August sightings, wildlife monitoring and interesting research projects.`
Sightings of the month
Thank you to all who recorded their sightings in the book this month!
Here is the number of recorded sightings of a few species during the month of August:
Highlights:
- With 232 recorded sightings in the book, there was an average of seven sightings per day. Within this total, Leopards were the most recorded species, followed by Elephant, Lion, Buffalo, Hippo and Spotted Hyena.
- A Roan Antelope was seen twice in one day on Argyle - once at Deadwood Pan, and once from the Lookout Tower. Reports indicate that the animal came from further west, where it had been seen on multiple occasions throughout the course of the previous month. No sightings have been reported since the sightings on Argyle at the beginning of August.
- During one day, there were five different Lion sightings, a sighting of Wild Dogs, a sighting of a Leopard, and two sets of pregnant Spotted Hyenas!
- Two pairs of mating Lions were seen during the month, as well as a herd of 600+ Buffalo. Plenty of Zebra, Giraffe and Wildebeest herds were also recorded during the month - all of which were in higher numbers and frequencies than previous months.
- Mammalian species recorded: Roan Antelope, Leopard, Lion, Wild Dog, Spotted Hyena, Honey Badger, Black-backed Jackal, Side-striped Jackal, African Wild Cat, African Civet, White-tailed Mongoose, Elephant, Buffalo, Impala, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Zebra, Waterbuck, Warthog, Hippo, Nyala, Bushbuck, Klipspringer, Sharpe’s Grysbok, Duiker, Steenbok, Warthog, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Lesser Galago, Scrub Hare, Tree Squirrel, Springhare, Dwarf Mongoose, Banded Mongoose, and Slender Mongoose.
Thank you to all who shared images from various sightings with us! Below are images submitted by Members throughout the month. Also note that we have a spectacular photo sequence of the month, which is not to be missed, further down!
- Reptilian highlights: A Crocodile was seen with a Monitor Lizard kill. A Southern African Python was also seen, and there were three Black Mamba sightings, including the removal and safe relocation of a large Black Mamba from a bungalow.
- Birding highlights included a Martial Eagle with a Monitor Lizard kill on Ingwelala Drive, a Tawny Eagle in the nest with a chick and an African Hawk-eagle chick in the nest. Yellow-billed Kites were also seen throughout the month, indicating that the migratory species are beginning to return to the area.
- Reptilian species recorded in August: Rock Monitor, Water Monitor, Nile Crocodile, Flap-necked Chameleon, Leopard Tortoise, Giant Plated Lizard, Marsh Terrapin, Black Mamba, Southern African Python, Western Yellow-bellied Sand Snake, Rainbow Skink and Serrated Hinged Terrapin.
- Bird species recorded during the month: Yellow-breasted Apalis, Arrow-marked Babbler, Black-collared Barbet, Crested Barbet, Bateleur, Chinspot Batis, Little Bee-eater, Grey Go-Away Bird, Dark-capped Bulbul, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Golden-breasted Bunting, Grey-headed Bush-shrike, Orange-breasted Bush-shrike, Kori Bustard, Rattling Cisticola, Burchell’s Coucal, Black Crake, Long-billed Crombec, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Laughing Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Fork-tailed Drongo, African Fish Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle, Martial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Little Egret, African Firefinch, Jameson’s Firefinch, Crested Francolin, Egyptian Goose, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Helmeted Guineafowl, Hamerkop, African Harrier-Hawk, African Hawk-eagle, Retz’s Helmet-shrike, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Green-backed Heron, Grey Heron, African Grey Hornbill, Southern Ground Hornbill, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill , Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kite, Red-crested Korhaan, Blacksmith Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Sabota Lark, Red-faced Mousebird, African Openbill, Black-headed Oriole, African Scops Owl, African Barred Owlet, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Red-billed Oxpecker, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Brown-headed Parrot, Three-banded Plover, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Black-backed Puffback, Green-winged Pytillia, White-browed Robin-Chat, White-throated Robin-Chat, Lilac-breasted Roller, Purple Roller, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Common Scimitarbill, White-browed Scrub-robin, Magpie Shrike, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Cape Sparrow, Natal Spurfowl, Swainson’s Spurfowl, Burchell’s Starling, Cape Starling, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Black Stork, Saddle-billed Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-billed Stork, Amethyst Sunbird, White-bellied Sunbird, Lesser Striped Swalloe, Black-crowned Tchagra, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Water Thick-knee, Kurrichane Thrush, Southern Black Tit, White-backed Vulture, Blue Waxbill, Violet-eared Waxbill, Lesser Masked Weaver, Red-headed Weaver, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Green Wood-hoopoe, Golden-tailed Woodpecker and Stierling’s Wren-Warbler.
Photo sequence of the month
An embarrassed leopard – Gareth Owens
While photographing a male leopard resting in a tree with his kill, the sighting took a humorous turn - the leopard lost his balance after stretching and nearly fell out of the tree! Fortunately, he managed to pull himself back up but seemed a bit embarrassed afterwards and chose to hide his face! Thank you, Gareth, for sharing this sequence with us.
Words by Tess Woollgar, images courtesy Maureen Kirk and as notated on individual photos.