WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of February, Two Thousand and Seventeen

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1 Photo by Nick du Plessis WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of February, Two Thousand and Seventeen Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 22 C (71 F) For the period: 78 mm Sunrise: 05H46 Average maximum: 33 C (91 F) For the year to date: 200 mm Sunset: 18H22 Minimum recorded: 18 C (64 F) Maximum recorded: 39 C (102 F) February is normally the month that we receive our highest monthly rainfall and this last month we did receive a fair amount. Towards the end of the month we started receiving warnings, from the weather department, that we were going to receive a lot of rain as Cyclone Dineo was just passing by Madagascar and was fast approaching the Mozambique coastline. Since Singita Lebombo is situated approximately 160 kilometres from the Indian Ocean (and the Mozambique Channel) we were fully expecting to get a downpour. The South African National Parks were getting ready to deal with any emergencies that could possibly occur as a result of the cyclone. Fortunately, as the cyclone hit the mainland of Mozambique it lost a lot of strength and was downgraded to tropical low pressure cell. This meant that, although we did

2 receive some rain, we did not receive anything like what we were expecting. In fact, most of the precipitation was in the form of drizzle and light rain. This has done wonders for the bush. The grass and vegetation has grown tremendously and the bush is looking thick and the grass is tall and in full seed. Areas that were completely bare and sandy a few months back are green and lush. It is very pretty. As a result of the increase in the amount of grass many of the grazers that moved away during the dry period have returned and the general game has been awesome, with many zebras and wildebeest in the concession. This month has also been phenomenal in terms of the diversity of birdlife that we have seen, with at least 194 species recorded. Our wildlife review for the month is as follows: Buffalos We have seen buffalos almost daily. The three main herds that we have been viewing have been fairly large, numbering over one hundred individuals, and with all the lush grass to feed off it is possible that we may now see even bigger herds. With all this grazing material in the concession it is possible that these herds may join up! During the drier, leaner months, they tend to break up into smaller herds just to ensure there is enough feed available, but in more favourable conditions they prefer to be in herds as large as possible (with the idea of safety in numbers). Photo by Sean Bissett On a few occasions these herds have been pressurized by the Shishangaan male lions, who have trailed a herd in hope of a potential meal, pushing them as far south as Ndlovu Lookout. This is only a few hundred meters away from the lodge. Ndlovu Lookout is much further south than where we usually look for buffalos, which tend to be seen more regularly in the far northern sections of our concession. Elephants The elephant viewing has been fantastic this month and, fortunately for us, they have been a lot more prevalent than what were used to in past Marula seasons. We say this is because our concession has very few Marula trees (Sclerocarya birrea) and the fruit of these trees is highly sought after by elephants when they are ripe. Unfortunately, this fruit was made infamous for the wrong reasons; it was believed that animals, elephants in particular, commonly get intoxicated by consuming these fermenting fruits. This misconception came about after a movie, depicted numerous animals, including elephants that consume marula fruits and supposedly became intoxicated as a result. Due to the large size of an elephant and because food passes through the gut of an elephant fairly quickly it is highly unlikely that an elephant could become inebriated from feeding on marula fruit. In fact, the digestive system of an elephant does not facilitate the fermentation of fruit within the body of the elephant. It was supposedly later discovered that the animals in the movie were in fact drugged in order to appear drunk. Elephants are, however, very

