Kalahari Plains Camp - December 2011
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December marked the arrival of the annual summer rains, characterised on most days by the thunderous storms and spectacular lightning bolts that the Kalahari is renowned for. The much-anticipated rain directly translates to a mass explosion of grass on the open plains and adjoining ridges. A plethora of annual flowers and seasonal herbs have also joined in. Botanists have had a blast as there is a huge diversity of vegetation, some of which is endemic to the Kalahari.
This diversity also brings out the best of our Bushman guides, as they relish on demonstrating the nutritional and medicinal uses of certain herbs that only occur at this time of the year.
In terms of wildlife, the rainy season is also very rewarding to wildlife enthusiasts. December marked the arrival of large herds of oryx (gemsbok), red hartebeest, springbok, wildebeest and many more into the open plains. This period is also the peak breeding time for most antelope species. We have witnessed masses of young calves and lambs of different antelopes throughout this past month. This feast of prey species naturally attracts opportunistic predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard and jackal, to name a few, into the open plains as well.
Lion and cheetah sightings have been plenty as their home ranges are now smaller due to the availability of food within the plains. This has been most notable at Deception Valley, where a game drive occasionally takes guests through two sets of lion prides within hours. The Lekhubu Pride's forays into the Deception Pride territory deserves a special mention here. The Lekhubu Pride is dominated by a prime black-maned Kalahari male who optimises the legend of huge Kalahari males. This beautiful male quickly displaced the two Deception males, sending them off into the distance, licking their wounds. Since then, the ever-dominant male has been seen mating with three females from the Deception Pride - possibly creating a super-pride in the area as he was also seen mating with a female from his own pride. The fragmented pride which has taken up residence around the camp still has five cubs which are growing rapidly. Hopefully they can avoid the black-maned male for some time so as to avoid infanticide.
Cheetah sightings have been frequent, as expected at this time of the year; the area around the camp continues to see unknown nomadic coalitions. Our resident female was recently spotted a mere three hundred metres from the camp after a four-month absence. The Deception Valley remains a prolific cheetah destination around this time of the year. As the rains wear on however, sightings become limited, possibly due to the grass being too high.
To birders, the Kalahari during December becomes a paradise to different resident and migrant species. Of note particularly are the raptor species. We have encountered great numbers of falcons such as Peregrine, Amur and Red-footed Falcons. We have also had great sightings of Montagu's and Pallid Harrier. The cuckoos have also arrived in full force as we constantly hear the calls of Diederick's, Jacobin and Black Cuckoo.
Ona Basimane | |
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