This is exciting as it is one of the "Big Five!" The Big Five is a marketing term for safaris and refers to lions, leopards, African buffaloes, elephants, and rhinoceroses. The term originates from the old hunting days, when these animals were considered the biggest prizes or most difficult to kill. These five animals are the prey that will actually fight back! Our group this morning was composed of Jackie and Becky, Mike, and Rob and Roy. The others opted not to make such an early start.
Our first sighting of an animal that we had not seen before is the water buck, a larger type of antelope. We spotted a group of bachelors. The distinguishing feature of the water buck is a large white circle on his rear end. According to local lore, two water bucks were passengers on Noah's ark. During that time, Noah decided to refurbish the lavatories on the ark, so he notified all of the animals that the bathrooms would not be available for a few days. The water bucks disobeyed Noah and used them anyway. Unfortunately, the toilets seats had just been freshly painted and the water bucks were stuck with white circles on their behinds forevermore!
Poniso, who was also with us today, spotted a gray "go away" bird, and we also see another spur fowl. The spur fowl has a red beak and there are many of them around, but they do not cooperate very well for photographs. As we drove, I make a mental note to remember the name of the grass we see in many places called common thatch grass. For some reason I have an idea in my head o avoid touching it -- the seeds at the ends look sticky, but they probably are not. We stopped to admire the Southern ground hornbill. It is large black bird with a large beak and red markings under the beak. This bird will feed on rodents, snakes, or lizards, and has even been known to try to crack open tortoise shells. They are also known for "cainism," named after Adam and Eve's son Cain. The first hatchlings will try to kills its siblings when they hatch in order to get more food. For this reason and others, the population of this bird has been declining.
We next see an adult male giraffe with very dark colors. The dark colors may indicate an older animal, but not always -- some are just naturally dark. We are told that giraffes cannot lower their heads for extended periods of time, because their hearts will keep pumping the blood to the head. They have to lift up their heads before too much blood is pumped there. This makes drinking water a challenge. The next animal we see is the kudu, one male and one female. This male is mature as he has three full spirals in its horns.
We next spied a herd of tsessebes in a field. We have only seen the tsessebes from a distance, so I asked if we could try to get a closer look. Our guide and driver, Moss, said we could try, but they might run when we get closer. We were successful, and as we approached they were not spooked. They are grazing with some impalas this morning. Then, our morning got very exciting!
Our guides have spotted fresh leopard tracks! Everyone became very alert and quiet. Our guides were alerted to the call of a baboon high up in a tree nearby sounding an alarm. This particular sound, "Hoo hoo hoo," repeated over and over indicated a leopard. The baboon is especially vocal and repetitive because it was a leopard that he had seen. The baboon will be more frightened of a leopard than a lion, since leopards can climb trees -- lions cannot. The guides also noted alarms sounded by birds. The birds are not necessarily threatened by the leopard, but they perform a kind of civic duty and let the other animals know that a threat is present. The guides go around and around in the brush -- we are completely off the paths now -- knocking down four foot high shrubs and small trees with ease! The search continues for several minutes; we remained quiet as the atmosphere is intense. The search may seem tedious, Poniso explained, but this is the only way to see a leopard. They are elusive and if you don't invest the time when you have an opportunity, you are unlikely to make the sighting. After a time (not sure how much), it seemed that the trail had gone cold. Poniso told us that we could go back and forth over the same area for hours and never see the leopard. He may have left, or he may have simply found a camouflaged spot under a shrub nearby. The guides made the decision to stop looking, but it was thrilling to be on the hunt!
We traveled a short distance to a herd of wildebeest to admire them (we had seen them from a distance while we had been tracking the leopard). Seeing them more closely, we can see a blue tinge to their color. They are also known as gnu, a word that originates from the sound that they make.
We also made a stop to look at an elephant skull that was lying in a field. We were told that it was a male and had probably been here for about five years. We don't see any other bones lying nearby. The guides told us that after the corpse has decomposed and been picked over by the vultures, other elephants will scatter the bones. They do this, so that in the future when they pass by this area, they won't see the bones and be reminded of their comrade's death.
