What an incredible week we’ve had on the Marataba concession!
Riaan and his guests were priveledged to spot a rare pangolin in the south of the reserve. Being quite shy, the pangolin avoided the flases from many an excited guests’ camera by wrapping itself around a nearby tree.
Later in the week, J.P watched while the two dominant Maretwa lion brothers chased off two juvenile males who were becoming a bit too friendly with the pride lionesses. After making sure that no other intruders were in the vacinity of their territory, the pride moved into the south where they have been seen on several occasions during the week.
On one of Ryan’s game drives, him and his guests sighted a black rhino cow with a angry-looking gash to her back right leg. Later that afternoon, the Marakele Park manager, along with a few of our rangers, tracked the rhino on foot and were able to get a better look at her wound using binoculars. The decision was made by SANParks for the cow to be darted, treated and released. The local vet arrived by helicopter the following day and she was sucsessfully tracked down and immobilised. Our guests were very excited and honoured to be a part of such an experience – something that very few oversea’s visitors are able to witness while on safari in Africa. For some of the guests it was a life-chanaging experience. The rhino cow was treated and released and we wish her a speedy recovery.
Who says that it is only exciting to watch the big cats hunting? Some of our Dutch guests were priveledged to witness a beautiful caracal stalking and pounching on a francolin – mere meteres away from the safari vehicle. She was lightning fast – just a streak of golden red through the thick grass were she lay quite unconspiciuosly. She strutted away in the road, carrying her feathered quarrie in her mouth, quite clearly very proud of her latest catch!
This past week was definitely the week of the cats at Marataba!
A female cheetah killed an impala next to the main road where we were able to get a close look at her. Our delighted guests clicked away on their cameras as she nervously looked around for potential scavengers on the prowl for a meal.
The lodge definitely seemed to be the feline hot spot as we heard lions roaring nearby on several nights, finding their tracks in the road outside the lodge. They had managed to pull down a wildebeest not far from the lodge. We also managed to see another cheetah close by and also heard the raspy call of the leopard one night from across the river in front of camp. We managed to spot what we believe to be the same leopard on the following night, busy marking his territory.
A small bachelor heard of elephant bulls paid us a few visits at the swimming pool area on a few nights, silently disappearing into the night again. We have also seen many new giraffe calves – some barely a month old!
Once again we had many sightings of white rhino with calves and one of our rangers also picked up a black rhino near the mountainous area of the park. Hippos seem to enjoy the warmer weather as they were seen basking in the early morning sun in the river shallows.
Some of the smaller species of mammals that was seen included the African wild cat, steenbok and a family of very active bat eared foxes that were foraging on the plains.
A very special sighting for us was that of a slender mongoose that was seen catching a skink.
Once again we have enjoyed beautiful sunsets at Python dam with our guests while the call of the fish eagle reminds us that there is no other place quite like the African bush!
Until next week,
The Marataba ranger team
Weekly Sightings 16 – 22 August 2010
We’ve come to the end of another exciting wildlife week at Marataba.
The first signs and fragrant smells of spring are finally here, with many of the acacia species’ foliage starting to turn a brilliant emerald green. The nights and early mornings are warming up and the days have been pleasantly warm to hot. Further evidence to the arrival of the summer months is also quite apparent in the amount of snake tracks seen across our dusty roads as these cold-blooded reptiles slowly start emerging from their winter hibernation in search of food.
We’ve also had great success thus far with our leopard identification project, having effectively identified 20 different leopards in our area. Most recently, we’ve identified two different females and one male that were captured on one of our camera traps where their territories overlap at a river crossing.
We’ve been fortunate to have had a few brilliant sightings of a female cheetah near the lodge, as well as the sighting of two other cheetahs on our northern fence line. The past week has certainly been the week of the cat as four relaxed lionesses were also seen on several occasions near the lodge. Last night our guests also heard a leopard calling across the river in front of camp. Our guests also enjoyed numerous sightings of white rhino, including the large cow with her young calf. A black rhino was also found on the foothills of the mountains towards the south of the reserve, where it disappeared into the thick of the bush. Brown hyenas were seen on a few occasions on the open plains and guests also enjoyed watching a large bull elephant bathing and playing in the river.
Notable bird sighting for the week included black-chested snake eagle, martial eagle, Gabar goshawk, Vereaux’s eagle owl, scops owl and Cape and lappet-faced vultures.
We look forward to bringing you more exciting news from the foothills of the Waterberg Mountains next week.
Weekly Sightings 9 – 15 August 2010
It was once again a great week at Marataba with the night’s still little chilly but glorious warm days in which we had the most exciting sightings.
A rare and special treat was the sighting of a Pangolin that was seen on one of our early morning drives. A pangolin or also a scaly anteater is a mammal which has large keratin scales covering their skin and is the only mammals with this adaption. They are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia and their name is derived from the Malay word “pengguling” – something that rolls up.
The lioness and her cubs are becoming more and more comfortable with our vehicles and she was seen in the open with her two cubs walking in front of the vehicle.
Other good sightings include Giraffe with their young, Hippopotamus, White Rhino, Brown Hyena, African Civet and Bat Eared Fox. Big Eland herds, a breeding of Elephant, Ostrich, Cheetahs and many vultures were sighted on the plains.
The bird life has been outstanding even during the winter month’s more than fifty species could be identified.
Weekly Sightings 1 – 8 August 2010
Weather is slowly changing to the warm side in the bush just enough for reptiles to become active and that was proofed by two Water monitors that was found mating. Although it look impossible for animals to look after their young and find food, its nature that is so amazing that programmed the animals and creatures to survive the most difficult conditions.
Vultures that were circling an area showed us a White Rhino that was sleeping under a tree. Relaxing and enjoying while having a sun downer drink stop a Brown Hyena came out the bush onto the plains and found him a good meal, a carcass that was lying for a few days in the open. These scavengers smelling senses are four times better than the cat family.
A male and female lion with two cubs were seen on several occasions especially during the afternoon. We were once again fortunate to see a breeding herd of about twenty Elephants that made their appearance during this week.
Our guests were entertained by an Elephant bull that was feeding and we were viewing until he made his way towards us. He had something else in mind and we made way for him. He passed and walked away and suddenly out of nowhere four White Rhino came jogging out of the bush and scared the Elephant. We left the sighting after the Elephant were charging and trumpeting towards the White Rhino and disappeared in the bush.
Weekly Sightings 25 – 31 July 2010
This week produced both interesting and varied sightings. We caught up with a brown Hyena hunting Helmeted Guinea Fowls and Spotted Eagle Owl also on the hunt. Cheetahs were also viewed on the open plains and in a radius of less than a kilometer, two Lions were sighted.
We were fortunate to find a breeding herd of Elephant comprising of bulls, cows and babies.
The breeding season for many animals in the park is well under way with our guests seeing young giraffe, zebra and hippopotamus. Spring is definitely in the air…….
We had a very exciting drive this week when we came across a male lion who had just killed a giraffe.
Weekly Sightings 18 -24 July 2010
Relaxing and recharching while having a sun downer at the swimming pool with the sun setting over the beautiful Waterberg mountains while an elephant browses peacefully nearby, confirms that Marataba soothes your soul.
A number of animals such as the White Rhinoceros, Giraffe, Hippo, Bushbuck and Zebra have been seen with their young ones but the lioness and leopard have been keeping a low profile waiting for their cubs to be a little older before venturing out.
We have been fortunate to see a wide range of bird speicies this past week with a number of vultures riding the thermals during our drives.
Weekly Sightings 12 – 17 July 2010
How wonderful nature is! We had a few windy days indicating that the seasons are changing from a chilly winter into early Spring; strong winds as we’ve been experiencing blowing the remaining leaves from the trees and come September many plants will begin to germinate.
We found a cheetah on a drive this week, thanks to the Vultures that had the last remains of a carcass and indicated that a predator was around.
We were entertained by a large Elephant bull one afternoon when he decided his trumpeting was the most beautiful sound in the bush and put on a wonderful live show.
Other sighting includes White and Black Rhinoceros, Giraffes, Hippopotamus, African Civet and the largest rodent, the Porcupine.
The call of the African Fish Eagle across the river coming back from drive the other morning heralded another wonderful day in Africa.
Weekly Sightings 5 – 11 July 2010
The most outstanding sighting of the week happened just 200 meters from the lodge where a lioness with four cubs killed a Blue wildebeest one morning. She was disturbed by the activities near the lodge and never returned to the carcass; this however, is normal behaviour as she will try to keep her cubs hidden for as long as possible.
Two nights later we found a Leopard feeding on the same carcass with a Brown Hyena patiently waiting in the vicinity for his share. We were very fortunate for having three Leopard sightings for the week.
Other animals seen were Black and White Rhinoceros, Elephants on the slope of the mountains, Hippopotamus basking in the sun, Giraffes, Gemsbok, Spotted Hyena, Bat eared Foxes, African Civet, Aardwolf and many antelope species.
Weekly Sightings 28 June – 04 July 2010
This week our guests had a fantastic mammal sighting. Lions were seen on various occasions of which we saw them twice with their cubs feeding on a Kudu. Seeing Leopard twice during this week was marvelous.
Once again an abundance of Hyenas, both brown and spotted ones, were seen.
Other sightings include Hippopotamus, White and Black Rhinoceros, Giraffe and Honey Badgers.
Although its winter at Marataba lots of birds are still to be seen like the Ostrich, Scopes Owl, African Fish Eagle, Lilac-breasted Rollers, Bee-eaters and many more.
Weekly Sightings 20 - 27 June 2010
On Wednesday morning, four of our guests informed us of a loud crunching and growling noise that kept them awake ……… we decided to investigate! What did we find? Nothing! Not even prints in the sand. One of the rangers decided to widen the search area. He was sure that after walking the guests to their room the previous night, he had seen a pair of gleaming red eyes staring at him from the darkness. While investigating, still on his haunches, looking for tracks, he suddenly heard a loud growl and stood up, less than 20 meters away, was a young lioness! She approached at a remarkable speed and the ranger shouted at her. She came to a stop about 4 meters away from him and repeatedly hit the ground with her front paws while constantly growling and spitting! The ranger stood his ground until she had lost interest and turned and walked away from him. He waited for her to retreat a good distance before seeing another two lionesses appeared behind the first! When he got to the lodge he quickly gathered the guests unto a cruiser to take them to see the lions. When we got there, a fourth lioness had joined her sisters and the four strolled away and took shelter from the harsh sun under a Buffalo-thorn tree.
We are also very happy to celebrate the arrival of three cubs; the lioness has already hidden her offspring out of sight. The two big males have also been seen regularly in the same area as the female with cubs. She’s been hiding herself and the cubs from them for almost 3 months now.
Weekly Sightings 13 – 19 June 2010
What an outstanding week for sightings at Marataba for our guests! Colder nights and less water everywhere change the behavior of most animals. Nocturnal and shy animals are visible at either earlier in the morning or during the day. Special mammals seen for this week were the Cape Clawless Otter, Honey Badger, Caracal, Bat - eared Fox, Side Striped Jackal and African Wild Cat. Larger game such as White Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus and Giraffe herds of up to 16 were sighted. The breeding herds of Elephant were seen on a number of occasions. We had two lion sightings for this week with one been particularly special. The older male brothers were seen on the open plains one morning with vultures circling around. They had killed a Blue Wildebeest before being chased off their kill by Vultures and Black backed Jackal.
We were very fortunate to see brilliant leopard sighting, with him lying in the thick bush approximately 5 meters from the vehicle gazing at a herd of Impala.
Weekly Sightings 24 – 30 May 2010
What a wonderful week at Marataba with many enjoyed game drives and sightings. Temperatures during the night times are cool but during the day the warm weather is always welcome. Night times produce wonderful skies and stargazing is amazing. Scorpio and the Southern Cross with the Milky Way are well known during winter times in the Southern hemisphere. Sunsets and sunrises are most beautiful as it changes colour over the Mountains.
The sightings were magic this week and many different species of mammals were ticked off the list. White Rhinoceros and giraffes were seen about every day and some occasions with calves less than 3 months old. On the antelope side many males spent time with females to ensure that there will be new born young for the coming summer. Antelope like Eland, Tsessebe, Red Hartebeest, Oryx, Duiker, Steenbok and Roan antelope was special to see. A lion sighting brought up much happiness and what was the best? Lions near the lodge one night kept many people entertained by the deep roars from male lions. It sounded as if they were roaring for the Bushveld idols! During winter times when vegetation is less dense, special and secret animals show themselves. Sightings on African civets, Small spotted genets, caracal, bat – eared foxes and an aardwolf proved that some of the secret seven animals were seen, although here at Marataba all seven occur of which the remaining four are Aardvark, Serval, Porcupine and Pangoline.
On the birds side Giant eagle Owls,Verreaux’s Eagle, African Harrier hawk, Gabar goshawk and Black chested snake eagle was seen. The Kransberg at Marataba is home to the largest breeding population of Cape vultures. This was proofed again where these enormous birds were cleaning up a carcass on the plains. A wake of 30 vultures was estimated around the carcass and another 20 or so circling the skies.
Weekly Sightings 17 – 23 May 2010
With winter approaching quickly, it is clear to see the changes in the bush as they develop all around us. The temperatures during the drives have dropped a considerable amount, forcing both guests and rangers to bring out all their clothing reinforcements. It is not uncommon for guests to wear up to 4 layers of clothing to keep out the bite of the chilly winter nights.
That doesn’t stop us from having great sightings though. One such a sighting was that of a small group of about 6 elephant that were seen during a night drive. They were quite a distance away from the vehicle and partly obscured by the vegetation, but the guests were happy that they were privileged enough to have seen these beautiful beasts.
Some of the more rare sightings this week were that of a herd of 7 Gemsbok, lazily grazing on the open grass plains and also 2 Black Rhinoceros that stood in a relatively open area for us to enjoy a view of them for nearly 10 minutes. The Giraffes made regular appearances and we had a few great Hippopotamus sightings.
The lions were also seen this week and one particular incident stood out among the rest, and what a marvelous sighting this was! We found 2 young males lying in the road and cautiously approached them. At first they didn’t seem to mind our presence, but after a minute or two, first the one then the other got up and started walking away from us. They were still very relaxed, so we tried to catch up to them. We managed to do this and the one male started moving to the side of the road, allowing us to drive right next to it for almost 5 minutes. We followed the two for 45 minutes before they left the road; seemingly on a hunting escapade - leaving us with hearts filled with joy as we made our way back to the lodge.
Weekly Sightings 10 – 16 May 2010
This week was a pleasure to be out in the bush. Warm weather with unforgettable sunsets and sunrises. Some of the secret animals appeared like the Small and large spotted Genets, Bush pigs, porcupines and twenty Bat eared foxes. Lions made their appearance and about five lovely sightings were enjoyed with them. One of the guides was lucky to see a Cheetah near the gate one afternoon. Still no sight of the lioness with her possible cubs but we are very positive that she might show them off soon.
Giraffe and white Rhinoceros with calves were extreme sightings. We successfully found elephants during this week and had two days where an elephant bull visited the lodge. He had booked himself in at Marataba and had a few drinks from the fountains next to the tented rooms. One of our guests had an experience of a lifetime. While relaxing on the deck of the room the elephant came and emptied the fountain and was so close that the guest could almost touch it. We saw a breeding herd of about 40 – 50 elephants - what a sight... from mothers to babies crossing the road right in front of the vehicle.
Lots of birds were seen. Yellow billed storks, 40 or more vultures, giant eagle owl, spotted eagle owl, nightjars, African fish eagle and many more.
The reptiles are still visible and enjoy the sunny weather. A Black mamba of 3 meters was one of the outstanding sightings with two Boomslangs also sighted this week.
The Bushveld is still green and much water all over, trees and flowers are still visible and insects, especially butterflies are beautiful to watch.
Weekly sightings 3 – 9 May 2010
Rangers at Marataba or most other lodges always want the best for their guests. This week lions were on most of the lists of the guests. We were very close to the lions on two occasions, hearing the lions roaring in the distance although weren’t able to catch a glimpse of them.
Although the lions remained elusive we still had excellent game sightings. There were lots of white rhino as well as a rear black rhino sighting and the giraffe were also plentiful, giving an excellent sow as they are weary curios and will come quite close to investigate the vehicle. We were even lucky to note that the Matabele ants were very active the one day which is a good sign that it might rain that afternoon and was an excellent experience for the guests when this story came true as we had some light rain on the afternoon game drive.
