August 2009 : Sabi Sand Reserve, South Africa

Life has been very exciting here in the Sabi Sand this month, with prides of lion (Panthera Leo)in many intense battles with the large herds of buffalo (Syncerus caffer). A particular new pride has secretly made their way onto the property and savaged no less than 6 buffalo in a single hunt. This month recorded near 30 individual kills that have occurred on the property, most of which have been wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and buffalo.

It great to see that all three of the Wild dog (Lycaon pictus) pups have survived the first hurdle of their lives and after no less than 13 weeks are now no longer based at the den-sight, but are rather learning the tricks of the trade as they witness some hunts.

THE SAND RIVER

For the wildlife of the area, the Sand River is the artery that sustains them and the focal point of much activity and during dry periods the river is reduced to a series of pools. Large herds of elephant (Loxodonta Africana) have been utilizing the perennial waters and spending much of their time in the adjacent riverine forests. This is great as many breakfasts and lunches are shared with the elephants. It has also been an incredibly active area with regard to predators, in particular the leopards (Panthera Leo) as one afternoon the guests at Boulders watched in amazement as a leopard with her two 4-month-old cubs crossed the river, the cubs having to swim, as they could not quite jump from rock to rock, even though they tried. One of the two young leopard cubs, found opposite Ebony Lodge

 

BIRDLIFE!

of the most common eagles in Africa, the Wahlberg (Aquila Wahlbergi), have been the first to arrive after spending the winter in North Africa, looking to make nest in some of the perfectly sculptured trees,. As they are summer residents, their arrival usually coincides with the first summer rains. A number of storks have also been seen around the waterholes. But the most exciting bird to have been seen this month is the White Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus albiceps)bird that usually occurs North of the Olifants River, was seen at a water source close to Ebony and Boulders lodge. This constitutes a rare sighting as there are only about 90 breeding pairs of this species left in the entire Kruger National Park. One of their characteristics is their aggressive, territorial behavior where they defend their turf from other lapwings and waders.

A SENSATIONAL SHRIKE

It was a chilly, clear winter morning and we had just left Castleton on an early morning game drive around 07h00. As we headed up a narrow dirt track near a dry riverbed we saw a brilliant flash of green and yellow as a beautiful, illusive bird called a Grey Headed Bush Shrike took off from the road in front of us. I stopped the Land Rover to point the bird out to the guests and that’s when we noticed the snake in the road where the bird had taken off. The snake was a Vine Snake, which is a very cryptically camouflaged snake that spends most of its life in trees where it ambushes lizards and small birds that fail to see it and stray to close. At first we thought the snake had obviously been trying to catch the bird but when we looked closer we noticed that the Vine Snake had raised its head off the ground and inflated its neck trying to defend itself and intimidate the bush shrike which had obviously just pulled it out the trees and was trying to kill it. We moved back about twenty meters and watched in awe as the Bush shrike returned and proceeded to attack the Vine snake. Being a reptile and due to the fact that it was cold, the snake was very sluggish and the Bush shrike was using this to its advantage to kill the snake which would normally be able to put up a much more ferocious fight had it been warmer and the snake more active. The interaction lasted about twenty minutes before the shrike finally seemed to have killed the snake. When the bird started to feed from behind the head of the snake we left the area so as not to disturb the shrike and its hard earned meal. It was an incredible thing to witness and something very special and rare that the bush allows us to see.

I have heard of Bush shrikes killing chameleons, other smaller birds and even a report of a bat but this was the first time I had seen anything like this. What was incredible to see was how the Bush shrike launched its attack from the ground in front of the snake as opposed to from the air. It was obvious that the shrike was going for the head and in particular the eyes of the snake and kept pecking at and then holding the head in its beak flicking the snake from side to side and even flying up a short distance before dropping the snake back to the ground.

THE ROYAL FEAST

Many people come to the bush expecting to see a kill. This expectation is easily derived when one watches a documentary, for in a 40 minute wildlife film you would possibly get to see all aspects of the animals life compacted into a highlight package from many years of filming and hours and hours of patience. I personally am not a huge fan of seeing kills take place and feel they are overrated in many aspects. However, I really enjoy seeing the build-up to a hunt but it is always a relief to see the underdog get away – It’s like the “happily ever after”ending to a novel.

Having had the privilege of being a guide for a number of years, you not only get to see some truly remarkable events unfold; you also get to hear about all the other interesting and absurd happenings in the bush from other guides and naturalists. This is one of those events that was hardly believable and I was fortunate enough to be an observer.

