Photo by Jani Lourens

WILDLIFE JOURNAL SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of March, Two Thousand and Nineteen

Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 21.7˚C (71.1˚F) For the month: 33 mm Sunrise: 06:03 Minimum recorded: 18.0˚C (64.4˚F) For the year to date: 187 mm Sunset: 17:51 Average maximum: 33.2˚C (91.7˚F) Maximum recorded: 38.0˚C (100.4˚F) We are already in autumn/fall and the grass is still lush and thick in the concession from the summer rains. We are very fortunate to have so much grass this year and we are certain that there will be enough grazing to tide the animals through the coming winter months. The temperatures have still been fairly high during the day, although towards the end of the month we could feel a slight chill in the early mornings. March still falls within our rainfall months and we did have a little bit of rain. We were fortunate not to be seriously affected by Cyclone Idai, which battered our neighbouring countries of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Fortunately, the rain that fell this last season did cause the rivers and streams to flow and although the water levels are starting to drop now there is still a fair amount of water at the weir and in many of the bigger pools in the N’wanetsi River. What is really exciting is that Gudzani Dam (near our western boundary) received water

this year (it was completely dry the last few years) and is now full. We are expecting that this dam will attract a fair amount of game to the area as the seasonal pools elsewhere in the concession dry up. Most of the migrant birds are still in the area and we are expecting them to start gathering for their return journey north very soon. Red-billed queleas tend to be considered to be nomadic birds, as opposed to migrants, and at the moment there are huge flocks of these birds flying over the hills and grasslands of the concession. Many of these birds have started building nests in the thorn trees in at least four or five distinct colonies. The huge flocks of these birds are extremely impressive to see as they fly over the grasslands in waves and over the hills in smoke-like trails. The grass is now slowly changing colour and, although there is still a lot of green in the area, we are starting to see the golden hue that the grass gets during autumn. Soon the grasslands will change as the animals graze and trample them, and the visibility into the bush will get better. We are looking forward to the great sightings that April will bring.

Photo by Brian Rode Here is a Sightings Snapshot for March: Lions

• Most of the sightings this month were of the Mountain Pride. This is the only pride of lions that have their entire territory within the concession. At present they consist of three adult females, one sub-adult female and three youngsters (one male and two females) of approximately one year of age. These lions were seen twice this month feeding on zebras (once with the Shish males).

• The Shish Pride were absent for the majority of the month. Towards the end of the month we did see some of the sub-adult males, including the white lion.

• The Xhirombe lions were seen on three occasions. They tend to be found in the hilly area near the Mozambique border. The adult female is getting extremely old now and we are not sure how much longer she will be around. The male is looking great and is sporting an impressive mane.

• The Shish males (the dominant male lions in the area) were seen on twelve occasions this month. Leopards

• We have had quite a few sightings of the young Dumbana male. He is looking in very good condition and has been seen feeding on impalas a few times this month. On one occasion he was seen feeding on an impala, that was in a tree, along with the young Lebombo female. The Dumbana male is possibly the most relaxed leopard in the concession at the moment and when we see him we usually get really good views of him.

• We have also had a few good sightings of a large male leopard that we refer to as the Lebombo male.

• We have also had a few sightings of the young Xhikova male. He is fairly relaxed around vehicles and is mainly found in the area nearby the N’wanetsi River, not far from the lodges.

• There have been quite a few sightings of shy, unknown leopards, who quickly disappear into the long grass.

Spotted hyenas

• The Granophyre Den is the only hyena den in the area that has been active this last month. Sadly, it has not been reliable as the hyenas from this clan also use another den-site on the other side of the ridge where we cannot get to in a vehicle.

• We found the remains of a hyena near Ostrich Fly Camp which, from the evidence found, appeared to have been killed by two of the Shish males.

Elephants

• One morning we had an amazing sighting of approximately sixty elephants swimming and drinking at Gudzani Dam. We have had a few other sightings of large herds of elephants in excess of fifty individuals.

• We have seen a particular large bull elephant with impressive tusks a few times this month. He was in musth and has been fairly grumpy with the vehicles.

Buffalos

• Most of the sightings this month were of Dagha Boys (old male buffalos who have separated from the herds).

• Towards the latter half of the month we also had a few sightings of small breeding herds (fewer than 150 individuals). These herds are usually only in the concession for a few days before moving on elsewhere in the park.

Plains game

• We have had fantastic sightings of general game this month including southern giraffe, plains zebra, blue wildebeest, greater kudu and impala.

Rare sightings

• The following unusual sightings were recorded this month and included a southern giraffe giving birth, a few sightings of African wild cat, a sighting of an African civet, a sighting of a Cape porcupine and a sighting of a white-tailed mongoose.

Birds

• Total number of species seen: 217

• Special birds seen this last month include white-backed night heron, martial eagle, corn crake, Eurasian hobby, African crake, marsh owl, dwarf bittern, long-crested eagle, lanner falcon, lesser spotted eagle, Senegal lapwing.