3 important in the dispersal of marula seed since the fruit often passes through the gut of an elephant completely intact. It is also believed that this passage through the gut of the elephant stimulates germination of the seed (due to the heat within the stomach) which is further facilitated by the fact that the seed is deposited in a pile of compost! Photo by Barry Peiser Many people will tell you that elephants are bulk feeders and that they eat un-discretionally as much as they can, of whatever they can. Elephants are, however, extremely fussy about what they prefer to eat and it makes sense (imagine trying to control and maintain your body weight when you weigh as much as an elephant does, just by feeding off vegetation). This is why Marula fruit is so sought after. Marula fruit contain four times as much Vitamin C as an orange and the pulp contains citric and malic acids, as well as sugar, which are all vital to keep animals as large as this going. Furthermore, it is known that a single Marula tree can yield as much kg or even individual fruits in a single season! Normally, at this time of the year we do not have as many sightings of elephants as we have this last month. Usually when the Marula trees come into fruit many of the elephants move to other areas within the Kruger Park where these trees are more common, particularly to the west of the park where the granitic soils favour the growth of these trees. This month we had a total of 150 recorded sightings of elephants. In comparison, last February we only had 80 recorded elephant sightings. Another interesting thing that we have noticed with regards to the elephant viewing this last month is the large number of bull elephants (particularly musth bull elephants) that have been seen in the area. Musth is a physical and hormonal condition that male elephants periodically enter where their testosterone levels increase dramatically (supposedly up to 60 times the normal levels). Bull elephants that are in musth characteristically exude a moist secretion from temporal glands (glands on the side of the face) and leak a green, strong-smelling liquid from their genitals. Bull elephants in musth often exhibit aggressive behaviour. Musth is therefore synonymous with an increase in male steroids. Bull elephants that are in prime condition are thought to voluntarily bring themselves into musth in order to compete with other males for mating rights. It is possible that the large swathes of green grass have attracted the herds into the area and therefore the bull elephants have followed the females. The guides here have also considered that in the past few years the condition of the veld has not been particularly favourable for breeding and that now that there is more grass in the area the females are physically in a better condition and therefore are possibly coming into oestrous, which is attracting large numbers of musth bulls.

4 Photo by Barry Peiser Spotted hyenas The cubs at the Nyokeng Den have now gotten to an age where they are not restricted to the densite and we are no longer seeing them as regularly. Although this is a testament to the females who have managed to raise the cubs it also means that we are not having as regular sightings of these charismatic animals. The den along the H6 public road is still active and many guests are still treated to good, close sightings of the hyenas when we travel to or from the airstrip. One morning when we went to the airstrip we noticed a young wildebeest calf that had been killed by a male leopard and had been placed up in a large Marula tree. The next morning we headed out early back towards the airstrip with the hopes of seeing the leopard. When we arrived there we discovered that the carcass had fallen out of the tree and was being devoured by two hyenas. Photo by Brian Rode

5 Lions We, once again, had amazing sightings of lions this last month. All in all we had 62 recorded sightings of these large cats during February. Lions were seen almost every day. Fortunately for us, due to the long grass the lions have been walking on the roads a fair bit. The majority of the sightings this month have been of the Shishangaan Pride. It appears that the two portions have joined up again. After the big fight that occurred last month between the Smaller Portion of the Shish Pride and the Southern Males we assumed that two of the sub-adults had been killed by the larger adult males. This month, however, we came across the two missing sub-adults. They were seen in the area between the S41 and Dumbana Pools a few times. Unfortunately, over the course of the month we saw these two lions a few times and they were literally getting thinner and thinner each time we saw them. Without the rest of the pride (who had moved much further north and west away from where the conflict had occurred), and because of their age and inexperience in hunting for themselves, they were obviously not feeding and towards the end of the month they were looking anorexic. Skin and bones. It was very sad to see them. One morning we found one of the sub-adults lying in the grass at the side of the S41. He was looking terrible and could hardly even lift up his head. We thought he was going to die that very day. By the afternoon he had disappeared and we thought it was over for him and yet the next morning we found him again, closer to the river, still alive. Towards the end of the month we saw the Shish Pride again and miraculously the two sub-adults had found the rest of the pride. The pride had obviously caught something during the night and they all seemed to have full bellies, including the two sub-adults. The rest of the Shish Pride (both portions) have mainly been moving towards the west of the concession. At the beginning of the month fourteen members of the Shish Pride were seen feeding on two young wildebeest. A few days later the pride were seen again feeding on a wildebeest. This time it was an adult wildebeest that they had killed. Unfortunately for them the adult Shish males had become aware that the pride had killed the wildebeest and they came and usurped the kill, causing the pride to move off from the area. Towards the middle of the month seven sub-adults from the Shish Pride were seen feeding on an elephant carcass. It is not likely that the lions killed the elephant, but rather that it died from other causes. The white lion from the Shish Pride was seen a few times this month and his wounds (from the encounter with the Southern Males) seem to be healing. Fortunately for him it was quite early on in the month that he managed to re-connect with the rest of the pride. The four Shish males are still doing well and were seen on a few occasions this last month. They have been moving throughout the concession, obviously defending the area against other males (including the Northern and Southern Males) who seem to be moving further into the concession. Towards the beginning of the month we found the four Shish Males far west of the concession. We saw one of them again a few days later feeding on a buffalo. He was with some of the females from the N wanetsi Pride (we do not normally see these lions as their territory is far west of our concession). The three females all had full bellies and had obviously fed before the male arrived and took over the kill. The Northern Pride were also seen entering the concession a few times this month, mainly in the area of Cassia and Mbatsane Firebreak. On the 19 th of February we saw the four Northern males towards the north-west of the concession. The Xhirombe Pride were seen on at least three occasions. The Xhirombe male is still with the two females and they are all healthy. When we saw the females we were fully expecting to see them lactating as a few months ago we watched them mating with the Southern Males. Surprisingly, their teats were not swollen and they obviously either did not conceive or lost the cubs shortly after they were born.

