Part 4 - Heading west to Kuruman and the Kgalagadi National Park (May / June 2017)

African Wildlife and Nature Photographs – (7 provinces in a 7 week trip around South Africa)

Part 4 - Heading west to Kuruman and the Kgalagadi National Park (May / June 2017)

We left Johannesburg again on a Sunday morning however, compared to 3 weeks earlier the temperature had dropped quite a dramatically.

As with most of our travel’s we weren’t in any particular rush and we enjoyed the drive south west admiring the beautiful scenery along the way.

As we had driven this route a few times before, we knew where we wanted to stop for our breaks. First stop was the Shell garage outside of Ventersdorp in the North West Province. We stopped there on our first trip 3 years ago for coffee and rusks and we note the area has now become even more popular with travellers having their first break when travelling from Johannesburg towards the Kgalagadi. There are now more picnic tables and a friendly ‘on holiday’ feel in the air.

Next stop was Vryburg in the North West Province for lunch and we found a great lunch place at the Excel Garage, Mams Food located at the T-junction as you turn towards Vryburg. Not sure why we missed this place before but it was a good find and we will definitely note it for future trips.

Not much further to go for our first visit to Red Sands Country Lodge in the Northern Cape, the lodge is located 15km past Kuruman. We’d heard about this place from many people and it was about time we tried it for ourselves.

The camping areas are well demarcated and you get your own campsite with ablutions, washing area and if anyone is keen – a satellite dish with a TV plug!!!!

We set up camp quite quickly as we felt a cool breeze and we were quite shocked at how quickly the temperature was dropping. Glenda managed to get dinner sorted outside but we had to move our table and chair against the west wall of our ablution block in order to have our dinner outside, sheltered from the now strong wind. 

Our couple of days were spend exploring the reserve and taking photographs of the bird species that were present. Our two nights at Redsands Country Lodge were a good introduction to the facilities and we would be keen to return in the spring as we were amazed at how many bird species there were considering it was the end of May.

Pale-winged Starlings taking over

Our only complaint about the Lodge is that on a Saturday night the restaurant has live music, which is great for the locals coming to support the place, but as a holidaymaker coming for a bit of peace and quiet this was a little off-putting as the music went on well into Sunday morning. If they had advised us of this when we booked, we could have made arrangements to arrive on the Sunday.

We left Redsands on the Monday morning as the sun rose, thinking we would have our breakfast at one of the many fantastic picnic stops along the N14. However, it turned out to be a rather cold (1c) and breezy morning and thirty minutes down the road at Kathu we spotted a sign for Mugg & Bean (our favourite South Africa coffee shop franchise). Our earliest stop on record but it was very welcome. Mugg & Bean, Kathu

After stocking up on provisions at the Kalahari Mall in Upington we got to the Kgalagadi National Park mid-afternoon. We didn’t venture out but took our time setting up camp and chatting to our neighbours about what had been seen that day in the area. 

After a good night’s sleep we headed out early the following morning after deflating our tyres (due to the fact we were travelling in soft sand) and headed north on the road towards Nossob rest camp. It was great to be back in the Kgalagadi and we absorbed the stark arid scenery of the desert and kept our eyes peeled.

One highlight was a really good sighting of a juvenile Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk (Melierax canorus). We rate our sightings as good when it is also a good photographic opportunity as often you can see things, which are great to see but to make it good for taking photographs certain other criteria then have to come into play.

Juvenile Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk

On our return to camp at lunch time we had a nice sighting of a possible coalition of Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) . They were only a few kilometres from camp and there were 4 of them under a tree, however they were a little far way for any good photographs.

We kept an eye out for them the following day but they had moved off and we guess the roaring from Black-maned Lions (Panthera leo bleyenberghi) during the night had something to do with it.

The following day was our first venture into the park towing the Bhoma caravan in soft sand, its tyres were also deflated and we set off with thankfully no problems. It handled well in both soft sand and over some serious corrugations. The eggs in the fridge hadn’t even moved and nothing had broken!