We headed out on the afternoon drive, it was relatively warm and the plan was to use the hotter part of the day to get down into the south eastern part of the property to try and relocate a pride of fifteen lion that were reported in the area earlier that morning. On the meander down we passed by a water hole where a herd of about thirty five African buffalo were converging at the waterhole for a late afternoon drink. The light on the waterhole provided a perfect photographic opportunity which we capitalised on. The lions had been seen about 2 kilometers from the pan. I had mentioned to my guests that, with a little luck, there was a possibility that the lions might wonder in the direction of the waterhole later that afternoon. This could provide for some interesting interaction should the buffalo remain in the area after dark.

 

We left the buffalo, which by now had moved off from the water and started to settle down for the evening. They were a few hundred meters away from the water but a few hundred meters closer to the lions! We slowly made our way to the lions, doing what lions do best – sleeping! It looked like the aftermath of a war with bodies sprawled out all over the grassy plains. None the less, we decided to sit with them as it was that time of the day when they should start to wake and head off hunting. What made it special was the fact that it was a pride of lion that hadn’t been seen in our area for many years and thus not a pride that we would view with any regularity. The pride consisted of an adult male reaching his prime, three adult lionesses and varying ages of sub-adult cubs.

In true lion style, they started to wake and one by one stretch, walked ten paces, rubbed heads with one or two other members of the pride as if to say “time to wake up, we need to start hunting” and then walked another ten paces before collapsing for another nap. It’s a little like the snooze button on an alarm clock, just five more minutes! Lions take a while to get moving.

During this “start up”process one or two members of the pride were sitting up surveying the landscape. On the horizon there was a rhino cow and very small calf making their way in the general direction of the lions. We eventually lost sight of the rhino’s as they faded into the darkness which started to cover the area. This was the cue for the lions to snap out of laziness and into lethal hunting mode - the moon had started to rise and the light from the moon reduces the advantage for hunting lions.

They started to walk in the direction of where we had seen the buffalo earlier that afternoon. This is something that has always remained a mystery for me - how do they decide which direction to start walking in order to hunt? Something we may never know. That’s what I love about the bush, as humans we don’t have all the answers and just when we think we do, nature shows us that we don’t! Just like a well drilled platoon, the entire pride fell into single file and took up their position. You could see they had done this many times before, every individual acting as a part of a whole, giving the impression that they were one unit. We knew the buffalo were in the direction in which they were moving and so we decided to stay with them and see if anything would happen.

We didn’t want to lose them as they melted into the longer grass, so we decided to move off road with them. It was a relatively rocky block and I knew I would regret my decision - not even 50 meters in, we stopped the Land Cruiser on a rock which lifted the front wheel off the ground. The lions continued on without us… We were not exactly sure where the lions were but felt comfortable enough to get out and see how stuck the vehicle was. In no time, the jack was out, vehicle lifted up and the one very superficial rock causing all the consternation was removed. A pit stop the Ferrari would have been proud of (I suppose 15 lurking lions is enough incentive to get things back on track!)

As we got back into the vehicle and scanned around, we noticed the adult male standing 20 meters away. We decided to follow him as we knew he would lead us to the rest of the pride - they were lying on the road about 100 meters further on, but more importantly only 400 meters from the buffalo! I got the distinct impression that they had covered the ground to the buffalo and were just regrouping and resting one last time before the final approach.

About twenty minutes later, as if to prove me wrong, two adult lionesses stood up and start walking in exactly the opposite direction to the buffalo, more towards the core of their original territory. I thought that they were heading home. We were very disappointed; they were so close and didn’t even know it! I thought it was all over, no buffalo hunting tonight, they’re heading out.

Just then, the wind started to pick up, blowing directly from the buffalo towards the pride. They paused, turned and lifted their noses into the air as if to really get the smells on the breeze deep into their lungs. A lot like walking passed the bakery first thing in the morning and that smell of fresh muffins drifts passed your nose and you can’t but help take a second, deeper, breath. That initial military discipline was reinstated; they turned with purpose and headed in the direction of the lounging buffalo. We decided to leave the lions and get ourselves the ringside seats further up ahead. We turned off all the lights and just sat waiting…

We didn’t want to give either the buffalo or the lions an upper hand – It needs to be a fair contest, we are just the observers, we have neither part nor a say in the outcome. Our eyes adjusted to the dark and the bright moon shone down like a stadium spotlight from above, the perfect setting for the grand show down. The lions lined up along the road which leads to the pan. The grass was long on their side of the road and allowed them to get within 15 meters, undetected. On the other side of the road, the herd of buffalo were all lying down, settled for the evening in the short grass just to the north of the track. In the moonlight we noticed two sub-adult lionesses break away from the line and flank the herd. Once all the lions were in position these two young princesses closed in the flanks and set the buffalo herd into pandemonium and drove them towards their waiting team members.

All the cards had been played; this was it, hit or miss!

