Lagoon had a great month for predator sightings, lions were seen every single day from the 9th onwards and towards the end of the month we were thrilled that the wild dogs chose a den site in the concession.
At the start of the month the dogs had not been seen for a couple of weeks, so we wondered if they had chosen to raise their pups elsewhere, but on the 17th they returned to their usual territory and upon arrival, the alpha female quickly started to clean out her den site. Before long, we were able to see the first appearance of 9 puppies and whilst we managed sightings carefully to avoid disturbing the young family, we were lucky enough to see them playing outside the den and also interacting with the rest of the pack before the adults set off for their hunts.
The Northern Pride of lions were seen located almost daily and we were pleased to see three new cubs with the pride for the first time. They have joined the two older cubs – now about 4 months old – so the pride now usually comprises a group of 4 lionesses and 5 young. From time to time the two impressive male lions join the rest of their family and their roaring often helps the guides to locate the group. Some lucky guests had the most incredible welcome to Lagoon Camp – as they were being driven from the airstrip on arrival they came across the whole pride of 11, followed them for a few minutes and were lucky enough to see them killing an impala. What a start to their safari!
We watched as two of the lionesses, together with the two older cubs, followed a medium sized herd of buffalo. Within the buffalo herd there was a calf with very fresh injuries and our guides suspected that it could be from the lions. As they were following, the lionesses saw some wildebeest and decided to try their luck with this less formidable prey, but missed on that occasion.
A very relaxed female leopard was in the area and was seen frequenting the area between the camp and the airstrip. A different leopard with two cubs was seen hiding her cubs before she went off to hunt. We followed her hunting and the next day found the two shy cubs still hiding in the place where she had left them.
A single male cheetah who hadn’t been seen in the area for a while returned to the area. The coalition of two young males, our usual resident cheetahs, were seen busily scent-marking, perhaps aware of the new intruder. They are both looking well fed and in great condition.
The general game in the Lagoon area continued to be very good. Elephants were coming every afternoon to drink water in the channel west of the camp, and sometimes on the other side of the river, directly opposite the lodge. Big herds of buffalo, up to 200 strong could be located from half a kilometre away due to the clouds of dust that they raised. Other plentiful game included zebra, wildebeest, tsessebe, giraffe, impala and eland. We saw a very relaxed herd of 17 sable antelopes two to three times a week, as well as less frequent sightings of roan antelope.
On night drives, guides were successful in locating black-backed jackals, scrub hares and honey badgers. We had lovely sightings of an African civet drinking from one of the natural watering holes and a group of 7 bat-eared foxes feeding on insects. An African wild cat was encountered along the road during one afternoon drive.
The Lagoon area continues to be a safe refuge for the endangered white-backed and lappet faced vultures. Other notable species recorded during the month included red crested korhaan, tawny eagle and bateleur. African barred owl and scops owl were both heard calling in the camp itself.
(Note: Accompanying picture is from our Kwando Photo Library which consists of all your great photo submissions over the years, it may not be the most up to date, but we felt it was worthy of a feature alongside this month’s Sightings Report!)
