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January 17 continued
     We stopped for tea, watching giraffes, impala and wildebeest across the plain. It felt like we had travelled a long way this morning, but it was only just ten o'clock, tea time. Then we headed on, following the road to Baobab Gardens.

     A small herd of elephants were blocking the road, and we stopped to watch them. It was a breeding herd with half a dozen females and several youngsters. One of the babies had a short trunk and no tail; Gee said he must have had a bad time with the lions or crocodiles.
     Elephant are led by an experienced and wise female, the matriarch of the herd. The males live separately in bachelor groups; when the young males reach maturity they must leave the family herd. The matriarch is responsible for supervising the herd and guiding their travels, as well as maintaining discipline. All of the female elephants will participate in protecting and caring for the young babies. The elephants’ intelligence and strong family bonds are in many ways similar to humans.

     One of the elephant mothers lay down in the road for a short rest, but when she saw us she struggled to stand up quickly. One of the youngsters stood in front of her as if trying to shield her from view. The matriarch of the herd hurried over from the bushes on the left and admonished the mother elephant for sleeping in the road. A bit of shoving and pushing ensued; the matriarch was angry at the young mother.

     After receiving her reprimand from the matriarch the young mother decided to take out her frustration on us, and she came aggressively at our vehicle. Gee immediately backed up to give her some space. Then there was a standoff; the mother elephant stood in the road and would not let us by, and several of her buddies moved toward her to offer support. Gee said that elephants sometimes deliberately stand on both sides of the road to prevent vehicles passing. Elephants always have the right of way! We waited, and after a while they walked on and allowed us to continue up the road.

     Baobab Gardens is a grove of about eight massive baobab trees. They are not quite as big as the Bushman’s Baobab, but mighty all the same. We got out and walked around inside this circle of giants. It was quiet, a little like being in church. The Garden is a sacred place to the San people, and it is to me as well. These trees are more than a thousand years old; imagine the history that has taken place beneath them. I love this mystical, magical place.

     Sadly, many of the trees have severe elephant damage to their trunks. The Garden of Baobabs grows in a small rocky outcropping, and the jagged stones around their bases have helped keep the elephants away – but in recent years some of the lodges have removed many of the rocks to build decorative gardens, leaving the baobabs without their natural protection.

     Next we drove to Quarry Hill, one of the largest of the rugged kopjes. Shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds, and the trunks of the albaezia trees glowed white on the hillside. Two kudus stood at the top of the rugged cliff, silhouetted against the sky. I had read an article before the trip that stated, ‘The drive up Quarry Hill is not for the faint of heart’, which of course made me want to do it. But Gee said we would need a much more agile vehicle than the one we had, and besides, it is not allowed.

     We passed Cave Hill, which has two smaller baobabs near the base; it looked like it wouldn’t be too hard to hike up from the back side. I really wanted to climb to the top of one of these hills; I am sure the view would be fantastic. But Gee said climbing the hills is not permitted – which on further reflection I realized is a good thing; people climbing on the rocks would disturb the animals that make their homes there. I was glad we had gotten the chance to go part way up Bushman’s Rock when we visited the San paintings.
     We got back to camp shortly before one o'clock. We had lunch, and a bit of rest. Some of our group liked to take their bucket showers after lunch, but I preferred mine in the evening right before bed.

      We went back out in the afternoon under dark and stormy skies - Gee said this was an unusual amount of rain even for the rainy season. We drove along the Savuti channel. We saw two wildebeests and a large herd of impala, running from us frantically. Or maybe there were running from something else? We detoured to search in case a leopard might have been scaring them, but no luck.

     We did see a male lion though, fast asleep by the road. We presumed this was one of the lions we had seen the evening before near Leopard Rock, as we were in the same area. He sat up and yawned expansively when we paused, then flopped back down on his side to continue his snooze. 

     A fish eagle perched in a treetop; we were used to seeing them in the Delta, but not here in Savuti. A Gabar goshawk soared over us, and we watched a harrier hawk as it flew onto a tree, trying to raid a starling’s nest.