6 Photo by Brian Rode Cheetah: Photo by Nick du Plessis The stars this month have been a particular female cheetah and her five cubs. Right at the beginning of the month Joffers was watching these cheetahs as they were moving through the long Signal Grass in the northern part of the concession. The grass was very tall and the female was constantly jumping up onto

7 fallen tree trunks in order to get a better view around. The cubs were trailing behind the female, following her as she searched for potential prey. Finally, she spotted some impalas in the distance and she immediately headed in their direction. She slowly stalked up towards them and then when she got close enough she started sprinting. She raced after the impala and managed to grab it by the throat pulling it down into the long grass. Very exciting viewing! These six cheetahs were seen on at least two more occasions during the month, in the far northern area of the concession. One morning Giyani was crossing the N wanetsi River near the Poort (towards the south-east of the concession) when he located a coalition of two male cheetahs. They were very shy and immediately headed for the hills. That afternoon Walter went back to the area where the cheetahs had been seen in the morning and found quite a few vultures descending into the dead trees near the river. Upon investigating he managed to re-locate the two cheetahs again. They were busy feeding on an impala. The carcass was almost finished and the cheetahs were full-bellied. Leopard: Photo by Brian Rode Leopards have been very elusive this month, as a result of all the long grass in the area and the low visibility due to the green vegetation. Nonetheless, we did have at least nine recorded sightings of leopard during the month of February. On the afternoon of the 4 th Collen and Chantelle were viewing a breeding herd of elephants near Dumbana Road when they noticed the white flash from the underside of a leopard s tail moving through the long grass. It was a female leopard (possibly the Sticky Thorn Female). She crossed the road in front of them and the next thing a cub stuck its head out of the grass right behind her. The cub followed the female for a short while and then the mother leopard left the youngster in the bush near Monzo Pan. The cub hid away in the thick vegetation and the adult female carried on heading east into the hills. After dark, Collen was heading back to camp when he found the female leopard returning to the area where she had left her cub. She had obviously gone to the hills to fetch her second cub, as it was following behind her. Towards the middle of the month the guides found this female and her two cubs again. They were resting near Green-Apple Hill (quite close to where they had been seen earlier on in the month). Later in the month Daniella was on her way back to camp when she found a leopard feeding on an impala that it had hoisted into a tree. She called Lebombo and informed the guides of her find. In the afternoon

