Singita Sabi Sandsingita.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Singita-Sabi-Sand...WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of October Two Thousand and Sixteen Temperature

WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA

For the month of October Two Thousand and Sixteen

Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 18˚C (64˚F) For the month: 31.5 mm Sunrise 05:10 Average maximum: 31˚C (88˚F) For the season to date: 43.5 mm Sunset 18:00 Minimum recorded: 10˚C (50˚F) Maximum recorded: 42˚C (107˚F) This has been a very busy month in the South African bush with some exceptional game viewing. It was not a good month to be a buffalo, as many predators capitalized on the weaker and older individuals. As winter draws to a close and summer kicks off with hot days and cool nights, some of the best sensory experiences have been accentuated. These include the early morning fresh smell in the air after the rain in the evening, and the sweet smell of a potato bush as you move through the drainage areas on route back to your lodge after a very memorable game drive. The sight of lightning moving across the sky in the distance during a sundowner, the illumination of the sky later at night as the storm brews. The sounds of various frog species echoing at intervals along the edges of the pans and rivers, as thunder rumbles in the distance. The glow of a red sun in the morning and a golden sun in the afternoon. These are all the memories we cherish and as the season continues there is always so much more that reminds us of how great summer is in the bush.

Here's a highlights package of the month's sightings: Wild Dogs: We have had a few sightings of the wild dog pack that had denned north of the river for the winter. The puppies are continuing to grow and move further with the pack. As the lions continue to dominate along the watercourse of the Sand River, the sightings have been limited to a few only occurring on the far western boundary. Lions: The Mhangene pride’s success continues as they have resided for most of the month within the Sand River to the area east of Boulders Lodge. The pride have been taking full advantage of spending a majority of their time resting amongst the reeds in the river and unsuspecting buffalo that have the same intention are falling prey to the mega pride. On more than one occasion again this month, we recorded more than two buffalo being killed during a single hunt. With the increase of the buffalo carcasses being prevalent due to the lions actively hunting the weaker individuals, the scavengers have been enjoying the feast just as much and, on some occasions, the carcasses aren’t completely cleaned, being left with bones chewed down and skin draping over the remains. Leopards: The excitement of the Ndzunzeni female and her two leopard cubs has been a good part of the thrills of exploring in the southern regions. The two cubs are extremely habituated at such a young age and due to the age of the cubs the sighting has been restricted to one vehicle at one time to reduce the impact on the movement of the female leopard and her two bundles of joy. The Kashane male leopard has been seldom seen this month and on the few occasions that we have encountered him, he has been on route to the south of the Sabi Sand reserve. Kashane is not a young male and he originated from the south. This may be the end of an era for the brute of a leopard (known to outweigh many males in the area) as he deserts his large territory that has been his for several years. With this movement, the space has been opened up and there is a possibility that the Ravenscourt male leopard may venture back to his stomping grounds where he was a young male two years ago. Buffalo: The few remaining buffalo that have been in small herds are slowly being out numbered by the amount of predators feeding on them. The larger groups of buffalo have fragmented and these smaller groups have been viewed throughout the reserve, consistently moving along the Sand River in search of water, food and shade during the midday heat. Elephants: As the vegetation flutters with green new feathers of growth, the elephant herds have increased and they are moving with the tiniest calves that have everyone saying, “Oh my, that’s the smallest elephant I’ve ever seen!” The elephant calves are a favorite to watch as they explore their surroundings, whilst the mothers feed, however keeping a watchful eye on the little ones.

Bird list 207 species were recorded in October 2016 (214 in September). Specials for the month included a Gabar goshawk, little sparrowhawk, crowned hornbill, grey-headed kingfisher and rock kestrel.

