Sightings at Lebala camp were excellent during the month of June, with lots of predator action as well as great general game sightings.
Two different packs of wild dogs were seen during June. There is a relatively new pair of dogs, alpha male and female, who seem to be settling in the area. During the month, they made a kill of a bushbuck within the lodge area; unfortunately for them their kill was taken by hyenas however the dogs spent their day at the camp sunbathing. The Southern Pack of fourteen dogs were also seen regularly, often hunting; we were lucky enough to see them bring down and feed upon a male impala, watched hungrily by two hooded vultures. We were also lucky enough to see their ritual greeting ceremony.
The hyena clan have now left their den, but single hyenas were frequently sighted, often on the move as they looked for food.
The Wapoka Pride of 4 female lions, 6 sub-adults and 3 small cubs were often found and were a favourite with guests as the cubs were often playing, or interacting tenderly with the females. In one exciting sighting, we had been following the lions as they stalked impala, then all of a sudden two of the sub-adults burst forward to chase the antelope. We lost sight of the action as the animals dashed into the long grass, but then as we stopped the vehicle to scan for activity an eerie and intense howling was heard nearby. We quickly responded and found the pride killing a wildebeest, watched on by several hyena. Their whooping calls drew in reinforcements and eventually they were able to overpower the lions through sheer numbers. Within 30 minutes the massive clan managed to clean up the entire carcass.
Leopards were often seen, usually the resident female known as Jane; her two strapping adult sons were also in the area.
A female cheetah was located perched on termite mound to get a better vantage point of the game around her. As she started to hunt she disturbed a yellow mongoose who was searching for lizards in grass. This female was new to our area, but seemed very relaxed around the game viewers, so we believe that she may have moved across from a neighbouring concession. The coalition of two male cheetah also paid a visit to the area and were seen on an impala kill.
General game was still plentiful; as the natural watering holes were drying up massive herds of elephant and buffalo were seen as they made their way towards the riverine areas. The large herd of eland was still in the area, as well as the beautiful roan and sable antelopes. Other resident antelope species included zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, red lechwe, tsessebe, reedbuck and kudu.
Although the summer migrants had mostly moved on, some Carmine Bee-eaters were still in the area, unusual for this time of year. One of our trackers was commended for his sharp eyesight as he picked out the tiny and well-camouflaged Pearl Spotted Owlet. At the other end of the scale, the massive Verreaux’s Eagle Owl was also found. Wattled Crane, Ground Hornbill, Marabou Storks and three species of vulture were also seen during June.
Smaller mammals found during the month included a beautiful rare sighting of an aardwolf during a night drive. We were also successful in locating bush babies, honey badger, small spotted genet and African wild cat
As night-time temperatures dropped it was vital for endothermic animals such as reptiles to regulate their body temperature using the sun. Crocodiles and snakes were frequently observed during the warm days; species seen included puff adders, olive grass snakes and a massive African rock python basking on a termite mound.
(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!)