The night life was also magnificent having sightings of white tailed mongoose, African wild cat and African civet. A very shy hippo was seen in on of the smaller waterholes one morning. Sunsets still remain magnificent every day and the open skies at night produce the best place to watch stars.
Weekly Sightings 26 April 2010 – 2 May 2010
After the good rains, we are now spoiled by warm and sun shiny days. Temperatures of up to 26 degrees Celsius are all we need and for the animals that had a wet few days, its grazing fun. We had one outstanding sighting on Diamant plains this week - after a coffee stop we departed and all of a sudden a cat crosses the road, everyone thought that we saw a leopard. We went closer to relocate and it was confirmed by the ranger that it was a cheetah, by looking at the tracks. Another special sighting was of a black rhinoceros cow and her calf in the southern side close to the mountains of the park. Many white rhinoceros were seen, even up to 14 a day. A journey of giraffe of 15 was seen crossing over the plains. Two different breeding herds of elephant were seen this week on a few occasions. Many elephant babies appeared this year and that will indicate that the populations are growing. Elephant bulls wander around everywhere as they follow the breeding herds looking for mating opportunities. One bull was very entertaining with the arrival of two German guests. He was walking in the road, we followed and he just swung around, ears open and a soft trumpet was the welcoming to these guests to Marataba. On the day these same guests checked out, two white rhinoceros was seen and an elephant again to thank them for their stay at Marataba.
With warm days and lots of thermals the vultures made their appearance and three different species were seen, the Cape vulture, Hooded vulture and White backed Vulture. A pair of Osprey and lots of other birds of prey was active, hunting for a meal.
Our guests were spoiled with beautiful sunsets, sometimes with giraffe, white rhino, eland, blue wildebeest and ostriches in the back drop with the sun setting. The moon was full during this week and with the sun setting and the moon rising you can’t help but stare when it appears over the Waterberg Mountains - I am sure all the guests can determine south now and know where Orion and Scorpion are. We had beautiful open skies during the nights.
At last our lioness was seen. We saw her on the plains were she was feeding on a blue wildebeest. Her stomach was smaller than two weeks ago when we saw her last. Around her mammary glands were red circles which indicate cubs must have suckled.
Weekly Sightings 19 – 25 April 2010
We had plenty of great drives this week and even better sightings. But 2 of the drives specifically stand out above the rest. The first of these was a drive where the guests were solely interested in seeing birds. This is always welcome, so we set out to find as many interesting species as we could. The first spot where we stopped had a Blue Thorn tree which seemed to attract the birds. There we saw some Blue Waxbills, a male and female Green-winged Pytilia, a Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver and a small flock of Red-billed Quelea. We spent about 20 minutes in the one place before continuing our drive. Along the rest of the drive we also saw an African Fish Eagle, Purple Heron, African Darter, Black Crake, African Jacana, White-backed Vultures and a single Cape Vulture.
The second special drive was one where we first found an old bull Giraffe. He didn’t really appreciate our attention and kept on walking away from us. Poor thing never realized that walking parallel to the road was never going to help him get away from us, but after following it for about 10 minutes we decided to leave it in peace and drove past it. Shortly after seeing the Giraffe, we came upon a White Rhino bull. He lazily strolled into the bush, but not before giving us a proper view of it by stopping in the middle of the road and staring at us for a while. After this wonderful sight we were quite amazed to find 7 more White Rhino grazing in the open plains. Among them was a youngster that we estimated to be no older than 2 months. We watched them for a while and then continued with our drive.
Later, just as we finished setting up everything to have sundowners, an Elephant bull appeared from out of the bush about 400 meters away from us. We decided to pack everything away and go to have a closer look. We got to within 200 meters from it and just sat and watched as this amazing creature made his way slowly towards us while grazing the entire way. We watched him until it was too dark to fully appreciate it any longer and then took off to find the nocturnal animals. And we found them almost immediately. Just around the third corner from the Elephant was a Sweet Thorn tree, with three Lesser Galago in it. The one jumped away as soon as it noticed us, but the other two sat and groomed each other. After they had finished, they moved only slightly apart and started feasting on the delicious gum of the tree. This gum is also edible to humans and was at a time exported and sold in France. There, children bought it as sweets under the name “Gomme du Cap” which means “Gum of the Cape”.
Weekly Sightings 12 – 18 April 2010
After the rain cleared up, sightings became more interesting again with general game being plentiful on the plains with the graze of fresh growth after the sudden and welcome rain.Giraffe seem to be the special of the week as they had been seen every day with white rhinos also making regular appearances and treating us to a spectacular sighting of a crash of ten, one afternoon out on the plains.
We were also fortunate enough to see the very elusive honey badger, 3 black rhinos as well as genets and mongooses. The breeding herds of elephant made regular appearances and one quite unique event was the sighting of an elephant bull swimming in the river for a prolonged period of time. Other than that we only had two sightings of lion. One of these was on the beautiful Diamant plains where four females had killed a blue wildebeest.
Many birds of prey were seen, including the Black Chested Snake Eagle, Buzzards, Cape Vultures, Black Shouldered Kite, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl and African Scops Owl.
Insect numbers are less at the moment but we have many signs of them still visible in a different form, like the bag worms that spins a cocoon with acasia thorns around it for protection. There they will undergo metamorphosis while hibernating through the winter until they appear in a different form in summer.
Temperatures are still pleasant and warm during the day but drops considerably after sunset.
Weekly Sightings 5 – 11 April 2010
After last weeks enormous amount of rain, we had more sunshine during this week and could get out in the wonderful green bush again. The Matlabas River is still flowing strong through the park as the Waterberg Mountains still producing water. This late season rain filled up all the water sources and this coming winter will last.
We are slowly but surely going into autumn. The days are still warm and at night time it cools down but just perfect. We see less insects and reptiles as this indicate the change of season. Most insects by now have completed their life cycles and some need to finish it of by laying eggs before they disappear.
Amazing that there is still so much wild flowers visible. Old ones and new ones make their appearance. The grass is still green and the trees are happy as can be with all the rain. The sunsets are amazing, red pink and orange colour variations on the beautiful mountains filtering through clouds make the heart feel at home here at Marataba.
The small things always count. Are you scared of spiders? Well come and loose the scary face at Marataba and see how beautiful the yellow webs of the golden orb web spider look like when the dew drops and sunrise behind the web will change your mind.
Animal sightings were not too great by all the rain, that’s way the small things count. But with sunshiny days again the sightings increased. Lesser galagos, or bush babies every night jump up and down in trees and are amazing to look at. Giraffes near the lodge and the main access road toward the lodge with elephant bulls were seen on a few occasions. Blue wildebeest finding new territories and impalas begin to sort out theirs as the mating season is just around the corner. White Rhinos were seen almost every day. The lions were spending time in one area for a while now, they can’t cross the river at their normal crossings and it takes a long walk to do so. They were found feeding on an eland the one day and the next 3 days after that there were lion sightings. The older lioness is still pregnant and her time to give birth must be very soon. We also have a new regular visitor at the lodge an African Wild cat for 4 nights in a row.
We are all excited to have you as a guest her at Marataba to share this beautiful heavenly place to you.
Weekly Sightings 22 – 28 March 2010
We were surprised with rains this week and more rain is forecasted for the coming week.
Although one or two drives were quite animal wise we could concentrate more on the lovely small things in the bush. We were entertained by lots of golden orb web spiders, bark and kite spiders as they spin their webs within a few minutes.
The veld is covered with beautiful wild flowers such as wild hibiscus, pretty ladies, fox gloves and many more, flowers so beautiful it put a shy smile on many ladies faces.
We saw magnificent birds. One night produced three owls, the white faced scops owl, barn owl and the giant eagle owl. We drove in moonlight back to the lodge and was admiring the giant eagle owl in a dead tree and the mountains in the back drop all in bright moonlight. What a night!
Sundowners with eight hippo and coffee the next day with seven hippos was great. Unfortunately we did not have big enough mugs for them to join us. The male lions were seen a few times this week. Other game seen was white rhino, giraffe, eland, tsessebe, red hartebeest and a small spotted genet. Elephants were all over. On return from the afternoon drive, JP was about to close down from the drive and was surprised by an elephant at the lodge that appeared out of no where! Who scared who we don’t know because elephant trumpeted and JP accelerated. What a good laugh we had. The one morning we were spoiled to see a Spotted hyena near the mountain side.
No leopard seen this week but we know we are warm on their tracks as on almost every road there are leopard tracks.
Weekly Sightings 15 – 21 March 2010
For all the bird enthusiasts out there, you sure missed a spectacular week! With the majestic African Fish Eagle paying us regular visits and the whole reserve teeming with creatures of a feathery persuasion. From the tiny Green-winged Pytilia building his nest to the fierce Secretary bird devouring a snake, we saw it all. One drive even included a Pearl-spotted Owlet and an Evreux’s Eagle-owl. We were very fortunate to see quite a few raptors as well. Sightings include a male and female Black-chested Snake-eagle, Brown Snake-eagle, Gabar Goshawk, juvenile Walberg’s Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite and a couple of Bat Hawks.
And once again the elephants amazed us with their ever impressive displays. We had a few encounters that many a guest will not soon forget. On one particular occasion, we witnessed a herd of approximately 50 elephant enjoying a refreshing drink and bath. They lingered at the waterhole for about 30 minutes, lazily feeding on the delicious grass, before wandering into the bush out of sight of the ever watchful tourist.
Weekly Sighting 1 – 7 March 2010
We had quite a number of cloudy and rainy days the past week. And the weather seemed to force the animals into hiding in the thick vegetation of Marataba. Needless to say then, sightings were few, but remarkable as always. We shared some great moments with a couple of White Rhinoceros one evening during our drinks stop. Looking at these heavy beasts, as one of the guests described them, while the sun stroked them with its last rays for the day, we couldn’t help but become all warm and fuzzy inside with the splendor of nature. And if this wasn’t enough, a journey of Giraffe also entered the picture and ensured that we had the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Other than this, we had a few great drives in which we were able to show guests all the most wonderful scenic areas in the park. Marataba have long since made a name for itself as not just a place for fantastic game viewing, but with its great variety of areas such as mountains, plains, rivers and densely bushed areas, a property of true beauty.
And sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest impact. One such a small thing or creature rather, is the Lesser Galago, otherwise known as the Lesser Bushbaby. And he gave us quite a show. When we spotted it for the first time, it was about a 100 meters ahead of us in the branches of an Umbrella Thorn tree. We stopped right next to it and for the following 3-4 minutes we sat and watched as it jumped from branch to branch, always returning to the exact same spots, licking the gum out of the tiny holes it seemed to have made earlier. Then it seemed to get tired of this exercise and it stretched itself out to its full 37cm (including tail) and jumped out of our sight in search of an insect or two for its main course.
Weekly Sightings 22 – 28 February 2010
Did someone say Leopard? Yes, we did. And we didn’t just say it, WE SAW IT! Why so excited, you may ask. Well, due to the history of farming and farmers actually shooting Leopards threatening their livestock, these creatures have adapted to a lifestyle of hiding and lurking in the shadows. So every Leopard sighting at Marataba is considered a real treat. Especially if it crosses the road right in front of the vehicle and then glancing back just to make sure that everybody had a good look.
Other than that we were also blessed with regular Hippopotamus, Elephant, White Rhinoceros, Lion, Brown Hyaena and a single Black Rhinoceros sighting. And quite a number of Giraffe; one interesting thing about Giraffe is the way they are addressed. With other mammals we only have one name for a group of that species together. Like a pride of Lions, a herd of Elephant and a crash of Rhinoceros. With Giraffe there are three such names. Firstly, a group of Giraffe standing still is called a tower of Giraffe. Secondly, a group walking together is called a journey of Giraffe. And lastly, two bulls fighting or a male and female showing affection, are called a necking of Giraffe. This fact has led to a few discussions as to whether there shouldn’t be more names for these amazing creatures. Suggestions include a chomping of Giraffe for those who are busy eating and a sipping or gulping of Giraffe for the ones drinking water.
Weekly Sightings 15 – 21 February 2010
For all the bird enthusiasts out there, you sure missed a spectacular week! With the majestic African Fish Eagle paying us regular visits and the whole reserve teeming with creatures of a feathery persuasion. From the tiny Green-winged Pytilia building his nest to the fierce Secretary bird devouring a snake, we saw it all. One drive even included a Pearl-spotted Owlet and a Verreaux’s Eagle-owl. We were very fortunate to see quite a few raptors as well. Sightings include a male and female Black-chested Snake-eagle, Brown Snake-eagle, Gabar Goshawk, juvenile Wahlberg’s Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite and a couple of Bat Hawks.
And once again the elephants amazed us with their ever impressive displays. We had a few encounters that many a guest will not soon forget. On one particular occasion, we witnessed a herd of approximately 50 elephant enjoying a refreshing drink and bath. They lingered at the waterhole for about 30 minutes, lazily feeding on the delicious grass, before wandering into the bush out of sight of the ever watchful tourist.
The lions were somewhat elusive this week, but there was one drive where both guests and ranger had a very frightening surprise. On the drive, we found a male and female lion laying in the shade of a bush. The sighting was not very satisfying as the two were about 500 meters away and partly concealed by the vegetation. On the drive back we were somewhat subdued and with the sun shining straight in our eyes we almost failed to notice the huge male lion with his impressive black mane standing right beside the road. He gave a mighty roar just as we were next to him and stared at us in a very menacing manner as we came to a stop next to him. After several hours (maybe 3 seconds) of man and beast staring into each other’s souls, he simply turned away and continued on his way. After he left there was a minute of silence before the excited chatter began, the most common phrase used being; “Did you see that?”. Unfortunately for one guest the answer was no, for he was still looking in his bird book to find the distribution of the Spotted Thick-knee…
Weekly Sightings 8 - 14 February 2010
Another awesome week in paradise. Not a lot of action from the lions, but the elephants put up a show we will not soon forget. Firstly there was an encounter with a young bull charging the vehicle. The poor thing was so young and insecure that it wasn’t even necessary to counter intimidate. We just stopped the vehicle, switched off the engine and watched his display of rage. The little bull ran right through a Silver Cluster Leaf tree and stood about 20m away from the vehicle, shaking his head and trumpeting. After his failed attempt to intimidate, he showed the normal displacement behaviour and bowed his head in shame behind a bush. It was only then that we noticed the herd he was kicked out from, a hundred meters away; herding an elephant calf so young there was a dispute between the guests and ranger about it being an elephant or a mere warthog.
It was a unique experience to watch the young calf playing and rolling around in the sand by its mother’s feet.
Another interesting encounter was between an elephant cow and a bull in must, showing affection and interest in one another by using their trunks to touch each other’s faces. It seemed quite evident that the ultimate goal was to mate as the female lifted her tail exposing her reproductive organs in order for the male to establish her receptiveness. After careful examination, the bull seemed to lose interest and started hitting the female with his trunk. Since they were both about the same size, the female turned to face the bull and a full-on fight ensued.
From the majestic elephant to the interesting reptiles – with summer temperatures still rising, snake activity is increasing. We were quite fortunate to have a clear sighting of the deadly black mamba, lazily basking in the sun as we drove past but then desperately trying to hide in a termite mound as we stopped for a better view. As the snake was approximately 3m long, it proved to be too big to fit into its chosen hiding place and had to extract itself completely before opting for a different spot.
We had two exceptional sightings of raptors of which the first was a Fish Eagle feeding on a barbel (catfish) about the same size as the predator whilst the sight of a Black Chested Snake Eagle feeding on a snake mid-air was awe inspiring.
Weekly Sightings 1 - 7 February 2010
We were fortunate this week to witness the darting of lions in the Park. The lion pride consisting of one adult male, one adult lioness, two sub adult males and two sub adult lionesses. The four lions that needed to be darted were the two adults and the two young lionesses. We observed from a safe distance as the park manager and the veterinarian went ahead to dart the four lions, after all four lions were fast asleep we went in for a closer look as two collars were removed from the two adults and the two lionesses were measured and loaded to be taken to the lion enclosure, where they will remain for a while for further observation. This all were done while two young male lions looked confused as to what we were doing. When all was done we watched as the two adult lions woke up still a bit confused as to what just happened to them. This was a wonderful experience to witness.
Other than this, we had a couple of great sightings right at the lodge waterhole. One day we had 3 white rhinos lazily grazing to the delight of the guests, the next day there was a hippo, basking in the sun and feeding a bit before disappearing into the reeds. There were some elephant bull sightings that were quite spectacular with even one young elephant bull feeding on a marula tree.