We arrived at Mata Mata camp in good time after seeing the game you would expect to find in the Kgalagadi National Park viz. Gemsbok (Oryx gazella), Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and Red Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) . The camp was a reasonably empty when we got there which gave us the opportunity pick a good site (in our opinion) for our 5 night stay. Looking back, we would say that Mata Mata was one of our favourite campsites of our whole trip. Well spaced out, enough shade or sun for most campers, a pleasant bird hide; well maintained ablutions; a shop with sufficient supplies; petrol/diesel available and pleasant staff.

Only small annoyance is the gate times in winter. They are in keeping with some other arid parks but you would have thought Sanparks could be a bit flexible and allow certain camps in their respective parks to alter their opening times according to the sunrise. In June the camp gates open at 7:30 am by which time it is already light. As most photographers prefer to head for the waterholes and the nearest is nearly an hour’s drive away, this means that by the time you get there the early morning golden light has gone. I think this complaint is ignored as I remember discussing this with another photographer and camp management at the Kalahari Tented camp back in 2014 and nothing has changed since then.

Meerkats of Mata Mata

One of the highlights of camping at Mata Mata was the family of Meerkats (Suricate suricatta) that had their home a few metres from the bird hide. During the day, the family would be out foraging leaving one member as a baby sitter to 3 small pups. They would venture out during the day from their burrow and sun themselves and were really comfortable with the many people coming to photograph them. 

The camp is also home to many Ground Squirrels (Xerus inauris) which unfortunately have become rather tame over the years probably because campers insist on feeding them in order to get cute photographs of them. They lose their fear of humans and are often around your feet, standing on their hind legs begging for food. We made sure we didn’t leave any titbit out and we still managed to get some photographs.

The camp is also a great place for birding and there are resident White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser mahali); Cape Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis nitens); Crimson-breasted Shrike (Laniarius atrococcineus); Familiar Chat (Cercomela familiaris) and Brown-throated Martin (Riparia paludicola) to name a few.

Our best bird sightings whilst out and about besides the Southern Pale Chanting Goshawks were many Secretarybirds (Sagittarius serpentarius), Lanner Falcons (Falco biarmicus), plenty of Kori Bustards (Ardeotis kori) and a couple good sightings of the Pygmy Falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus).

Our next blog post (Part 5 - More of Mata Mata, Twee Rivieren; a chilly stay at Augrabies National Park and down to the Karoo National Park)

Read : Part 1 Johannesburg to Phalaborwa

Read : Part 2 Phalaborwa and Punda Maria

Read : Part 3 Letaba, Orpen area, Hoedspruit and Pretoriuskop

Part 2 – Phalaborwa and Punda Maria (May 2017)

African Wildlife and Nature Photographs – (7 provinces in a 7 week trip around South Africa)

Part 2 – Phalaborwa and Punda Maria (May 2017)

As we mentioned in part 1 prior to staying in the Kruger National Park, we spent 3 nights at the Forever Resort in Phalaborwa, due to the park being full. However, this gave us chance to visit friends in Phalaborwa we hadn’t seen in years and allowing us a day visit into the park to Letaba rest camp, one of our favourite Kruger camps. 

The area around Letaba, and moving up to the Northern part of the park is dominated by Mopani bush, a favourite for the parks elephants and we were surprised at just how many elephants we were actually seeing. The most abundant large mammal species in the park are Impala (Aepyceros melampus), a staple diet of the large predators, however we kept saying we were seeing more elephants than impalas, so you can just imagine how many elephants we were seeing. Not that we were complaining as one can spend hours just watching the interaction between these African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) family members, especially when there is a breeding herd with very young calves.

African Elephants at Punda Maria Waterhole - Kruger National Park

With most of the migrant birds having left South Africa, we were very surprised to find a pair of Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis) in Letaba Camp as these intra African migrants are usually gone at this time of the year (mid May).