We returned to the spot where we had initially seen the lions, yesterday on the way to Sandibe from the airstrip. We wanted to see if anything new was happening. We saw a group of females, all sleeping, and then suddenly another female appeared. She was carrying a tiny lion cub in her mouth and then crossed the field. We followed and watched her lie down in some brush, but the cub is still a little frisky. After a few minutes, she got up and crossed back over the field. The cub, who was probably supposed to stay put, followed her back. So the process repeated itself and she carried him back -- this time all on video! We could see the cub's cute little face as he was carried back -- so adorable!
After all this excitement, it was time for a break. We pulled over and parked under a large tree for a coffee break. There were no shortage of refreshments on this safari tour. The radio in the vehicle crackled with communication, and then we were off for another leopard hunt. A skittish leopard as been sighted by another guide! Moss drove as fast as he can to get there, at one point startling a buffalo who had been wallowing in a mud hold (so fast no one could get a picture). Then we met the other vehicle, and the guides were in close communication via the radios. We were again crashing through the brush and we do get a few glimpses of the leopard. The grass is long and he is disguised. He is moving quickly through the grass, but at one point, he passed through a small open area, and we all got a good look at him. At one point I even got a photo -- not a good one, but his image was captured. Wow! Everything happened so fast, and then we lost him and just as quickly it was over. BUT we had success. We were all exhilarated!
After the excitement, our drive was drawing to a close. We saw another solo wildebeest and assorted impala. Then on our return to Sandibe, we discovered that the camp was overrun with baboons -- large, small babies -- they were everywhere, especially at our cabin with several on the roof. We got inside without incident and saw them all over our deck, even drinking water from the pool! Then, they moved on and they were gone.
Lunch was choice of fish and chips or make-your-own pizza. We opted for this fish and it was good. Time to retire to our cabin for a shower and a little rest.
Afternoon tea was scheduled for 4 PM. Cake and donuts were offered, but we just had a few crackers with cheese plus diet coke. The whole group has reassembled after fragmenting this morning. Then we were off for our 4:30 PM game drive. This evening we are riding in the land rover with guides Tsabo and Collins. Poniso is with us as well and we are riding with Tom and Shawna.
We started with watching a few birds, the hammerkopf and the brown snake eagle, but didn't get a good look at either. Tsabo is an expert at identifying birds that aren't even that close to us! We also saw a common water bird. It is so named because it secretes a lot of stinky fluid when stressed, which deters predators. We also saw red lechwe in the distance. As we crossed some water, I got a good photo of a blacksmith lapwing foraging for insects or tiny fish (which I can't seem to see).
Then we see some more tsessebes and impalas. Even though tsessebes don't look to fast, they are the fastest antelope. In the distance we see an African marsh harrier.
We stopped to photograph a female kudu. We didn't see the male, but he wouldn't be far away. Then I got a nice photo of the yellow billed hornbill.
We returned again (how can we resist) to the lions that we had seen when we first arrived here at Sandibe camp. Tonight, the male is the star. He has dragged the dead kudu carcass, horns and all (likely killed two days ago), to a safer spot under a large shrub, where the vultures can't get at it. And there are vultures all around here looking for their opportunity! The male is still pretty full, probably having eaten again, and panting. Tonight, we had the pleasure of watching him walk across the field to a small water hole and take a long drink. He then saunters back to his spot, with a quick break to defecate. A note about the kill from our guides: the kudu was most likely killed by the female lions. When it first happens, the feeding is a free for all, and all the lions would have eaten. As the food diminished, the male would have become greedy and taken the lion's share, so to speak. The females would not have challenged him. While we were watching, a female lion approached the male with the kill. She was probably hungry, but as we watched she decided against trying to get any food and just slinked away.
We have passed by trees with visible birds' nests in the branches. They belong to the white browed sparrow weaver, whom we also saw shortly. We also got a glimpse of a mongoose. We enjoyed seeing a kudu family as we drove -- a nice close view. The kudu are not the fastest antelopes, but have the best jumping ability. One of these kudu had a red billed ox pecker on him.