Weekly Sightings 11 - 17 January 2010
After the first summer rains, they emerge and immediately start to play out their role in nature. Virtually no elephant or rhino dung pile is without them. No time is lost and they frantically try to get their share of what nature has provided and start their mopping up activities. That’s right we talking dung beetles as they have been plentiful this week, by rapidly removing the dung from the ground surface, dung beetles prevent the spread of diseases caused by bacteria and further prevent the spread of round and tape worms by destroying their eggs. Fly species that breed in dung are controlled as the dung is broken down before the fly maggots can complete their life-cycle...
The call of the ever so large African Bullfrog has been heard frequently around and in the Muddy Savannah waterholes. These calls that are heard are those of the males seeking Fe-males with whom they wish to mate with, unlike most frog species Bullfrogs spend most of the year underground (up to 10 months) and normally make their way to surface after the first heavy summer rains. Mating males can become rather aggressive and often battle to see how gets the covenant prize of a Slimy female with he then mates with. Portray to popular belief he however stays a bullfrog and does not turn into a prince....
Another rather peculiar night sound that has been heard frequently around the camp fires are that of the Hyena spotted in particular, some might say that it is the best sound in the bush, Hyena are the most sociable carnivores found in Africa, Calling is just one way communication the other is by means of chemical marking known as a pasting, there are two kinds of pastings, the one is for identification(as each scent is unique) the other is for social communication(mainly used while searching for food) the pasting would indicate to another individual that this specific area has been searched already.
As we head into the second week of our wild cam monitoring it continues to bring about nothing but success. This week caught on camera, was white-tailed Mongoose, Small and Large spotted genet, Porcupine, Elephant, Rhino (Black & White), Aardwolf, Baboon, and Zebra.
Weekly Sightings 4- 10 January 2010
Sightings this week have been amazing, with over 40 mammals sighted, In a single safari 5 different members of the cat family were sighted, among these sightings was the ever illusive southern male lion, this individual had not been sighted for many years, and is well over the age of 11 years Male lions on average have a life expectancy of 13 years. The rangers had been waiting a very long time to finally lay eyes on this Majestic Lion.
The Marataba guests were treated to a special treat when just as the sun was about to set the alarm call from the vervet monkeys was heard, in the savanna when primates call, you investigate as these calls may be an indication that a predator may be lurking about, and it was! As we followed continuous chirping of the vervets we located a male leopard in general leopard sightings are brief well not this one, this particular individual was relaxed with the presence of our vehicle.
Later that evening after all the excitement had subsided, the safari vehicles made their way back to camp, and to our surprise we came across cheetah on the plains. Prior to this cheetah had not been sighted for almost a year on a half. Cheetah are the smallest of the big cat species and are often dominated by the larger cats, 75% of all cheetah cubs are killed by lion. As per a census that was conducted in 2009 it is believed that there are fewer than 600 individuals left in South Africa.
As monitoring is an important part of reserve management and the key to a healthy eco system, The Marataba rangers have begun with their motion camera monitoring project. How does it work? These cameras are placed on strategic points within the reserve mainly near water; Photographs are taken when there is any movement in front of the camera. So far this project has been very successful in the last month. Mammals that have been recorded are Rhino (Black & White), Lion, Leopard, Mongoose (Banded, Dwarf & Marsh) Badger, Civet, Porcupine, Aardvark, Civet, Genet and large amounts of General Game. Just as humans have unique facial features so do animals, those that have been captured have been given identities, to date over 15 leopards have been recorded.
Weekly Sightings 21 - 27 December 2009
Mother Nature provided the Marataba guests and rangers with early Christmas presents this week, as sightings were nothing short of spectacular. December also lived up to its reputation as been the parks hottest month of the year. Very warm conditions were experienced with very little rainfall; as a result many sightings have taken place in and around our many water sources within the park. Elephants were sighted swimming in Fish eagle dam while the hippo watched them very confused to see the world’s largest mammal splashing about in a place that they call home. As these two large mammals occupy separate niches they are no threat to one another.
The Marakele plains are the place to be, these vast open areas serve a food resource for many different mammal species that congregate in their masses. Among the mammals sighted was the Aardwolf which is closely related to hyena (canine) family was out and about in search for termites which constitutes up to 93% of its diet. White tailed mongooses along with porcupine were also seen.
During this eventful week many of the cat species were sighted Lion were seen on a number of drives and just like humans they also had some difficulties in deciding what should be on the Christmas menu, one night shortly after sunset we watched four of our sub-adults stalking zebra but to no avail, then they focused there attention on an a warthog but they were just to late. The next morning the sound of jackals were plentiful and vultures in abundance, the presence of these 2 species is a sure indication that there perseverance were the secret to their success.
The have been a number of Leopard sightings this week. Leopards are the most illusive of all cat species, and seeing an individual sleeping in a marula tree, is a highlight of any safari.
Good news is that the cheetah which was introduced last month has been sighted, this individual is healthy and is said to be settling in well with its news surroundings.
Both Black and White Rhino were sighted, with white rhino being the more common of the two.
Marataba had an unexpected guest check in this week, Mr. aardvark who arrived on Christmas day made himself at home under the deck of our luxurious tents, Aardvark who are extremely shy nocturnal mammals can dig up to 1.5m in a few minutes are a rare find in the bush.
The bird life this time of year is amazing with the many migrants returning to the park in order to breed. Wahl bergs eagle who return to the same nests every year have been sighted doing some minor repair work before the chicks arrive, its mind blowing to think what a sense of direction these birds have as there is no such thing as a GPS in the animal kingdom.
Weekly Sightings 14 - 20 December 2009
As the Summer rains make their much appreciated presence felt and heard, the bush has really come alive. Here on the savannah water indicates life for both Plant and Animal Kingdoms whose life cycles begin shortly after the first rains, ensuring maximum of extraction of nutrients and thus ensures their survival. The call of the male cicadas is a characteristic summer chorus here in the Waterberg. Adult males whose life cycle is only but a few weeks, produce these sounds with the use of special sound-producing organs known as tymbals which are contracted by means strong circular rings within their abdomen, only 1 specific type of call will attract a Female. “Talk about hitting the right note”
Another class hard at work are the amphibians, one can't help but noticing the constructions of the foam nest frog around most of the muddy savannah waterholes. These froth like nests are produced by the hind legs of the females, eggs are then laid inside. This type of breeding system minimizes predation at the early developing stages of the embryo. Also sighted this week was a the extremely illusive Bushveld rain frog, this type of frog species spends most of its life underground, and only surfaces after rain for short periods of time.
As their were very few game drive vehicles out on the reserve this week, the rangers were hard at work rehabilitating roads that were closed due to large trees that were pushed over by none other than elephants, in the bush they are often referred to as landscape engineers ecologically as they are able to open up vast areas of land and thus changing the ecology. Adult bull will eat upwards of 150kg and drink up to 200litres a day. Luckily there is no shortage of water here in the Waterberg.
The open plains are green and lush with the summer grasses in full flourish. Evening drives and sunsets have been amazing with large amounts of general game on these plains, as these antelope graze different levels of grass they are in no competition for the food source, and rather partition this resource among them.
And of course where you find the prey the predators are not to far away, the mighty roar of lion are frequent at night, leopard has also been sighted on numerous occasions.
Bat eared fox have been sighted on numerous occasions roaming on the plains in search for termites as this constitutes a major food source, termites contain large amounts of protein, and is often a prize found in the savannah.
The bird life this time of year is at its most abundant, with most migrating species returning back to the waterberg with their bright attractive breeding plumage, the call of the coucals has been heard often, may this be an indication of more rain to come…
Weekly Sightings 7 - 13 December 2009
It was a great water week for Marataba as the afternoon showers cooled the warm temperatures of the day. The Lioness that spends most of the time around the lodge area was seen with her four youngsters of two years resting for hours about 150 meters away from the main lodge. She was then seen again on the lovely plains area with her youngsters and the two older males. Good to have the pride together again. It seems like the more dominant male is trying to mate with her again. This could spell danger for the cubs as the males may decide to kill them in order to maintain his lineage.
White Rhinos are visible almost everywhere and good sightings were enjoyed. With the varying temperatures being experienced at the moment even the Hippos walk for kilometres seeking new grazing grounds and new water holes. On one of the evening drives an African Civet was seen marking its territory. Although there have been great African Civet sightings before this was very special one. To top that off later during that drive a Leopard was seen with the guests being very enthralled by this special sighting.
One of the highlights for bird sightings this week was a Martial Eagle and a Walberg’s Eagle. Many other birds were also seen as the breeding season was clearly creating a lot of excitement.
Dung Beetles are very active and visible every day and the ever industrious Matabele Ants were seen everywhere scurrying and collecting for the evening rains. Frogs and Toads are very vocal during the night time and always a great treat for the guests. Interesting night sounds during this week included the call of the Nightjars, Scops Owl, Spotted Hyena, Brown Hyena, Crickets, and a Leopard.
Snakes and Reptiles are still very visible and with the heat they seem to spread around the concession area. With the spectacular thunderstorms and lightning strikes, the mountains in front of the lodge has been transformed into a nature wonderland of water and clouds making for very interesting sunrises and sunsets.
Weekly Sightings 23 - 29 November 2009
After a wonderful weekend of soft and gentle rain the bush got its colour back. A great week for sighting the more unusual animals in the concession: This was a good week where so many things were sighted: Reptiles encountered were snakes like the Puff Adder, Black Mambas, Spotted Bush Snakes, African Rock Pythons and many more. Tortoises and Terrapins, Tree Agamas and Lizards, Frogs and Toads and the Monitor Lizards are all very interesting smaller species to explore for the guests.
While driving in the bush the loud sound of the Cicada Beetles are all over and they can be viewed with a little effort in the trees as they blend in with the bark. Dung Beetles are pushing their dung balls around which they bury it and then proceed to lay eggs in, using it as a nursery and incubator. All kinds of Praying Mantis are visible some look like sticks, while others look like flowers and leaves.
Migrant Birds have made their way back to the South African summer weather. All kinds of Kingfishers and Bee-Eaters and Rollers are colourful beauties dancing in the sky as they dart and rush to catch insects. White Storks, Blue Cranes, Secretary Birds, Ostriches and Cattle Egrets are to be seen on the open plains. At the water’s edge, Hammer Kop, Cormorants, Darters, Little Grebes, Ducks and Geese as well as the entertaining African Jacanas nest around the water. We have had some awesome raptor sightings with the African Fish Eagle, Black Chested Snake Eagle, Buzzards and Kites all circling the skies looking for food.
Our wild flowers with all shapes, sizes and colours; Red Star Zinnia, Wild Hibiscus, Poison Apple, Poison Bulb, Sore Eye Flower and Commelinas all are in flower and makes for a colourful carpet across the plains and hanging on the trees.
On the mammal front, it has been a very exciting week with sightings of Lion, Elephant, White Rhino, Leopard, Hippo and Giraffe. Antelope such as Eland, Kudu, Waterbuck, Gemsbok, Tsessebe, Red Hartebeest and Steenbok was viewed on most game drives.
We also had a few special sightings of animals with young, as this time of year most of them are born due to the rainy season. Baby Impala, Zebra, Rhino, Jackal pups and many more have been seen. We had a wonderful sighting of Bat-Eared Foxes, 2 adults with 3 puppies playing at the den. Near the mountain side the Rock Hyrax (Dassie) curiously appeared to sun themselves on the rocky ledges. We viewed Dwarf Mongoose, Banded Mongoose and Slender mongooses in the same area.
Elephant bulls have been visiting the lodge every day and some were in musth indicating that breeding herds were not too far off in the area. Breeding Elephant herds with their Calves, some just a few days old, were seen during all the drives. On one of the evening drives a dead Hippo was found with a Brown Hyena feasting. He had a chunk of meat in his jaws and took off once he was aware of the vehicle, possibly to go and hide it for a later return for more prime pieces of meat before any other of the scavengers could arrive.
A Leopard was seen briefly at about nine in the morning close to the lodge while another highlight was the male Lions that have been visiting the lodge twice this week. One early morning, they were seen about 400 metres, South of the lodge, where they had brought down and killed a Blue Wildebeest.
Weekly Sightings 16 - 22 November 2009
Summer is snake activity time at Marataba and the most common sightings would be of the Black Mamba and the Puff Adder – both equally venomous and interesting in character with the Black Mamba the more aggressive one of the two species.
Fantastic mammal sightings with the Giraffe’s leading the main list of frequent sightings. One lot of Giraffe’s investigated the game vehicle and guests from up to 15 to 20 meters away. They were extremely curious and remained close for about 15 minutes. Lions seem to now wander close to the lodge area with one male spotted around the river area while a bigger pride was seen in the Northern territory of the concession. The Elephants have been seen around the lodge and concession area for the entire week while one male come to visit the lodge where he was enjoying the green grass and leaves off the surrounding trees. White Rhino are more visible on the plains with a very special sighting of a mother and calf and during one afternoon drive 9 White Rhino adults were seen on the plains enjoying the open areas.
The Rains have broken now and we have the Impala Ewe’s starting to lamb, so this is a great source of entertainment for the guests as they are coming across more and more little nursery groups of baby Impala. The summer mayhem of flowers, shrubs, insect and general animal activity have highlighted the beauty and serenity of Marataba this week.
Weekly Sightings 9 - 15 November 2009
A great week for beautiful weather and views of the magnificent Waterberg Mountains with some light afternoon showers to cool down the hot summer days.
Fantastic Hippo, White Rhino, Giraffe and the general game sightings as well as various insect activity with the weather changes. The Impalas have started to drop their young and with the excitement of the new grass and leaves, the antics of the young keep the guests amused as the adults cover a large areas with their movements. We have also had some good sightings of Leopard, Elephant, Black Rhino and Lion. We had a Leopard kill just outside the staff accommodation, as the previous night the Impalas were sounding distressed and the early morning discovery of an Impala carcass confirmed the inevitable. The ‘silent’ killer had struck and it is assumed that this may be the handy work of the resident female at the lodge . It just goes to show that you can never let your guard down when you are in the bush. During that same morning we also discovered a Honey Badger that was seriously injured and it looks like it was mauled by a Lion.
The trees and plants are really looking magnificent now. Everything is green and lush. The animals are enjoying the new shoots that are coming up and the Elephants are consuming their tonnage of leaves and shrubs. The Wild Hibiscus, Silver Cluster Leaf and Buffalo Thorn are some of the more indigenous plants that are really looking magnificent at the moment.
We have noticed an increase in the number of Woodland Kingfishers. Some birds are building nests whilst others have finished and are now incubating their eggs. It is good to see that the Wahlberg’s Eagles have returned to last year’s nest. We shall wait anxiously to see when the young birds will hatch.
The insect numbers have really increased due to the humid conditions we have. Dominating the open areas are the Dung Beetles and Ground Beetles. We also are starting to see a lot of Armored Crickets and Millipedes.
The reptiles have been elusive this week, however there have been some great sightings of Tortoises and some Bush Snakes. The cacophony of croaks and cheeps during the evenings indicate that the Frogs and Toads are out in full force at the moment and it is very common to see Tree Frogs up close and in the lodge area.
Weekly Sightings 2 - 8 November 2009
This week we had a good variety of game, insects and birds that have been seen. It is also nice to see that the trees and plants have come to life after the dry winter that we have experienced and after the fire that moved through the property recently.
On the mammals side we have found the following frequently – Hippo, Elephant, Lion, Giraffe and White Rhino. Some special sightings that we have had this week were of a Bat Eared Fox and a Honey Badger. These two shy animals are not seen often on the property but we frequently find signs of where they have been feeding.
We also experienced an incident where a vehicle out on drive were charged by a young bull elephant. It first came from the right, head held high, ears flapping and trumpeting like mad. After approaching for the second time, it moved to the front of the vehicle and charged again. It then disappeared into the bush on our left and after a while came back for a final display. The guests only laughed anxiously when it had gone and couldn’t stop talking about the event for the rest of the evening.
We have also had some good bird sightings this week that include the following- Reed Cormorant, Ostrich, Little Bee Eater, Violet Cheeked Waxbill, Cape Vulture, Secretary Bird and Grey Go-Away-Bird are some of the many birds that we have seen this week.
The insects are out in full force as well. We do have a good number of Dung Beetles and there are also a lot of Millipedes out at the moment. We have also seen an increase in Spiders.