Dispelling a few myths Article by Leon van Wyk Having been “around the block” a few times, I’ve found that I’ve quite often had to dispel a few myths about some of Africa’s wildlife, so I thought I would share a few of these with you, the reader, this month. While there is usually an element of truth in some of the popular beliefs, and they have not arisen without good reason, my own observations in the field over the last 25 years have been sufficient for me to challenge some of these beliefs, and indeed I will go further than merely to challenge them – I will confidently state that they are indeed myths. Perhaps I am using too strong a word, “myths”- which might suggest that I have contempt for these beliefs. That is not the case at all. I do in fact have respect for the beliefs and how they originated, but I can categorically state that the following popular beliefs are, in most cases, grossly inaccurate, or, at best, major oversimplification of reality. Myth 1: Male lions do not hunt Really? Why on earth would male lions not hunt? They are carnivores, aren’t they? A popular fairytale version of lion society depicts a typical lion pride as consisting of one adult male, a few lionesses and a number of cubs. Many people believe that in such a pride, the lionesses do all the hunting, and when they make a kill, the male lion always eats first, and the lionesses and cubs have to wait until he has eaten his fill, before they are allowed to eat. I need to first explain that in lion society, at least in this part of Africa, adult male lions usually operate in coalitions of anything from two to six (or even more) males, usually (but not always) closely related to each other. Such a coalition will normally reign supreme in an area for a few years, during which time they will come to “possess” a few different prides of lionesses, mate with these lionesses and sire a number of cubs. Currently, the four Majingilane male lions are still the main territorial coalition in Singita Sabi Sand, and because they have been around so long, they are beginning to rival their deceased predecessors, the Mapogo coalition, for legendary status. But getting back to whether or not male lions hunt, there is no doubt whatsoever that they do. I have witnessed a number of kills, from start to finish, in which only male lions have been involved. Male lions are much larger and more conspicuous than lionesses, and for this reason they are generally less likely than lionesses to be successful in hunting of smaller or medium-sized prey animals. When it comes to hunting buffaloes, however, male lions actually have the edge over the

females. Many coalitions of male lions, including nomadic coalitions of sub-adults, have become specialist killers of large mammals, particularly buffalo, but sometimes even hippo! Remember male lions spend a considerable amount of their time away from the females, so it would be in their best interests to do some of their own hunting. I will concede, however, that very often male lions will benefit from kills made by lionesses, and because of their superior size, they often dominate the feeding. To claim, however, that lionesses do all the hunting, or that male lions never hunt, is erroneous. Myth 2: Leopards are nocturnal animals It is true that leopards can be active at night, and certainly do a good deal of their moving and hunting at night. However, I can honestly say that during my career, I have had better sightings of active leopards in the hours of daylight. Leopards are secretive and are experts at utilising cover to their advantage. Sometimes this is the cover of darkness, but very often they will use cover provided by the vegetation or the lie of the land, to conceal themselves in the daylight hours. I have definitely witnessed more leopard kills take place in daylight than at night, and I have often seen leopards fast asleep for lengthy periods at night. I will not go as far as claiming that leopards are generally more active in the daytime than at night, but I would definitely hotly dispute the theory put forward, even in many books on mammals, that leopards are essentially nocturnal. Again, there is some truth in the theory that leopards are nocturnal, but this probably applies more to areas where leopards are operating in competition with man, such as on stock farms. Leopards are highly adaptable, and can without a doubt change their habits to be mainly active in the daytime or mainly active at night, depending on their needs and the circumstances in which they exist.

Myth 3: Most baby animals are born in the spring This may be the case in some parts of the world, but in our part of southern Africa, it is not an accurate claim. A few species of mammals in this area give birth mainly in the early part of summer, notably impala, wildebeest and warthogs. Waterbuck calves tend to be born in the middle of summer. Painted hunting dogs (or African wild dogs) are typically born in winter. Cape buffalo calves are born over an extended season, from mid-summer to mid-winter, with a peak in late summer. A huge range of mammals can and give birth at any time of the year. Examples here include elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra, hippo, lion, leopard, baboon, monkey, nyala, bushbuck and many more.

