Rhino Beetle

Beautiful Rhino Beetle ... one of the Little Five. I know I could get into trouble for this photo, but I will keep the location "top secret" I promise...lol! - Karin van der Merwe

23 January - 24 January SAFARI TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!

January 23

Afternoon drive

After discussing the enormous size of a hammerkop’s nest, and the aquatic life in its diet, we moved off and found those three dagga boys in exactly the same wallow, in exactly the same position! Ruminating, as they swatted the flies with their tails. After a mere fourty meters we encountered an elephant bull with only a single tusk. Believed to have broken off at the base, as the slight bulge in the upper lip, indicated the reminiscence of a tusk, in the early years.  Shortly after we stopped at the hyena den, the cubs were doing well as they scrummed over an old dry bone. After a very beautiful blood-red sunset, we headed back to camp. Bumped into a few interesting animals on the way… a shield-nose snake made for a good show, with its aggressive nature rapidly striking while hissing profusely to warn off danger, this snake is dangerous with a mild neurotoxic venom which may cause severe pain. Nonetheless a beautiful snake! Shortly after we came across glistening eyes in the distance, as we came closer we realised we have a cat in our presence. A young male leopard! (Bhauti) very close to the lodge, stalking a large male impala, but with little intent he trotted towards him scaring the impala away! Were after he just walked around in the night light!

January 24

Morning drive

Heavily clouded morning prepared us for a nice cool drive and made it easy to spend time at sightings without the blistering sun blazing down on us. We spent most of the morning watching a herd of elephants happily feeding on fallen marula fruits on the road. As we observed these beautiful animals, a very small elephant calf came running across trying to keep up with its mother. As she stopped to feed on the fruits its saw the perfect opportunity to have a quick nap! It fell down on the cool sandy road like a bag of potatoes, shovelling a trunk full of cooling sand over its side every now and then. Mother decided to move off and the calf soon realised he is on his own, stumbling on to his feet he ran after the heard as they gracefully headed off into the bush feeding as they go.

Greetings from the Nkorho team.

20 January - 22 January

January 20
Afternoon drive

After a brief look at fresh leopard tracks, in front of the lodge, we headed off to the far side of the reserve as the tracks headed north into thick bush in which we could not track. On the far side we found a couple of dagga boys (buffalo bulls), wallowing in shallow water pools, trying to escape the biting insects and at the same time cool down. As we moved onward we came across the breakaway pride (4 lionesses and 9 cubs) but could only see one lioness as she was left behind by the pride in the thick impenetrable bush, we followed her as she smelled the air trying to relocate the pride, not long after she headed into the thick bushveld. Good fun trying to follow her!

January 21

Morning drive

Departure from the lodge seemed to be a bit early, but well worth it as we spent most our time watching a bull elephant, picking up marula fruits and literally tossing them into his mouth. As he headed on doing his business, he gave us the perfect opportunity to take lovely photos of the sun glaring off the side of his face, while he lifts marula fruits with his trunk and pops them into his mouth.

21 January

Evening drive

The lilac breasted roller was the star of the day as its beautiful colours were very attractive to the guests, and wanted to stop for everyone, and with good reason, the bright blue colouration on the back and the wings makes it a very attractive bird to watch. Three dagga boys had just got to a mud wallow as we arrived, and it did not take them long to indulge themselves with the fresh water accumulated in the wallows. Three dagga boys using a small pan to cool themselves down! Short their after, just a few hundred meters further. We stopped at the hyena den! Two juveniles and one cub still suckling on his mother. Soon after we stopped their curiosity took over the new smells coming from the game viewer was irresistible. After a couple of laughs we left the cubs in the very capable female hyena’s hands. After drinks, as soon as the sun has set, we ran into another hyena, this time it was a male just scavenging around for some left overs. On our way back in the darkness we came across another dagga boy but he used a telephone pole as a scratching post, this was a long lived buffalo bull as he only had one horn and most of his hair has been rubbed off with the years! The stars were very bright and beautiful and made for a beautiful back drop at dinner.