With the reptiles we have been seeing a lot of Water Monitor, Leopard Tortoise, Tented Tortoise, Natal Hinged Tortoise, Marsh Terrapin, Serrated Hinged Terrapin and Tree Agamas. We have not seen any snakes this week but they are active because we have found a lot of trails.
Some great sightings at our local waterhole in front of the lodge with a recent activity from one of the Elephant Bulls, who has a liking for the lodge as he is constantly around.
Weekly Sightings 26 October - 1 November 2009
The warmer temperatures and intermittent thunderstorms are the highlight of the Marataba Wilderness at the moment.
Excellent game viewing of Lion, White Rhino, Black Rhino, Red Hartbeest, Elephant, Giraffe, Hippo, Vervet Monkeys and Brown Hyena are being see by all the guests. Baboons were very vocal during this week, it could relate to the Leopard spotted close to the lodge and they must have been playing a ‘cat and mouse’ game. Waterbuck, normally very shy, was spotted quite a number of times along with the majestic Eland joining some of the Zebras, Wildebeest, Giraffe and Impala on the plains.
UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS:
A breeding herd of Elephants crossed our path just 5 minutes after departing from the lodge. This was a very special sighting for there was 2 calves no more than 2 months old. The 1 cow gave us a bit of attitude, but relaxed when she saw that we were not threatening her baby. Leopard Tortoise – with the same markings and colouring of a Leopard, hence the name. A Leopard sighting that was very exciting for it was only the second time that this specific individual has been seen on the property. No ordinary Leopard, this one, but a black Leopard! The sighting was no longer than 10 seconds, but that was more than enough to keep everyone’s hearts racing all the way back to the lodge. Trap – door Spider – very elusive, but fascinating to watch as they have perfect timing of the door opening to capture any hapless insect crossing their path. Dwarf Mongoose – scurrying along the plains. Hyrax – seen close to the lodge, bird of prey will definitely be more prevalent then as they are prone to be predated on.
Weekly Sightings 19 - 25 October 2009
During the dry winter periods in the Savannah areas, the bush has a golden brown colour and looks dead. The reason for this is that the plants subtract their nutrients out of the leaves and store the nutrients in the roots. This is very common in especially sandy soils where sand has not much nutrients in the soil unlike in clay soils. Water drains much quicker in sand and therefore in the winter time plants can’t find any nutrients and only store nutrients in the roots. The grazing and browsing animals in these areas have to consume dry material fodder which is very poor in nutrients and minerals. So where do animals get these minerals from? In areas where the soil is poor in phosphorus or calcium giraffes get these minerals by chewing bones. The term for this is Osteofagia. Osteo = bone and fagia = consume. Animals also get minerals by licking sand and termite mounds where samples of this can be found in the dung of animals. Term for this is Geofagia. Geo = earth and fagia = consume. Guests were treated to one of these rare sightings last week as one of the game vehicles found this Giraffe chewing on a bone.
White Rhinos, Hippo, Giraffe and Lions were a feature sighting for most of the week with a large herd of Eland with a crèche of about twenty young Elands were seen nervously retreating into the bush on approach. The plains produce not only lots of general game, but also a lot of bird species like the Ostrich, Secretary bird, Blue Crane and Vultures.
A breeding herd of about 50 Elephants were still feeding along the river lines were the trees are greener and with generous water supply. A baby elephant was seen with some blood on his body and the mother was also still bloody. This indicates to us that she gave birth on the same day.
Two bull elephants paid a visit to the lodge and decided to spend the night. One of the bulls were close to tent 13 and remained close during the night.
UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS
A brown snake eagle also made his appearance. With the spring/summer time the bush is very alive, the insects make their appearance and the reptiles like tortoises and all kinds of lizards are visible.
Dwarf Mongoose.
Four of the young Lions at almost two years old surprised the guests at a sun downer stop on one of the big dams. Everybody was enjoying a drink and the sunset when the four lions tried to kill a warthog.
Weekly Sightings 12 -18 October 2009
The White Rhinos were seen everywhere grazing all over the plains as the new grass appeared after good rains we had. The breeding herds of Elephants spend more time around on the river lines and were seen. The Hippos as always were seen in the water. Animals like the Tsessebe, Red Hartebeest, Waterbuck and the shy Bushbuck were seen. Giraffe just before dark and one of the secret seven, the African Wildcat, was highlight of one of the day game drives.
Two young male Lions of about two years old killed a Blue Wildebeest during the night. The lions was surrounded by Black Backed Jackal as they tried to get their share of the meat. During the time with the lions a Brown hyena showed up and successfully grabbed a peace of left over and disappeared. The breeding herd of Elephant estimated at about 50 elephants were seen near the river. A White Tailed Mongoose hunting for mice was seen on the plains.
Unusual sightings 20 White Rhino seen in one day and 12 seen on one of the other days during the week
Regular Brown Hyena sightings
Seven Lions seen after a sun downer drink stop – they were heard roaring loudly during the drink stop and guests had a great view from the game vehicle of all them preparing for the evening hunt.
5 Lions seen on a Blue Wildebeest kill on a morning game drive and surrounded by about 16 Black Backed Jackal eagerly awaiting any morsel that they could steal.
The magnificent Waterberg Mountains are a great backdrop against the plains and several Giraffe, Impala, Wildebeest and Zebra are often seen together as they move across the plains during the early evenings and mornings. The warmer weather is now also attracting several migrant birds and other animals.
Elephant sightings are more abundant as they move through the valleys and in the plain areas with breeding herds seen in various areas around the Marataba concession. Some larger Bulls seem to frequent the lodge area more.
Unusual sightings: 7 Lions slowly recovering from their mid afternoon sleep and preening themselves as they prepared to move into the night for their evening hunt
Elephant Bull on the dam wall – drank his fill and then passed close to the vehicle – about 15 metres away. Great sighting for the guests.
Sightings 28 September 2009 - 4 October 2009
The summer rains have started with several promising thunderstorms in the area delivering much needed water. Wildebeest, Impala, Zebra and Giraffe are now seen in bigger herds on the plains, while the Elephants are moving between various sections of the concession area. A number of breeding herds with some totalling up to 50 or more, have been spotted, along with lone Bulls dispersed in various proximity of the herds.
White Rhino are now being seen every day, and they are always a welcome sight for the guests as they are less skittish than the Black Rhino. Red Hartebeest, Eland and Tsessebe have also been seen in larger numbers than before.
Today Riaan was out on drive. He found white rhino, hippo giraffe and had a nice sighting of lions. He and his guest witnessed something that is not seen that often. The lions where hunting a warthog and on of the young lions some how managed to run straight into a tree. She was alright but it seems as if she was embarrassed after this incident. The big female did in the end manage to catch the warthog and feasted on it.
Interesting sightings for this week: Change of season has brought about some interesting bird and insect activitiy:
Birds seen: Brown Snake Eagle,Blue Crane, Masked Weaver frantically building nests, Lilac Breasted Rollers, Hammer Kop and an African Fish Eagle
Insect activity include Dung Beetles as per the picture in large numbers, Funnel Web Spiders and Millipedes.
Rangers Blog 20 - 26 September 2009
Sunday 20 September 2009
Lone male Lion followed along the road and over the bridge for about a good half an hour till he disappeared into the thickets.
Black Rhino seen close to foraging Elephants while at one of the drink stops a pod of Hippo were seen relaxing in the water.
Monday 21 September 2009
A crash of White Rhino consisting of 4 adult males, 2 adult females, 2 sub adult males and 2 juvenile males were seen together – quite a sighting, however it seems as though they were all interested in the two females, while on the plains a journey of Giraffe were seen in the setting sun. On returning to the lodge, the guests were treated to a Civet and a Spotted Genet sighting.
Tuesday 22 September 2009 Two sub – adult male Lions seen on the early morning drive along with the same 8 Rhino seen the night before. Not to far from this Rhino sighting an additional 4 White Rhinos were seen. An interesting bird species was also seen – the Secretary bird while further along the river area a Lioness and two Males were hunting, they seemed mesmerised by the bush in front of them, however they did not seem to be successful as they dropped their guard and moved off.
Wednesday 23 September 2009 Once again an abundance of White Rhino and Giraffe were seen as well as an interesting plant species – the Transvaal candelabra – this is a very poisonous plant. If used for coals to cook on, the chances that you will survive are very slim. Some birding enthusiasts were eager to see a Walberg’s Eagle but were instead treated to a brown Snake Eagle in the vicinity. More Rhino spotted during the evening drive while a Brown Hyena was seen along one of the access roads to the lodge. A pair of Lions was spotted sleeping under a thorn tree. A close encounter with a large Elephant Bull near the lodge ended the evening drive.
Thursday 24 September 2009
Tsessebe – an Antelope species, were seen on the plains along with White Rhino, Eland and a few Giraffe. Also seen was an interesting courting display of a male ostrich desperately trying to impress a couple of females.
Friday 25 September 2009 Guest had requested to view some Hyena and indeed they were not disappointed as they managed to see a rare Brown Hyena. The evening drive with White Rhino, Eland and Giraffe on the plains and in the surrounding bush ended with a breeding herd of Elephant close to the lodge and a lone Bushbuck on the access road en route to the lodge.
Saturday 26 September 2009 A pride of 7 Lions were found this morning while the call of a Fish Eagle echoed in the valley. White Backed Vultures were circling what must have been a recent kill, however no trace of any carcass was found. There was a deluge of water as the early summer rainstorms hit the concession filling most of the mountain streams and valley rivers. This lasted for about half an hour or so and in the clearing skies more Lions were seen resting before their evening hunt. Whit e Rhino and Giraffe were silhouetted against the dark clouds and setting sun.
Rangers Blog 13 - 19 September 2009
Sunday 13 September 2009 The reptiles are finally out as the summer days are back at Marataba.
Game views today included White Rhino, Giraffe, Hippo a variety of plains game and a large Python basking in the sun. It must have been about 4.5 meters long.
It is very rare that you actually get to see such a magnificent snake in the wild. The birds are starting to migrate to the region for the summer season.
Monday 14 September 2009 More White Rhino were seen towards the Waterberg Mountains while Hippo, Lion and General Game seemed to share a common territory as they were seen in close proximity of each other during the drives.
Tuesday 15 September 2009 This morning we found the Lion lying in the road and he looked very sick. He was foaming from the mouth and was breathing very shallow. We initially thought that he had been bitten by a snake as these are the symptoms often displayed, however after the park manager had examined the lion more closely he came to the conclusion that he had just over eaten. White Rhino seem to be in abundance in the concession area as well the normal plains game close by.
Wednesday 16 September 2009 September is spring in South Africa and the sourveld areas subtract nutrients from the plant and store it in the roots during the winter. When spring arrives the plants make use of the stored nutrients to produce new growth before the rain. And that’s visible on the open plains at the moment, and attract allot of the grazing animals. Eleven White rhinos were seen as well as a big herd of about 70 eland, the largest antelope, and lots of Wildebeest. The Ostrich males are doing their best with the well known mating dance to impress females for mating. Three lions were seen next to the river, a male, female and one of the female’s youngsters. We were amazed to see how the lions got up and crossed the riverbank, which is about two meters high but not much of a challenge for the lions to ascend to the top of the bank.
Thursday 17 September 2009 Great sighting of one of the Leopards in the area with a couple of Lions, Elephant, White Rhino and Hippo.
Elephants are moving through vast tracts of land and in some cases it is not unusual not to spot them immediately, so this was a treat – Leopard and Elephant on the same day.
Friday 18 September 2009 Tracking some more recent White Rhino tracks led to a great sighting while graceful Giraffe, Elephant, Lion and Brown Hyena were also spotted during the drives.
We had seven Lions at the sighting with three calling at the same time. The young lions also showed that they have a lot still to learn in that they tried to catch a White Rhino but failed miserably. And it was good to see that the lion that had eaten too much earlier in the week was back to normal.
Saturday 19 September 2009 A variety of different species were seen - with Lion dominating the sightings, Porcupine, White Tail Mongoose, Giraffe and White Rhino seen in separate areas.
The male and female Lion were in a mating mood and were not perturbed by the vehicles. A wonderful sun downer was enjoyed next to the river and the drive back to the lodge in darkness produced two mammals that are not easy to see, a Porcupine and White tailed Mongoose. These mammals are very nocturnal and always out on the hunt for food under the cover of darkness. Almost back at the lodge we were surprised by an African Civet.
Rangers Blog 6 - 12 September 2009
Sunday 6 September 2009 Today we had two vehicles out. We found the following - White Rhino, Nyala, Giraffe and Brown Hyena.
The drives today were all very good. We had quite a few white rhino and Giraffe sightings. But the highlight of the day was finding a brown hyena and seeing the Nyala for the first time on the property.
Monday 7 September 2009 General game with White Rhino, Hippo, Giraffe and Brown Hyena sightings
Today we were looking of the elusive elephants. We concentrated on the southern side of the property. There were lots of evidence of elephant activity, however none were sighted during the drive
Tuesday 8 September 2009 More general game with White Rhino, Hippo, Giraffe and Elephant sightings.
Black Rhino bull had been sighted that had been in a fight. He had a wound on his forehead.
We were once again in the south where our new ranger had found elephants. We could not find the elephant so we stopped and watched the sun set with a sundowner drink in our hand. About ten minutes after sunset we found ourselves in the middle of the breeding herd of elephants. Unfortunately the elephants do not respond well to light so we had to navigate through the elephants in darkness. All we could see was the faint track in front of us. The elephants were all around us and we could not see them but we could hear them feeding. I knew we had passed an elephant that was very close to us when one of my guests all of a sudden got excited when she looked through her night vision binoculars. Thankfully all the elephants where relaxed and just carried on feeding.
Wednesday 9 September 2009 After the previous night’s excitement JP and I headed back to the area that we found the elephants in. We did not manage to find them but we did find Roan Antelope, Black Rhino, Lion and General Game.
The Lion sighting was one of the best sightings I have had. The evening game drive was very quiet until we found the lions feeding on a wildebeest. They were very vocal and we watched these magnificent animals devour the wildebeest. I estimate that it took the five lions about forty five minutes to eat a wildebeest.
Thursday 10 September 2009 Two vehicles went out this morning and we found the following - White Rhino, Hippo, Civet, Genet, Leopard and General Game.
Today I had the privilege of seeing one of our shy animals, the Leopard. Thanks to the monkeys that made us aware that there was danger in the area we found the Leopard up a tree. He did give us a brief look then leaped out of the tree and disappeared into the bush.
Friday 11 September 2009 Today we set out to find the elephants once again. We did not find them but we managed to see Black Rhino, White Rhino, Hippo, Lion and Leopard
All in all this week has been both frustrating but amazing. The elephants have given us the slip on a daily basis but we have had some other amazing sightings. The cat sightings have improved and let’s hope that it stays like this. As usual we have had some good White rhino sightings but what was surprising was the number of Black Rhino sightings we have had. On the antelope side it was business as usual. We did however have Roan and Nyala sightings that have been surprising. The reptiles are coming out which is always a welcome sight. Initial Cheetah and Wild Dog sightings have been reported in the park area, and we look forward to seeing them in the Marataba concession area.
Saturday 12 September 2009 As we had a colder and windy day it did affect the sightings a bit, but not too much though. Giraffes were everywhere, from bulls to cows and even youngsters which was amazing to see as they were feeding on the thorn trees. White Rhinos never let us down. During the windy day they found a warmer spot to lie down and make the photographer’s job easy as they can get very close-up photos of the rhino. The elephants spent more time near the mountains and to get there to view them is difficult, but we were surprised on our way back to the lodge after sunset. We stopped for a noise that one of the guests heard, and with lots of excitement it was elephants feeding. The block they were in was dense and viewing was not easy. In the bush, passion is very important and after 25 minutes of driving around the general area, our perseverance paid off with 2 elephants.
Rangers Blog 17 - 23 August 2009
Monday 17 August 2009
Am A beautiful start to the day – the days are definitely starting to warm up. After a hearty breakfast the guests and vehicles headed out to the river lines and found some Hippo, White Rhino, White Tailed Mongoose and the 4 sub-adult Lions. The request this morning was to see a variation of animals and certainly the guests were not disappointed. Leopards had been heard during the night at their usual position at the lodge around Tent 3 and they may still be mating. The female tends to be using the main lodge area as her hunting territory as previously she had taken down a Wildebeest close to tent 5.
Pm It seemed to be a typical “Masai Mara” afternoon as several herds of plains game comprising of Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, and loads of Warthogs were seen. The stunning mountain backdrop framed this picture as the sun was setting in the distance. Jackal calls were heard on the drink stop, could indicate a pride of Lions getting ready for the evening hunt.