• Massive flocks of red-billed queleas with at least four different colonies on the concession. Reptiles

• The following were snake species that were seen on the concession this month: olive grass snake, stiletto snake, mopani snake, eastern tiger snake, rhombic egg-eater, yellow-bellied sand-snake, Mozambique spitting-cobra, southern African python and black mamba.

• On a few morning drives we were fortunate enough to watch a few Nile crocodiles as they hunted red-billed queleas that came down to drink at Gudzani Dam.

Photo by Jani Lourens

Some exciting and informative Bush Stories follow, as well as a March Gallery of images.

The relationship between a track and tracker By Jani Lourens Much like city folk reading their daily newspaper, tracking is reading the ‘Bush Telegraph’ to find out what is happening in the wild world. It is reading the story of life and interpreting intangible clues to give insight into the secret lives of some of Africa’s more elusive animals. Tracking is so much more that assigning names and species to lifeless depressions in the ground - it is often underestimated how much information can be gleaned from signs left behind by animals. Almost every action performed by a person, animal, bird, insect, weather system or geological force has an impact on the surrounding environment. These actions leave behind clues for those who are aware. Trackers are natural storytellers. They know the intimate details of the lives of animals, birds, insects and natural cycles. They understand an ancient language of complete awareness and being at one with nature which allows them to make predictions about what they read. They live in harmony with these miraculous natural cycles and all the other beings with whom we share this planet. When tracking animals, you look at the signs left behind by them. It can include footprints, feathers, kills, scratching posts, drag marks or intrinsic knowledge of animal behaviour. At Singita Kruger National Park, the rocky terrain of the Lebombo Mountains means that tracking by following tracks is not always possible, so our skilled trackers here often track by instinct and by understanding animal behaviour and the environment. The trackers, through years of experience, have gained a detailed understanding of animal behaviour through an interpretation which would otherwise remain unknown. They usually have a preconceived image of a specific animal’s spoor in mind and inherent knowledge of the terrain and animal behaviour, allowing them to save valuable time by predicting the animals’ movement.

When encountering a new sign, trackers study the signs in detail. They sometimes identify with the animal to such an extent, it almost seems as though they become one with the animal, which allows them to visualise and follow an imaginary route which they think the animal would most likely have taken, only stopping to confirm their expectations with occasional signs that would be invisible to most. They are able to visualize how the animal was moving around and place themselves in this position. Tracking is a mixture of art, science and an intrinsic connection to nature, a skill that our trackers have mastered.

Photos by Brian Rode Dynamite in the long grass By Wessel Booysen Often seen for only a brief moment on the road, the slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea) is by far one of the most ferocious predators on the planet! Weighing no more than 700 g and 60 cm in length, it has a knack for hunting insects, small birds and a variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians with pinpoint accuracy and efficiency. As the name suggests, the long slender body is accompanied with short, lightning-fast legs and a super long tail with a one-of-a-kind black tuft at the tip. There is great delight in driving around and seeing this species cross the road. On being discovered, they will stop for only a moment to look back at you and in a blink of an eye disappear into the long grass or scattered shrubs. One could describe them as the ninjas of the African bush! Fighting well above its own weight class, the slender mongoose has no fear of even large venomous snakes, subsequently killing and eating the unlucky serpent that sails across the path of this small but ferocious

predator. Adult birds will mob-attack and alarm-call at the unwanted sight of this mongoose and different species of mongoose (dwarf mongoose) will become very aggressive and offensive if one comes too close to a den-site that contains young. The truth is, nobody is safe when there is a slender mongoose scurrying around. Using all of its super sharp senses when out and about, the slender mongoose is a diurnal species but will, at times, forage during warm and moonlit nights. Males hold territories that will include other females but does not play much of a fatherly role once the females give birth to their litters. Females are less territorial and will often forage and move around within sight of other females but will become fiercely protective and aggressive to anything that comes too close to her offspring. After all… there is nothing more frightening in the wild than a mother protecting her babies!

Photo by Jani Lourens Photo by Brian Rode The return of the white lion By Coman Mnisi One mornings we were planning our drive and decided to use our western boundary road to get up north. While driving we managed to spot fresh lion tracks crossing the boundary road towards our concession. We decided to track them and after following the tracks for about ten minutes we located five nomadic sub-adult lions, which we recognised to be a portion of the Shishangaan Pride. One of these five sub-adult male lions was the famous white lion. After believing that they might have left our concession forever we were so happy to see them again! Luckily, they stayed in our concession for the next week and we hope that they will frequent our area on a regular

basis. It would be great to see them grow to a mature stage, especially the white lion, as we would like to see him grow and develop his white mane.

Photos by Brian Rode

March Gallery

Photo by Brian Rode Photo by Wessel Booysen

Photo by Brian Rode Photo by Brian Rode

Photo by Brian Rode Photo by Wessel Booysen

Photos by Wessel Booysen

Photo by Brian Rode

Photo by Jani Lourens