WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA PAMUSHANA, ZIMBABWE For the month of October, Two Thousand and Sixteen

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1 WILDLIFE REPORT SINGITA PAMUSHANA, ZIMBABWE For the month of October, Two Thousand and Sixteen Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 20,1 C (68,1 F) For the month: 1.4 mm Sunrise: 05:07 Minimum recorded: 13,4 C (56,1 F) For the year to date: mm Sunset: 18:07 Average maximum: 35,1 C (95,1 F) Maximum recorded: 42,5 C (108,5 F) We have taken advantage of the dry landscape and little vegetation cover by offering our guests lots of walking safaris this month, which have been thoroughly enjoyed by all especially when they include encounters with high profile animals like lions. Here s our wildlife overview for October: Lions The River Pride with the young cubs are doing well. On one occasion, after a careful prior assessment, we walked to the edge of the Chiredzi River where we were in a position to stand on the bank and get a good view of the entire pride below who all had bloated stomachs from having eaten recently. Three of the lion cubs (they are about five months old now) came over to the water below us to drink. The pride of two adult males, one sub-adult male, five lionesses and four cubs were all in great condition.

2 As for the election results they are in! The coalition of three males that we ve been watching grow up for years, have taken power of a new territory and pride by beating up the Southern Pride male. The morning after this brawl we got to watch some incredible behaviour: The three male lions commandeered one of the Southern Pride s lionesses, and she then set about encouraging each of the males to mate with her, as if in a bid to pacify them and find favour. It was a truly remarkable experience that unfolded right before our eyes. Cheetah It s the cheetah brothers that have provided the most sightings this month. On one occasion we found an impala carcass under a dried snow berry bush. We searched the area on foot and found the cheetah brothers lying in a gulley with their stomachs stretched to full capacity, and could approach safely to 20 metres as they were very relaxed with our presence. Leopard There have been a couple of sightings of leopards, mainly along the Chiredzi River. On one occasion a young male was trying to hunt an impala, and on another there was a relaxed leopard seen at our river crossing point. This shy little female was seen in a tree where she d hoisted a dead baboon. Even in the black night with a green filter on our spotlight she was not relaxed with our presence. The giveaway in spotting her was that there were two hyenas lying near the road, with that typical hangdog expression of frustrated boredom. Even though hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs, they cannot climb trees which must be their greatest frustration in life! Rhinos Rhino sightings have been truly excellent both of black and white. This is the best time of year to see them especially the volatile black rhinos. At times, especially at the water holes, you can see numerous individuals come and drink and wallow. Buffalo The vast cloud of dust catching the morning light over the central depression was a sure sign that a large herd of buffalo were making their way to the waterhole there. We were amazed at how vast the herd was though probably about seven hundred animals. We ve had regular sightings of other herds and bachelor bulls throughout the month. Wild dogs The pack of 27 wild dogs have been seen on the reserve for October, but who knows how long they ll stay here before heading south again to Gonarezhou. Here one of our guests, Jeff Thompson, photographed the pups having a marvellous game of chase and pounce at the water s edge. Another sighting was of us following four adult wild dogs in pursuit of an impala. They chased the impala towards the

3 boundary fence and when we got there they were in process of dragging the impala away from the fence. Within 15 minutes they had demolished it. We followed them thereafter, only to discover the joy of the rest of the pack as they regurgitated food to the puppies and others. Elephants It s been a great month for elephants there are some breeding herds with tiny youngsters about, and of course the resident bulls who dominate the waterholes. On the left you can see two dozing in the water the one elephant even resting his heavy trunk over his tusk. On the right a bull takes a long drink of water, as three doves fly through the droplets. Rare sightings The highlight of one evening drive was seeing a very friendly white-tailed mongoose. Another thrill was seeing two unfriendly honey badgers trundling down our West Valley road, as though they owned it, and all other living beings, including us lowly humans, were unwelcome trespassers! Plains game There have been excellent sightings of sable this month thanks to the low vegetation and isolated water. All other plains game viewing has been good with many of the more elusive species like Lichtenstein hartebeest

4 seen regularly (see photo below). Your best chances of seeing most game at the moment is along the river or at the permanent water sources. Photo hide Our photo hide has been extremely well used, and guests are getting some magnificent photographs. In addition to elephants and rhinos we have also seen sable, hartebeest, kudu, impala, warthogs, zebra, baboons, monkeys, klipspringers, waterbuck and a black-backed jackal come to drink. Walks As said before this was an excellent month for walking safaris. One short walk yielded three adult male lions, three white rhino and one buffalo bull, and some excellent photo opportunities from ground level were enjoyed by all. Boat cruise and fishing It s lovely to get out on the water in the cooler hours of late afternoon for a water safari, or to do some fishing. One very productive fishing trip resulted in our guests landing nine tiger-fish. This terrapin kept a close eye on proceedings participate in these activities. Community Visits Visits to Kambako that preserve and honour the ancient culture of this land and her people have been thoroughly enjoyed, with tribal elder Julius showing guests many bush survival skills and allowing them to Birding There ve been a wide variety of raptors and summer birds seen this month, but a highlight was seeing three grey-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus), - although they are not specifically pelagic, they are birds we don t normally see in this land-locked country. Another highlight was seeing the courtship display of a kori bustard (Ardeotis kori). Starlings seem to be ace photo-bombers. The greater blue-eared starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus), with the bright yellow eye, flew in to the middle of a circle of doves, to drink and take advantage of their early reaction of any impending danger that may occur. The Meve s starling (Lamprotornis mevesii), with the long tail, did the same to gain protection from the water thick-knee (Burhinus vermiculatus).

