September 2009 : Sabi Sand Reserve, South Africa

Driving through the remnants of moribund grasses and sparse vegetation the most striking thing you will notice in spring are the vibrantly coloured Sjambok Pod Trees(Cassia abbreviata) blooming into bright yellows flowers. For all too brief a period the Sjambok Pod comes into its own as one of the most striking trees of the bushveld landscape. The Weeping Boer Bean trees (Scotia brachypetala) are showcasing their deep red, cup-like flowers. They produce copious amounts of nectar, which attract a wide range of animals, but strangely bees seldom visit the blooms. Instead the task of pollination falls mainly to the sunbirds.

The predator sightings have been nothing short of spectacular this month. The critically endangered African Painted Hunting Dogs (or “Wild Dogs”) have been a huge bonus, as no less than three packs have been moving though the property.

FISHING IS LIKE A SAFARI, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT…

After breakfast we headed out to the Sand River for a short fishing trip with two guests. As we approached the river we heard the distinctive rustling sound of elephants feeding in the River Reeds. We got the land rover to the middle of the clear water and were met by 4 old buffalo bulls, missing one of their herd that had been killed by a pride of lions the day before.

I was about to cross to the northern bank when a female leopard appeared out of the reed-bed…. She moved with purpose straight past us without so much as a sideways glance – she was intent on relocating her two precious cubs that she had left in the thickets whilst out hunting. After some soft contact calls she approached the river bank and started to make a louder rasping call and then stopped and waited for her cubs to answer or appear out of their hiding place. After what must have seemed like an eternity for her there was still no answer.

She swiftly cleared the water’s edge and made her way to the southern bank. To our delight two small familiar figures appeared and greeted her….they then decided to go for a drink and following their mother they all came across the buffalo bulls keeping a wary eye on them. I now had to turn the vehicle around on the southern bank to view the “Leap”.

As we returned a larger figure was amongst the female and her cubs - a young male from her previous litter that still hasn’t left his natal territory. The cubs, not quite sure how to treat their older brother came closer and sniffed the air and moved off to the shade. We watched the mother growling at the cheeky “teenager” and after some attempts to get the younger generation to play with him the family moved up the river bank - their mother had a surprise for all of them, a female bushbuck freshly killed and hoisted in a Sausage tree.

 

We did catch a catfish that we swiftly released and we came across 3 young elephant bulls that were enjoying a midday bath.

NEW BOYS ON THE BLOCK

The cheetah viewing over the month has become extremely exciting as we have some new males visiting the reserve. The dynamics of this is fascinating, as one of the resident males seems to have moved south from his territory as an older male has moved across into his. The resident males movements doesn’t seem to be certain as he has still been spending much of his time in his original territory. Cheetahs’, social and ranging behavior falls somewhere in between the highly social life of the lions and the solitary lifestyle of all other cats.

It is a fascinating, flexible arrangement that is not found in any other wild felid. Like other cats, male cheetahs are usually territorial but, instead of defending a patch on their own, they sometimes form lifelong associations with other males. Male cheetahs that link up are known as a coalition and this usually forms when there are a number of males within a litter and they stay together into adulthood. It is also very possible that two loners could join forces. So, what happens between these two males will be fascinating to watch over the next few months.

Female cheetah follow the feline pattern of being solitary and unlike other cats, they never establish a territory. Territory holders assiduously mark their turf with urine and feces; depositing them most often at the boundaries, but any prominent points such as large trees. Cheetahs are very sight-orientated animals and constantly seek out high points like termite mounds to scrutinize their environment. Their long distance vision has never been accurately assessed but they easily discern antelope at distances of more than two kilometers.

From about the age of four, male cheetahs attempt to occupy an exclusive area that they defend rigorously from other males. You can imagine the benefits of being part of a coalition; by working together the size of prey they will be able to catch will be significantly larger. They would also have to be less observant as two eyes would watch for potential danger from the larger predators. We’ll be keeping watchful eyes on the males and keep you posted on their movements.

                             

EYED FLOWER MANTIS

This beautiful little insect was found on a bush walk when Shadrack, my tracker, spotted it on a small euphorbia.

Its cryptic colouration and bright yellow ‘eye’ immediately captivated the group, and on closer inspection we discovered more interesting habits of this insect. They are collectively called ‘praying mantids’ due to the posture they hold which is similar to a person praying as you can see in the photo.

When moving they edge forward in small bobbing motions to try and remain undetected by other smaller insects which make up the mantids prey.