We got a little more excitement as we came across more lions -- the fourth pride we have seen! These two lions are a mating air. They do not have big bellies because for the five days that the female is in heat, they do not focus on getting food, just breeding. Lions can go days without eating. After we observed for a while, the two rose up and start walking. After a few minutes, as we followed in our vehicle, they stepped behind a bush. When we approached the bush, suddenly the male popped out a gave us a verbal warning. Tsabo backed up the land rover slowly; no sense antagonizing him any further -- message received!
On the way back to camp, it was now getting pretty dark, we stopped to step out of the vehicle and stargaze. Poniso taught us how to find true south using the southern cross constellation. We also admired Orion. As we reboarded and drove back to camp, we spied a hippo out of water. It was surprising and wonderful, but too dim for either Rob or me to get a photo. Tom and Shawna get a nice snapshot, though. The guides used a red spotlight to highlight him. When going on night drives, they have a spotlight to use to identify game, but for the nocturnal animals, a red cover is put over the white light. Otherwise, you risk blinding the nocturnal animals whose eyes can't adjust to the bright light. This would endanger them, and it is also not very nice to blind someone!
Dinner tonight was a choice of beef or pork belly -- we both chose the beef. The dinner conversation was focused around the history or Botswana. The country will celebrate fifty years of independence in September of this year. It was never a British colony, but at one time, the Boers (Dutch) in the south were threatening. At that time, the chiefs of the country decided to ask for British for protection and thus became a protectorate. That ended in 1966. Shortly thereafter, diamonds were discovered in Botswana -- bad timing for the British. Seretse Khama, one of the tribal chiefs was elected president. The Botswana government is notable for its absence of corruption and its negotiation that 50% of diamond revenues go to the government for investing in infrastructure. His son is the current president of Botswana and is a frequent visitor to the Sandibe camp! The money in Botswana is called pula, which is also the word for rain. The word is also used as a toast. You say "Pula" because rain is good luck. The people of Botswana have a shared language, Setswana, but each tribe also has its own language.
Poniso's tribe is located to the north, near Chobe. The tribe is called Basubia. At one time his tribe and that of the Okavango Delta, the Bayei, were one tribe located in between the two areas. Scouts were sent out to explore to the north and to the delta, and both groups reported good results. According to oral history, this would have been in the early 1800's. With two good scouting reports, the tribe ended up splitting in two. Back then, everyone would have been a bushman (nomadic), but that is no longer the case. The only bushmen who remain in Botswana are the San tribe who live in the Kalahari Desert. The era of the bushmen in this part of Botswana ended as part of the government's efforts to eradicate sleeping sickness, spread by the tse tse fly.
We traveled a short distance to a herd of wildebeest to admire them (we had seen them from a distance while we had been tracking the leopard). Seeing them more closely, we can see a blue tinge to their color. They are also known as gnu, a word that originates from the sound that they make.
We returned to the spot where we had initially seen the lions, yesterday on the way to Sandibe from the airstrip. We wanted to see if anything new was happening. We saw a group of females, all sleeping, and then suddenly another female appeared. She was carrying a tiny lion cub in her mouth and then crossed the field. We followed and watched her lie down in some brush, but the cub is still a little frisky. After a few minutes, she got up and crossed back over the field. The cub, who was probably supposed to stay put, followed her back. So the process repeated itself and she carried him back -- this time all on video! We could see the cub's cute little face as he was carried back -- so adorable!
After all this excitement, it was time for a break. We pulled over and parked under a large tree for a coffee break. There were no shortage of refreshments on this safari tour. The radio in the vehicle crackled with communication, and then we were off for another leopard hunt. A skittish leopard as been sighted by another guide! Moss drove as fast as he can to get there, at one point startling a buffalo who had been wallowing in a mud hold (so fast no one could get a picture). Then we met the other vehicle, and the guides were in close communication via the radios. We were again crashing through the brush and we do get a few glimpses of the leopard. The grass is long and he is disguised. He is moving quickly through the grass, but at one point, he passed through a small open area, and we all got a good look at him. At one point I even got a photo -- not a good one, but his image was captured. Wow! Everything happened so fast, and then we lost him and just as quickly it was over. BUT we had success. We were all exhilarated!
After the excitement, our drive was drawing to a close. We saw another solo wildebeest and assorted impala. Then on our return to Sandibe, we discovered that the camp was overrun with baboons -- large, small babies -- they were everywhere, especially at our cabin with several on the roof. We got inside without incident and saw them all over our deck, even drinking water from the pool! Then, they moved on and they were gone.
