Here is part two of our Kwando Safaris April sightings. Today, we discuss Nxai Pan Camp and Kwando Kwara Camp.

Kwando Kwara Concession

The beginning of March is the beginning of the fishing season – however, this didn’t seem to be limited to just humans enjoying throwing a line in the water to see what they could pull up for dinner: the first ‘legal’ day for fishing saw a crocodile munching on a fish, and, in the same area, a serval cat, having dexterously grabbed another catfish out of the water with his paws.

lions were seen almost every day in March, mostly doing what lions like to do for most of the day/night: sleep! Two adults and one youngster did manage to stay awake long enough to kill a tsessebe however, and all the lions look healthy, so they all must be hunting whilst our backs are turned! At night, as the temperature cools down, its worth waiting around to see if they will call – the beautiful deep roars resonate through the night. Solo pride (seven individuals) came into their own later in the month, and spent a long time stalking a group of giraffe. After much effort, however, they came away empty-handed.

This month we were lucky enough to see a pack of 12 wild dogs a couple of times – on one occasion they went hunting and killed a young kudu, and an impala at the same time, ensuring enough food for the whole pack. Three cheetahs also managed to kill a young kudu calf, and were seen feeding on that. When the cheetahs left the carcass, six hyena.aspx">hyenas quickly moved in to enjoy the remains. A solitary cheetah also managed to kill a reedback close to the airstrip.

General game has been excellent, and there was a special sighting of a sitatunga in a marsh area. Normally this shy semi-aquatic antelope is only seen from the boat!

Nxai Pan Camp

The female cheetah with her two young cubs is still being seen regularly – every day or two in the month of March. Although we were not lucky enough to see her kill, she and her cubs are obviously well fed, and we often saw her resting and relaxing close to the waterholes. One morning, a jackal got a bit too close for comfort to the cheetahs –jackals often follow predators to see if they can scavenge any part of a kill that is made. On this occasion, the cheetah cub took offence, and chased the jackal, managing to hit it with a paw. The jackals escaped, but ran off calling in distress.

The recent rains have allowed fresh green grass to grown, making good grazing and attracting good general game including springbok, zebra and oryx. This in turn encourages the predators to the area, so as well as the cheetahs, we have had several sightings of the Nxai Pan pride of lions – a group of six adults with three young. One of the females was also seen with an unidentified male along Baobab Loop.

The larger groupings of zebras have started to move back towards Magkadigadi Pans, but there are still good sized herds of around 30 individuals left enjoying the grass around the pan.

The elephant bulls spend much of their time strolling around looking for good sources of food, but because of the limited amount of water available, they usually come via the camp waterhole at some point during the day, pushing the general game out of the way to drink.

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It is that time of month again - we have the latest sightings from Kwando Safaris. The sightings in this two part blog post are all from March, 2012. We lead off with wildlife sightings from Kwando Lebala Camp, Tau Pan Camp, and Kwando Lagoon Camp. Tomorrow, we'll discuss the sightings from Nxai Pan Camp and Kwando Kwara Camp.

Kwando Lebala Camp

The three cheetah brothers were seen at Lebala a few times early in the month, and caught a baby zebra, before moving north.

At the end of the month, 11 wild dogs were seen (aptly along Wild Dog Road) chasing impala. They had no luck catching any impala, but they did bump into an African Wild Cat – a cat that is the same size as a domestic house-cat. Like most cat-dog relationships, the African Wild Cat still appeared to be the boss, stood his ground, and the dogs gave up and left. They had better success on later days, and caught and killed several impalas. After one of these kills, two hyena appeared, and attempted to steal the kill off the dogs. The dogs turned on the hyenas, and several launched themselves on to the back of one of the hyena – both turned and fled, with out major injury.

On an early morning in the middle of the month, a lion was heard calling close to Lebala camp. Rushing through breakfast, the guests headed out with the guides following the calls. The large pride male, regular to the area, was found not far away, very relaxed. He is not in good condition however, and lost his brother in a fight with pride that has a territory further to the east.

Elephants still abound everywhere – large breeding herds, sometimes up to 100 individuals – are seen on most game drives. They are also seen regulary in front of camp, and can be heard during the night moving through the water, shuffling hippos out of the way.

Tau Pan Camp

The Tau Pan pride of lions were seen most days this month – often around the water hole near the camp. There was a bit of a concern on the 11th of the month, when it appeared two cubs were missing, and the females were slightly bloodied – it was thought possibly an intruding lion had been involved in a fight with the pride. Luckily after five days, all the Tau Pan pride, including the six cubs, were seen together again, looking in good condition. , Towards the end of the month, they were spotted feeding on a giraffe, which they managed to finish in one day! Two days later they pulled down an oryx during the night, and had finished it by noon the next day. It takes a lot to feed four adults, and six fast-growing cubs!