8 Sean headed off to see if he could re-locate the leopard. He was lucky enough to find her and while he was watching her a herd of elephants walked past the leopard without even noticing it was there. Towards the end of the month a male leopard was seen in the western parts of the concession lying up in a large Marula tree with a carcass of a juvenile wildebeest that it had obviously cached in the tree. Other interesting news This month has been quite exciting in terms of bird sightings. Since the grass is in seed now it has attracted many seed-eating birds to the area. In particular, it has attracted huge flocks of Red-billed Queleas to the concession. These birds have started to nest in the Knobthorn trees in proliferation. There are literally thousands of these birds building their nests here now. This has attracted numerous birds of prey, who have gathered to hunt the birds or the chicks. In the area where the queleas are nesting pretty much each dead tree holds one or two eagles. Photo by Barry Peiser The Kingfishers of the Lebombo Concession Article and photos by Brian Rode The Kingfisher is a long-time symbol of peace and prosperity. It has many legends and superstitions surrounding it. In ancient Greece the body of the Kingfisher (if dried) could ward off thunderbolts and storms. It is also said that sight of a kingfisher brings with it the promise of abundance, prosperity and love that is about to unfold within one s life. Giant Kingfisher (female) Kingfishers fall into the Order Coraciiformes, which includes (in southern Africa) the bee-eaters and the rollers. These are some of the most beautifully coloured birds in the area. The name Coraciiformes comes from the Latin words "corax",

9 meaning "raven", and "forma", meaning "form". This is a bit of a misnomer as kingfishers are not closely related to ravens at all and are not even passerines. (Passerines are birds that usually have three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing backwards, are considered to be singing birds, and are birds that usually have altricial chicks i.e. they are blind, featherless, and helpless when hatched from their eggs). There are 87 species of kingfishers in the world, ranging in size from the large kookaburras of Australia (weighing nearly half a kilogram), to the miniscule African dwarf kingfisher (which weighs only 9 12 grams). In southern Africa there are ten common species of kingfishers. In the Lebombo Concession we find eight of the ten species. These are the giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima), the pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), the brown-hooded kingfisher (Halcyon albiventris), the striped kingfisher (Halcyon chelicuti), the malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata), the grey-headed kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala), the African pygmy kingfisher (Ispidina picta) and the woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis). Although half-collared kingfishers (Alcedo semitorquata) can be found in the Kruger National Park we have not seen them here, yet. Most kingfishers are brightly coloured birds, with large heads, with long, sharply pointed bills, with short legs and syndactyl toe-arrangement (two front toes are partially joined or webbed for much of their length). Although kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, most species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. In this way kingfishers are often grouped into two categories based on their food preference i.e. those that are mainly piscivores (eat fish) and those that are predominantly insectivorous. Kingfishers mainly nest in cavities, either in tunnels dug into sandbanks / riverbanks or in holes in trees. Many of the southern African kingfishers are spectacular in coloration and most of the southern African species have an obvious blue colour in the plumage. This blue colour is not caused by a pigment, but rather by the structure of the feathers. (which causes scattering of blue light - this is known as the Tyndall effect ). Kingfishers are generally divided into three families i.e. Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). Of the Alcedine kingfishers (river kingfishers) we find malachite kingfishers and African pygmy kingfishers in the Lebombo Concession. Both of these kingfishers are predominantly blue and orange in colour. Although African pygmy kingfishers are considered to be river kingfishers they are usually found in woodland areas, and do not generally feed on fish but rather on insects and other invertebrates. The African pygmy kingfisher is so named because of its diminutive size. It s scientific name (Ispidina picta) come from the greek word Hispid, meaning covered with stiff hair or bristles and the Latin word pictus meaning painted or coloured. Malachite Kingfishers, in contrast, are usually found at the edge of rivers or dams. They are usually seen perched on reeds overlooking the water searching for fish, which they catch and feed upon. The name Malachite Kingfisher comes from the colour on its crest. Juvenile African Pygmy Kingfisher Malachite Kingfisher

