Our final morning drive at Mountain Lodge was shorter than usual but no less productive. We crossed the plain and saw White Rhino, Giraffe, Impala, Nyala and Kudu. Birds included Crimson-breasted Sunbird, Black-backed Puffback Shrike, two delightful Little Bee-eaters and a Mocking Cliff-Chat. Returning to the Lodge, Blue-tailed and Striped Skink sunned themselves on the pathways. On our drive across to Forest Lodge we saw two handsome Waterbuck.
WATERBUCK
Our Ranger at Forest Lodge was Paolo who had first met us at the airstrip at Madikwe in January. Our fellow guests were Greg, Pam and their children Remington & Fallon and also Lolo and his wife Tino; all from South Africa although Tino was born in Zimbabwe. The evening drive had barely started when we suffered a puncture but this was quickly fixed by Paolo and our tracker Zak. The drive took us through the Sand Forest where Nyala, Impala and Red Duiker roam free, then out onto the plains that once farmed pineapples where Yellow-throated Longclaw scratched about in the short grass.
PIT STOP
Over the plain the sunset was bright red as Warthog, shy Reedbuck, Nyala and Wildebeeste calmly grazed and a striking Burchell’s Coucal perched on a thin branch above the grass. How that changed within less than fifteen exciting minutes; Two male Cheetah brothers homed in on a large bull Nyala. The beast was trapped in a deep thicket which was impenetrable to the Cheetah and so he escaped.
BURCHELL'S COUCAL
We tracked the Cheetah at close quarters as they continued their hunt; one half-hearted attempt to grab a wary Reedbuck and then suddenly, right before our eyes a small Nyala leapt from the deep scrub and in a flash the Cheetah were on him, one leaping on the doomed animal’s side and neck, whilst the other Cheetah tripped the Nyala from behind. We watched the kill in the fading light and it was a good five minutes until the poor beast lay still
CHEETAH BROTHERS
The Cheetah were now alert to the risk of larger predators taking possession of their kill and they ate quickly and nervously, taking only the rich rump meat before moving off, leaving the kill four fifths intact.
To watch a kill on film is chilling and amazing; to witness it live is something very different.
On our way back we stopped by an Hyena lair and found a female Spotted Hyena suckling one of her two pups. We founded a beautiful African Scops Owl staring down at us, a Nightjar startled as we drove by and a little Scrub Hare sat transfixed in the headlights. Our final sighting was a full-grown but delicate little Suni.
No comments:
Post a Comment