South Africa and the Kruger Park have for the past 2 – 3 years suffered from a serious drought but this past year has seen a bit of a recovery in the park which has resulted in an inundation of Red-billed Queleas (Quelea quelea). In all the years we’ve been travelling into the park we have never seen quite so many flocks of Red-billed Queleas swooping through the trees in waves. It has been caused by the apparent late rains late last year and early this year and thus an abundant supply of grass seed.

Burchell's Coucal - one of the many

We were also pleased with the number of Southern Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) that we saw considering these are regarded as a vulnerable species in Southern Africa, they do however seem to be thriving in the Northern part of the Kruger National Park particularly. Another plentiful sighting were Burchell’s Coucal (Centropus burchellii) and in one day alone we counted 9 which for us was some sort of record. 

Eventually the day dawned for us to move into the Kruger Park and travel from Phalaborwa gate up north to the furthest camp, Punda Maria. Arriving there mid-afternoon after a pleasant drive, counting elephants and Burchell’s Coucals with sightings of the plains game species like, Impalas, Burchell’s Zebra (Equus burchellii) Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and a few Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros).

This was the first time we’d camped in Punda Maria having previously stayed in the chalets and permanent tents. The camp site is a real treat as the bird hide is located in the camp and it overlooks a beautiful waterhole.

While setting up camp a large herd of elephants came to drink, a great opportunity to take some photographs as they were bathed in soft golden afternoon sun a photographers dream. I stopped what I was doing and rushed to the bird hide to watch them. A fellow traveller advised me they’d been there every day for the last 4 days at the same time. As I was in the middle of setting up camp I thought I might as well catch them the following day. BIG MISTAKE, I was never to see them again in such numbers and in such awesome light in the whole 6 days we were there.. Great opportunity missed. (Lesson: Never leave for tomorrow what can be done today, take your opportunities as they arise). 

One small consolation was the small video footage I took on my mobile phone of the event, which I will share on my website www.africanwildlifeandnaturephotographs.com later. The elephants were constant visitors to the waterhole though and the sounds of elephants communicating in the middle of the night is quite something. Besides the elephants we were lucky to hear and fall asleep to lions roaring every night, but they proved to be elusive when trying to find them during the day.

The advantage of staying in Punda Maria is that it is only an hour’s drive to the Pafuri area, which is one of South Africa’s most prolific birding spots throughout the year , albeit missing the migrant birds in winter. Again, this trip didn’t disappoint with good sightings of African Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus), Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) African Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), Meves’s Starling (Lamprotornis mevesii) White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) and White-crowned Lapwing (Vanellus albiceps), to name a few.

Martial Eagle at Pafuri - Kruger National Park

Now for a little moan and word of warning; so please take note…we enjoyed Punda Maria for its great location and the wonderful Mahonie Loop around the camp for late afternoon game drives, however the downside of the stay was that the camping was full, possibly overbooked and the camping area was like a car park in a shopping centre, but not as organised…. 

It’s a free-for-all for campers, hence people camping extremely close together, having access to power when not paid for with no control or checking by Sanparks who run the camp. We also soon realised that we were in a pensioner’s discount period (Sanparks have them a couple time a year) meaning there were far too many people camping in the Kruger Park due to its warm winter climate and no doubt cheaper utility costs. Unfortunately, in our opinion, not that interested in the parks wildlife either as some people just parked up and didn’t bother leaving camp, it would seem. 

Sanparks, Punda Maria camp is one camp that should have restricted camping numbers, frequent checking on who has camped where and paid for what. Sadly also there are too few ablutions based on the numbers allowed to camp with some in a poor state of maintenance and repair.

So it was time to say farewell to Punda Maria and head off further south to stay in Letaba and Orpen camps and visiting our previous ‘home town’ of the past few years; Hoedspruit.

