Machaba Camp Wildlife Sightings March 2024
Throughout March, we endured a series of heat waves, without the relief of any rainfall. The latter half of the month brought some relief in the form of cooler nights, with temperatures dipping to a cooler 13 degrees Celsius.
The river's water level plummeted significantly under the sun's warmth, causing the once-lush grass to wither into a dry, brown hue. Despite this desolation, the riverbanks became a haven for numerous elephants, who sought relief in the succulent riverine grasses during the sweltering afternoons.
Surprise Hyenas!
After our guests checked in one afternoon they immediately left for the afternoon drive with smiles all over their faces. We started slow as everything was new and exciting. Along the riverfront road leading to a crossing better known as the ‘first drinking spot’, we noticed a buzz of activity from the game in the area.
There had been lions spotted near Magotlho, so our guide Moss decided to get there from the eastern side. To our absolute surprise and delight were two hyenas mating. We spent a long time watching as the guests were so enamored with the hyenas' behavior.
Lions At Last
On a hot afternoon, Bt and his guests braved the scorching sun to embark on a search for lions which his guests had longed to see the moment they arrived in camp. Leaving camp, we took the riverfront road leading to Babra. We saw vultures hovering over a dry leadwood tree.
A dense thicket of Kalahari apple trees covered the stem of the leadwood tree. We used binoculars to scan the area and in a flash, two female lions came out of that thicket at full speed chasing a black-backed jackal. The guests were excited and amazed at the same time.
A growling sound was heard coming from the thicket, Bt drove around the thicket on the eastern side where four female lions and a male lion were found feeding on a zebra carcass. It was getting late before we left the scene with many questions from the guests about what happened to the jackal that was chased by the two lions.
A Tired Leopard
It was a warm morning when Moss and his guests decided to slow down and appreciate Mother Nature. They drove around Leopard Lagoon before heading towards the Magotlho area. The general game was in abundance with elephants and other animals congregating along the riverbank to have a morning drink before heading back into the bush.
As we were watching this spectacular sighting that looked like a scene from the Massai Mara animal migration, an alarm call from impalas and squirrels was heard coming out of the south.
As our guide Moss turned his head he set his eyes on a leopard that looked tired from an unsuccessful hunting mission. The leopard walked close to the vehicle, lay down on the ground, and started licking its wounds. When the leopard moved off we followed until it reached a narrow river crossing. It galloped like an impala, pronking across the river into the Moremi Game Reserve to the amazement and excitement of the guests.
Some Privacy Please
On a beautiful and hot afternoon, we were driving around Dolar Lagoon when we suddenly decided to change direction towards the hyena den though it was not the right time to find them in their den. We drove westwards and connected to the road to our Mokoro station.
On that road we spotted two leopard tracks going up north and tracked them with the hope of seeing them, unfortunately, the tracks went into a bushy thicket. We then followed the road and later saw the tracks rejoining the road. We continued tracking them and to our delight, found them mating near the Mokoro station. The honeymooners were at ease and did not seem bothered by the presence of the onlookers.
We have had some beautiful, albeit hot weather in March and some incredible sightings that our guests will not soon forget. We are however looking forward to the cooler temperatures of Autumn and all the wildlife encounters that come with it!
Until next time,
Linguist
Machaba Camp
