Shinde dogs and Selinda cats

[michael-ibk]

Agree - tons of great Dog sightings and wonderful photos capturing those scenes. Thanks!

[Bush dog]

@@michael-ibk

 

And thank you for following this report.

[madaboutcheetah]

Mike, Lovely catching up with the report ........ Botswana truly rocks!!!!

 

How did you like Shinde overall?

 

And what news of cheetah? Did you see the single male cheetah in Selinda? and the new male coalition?

[Bush dog]

@@madaboutcheetah

 

Hi Hari,

 

Did not see any cheetah at Shinde or Selinda. The only one I saw was in Hwange, a single male, and briefly.

 

I gave my overall impressions on Shinde on post #14.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks, Mike ...... Look forward to the rest of the report.

[Bush dog]

Shortly after leaving the dogs, a strong wind had risen. One can see it on the pictures by looking at the mane.

 

Well are you ready?

 

 

Yes, let’s do it on the other side of the tree.

 

 

Back to watch post.

 

 

Back to the starting point.

 

[Bush dog]

Before launching the Selinda episode, here are some pictures of birds.

 

Striped kingfisher

 

 

Woodland kingfisher

 

 

Reed cormorant

 

 

African jacana

 

 

Wattled crane

 

 

Great white heron with a cat(ch)fish

 

 

And the photogenic black-bellied korhaan

 

[michael-ibk]

Always love the Woodland KF - one of my favourites.

[Towlersonsafari]

Some of the most beautiful Lion pictures I have seen @@Bush dog

Edited December 31, 2016 by Towlersonsafari

[offshorebirder]

Lots of excellent photos in this thread Mike. Thanks for sharing this enjoyable TR.

 

I especially like the 4th photo in post #49! The lions are nestled in a crook at the base of the tree in bottom left, and the sweep of the plains expands outward to frame right. Superb framing of a beautiful scene.

 

And in post #57, the male Lion resting his chin on the tree root is outstanding! He has a pensive look on his face and the wind ruffling his mane adds a special dimension to the photo.

[optig]

@Bushdog I love all your bird photos, but I particularly love those of the woodland kingfisher. It's such a colorful bird.

[Bush dog]

@@Towlersonsafari

 

Thank you so much! Probably that the natural beauty of the lion and the wind helped a lot.

[Bush dog]

@@optig

 

Thank you so much also! The woodland kingfisher is indeed a bird apart.

[Bush dog]

@@offshorebirder

 

Thank you so much for following this report!

[Kitsafari]

I too love those pensive shots of the male lion, totally relaxed and resting his head on the massive root and making a supermodel pose with the windswept mane. It is such a homely picture in that it reminded me of pet cats and dogs using the log or pillow as a head rest.

 

and not your fault - more a case of me not reading your TR text properly and mistaking Shinde for Selinda!

[Bush dog]

When we took off from Shinde, it was raining. Thirty minutes later, we landed in SELINDA, still in the rain but much less strong. I noticed that a tent, with two armchairs and a coffee table and a nice carpet on the floor, had been erected along the runway, a sort of departure lounge so that guests could wait for their flight, if necessary, comfortably sheltered from the elements. OB, who would not be our guide during these four days, was waiting for us. Indeed, I had asked to be on Mots’ vehicle which was at the time out with guests.

 

On the way to Main Camp, I could again see how great wildlife diversity is in the concession: elephants herds, buffaloes, giraffes, kudus, tsessebes, lechwes, ………….. I also witnessed something that I had never seen so far. Along the spillway, we found the body of an impala female, presumably dead by giving birth. It had to be recent, there were still no predators or scavengers around. A few hundred meters further, we found another, apparently dead in the same circumstances. Two eagles were there already, a tawny and a bateleur. To our astonishment, observing the scene with the binoculars, we found that, in fact, the unfortunate female was still alive, but agonizing!

 

Arrived at camp, Noxy and her staff gave me a warm welcome, not a commercial but a sincere one as if I were a family member who had not been seen for a long time, one more proof that this camp is unique.

 

1^st GAME DRIVE

 

It was nice to see Mots again. In the morning, with the three other persons on the vehicle, he had seen the Selinda pride, hunting, in the Explorer’s Camp area. Later, when he was already back, they told him by radio that, eventually, their hunt had been successful. So, we decided to go to the place of the kill.

 

On the way, we came across this unusual sighting.

 

 

The calf was born one or two days before. Since then, and it was not for want of trying, it was, in vain, attempting to stand up to, firstly reach its mother’s teats, then be mobile. The risk of dying of starvation or perishing under the claws of predators increased as the hours went by. Its mother to protect it from the sun and insects covered it regularly with dust.

 

 

This hippo had died from injuries sustained during a territorial fight. The pride had been seen, the previous days, feeding on it.

 

 

We found two hippos in a small pond. We were going to see them again, the following days, either together or alone, in this pool or in another a little further.

 

 

Finally, we arrived at the place of the kill, located in mopanes.

[Bush dog]

1^st GAME DRIVE

 

As Great Plains only allows a maxima of three cars on a sighting, all guests of Explorer’s camp had been, for the occasion, gathered in the same vehicle. Only two to three lions were busy feeding on the buffalo, the other seven were close by, doubtless already pleasantly full.

 

[Alexander33]

@@Bush dog

 

I am thoroughly enjoying this wonderful report. I always appreciate your insightful thoughts and value your opinions.

 

Quite the introduction to Selinda! Nature is both miraculous and merciless, isn't it? Looking forward to more. Love your photography, as usual.

[madaboutcheetah]

Mike, Love those close-ups on that last segment. Incredibly creative with the composition there!

[Bush dog]

@@madaboutcheetah

 

You are too kind but I do really appreciate it. Thanks, Hari!

[Bush dog]

@@Alexander33

 

Thank you so much for your kind comments.

[Bush dog]

1^st GAME DRIVE

 

The seven other lions were close by, resting and drinking.

 

 

The night drive, on the way back to the camp, allowed us to see the usual wildlife like scrubhare and african wildcat but also a big leopard, a male. Mots told us that its diurnal behavior was totally different from the nocturnal in that the day it was extremely shy and the night super relaxed. This reminds me of a remark, recently made to me by Julian Brockstein, about animal behavior in general, that from day to night, it often goes from Jekyll to Hyde.

 

2nd GAME DRIVE

 

This morning, we woke up at 4:30 to be out at 5:00 to go and see the lions again. We saw a lot of animals on the way, among others, a herd of buffaloes, two couple of ostriches and their chicks, and five roan antelopes. We learned that the newborn elephant, that could not get up, had finally succeeded in doing so and with its mother left the place where they had been seen the day before. We also passed again close to the hippo carcass. A side-striped jackal was struggling with a large piece of it.

 

[Geoff]

Wow, Mots still at Selinda. He's a permanent fixture there.

 

Good to know the concession is still producing excellent and sometimes unusual sightings.

[Bush dog]

@@Geoff

 

Yes, he is still there and not the only "permanent fixture". There are still three others from the Linyanti Explorations time : BB's brother, Mokonde (maintenance), Maggy (in charge of the rooms at Main Camp) and Siya (cooker at Main Camp).

[Geoff]

@@Bush dog Very good. I didn't realise Mokonde was BB's brother. Do you know where Barberton is now?