Lion activity was spread across Pom Pom during July, with several coalitions and family groups moving through different parts of the area.
One of the largest gatherings came at Long Crossing, where three lionesses rested beside the road with their ten cubs. Another family group, a lioness with five cubs, was found sheltering beneath a large fever berry tree near Aluminium Crossing.
Male movements kept things interesting. The four brothers that had occupied the northern part of Pom Pom were still active, although they were frequently found separated. Two of the brothers patrolled together before settling near the airstrip, while all four were encountered moving through their territory on another game drive.
The two males known as the Scotty males moved through Shine Bridge towards the staff village and were later seen south of the airstrip. The Naughty Boys were also found resting beneath a fever berry tree at Long Crossing.
Another large male continued to move in and out of the area occupied by the pride. With young males still associated with the pride, avoiding a confrontation with a stronger adult male was important.
Leopards draw a crowd of 13 hyenas
Leopards were seen throughout Pom Pom during July, with several individuals using different parts of the area.
One encounter demonstrated just how quickly possession of a kill could change. Two leopards had a young zebra carcass north of Giraffe Skull when 13 spotted hyenas gathered around them. Faced with the clan, the leopards eventually lost the carcass to the hyenas.
Spotted hyenas were particularly active throughout the month. They regularly passed in front of camp during breakfast and dinner, and their calls became a familiar part of the soundtrack after dark.
Side-striped jackals were also regularly encountered.
Eight puppies at the African wild dog den
A pack of ten African wild dogs had established a den, with around eight puppies seen at the site.
The den offered guests the chance to watch the pack during an important stage of its breeding cycle, with the adults’ movements now centred around feeding and caring for the puppies.
Another African wild dog made itself known in a rather different way. After guests had gone to bed one evening, the contact call of a dog could be heard from the direction of the airstrip. Guides searched the following morning and found a solitary dog near Fisherman’s Crossing along the river. It was moving quickly and soon disappeared into the thickets, but for some guests it was their first sighting of an African wild dog.
A female cheetah was also active around Becky’s area and Rebecca’s Field, where she was seen hunting.
Floodwater brings wildlife together
The arrival of the flood changed Pom Pom considerably during July. Water spread through the area, filling floodplains and drawing wildlife towards newly inundated sections.
Elephants and Cape buffalo moved through alongside giraffe, hippos, impala, tsessebe, wildebeest, greater kudu, steenbok and bushbuck. Zebra and red lechwe were particularly noticeable around the floodplains, while warthogs and troops of baboons remained widespread.
The seasonal water also brought another dimension to activities. Crocodiles and water monitor lizards were regularly seen during motorboat and mokoro excursions, while the floodplains filled with water lilies.
Winter was equally apparent in the woodland. Baobabs and other deciduous trees began shedding their leaves, while sausage trees moved into flower.
Winter birdlife fills the floodplains
The combination of permanent residents and newly flooded habitat produced plenty of bird activity.
Large flocks of white-faced whistling ducks, spur-winged geese and African openbills gathered around the water. Saddle-billed storks and wattled cranes were seen in pairs, alongside African sacred, hadeda and glossy ibises and numerous herons and egrets.
Raptors included tawny eagles and black-chested snake eagles, with juvenile bateleurs also recorded. Verreaux’s eagle-owls, secretarybirds, kori bustards and black-bellied bustards represented some of the larger species.
Closer to the waterways, malachite, brown-hooded, striped and pied kingfishers were active, while African palm swifts, little swifts and several swallow and martin species moved overhead.
Sundowners at Xinega Lagoon
Aluminium Crossing and Xinega Lagoon provided a particularly good setting for sundowners as the flood spread through the area.
Palm trees stood against the flooded landscape, with wildlife continuing to move through the surrounding shallows as the light dropped.
The arrival of the flood also softened Pom Pom’s winter temperatures. Evenings and early mornings were cold, sometimes dropping to around five or six degrees Celsius, before clear skies brought pleasantly mild and sunny conditions during the day.
It was a fitting contrast for July at Pom Pom: cold winter mornings, newly flooded plains, African wild dog puppies at the den and plenty of predator activity across the area.