The dice had been rolled; it was a matter of waiting to see where it landed. We turned the spotlight on only to see dust and hear bellowing, we rushed in,“They’ve got one!” I exclaimed. As the headlights of the car swung around, the male leaped out of the bush and single handedly tackled an adult buffalo cow! As we moved closer we saw that not one, not two but SIX buffalo had been caught! As each individual that had made the initial catch, held on to their various quarry the rest of the pride moved systematically from one pride member to the next to assist in securing each of the buffalo. The adult lionesses literally ran up and down assisting the sub-adults to execute the final blows to end off their initial good work.

I don’t think the lions ever anticipated such success. I certainly have never seen anything like this before! We left the lion feeding on their feast, knowing full well that no matter how much they ate, we would still find them feeding at first light as there was just so much to go around. Unfortunately not quite the “happy ever after” ending for the buffalo, but certainly a day etched in my mind forever.

By Mark Broodryk
Head Guide Singita Sabi Sand

NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES - THE NYALA BY BRETT HORLEY

The Nyala (an interesting name to pronounce) is a medium sized antelope and is a member of the Tragelaphus or Spiraled Horned antelope family. In the Sabi Sand reserve they are most closely related to the Kudu and Bushbuck. Other closely related antelope in the sub-region are the Sitatunga - an Aquatic antelope and the Eland which is the largest antelope species in Africa. Nyala is the Bovid in our region showing the most sexual dimorphism or difference in appearance between male and female. Males from 2 years onwards have a slate grey coat which turns into a rich dark brown chocolate colour as they mature. There is a mane of long hair running from the top of the head to the root of the tail. The bottom half of the legs is a rich orange colour resembling a pair of long socks! Males have the beautiful spiraled horns.

Females and young Nyala are a bright chestnut orange colour and in my opinion are one of the most dainty and pretty mammals we see. Both males and females have the distinctive white stripes running down the sides, but the males’ stripes fade with age, and mature males stripes will have almost completely disappeared. Female Nyala do not have horns. These mammals are extremely important in the Kruger National Park region as they are endemic to Southern Africa. The two best places to view natural populations of Nyala are the Kruger National Park and the Hluhluwe Mfolozi Reserve in Kwazulu Natal, these areas are to the south and east of Singita Sabi Sand. The Nyala is almost entirely confined to the Lowveld of the southern savanna.

Its distribution closely corresponds to the area of the Mozambique coastal plain and the valleys of nearby major rivers i.e. the Sand River. But its distribution has been greatly reduced over the last century and is now very patchy. They are now also found in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, probably having moved west along the Zambezi River from Mozambique. Populations were also introduced in Namibia and Botswana but have only ever occurred naturally along the southeastern side of the continent.

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Nyala are mixed feeders, eating leaves and pods of acacias and other trees, various fruits, flowers, herbs and tender young grass. They graze more in the summer rainy season shifting gradually to browsing during the drier winter period. The Nyala stripes and white spots and dashes on the body are known as Disruptive colouration. This patterning breaks up the body outline, distorting the overall shape into something unfamiliar as it dissolves into the background. Males are famous for their extremely peculiar lateral display. When confronted with another bull, they strut with their mane erect and neck arched, presenting the side of the body to make themselves look bigger. They parade slowly around each other with very slow, high steps of their bright orange legs. They put their heads down and horns pointed forward- a behaviour called lateral display.

Sparring involves head pushing and horn clashing. Serious fights are rare but fierce and sometimes fatal. The Nyala is a very special mammal in our area often seen around both Ebony and Boulders Lodges. Hopefully to be appreciated as they have a very small distribution range on the African continent.

TORTOISE SNACK

The dawn call of the Southern Ground Hornbill is one of Africa’s most engaging sounds. It has a booming voice, which has been likened to the roar of a lion. The Ground Hornbill is a potent bird in indigenous folklore. This large, distinctive bird is believed to have powerful ‘muthi’ that can either bring rain or prevent lightning strikes. For this reason, poachers, who get high prices for its beak and other body parts, target it. This species has become vulnerable to in Southern Africa and there are only between 600 and 700 left in the Kruger National Park region. They occur in small groups in a variety of woodland savanna habitats, except where there are no trees.

Singita Sabi Sand we have a resident flock of 7 of these magnificent birds. They rest in trees and descend to the ground at dawn to spend the day foraging. They have a wide variety of diet from termites, various other invertebrates, frogs, small snakes, squirrels and an occasional mongoose. One of their favorite meals is the tortoise -  we were fortunate enough to witness as one circled a tortoise and tried to lever their hard bills between the plastron and carapace in order to get to the tender meat. The kill took about 45 minutes as three different birds all had their bill at it. “However long the night, the dawn will break. “ African Proverb Nicky Silberbauer Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve 31 of August 2009