Our next blog post (Part 3: Letaba, Orpen area, Hoedspruit and Pretoriuskop)

Read : Part 1 Johanneburg to Phalaborwa

Read : Park 4 Heading west to Kuruman and the Kgalagadi National Park

Bushbuck

Bushbuck (Antelope)

Having a few days off this week, we headed into the Kruger National Park (South Africa). As is most times we enter the gates we wander on the first bird and or animal we will come across. More often or not its the common Impala (Aepyceros melampus) and this this got me thinking, although the most widespread antelope in the Kruger National Park by far, how did it fair in Sub-Sahara Africa? I must admit I was shocked to learn in fact in was the Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) and (Tragelaphus sylvaticus) that are the most widespread of the Sub-Saharan antelope.

I was further to learn that the Bushbuck were in-fact split into two species (as detailed above) which was something new to me. They are the kéwel(Tragelaphus scriptus) and the imbabala (Tragelaphus sylvaticus). The imbabala is related to the Bongo and the Sitatunga, and the kéwel to the Nyala. Here then in South Africa, the Bushbuck we refer to are (Tragelaphus sylvaticus related to the Bongo and the Sitatunga,  which occur from the Cape of South Africa through to Angola and Zambia.

That over with, other information about the Bushbuck. This antelope is found virtually in all habitats from woodlands to montane forest and rain forest. The Bushbuck found here are slightly bigger than the other species found further North and the colour differs quite substantially with difference in the spots and the stripes in both species but both species have light brown coats, with up to seven white stripes and white splotches on the sides in a variance.

The Bushbuck stands about 90cm (3ft) to the shoulder and depend on male or female weighs between 40-80 Kg (88-176 lbs) as their is sexual dimorphism.

Bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus) Female - Kruger National Park
South Africa

Steenbok

Steenbok (Dwarf Antelope of South Africa)

Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) are one of South and Southern Africa’s smallest of antelope but what it lacks in size the Steenbok makes up for in its looks.

Being a beautiful reddish brown in colour, male Steenbok only stand between 40-60 cm (16-24 in)  high and weight in between 10-16 g (22-35 lbs) with the females being slightly smaller. In comparison to the rest of their bodies Steenbok have very long legs, other defining characteristic of the Steenbok is its very large ears and a black triangular patch on the bridge of the nose. You can further distinguish males from females as only males posses short straight black horns  or spikes really which stand about 150cm (6in) in length from the top of its head, large dark eyes, give way to preorbital glands.

Steenbok are solitary antelope and only really come together to mate, although breeding does take place throughout the year, births tend to peak in November and December each year which coincides with ‘Mother Natures re-birth’ (Spring) here in the Southern Hemisphere.

As with a few African antelope Steenbok are primarily browsers, (pick from trees and shrubs) feeding at or near ground level, occasionally they scrape the ground with their sharp hooves for roots and tubers. Water is not essential as moisture can be taken from the food they eat.

Steenbok have many different predators, including Leopard, Caracal and even Pythons, in the presence of danger, Steenbok first hide, crouching with the neck pressed against the ground and ears retracted to avoid detection. If the threat persists or approaches the animal will flee, with fast zig-zagging flight interrupted by attempts at concealment by lying down flat.

In South and Southern Africa the Steenbok’s distribution is wide and varied and can be found in various environments throughout South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Swaziland, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Male Steenbook (Raphicerus campestris) showing his horns
large ears and 'preorbital glands'

Springbok

Springbok one of natures supreme athletes

Living in South Africa I could not continue to post about the wildlife and all that's offered in the natural world here without posting about one of South Africa's most famous animals synonymous with the country; the Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis).  The South African ruby union team, called the 'Springboks' have the Springbok emblem of this most agile of animals, along with another well known part of the flora and fauna of the country the 'Protea' flower sewn into their shirts.

The 'Springbok' like the national rugby team are athletes of note. These medium sized antelopes have colouring which consists mainly of a pattern of white, reddish/tan and dark brown, with adult males or 'rams' standing about 80 cm tall (30 in) and about 190cm (72in) in  length. Springbok can reach speeds of up to 100km/h (60mph) and leap 4m (13 ft) through the air which I think you will agree is quite a feat for such a small mammal. Unlike many antelopes, Impala for instance, both the ram (male) and the (ewe) female Springbok have horns which average about 35cm (14 in) in length.