     We paused to watch a herd of young impala crossing a small channel. One by one they came to the edge, gathered themselves up, and leaped high and wide across the water. The adults casually took an easier way around, but the babies seemed to exalt in the challenge of leaping across the channel.

     We headed out to the Savuti Marsh. This is a wide plain that the Savuti Channel, when flowing, would empty into to create a vast marsh - but as the channel is dry now, the only water is from the rainfall.
     Gee found buffalo tracks; they were fresh and muddy, and it was obvious the herd had passed through very recently - we could even smell them. Two ground hornbills stood on top of a termite mound, pushing and shoving; they appeared to be playing ‘King of the Mountain.’

     We saw four ostriches out across the plain, two males and two females. We followed a small track to get closer. At first the ostriches walked sedately through the grass, but then the males broke off from the females and started to run. We couldn’t tell if it was some kind of mating ritual or if they were just running for the sheer joy of it, but those suckers are fast!
     Soon it appeared that one of the male ostriches was chasing the other. They careened across the plain, but instead of running straight, they zig-zagged back and forth comically, swaying their bodies from side to side, ducking their heads, alternately dropping one wing and then the other, all the while those giant drumsticks pumping like pistons propelling them at top speed. They were indescribably ridiculous.

    As we crossed the plain we started seeing more of the colorful carmine bee-eaters, which inhabit the marsh during the rainy season. They swooped past the land cruiser hunting for insects. We even saw one riding on the back of a Kori bustard.

     When we got out in the middle of the dry marsh the bee-eaters came after us in earnest. There were dozens of them, swooping in circles around the land cruiser, diving for the insects that flew up out of the grass in front of the vehicle. Soon the barn swallows joined them. We were trying hard to catch photos of the bee-eaters as they whizzed past, but it was very challenging to get the camera to focus on them quickly enough. We asked Gee to drive slowly so we could keep trying. The bee-eaters would hover beside us for a moment, flying in sync with the vehicle, and then swoop in dizzying circles around us. It was wild.

     Gee heard on the radio that the wild dogs had been spotted, and he took off driving fast to where they had last been seen. Several other vehicles were already there as we arrived. The dogs were milling about in the roadway; there were at least a dozen of them. Several were drinking from a big puddle. Then they started moving, trotting through the tall grass, weaving in and out. We followed them, sometimes driving ahead and then watching as they trotted past us. The dogs are such interesting animals; they are lean like a greyhound or lurcher, and they are built for speed and stamina.

     There is nothing quite like following the wild dogs when they hunt. It is a special kind of thrill. This group seemed to be mostly young dogs, Gee estimated about a year and a half old. There were a couple of more mature ones with the youngsters, there to keep an eye on them. Gee said another guide told him the dogs had gone after a young impala but missed.

     The adults had now moved on ahead to hunt, but this lot had stayed behind and were just half-heartedly starting to think about looking for prey. Some new arrivals joined them; by now they numbered around twenty. They all had round bellies so we could tell they had eaten earlier in the day, so they were not terribly motivated to hunt. After a while they lay down to rest and wait, so we left them.

     The light was fading as we headed back to camp. We passed a lovely giraffe near Bushman’s Rock. A bit further on we found two massive male lions walking side by side down the sand road. We followed them for a while, and then Gee pulled ahead of them and stopped, and we watched as they strode regally past us. The lions didn’t take much notice of us; they were like Hollywood stars bored with the paparazzi following them. But what super luck we were having with finding lions on this trip!     

     Another great day. Most of us thought the highlight was getting lost and seeing the eland, but photographing the carmine bee-eaters was also really special. And the wild dogs. Oh, and don’t forget those running, dancing ostriches!

     The lions were roaring in the night – close! At one point it sounded like they were right in the camp; I peeked out the tent flap with my flashlight but couldn’t see anything. Later we heard the whooping calls of hyenas. Hearing the lions calling in the night is one of my favorite things about a mobile safari – you don’t get the same experience in a lodge.

January 18
     At breakfast Paula told us she had gotten to see a civet in camp the night before; Gee had quietly pointed it out near the campfire, and she had been the only one still awake. We were driving at 6.30; I was in the front seat today. A pair of crested francolin walked through the wet grass under the trees; they are prettier than their much more common red-billed cousins.