Myth 4: Baboons are the favourite prey of leopards This is perhaps most frequently claimed my members of the South African population, and I am not certain of the origin of this theory. While it is possibly true that a leopard is the most likely carnivore to prey on baboons, in my experience they seldom do. This is not because they dislike the flesh of a baboon (indeed, leopards will consume the flesh of a vast range of other animals from various classes.) Leopards will for the most part avoid contact with baboons, because they rightly have a very healthy respect for the strength of an adult male baboon and the formidable size of its canine teeth. Leopards can be easily intimidated by a troop of baboons, and most leopards will usually give baboons a very wide berth. Yes, some leopards do occasionally kill baboons, but it seems to be a rather high-risk activity, which a wise leopard would usually avoid. Undoubtedly more baboons would be killed by male leopards than by female leopards, because of the significantly superior size and strength of the former. I still have much to learn about the ways of the wild, and it is always my pleasure to be learning as I go along, sharing what I learn with my guests, and offering my interpretation of what we are witnessing or observing together. To the victor the spoils Article by Ian Mey Throughout history endless battles and wars have taken place over territories rich in resources across the world’s vast continents. A myriad of species of animals, plants and man have crossed swords, claws, talons and teeth. Fights that have claimed many lives and left the survivors with many scars, hard earned badges to display their prowess and fighting skill to any rivals or challengers. Stronger champions holding better fortresses and allowing their offspring a better chance at thriving in a world where over ninety-nine percent of all the species that have graced the earth’s land and seas have been and gone. In this month’s journal I would like to showcase how a particular pride of lions’ ability to hold a prime territory has allowed them to survive and ultimately flourish in one of the harshest droughts in living memory. The Mhangene pride has held a massive territory in the central part of the Sabi Sands Game Reserve for many years. Their kingdom encompasses a very large part of Singita Sabi Sands and has access to one of the most important elements to life on earth, namely water. This in the form of the Sand River which flows throughout their territory bringing a much needed oasis in the form of a green serpentine, riverine belt, that provides sustenance to many of the lions prey species.

This river becomes even more important in winter when a lot of the temporary pans and watering holes filled by summer rains, have dried up and left only cracked soils in their wake. In times like this the remaining herbivores tend to congregate around the lusher vegetation and dwindling waters along the river’s edges and this is something that the Mhangene pride has learnt to take advantage of. Four adult lionesses form the core of this pride, that has swelled to sixteen individuals in the last six months and the timing of these cubs could not have been better for the pride, as a harsh winter came to bear across the lowveld of South Africa. Buffaloes that have been weakened by months of poor grazing are ripe for the picking as these skilled hunters ply their trade along a particular stretch of river that has seen its sands stained red. The unfortunate buffalo lured in by water and potential grazing provided by reseeding river waters have borne the brunt of the lions’ hunting efforts in the last two months, and have provided a food source so reliable that many of the area’s scavengers are satiated to the point that carcasses adorn the ground like features of a barren landscape. A birding good time Article by Michelle Campbell South Africa. Immediately we think of lions, elephants, “Big 5”, savannah bushveld, beautiful Cape Town, and varied tribal cultures… and if you Internet search “African tourism”, those are exactly the images you will see. What you won’t see on Google image search, however, and I know because I tried, are any pictures of birds. The southern African region has over 900 species of birds, many of which are endemic. Kruger Park alone holds a record of over 500 species. A birder’s paradise without a doubt, but a paradise that is still very much to be explored. True birders on safari, whilst growing in number, are relatively few and far between. These rare species will crane their neck at any flutter of a wing, strain their hearing to hear even the faintest of cheep cheeps, watch the bird hopping in the bushes on the right of the vehicle while lions feed noisily on a carcass on the left… and yet will walk away from their safari with images not just of the animals, but of some of the most exquisitely beautiful birds on this planet. I recently had the pleasure of guiding such guests, and during their stay we recorded over 170 species of birds, very few of which escaped un-photographed. Such pictures are not always easy to capture, it has to be said, but there is nothing like a challenge! We undertook a fair amount of scrambling through the undergrowth in search of species such as the ghostbird, as well as excursion walks far off the road to find the lesser seen individuals, trying to get closer or find a

different angle, which sometimes doubled up with big five encounters on foot! The time of the year, October, was a great one too, with many migratory bird species returning to southern Africa to breed. In total, more than 100 migratory bird species have been recorded in southern Africa – 44 Palearctic species (from Europe, Asia, northern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula) and 35 Intra-Africa species. It certainly cuts down on travel costs when all those birds just come to you! Below is a just a glimpse of some of the rarer and more wonderful species we managed to see during Chris and Anna’s recent visit. I hope they inspire more birders amongst us!

October moments The return of summer with the vibrant colours slowly emerging after the first rains this summer.

A blue-headed tree agama (Acanthocercus atricollis) warms up in the first rays of sunshine. They display a blue head during breeding season.

Photographs on location (unless stated) by Ross Couper and Michelle Campbell Singita Ebony and Boulders Lodge

Sabi Sand South Africa

Thirtieth of October 2016