Springbok are also well known for what is known as 'pronking' or 'stotting' which comes from the Afrikaans meaning to 'boast' or 'show off'. The Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) with Marsupialis (Latin: marsupium, meaning "pocket") this word being derived from a pocket-like skin flap which runs along the middle of the Springboks back from the tail onwards. This 'marsupium' is best demonstrated when the male Springbok perhaps wants to attract a mate or to ward off any predators, he starts off with a stiff-legged trot, jumping up into the air with an arched back every few paces and lifting the 'flap' along his back.  Lifting the flap causes the long white hairs under the tail to stand up in a conspicuous fan shape, which in turn emits a strong scent of sweat.

Springbok are inhabitants of the mainly dryer parts of south and south western Africa notably in the 'Kalahari' desert in Botswana and the 'Namib' desert of Namibia but also the vast grasslands of South Africa's Free State. Interestingly Springbok are 'mixed' feeders switching between 'browsing' and 'grazing' and by doing this Springbok can meet their water needs and can survive without the need for water over long long periods.

Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Gemsbok

Gemsbok- Desert Survivalists

If you have been following my last few posts you will know that earlier this year we spent sometime in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The Kgalagadi is located in a dry arid savanna biome, plants and animal species that inhabit these arid biomes need to adapt to some of the very harsh conditions that prevail in these areas, one such animal species is the Gemsbok  (Oryx gazella).

We encountered many Gemsbok in the Kgalagadi, these magnificent large antelope stand when fully grown at about 1.2m to the shoulder and the adult bulls weighing in at over 300kg. You may think that an animal of this size would indeed struggle to inhabit and survive in what is basically a desert, which by definition is a dry area with very little rainfall and thus available water, often in drought and with extreme heat.

The Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) has evolved and adapted to not only survive in the dry arid areas but thrive in them. One of the most obviously adaptations to living in an area with     very little water is to actually require very little water ones self. In this respect the Gemsbok takes most of its requirement of water from the food it eats. Grasses, roots which they dig up with their hooves, leafy bushes what ever can be found in these dry arid areas you will find Gemsbok close by grazing. Once of course you have taken on water by means of food and or have drunk some the next trick is to retain it, Gemsbok do not sweat and their deifications are dry.

The Gemsbok also has a very distinctive pattern to its coat, continuing research provides us with evidence that the large light colours reflect heat and the dark colours absorb heat, for example one theory is that the large white patch on the belly of the Gemsbok actually reflects heat from the desert sands. To help with the extremes of heat Gemsbok have specialist physiological adaptations, one such adaptation is 'nasal panting', this is a kind of 'heat exchange' where Gemsbok rapidly inhale and exhale through their nose which is lined with small blood vessels called capillaries.

Cool air is sucked in through the nose which cools the blood in these capillaries, in turn this cooled blood is circulated to the brain, where a fascinating part of anatomy is found called the 'hypothalamus' at the brains stem. The 'hypothalamus' oversees many internal body conditions and monitors chemical and physical characteristics of the blood, including body temperature, blood pressure and water content. Through this 'brain cooling action' Gemsbok can then regulate its body temperature by often allowing its temperature to rise considerably during the day and then gradually radiating any surplus heat away through its body as the day goes on and the temperatures cool. Simple other ploys  such as standing with the smallest portions of its body to the sun and largest to any breeze also helps radiate heat away from the body.

The Gemsbok is without doubt a 'Desert Survivalist'

Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) a Desert Survivalist - Kgalagadi Transfontier Park - South Africa

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Part 7

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – (Part 7) May/June 2014

We had arrived at Nossob Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park late in the afternoon the previous day and checked in at the reception with our ‘permit’ still intact and generally checked out our immediate location. There are a few things at the Nossob camp that would be of interest for the first time travellers/photographers to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Firstly the camp has ‘electrical power’ via its generator daily from 5-30am to 10pm, Secondly it has a shop and petrol, both of these are far and few between in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Lastly, Nossob has a great ‘hide’ with a made made ‘water hole’.  This hide is located beside the main ‘North’ and ‘South’ gates (more about this later) to the camp and thus is in easy walking distance from the camp. This hide also boasts a webcam which since returning home and checking it out seems to be up and running all the times I have visited. You can find this webcam and other SanParks webcams at the Nossob Webcam.