10 The majority of the kingfishers that occur in the concession fall into the family Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers). This includes the brown-hooded kingfisher, the striped kingfisher, the grey-headed kingfisher and the woodland kingfisher. These kingfishers feed mainly on invertebrates (insects, spiders, scorpions etc. and small vertebrates such as lizards, small snakes, frogs and even small birds). Of these four kingfishers the woodland and the striped nest in holes in dead trees (often originally excavated by other birds such as barbets and woodpeckers), whereas the brown-hooded and grey-headed tend to nest in holes in river embankments or gulleys. Two of these kingfishers (namely the grey-headed and woodland), are intra-african migrants and are only seen here during the summer months. Just like the sound of cuckoos usually heralds the arrival of summer in Europe the sound that epitomises summer in our area is the highpitched Yip.Trrrrrrrr call of the woodland kingfisher. When we hear that call we know that the season has finally changed. Woodland kingfisher Grey-headed kingfisher Brown-hooded kingfisher Striped kingfisher The two water kingfishers or Cerylids that are commonly seen in the concession are the pied kingfisher and the giant kingfisher. The name Ceryle comes from the ancient Greek word kērúlos, meaning fabulous sea-bird (which is a bit of a misnomer as they tend to be found more near fresh-water bodies). The pied and the giant are both well-known kingfishers in Africa, and unlike the other kingfishers in the area they both do not exhibit the blue colour that is seen in the others. Another unusual characteristic of these two species is that they are both sexually dimorphic (i.e. the male and female are easily differentiated by their plumages). The male pied has two complete black breastbands, while the female has a single, broader band that does not quite meet in the middle of the breast. Male and female giants are equally easily differentiated. The male Giant Kingfisher has a chestnut upper breast and a white lower breast, and the belly is barred with black. In the female the lower breast and belly are chestnut and the upper breast is white, vertically streaked with black. Both of these kingfishers are found along rivers and at dams in South Africa, and are true water kingfishers, feeding predominantly on fish. The giant kingfisher is the largest kingfisher in the area (with an average mass of 360g and measuring almost half a meter in length). It is usually seen perching on branches over the water, from where it searches for fish. When it sees its prey it launches itself into the water and spears the fish with it s dagger-

11 like bill. When it has impaled the fish it will often return to a perch and beat the fish against a branch or rock in order to kill it before swallowing. The pied kingfisher forages from a perch or while hovering and then plunging into the water to catch its prey. Because of the pied kingfisher s unrivalled ability to hover, it does not always require extensive woodland around its habitat for perching and can fly as far out as a few kilometres from the shoreline while foraging. Pied kingfishers are cooperative breeders, meaning that the breeding adults are assisted by helpers (previous broods) in caring for the young. Female pied kingfisher hovering Another myth regarding kingfishers comes from Ancient Greece and the story goes as follows: Alcyone was the daughter of Aeolus, king of the winds. She was happily married to a sailor by the name of Ceyx. They were deeply in love and the couple often referred to each other as "Zeus" and "Hera", which naturally infuriated the king and queen of the gods. It is said that whilst at sea, Zeus hurled a thunderbolt at Ceyx's ship, drowning the man. Ceyx then appeared before his wife, in her dreams, telling her of his fate. Distraught, Alcyone threw herself into the sea in order to join him. The gods pitied the woeful couple and transformed them into kingfishers. The term Halcyon Days (which were the seven days in winter when storms never occur) is also derived from this ancient Greek myth. These were originally the 14 days each year (seven days on either side of the shortest day of the year) during which Alcyone (in kingfisher form) laid her eggs and made her nest on the beach and during which her father Aeolus, god of the winds, restrained the winds and calmed the waves so she could do so in safety. The phrase has since come to refer to any peaceful time or a lucky break. Female Giant Kingfisher with prey

12 February moments in time Photo by Sean Bissett Photo by Sean Bissett Photo by Barry Peiser

13 Photo by Barry Peiser Photo by Barry Peiser Photo by Barry Peiser Photo by Brian Rode Photo by Nick du Plessis

14 Photo by Barry Peiser Photo by Brian Rode Articles by Brian Rode & Nick du Plessis Photos by Sean Bissett, Jacques Briam, Barry Peiser & Nick du Plessis Singita Kruger National Park South Africa Twenty eighth of February, Two thousand and seventeen