This newsletter is all about a safari that we did in October last year. Was it global warming or was it just the weather acting up? - but wait, the appearance of rain clouds and even the first rain used to be at this time of the year! Regardless, the sudden build up to the rain showers, no matter how small, had helped cool things off and the vegetation had certainly responded well. I had been seeing all year those tell tail signs of early rain and now it had happened, and it could not be a coincidence that the first baby warthog had been born as well, all-be-it in a culvert on the edge of Victoria Falls town. Now we can only wait and see how the rest of the year pans out and if the rains do indeed come or just fizzle!

With the weather bright and sunny once again we flew into the Moremi Game Reserve, where we would be camping in one of the more remote exclusive camping sites. On the way to camp we stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenes along the way. One of the drying up pools had a large troop of vervet monkeys feeding along the edge, while the numerous youngsters cavorted and played on every available fallen tree, termite mound and other naturally occurring part of their jungle gym. A big herd of impala, some red lechwe and a wildebeest could also be seen feeding along the edge of the pool, while crocodiles and hippos showed themselves at intervals in the murky water. Needless to say there were many new birds for our guests to marvel at as well, and a chance sighting through the trees of circling vultures warranted closer investigation. After wending our way down numerous bush tracks that gradually got fainter and fainter, we found two lionesses sitting panting in the shade of a big ebony tree. Our arrival perhaps prompted them to move and so we followed them around the bush to find a very sleepy male lion hogging the remains of a buffalo carcass - not bad for a first day, and we had not yet even reached camp!

We continued on to camp in the wilds of Africa surrounded by magnificent wildlife. With just a kilometer to go I spotted some marks in the road that gave a hint of something interesting in the vicinity, but what? Up there! - a leopard in the tree with a male impala kill - what incredible luck! It was indeed a great sighting as this particular leopard was very at ease with our presence, and so over the next few days gave us the chance to spend many hours watching all sorts of behaviour as well as taking photos of the leopard in every pose possible. To give an indication of the unique opportunities we had with this sighting I will outline some of the highlights. Early in the morning we found the leopard laying up in the sausage tree very relaxed and looking full from the nights feeding - as we moved about for different positions to photograph from the leopard would occasionally open its eyes and look at us with mild interest. Suddenly the leopard sat up, stretched and climbed slowly down the tree and walked calmly off into the thick surrounding bush. We had not been moving and so I was sure we had not infringed on the leopard in any way, and so started up the vehicle and began to drive off to see what else was about. We drove out from behind the bush we had been parked next to and there, coming across a large open area, was a huge troop of baboons - ahh, that's why she had moved! Had the leopard stayed it would undoubtedly have been seen by the baboons, who would have then given their loud alarm bark and in all likelihood come running over to the tree, intimidating the leopard and causing it to flee, no doubt with the big male baboons in pursuit. If the lions were about, which the all night roaring close by indicated, they would have come over to investigate and the leopard would have lost its kill - so for the sake of a quite life the leopard was lying low. We drove on to where I anticipated the baboons were heading for a drink and found a herd of zebra also on route to the same water source.

Each time we returned to the sausage tree after spending time elsewhere, the leopard would put on a different show for us, but one time there was no leopard - tracks were heading to the water close by, so we set out to look for her. Sure enough there was the leopard near the water and starting to head back in the direction of her kill, and so we were able to follow and get even more leopard photos. One time when we were sitting and enjoying the moment I noticed the leopard kept staring into the trees behind us and so turned to look at what was catching her attention, expecting there to be a herd of impala or some other animal walking through. After some time I finally spotted a second leopard draped casually in the branches of an acacia tree, also just relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet. The lions had moved closer in the night (the three males had killed a baby elephant about one kilometer past our camp on the opposite side to the leopard), and the tracks of one of the male lions were heading in the direction of the leopards. We followed the tracks, which lead right up to the sausage tree - perhaps the lion had clambered up the tree and pinched the impala remains, or perhaps the meager remains had fallen out of the tree. In any event the leopard was on the ground sniffing at the remains of the skull and horns of the impala - little did the impala know how much entertainment and sustenance he had provided! Oh yes, one other non-leopard related sighting I would like to relate happened as we stood outside the vehicle enjoying a cup of tea. A noise off to one side had attracted my attention, and cautioning the guests to stay still and quiet we watched as a honey badger came trundling along - scratching here, digging there and all the time coming closer. The honey badger eventually passed within about eight feet of where we stood, and only then did he get a sense of our presence, causing him to turn, snarl a warning to us and then continue on his way - a great thrill!

After all the great sightings we had seen close by to camp our expectations were high for our next destination - an island lodge in the Okavango Delta. There may not have been so many long claws and sharp teeth, but platanna frogs are carnivorous and the camp pond had its own population of them! The turn of the season had also brought in the first of the migrant birds, and around camp were at least four pairs of beautiful paradise flycatchers - the long tailed males were chasing each other and courting the shorter tailed females. Already the males had built their tiny cup nests out of spider webs, and the females were trying them out for size. Walking out to where the canoes were parked we had to first circumvent a breeding herd of elephants, before poling out in the channels to add a few new birds to our ever growing list. The next day from the boat we saw a number of elephants on the various islands, and saw them again when out on our walk. At one point we were all walking around with binoculars pointing to the tops of the ebony trees trying to catch a glimpse of a bird, when out from the bank below us a young bull elephant appeared, but he was more interested in running away from us than in causing grief. One rare sighting came just as we were returning to camp in the motorboat - a female sitatunga with a small youngster. The sitatunga paused long enough for us to get a good view of them both, although we could not see the unique long pointed hooves that are their special adaptation for living in this swampy land. As we took off for our next destination we flew over impressive lines of elephants crossing through the swampy waters below.