Yellow Canary
drinking at 'Cubitje Quap' waterhole

We had done our research and visited the previous afternoon a waterhole about 10km north of the camp called ‘Cubitje Quap’ known for its large flocks of Sandgrouse and Cape Turtle Doves, large Raptors and Black-backed Jackal all coming to drink there as well as some specials like Brown Hyena and Leopard. This waterhole is better for photography first thing in the morning due to the ‘light’ on the waterhole itself and has limited space around the waterhole to take photographs, so we were up early as normal and first at the gate going ‘North’ to get a good location for the mornings visit of the various wildlife species.  Nossob Rest Camp is ‘fenced’ unlike the Khalahari Tented Camp we had previously stayed at and one of only a few camps that are actually fenced in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Nossob is also a little different to all other camps I have stayed at before, as here you have to actually drive ‘into’ the camp. shut the gate and then open the other gate to continue. So coming from the south you would need to open the South gate, close it and open the North gate to continue your journey or vice versa.

We arrived first at the waterhole just after sunrise and we positioned ourselves the best we could with a good view of the waterhole some 30 meters away, It wasn’t long before a whole host of birds started to arrive, Yellow Canaries (Serinus flaviventris),  Red-headed Finches (Amadina erythrocephala) were amongst the first to appear in their droves, quickly flying in and ‘sipping’ the cool early morning waters and then out again to rest on a nearby bush, hardly resting for a moment before starting over again for a further drink. We soon found out why this curious back and forth of birds continued; it’s due to one of the famous predators of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park the ‘Lanner Falcon’ (Falco biarmicus). It swooped in narrowly ‘missing’ a couple of these small birds before returning to its look-out some 100 meters away in an old tree with a good vantage point to see the waterhole.

Next came the birds that have to drink daily in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the Sandgrouse,

Burchells Sandgrouse taking off after taking a drink
at Cubitje Quap Waterhole

circling a few times like ‘bomber command’, flocks of Namaqua  Sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua) and Burchell’s Sandgrouse (Pterocles burchelli)  came in one after the other to drink and then take off in the opposite direction in which they landed. Again the Lanner Falcon swooped in, this time ‘clipping’ a Namaqua  Sandgrouse but not sufficiently enough to knock it down. This is a deadly scene that is played out daily in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for these birds, a balance based on a need for ‘water’ and a need for ‘food’.

Next up to drink and our only large mammal that morning was the ‘renowned’ scavenger of the Kgalagadi the Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas), This predator was also very nervous as it drank there for a good few minutes, always raising it’s head and looking around every few seconds. We guessed this was to be on the look out for the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Parks apex predators the lions. Unfortunately for us and fortunately for the Jackal none appeared while we were there. We spent most of the morning at Cubitje Quap watching and photographing the comings and goings of the birds and various Jackals.

Later that morning we moved further North to ‘Kwang’ waterhole where it is said to have a large ‘sweet’ waterhole preferred by many animals. Sure enough the hour we sat there, large herds of Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and Red Hartebeest (Alcelaphus caama)  as well as the occasional Jackal and the now common flocks of birds came to drink.

Black-backed Jackal taking a much needed drink
at Kwang Waterhole

We made our way back to Nossob for lunch and then took ourselves South this time for an afternoon drive to ‘Rooikop’ and ‘Marie se draai’ waterholes. Not a lot happening unfortunately at the waterholes so we made our way back to camp and the hide, again not much happening there either so we decided to comeback later that evening for a second sitting as it was our last night at Nossob Rest Camp as our winter trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was nearing an end. The night session was also quite quiet but the highlights were a Verreaux Eagle Owl (Bubo lacteus) which landed some distance from the hide just out past the waterhole and five Bat-eared Foxes (Otocyon megalotis) who also just ran through the area and didn’t stop to drink. We decided to make for our chalet and ensure a nice hot shower and cup of tea and jump into bed before the power went off. Tomorrow we were heading back down to Twee Rivieren Rest Camp and we’d also heard that the weather was going to take a turn and temperature were due to drop.

