We had some really good game viewing in May. One sighting stands out from the rest though….  We found a leopard stalking a male impala in the mid-afternoon quite close to the camp.
  It wasn’t long before the impala discovered the leopard, snorted at it, and with its cover now blown, the leopard actually scampered off… The impala kept a very close eye on him and when he finally stopped moving, the impala approached the leopard and a brief stand-off ensued.
  The result... the leopard moved off into the thick bush and the impala lived to see another day!!!

This male leopard is seen around the Camp area quite often.  We have also heard him calling in the early mornings lately, which of course set the local troop of vervet monkeys into loud alarm calls, warning each other and the whole area, that there is danger nearby!

One of the males from the pride.  He is a rather old boy, as his teeth show!

This was another great sighting!  After a good morning’s game viewing, we stopped in the drainage line close to Mopani Pan for a much-enjoyed bush breakfast.

With bellies full, we decided to head back to camp, but not before quickly popping in to see whether there were any animals having a drink at Mopani Pan.  Imagine our surprise when we got to the Pan and discovered this!!!  A pride of 13 lions resting in the shade right at the Pan.  The smell of cooking bacon and eggs clearly didn’t disturb them and they were unbelievably relaxed. 

The pride is made up of 2 big males, 6 females, 3 sub-adults and 2 cubs. 

We left them resting for the afternoon and returned to them at around sunset.  True to form, they never disappointed and starting getting active as the sun went down.  They all had a drink before moving off.  We tried to follow them off-road, but the bush just got too thick.  We retreated, got onto a road and headed in the direction we thought they would be.

Brad’s great guiding skills resulted in us pin-pointing their position, only to find a big cloud of dust just off the road.  We moved in and found some members of the pride feasting on an impala. 

We followed them in the moonlight all the way to Durham Dam, where we left them, thankful for a wonderful sighting!!!

The beginning of May saw the beginning of the impala rutting season.  The days (and sometimes nights) are filled with the sounds of snorting males chasing each other around.  The rut is where males battle it out to determine who is the strongest and fittest, and thereby who is able to mate with females in the herds. 

During the rutting season, territorial male impala sacrifice time feeding and grooming in order to be more vigilant for intruding males and receptive females, and to have more time for territorial defence and courtship activities

The ruts have been amazing to watch and we have been treated to incredible shows of agility, aggression and intense battles between the impala rams.  These battles can last up to half and hour when finally one male will concede and run off – leaving the other the victor!

We stopped at Diepkloof Dam one afternoon, and there were these 8 zebra and 7 giraffe grazing and browsing in the tree line, together with 12 hippo in the dam and a huge croc lying on the bank.  What a way for us to spend the afternoon!!

May has also brought with it much cooler mornings and evenings, although the days have been wonderfully warm.  Animals are still congregating at the larger waterholes for a drink before the sun goes down.  There has been a lot of general game around this month, including large herds of impala, many different kudu sightings, loose aggregations of giraffe all around the Property, good-sized herds of zebra and even 10 warthog around camp!

Although we haven’t seen too many this month, we have heard spotted hyena calling most nights and found their tracks on the roads the following morning.  With the impala rutting at the moment, they seem focused on each other only and this is the perfect time for the predators to ‘help themselves’.  This is probably why we also had great leopard and lion sightings this month.

With the coldest 2 months of our winter now arriving, there is nothing better than that steaming cup of coffee whilst out on the morning activity, or even better, soaking up the warmth given off by the camp fire in the evening with the smell of ‘braaiing’ meat filling the thin air…

Until next month…take care!

We have had 2 separate big herds of buffalo moving in and out of Diepkloof recently.  The movement of these herds has attracted larger predators, including lions and hyenas into the area.

Due to the lack of rain this year, the buffalo are concentrating at the larger waterholes on Diepkloof and surrounding properties.  This has made for great game viewing as they are out in the open at these waterholes, often sharing the water with other large mammals.

With the slow approach of winter, the bush and vegetation is slowly drying out.  All the small waterholes and mud wallows have finally dried up and thus we are able to find the majority of the game at the larger water points. 

Many of the antelope species have already started browsing on the trees and shrubs as the green grasses are lacking. 

They are therefore sticking to the lower lying areas of Diepkloof where the vegetation is a little greener than on the higher lying areas.

All the summer migrant birds have already left us and headed back to their northern hemisphere habitats. 

All these signs are great indicators that winter will shortly be upon us….

April also held a sad moment, when a little female monkey from the local troop went missing.  She most likely became a meal for a hungry leopard.
The rest of the troop, however, is still around and up to their usual shenanigans.

Now that there are fewer insects out in the bush, with the approach of winter, the local civet – whose territory includes the camp area – has been seen on a regular basis lurking in the shadows of the camp fire waiting for scraps that may be left behind after dinner. 

As the sun sets in the dusty skies of April, it creates a gorgeous red African glow with which we say bid farewell to another wonderful month and wait in anticipation to see what May holds in store for us…….