October update

This has been another amazing month with the big 5 on all safaris. This month I’ve had an incredible amount of lions. During one safari I’ve seen 65 individuals – the most I’ve seen on one safari, beating the previous record of 46 set last year. Looking at these statistics, one can see why it’s generally believed to be the best time of the year to come for game viewing.

 

Total tours: 4        Total days: 16

	Day	Elephant	Rhino	Buffalo	Lion	Leopard	Cheetah	Wilddog	Hyena	Jackal
	Tour	4	4	4	4	4	1	1	4	2
	Day	16	12	14	13	6	1	1	11	3
	Sights	Y	39	Y	30	7	2	1	21	5
	Nr	Y	66	Y	118	8	3	4	44	9

 

 

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za

 

The week of the first rain

If asked what the best time of the year is to come to the park, I always say it’s the week of the first rain. It has been consistently so over the last few years, and this year it did not disappoint either. It varies from year to year. For the last two years it was somewhere in the beginning of November, but this year it was during the latter part of October. During the last few days we had many lion sightings, cheetahs twice, leopard twice, and black rhino three times. We encountered two separate black rhinos on a morning walk. Fortunately they were at a distance, but we did manage closer views of white rhinos during the walk. While watching three lions sleeping, I noticed a perculiar bird-like sound on the other side of the vehicle and an immediate response from the lions made me look, only to find a cheetah on a termite mound. He was calling for his brother and seemed quite desperate. We followed it for a while as it was searching and chirping. It crossed the road in front of us and suddenly climbed onto a signpost right next to the vehicle. We could hardly have been any closer. Eventually we had to leave him behind in his desperate search. We’ve seen several amazing elephant herds, but one was of particular interest as it contained two albino elephants. One was a calf, but more interestingly, there was also an adult albino female present. Most albino records are of calves, but few occur of adults. The calf was of a different mother though. This was also the time when I saw my fist side-striped jackal for the year. It is the rarer of the two jackal species. Another amazing sighting was of some lions feeding on wildebeest. Initially there were 5 lions but were later joined but 2 others with some aggression as they tried to join in the feast. As the morning continued, hyenas and jackal appeared for their share of the meat. One brave jackal neared very closely to the lions to retrieve a piece of stomach lining. Being successful at it, he thought he could eat it in peace, but did not anticipate the approaching hyena. He was duly chased. Initially he thought he could hold on to the meat but was forced to drop it as the hyena came dangerously close. By this time the vultures have also picked up on the opportunity of a meal and were descending to stay near for when the lions actually left. We observed this spectacle for three hours. All these great sightings were complimented with a civet, genet and honey badger on a night drive. To have such luck in such a short space of time can pretty much only happen during the week of the first rain. Unfortunately, now I have to wait an entire year before it can happen again. However, I’m sure that there will be many amazing trips to fill the gap in between.

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za

It's raining!

Well, it wasn’t long after the first babies were seen that it started raining. On 29 October the first real rain fell. Because most animals were finding shelter during the downpour, they were not so easy to see. However, it did bring out the Leopard Tortoises (we saw three) and even a terrapin crossed the road in search of a puddle. Everything was drenched and clean, revealing the fresh new growth on the trees previously hidden by dust. It was a beautiful sight. Soon the grasses will follow and everything will turn around from its dry, dead winter coat to a lush, green summer dress.

 

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za

 

First babies for the season

25 November was the day I saw my first baby warthogs for this season. This is particularly early, as they are normally kept in their burrows for the first few days before emerging. Also, they tend to appear after the impalas started giving birth. The impalas normally give birth in November. However, I heard from another guide that he saw his first impala baby on that exact day. These are the first records of the season that I know of for these animals. Both are early, and one has to conclude that it’s because the rains started earlier than the previous few years. Although we haven’t had proper rains yet, a few drizzles occurred, greening up the far west (near Pretoriuskop) of the Park. That’s also where the babies were seen. It is believed that impalas can alter their gestation period depending on the rainfall. If the rains are late, so will the babies be. I’m not quite sure whether that is true. It can be practical, but for an animal with a 6 month gestation period, 1 month extra could mean a tremendous growth difference and therefore a difficult birth. Perhaps they can judge 6 months in advance whether the rains will be earlier and therefore mate earlier. Needless to say, it’s the start of an exciting time when more and more babies will decorate the bush and join the vervet monkeys, who already have produced a lot of their offspring by now.

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za

The Private Lodge Experience!

People often ask me what the difference is between going to the Kruger National Park and one of the private reserves. Recently I had the opportunity of going to some of the private reserves, and I had a great time. It is a very different experience to going to the main park. First of all, there are not that many people. People cannot drive around with their private vehicles. All safaris are guided. With guides and trackers present it means a more interpretive and interesting experience. Trackers have an incredible knack of finding animals. Secondly, although the private reserves are considered part of the greater Kruger (there are no fences between their private property and the Kruger National Park allowing animals free rein), one traverses a much smaller area than in Kruger. In the Kruger Park one tends to travel many kilometers through different habitats in search of the animals. You would think that driving in a smaller area would mean less success, but that is not necessarily the case. In private reserves one can drive off-road to get better views of the animals. Although it initially seems disruptive to the environment and the animals, habituation over many decades ensures that the animals behave as they would do naturally. Careful attention is giving to driving off-road so that environmental impact is not much more than say an elephant moving through the bush. It gives you greater insight into the movement and behaviour of animals as you are able to follow them through the bush. It also allows for magnificent close-up encounters of especially the Big Five. Although no guarantee of seeing them as it is still up to nature, I managed to see them on two drives. Morning and afternoon drives are done with a bush walk after breakfast. The hot hours in the middle of the day can be spent relaxing around the pool. The luxury level between different lodges vary (as does the prices), but they are all very comfortable and well-equipped and a great way of experiencing the African bush. It’s a very different experience to going to the main Kruger National Park, which is a public reserve, and it’s a great add-on to get a taste of both.

 

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za

 

September update

The September update reveals an awesome month. The Big 5 has been seen on all tours with an exceptional amount of rhinos and leopards. This month also reveals a change in season. Spring day was on the 1^st, but we still had a few expected cold spells during the month. The weather is building up towards the rainy season with more clouds developing and a few minor showers. Migrant birds are returning and nest building is also starting in earnest. All in all an exciting time. I can’t wait for next month.

 

Total tours: 4    Total days: 15

	Day	Elephant	Rhino	Buffalo	Lion	Leopard	Cheetah	Wilddog	Hyena	Jackal
	Tour	4	4	4	4	4	2	0	4	3
	Day	15	13	13	10	9	2	0	6	3
	Sight	Y	42	Y	22	9	2	0	9	3
	Nr	Y	63	Y	65	10	5	0	34	3

 

 

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za