Lunch was choice of fish and chips or make-your-own pizza. We opted for this fish and it was good. Time to retire to our cabin for a shower and a little rest.
Afternoon tea was scheduled for 4 PM. Cake and donuts were offered, but we just had a few crackers with cheese plus diet coke. The whole group has reassembled after fragmenting this morning. Then we were off for our 4:30 PM game drive. This evening we are riding in the land rover with guides Tsabo and Collins. Poniso is with us as well and we are riding with Tom and Shawna.
We started with watching a few birds, the hammerkopf and the brown snake eagle, but didn't get a good look at either. Tsabo is an expert at identifying birds that aren't even that close to us! We also saw a common water bird. It is so named because it secretes a lot of stinky fluid when stressed, which deters predators. We also saw red lechwe in the distance. As we crossed some water, I got a good photo of a blacksmith lapwing foraging for insects or tiny fish (which I can't seem to see).
We stopped to photograph a female kudu. We didn't see the male, but he wouldn't be far away. Then I got a nice photo of the yellow billed hornbill.
We have passed by trees with visible birds' nests in the branches. They belong to the white browed sparrow weaver, whom we also saw shortly. We also got a glimpse of a mongoose. We enjoyed seeing a kudu family as we drove -- a nice close view. The kudu are not the fastest antelopes, but have the best jumping ability. One of these kudu had a red billed ox pecker on him.
We got a little more excitement as we came across more lions -- the fourth pride we have seen! These two lions are a mating air. They do not have big bellies because for the five days that the female is in heat, they do not focus on getting food, just breeding. Lions can go days without eating. After we observed for a while, the two rose up and start walking. After a few minutes, as we followed in our vehicle, they stepped behind a bush. When we approached the bush, suddenly the male popped out a gave us a verbal warning. Tsabo backed up the land rover slowly; no sense antagonizing him any further -- message received!
On the way back to camp, it was now getting pretty dark, we stopped to step out of the vehicle and stargaze. Poniso taught us how to find true south using the southern cross constellation. We also admired Orion. As we reboarded and drove back to camp, we spied a hippo out of water. It was surprising and wonderful, but too dim for either Rob or me to get a photo. Tom and Shawna get a nice snapshot, though. The guides used a red spotlight to highlight him. When going on night drives, they have a spotlight to use to identify game, but for the nocturnal animals, a red cover is put over the white light. Otherwise, you risk blinding the nocturnal animals whose eyes can't adjust to the bright light. This would endanger them, and it is also not very nice to blind someone!
Dinner tonight was a choice of beef or pork belly -- we both chose the beef. The dinner conversation was focused around the history or Botswana. The country will celebrate fifty years of independence in September of this year. It was never a British colony, but at one time, the Boers (Dutch) in the south were threatening. At that time, the chiefs of the country decided to ask for British for protection and thus became a protectorate. That ended in 1966. Shortly thereafter, diamonds were discovered in Botswana -- bad timing for the British. Seretse Khama, one of the tribal chiefs was elected president. The Botswana government is notable for its absence of corruption and its negotiation that 50% of diamond revenues go to the government for investing in infrastructure. His son is the current president of Botswana and is a frequent visitor to the Sandibe camp! The money in Botswana is called pula, which is also the word for rain. The word is also used as a toast. You say "Pula" because rain is good luck. The people of Botswana have a shared language, Setswana, but each tribe also has its own language.
Poniso's tribe is located to the north, near Chobe. The tribe is called Basubia. At one time his tribe and that of the Okavango Delta, the Bayei, were one tribe located in between the two areas. Scouts were sent out to explore to the north and to the delta, and both groups reported good results. According to oral history, this would have been in the early 1800's. With two good scouting reports, the tribe ended up splitting in two. Back then, everyone would have been a bushman (nomadic), but that is no longer the case. The only bushmen who remain in Botswana are the San tribe who live in the Kalahari Desert. The era of the bushmen in this part of Botswana ended as part of the government's efforts to eradicate sleeping sickness, spread by the tse tse fly.
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