The Khwai River area provided some of the best all round wildlife viewing of the year - it was not only the huge variety of animals that we saw but also the settings in which we saw everything that contributed to the experience. The twisting ribbon of water was bordered by lush green vegetation. Scattered water lilies provided extra colour, while the riverine woodlands showed bright green shoots and new leaves, that contrasted against the browns of the scorched, barren, elephant dropping strewn ground. We did not have to drive far to find pockets of animals, where we could sit and watch as they came to drink from the river or feed on the green grasses and new leaves. Huge herds of elephants with lots of babies would rush down to the river, sometimes wading through to the other side, drinking as they went, and then steadily making their way back into the woodlands. A bachelor herd of about fifteen old buffalo bulls, independently or in two's and three's, broke from their feeding just back from the river in the scrub acacias to come down to drink - while being watched by a pod of hippos lounging out in the deepest part of the river. There was one spot in particular that seemed to be a favourite place to drink, whether it be impalas, family group after family group of zebra, or a giraffe cautiously making his way down to the river and taking his time to drink, ever aware of his vulnerability as he stooped down to the water - and aware he needed to be, as there were two lionesses and five scrawny and hungry looking eight month old cubs less than a kilometer away up river, as well as two male lions patrolling in the woodland behind. Further down river we had sat and watched two more lionesses drinking with their three tiny, playful but very dirty cubs, and back at camp Marjorie was also visited by two lionesses heading out to hunt, although they were not yet interested in the great big herd of impala that were constant companions in the vicinity of the camp, along with a family of zebra and a few tsessebe. There were scrub hares and lots of spring hares bounding about to keep the night hours interesting, and of course the regular hyena visitors - who were perhaps part of the clan that had a den nearby that included at least two youngsters about four and six months old.

Once again we had good luck with our sightings at Savuti, the result of putting in a lot of hours sitting out enjoying each setting while allowing events to unfold and the animals to come and go as they pleased. We sat on the roof of the vehicle one morning while parked out on the 'marsh' - Savuti's huge open expanse of savannah grassland - watching a couple of male tsessebe steadily running about as one tried to encourage the other to leave for a new location, but not getting the message through! Meanwhile the female tsessebes carried on feeding in the company of some wildebeest, while in the distance one could see giraffe, a zebra and impalas, and we could also hear jackals giving the alarm. One time when we homed in on the jackal alarm calls we were fortunate to find a leopard drinking in a mud wallow made by the elephants. Having finished its drink the leopard walked casually off into the tree line to find a place to rest up for the day. The two cheetah brothers were content to rest up in the shade having eaten well not long ago, while nearby the three male lions, also looking large in the girth, were crashed out in the shade digesting their recent meal.

With the lions and cheetah sleeping not far away we decided it was safe to stretch our legs for a while, and so we walked over to a complete elephant skeleton for a quick taxonomy lesson. Savuti attracts some of the biggest old bull elephants in northern Botswana, and perhaps exasperated by the fickle water supply in the area it also frequently becomes the last resting area for a number of these bulls each year - almost a true elephant graveyard! For once there was water in one of the waterholes, and we arrived ahead of a hyena planning to come in for a drink - but a breeding herd of elephants with their small youngsters also arrived, so the hyena had to sit aside to wait his turn - or at least that was plan B until the elephants intimidated him enough to get up and run off into the thick mopane woodland nearby. At camp there was a constant hustle and bustle of elephants drinking at the waterhole by day and night, while calling from a tree outside the dining area was an African scops owl - about 15cm tall and one of the hardest of the owls to find, even though one hears them calling often and they are widespread throughout the country.

Although I am extremely interested in all aspects of wildlife and nature I get an extra enjoyment from bird watching, and even seeing the 'common' species gives me pleasure. To see less common birds and their special characteristics up close and in detail is therefore an extra bonus - such as the wattles of the African wattled lapwing, named with reference to the flaps of bright yellow skin that hang down either side of its beak. By a twist of fate this bird was classified and named before the naturalists had ventured further up into Africa, where they came across another lapwing of similar size but with much longer wattles! - so they had to name this bird a white crowned lapwing, resulting in confusion ever after for novice birders who live in the region where both species occur. The Chobe River is not only a prime birding spot but also an area that gives the bonus of seeing elephants, buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, red lechwe, puku, waterbuck and many more animals to watch as a stop gap between birding - or visa versa! There is some great wildlife viewing to be seen from a boat on the river, but there can be just as much to see from the vehicle as you drive along the dirt tracks. We were able to view, photograph and have close encounters with some of the huge numbers of elephants that travel from the teak woodlands in the red Kalahari sands to and from the river to drink. Also coming down to drink were herds of sable and many small family groups of kudu, as well as huge herds of impala and large troops of baboons. All in all the safari ended with as much wonderful wildlife viewing as it began on - all the better to entice one back for further adventures and more great wildlife viewing opportunities!

Just as a footnote to those of you who have shopped at the curio markets at Victoria Falls, where part of the price of your purchases goes towards a food kitty for the blind people and the families and people who live on, and off the towns rubbish dump - also to anyone who has made contributions to this cause, or towards schoolbooks, pens and pencils etc. for under privileged school children. We have once again been able to distribute the food we purchased with the money, giving some of the African staple foods to about 40 people - and at the time of writing we have another large supply of food for another 40 people ready to distribute in the next week or so, along with a good amount of school supplies. A big thank you from the people and from ourselves for this support.

Until next month...