WILDLIFE REPORT

SINGITA SABI SAND, SOUTH AFRICA For the month of November, Two Thousand and Fifteen

Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 19.4˚C (66.9˚F) For the month: 31.5 mm Sunrise 04:55 Average maximum: 31.3˚C (88.3˚F) For the season to date: 101.7 mm Sunset 18:32 Minimum recorded: 14◦C (57.2˚F) Maximum recorded: 43˚C (109.4˚F)

With the promise of rains on the horizon we have been waiting patiently for the heavens to open up. Unfortunately the little rain that has arrived has only dampened the soil. The temperatures had been scorching on a few days, but with the early game drive times and the later afternoon departures this has not had any adverse affect on game viewing - it's actually improved with the large amount of elephants gathering along the Sand River. We've recorded 229 species of birds this month - many are visitors here to enjoy our summer and all it offers.

Here's a highlights package of the month's sightings: Cheetahs: It is most pleasing to note the high number of cheetah sightings in November. These primarily diurnal super-predators provided guests with some excellent viewing. Lions: On the lion front, the Mangheni pride continued to be seen frequently, and there were also fine sightings of the Othawa pride, which seems to be thriving. The three Othawa pride cubs are doing well, and it was good to see them with all three lionesses and all four Majingilane males. While the Majingilane males are undoubtedly ageing, together they still control a very large chunk of territory. Great news is that one of the Mangheni pride lionesses has recently produced no fewer than five cubs, while another member of the pride is expected to give birth very soon, if she has not already done so. Leopards: It was yet another great month, with the 'regulars' continuing to contribute to most sightings. The Hlabankunzi female and her male cub are spending more and more time apart, although the leopardess is still sharing some kills with her boisterous son, who has a huge appetite. The Kashane male and Mobeni female were seen mating, and it is good to see that the Mobeni female’s previous offspring, now named the Mawelawela male and the Ntoma female, are doing well for themselves, although both are still rather shy. Occasional sightings of another adult female leopard, who is definitely lactating, suggest that she may have hidden her cubs somewhere in the general vicinity of the confluence of the Mobeni drainage and the Sand River. Exciting times indeed, and we look forward to being able to report on sightings of cubs in the near future.

Buffalos: Large herds have been active moving towards the remaining waterholes on a daily basis. With the Mhangeni pride active in the area, they have been preying upon the weaker individuals. On one occasion the pride managed to catch a record four buffalos in one sighting! See the full story below... Elephants: Elephants continue to move actively during the midday along the Sand River. Wild dogs: A pack of twenty-one wild dogs has been seen on occasion, however they are spending a great deal of the time in the west of the private reserve. With the amount of lion activity in the central area it could very well be the reason that the pack remains scarce in this part. The common duiker: the rise of a new group of animals? Article by Ricardo Careaga It’s well known that antelopes are herbivores. They can either be catalogued as grazers, when they primarily eat grass, like a waterbuck; browsers, mainly eating leaves, like a nyala; or mixed feeders, a little bit of grass and a little bit of leaves, like impalas. But there’s a little guy that has decided to break all the rules and do something that’s pretty unheard off in the herbivore world: an antelope that occasionally feeds on animal protein. The common/grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) can feed on a variety of foods. In a sample of 191 stomachs and dung analysis in Zambia, leaves of 45 different plants were present, fruits and seeds of 33 species, and flowers of 15 species. But to everybody’s amazement, some rather unusual items were also found in their stomachs: tree resin, bark, insects (such as ants and caterpil lars), a small lizard, rodents and birds! Common duikers have even been known to stalk and catch birds, and one was seen catching and eating a striped mouse! I’m sorry, but I’m struggling to picture one of the small antelopes in stalking mode like a leopard! Pretty amazing! There’s a term in the scientific world called ‘speciation’, which refers to the rise of two or more separate species from one common ancestor. Most of the time, due to a natural barrier like a river that changed course

or a new range of mountains that separates one population into two subpopulations that no longer have contact between them, speciation may occur. But not only natural barriers can trigger a process of speciation; also genetics and behavioural modifications can influence it, like the one the common duiker is showing. Having this in mind I can’t help to think if we are being witness to the rise of a new group of animals. Could the common duiker be the precursor of semi-carnivorous antelopes? Could we be witnessing a process of speciation? To answer this question we have to wait. Only time will tell. In the mean time, keep both eyes open while you are out on safari and try to find this little legend that has shown a remarkable behavioural adaptation to survive in the bush. Dying to give life Article by Ian Mey Seeing hunts and kills is what brings many people on safari to the bush, whether it is for the excitement of the chase or seeing a predator pit itself against one of Africa’s many varied prey species . Though death is the only certainty for the myriad of species continually striving to survive and breed, life is never far behind. This is a fact that really hit home with me during a recent sighting. The Manghene pride (a pride of 12 lions at the time) successfully hunted and killed four Cape buffaloes (a large cow and three calves) from a small herd around Castleton Lodge. This killing spree is a prime example of how strong the pride has been become in the area. It was the first time in my career where I can remember not being entranced by the excitement and adrenaline that comes along as a result of watching something like that unfold. It was not because it wasn’t an incredible thing to see, but rather that I saw it more from the perspective of the young buffaloes. They'd never pass on their genes, never truly take part in Nature’s great race - the race to procreate. Yet their deaths serve to allow other herd members their survival, those animals that are that bit stronger and wiser because of their breeding, honed through tough years spent learning and growing, to ensure their survival. Human emotions make watching these interactions quite tough at times, as the ebb and flow of sentiment washes over you.

