We had a good morning on safari. We watched a herd of elephants drinking and swimming in a watering hole – something that is quite exciting to see. We watched them for quite some time and then decided to stop for a quick coffee break.
While chatting to the guests, I heard some birds giving their alarm call in a nearby tree. So I decided to investigate. The birds were blue waxbills and they were sitting in a buffalo thorn, screaming and shouting at something. As I looked at the one branch, I saw a snake and called over my guests to show them.
The snake was busy eating one of the chicks out of the nest. It was sad but it was interesting to see how the rest of the blue waxbills started to attack the snake with full force. The blue waxbill is a very small bird and to see the courage of such a small creature was quite amazing to see.
My guests were also intrigued by this behvaiour.
It was good to see that guests can also enjoy the smaller things in the African bush.
Harry – Kapama River Lodge
29/04/2013
Some interesting facts about interesting things that we don’t see too often. For example FISH. We don’t see them on drive, we know they are there, but some people are unaware of them.
First of all, fish are cold blooded (ectothermic) – they do not regulate their own heat. They play a great ecological role, such as; they regulate the amount of bacteria and algae in dams or rivers and they also serve as a very big food source.
But what I find most interesting is their swim bladder.
The swim bladder is what they use to keep them sinking by secreting gas into the swim bladder via a gas gland. Gas from the blood is moved into the gas gland and when they need to sink they release gas and when they need to rise they secrete gas. Some fish are a bit more basic and rely on getting gas by surfacing, grabbing air and releasing air. These fish generally can’t go as deep into the water as the more advanced fish.
Even though they are “below the surface”, they are still there and serve an extremely important purpose in nature.
Jakes – Kapama River Lodge
28/04/2013
After almost three years of not seeing them, we happen to be lucky to have them visiting Kapama – this is what some call the cape hunting dog or painted dogs. The common name, the African wild dog. It is always great to see this highly endangered animal but especially when we get to witness what they do best – hunting.
We were following the wild dogs while they were chasing some impala up and down. They eventually caught one and started eating while the impala was still fighting back. Unfortunately, the impala could not get away and the dogs managed to kill another. However, it was still amazing to see how just 14 wild dogs finished, not one, but two fully grown impalas in just 30 minutes.
We were so excited so we tried to follow them further as they finished their meal. Unfortunately, the bush got rather thick so we decided to leave them in peace. What a sighting it was. This was truly something that other rangers would only dream to see.
Nelson – Kapama River Lodge
26/04/2013
The pangolin is a species on its own. There is no similar species in the region. It lives in dry woodland savanna areas but also in grassland and semi-dessert areas – areas where there is still some annual rainfall. They do not stay in cold areas as their prey (ants and termites) go deep into the ground when it is too cold.
Pangolins are predominantly nocturnal animals but with some crepuscular (dawn and dusk) activities as well. They will only forage during the day when it is overcast or during severe drought when access to prey is limited.
These secretive creatures sometimes dig their own burrows for homes but will mostly take over burrows dug by other animals such as warthog or aardvark. They can close the burrow from the inside for additional protection as they are solitary animals except when they are mating or the female has young. The babies will cling to the back of the mother at the base of the tail when she is foraging.
They may have more than one burrow in a so-called home range depending on the availability of vegetation.
The pangolin is a very secretive creature and is very rarely seen. A sighting of these is extremely special as they are extremely endangered – mostly due to the belief that their scales have medicinal purposes.
Freedom – Kapama River Lodge
25/04/2013
Kapama Private Game Reserve occupies a vast area between the northern Drakensberg mountains and the Greater Kruger National Park. It is the largest single-owner game reserve in the region, and is perfectly situated to receive guests flying into Eastgate Airport (Hoedspruit).
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