22 January
Morning drive

Not even out of the gate we spotted and followed fresh lion tracks heading west, we followed them a few hundred meters on the road before they went into a well bush covered area, since the tracks were very fresh we decided to follow them! The bit of bush waking was well worth it as we found three lions (one male and two females) on a blue wildebeest (brindled gnu) kill!! Since we had a short drive, to catch a flight, we spent most our time watching the lions feasting on the plentiful meat on the wildebeest kill. Headed back to camp for a nice warm breakfast! But our day was not over. Soon after a delicious breakfast we spotted a leopard from the deck! We took the vehicle out to go have a better look and what a beautiful male leopard it was! We followed him for a couples of minutes until he headed into the drainage line north of the lodge but what a wonderful surprise!
Greetings from the Nkorho team.

Leopard Tortoise

Leopard Tortoise... the most common Tortoise is this area. It is also the largest and can live up to 75 years. Although their shell acts as protective body armour they are often prayed on by predators like Lions, Leopards and Hyenas. Interesting fact...they have a water storing device called a bursa sac, where they can store water during dry times.

Going green with bats and Nkorho

  The preservation of biodiversity is a topic of insurmountable importance and one that thanks to various institutions and protocols, is being accepted, adopted and adapted by countries around the globe.

  Like any science, it is comprised of many facets and fields which holistically, should encompass every single aspect of ecosystems, their flora and fauna and their interrelationships with one another. The accuracy of our understanding is therefore paramount to the successful implementation of programmes to the betterment of our ecosystems and all their denizens.

 One species of great importance and to be discussed here in detail is the bat. 

Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight (true flight as opposed to gliding, which can be seen in some other mammalian species like the sugar gliders - a species of squirrel with large flaps of skin between the fore and hind legs, called interstitial skin and used to aid gliders in gradual descent from height. A trait used to primarily evade predators and to move from one feeding area to another without having to traverse the dangerous forest floors below).
The bats’ ability to fly however, could have stemmed out of necessity or the exploitation of a niche previously unoccupied. 

Today, bats fall into two primary categories: Megachiroptera (fruit/pollen/nectar feeding) and the insectivores (Microchiroptera) with their sophisticated echolocation.
Whether a dainty feeder of insects, or a fruit bat with a 60cm wingspan, both Suborders of the Order Chiroptera are very important contributors to the health of our ecosystems with some being actual keystone species (a plant or creature that should it go extinct, would cause the demise of one or more species dependant on the keystone species for survival).

  An example of a keystone species is the fruit bat and the Baobab tree. Once a year, Baobabs flower in the darkest recesses of night when their symbiotic friends are active. The large white flowers of the Baobab offer voluminous amounts of sweet nectar which the fruit bats climb head first into the flowers to reach, all the while brushing up against the stamens of flowers and covering their heads with pollen.

As they move from tree to tree, they inadvertently pollinate every Baobab they feed on, thus ensuring the survival of a species.

    With this in mind, Nkorho has recently adapted to the occurrence of bats in our thatching. The identification of which species though, is a rigmarole that can only be ascertained with accuracy with the aid of catch nets and close inspection. We do however, have three species of which we are sure; Peter’s Epauletted Fruit Bat (feeding on the Sycamore  fig fruit), one tomb bat (living at room 5’s overhang) and yellow house bats which also happen to be the culprits in the thatching,  a dilemma which needed resolving.
While important to our ecosystems, they are still rather unhygienic and in some countries can harbour virulent diseases. It is this concern that needed addressing and resulted in the erection of two bat-boxes(see below), one box in the open and maintaining a high temperature while the other is in a more shaded area with a lower temperature.

As it stands, the bat-box with the most exposure to the sun is proving the more successful of the two with residents in occupancy already, which I find surprising and worth a bit more research.