There were several sightings of leopards, including one male that spent 20 minutes in the late afternoon relaxing on the road, before sauntering off.

After the March rains, the antelope seem to be increasing in the area – lots of oryx, springbok, and wildebeest seen around Tau pan and along the road to Deception Valley. The beginning of the month saw a few new additions: oryx and springbok babies were seen following their mothers closely in the Tau Pan area.

Investigating a cloud of dust that didn’t seem to be decreasing in the breeze, a honeybadger was found digging in the ground. A couple of jackals stood off close to one side, interested in what the honey badger might discover, After about 15 minutes, the honey badger dragged a dead young warthog out of the burrow. The jackals tried to claim the prize, but were put off by the hissing and growling of the honey badger, as he trotted off into the bush with the warthog dangling from his mouth.

Another unusual sighting was of a snouted cobra, which was attempting to hunt ground squirrels. The squirrels, however, were having none of it: a head to head fight between both species ended with the cobra slinking off down a hole, perhaps for a bit of a rest from the chirruping and chattering ‘prey’.

An interesting sighting of a pale chanting goshawk attempting to grab a guineafowl resulted in the goshawk being kicked and flung across the ground – leaving with a few bruises and a few less feathers!

Kwando Lagoon Camp

A new pride of lions – 4 adults and two cubs about a year old – moved into the area early in the month. They spent some time following a herd of buffalos, but were not seen to have been successful in a hunt. It will be interesting times when this pride bumps into the regular lions of the area – though they may have just been sneaking through their territory, in the hope of catching some food.

The three cheetah brothers were seen early on in the month, but then headed north into an area that we could not follow. Another type of cat – the caracal – was a more unusual sighting this month.

There were several leopard sightings, including a female leopard who was chased up a tree by the wild dogs. However, her patience paid off, and the dogs lost interest. When they moved off, she climbed down the tree, and fed on the carcass of an impala that was located about 50m by the tree. The dogs themselves hunted a young kudu for themselves that afternoon. Earlier in the month, we had also seen a male leopard who had pulled an impala into a tree and was oblivious to the hours we were able to spend watching him eat and relax.

Quite amazingly, all wild dog puppies have survived and are coming close to matching the adults in size. Now able to cover large distances as a pack together, they have been moving through the Kwando concession, going towards Lebala camp and then back again to the north-west every few days. This provides a challenge for the tracker and guide teams, but adds to the excitement, as hard hours of tracking are put in with the reward of a great sighting of the dogs at the end.

In addition to the known jackal dens from previous months, a hyena den has been discovered. Interestingly, there appears to be only one female hyena suckling her two young in this den. Three porcupines were seen coming out of a hole near the den, with the baby hyena snuffling around the hole when they had left.

The more unusual antelope – roan, sable and eland were all seen several times this month, together with regular sightings of giraffe, wildebeest, zebras and tsessebes. Breeding herds of elephants are seen throughout the area, and the bulls are still coming into camp – possibly looking for the marula fruit which is about to ripen.

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Welcome to this month's installment of the Kwando Safaris Sightings. Yesterday, we covered the February wildlife sightings for Kwando Lebala Camp and Kwando Lagoon Camp. Today, we provide the Kwando Safaris report for Nxai Pan Camp, Tau Pan Camp, and Kwando Kwara Camp.

Kwando Kwara Camp

This past month, the most prevalent cat we have seen is the cheetah. We have been really pleased to discover that it was almost a daily occurrence to bump in to her – together with her three cubs. Our best sighting so far was at the beginning of the month – on the 5th of February – where we tracked her for about thirty minutes and found her resting at Leadwood Island. We had driven around in this area before coming across fresh tracks which we followed, leading right up to her. We stayed with the four cheetahs for as long as we wanted, watching her interacting and bonding whilst our guests took marvellous photos. After about half an hour, the mother cheetah became interested in a few warthogs snorting nearby. She then followed them and at first, stalked them, then suddenly, shooting right past us, she managed to secure a great feast for her and her three cubs!

In the Kwara Concession, a lion sighting is almost guaranteed. Our famous cats have been seen roaming all areas, often marking territories, attempting to hunt, but mostly, just lying around. Over the last two weeks, the three male lions – members of the group we call ‘the Splash Boys’ – have been on the move. We have spotted them in various places. On Valentine’s Day, we had a special visit, right behind Kwara main camp, as these three majestic beasts made their way past our camp. They had been roaring the previous night and our guests were delighted to spot them immediately after leaving camp.