Tuesday 18 August 2009
Am With the change of season, a new round of bird species will be arriving on the concession. Mornings are filled with various verbal displays from the 200 odd species currently on the Marakele National Park area. Bird lovers on the drive were furiously trying to identify some of the more unusual species found in the concession. General game were sighted while the fresh spoor of a smaller Leopard was seen on the access road. Baboons were sunning themselves in the morning light and some had a bit of energy for a quick grooming session.
Pm The river lines seem to be popular as the water is not that prolific at the moment and true to expectation the game drive delivered Hippo, White Rhino, Giraffe, and a really special sighting of two rare animals in the park the African Wild Cat and a Brown Hyena. No sign of the Lions, however they were heard roaring in the distance sending a few local Zebra into a frenzied panic as they disappeared under a cloud of dust. The sunset this evening was truly magnificent and the guests enjoyed the view of the dam and mountain backdrop with the fading rose coloured light. Stargazing would be good tonight as the air was clear and if some of the guest were up to it – we would be setting up the telescope later on.
Wednesday 19 August 2009
Am A fruitful morning start to the drive as 10 minutes into the drive the guests were treated to a pride of Lions. They were resting and seemed to be full bellied, and by all accounts must have made a kill during the night. No immediate sign of any carcass, however a lone vulture was seen perching close to a lard tree, waiting for the moment to descend. Hippo were out of the water still grazing, however with our approach they decided to hastily retreat back into the reeds and most probably the closest and safest patch of water. An elusive Bush Pig was seen hurriedly disappearing into the bush.
Pm This afternoon it was a relaxed drive. There was a lot of bird activity but very little mammal activity. We found Hippo and Giraffe but had some amazing Roller sightings – these unique birds seem to ascend into the skies with their colourful plumage and then literally roll back to their perch for another round.
Thursday 20 August 2009
Am A busy morning as three vehicles headed out in different directions. On report back varied sightings of Giraffe, Lion, Hippo and the remnants of bush pickings and overall destruction led us to believe that a herd of Elephant were in the area. Once again a choice of bird species were found all over the area.
Pm The signs that we found in the morning made us concentrate in the Western Block of the concession. It was well worth the exploration as a small herd of Elephants were found with some White Rhino and Hippo close by. No Lion tracks, however some fresh Leopard spoor was found, it could be the large male that mated with the Lodge Leopard in the past two weeks.
Friday 21 August 2009
Am An interesting start to the morning as we decided to revisit the Leopard tracks and sure enough a great sighting of the female Leopard with tracks from the male close by. She was lying peacefully in the road not bothered by the vehicle at all. Giraffe and White Rhino were also seen along with more plains game on our return to the lodge.
Saturday 22 August 2009
Am Today was another successful day. There were two vehicles out on drive this morning. We found one of our large male lions sleeping under a tree, completely unaware that we were in the vicinity. Further on the in the drive we also found White Rhino, Hippo out of the water, quite unusual for the late morning and more Giraffe with a few youngsters curiously checking our vehicle out. General game were about with large herds of Impala congregating after the recent Rutting season closed and they had settled down into bachelor herds as well as general male led herds. As the rainy season will start soon, the Impala will start dropping their young for the next green season.
Pm The afternoon drive was a repeat of the morning drive. We found the same Lion still under the same tree sleeping, clearly a cat’s life is the best one of all. We also found White Rhino, a large journey of Giraffe as well as signs of Elephant in the area. General game were still milling about as they prepared for the night ahead. Jackal were calling to one another in the distance, perhaps more Lion were close by.
Sunday 23 August 2009
Am The mornings are warming up earlier as per normal, and the leaves are sprouting a faint green as the summer growth starts to reappear. Small herds of Impala were seen close to the lodge and behind the main lodge area the open ground revealed a collective Warthog display as they scooted across to safer ground. Vultures were scattered in various trees closer to the Southern side of the concession and may be worth exploring later as it may indicate some kill of sorts.
Pm Sundowners was served on banks of the dam about 40 minutes from the lodge. A lone Wildebeest and several Impala were relaxing close by. Some chattering birds caught our attention – could be a snake, however we could not see any sign of one. In the distant mountains the evening coolness reflected hues of blue and pink lights – it seemed to be cooling down again. On our return to the lodge we saw signs of Lion tracks, however they remained elusive all the way back.
Rangers Blog 27July - 2 August 2009
Monday 27 July 2009
Am A cool start to the morning, virtually no wind and many general game about. The usual Impala herds were scattered with Giraffe, Zebra and Wildebeest about. A very special sighting of a White Rhino seemingly on its own, however it seemed like a few were close by as we heard the usual noises associated with the Rhino movement. Vultures were seen circling above, however no scent or sign of a kill or any carcass about. Some Lion tracks were seen on the access road close to the lodge and we tracked this for about 15 minutes before they disappeared into the thicker bush.
Pm The afternoon was as peaceful as the morning drive. We continued to track the Lions but to no avail. Fresh Leopard spoor were picked up about half an hour out of the lodge. No doubt we were under observation as we did not manage to see any sign of Leopards. Sun downers are always a social time for guests to get to know each other and the spectacular sunset was another talking point for the guests. In the distance a group of Jackal was heard adding to the ambience of the African night.
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Am The morning drive proved to be challenging as many game seemed to be in hiding. General game were spotted across the plains moving about in the morning sunlight. Giraffe, Wildebeest and of course the ever present Impala were peacefully grazing. No fresh tracks of either Lion or Leopard were seen.
Pm The task at hand for the afternoon drive was to find Elephant. A herd was seen heading in the direction of the mountain areas. Movement with most animals at this time of the year revolves around grassy plains, and shrubs that may offer some greenery. The mountains still have a few fresh streams running through the valleys so this may be a better place to see general game. By sunset, general plains game were seen with a fresh solitary Leopard spoor heading in the direction of the lodge. Baboons were raucously protesting in the distance, which may indicate that indeed he was around.
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Am Fresh Lion tracks were spotted this morning close to the lodge, hopefully we would find them – it seems to be a smaller pride of about 6 or so. Hippo and Giraffe were seen close to one of our larger dams. No trace of the Elephants even though the evidence of their spree was dotted around with the amount of dung and the barks of trees.
Pm A new area in the Southern part of the reserve was explored this afternoon as the guides were determined to find the elusive cats and the Elephant. A great sighting of general game and a lone White Rhino but no signs of any Elephant and it seem that although the Lions were about, they were giving the guests a miss – hopefully the night will deliver some action as it seems their movements are indicating a hunt of sort. But we still have no sign of the elephants. The lions seem to be all over but keep giving us the slip.
Thursday 30 July 2009
Am Finally! A large Bull Elephant was seen close to the lodge. He was peacefully ripping apart whatever greenery was left on the bushes and also managed to uproot a small Acacia Thorn tree – clearly trying to get to the succulent roots. A large herd of Eland were seen running on the plains with Giraffe, Zebra and Wildebeest close on their heels. We were not sure if they were frightened by the vehicle, or if perhaps a predator was lurking somewhere in the bush.
Pm The afternoon drive delivered the elusive Lion, albeit a lone male – he was magnificent and seemed to sense the need to stay as he ‘posed’ for a couple of photos and then slowly ambled off into the bush. A small pod of Hippo lazily drifted in the muddy waters of the Matlabas dam and a troop of noisy and nosey Baboons were getting ready to roost in one of the bigger trees close to the banks of the dam. Silhouetted in the evening sky a journey of 10 to 15 Giraffe were casually strolling on their way to the dam.
Friday 31 July 2009
Am Small game seemed to be the essence of the morning drive – with the remnants of a Honey Badger meal of Dung Beetle larvae. Hippos were basking in the morning sunlight close to the banks of the dam with a few outside grazing on the long grass. Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest and a few Eland were seen mingling with the Impala on the plains. The Lion from the evening before was definitely not around anymore and no sign of any other tracks in the area either.
Pm The afternoon delivered a rare sighting – a very shy Brown Hyena, he was quite relaxed with the vehicle and seemed to be on a mission, sniffing the air and stopping every now and again to observe and listen. A crash of White Rhino were among about 5 or so Giraffe while the Hippo were grunting in dissatisfaction and the crowded conditions in one of the larger dams on the concession.
Saturday 1 August 2009
Am Once again it was to be a great sighting of Lion with a pride of 5 relaxing in the morning sun. They seemed to have full bellies, but there was no sign of any kill close by. Some were still sleeping while two youngsters were grooming themselves and swatting each other with boredom. A few White Rhino, Giraffe and Hippo were also seen during the drive. A surprise light shower of rain seemed to clean the dry air, while Impala were trying to ‘hide’ under bare trees.
Rangers Blog 20 - 25 July 2009
Monday 20 July 2009
Am
A glorious start to the winter morning, plenty of sunshine and bird life about. Confused Impala were scattered about and we realised why when we saw a pride of Lions – they were resting but aware of the nervous antelope about. After this special viewing, the guests were once again treated to Hippos in the river area, some still out of the water, which is very unusual for Hippo at this time of the day. A magnificent journey of Giraffe were making their way across the plains on our return to the lodge. General game were about as usual. Back at the lodge the Vervet Monkeys were chattering excitedly – could be a snake or perhaps they spotted one of the resident Leopards resting.
Pm
After tea the guests were excited to know that the Lions were still about and as it is were spotted in the same area as this morning. General game were milling about on the plains and close to the lodge with some Zebra males fighting over territory. During the course of the early evening the guests had an amazing sighting of a shy Brown Hyena. On the return journey to the lodge a solitary White Rhino was spotted - he seemed to be relatively at ease with the vehicle and allowed a couple of good photos to be taken.
Tuesday 21 July 2009 Am The day started off a bit chilly as the guests were dressed in layers but seemed to warm up as the morning progressed, typical of the winter mornings in the concession and park area. A Black Rhino bull was calmly grazing and the guests were thrilled that they managed to see both species on their stay at Marataba. We were hoping to see some Leopard as the tracks indicated that they were about and very close to the lodge – explaining the nervous chatter of the monkeys the day before. Plains game and Hippo were also seen on the drive with some magnificent birds also being sighted. Some confused trees have started showing signs of greenery, could be due to the unseasonal rain in the past weeks.
Pm Great excitement as a pride of Lions were seen just outside the lodge area – they were seemingly getting ready for a hunt as they stretched and yawned. Another great treat was the sighting of a Civet – a very shy animal and normally not seen during the course of the afternoons, they are nocturnal animals and as such will mostly be observed later in the evenings. Added to this a small Spotted Genet, also quite rare was seen along with some skittish Bush Pigs – a small family on the trot, they are still a bit shy of the vehicles in the area. On our return to the lodge we managed to see a number of Giraffe silhouetted against the evening sky. A lone Bull Elephant was seen close to the lodge almost in the same area as the Lions were seen previously.
Wednesday 22 July 2009
Am The dry bush of the area always manages to show some magnificent spider webs as the morning dew reflects from the sunlight, and this morning was no exception as there were plenty of them around. White Rhino, Hippo and the same journey of Giraffe were spotted in close proximity to one another – interesting that they seem to stay close to one another on some days, while being apart on other days. Tracking some of the Leopard tracks indicated that they were somehow following a circle in the area close to the lodge.
Pm
Two vehicles headed out into different directions this afternoon one to the South and the other towards the mountains. Fantastic sightings of the following were reported Lion, Aardwolf, White Mongoose, Elephant, Civet and Giraffe.
Thursday 23 July 2009 Am Generally a quiet drive with the normal plains and general game about. A small herd of Wildebeest were spotted running off in the distance – at this time of the year the waterholes can be dry and the animals tend to stay close to the river and the dams in the area – so always a good area to find a variety of different game. A solitary White Rhino was seen running into the bush with some curious Giraffe wandering close to the vehicle – the guests were delighted as they managed to get some great shots at close range.
Pm An unusual drive this evening as a collection of different types of animals were viewed. Porcupines were the most unusual seen – noisily crunching on roots and shoots that they had been digging up. Genet, Civet , Aardwolf as well as a pride of resting Lions were seen during the rest of the evening. On the return leg to the lodge a small herd of Elephant and curious Bush Babies were spotted.
Friday 24 July 2009 Am It was a morning of plenty plains game – with Impala restlessly moving about. The Zebra, Wildebeest and some Warthogs seemed to share the sentiments of the Impala. On tracking some of the fresh spoor, we could see active Leopard tracks in the area. The seemed to disappear into the bush but had followed the road for quite a distance.
Pm Sunset was as usual, one of the highlights of the evening and at this time of the year it was very clear. While enjoying the sundowners, the guests could hear the roar of the Lions in the distance. A variety of Jackal calls were also scattered in the bush as well as the singular muttering of a Brown Hyena.
Saturday 25 July 2009 Am
This morning about 20 minutes from the lodge a small family of White Rhino were seen moving around – we managed to count about 4 – with a year old youngster among them. General plains game were moving across towards the valley as well as some Wildebeest running with the Zebras. A couple of the smaller creatures were very busy in the bush – amongst them some Squirrel, Mongoose and a lone Jackal.
Pm The evening drive proved to be very special as a magnificent Black Rhino with a calf was seen. The vehicle managed to get relatively close before they decided to move off. Once again the guests were thrilled to also see the White Rhino not too far from this sighting. Our sundowners at the Matlabas dam was disturbed by the call of Lions and after packing up we managed to see them about 15 minutes away from where we were located.Rangers Blog 5 - 12 July 2009
Sunday 5 July 2009
AM
Elephant have been abundant this week with a large breeding herd spending a lot of time moving up and down the river lines. One particularly memorable sighting was of a large family unit feeding on the grassy banks of the Matlabas river about 2 minutes drive from the lodge. We sat silently watching them and after a short while a procession of 6 small calves came out of the thicket and into the open. The calves were probably aged from about 2 years to about 5 years. It was incredible to watch the interaction of the adults and calves together in such a relaxed manner. The females are usually very protective of their young and don’t often allow one to get too close.
Rhino have been abundant as usual this week with a few sightings on the plains as well as in the western blocks of the reserve. We had a fantastic sundowner stop at Diamant plains one afternoon when two white rhino bulls came out into the open about 50m away completely unaware of our presence and spent the remainder of our short break feeding in front of us. Rhino have incredibly poor eyesight and if the wind and sun are in the right direction, one can get very close to them without them being aware of you. It is one of the safest of the big animals to approach on foot because of this.
The guests had a brief but fantastic sighting of a female leopard. She was a beautiful cat and was curious about our presence. We got a few photos before she decided to take cover in the thick bush.
Lion have been playing hiding go seek this week with only a few sightings over the last few days. The sightings have luckily been fantastic and the guests were treated to a male and female mating at Diamant plains.
20 April 2009 - The Day of the Rhino
Pm drive
Field Guides
Hugo and Craig
WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING QUESTION THAT A GUEST STAYING AT MARATABA HAS EVER ASKED YOU? :
Why do animals from the same family have differing generic or scientific names? After months of research, we are still trying to figure this out. Thanks Darwin!
Autumn is definitely setting in as the evenings are starting to get cooler and the area is heading into the dry season. (See chart above with expected temperatures at this time of the year) With afternoon tea consumed we set off to one of the small pans on one of our plains and en route were surprised by two White Rhino, a mother and calf in the background. They seemed very placid and calmly grazed while we watched. Normally a mother with her calf would be very skittish, however it seems that they are more relaxed with the vehicles than before. After some fantastic general game viewing in that vicinity, we decided to move off in search of our elusive lions but instead were met by a very lazy yet very large White Rhino Bull having a snooze under a large thorn tree. Once again he seemed unperturbed by the vehicle – this certainly was a bonus as in one area there seemed to be a large concentration of Rhino together, which would make territorial disputes very interesting. Not far from this sighting, another White Rhino sighting with a difference, a mother and her calf that was about two weeks old, with boundless energy, bouncing around and making mom very nervous as she was not sure who to control, the vehicle or the calf. The most awkward part of the calf would have to be the cute yet almost chirping noise it makes as a youngster, definitely not the noise you would associate with a Rhino – a high pitched squeal of sort.
A further sighting of thirteen Giraffe that were quite far away to begin with but once they spotted us their urge to satisfy their abounding curiosity got the better of them and they moved right towards the vehicle in order to have a better look. Amongst this group was an old male who has been with the park since the beginning of its transformation from farmland into wilderness. His brown colouring which is quite prominent would attest to his age, he almost looks like a tall shadow in the bushes. We also spotted two hippo out of the water which of course is a rare sighting in itself during the day as these animals usually prefer to lie the coolness of the water in order to protect their heat sensitive skin.