Parasitism

Parasitism or Mutualism

This last weekend saw my wife and I again in South Africa's KNP (Kruger National Park), where I witnessed several happenings which gave rise to me writing this weeks blog post. In the animal and plant kingdoms there are many 'symbiotic relationships' ('living together', regardless of the nature of the relationship). These 'symbiotic relationships' are broken down further into Parasitism, Mutualism and Commensalism.

Parasitism is where one 'organism' only benefits from the 'symbiotic relationship' while the other party is actually harmed. Mutualism on the other hand is where both 'organisms' benefit from the relationship. Commensalism is where one 'organism' benefits but does no harm to the other organism.

It is possibly 'Parasitism' which I witnessed this weekend in the form of a large mammal and a bird, which was until recently thought to be the 'symbiotic relationship' known as Mutualism, maybe you have your own thoughts on the matter ?  The bird is the 'Oxpecker'  of which there are two species, the Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) and the Yellow-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus africanus). The particular mammal in this instance was the humble Impala with whom this 'symbiotic relationship' has been ongoing for a long time.

Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) perching on an ‘Impala’ host.

Impala

Impala - Africa's Fast Food

Anybody who has been on an African safari will probably come across quite quickly in their game drives the humble Impala antelope (Aepyceros melampus). These medium sized antelope have two recognised sub-species that being the common Impala (Aepyceros. melampus) and the black-faced Impala (Aepyceros melampus petersi) of Angola and Namibia.

The Impala is an animal of the great African savannah and woodland edges from where it can seek cover and as this is the Impala's natural habitat it has become a great 'prey' favourite of the big African cats like the Lion, Leopard and Cheetah, with this in mind those on safari often see these antelope at large cat 'kill' sightings.

Impala (Aepyceros melampus) female drinking from a waterhole, a daily occurrence.

Wildlife and Nature Pictures - Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou)

Wildlife and Nature Pictures - Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou)

Their are two species of wildebeest (Gnu) in South Africa. Natures well known 'Blue' Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) of the Serengeti migration fame and the smaller and less known 'Black' Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) or also known as the 'White' tailed Gnu.

Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) - South Africa

Greater Kudu-South Africa's Large Antelope

Wildlife and Nature Pictures -The Greater Kudu - Large Antelope of South Africa.

The wildlife on the African continent as we know is numerous and varied, South Africa is no exception with many wildlife species. One of the largest species of antelope in Africa is found in South Africa, it is the Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). The 'Greater Kudu' antelope is one of 2 species of Kudu antelope found in Africa the other being the 'Lesser Kudu' (Tragelaphus imberbis) which is found more towards Africa's eastern side, as well as the 'Greater Kudu' already mentioned. If you come southwards however to South Africa's Kruger National Park you will see throughout its vast 2 million hectares great numbers of the 'Greater Kudu',  as well as the other national parks and nature reserves South Africa has to offer. All over South Africa you will see large numbers of these stunning antelope. 

Male 'Greater Kudu' antelope typically are about 200 cm (7 ft) in length, stand approximately 165 cm (65 in) tall at the shoulder and weigh in at a 'hefty' average of about 230 Kg or well over 550 lbs. Female 'Greater Kudu' on the other hand are considerably smaller, standing only about 100 cm (40 in) to the shoulder and weighing in at about 170kg or well over 300 lbs. The male 'Greater Kudu' is easily distinguishable from most other antelope as it has 'impressively' long spiral/twisted horns (usually about 2.5 twists) that on average reach about 100 cm (40 in) in length which also slant back slightly. Another distinguishing feature can only be described as a 'mane' along the throat  of the male 'Greater Kudu' also very large forward pointing ears on both the male and female.