We have seen leopard this month – quite a few sightings – one special one was at Old Xugana Road where one leopard lay on a tree giving us a great photographic opportunity.

It had been a few weeks without seeing the wild dogs and we were more than delighted to come across twelve of them at Splash area. They were mobile and we followed them for about ten minutes when they became interested in some impala – but sadly, without success.

Our night drives are full of activity, spotting nocturnal animals including the side-striped jackal, caracals and the black backed jackal. A very interesting sighting – that tops our sighting list this month – has been the pangolin at Xugana Main Road.

Lots of birds – including Ground Hornbills (which we hear often calling in the mornings while we are having our tea in camp). We also see saddle-billed storks right in front of the rooms, mostly in the afternoons. Whilst on our game drives, most often when stopping for our sun-downer drinks, we have had the opportunity to enjoy birding – seeing other species such as Grey-headed Kingfishers, Black Herons and the Slatey Egret.

Nxai Pan Camp

The Kalahari offers our guests much to see – across its wide open plains and vast landscape, there are many animals which roam this pristine earth. The predators in the area have graced us with many sightings of their daily interactions, at rest and at play as well as seen mating.

Cheetah seem to have found this area much to their liking in recent months as they have been spotted on many an occasion – most often seen sleeping or relaxing by nearby pans or in a prime spot along West Road and Baobab Loop. One cheetah was even sighted in the Camp! A rare treat for visitors and staff alike!

Other cats which have been spotted have been the lions. A much-loved favourite for all to see, this particular group – consisting of three adults and three younger ones – were interrupted whilst at play! These rambunctious activities soon ended as the heat got the better of them and they sought out something to quench their thirst and finally, a shady resting spot where they could hide from the desert sun. The lions all seem to be in a playful mood this month as one of the females from the Nxai Pan Pride was also seen ‘fake fighting’ with a male from another territory.

As always, the general game has been good – giraffes, kudu, impala and gemsbok have all been seen wondering the various feeding grounds enjoying the excellent grazing which is characteristic of this time of the year and zebras can still be seen gallivanting across open fields whilst springboks prance majestically across the plains. Our large, ponderous, grey friends – the elephant – still frequent the area and take much delight in the pans. Black-backed jackals and bat eared foxes have also been spotted along with spring hares – if one is lucky enough to see them as they disappear in to the nearby brush!

Tau Pan Camp

The Tau Pan Pride continues to flourish in their desert home and have frequently been sighted drinking from the various waterholes in the area. In the intense Kalahari heat, they are most often found languishing under the scarce shade of an unforgiving landscape, though guests are sometimes treated to their territorial patrols and daily hunting activities. Whilst the leopard has remained elusive this month, the cheetah has been proud to show off her cubs to our visitors whilst she has been hunting. Other smaller predators have been seen foraging in the pans, including the bat-eared fox, the cape fox and the black-backed jackal.

This region has such a special variety of creatures that blend in so well with their surroundings. From the smallest of creatures - the ground squirrel that is frequently seen hopping along the ground, fervently scratching out some delectable morsel from the sand and the leopard tortoise with its amazing kaleidoscope of camouflage that gives it its name – to the smaller of the antelopes – the springbok with their numerous new young who are quickly learning to navigate the rocky earth beneath their tiny hooves – and the largest being the gemsbok, who gracefully gazes at the vibrant activity around him.

Of special note is the abundant birdlife which has been seen on every game drive. Flocks of Sand Grouse rise at the nearby rumble of the vehicle as it passes them by. A brave Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk also delighted viewers by attempting to tackle a larger bird, a guinea fowl with young – the poor goshawk was worse for ware after the protective guinea fowl kicked it to the ground, leaving it with far more pains and fewer feathers than it started the day with! Others proved just as unsuccessful when battling the ground squirrel which adamantly stood their ground upon intrusion by the goshawk in to its feeding territory. The Peregrine Falcon has displayed its successful hunting tactics on many occasions, along with spectacular sightings of the Red Billed Queleas, the Ring Dove, the Bateleur Eagle and princely Kori Bustard, amongst others.

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Welcome to this month's installment of the Kwando Safaris Sightings. Today, we'll be providing the wildlife sighting for March for Kwando Lebala Camp and Kwando Lagoon Camp. Tomorrow we cover Nxai Pan Camp, Tau Pan Camp, and Kwando Kwara Camp.