It's essential to take these sightings in whilst remembering there is no malice intended, just the urge and instinct to survive in a world far purer than ours. Moving into the early part of summer there is always the joy of new life to look forward to, as new growth explodes from the ground in the form of grasses, flowers, trees, shrubs and insects. In particular, a miracle that only happens for a short time each year, is when winged termites take to the skies in a brief flight after the first rains. The skies are filled with millions of pairs of wings destined only to last the day they emerge. This maiden flight serves as a vital source of food for many other insects, reptiles, birds and animals, many of which rely on this large bounty as they prepare to birth the next generation. Nature has many mouths to feed and many lives to seize and bestow to ensure there is always a cycle, one that is repeatedly playing itself out as the sands of time go by. Seizing the opportunity Article by Leon van Wyk Many humans who have done well for themselves will attribute their success to seizing the opportunity when it presents itself. Whether this is in the form of finding a life partner, or in making a financially successful decision or move, there can be little doubt that opportunism plays a key role. Out in the wild, this certainly applies, possibly to an even greater degree than it does in the human world. Every day out in the wilds, whether on a game drive, a bicycle ride or a walk - or even while just remaining quiet and stationary in one place for an hour - we see creatures of all sizes benefiting by seeing and seizing the opportunity. I would like to share a few examples that spring to mind. A large elephant bull pushed over a good-sized knobthorn tree (Acacia nigrescens), in order to reach the more appetising leaves on its upper branches. Within half an hour of this, he was joined by two companion bulls that were a little younger than him. The next day, a few kudu came to feed on the same pushed-over tree, enjoying the leaves for which they would never have been able to reach, had the tree remained standing. With the tree down, its trunk has become a most useful rubbing post for animals such as zebra, which blissfully relieve their itches on its coarse bark and broken branches.

When a herd of buffalo moves into a waterhole to drink and cool themselves down, it's fascinating to see the increased activity of other creatures at the water. Hamerkops, birds well-known for catching fish which they normally stir up by agitating the water with their feet, now position themselves right in front of individual buffaloes, catching the little fish and tadpoles that are flushed by the buffalo hooves and legs in the water. Not to miss out on the action, terrapins (freshwater turtles) converge on any buffalo that decides to lie down in the water, as they love to pluck ticks off the hides of these large bovids, and eat them. Ox-peckers, which have been moving with the buffaloes, will also seize the opportunity to bathe in the shallows of the waterhole, or perhaps they might prefer to partake in a dust bath nearby.

Carnivores are particularly good at seizing opportunities, by securing meals for themselves while expending minimum possible energy. Countless times I have seen leopards and lions position themselves in a comfortable spot close to a popular resource, such as a waterhole in the dry season, and go to sleep in the shade, only to burst into sudden and efficient killing mode when a suitable and unsuspecting prey animal happens along. A warthog coming to cool off in the mud, might find itself suddenly in the jaws and claws of a male leopard, who had been engaged in what I like to call 'passive hunting'. By being cleverly positioned in the right place, the leopard is frequently able to seize the opportunity, and make a kill without spending too much time and energy searching for prey.

One of our regularly viewed male leopards, the Nyelethi male, has recently discovered that on a hot day, the airstrip terminal building is a most pleasant place to rest, and on a few occasions he has spent hours lying on the cool concrete slab under the thatched roof - much to the amazement of arriving guests, and to the amusement of guides and trackers. This is definitely an example of seizing an opportunity to utilise a resource.

With the dry cycle continuing into its second summer, some of the waterholes, mainly to the north of the Sand River, have either dried up to the extent that they are little more than mud wallows, or their level has at least dropped sufficiently that their water surface area (and therefore volume) has been significantly reduced. This, coupled with the fact that the excrement of good numbers of hippopotami adds to the nitrogenous and other nutrient bloom content of the water, has resulted in rather high fish densities in diminishing pools. Marabou storks, saddle-bill storks and African fish-eagles have been among the birds to take advantage of the situation, seizing every opportunity to capture some of the catfish and tilapia that abound. I recently watched a pair of saddle-bill storks catch several tilapia that were too big to swallow, in a really green waterhole, and then return them to the water when they found that they could not swallow them! Who ever heard of birds practising 'catch and release'? A couple of weeks ago, a heat wave was followed by a terrific thunderstorm, and the following evening, which was a really warm, humid one, the emergence of millions of winged termite alates was one of the most impressive I have witnessed. Along with huge numbers of other insects, the alates filled the night air with unbelievable activity. This happens most years, usually just a few times, and typically in the early summer, but I don't recall ever previously experiencing it with such intensity! Now it is well known that termites form a major food source to many creatures, and they were certainly not going to miss out on this wonderful opportunity to make the most of this glut. Frogs, toads, scorpions, lizards, tortoises, monitors, jackals, hyenas, monkeys and baboons are among the flightless creatures that devour these protein- and fat-rich delicacies, while innumerable bird species, both nocturnal and diurnal, as well as bats, catch them on the wing. In order to not only survive, but also to thrive, organisms need a certain amount of good fortune, but they also need to make the most of this good fortune, by seizing the opportunity when it presents itself. There is surely a valuable lesson in this, and we humans should take heed and learn from what is happening around us, if we wish to derive maximum benefit and enjoyment from the brief time we spend on this beautiful planet.

Bird list: In November 229 species were recorded.

The woodland kingfishers arrived around 25 November and started displaying in all their splendour. Wahlberg’s eagles are well into their nesting phase already. We await the arrival of the European rollers and carmine bee-eaters. Rarities for the month included a few sightings of African open-bills, as well as fairly regular sightings of as many as three squacco herons, seldom seen in this area in the past.

Photographs on location by Ross Couper Singita Ebony and Boulders Lodge

Sabi Sand South Africa

Thirtieth of November 2015