The resident female leopard and her two cubs, now around eight months old, were seen regularly in the northern and western parts of the concession during June. Early in the month, the family was found north of Mogobagoba Road, and the following day all three were seen again along the same road with a male leopard also nearby.
The western side of 4 Rivers produced several more leopard encounters. South of the mokoro station, a male killed a roan calf and hoisted it into a tree. A few days later, the same leopard was found with another kill, this time a common reedbuck, again safely stored above ground.
Along Leopard Road, the resident female killed a subadult impala, but a spotted hyena arrived and managed to steal the carcass, dragging it away.
Monkeys alarm-calling along Kgaga Road led guides to another male leopard resting in a tree. He later came down and tried his luck on red lechwe feeding in the water, but without enough cover to approach unseen, the hunt came to nothing.
Another morning, fresh tracks from the resident female were picked up along Maporota Road and followed towards the floodplains, where she was eventually found with a fresh red lechwe kill.
Baboons point the way to the Kwara Pride
The different lion prides moved widely through 4 Rivers during June, and one morning along BB Road showed just how useful it could be to stop and listen.
Fresh lion tracks were followed towards Baboon Island before the guides switched off the vehicle to listen for alarm calls. Almost immediately, baboons began calling nearby. Following the commotion led to six members of the Kwara Pride.
The Zebra Pride was also found west of camp along Impala Road South, resting on a termite mound and using the higher ground to watch the surrounding area for prey.
North of the airstrip, six subadult lions from the Kwara Pride crossed paths with a pack of four African wild dogs. The dogs moved east away from the lions, while the six youngsters continued towards the airstrip making contact calls. There they met the rest of their pride, bringing the gathering to eleven lions.
On another drive, fresh tracks along Mogobagoba Road were followed to Leopard Road, where lions were found moving through the area looking for prey. Impala alarm calls at the airstrip led guides back to the Kwara Pride on another occasion, this time with the subadults playing together.
Towards the mokoro station, red lechwe suddenly began snorting and staring in one direction. Guides went to investigate and found a male lion with a freshly killed male red lechwe.
Wild dogs weave through the mopane
Several African wild dog packs moved through the concession during June.
Fresh tracks along Airstrip Road led guides south towards Python Island, where a pack of four was found feeding on an impala. A pack of five was later located south-west of the mokoro station while hunting through tall grass. They flushed a common reedbuck from cover, but the thick vegetation gave the antelope an escape route.
The pack of four later had an encounter with the six subadult lions north of the airstrip and moved away before continuing east. They were subsequently found around the firebreak hunting impala, with their quarry disappearing into thick mopane.
Later in the month, another set of fresh wild dog tracks was picked up at the firebreak and followed east towards Airstrip Road. The dogs were found hunting once again, working their way through the vegetation before the impala reached the dense mopane.
Two hyena cubs at the den
Two spotted hyena cubs, around three months old, were a regular attraction at an active den east of the airstrip along Kenny and James Road.
Adults were also seen on night drives and wherever there was a carcass worth investigating. One male managed to steal an impala from the resident female leopard along Leopard Road, while hyenas arrived at Python Island to clean up what remained of the wild dogs’ impala.
Elephants at Room 9 and an otter at lunch
Elephants crossing the water beside Room 9 brought some of June’s wildlife particularly close to camp, while a spotted-necked otter made an appearance in front of the dining area during the day.
Further afield, breeding herds and bachelor groups of elephants shared the concession with buffalo, giraffe, zebra, greater kudu, waterbuck, red lechwe, warthog, roan, sable, impala and common reedbuck.
After sundowners, the spotlight picked out springhares, scrub hares, small-spotted genets, bushbabies, African wild cats, side-striped jackals and bat-eared foxes on the drive back to camp.
A crocodile chose a rather unusual sunbathing spot on a termite mound directly in front of the lodge, while another smaller crocodile was seen at a natural waterhole near the firebreak. Water monitor lizards were also active around the wetter areas.
Praying mantises, grasshoppers, stick insects, dragonflies, pond skaters and butterflies made up some of the smaller sightings of the month.
Winter water and birdlife
Although winter had arrived, water remained an important feature of the 4 Rivers landscape. The grasses were beginning to dry and some trees had started dropping their leaves, gradually opening sections of woodland.
The waterways continued to attract plenty of birdlife. Saddle-billed storks, wattled cranes, hamerkops, yellow-billed ducks, little grebes and spur-winged geese were among the species seen around the water.
Lilac-breasted and purple rollers brought colour to the drier areas, while African barred owlets, pearl-spotted owlets and Verreaux’s eagle-owls were also recorded.
Clear winter evenings made for excellent stargazing. Scorpius, Sagittarius, the Southern Cross, Musca, Canis Major, Leo and Corvus could all be picked out during the month, along with Venus, Jupiter and Mercury.