We just can’t seem to get enough of the Elephants either. Hugo had a fantastic sighting of two bulls swimming in the middle of one of our large dams on his drive; they also decided that the water would be a fun place to wrestle. Elephant and their social structure is very closely associated with human interaction and it is a very special moment to spend time with them while they bond, cavort and socialize together. While enjoying the sights of the two playful elephants, Hugo noticed a bull Rhino coming down to have a drink of water nearby. Craig also later followed up on another rhino sighting and came across another Rhino Bull . He was a busy boy, scraping and scent marking the area at regular intervals. Later Craig was also lucky enough to see another 4 Hippo out of the water very close to the vehicle, but strangely enough the hippo remained quite calm. it just keeps getting better. The lions remained anonymous for the rest of the evening. Perhaps they were around the lodge and we would hear them tonight.
22 April 2009 – Circling Vultures
AM blog – Field Guide: JP Schmidt
BEST GAME DRIVE EVER:
An epic sighting of a breeding herd of elephant that had around 13 small calves. It was incredible to see the interaction between the elephants of different ages.
We set out this morning with one vehicle on the drive, as we started out on our great quest for the very elusive lions, however we only managed to find their prey – so clearly it had been a great evening of hunting and feasting. Numerous Wildebeest and Zebra as well as a Kudu or two. When we decided to stop for drinks we were surprised to find a group of Hippos nearby in the water so decided to pack up and find a different spot after these gigantic animals took a bit too much interest in us. Not an animal that one wishes to tangle with being statistically the animal responsible for most human deaths in Africa.
After the drinks we saw some Cape Vultures flying and being a good sign of predator activity we tried to follow them, but to no avail, as they were not sticking to one area of flight. This immediately tells us that they have not spotted anything yet but are simply scouting around for their next meal. DID YOU KNOW?: Marakele is also home to the world’s largest breeding colony of the endangered Cape Vulture. Seeing as our feathered brethren were not going to be of any help this morning we decided to head back to the lodge and were fortunate enough to drive right into a White Rhino Bull making his way towards us on the road. The bull was very relaxed and came right up the vehicle seeing as it was quite windy today and this messes with their senses – making them extra cautious and nervous. After this little bit of excitement we drove home for another of our chefs fantastic luncheons.
23 April 2009 – Honey and Carcasses
PM
Field Guide
Craig Robinson
BEST GAME DRIVE EVER:
A drive where I got to see a pangolin being harassed by a leopard. Both creatures are incredibly rare to see. Some guides in the industry have still so see a pangolin after over 10 years of active guiding. To see the two animals together is exceptional
It seems the little things were the order of the evening with brief sightings of Porcupine, namely a female with a very young pup, giving reason to her dashing off as quickly as she did. Later a Caracal was also spotted but once again, a quick sighting. For their size, caracals are extremely powerful cats often taking prey larger than themselves. A White Rhino with a calf of about 3 years old was also seen just before the crimson sun set across the plains. Giraffe were plentiful and numbers large numbers were seen with a playful trio banding together to investigate our vehicle. We stopped for drinks close to one of our access roads as we saw some Lion tracks in the area and wanted to pursue this further. Once all were aboard we continued the search but could not find them about. They were heard at the lodge this morning, however it was difficult to tell from which direction they were coming from. We also heard what sounded like a fight between the prides, but could not establish any evidence of a skirmish out there. We continued tracking till the early evening and later just to top of the evening, a little Honey Badger dashed across the road in front of our vehicle. Close by we stumbled across an elephant browsing happily in the concealment of the darkness of night, his large body silhouetted against the evening sky. So, while the lions remained hidden, we still had a successful evening for game viewing, considering we left much later and had a shorter drive with quite a bit seen in the dark.
Quick Honey Badger facts:
• The honey badger is usually found in arid grasslands and savannahs.
• Honey badgers are fierce carnivores with an extremely keen sense of smell.
• They are well known for their snake killing abilities, by which they will grab a snake behind the head in its jaws and kill it. Honey badgers can devour an entire snake (150 cm/5ft or less) in 15 minutes.
24 April 2009 – Hippos out of water
AM
Filed Guide
PhillIp Dos Santos
YOUR MOST INTERESTING SAFARI TALE SO FAR AT MARATABA:
It has to be the afternoon drive I took where we stopped on the edge of the plains for a sun downer. As always I checked the area thoroughly before letting any of my guests out of the vehicle and set up my drinks table. Once all the guests had been served with a drink we settled down to watch the sun set and noticed a white rhino with her calf as they slowly meandered across the plains on the other end from us. When suddenly one of my guests got my attention by saying that we were being watched by a lion. To my great surprise there he was in all his glory standing not even twenty metres away from us, in the exact spot that I had been standing checking the area not even five minutes before hand. I slowly got all my guests into the vehicle while maintaining eye contact with the brute and then got myself in behind them. He casually strolled up to my table sniffed the biltong and promptly sneezed at it. Obviously he is not a fan of this South African delicacy. Once he had satisfied his curiosity he settled down behind my vehicle. This was an absolutely amazing sighting as it showed how incredibly relaxed can be.
All of our vehicles this morning headed out in the hopes of finding our momentary illusive lions. We have been struggling with our lions for the past week as we believe that the one of our females is pregnant again and when this happens she will be looking most diligently for a safe place to give birth to the next generation of apex predators. However even though we unfortunately could not locate these most beautiful of cats we did have some most unusual and wondrous sightings. First a White Rhino mother with calf were seen on the plains hiding from the heat of the morning in the shade of trees. We next sighted a Journey of giraffe majestically strolling across the plains one of which was once again the very dark male from the very first giraffe brought into the reserve. A group of Jackals feeding on a recently killed warthog was our next great surprise and we easily observed them as they performed their very great task of cleaning up the bush. Jackals are of course predominantly scavengers however will ,sometimes when they have sufficient numbers, kill small prey animals such as young impala, steenbok, hares and rabbits. Two lone Hippos out the water were sighted which is becoming more and more common as winter sets its hooks into the bush. We returned home in the early afternoon as the vultures started to circle over one sections of the reserve, perhaps they will lead us to our cats tonight and the guests were really ready to relax for the rest of the afternoon.
Sightings and happenings during the week 6 - 12 April 2009
Rhino have been abundant and a crash of 5 have been seen regularly on KD plains, its an amazing view of an open Savanna biome with an impressive mountain backdrop and makes for awesome photographs.Early winter mornings in the Highveld can be a bit chilly – this morning was no exception.
The guests were treated to an array of general game and had stumbled across a wonderful sighting of Lions – still resting from last night and probably would not move from their spot till early evening again. It did not seem as though they had a recent kill, however they seemed content enough. They were heard during the night, so the guests were eager to observe them.
PM The afternoon sun was still very welcoming and while temperatures were around 23 deg Celsius during the day, the evening was cooling down. The drive continued close to the river roads and the guests managed to see some Hippo relaxing in the water. They were close to the banks probably getting ready to graze during the course of the night and as soon as the sun had set. Zebra, Wildebeest and Impala were also close by. Later through the drive Lions were seen preparing for their evening hunt as they were all mobile. White Rhino were spotted along with a lone Porcupine on the road back to the lodge.
Monday 6 July 2009
AM Tracking smaller game in the bush is also quite a challenge and this morning the guests wanted to view some of the more interesting plant species, smaller game and observe the chorus of birds out and about. General plains game was seen in the distance while Impala herds were scattered along various roads. A couple of Vultures were hovering later in the morning air and seemed to focusing on what could have been a kill during the night. On the way back to the lodge, a picturesque Journey of Giraffe were seen on the plains, curiously looking at the vehicle.
PM While the guests were spoilt in the Lion sightings, one of the challenges in the bush is to spot some Leopard. They normally are very elusive and sometimes can be heard close to the lodge, as the baboons rest close by. The guests would not be disappointed as they managed to get a fantastic sighting of one of the larger Leopards in the area. He was quite relaxed and proved to be a great photo opportunity for the excited guests. Various other Leopard tracks were also seen, indicating that it may be a breeding pair. Hyena tracks were also seen close by, perhaps waiting around for a kill by the Leopard.
Tuesday 7 July 2009
AM The concession area is well known for its mix of White and Black Rhino; however the guests were excited to see a close up of one of the White Rhino in the area. It seemed relaxed enough to have its picture taken. General game were milling about in the morning light, with a troop of Baboons were close to the dam foraging and causing mayhem in the trees. Wild fruits and seeds are scarce at this time of the year, so they are forced to forage low on the ground and in more vulnerable areas where some of the predatory cats lurk.
PM It seems as though the White Rhino would continue to dominate the sightings for the day as they were seen at regular intervals. A lone Bull Elephant was seen on the road leading to the lodge – he was calmly stripping bark off some of the trees – a great source of moisture and nourishment. The early evening quietness was broken by the low grumbling of Hyena in the area, probably following the Lions or the Leopard as they are always on the lookout for a stolen morsel.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
AM This morning the guides decided to explore the beautiful plain areas known as the Diamant area (Diamond) area as this offers one of the most stunning scenic drives – the mountain as backdrop and the early morning haze giving a magical jungle appearance of the concession. Undoubtedly this was a successful drive as the guests were beaming at being treated to Elephant, Rhino and Lion sightings on one morning drive.
PM In complete contrast to the morning drive, the guests were taken to the Southern region of the park where a Black Rhino was seen going about its business. The magnificent Kransberg Mountains were in the background setting the scene for a typical African sunset. Lion tracks eventually lead to a good sighting of 4 Lions preparing for the evening hunt – they were already mobile and were walking towards a herd of Impala in the distance. A small herd of Elephant were seen close to the lodge on the return drive.
Thursday 9 July 2009
AM This morning’s drive was taken along the great plains of the concession which is renowned for its various herds of Zebra, Wildebeest, Kudu, Impala and Warthogs. Complementing this sighting was a White Rhino and a group of Giraffe close by. The amazing sound of birdlife in the area also had the guests grabbing for their bird books and binoculars as the list of species were taken note of.
PM Evening drives are always special as sunsets are always the highlight for most guests travelling to Africa. The air was clear and slightly cooler than previous evenings. During the drive, many herds of Impala were sighted along with the odd Zebra rushing through the bush. The general game viewing was scattered and most of the game seen were very skittish, and judging from the tracks of Lions seen around the area, it may have indicated that they were part of a hunt of Lions in the area.
Friday 10 July 2009
AM The morning drive was taken along the dam close by where the guests were treated to a raft of Hippo and a journey of Giraffe close by. A few lion tracks observed on the road, led to a great sighting of a pride of Lions lying close to the road – they were looking away from the vehicle and remained focused on something in the distance. We could not see exactly see what was holding their attention as they intently stared in the distance. After about 30 minutes we decided to return to the lodge for the day.
PM A visit to the plains never disappoints the guests as they were treated to White Rhino, Giraffe and Hippo sightings and a very rare sighting of an Aardvark. In the distant skies a number of Vultures were seen circling an area and the guests were able to view a relaxed pride of Lions under an Acacia tree. Also seen during the course of the afternoon were 3 Rock Pythons in 3 separate areas. Back at the lodge a small breeding herd of Elephants were seen close to the river.
Saturday 11 July 2009
AM A birder’s paradise will always deliver great sightings and the focus on the morning drive was on some smaller Birds of Prey and sighted during the drive was a Gymnogene, Brown Eagle, and a pair of Goshawks.
PM The game drives were split into two areas this afternoon as the one set of guests headed out to the Northern side of the park, while the other set of guests headed to the Southern part of Marataba’s 23 000 hectares of private concession area. White Rhino, Hippo and Porcupine was sighted in the Northern part while in the Southern part, Elephant, Giraffe and a Lioness that was in the process hunting Blue Wildebeest were sighted. The guests lingered in the hope of seeing a kill; however the Lioness was unsuccessful as she tackled the herd on her own. .They left that area and enjoyed a wonderful sunset with mountains in the background with a super silhouette of Giraffe in the distance.
Sunday 12 July 2009
AM After the previous night’s viewing, the guests opted for a more relaxed drive and were treated to the vast knowledge of one of the Rangers, Craig, who took his guests out and showed them wonderful scenery of the mountains as well as identifying smaller plants, their significance to the area and the animals that may eat them as well as smaller birds. The Marataba concession has 4 Biomes that offer so many varied plant and animal species. Lizards and general game sunning themselves in the morning sunlight were spotted in the Southern regions, and a herd of Elephant and a White Rhino were seen close to the access road leading to the lodge. Rangers Blog 22 - 28 June 2009
Monday 22 June 2009
AM The weather started off chilly as the game drive set out, typically of the higher lying areas it would start off cold and then warm up to about 23 deg C for the day. The bush seemed alive with various birds and during the course of the morning drive a pod of Hippo was spotted in one of the larger waterholes as well as various plains game enjoying the morning sun. A herd of Elephant were spotted moving their way into the valley and a very special sighting of a Brown Hyena was seen on the way back to the lodge. Some Leopard tracks were seen close to the lodge and we were hoping to follow this on in the afternoon drive.
PM After high tea, the guests decided to try and track the Leopard down as seen from the spoor during the afternoon. We seemed to lose the tracks after following them for about 20 minutes. Distant Jackal calls indicated that the Lions or the Leopard may be around and we continued in our pursuit of tracking at least one of the Big Five Cats. We had no luck on the possible sighting of either but observed Giraffe browsing on the plains as well as Wildebeest and Zebra.
Tuesday 23rd June 2009
AM
Today the guests decided to concentrate on some smaller game species and apart from the various bird sightings, the guests were treated to general plains game and a magnificent White Rhino. Some Lion tracks were seen dispersed with some Impala and Kudu tracks and judging from the direction of these, it may have indicated a skirmish or an attempted kill.
PM
Sundowners at the river are always a special time for the guests and tonight was no exception. During the sundowners, a pod of Hippo were heard from one of the waterholes close by and some Spotted Genets were seen close to the river. The Lions and Jackals seemed to take turns in calling to one another making the guests a bit on edge as they felt it was rather close. Most Lion calls can be hear 5 km away and may feel like it was close by. The guests decided to try and track the Lions in the direction of the calls. On our return to the lodge, a passing herd of Elephant were seen crossing the road.
Wednesday 24 June 2009
AM
This morning the persistency in tracking the Lions paid off as a magnificent male lion was heard and eventually found after about 20 minutes. He seemed content to observe the vehicle and its contents and carried on calling for about another 20 minutes or so until he eventually, feeling exasperated, flopped down into his permanent position for the day. On the plains the Giraffe, Zebra and Wildebeest seemed to be congregating as if they were getting ready for a mini “Masai Mara” Migration. The sheer numbers were indicative of a healthy biome. On the way back to the lodge we found a massive White Rhino close to the road.
PM
The afternoon drive once again offered general game and a White Rhino, Giraffe and Hippo. While the Warthogs seemed to be on edge at one of the waterholes in the area. We wondered if a Leopard may have been close by as the Baboons also seemed restless with their urgent calls from the top of the trees. No tracks were found, however closer to the lodge on our return, we found two tracks – possibly a female and a cub as the one seemed smaller. The Baboons continued with their distress calls during the night, indicating that a Leopard was most definitely around. Sundowners around the main lodge area was magnificent as the light off the distant mountains changed colour.
Thursday 25 June 2009
AM
A cold start to the day as the winter months go with some Impala shuffling their way in the bush. We were hoping to see more signs of the elusive Leopards, but no fresh tracks were found close to the lodge. As the morning warmed up some White Rhino were seen in the distance and not too far from them an unusual sighting of a lone Black Rhino seemingly unaware of his cousins close by. A journey of Giraffe was seen on the plains and some rare Roan Antelope were observed further north.
PM
Interesting short drive for a wedding party as they prepared for their reception for the evening. Mainly plains game and some Warthogs were out and about with a distant herd of Elephant making their way into the valley.
Friday 26 June 2009
AM
The wedding party was relaxed as we drove around this morning. Mainly White Rhino, Hippo and some Vultures feeding of the remains of a carcass were seen. Giraffe were making their way across the plains and a smaller herd of Wildebeest seemed edgy as we approached them. No sign of either the Leopards or the Lions as they were both heard during the night close to the lodge.