  Aside from the two new bat-boxes, we have also made use of fishing gut inside the rooms where we have zigzagged the transparent chord along the central V where the thatching meets, impeding the bats from accessing their former roosts and hopefully ushering them towards their plush new homes. Now, we sit in hope that our efforts prove to be a fruitful recourse, but only time will tell and which of course, we will update you of in future.

 All said and done, the magnitude of the information expressed above thus makes it painfully clear that man must set aside primitive notions and superstitions regarding the furry little fliers and take measures to ensure that everything is done to preserve a place for them in our fragile ecosystems where biodiversity proves the greatest strength and stability thereof.

-          Sean Matthewson

January 19

Afternoon drive

Excitement was in the air as we headed off for our game drive, awe struck faces on the vehicle as we spotted one of the largest birds of prey, a beautiful male Martial eagle, perching high in a lifeless knobthorn tree. Amazingly allowing us to stop right underneath him and passing without taking flight. After approximately fifteen minutes we came across a herd of elephants, feeding in the tree lines, as we got closer we noticed two baby elephants walking alongside their mothers. The drive produced good sightings of birds. South African Shelducks, European roller, Lilac breasted rollers, Woodlands kingfishers, Egyptian geese, Walberg’s eagle, African fish eagle, Southern Carmine bee eaters to name a few…! Nonetheless, to the end of the drive, as the sun was slowly headed west, on our way to the lodge, we spotted a leopard! A beautiful big male (Mvula), walking along the road, using his body’s scent to mark his territory by clasping over hanging branches. So focused he took no notice of us, as we followed him for quite a while! Great end to a great drive.

January 20

Morning drive

Clear morning skies over our heads as we departed from the lodge, almost immediately after departure, we started tracking fresh leopard tracks just east of the lodge, we circled and followed the fresh tracks, but with no prevail. The tracks headed off into the Kruger national park. The disappointment was short lived as we bumped right into a herd of elephants just west of Nkorho, we were amazed as we observed six youngsters, laying down right in the middle of the road, catching a quick nap! As we bumbled around looking at the plentiful fauna and flora, another big cat came across our path. Big pride of lions (The breakaways) 4 lionesses and 9 cubs! Taking in their 16 to 20 hours of napping, a day. We watched a few hippos and a very young calf as we drank our well-deserved cup of coffee and tea. While we viewed these magnificent water dependent mammals, one elephant bull came for a morning drink as well. Or so we thought, instead of drinking the water, he took full advantage of the lovely weather and dove right in to it splashing and diving as he moved in. We moved right across to the opposite side of the dam to where he was, making perfect photogenic moves! What another wonderful day in the bush!

Greetings from the Nkorho team.

Cheetah making is presence at our reception area

The Cheetah took a stole past our reception area at 6 in the morning. Thank goodness the staff was still sleeping.

European Bee eater

A beautiful European Bee eater. Vibrant in colour and in song. They occur in large feeding flocks over wooded savannas. Their far-reaching flight call is a frog-like 'prrrrp'. (Sinclair, Birds; 2006)

10 - 11 January 2014

 Thankfully, our Mother’s wrath was at an end by late afternoon yesterday. Ponchos were rendered superfluous, wantonly discarded by our intrepid adventurers with delightful disdain as we set forth into the great heart of Africa.

  After a somewhat uneventful morning, we were eager to make amends and to rebut the rain with fire in our eyes and passion in our hearts. Make no mistake, we needn’t travel far.
  All but the freshest spoor was obliterated by the morning downpour, so when we encountered leopard tracks on Gowrie Main, we knew they were of the freshest kind.

  Not moments after informing our comrades on the radio that we had discovered said tracks, a distant shadow caught our eye. One, not quite meeting the prerequisite of the common guarri bush and with the faintest promise of a feline form, we stopped to better assess the aforementioned.
With the assistance of binoculars our hopes were soon replaced with elation. For there, on the distant horizon, was a leopard walking over the rise.

