October sightings, wildlife monitoring and interesting research projects.`
Sightings of the month
Thank you to all who recorded their sightings in the book this month! We had 97 recorded sightings, with an average of 3.1 per day. The number of sightings of some species is below:
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Highlights
Thank you to all who recorded their sightings in the book this month!
The overall number of sightings has decreased, likely due to the extremely dry conditions combined with the quieter month in camp. Recorded leopard sightings totalled 16, while lion sightings recorded were 7. Here are the highlight sightings for October:
- A caracal sighting on Combretum Drive, Buffelsbed, and an African Wild Cat.
- Two cheetahs seen at the main causeway outside camp.
- A herd of some 200+ buffaloes has been sighted multiple times on Buffelsbed and op Goedehoop, including a collared individual.
- The large pack of wild dogs was seen multiple times, including the recently collared male.
- Birding highlights were an ostrich, seen on Argyle, and a Black-chested Snake Eagle with a squirrel kill.
- Mammalian species recorded: Lion, Leopard, Wild Dog, Cheetah, Elephant, Buffalo, Caracal, Honey Badger, Hippo, Genet, African Wild Cat, Sharpe’s Grysbok, Vervet Monkey, Chacma Baboon, Nyala, Kudu, Bushbuck, Impala, Steenbok, Klipspringer, Spotted Hyena, Tree Squirrel, Dwarf Mongoose, Banded Mongoose, Zebra, Giraffe, Slender Mongoose, Springhare and Scrub hare.
- Reptilian species noted: Crocodile, Serrated Hinged Terrapin, Marsh Terrapin, Rainbow Skink, Rock Monitor Lizard, Leopard Tortoise, Spotted Bush Snake and Black Mamba.
- Bird species recorded: Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, African Fish Eagle, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Saddle-billed Stork, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Red-billed Oxpecker, Tawny Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, African Hawk-eagle, African Harrier-Hawk, Grey Go-away Bird, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Helmeted Guineafowl, Southern Ground Hornbill, Retz’s Helmet-shrike, Grey Heron, Black Crake, Fork-tailed Drongo, White-backed Vulture, Malachite Kingfisher, Pygmy Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Three-banded Plover, Bateleur, Martial Eagle, African Scops Owl, Woolly-necked Stork, Golden-breasted Bunting, Arrow-marked Babbler, Crested Barbet, Chinspot Batis, Little Bee-eater, White-fronted Bee-eater, Dark-capped Bulbul, Grey-headed Bush-shrike, Ring-necked Dove, Laughing Dove, Namaqua Dove, Jameson’s Firefinch, Crested Francolin, Egyptian Goose, Green-backed Heron, African Grey Hornbill, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Hadeda Ibis, Yellow-billed Kite, Red-crested Korhaan, Blacksmith Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Black-headed Oriole, Brown-headed Parrot, Black-backed Puffback, Lilac-breasted Roller, Double-banded
Words by Tess Woollgar, images courtesy of Viv Newell and Cailey Galliver