They are ferocious predators, with compound eyes for accurate vision and hooked claws to latch onto prey which they then devour with their small but sharp mandibles.  The eye on their back is not a lure for prey but rather a defense mechanism for chasing off potential predators, as this eye will make the predator think twice before attacking giving the mantid a gap for an aerial escape.

This is a great example of the smaller wonders of the wild that can be enjoyed whilst on foot in bush, even between your room and the lodges keep your eyes peeled and who knows what interesting creatures you may find.

GREEN PIGEONS

These Green pigeons where found enjoying the morning sun and striking delightfully poses for us.

Green pigeons nest in overhanging branches, their nests look very minimalist as they use few sticks and some grass blades to support the eggs. It is interesting that both the male and female will actively rare the chicks.

AFRICAN FIN-FOOT

One of the most elusive birds is the African Fin-foot.

This bird loves to stay sheltered by the reeds and prefers lurking in the quieter pools. When in the water, adults can be confused with an African Darter but they have unmistakably large, bright red/orange feet and bill.

They build their nests out of a bowl of sticks, lined with reeds course grass and shiny leaves, about a meter above the water. So little is known about this bird that the incubation and fledging dates are unrecorded. What a privilege to have spotted these two chicks in the Sand River, definitely something to look out for from the Ebony and Boulders decks as they grow older.

SPOTTED EAGLE OWL

While out tracking a male cheetah we came across this termite mound, it would be the perfect vantage point for the cheetah to have rested on but to our surprise we found this family of Spotted Eagle Owl’s – a mother and two very young chicks.

You can see how the mother has closed her eyes and elongated her feather tufts to make herself look as inconspicuous as possible. They have been known to nest in a variety of places including trees, on the ground and in buildings but this mound seemed to be a great safe place for them.

What an incredible find, even after finding the cheetah we were all captivated by the owls.

THE NEXT GENERATION

The Hyena den site close to Singita Castleton Camp seems to be to be getting more and more exciting after each visit. The litter of four cubs from last year all seem to be doing very well and looking healthy, and on many occasions accompanying the adults on kills. The excitement started at the beginning of the month when we found a new cub only about two month’s old bonding with its older siblings. A week later two more cubs appeared. If that wasn’t enough, one of the guides witnessed a mother carrying another tiny cub in her mouth from a site close to the den where all the other cubs have been living. Spotted Hyena males are not tolerated near the den. Sometimes older males may play with juveniles but there is no parental role played by them. How do you sex a hyena? And are they hermaphrodites?

Although the masculine appearance of the female’s genitals makes sexing hyena very difficult the answer is no, hyena are not hermaphrodites. The reason for this oddity is probably rooted way back when spotted hyenas started evolving a matriarchal social system. In order for the matriarchal system to succeed and for females to take in enough nutrients to raise cubs in a competitive society, they had to become bigger and more aggressive than males. Studies have found that the female foetus is exposed to high levels of testosterone, which is the hormone that ensures masculine development. A consequence of high testostone levels is that the genitalia have changed outwardly to mimic those of males. The females have not grown a set of male genitals and definitely do not posses both.

We’ll be keep an eye on these young cubs in the hope that they all survive. This would be fantastic as the clan will be a substantial size and this could affect their hunting strategy as they will be able to hunt for much larger prey.

AN INCREDIBLE BATTLE

During the morning drive Shadrack and I spent most of our time trying to track down the pack of wild dogs. As we approached the waterhole close to Singita Castleton Camp we noticed tracks of at least three wild dogs. Reading the tracks we figured that they had been chasing impala at the water’s edge. Everyone was very excited and we all wanted to follow these tracks - our hearts and eyes were seeing the beautiful painted dogs around every corner. Once we had imagined the dogs a few too many times we noticed some even fresher tracks which, after a light rain, were very clear in the soil.

Finally - there they were! Most of them were cuddled up amongst each other on this chilly morning while the two pups played frantically nearby. It then dawned on us that they must have sadly lost one of the originally three pups in the last few days. After a while we decided to return to the lodge for breakfast in the hope that we would find them again and hopefully see them in action – they did seemed hungry …After an amazing afternoon with some lion and a large herd of buffalo we returned to the pack and followed them as they crossed some very intense terrain. Finally they were approaching a clearing were there had been a small herd of wildebeest with some calves earlier in the afternoon.

Waiting patiently, we watched as the dogs exploded towards the wildebeest, running in concentric circles around the herd, eventually targeting one sub-adult. All nine dogs griped onto the wildebeest and started to pull it in every direction, the battle continued for about 10 minutes when finally the wildebeest gave his last breath. It was harsh to witness but a true testament to the strength of a number of individuals combining together.

Nicky Silberbauer Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve South Africa 30 September 2009