September sightings, wildlife monitoring and interesting research projects.`
Sightings of the month!
Thank you to all who recorded their sightings in the book this month! There were 173 recorded sightings in the sightings book, with an average of 5.7 recorded sightings per day.
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Here is the number of recorded sightings of a few species during the month:
Highlights:
- Lions were once again the most reported species, followed by leopards, wild dogs, elephants and buffaloes. There was an impressive diversity of lion sightings, including a sighting of three lionesses successfully hunting an impala near the camp, lionesses and sub-adults stalking kudus on Argyle, and plentiful sightings of male lions roaring and on the move.
- A cheetah was seen three times on Buffelsbed, in the regions of Aloe Ridge, the Platform and Buffels Hide. During one sighting, at Buffels Hide, the cheetah was seen relaxing while a leopard remained close by! The cheetah was seen again the next morning.
- Caracal sightings once again formed meso-predator highlights for the month, with one sighting of two caracal kittens being the favourite for the month. The kittens were spotted next to the tar road, in the vicinity of the Sibon camp turnoff.
- Other highlights for the month included a sighting of hyenas stealing a kill from a female leopard, various sightings of wild dogs with kills, and a sighting of a porcupine!
- Birding highlights for the month included a sighting of a Dark Chanting Goshawk chasing a Slender Mongoose on the road, a pair of Verreaux’s Eagle-Owls seen mating near Combretum Crossing, continued sightings of a Western Barn Owl in camp, and the early return of various migratory species.
- The outstanding reptile sighting of the month was of a sizeable Southern African Python, of which sightings are becoming more common as summer approaches.
Images courtesy of Gary MacDonald- Mammalian species recorded: Cheetah, Leopard, Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Wild Dog, Spotted Hyena, African Wild Cat, Caracal, Honey Badger, Porcupine, Black-backed Jackal, Side-striped Jackal, Spotted Genet, Lesser Galago, Impala, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Zebra, Waterbuck, Warthog, Hippo, Nyala, Klipspringer, Duiker, Steenbok, Warthog, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Springhare, Scrub Hare, Tree Squirrel, White-tailed Mongoose, Banded Mongoose, Slender Mongoose, and Dwarf Mongoose.
- Reptilian species recorded: Water Monitor, Black Mamba, Southern African Python, Mozambique Spitting Cobra, Nile Crocodile, Flap-necked Chameleon, Leopard Tortoise, Marsh Terrapin, Rainbow Skink, Giant Plated Lizard, and Serrated Hinged Terrapin.
For the full list of bird species recorded during the month, please click here.
Images courtesy of Antoinette Auby
Images courtesy of Caroline Culbert
Images courtesy of Gary MacDonald
Words by Tess Woollgar. Images courtesy of the photographers as credited on photos or sets of photos.