PM
A fantastic scenic afternoon drive close to the mountains. We decided to try and find one of the bigger Leopard males in the area as their tracks were seen earlier this morning by one of the Rangers out on patrol. This area is magnificent with its high range of mountains overlooking the lodge area. Secret rivers and forests hide many unusual creatures and we managed to see a young Civet. Impala and some Kudu were also seen close by and we were hoping to find some Black Rhino as this is their territory, in fact we came across some freshly sprayed middens but no sign of the Rhino.
Saturday 27th June
AM
An unusually icy start to the day, clear crisp skies indicating another beautiful winter’s morning. Generally the game were scattered in various areas, and while general plains game were observed, the larger game seemed content to hide in the bush. As the morning warmed up, we spotted various herds of Elephant, Zebra and some more Roan Antelope. A half eaten Warthog seemed to keep the Vultures interested, probably a Leopard kill as it was close to one of the higher trees. We think that on our approach a Hyena may have been around as we found its tracks close to the carcass. No other predators seemed to be about.
PM
The afternoon drive was calm and glorious as the fading sunlight created one of those magical African settings. We decided to go back to the Warthog kill to see if there was anything around, however nothing seemed to have touched it other than the Vultures. Giraffe and Zebra were content to share the plains while at our sundowner drink stop, some Hippo popped out of the waterhole to observe the guests.
Sunday 28th June
AM
Still hoping to find the elusive Leopard, whose tracks, and various nightly antics seemed to dominate the lodge area, we were determined to find at least some other evidence that they were indeed around. While trying to find them we came across some Elephant close to the lodge moving South East, and a herd of Wildebeest scattered calmly in the bush. The guests were treated to the morning calls of some fantastic birds as they seemed to welcome a warmer day ahead.
PM The afternoon drive was a surprise as the Elephant in the area were blocking the approach road to the lodge. The guests did not mind waiting as they observed their behavior with some smaller Elephants providing some entertainment as they seemed to be more curious of the vehicle than any of the other Elephants around them. One of the Rangers was at last lucky enough to have found a Leopard that was hunting. He seemed oblivious to us as he observed a herd of Impala ahead of us. They in turn sensed that something was not right and nervously gathered themselves ready for a quick getaway. We waited for about 10 minutes before we decided to leave him in peace. Perhaps in the morning we would be able to see him again in the same area with a successful kill
Rangers Blog 15 - 20 June 2009
20 June 2009 – Am Game Drive Lions again for breakfast as Arie and Shaun found them once again. It seems that our big cats have finally decided to show themselves for a prolonged period of time.
20 June 2009 – Pm Game Drive The guests enjoyed some more of our large herbivores this evening as Craig found a crash of five rhinos as well as a fantastic pod of hippos. Later this evening the lions were relocated in much the same place and later decided to move slightly towards the camp.
19 June 2009 – Am Game Drive After the exhilarating drive last night the bush had quietened down a little and the morning had a slow and calm feel to it. Craig and Philip observed the easy way that a few giraffe were moving and took the example that these majestic creatures were showing. However the bush as always had surprise or two and towards the end of the drive when three lions were spotted sleeping under a tree showing the general attitude of the bush this morning of calm relaxation.
19 June 2009 – Pm Game Drive Arie and Shaun headed out this evening with great expectations and were not disappointed. The three ions were sighted again as well as a sighting of the rarer of cats, the leopard, but not just one. Three leopards, a mother and two youngsters. An aardwolf was also seen which in itself is a rare glimpse into the night life of the bush.
18 June 2009 – Am Game Drive This morning we went in search of our cats once again and whilst hard on their trail we spotted some elephant, giraffe and a magnificent white rhino with a young calf. Later Philip and Shaun found some fresh tracks of our elusive lions and were so close we could almost taste them. We found a fresh kill and heard so roaring coming from close by but alas they still did not show their faces. However now we knew were the king of the jungle was we could come back tonight and hopefully catch a glimpse, perhaps even feeding.
18 June 2009 – Pm Game Drive At last success! The evening rangers managed to piece together the information from the morning shift and resulted in a tremendous example of the definition of team work. We had found a lion, but not only a lion but a big male lion feeding on the fresh kill from the morning drive he also gave Arie and Craig a bit of a show by calling right next to the vehicle to the great joy of the guests involved. A Brown hyena was also spotted near by as well as an African civet.
17 June 2009 – Am Game Drive The guests this enjoyed the pleasant morning crispness as they observed the Graceful and majestic giraffe slowly idling across the plains. Later into the morning The rangers, Arie Philip and Shaun, found a pod of hippos and watched as they went about there morning business of sleeping in the water.
17 June 2009 – Pm Game Drive This evenings drive heated up a little bit as the Rangers found a small breading herd of elephants Where a young bull in the group as usual with young bulls gave Philip and Shaun a bit of attitude and a tremendous show for the guests. A few white rhino were also spotted a little later that evening.
16 June 2009 – Am Game Drive Some fantastic animals were enjoyed this morning by our guest punctuated by the incredible knowledge of our expert rangers. Arie, Shaun and Philip were plying their trade and managed to track down some Hippos and Giraffe for the enjoyment of the guests.
16 June 2009 – Pm Game Drive An evening of tracking our lions was spent tonight unfortunately to no avail as the crafty cats were still being elusive. We did however see some beautiful white rhino as well as a rare African wild cat. Philip and Arie were at the helm this evening.
15 June 2009 – Am Game Drive The rangers on drive this morning were Shaun and Philip. They set out with on a beautiful morning and found a fantastic sighting of giraffe which was enjoyed by all. The rest of the morning was spent performing the very special and majestic art of tracking.
15 June 2009 – Pm Game Drive Arie, Shaun and JP set out this evening and clearly the morning track had paid off somewhat for the guests enjoyed some magnificent sightings of Elephant, White Rhino, African wild cat and a visitation of one of our rairer species, the porcupine.
Rangers Blog 7 – 12 June 2009
7 June 2009 – AM
This morning our guests were able to view a lot of general game including large herds of zebra and wildebeest on the outskirts of the plains.
A white rhino was seen marking his territory close to the river and the guests were privy to an important part of rhino behavior as the bull checked his middens and scraped the dung around him. Middens are used to communicate in the lives of rhinos and by smelling the dung deposits on the pile, its possible to tell what individuals are within the range and if there are any females in oestrus.
As the morning drive came to a close, a large bull elephant was spotted on our way back to the lodge. He was slightly aggravated by the vehicle and gave us a good threat display. Luckily, it was all just a show and he calmed down and started feeding before we left the area.
7 June 2009 – PM On this evenings drive we were lucky to find the 4 sub adult lions on a wildebeest kill. We have noticed that this young group of lions are moving around a lot more independently and have started making their own kills. This is a crucial stage of their development and learning to hunt for themselves determines a lot of their fate. This is very important for the males a they will soon be ousted from the territory and will have to fend on their own.
We stopped at one of the large dams for sun downers and were treated to a great sighting of a group of hippo in the water next to us.
8 June 2009 – AM This morning we had a fairly quiet drive in terms of the big game but we did have excellent sightings of general game and the birders that were with us got to see a host of interesting birds whilst out on drive. Marakele is a birders paradise with some rare species and a large list of over 400 species.
Hippo were seen once again at one of the large dams where we decided to stop for drinks.
8 June 2009 – PM A large herd of elephant were spotted on the fringe of the plains. It was amazing to watch the adults and calves interacting and the guests were riveted to the sighting. We spent the most part of an hour with the herd as they fed around the vehicle. Often this type of sighting is compared to by some of the guests as another “Masai Mara” experience.
A large journey of giraffe was seen a bit later and on the way home we saw a small spotted genet – this was indeed a great treat as they tend to be extremely shy.
9 June 2009 – AM This morning we had a great sighting of two hippo out of the water. These animals only really come out at night to graze and can cover considerable distance. During the day they shelter in the water as this protects their sensitive skin. Today was overcast and the hippo were making the most of the conditions by feeding during the day. Its amazing to see how big these giants are.
We were fortunate to witness lions stalking and then successfully killing a warthog on the plains. The group of sub adults are really becoming excellent hunters. Lion have a low success rate with regards to stalks and kills and its estimated that only 1 in every 5 stalks will result in a kill.
There were two black backed jackals on the scene but the wearily kept a safe distance from the lions.
9 June 2009 – PM We got to see the lions again this evening. They had finished their kill and were lazing around under an umbrella thorn close to the plains. Lion spend an average of 20 hours resting and are only really active late in the evenings.
A highlight this afternoon was an incredible sighting of a black rhino. These incredibly shy animals habit dense bush and are rarely seen.
10 June 2009 – PM The guests decided to brave the elements and we went up the river lines. A large elephant bull was seen as well as a crash of white rhino. These larger animals enjoy the cooler conditions and will cover more distance and spend more time feeding. During the heat of the day it is typical for them to siesta but on cooler days they utilize this time more efficiently.
11 June 2009 - AM This morning we decided to head into the southern parts of the reserve. This area is incredibly beautiful and allows us to get right up to the base of the Waterberg mountains. The environment is very unique hosting montane forest and mixed woodland. Guests enjoy heading into this area for its scenic beauty and magnificence, something that has been kept a secret before the advent of Marataba. Elephant, giraffe and hippo were seen in this region, however the lions remained elusive for the day.
11 June 2009 – PM On this afternoons drive we had an excellent sighting of a herd of elephants not too far from the lodge. It made things difficult to get out into the reserve as they had completely cut off the access roads from the lodge. This is what we refer to as a traffic jam in the bush. When eventually we got past the herd, we got to see a beautiful journey of giraffe and were treated to the most amazing sunset over the mountains.
12 June 2009 – AM Elephant were again everywhere this morning. We were starting to think that we had moved down to Gorah and the Addo elephant reserve… where one would find the densest population of elephant in the world.
Lots of general game was seen and the rangers were following up on lion tracks the whole morning. They unfortunately didn’t get to see the lions but are going to get out there aging this afternoon to give it another try.
12 June 2009 – PM No luck with the lions again this evening but we did get to see some rhino and hippo as well as some giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, kudu, warthog, red hartebeest and some great birds. The beauty of this area is the incredible diversity that the reserve offers. With 4 major biomes, we can keep a lot of the animals that occur in the wetter parts of the country as well as the drier parts.
Sightings and happenings during the week 1 - 7 June 2009
The Lions have been active this week with a few excellent sightings close to fish eagle dam. The sub adults have been moving around on their own and the female and two males have been moving together. They joined up once this month.
A Leopard was seen north of the lodge by JP. It was a brief sighting but the individual was massive and at first glance, JP thought it was a lioness. The guests were enthralled at the close sighting.
Elephant have been seen around the lodge a lot this week with numerous sightings of large herds as well as individual bulls in the vicinity.
A group of Rhino have been seen on the access road a number of times this week. We had an excellent sighting of this crash no more than 8 meters from the vehicle this morning. While the plains game seem to gather numbers as the winter months start to set in and they move across the large concession area seeking greener pastures.
Sightings and happenings during the week 25 - 31 May 2009
Leopard have been seen on 3 occasions this week which has been a real treat for the rangers. The park management team has also started an intensive leopard research project in the Park, they have set up a number of infra-red cameras to get images on individuals and put together a photo ID kit for the reserve. Leopard are very secretive by nature and its difficult to ascertain numbers within areas as territories overlap and vary according to key elements such as food source, water, cover and predator levels.
The lions are still moving around a lot and have fragmented again. It’s been difficult this week to keep track of them as they are covering such large areas of the park. We have been hearing them in the vicinity of the lodge and there has been a lot of evidence of their presence.
Elephant have been seen frequently this week with a highlight being an excellent sighting of a breeding herd at the lodge waterhole. They have been hanging around the lodge for most of the week.
Rhino sightings have been excellent with big crashes spotted on the main access road. Arie, one of our Field Guides observed that one of the young bulls has a big wound on his back. This could have been due to a territorial dispute.
Aardwolf was seen by Craig this week with guests enthralled at the excellent and close encounter.
A honey badger was seen close to the lodge this week. These are rarely seen but incredible animals with a ferocious temperament and highly aggressive toward any threats. There have been recorded incidents of Honey badgers stealing carrion away from lion and Hyena.
Sightings and happenings during the week 18 - 24 May 2009
What a week with regards to the game viewing! We had some incredibly memorable experiences this week and one of the highlights was during a bush sundowners stop at one of the dams on the property. Whilst all of the guests were standing around the drinks and snacks tables enjoying a cold glass of bubbly and snacking on Asian prawn Tempura, a large herd of Elephants left the secrecy of the thick bush and moved across the open plains in front of us. It seems as though there were two individual herds amalgamating as they were moving excitedly up and down and greeting each other. Watering holes can often be the social scene for elephants and often different herds will join up temporarily for a good catch up over a drink.
The Lions were a more active this week and some excellent sightings in the Diamant area of the reserve. It seems as though the female, 4 sub adults and the males have rejoined and have been moving around together after a while spent apart. Rhino sightings have been good and a lot of scattered bulls were seen in the western parts of the reserve. Philip had a great sighting last night of two Rhino close to the plains. Aardwolf was seen this week as well as a magnificent sighting of a Pangolin. These two animals are rare and it’s not often that one gets to see them. The secretive nature and the late evening habits ensure that they don’t get interrupted too often.
Sightings and happenings during the week 11 - 17 May 2009
Craig was lucky enough to see a Black Rhino bull close to Fish Eagle Dam. These animals are secretive and we usually only encounter them in the southern sector of the reserve.
Elephant Bulls have been spotted regularly all over the park and Kitsong, an impressive large tusker who is very relaxed around the vehicles has been giving us some memorable sightings. The size of an Elephants tusks of are a genetic trait and there are unfortunately not too many in South Africa. This is due to early Ivory hunting days in the 1900’s where these big animals were selected as the ivory would fetch more money at the markets.
The lions continue to dominate the northern plains as there is still an abundance of antelope that gather there for grazing. As the rainy season ends, the antelope will disperse and the lions will follow suite.
We have had excellent sightings of some of the rarer creatures this week such as Aardwolf & Bat Eared Fox.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 23 February to 1 March 2009
Leopard sightings have again been fantastic this week with a few more sightings of males in the vicinity of the camp.
Hugo had an excellent sighting of two black rhino in the southern section of the reserve this week. The southern section lies against the backdrop of the Waterberg Mountains and its in this Montane Forest biome that one will often see black rhino.
These creatures are the more aggressive and secretive of the two rhino species. The name is in fact a miss translation from the early Dutch settler days when they referred to the “Wyde Rinoster” (wide rhino) in reference to the wide flat mouth which is suitable for grazing. When the English settled later, they thought that they were talking about a white rhino and then called the other species the black rhino. Both are exactly the same colour (grey) but their size and the structure of the mouth differs. The black rhino browses off trees and has a distinctive hooked lip whereas the white rhino grazes and has a flattened lip to pluck the grass.
Lion sightings have been fantastic this week with sightings of the two Maretwas, Kgadi and her four cubs. This pride is still dominating the plains where there is an abundance of general game. Lion don’t move much and spend around 21 hours a day resting and sleeping. If conditions such as food, water and shelter are good then they need not ever leave an area and this is why they have been sighted at the plains almost every day for the last few months.
White Rhino sightings have been good this week with a crash of 5 seen regularly on our main access road.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 16 - 22 February 2009
Leopard sightings have been fantastic this week with three sightings close to the lodge over two days. Two sightings were of a large tom that we have started seeing fairly regularly in the area surrounding the lodge and the other sighting was of another smaller tom on our main access road to the gate. The guides are noticing that the leopard are becoming more relaxed around the vehicles which is a great sign as this allows for more insight and observation into their natural behavior.
Elephant bulls have frequently been seen this week with one or two bulls in musth causing a bit of conflict when they confront each other. When elephant bulls go into musth, it’s a breeding condition that heightens their testosterone levels and makes them more aggressive and irritable. Typically with this type of behavior, the guides will be cautious when approaching any elephant as their irrational levels will be very high.
Incredible lion sightings have been seen again this week with one group initiating a hunt and unfortunately missing the opportunity for a kill. Lion only have a 25% success rate when it comes to stalking and killing prey. Never the less, it’s always a privilege for the guests to see the drama of a hunt unfolding on a game drive.
Rhino and hippo sightings have been abundant as always. We did have a strange encounter one morning when tracking a *crash of 4 rhino. We came across drag marks on the ground and rhino scuff marks and a few meters further down the road, found a dead zebra. From the tracks, we believe that the rhino killed the zebra. No idea why as this behavior is incredibly rare and has not really been recorded before.