  Eager trepidation replaced our amicable amble as we splashed through flowing riverbeds after our quarry.
Upon approach our excitement grew for not one, but two leopards strode before us. So please, try imagining our elation as two rosette felines, became three!
Yes, not one, nor two, but three majestic cats sauntered down the road. Oblivious to our presence they marched forth with absolute surety and sole proprietorship of all they beheld allowing no-one past (not that anyone wanted to).

  As it were, we were bearing witness to the progeny of Safari and Mafufunjane. Two leopards dear to me and a female I had the great pleasure of sharing her first 18 months of life with, Karula and her offspring.
  Both cubs seem to be approximately 16-20 months hold though I stand to be corrected. They are of an equal size to her. Thus, to the layman, one would think we were observing three adults together,making a proverbial ‘leap’ of leopards.

  We followed the trio as they walked along the road until our time had come to part ways. What a lovely sighting and one never to be forgotten.

  As much as I would love to extrapolate on the remainder of the drive and the following morning, necessity removes me for this afternoon’s adventure and thus in summary of last night and this morning: Salaexe (female leopard), an active hyaena den with frolicking cubs, a breeding herd of elephants, Xivambelane (young male leopard) just east of the camp and eventually walking into the KNP and lastly, Bahuti (young male leopard and progeny of Thandi) behind Chitwa dam wall, relaxing next to a pan as he observed his surroundings with an air of grace.

12 - 13 January 2014

The African elephant is a creature of immense majesty and grandeur. Often the centre of conversation around the campfire, mankind has sat and regaled one another since the dawn of early discovery with many tales of the hunt and close encounters with the mastodons. Embellishment often unnecessary, the great behemoths speak for themselves with an air of grace and sometimes, the temperament of an angry bull in a ring. For this is their land, surely the lion cannot be king?

  This morning again reaffirmed my perceptions about the true rulers of the land when a single young bull stumbled upon a pride of thirteen lions busy gorging themselves on a zebra which had fallen victim to cunning team tactics employed by Africa’s most powerful predators.
  An airstrip provided the backdrop to the setting and though we did not personally see the confrontation, we bore witness to the preamble. 

Once informed of the lion kill, we meandered to our destination and before arriving, found the aforementioned bull sauntering along the centre of the airstrip, only distracted by the occasional impala of who he took to chasing, giving him great pleasure and bountiful confidence as they scarpered out his path.

  Entertained, we left the bull to his antics and continued to pursue our initial quarry. As the vehicle crested the rise we gained our first sight of the Tsalala pride and their nine offspring. Quite a feat in itself to have two litters of cubs, merely two months apart in age (six and eight months- stated by fellow guide in the sighting) and all prospering thus far, I take my hat off to infallible motherhood.
  Most had already had their fill and were whiling away their time either shading under whatever cover lay closest, or by appealing to their mothers’ more feminine side which promptly led to obsessive cleansing, typical of the cat family and providing us with some phenomenal photographic opportunities.
  Satiated with excitement we left to make our gradual journey home. While travelling, we were informed by guides remaining at the loc that the bull elephant had in fact, walked straight into the pride and had proceeded to chase the lions around the strip with the lions nattily giving way and thus continuing to provide fuel for my hypothesis of who the true kings of Africa are.

  Other sightings included; Lamula (male leopard) walking along the Manyeleti (Manyeleti means “place of stars” in the local language, Shangaan/Tsonga) and drinking water, Thandi and Bahuti on Gowrie Main with Bahuti practising his stalking tactics on his mother and promptly followed by playful interchange between this mother and son which the two have become so well known for. Aside from the bull elephant with the lions, there were a lot of breeding herds scattered about the traversing area and upon return to camp, a breeding herd of no less than 300 buffalo came to the pan to quench their thirst before moving off in an easterly direction towards the KNP boundary.