were very playful and full of energy. It seems that as the impala rutting season approaches the rams are preoccupied to the extent that they are becoming easier prey as four other leopards also made impala ram kills in the last week.


Tlangisa has been walking great distances. She was found in the drainage line between Mikes and Elephant loop. She came upon another leopards kill. After carefully stalking it she dragged it to a tree. The following morning the Mapago's found the carcass and stole it from the leopard. Two of the brothers climbed the tree in spectacular fashion and fought over the carcass before it fell to the ground and the third brother claimed it for himself. The tree afterwards bared the scars of the heavy cats having hauled themselves up it, but they did manage to get back down and the carcass was finished in seconds. 

Tlangisa moved off and climbed a nearby tree, watching the lions devour her meal and perhaps hoping there might be some scraps once they moved off. She was far move relaxed once the lions moved off. We found her later on resting in a marula tree


We went to follow up on Shinzele in the afternoon and found him happily feeding on an impala ram. With plenty of food he remained in the area until the next day but when we went back we discovered that he had been joined by the Hippo Dam Female. She was trying her best to court him but he would have none of it and reacted aggressively towards her, perhaps because he had the kill or she simply was not in full oestrous.


The Mapogo’s have been quite active and very vocal this week. Having traversed their whole territory and providing spectacular roaring displays at dusk. They joined up with some of the Ximungwe lionesses on occasion but were otherwise actively patrolling together.

We have had good sightings of the Ximungwe pride and their cubs. Both sets of cubs are relaxed near the vehicles. The cubs are being kept in the central parts of the property and the great news is that these cubs are becoming very relaxed now. They provided great humour during their playful antics and would spend most of their time either tackling each other or pestering their mother for some milk!


Makamesa the male with the drooping bottom lip made a brief appearance at the beginning of the week. He was found on the southern end of McKenzie airstrip, one of his favourite hunting grounds. He used an old fallen tree to get an elevated advantage in search of prey.


The wild dogs are denning in the western sector near McKenzie Camp. They returned at the beginning of the week and headed straight for the large termite mounds they had been investigated a few weeks before. Only 6 individuals were visible suggesting that one of the pregnant females had entered the den. Later that day a female was seen carrying a newborn pup.  A second female is also pregnant and is about to have her litter. This is not normal behaviour and might be due to the pack trying to increase their numbers.



Large herds of elephants have been seen in the area. A few young males have been trying to show the adults that they are as stuff as their parents. A herd of males were swimming in Dam 5. It was fantastic to watch them as the light faded.

We were treated to a special  nocturnal sighting, of a young African Civet. It was quite relaxed and unfazed with the light or vehicles.



The large herd of buffalo have been seen in close proximity to the lodge. They have enjoyed the late rains with an abundance of new grass plants still growing.



The migratory species of birds have mostly left. A few remaining Woodland Kingfishers can still be seen. We have had some rare sightings of Red-billed Teals at George’s dam. African Black Ducks have also been sighted here.

Three dwarf mongooses were soaking up the morning sun on an old fallen tree.



The general game has once again been good. An inquisitive Nyala bull was fascinated with our vehicle.