'Greater Kudu' are what we describe as a 'browser' antelope and not a 'grazer'. What this actually means is that they 'pick' or 'browser' their food stuffs from tree's, bushes and shrubs, sometimes taking fruits. A grazer on the other hand takes their food from grasses and foods stuffs that grow and form along the ground. 

Female 'Greater Kudu' are normally found in small herds with their calves of around 5-15 individuals, with males being normally solitary, although they do sometimes form an all male 'bachelor' group.  They are often preyed upon by Africa's large carnivores the Lion, Leopard, Hyenas and Wild Dog, in-fact only a few weeks ago a female 'Greater Kudu' succumbed to a Leopard on the game reserve where I live, mother nature at work.

A Male 'Greater Kudu '(Tragelaphus strepsiceros) 'browsing  for food' and showing his 'throat mane'

Male 'Greater Kudu' (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) Showing off his 'spriral' 2.5 twisted  horns

Wildlife and Nature Pictures - Natures Mating Rituals

Mother Nature and her Mating Game

Wildlife, if you live your life daily in the South African bush can take on a whole new meaning. You can immerse yourself in a whole new world of mystery and intrigue, the  'toings' and 'froings' of many of mother natures wildlife's interesting characters. This spectacle  is played out daily in front of you and it can take a 'life time' to fully understand, but only a mere moment to enjoy, if you are lucky enough to witness such happeneings. I count myself very lucky to witness  and photograph many such spectacles to share with you all. 

As the months come and go you start to notice the bush's wildlife changing their behaviour, colour, attitudes and as in my last few post they may even 'disappear' or 'appear' all together as seasonal migrations take place or they hibernate.

For the various species of wildlife that actually breed in South Africa, the time eventually comes around when love is in the air, which in most cases is the onset of Spring. Mother nature provides many ways in which certain species choose a 'mate' and how they are chosen. One of the interesting processes many wildlife species go through to choose a mate initially, is a system which is called 'Lekking'. Lekking usually takes place before or during the breeding season.

Many of natures wildlife species like Birds, Antelope, Frogs, Seals, Crabs, even Butterflies use this system. Briefly then  'Lekking' is conducted is an area or arena called a 'Lek' where a 'aggregation' (gathering) of  males  form 'small territories', to 'defend' and display themselves to potential females mates.

Dependant on size of species, this could be anything from a few centimetres to 20 or 30 meters  but the areas are solely for competitive display purposes (as 'resourced regional territories' and or 'home ranges' of animals is another subject altogether and best kept for another post) and are defended by males against each other with a view to establishing a 'hierarchy' and attracting female mates. 

Many females of the species on the other hand  visit  these areas/arenas 'Leks' primarily to find a mate. Those males that are noticed by females are those perhaps with large horns or antlers, bright coloured coats or feathers, large in statue, audible noises like snorting and or singing displays (birds) all go to make up a 'display' in a 'Lek' to attract a female mate and continue the gene pool.

A fine male specimen (ram) 'Impala'
A species of Antelope found in South Africa which uses the 'lekking' system to help find a mate.

Tsessebe - Antelope of the Northern Kruger Park

Wildlife and Nature Pictures -Tsessebe

Continuing our recent trip to the Northern Kruger we came across a small group of Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus)  antelope. Primarily found in the South of sub Saharan Africa, Tsessebe used to be far ranging. A speedy antelope which can attain speeds of up to 80km/h.

Quite large and social antelopes with adult Tsessebe reaching up to 230cm in height and weighting in at about  140kg. Female Tsessebe antelope are usually found in groups of upto to 10-12 animals with their young, while males are ejected from the herd after a year or so and can form bachelor herds of up to about 30 animals.

Their bodies are chestnut brown. The fronts of their faces and their tail tufts are black; the forelimbs and thigh are greyish or bluish-black. Their hind limbs are brownish-yellow to yellow and their bellies are white.

See Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for additional information

Tsessebe Antelope-Northern Kruger National Park