Collective noun for a grouping of Rhinos: A CRASH of Rhino
Sightings and happenings during the week of 9 - 15 February 2009
Lion sightings this week have been plentiful and magical. One particular sighting with the two males, dominant female and her four cubs were found with a zebra carcass which had only been partially eaten. It seems that the fussy felines were perturbed by the abundance of flies that the recent rains had brought with it and of course in typical cat behavior this was most off putting. The female still seems to be mating which is rather unusual behavior found in lions. A false estrus period to keep the attention of the males is the most likely explanation for this type of behaviour.
Despite the recent heavy rains, the elephant herds are still moving through the area, while an elephant bull in muskt, was seen meandering across the open plains in search of females on one of the game drives. This could lead to some serious confrontations if other bulls were in the area as he would not tolerate any competition during his search for the ideal mate.
Rhinos have been sighted frequently throughout the reserve. On one occasion a group of five (two males and three females) were found on the main access road with the older male displaying all the signs of the jealous suitor. He chased the younger bull for a short period of time showing him without a doubt who was boss, while the youngster retreated amidst a cacophony of squeals and snorts. The unusual high pitched sounds emitted from younger Rhinos often surprises the guests as they expect a hearty bellow and stronger sounding message to come from these magnificent armoured creatures.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 2 - 8 February 2009
Excellent rainfalls have transformed the Marakele National Park and the Marataba Concession into a flood of greenery with colourful bursts of bushveld flowers balancing in various shapes and sizes on every plant and tree and wild fruit displaying their ripeness to the local Baboon and Vervet Monkey troops being consumed in vast amount and the insect activity creating a flurry of activity among the generic bird species. Animal movement have been scattered in the 23000ha concession area with various sightings of plains game, elephant herds and a multitude of excited birds catching up on the smorgasbord of insects, larvae and general bugs in the area. Truly a birder’s paradise right now, Marataba is certainly living up to its reputation for not only being a Big Five Reserve, but also for being a haven for the over 400 species of birds found in the National Park.
Elephant herds still move through the lodge area on their daily routine of foraging for the choicest leaves, grass and juicy bark tidbits,while their tusks easily uproot the tufts of grass from the wet earth and with a skilful ‘dusting’ off of the unwanted soil, consume their quarry.
The rivers are flowing with abundance, creating a spectacular vista of water on the plains and filling the waterholes all around the park – the Hippos are very content with these favourable conditions right now. The Waterberg Mountains, forming the main backdrop to the lodge, have been washed with the soaking rains creating contrasting rainbow colours in the glistening sun. This is the magic of Marataba and the Marakele National Park in the height of the summer season.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 26 January - 1 February 2009
As a result of this spectacular deluge, the game have ventured into various hiding spots and the rangers have been able to view mostly plains game and the odd elephant herds.
With the clearing of the weather this week, it is hoped that the more unusual sightings will come to the fore with all the new energy and plant life.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 19 - 25 January 2009
Marataba had some spectacular rain and thunderstorms during the course of the week, transforming the Waterberg Mountains to a series of waterfalls with guests marvelling at the natural water feature and the thunderous drumming of the African skies.
Elephant sightings have been good, however it seems as though some of the bigger herds are moving around the concession.
The Maretwa Lion brothers are still moving around with Kgadi and her cub and during one afternoon drive they were spotted killing a wildebeest on the plains. The co – ordinated attack started with the female and males splitting up and fanning around the unsuspecting wildebeest, stalking cautiously and then in full charge brought the wildebeest down. Guests from the lodge were able to view the pride feeding till late in the morning.
The wooden bridge crossing, close to the lodge seems to be a favourite spot for leopard sightings as this is becoming a regular feature while Brown Hyena are still being spotted despite being elusive creatures. Leopard was seen once this week at the wooden bridge crossing close to the lodge.
The plains are still proving to be productive on the evening drives as hundreds of animals move onto them to graze. Most guests are spoiled with this spectacular break during the drive for sundowners and watch the sun setting while the plains teem with wildlife – reminiscent of the great plains of Tanzania.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 12 - 18 January 2009
The heavy rainfall covering the Marakele National Park this past week has made for some difficult maneuverability in certain parts of the reserve. This did not however mean that Marataba had not seen good game, quite the opposite in fact...
During an afternoon drive both White and Black Rhino were spotted within a short distance of each other. Black Rhino are incredibly rare and are very secretive by nature, preferring the dense bush and thickets. To view one of these magnificent creatures is an amazing experience. The black Rhino is the true “Big 5” rhino and is naturally skittish and aggressive making them very dangerous if encountered by surprise.
Elephant bulls as well as a couple of herds have been seen this week. The Elephants seem to be covering a lot of ground at the moment and moving throughout the day. This could be due to the cooler weather and abundant rain in the area.
A lioness, two males and four cubs were spotted feeding off a wildebeest kill for two days in a row this week. A dead Cape Griffon Vulture was seen close to the kill sight, we are not sure why or how the vulture was killed but we guess it to be a lucky strike from one of the lions defending their kill. The Cape Vulture is an endangered species and nests in the Kraansberg Mountains that lie within the Marakele National park.
Two Aardwolf’s were spotted in one evening drive. To see one is lucky enough but to see two is outstanding.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 5 - 11 January 2009
The rangers have seen more of the lions again and it is evident that a shifting in the group dynamic is taking place as the dominant male seems to have lost favor with the female he has been mating with for the past four weeks. She seems to have taken his brother for a more suitable partner. This will be an interesting time as the changes in the pride will be more prominent with the introduction of a new dominant male.
Guests have been able to see more Hippo and Rhino around the lakes and plains of Marataba than before while elephants have been in great evidence around the camp and the main access roads with plenty of interesting sightings. Their magnificence is always a treat for the guests as they wander peacefully at close range through the camp.
Another treat for the guests was a brown hyena spotted feeding on a carcass. It is the largest land animal to derive most of its diet from scavenging, although it will also hunt small mammals. Like the Spotted Hyena, the Brown Hyena lives in clans. However, Brown Hyena clans are much smaller (ranging between 4 and 15 members) and less organized, and do not hunt cooperatively. A particularly large food source may draw several of the clan to it, and they will work together to defend their find. They will also defend their territories as a group. The Brown Hyena can generally chase off Leopards, Caracal or Cheetahs but the Spotted Hyena will drive the Brown Hyena from kills, as can groups of African Wild Dogs. The Brown Hyena often feeds from Lion kills, but Lions dominate and occasionally kill Brown Hyena. Unlike the Spotted Hyena males are slightly larger than females.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 29 December 2008 - 4 January 2009
Two of the main pride lions, Maretwa and Kgadi are still mating after a number of weeks; this certainly is not the usual behavior for lions, while the rangers were also fortunate enough to see Kgadi and her 4 cubs feeding on a warthog carcass during one evening.
A large male leopard was seen twice in one morning about 100m away from the lodge. The guides saw it cross the road in front of them and then later found it resting in a big camel thorn on the banks of the Matlabas River Craig, one of the rangers, had a close encounter with hippos at the Fish Eagle Dam, moving close to the vehicle and giving threat displays – part of their territorial behavior.
A pair of Bat Eared Foxes and their 3 pups was spotted at their den site on the plains making. These little critters have been spoiling us with fantastic sightings over the last few weeks, while our guests were once again treated to a rock python encounter on one of the game drives, being fairly relaxed snakes, the guests managed to see this large snake up close.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 22 - 28 December 2008
Craig had an awesome sighting of two male hippos fighting over territory.
The one Maretwa brother has been mating with Kgadi all week which has led to amazing sightings on the plains. When lions mate, they usually go off together and spend a number of days together. This ensures that only one dominant male copulates whilst the female is in estrus and only his genes will be passed on.
Malcolm had an excellent sighting of a spotted hyena dust bathing. Spotted hyenas are not common in Marakele and this was a rare treat.
A leopard was seen briefly close to the lodge. Hugo was fortunate to see three caracals and then three gennets on the same evening drive.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 15 - 21 December 2008
Our guests were treated to an incredible sighting during a bush drinks stop on the plains, with two male lions roaring in the distance. The rangers followed the call and found the two brothers along with a female and four cubs sleeping under a tree. After a while, the rangers left the sighting only to be surprised by another female lion and cubs killing a wildebeest close by. They voraciously proceeded to feed while frantic and nervous prey species galloped around them. Whilst the cubs were feeding the mother tried twice more to make another kill. This sighting was enjoyed for around about an hour.
More frequent rhino sightings have been seen again on the plains as well as various hippo sightings in the rivers and dams. The huge numbers of antelope species continue to fill the plains which in turn have attracted a lot of attention from some of our predator species. On the small fry game side - (well relatively speaking as these animals can grow to a reasonable size), a rare sighting of a monitor lizard digging up and killing a corn cricket was enjoyed by Philip and his guests.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 8 - 14 December 2008
Our rangers have been enjoying many lion sightings this week which have been exciting highlights on most of the drives. A particular pair was were mating and as many guests who may have been to the bush before will attest to, this is usually quite rare as lions mating are rather secretive and can be rather testy when confronted. The Marataba lions however, have had no problem with the guests watching their courting rituals. We hope to see a new litter soon.
During one eventful evening game drive, Craig found three black rhinos, the proud parents of what looked to a fourteen month old calf. As most will confirm a black rhino in itself is a rare and beautiful creature and to see them with a calf truly is a magnificent spectacle. The next surprise on the drive was the magnificent spot of a large male leopard that seemed to appear like a ghost from under our wooden bridge. A wonderful drive all round.
Added to these amazing sightings there have been many other with elephants and white rhinos that seem to have flooded the park since the rains have brought out new shoots from all plant life in the area. Altogether the park is bustling with summer life.
Ever seen a Rock Python devouring on a new born Impala? This sadly ironic moment was witnessed by guests one morning on one of the game drives. Our guests passed one, a 3m serpent, just in time to see a hint of scales and fur combined in its jaws. Upon closer investigation they witnessed an amazing moment as the snake proceeded to ingest the small prey. Snakes in general have amazingly flexible skin and loosely connected jaw bones, enabling them to swallow prey a lot larger, sometimes as much as six times the size of their head.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 1 - 7 December 2008
Elephant sightings have been incredible this week with numerous herds moving through our concession. The herds are spending the majority of the time moving along the river lines and it has been amazing to see how many new calves are moving with the herds. As food and water is abundant, the elephant’s stress levels have dropped and they are allowing us to get really close to them on game drive. One sighting that stands out this week was when I came across 5 elephant bulls. These young males were sparring with each other and testing each others strength and dominance. When adult bulls go into musth, this can be a very aggressive encounter and there have been reported cases of elephants fighting to the death over breeding rights. The 5 bulls spent about 30 minutes tussling in the middle of the road and there was no hope of trying to get past them. This is our version of a road block in the bush.
Lion have been viewed on almost every game drive this week, the 2 dominant males have been staying close to the female and cubs and are now more relaxed as vehicles approach them.
Malcolm had a fantastic afternoon drive this weekend in the south of the reserve he drove and after stopping for sundowners about 10 meters down the road he and his guests bumped into a leopard and cub and had an incredible sighting.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 24 - 30 November 2008
We have had an explosive week in terms of game viewing. The plains are truly alive at the moment due to the new grass growth from all the rains. The herds of wildebeest, zebra and impala have flocked to the area and in turn have attracted a lot of predators. Lion have been seen on almost every game drive this week and leopard was spotted on a few occasions. One of the Maretwa brothers were seen mating with one of the females on an afternoon drive.
Malcolm and Chris had a fantastic sighting of a Black Rhino on Saturday evening which is a rare privilege in any game reserve in South Africa.
Hugo and Arrie were extremely lucky to see a Pangolin one afternoon. Pangolins are incredibly rare creatures to see due to their secretive nature - most experienced guides with decades in the industry will be able to count their sightings of these amazing animals on one hand.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 17 - 24 November 2008
The sun has finally come out after a fortnight of rain and the bush is really starting to come alive. The impalas have all dropped their lams and the reserve is full of nursery herds of these animals. The predators have a field day when the Impala lamb as the youngsters are not all that nimble on their new legs. Although a lot of them fall to predation, Impala are one of the few animals that will steadily increase in number on a yearly basis and this is due to the females all synchronizing in giving birth. They literally flood the market and the majority of the lambs will make it past the vulnerable period.
We have had excellent sightings of Rhino and Elephant this week as the cooler weather means that they are more active during the days. Elephants are bulk feeders and need to consume over 100Kg of fodder each day which is no easy task.
Craig was lucky one evening when he spotted a large Male leopard. The Tom was curious and spent about 5 minutes walking around the vehicle before loosing interest and moving into the thickets.
Guests had a great sighting outside one of the tents one afternoon when they spotted a striped sand snake hunting a gecko. They witnessed the snake successfully strike and then consume the lizard, this is not something that you see every day.
The woodland kingfishers have returned in abundance and the characteristic shrill call can be heard everywhere in the reserve. These birds migrate into the area to breed during the summer months.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 11 - 17 November 2008
One of our female lions took down a fully grown eland which she could not manage easily on her own and we assume that she had some help from her 4 cubs and the two dominant males of Marakele. This is a great news as this is the first sign we have seen of a true pride developing in the reserve. This kill provided great sightings for the following two days as we followed the behaviour and rituals revolving around a pride on a kill.
Two of our guides encountered a female leopard who was considerably relaxed. We suspect that this is the same female that was released not 4 months ago, captured from a conservation minded local farmer. It is truely awesome to see her adapting so well.
Just after the heavy rains, a breeding herd of elephants was found along one of our river-lines. The elephants numbered in the vicinity of 15 -20 adults along with 4 very young babies. The adults were very calm about us observing themselves as well as there latest arrivals to the herd.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 3 - 10 November 2008
We had our first major rains for the season on Saturday night, a whopping 40mm which should now finally turn the bush from a dusty brown to the lush green of summer.
Game viewing has been fantastic this week with frequent sightings of Lion, Elephant, Rhino and Hippo. We had a few large elephant bulls hanging around the camp and were even treated to a breeding herd of elephant at the lodge waterhole during lunch one day.
We had a fantastic sighting of a lioness and 4 cubs when coming back from a drinks stop set-up at the dam. The young cubs found a female rhino and calf and decided to test out their stalking techniques. We watched them creep up to the rhinos and attempt a half hearted chase but as soon as the rhino got wind of them, they turned and chased and the cubs were scattered in all directions. This is crucial behavior for cubs as it hones their skills and also teaches them what to and what not to hunt.
Sightings and happenings during the week of 22 – 29 October 2008
Great sightings of elephants at our waterhole in front of the lodge.
Arie had an interesting sighting when he got stuck in the riverbed with a lioness and 4 cubs, we had to strategically move the guests onto a recovery vehicle and move them out of the sighting, much adrenaline and excitement from the guests as they loved the experience. To top it off, they got to see elephant, rhino and leopard later in the drive.
We have had excellent sightings of elephant as the breeding herds have moved from the southern areas along the mountains to the rivers and dams that lie in the North Western part of the property. The guides have spotted lots of little calves in the breeding herds.
Excellent afternoon game drive where the guests got to enjoy some amazing lion interaction. A lioness spotted some baboons feeding in the reed thicket next to Fish Eagle Dam and she got her cubs to practice stalking and hunting. It was incredible to see how the lioness mentored the cubs throughout the whole process and although the cubs were not successful, it was a great learning curve for them. This behavior is critical as the male cubs need to be competent in hunting before they get ousted from the pride at sexual maturity.
An exceptional sighting of a caracal was witnessed on one of the afternoon drives.
Craig found a large African rock python at the lodge and was showing it off to the guests before it eventually bit him on the arm and he then decided to leave it alone.
Lion have been abundant this week with regular sightings of the males, females and cubs.
A black rhino was spotted with a crash of white rhino on KD plains.
Insect life seems to be coming alive and we have noted an increase number of the migrant birds returning to the area.
Marataba rangers have partially completed their trails guide evaluations with excellent feedback from the assessor. They had a few hairy encounters on foot with lions and cubs,Hippo and calf, elephant and rhino. The final assessments will be done over the next month and we should be able to start our walking safaris soon after that.
Great sightings recorded of elephant, lion, rhino, hippo, aardwolf and bat eared fox this week.The Waterberg region has seen huge amounts of rain during this past week, with thunderous applause from the skies and torrents of water washing over the mountains.