     Two young male kudus were play-fighting at the edge of the woods. When we approached they took off, cantering away through the meadow. A single elephant was standing right in the road, hidden behind a large bush as we came around the turn.

     We got a good close look at a beautiful little male steenbok. These diminutive antelopes tend to take off if you stop to look at them, but this one stood his ground for a few minutes, staring back at us, before taking off into the underbrush.

     We circled Kudu Hill, looking for cats. We saw some lion footprints, probably from the two males we had seen in the road the evening before. Gee knew there was a leopardess that lived in this area, and he found her fresh tracks, indicating she must be close by. He stopped and listened for alarm calls for a long time, but we heard nothing, and found no further signs of the leopard. 

       We drove up the Savuti Channel. We passed an old hyena den; it had been dug out and was now used by warthogs. Gee told us it had been abandoned because a self-driver had gotten out and walked around the den. 
     We continued up the channel further than I had been before. It widened out to a lovely rolling open area where few people ever go. Several red-billed teal floated in a small waterhole. We saw another hyena den, this one also appeared to be abandoned. A double-banded sandgrouse picked his way along beside the road.
     Gee smelled honey badger spray, and saw both lion and honey badger tracks; he surmised that they must have confronted one another here. Further on we saw more lion tracks in the road, lots of them. There were tracks in both directions, indicating a pride of lions had walked up the road toward us, and then later walked back again. Gee could judge the freshness of the tracks by how much dew lay on the sand particles, and said the ones going in our direction were recent.  Again we were impressed by how he can read the signs and tracks, and interpret the story they tell. After a while the tracks turned off the road to the right, but around a bend we picked them up again; the lions had taken a shortcut. Eventually the tracks left the road again, this time for good.

      We spent some time with a very pretty female giraffe. I know I said I was not going to report every time we saw a particular animal if it was one we saw often, but somehow I can’t resist when it comes to the giraffes; every sighting of these amazing creatures is special.

    Great shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds, sending god’s rays down over the plain and the far Sand Ridge.  Quarry Hill was ahead on the right, and to the left we could see part of the Goha Hills in the distance. As we passed a waterhole four red-billed teal took off and flew past us, glistening in the fragile sunlight.     

     Around 9:30 we came upon a group of six black-backed jackals, and soon they were joined by two more. We realized they were two families, and they allowed us to get quite close. Several of the jackals gave an alarm call, but we could not tell what they were reacting to. The younger ones were sniffing around playfully and romping a little, and then they all turned and trotted off together.  

      A go-away bird looked down at us from a branch. These handsome grey birds get their name from their call, which sounds like a cross old hag telling you to ‘Go Away.’

     We had paused to watch a dung beetle rolling up his nesting dung ball when suddenly a huge supply lorry careened around the corner going way too fast and almost rear-ended us - it had to swerve into the sand bank on the left to avoid hitting us. Presumably the truck was bringing supplies to the lodges, but we were surprised to see a vehicle of this size navigating these small sand tracks at all, much less going at such a speed. After this screeching stop, the driver reversed to extricate the truck from the deep sand and drove off again without a word, quickly resuming his somewhat reckless pace.

     We had tea by a pretty waterhole while watching teal, comb ducks and spur-winged geese swimming, and a small herd of impala trying to get up the nerve to come to drink with us there. Soon the geese took off and flew away on powerful black and white wings. A crowned plover waded at the edge of the pool.  All around were pretty pink flowers that looked like morning glories; these were devil’s claw, and are often used by the local people for medicines.

     After tea we headed for Harvey’s Pan. A ground hornbill perched in a tree, which always seems an unexpected place to see one. A beautiful shaft-tailed whydah swept by, not pausing long enough for a photo. We got a better chance when a lilac-breasted roller posed on a branch by the road; we watched and tried to catch photos as he flew off to nab an insect and then quickly returned to the same perch. A bit later we also had a good close view of a blue-eared starling, with his short tail, brilliant blue color and bright orange eyes.

              ~ Continued on next page ~


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