5 Taking advantage of what was possibly an abandoned communal buffalo weaver nest, was this Verreaux s eagle-owl (Bubo lacteus). Many owls are tenant nesters, meaning they don t build their own nests but move into the nest of another type of bird. Predator parade It was the last drive of a very successful safari so we decided to leisurely indulge ourselves in a beautiful open area surrounded by cathedral mopane and baobabs. As we arrived we found a clan of hyenas regrouping after their nocturnal activities. They seemed to use our vehicle s position as a gathering point, and ambled in from all directions, yawning, greeting and playing with one another before settling down in the track for a nap while the sun rose. I thought it would be good to stay with them for as long as possible, because being such strong and opportunistic predators they will often spot a leopard, wild dogs or cheetah, even lions, and try and steal a kill from them So we did just that, getting beautiful photos in the early morning light and enjoying the indulgence of watching their regrouping behaviour. After an hour or so we left, sure that there was nothing else in the area because the hyenas were snoozing. I am not joking when I say I drove no more than 50 metres down the track when I found two cheetahs in the road heading into the intense sunrise gold. They were two males, and just beginning their day with a bit of scent marking and scouting around. After a while they lay down in the track in front of us. We were now sandwiched between a clan of tough hyenas and two delicate cheetahs. A late-comer hyena ambled up the track, having to pass the cheetahs and us to get to the clan. When it got within a few metres of the cheetahs they reluctantly got up, moved off, then settled back down. The hyena and its clan paid them no attention at all! Once both species were settled I reversed out of the way and had hyenas to our left, and cheetahs to our right, in full light, framed against the stateliest of cathedral mopanes and a baobab. What a moment!

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7 The waterhole heavyweights These three elephants marched into sight with great confidence and purpose. They were at the waterhole to drink and have some fun. They lined up side by side, and dipped their trunks into the water. After a few gurgling glugging swallows they waded knee-deep into the water to splash around a bit. At the far end of the dam there were two white rhinos peacefully minding their own business and having a calm sophisticated sundowner. Alright, that s not entirely true, but they were just sipping slowly and quietly. The elephants spied a good muddy inlet behind the rhinos and sploshed through the water, belly-deep, all the way to the far end of the dam where the rhinos were. Bringing up the rear was the largest of the three elephants the ringleader and bully. He thought it was great fun to spur his brother along by poking him in the bottom, with his tusk. This is entirely true, he was doing it for no other reason than to annoy, harass, pester and provoke. The elephants exited the water, snuck around behind the rhinos and dived into the mud, sending plumes of it flying. For this they received a dirty look of disdain from one of the rhinos. The elephants so enjoyed spraying mud on to themselves that they even sat down in the wallow and slid about from side to side. Eventually the one rhino felt things were far too boisterous and, like most of us, preferred not to get squashed by a muddy elephant, so it moved off a few steps and stared at the mammoths with utmost indignance at their undignified behaviour. Here s a series of photos to describe this tale and prove that I really haven t embellished it too much!

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10 Black or white or grey? A grey white rhino mother and calf are set aglow by a copper gold sunset. That night the moonrise plus a tungsten white balance in camera, cloaked three grey white rhinos in a veil of midnight blue.

11 Gold is a wildebeest s best friend Wildebeest really aren t attractive at all. They hardly get photographed - except the newborns on their spindly legs or when they are seen migrating in herds of thousands, such as at our sister properties in Tanzania, Singita Grumeti and Lamai. But these two were bathed in intense sunset light, and as the swished their tails little plumes of gold dust sparkled about them. And, when they stood up, they had gold on the soles of their hooves!

12 Arboreal sculptures I see great beauty in sculptural forms of dead trees, as do most guests. Above are photographs of the same tree, where I like to stop for morning coffee or an evening sundowner. One morning we found the sky tinged with pink, while a black rhino drank and vultures awoke from their nightime roost. On the right, the scene was awash with a late afternoon steely grey, as a heron perched on a fallen sculpture and surveyed its hunting grounds. But often I find myself at a loss for words when I can only gasp at the simple stark beauty like this scene on the left, taken from the water. Written and photographed by Jenny Hishin Singita Pamushana Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve Zimbabwe Thirty-first of October 2016