Kwando Lebala Camp

There have been numerous elephant sightings near and around Lebala Camp – as well as large breeding herds lumbering across the grassy plains. It is truly amazing how silently these mammoth animals move through the thickest brush to barely more than the swish-swish as they tromp in unison through the long grass! Lone bulls have been seen wondering in the more open landscapes as well as carefully manoeuvring their huge bodies through the tight confines of other woodland areas. This is unusual for this time of year as most bachelor and breeding herds have moved off in to the woodlands by now.

Guests had the good fortune to come across twenty wild dogs at a recent kill – an impala ram which was slowly being feasted upon by the family – nine pups and eleven adults. As is true of the African wild, the hyenas were soon alerted to this fresh kill by the scent in the air and quickly appeared ready to challenge the pack to their meal. Unfortunately, the hyenas proved the stronger group on this day and soon chased the dogs off and seized their prey. The coalition comprising of the three cheetah brothers has also been sighted sporadically throughout the concession but have seemed to move on quickly from each location.

General game has been excellent – the elegant giraffe have been seen feeding on acacia and russet bush willow trees, mindfully surveying their surroundings from their lofty height. Reedbuck and Lechwe have been spotted in the wetter areas with the tiny, graceful steenbok seen occasionally for just long enough to take in its delicate features before it flees in fright to the safety of the thick bush! Birding has also been enjoyable with ostriches, ducks and geese as well as some sightings of the wattled-crane along with other small water birds.

Kwando Lagoon Camp

The river flows swiftly past Lagoon Camp – the dawn slowly breaking over the churning waters as the sun plays off the ripples at the rivers’ edge. The sound of a fish eagle calls in the distance as the hippos slowly wake, greeting our guests for yet another day of wondrous Africa!

Being awoken to a cacophony of animal sounds, there can be no doubt that there are some great things to see – a lioness perched expertly atop a termite mound was one such sighting. Her spots characteristic of her youth; a clear sign that she was not alone in her wonderings – there must have been other members of her pride nearby! The wild dogs have been hugely active this month, being spotted multiple times throughout the concession – the family looking healthy and playful. They were even seen taking a warthog as the sunset for the end of another long, hot day. Guests watched on as a male leopard was seen dining on an impala up a tree, gorging himself on his recent kill before the hyenas could catch the scent.

The buffalo seem to have found themselves the perfect hiding spot – kept secret from both seeking eyes as well as roaming predators. The seasonal rains have filled the nearby pools with fresh, sweet water and given the buffalo a perfect source close to their favourite foliage – and it seems, also their best form of camouflage – the Mopane Woodlands. They have remained unsighted this month, carefully resting amongst the forest thickets.

However, along Macheka road at the hyena den, a curious cub has provided many a guest with a chance to witness its investigations of its surrounding area at night. One such evening, three porcupines were spotted, shortly followed by the cub on an evening excursion to seek out the owner of this new smell. A second cub has also been spotted!

Elephant breeding herds have also been prevalent in the area and some truly remarkable antelope were also seen – the Sable antelope and the shy Sitatunga have both been spotted along with Kudu, Roan and Eland, to name a few. Migratory birds have yet to start their long journey to faraway lands and the carmine bee eater, broad billed rollers and wahlbergs eagle have still be seen taking to the skies, whilst mongooses of all species – both banded and dwarf - have been seen frequently frolicking amongst the ant hills and termite mounds. A black mamba was even sighted crossing the road near John’s Pan.

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Bill has recently returned from another Gorilla Trek to Rwanda.

Before he left for Rwanda, he had a 20 minute interview with Michael Dixon of CBS Radio that was aired nationally. The topic was Gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

To Hear the Interview

To hear the interview in its entirety, scroll down to below where it says "African Safari and Louie's List" and click the button just above where it says "Tom Parsons" on the link below.

>>> Here is a link to the interview <<<

During the Interview, Bill discusses many of the considerations for Gorilla Treks:

• Hiking in to see Gorillas
• Size of habituated groups
• Group Interaction Among Gorilla Groups
• How to Act Appropriately Among Gorillas
• Young Gorilla Curiosity Towards Humans
• How to Photograph Gorillas
• Cost of Gorilla Treks
• How Park Rangers Notify Gorillas of Their Presence

Bonus Link

In keeping with the Gorilla theme, here's a closeup video of a silverback gorilla from Bill's most recent Rwanda Gorilla Trek - taken last month. You can see all of the videos on the Wild Source's channel on YouTube.