This was to be a day of two distinct halves with the morning session at Leopard Rock Lodge and then the afternoon and evening at Jaci's Lodges.
The pre-dawn weather was mild and slightly foggy with a totally cloud-free sky. As this was to be our final safari trip with Francois there was a sense of regret as we’d enjoyed our safari and social times with Francois so much.
Against a foggy horizon and crimson rising sun we attempted to get photos with the silhouette of a giraffe in the mid-foreground. Needless to say there were mixed results in this pursuit.
Giraffes at sunrise
We did manage to get some reasonable shots of the long tailed shrike but the red-breasted shrike proved to be less than cooperative. These beautiful birds are fearfully shy and as soon as a camera is raised they seek cover by heading for the middle of a thorn bush.
Meanwhile news via the two-way radio had reached Francois that a lion was nearby and we quickly moved to the designated spot.
The lion was a well-known seven year old male and when we arrived he was lying in the sun in an open piece of ground next to dense ground cover. He seemed unperturbed by our presence or the presence of another group of photographers.
Lion resting
Lion resting
This male is presently the sire of cubs in a pride where he has been ‘king’ for several years but his future is now questionable. The two young males we saw last night are quite likely to displace him and one will take his place. This contesting for leadership amongst lions is an ongoing phenomenon and often results in fighting to the death or in some cases a lion conceding defeat. Often the defeated ‘senior’ lions then co-exist in a bachelor relationship.
We sat quietly in the truck 10m from the lion for half an hour during which time he slept, yawned, rolled over, stretched and occasionally sat upright as if listening for the feared arrival of the two young suitors.
At a nearby dam we managed to photograph a squacco heron which is quite similar to the green-backed heron we’d seen in Chobe.
After morning coffee we started heading home but soon came to an abrupt stop when Jamie called out ‘mongoose’.
Dwarf mongoose
Nearby in a burrow was a family of dwarf mongooses. These black furry animals hide in their warren and then suddenly appear at the burrow’s entrance just for a quick look. We waited and eventually three were observing us with certain trepidation. Any movement from us and they would dive back underground only to reappear a minute or two later. Apparently they frequently feed cooperatively with hornbills. The mongooses uncover termites and other insects and share these with the hornbills and the hornbills in return warn the mongooses of imminent danger.
Francois having morning coffee
Near to Leopard Rock we sighted a bounce of springboks. These were readying themselves for a migratory move we were informed.
Springbok
Back at camp we breakfasted and packed our bags ready for leaving at 1100. There were warm but reticent farewells to the lovely staff at Leopard Lodge and we then packed our bags into the truck and Francois drove us to our rendezvous point at the Madikwe air-strip.
Staff at Leopard Rock Lodge
We were so sad to say goodbye to Francois; as our guide for the last six days he has been more than we could have ever expected. He has been absolutely marvellous.
We transferred our bags into the Jacis Lodges truck and our new guide Warwick drove us to our accommodation for the last night in Africa.
On our way to Jacis Lodges we saw two rhinoceroses, a mother and a half sized calf. They stayed quite close to the track but the number of acacias bushes between them and us precluded any really worthwhile photographs.
On arrival at Jacis Lodges we settled in to our unit and then went for a short walk to check out the famous ‘hide’ that we’d heard about from Guts at Pangolin in Kasane.
Right next to Jacis Lodges is a small circular lake of about 80m diameter. On one edge of the pond set in amongst trees is a 3m high hide set up specifically for naturalists to observe the aquatic activity of birds and larger animals on and near the water.
In addition they have built an underwater tunnel through which we walked to a vantage point in the middle of the lake where there is a concrete bunker hide with openings only just above the water level. This enables observers and especially photographers to get a surface level view of the wildlife on the water and at the lake’s perimeter.
We spent a good deal of time watching an elephant drinking from a small stream that flowed into the lake. When the elephant was drawing in water to drink, the flow rate in the stream ceased!
We also observed kingfishers diving into the waters to capture small fish while doves on the muddy bank were busy with eating the wet clay that assists them with digestion and the elimination of toxins from the seeds they eat.
The high hide on the lake’s edge is set up with a bunk bed for enthusiasts to stay the night to observe the nocturnal activity that abounds. We were told of a recent late night incident where a leopard was observed capturing and killing an unlucky impala that had ventured to the water’s edge to drink.
The hide, Jacis Lodge
Red-billed quelea viewed from hide
Doves eating clay, viewed from hide
In the afternoon Warwick took us on our safari drive and we followed the eastern boundary of the reserve for much of the time.
Wildlife was fairly sparse but we did see wildebeest, giraffes, impalas and zebras. The birdlife was a little more encouraging with sightings of Swainson’s spur francolin, red-breasted shrikes and blue waxbills being of special note.
Swainsons spur fowl (francolin)
In this part of the savannah one frequently sees trees, especially shepherds trees growing directly out of a termites' nest. Many of these trees are centuries old. Which came first? The answer is that the termites nest is possibly over a thousands years old and the tree seed germinated in the rich nutrient soil produced by termite activity!
Down by the boundary river we sighted a water monitor lizard and hints of both hippo and crocodile activity despite neither being seen.
We were pleased to get photographs of crowned lapwings, crested barbets and two different species of bee-eaters.
On our return to Jacis Lodges we saw a brown hyena but it was so dark by now and the animal so shy that it disappeared before any of us could get a shot. Too bad!
The evening meal at Jacis Lodges was haute cuisine and delicious.
We then decided an early night was essential as tomorrow is going to be a very long day culminating with a 11.5 hour flight back to Sydney and then another few hours before we get home to Hobart.