'Stuff doing stuff' - A return to the Kafue.

[wilddog]

Reading both this report and @Galagos sections in the joint report, it is clear that lucky timing, and of course good guiding, has a huge influnce on sightings. My time there? No dogs and very limited leopard.  So good to to see all your images from ? A week later.

 

That elephant was by the tents almost daily and he plodded oast my tent during siesta time and bathed just outside. Well done handling your encounter so well.

 

Re Mrs Tripod, was there any suggestion she was pregnant? And did Phil think she was seeking refuge in camp due to the changing pride dynamics?

Really enjoying this. 

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by wilddog

[Zim Girl]

I know, @wilddog, we actually said how unlucky you were, when we were looking at @Galago's leopard sightings along with ours.

There was talk that Mrs Tripod might be pregnant.  Obviously this would be a real problem for her in term of providing food for a cub.  One answer might be if her sister was pregnant at the same time they might creche together and she could share food with her.  Not sure if that was an actual possibility or a vain hope.  

Not sure about whether her presence in camp is due to a change in pride dynamics, although if that sub adult male can be turfed out and the whole pride get back together it might help her position.  I think that they are aware it could become a problem in the future if she starts to feel safer there or see it as a source of food.

[wilddog]

More like a vain hope I think................

[michael-ibk]

Super stuff doing sensational stuff, Angie, and you caught all of it brilliantly. Such awesome Dog sightings, and Lions and Leopards galore. Wonderful! Not noticing an elephant could totally happen to me, if I saw a bird up a tree or on the ground. And since I always tend to see something of that I would probably bump into that Elephant. 😁

[Zim Girl]

Thank you Michael.  We were so lucky with the dogs.

I hope you all had a great time in Zim.  Looking forward to that report eventually.

[Zim Girl]

So we had two full days at Ntemwa.  The first day we had morning and afternoon game drives staying at the southern end of the Plains.  The second day we took a packed lunch and went out into the Plains proper.

 

On the first morning we followed the tree line to see what was about.  Initially we passed through an area that was full of warthog families.  Then we found Roan, Sable and Reedbuck.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Zim Girl]

Further along and away from the trees we found a young male walking.

 

He passed by us and we watched as he tucked himself into the bushes on a small 'island' nearby.

 

 

 

Then we saw there was also a female.  She must have been around the other side of the bushes.

 

She tried to climb in alongside the male.

 

But he was having none of it and growled at her to move off.

 

Which she did.  She walked off to another island of bushes.

 

 

By the look on his face, it's possible he regretted being so hasty.

 

So he came out of the bush to see where she went.

 

 

She must have taken pity on him because she came back to give him another chance.

 

 

 

And this time he didn't say no!

 

 

 

 

By now it was well after 11am, so we slowly made our way back towards camp.

 

[Zim Girl]

We were the only guests in camp for lunch, the place was wonderfully quiet and peaceful.

They have an open hide set up near the main dining area which looks over a small pond.  Bushbuck are often seen wandering around here.

 

The main bar area and seating for lunch.

 

 

 

 

[Galago]

Great pics of the lions mating. The penultimate one needs a caption, the difference in the facial expressions is hilarious!

[Zim Girl]

For our afternoon drive, we went to the river and lagoon not far from camp.  At that time of day it is a very beautiful area and we saw lots of birdlife including Great White Pelicans, Marabou and Yellow-billed storks and African Spoonbills.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we moved to watch the resident hippo pod, while we had sundowners.

 

 

This particular hippo seemed to like rolling around in the water.

 

The surrounding wooded area was glowing in the setting sun.

 

 

Then we spotted an elephant drinking on the other side of the water.  We were also spotted, but the ele carried on walking along the bank.

 

 

This was one of our best sunsets.

 

Once the sun had gone down we drove around the surrounding plain.  We saw a female lion with her two sub-adult female cubs. We followed them for a short way but then we could see one of them had found a plastic bottle. Phil wanted to hang around until she dropped it so he could get rid of it, which she did after a while.

 

 

 

See the plastic bottle by her paws.

 

Luckily she didn't start chewing it, and left it and walked away.

 

 

 

[Zim Girl]

The next day we spent the whole day out on the Busanga Plains with a packed lunch.

On the way out of camp we saw 2 honey badgers chasing each other around a tree.  They whizzed down a hole as soon as they saw us so no pictures.

Also nearby was a small herd of wildebeest. Then it was down the long road to the Plains.

 

 

 

Wattled Crane

 

Side-striped Jackal

 

Next we found a young male lion, possibly the one from yesterday, eyeing up some red lechwe.  He slowly followed them but didn't show any real interest and after a few minutes veered away and crossed a small water channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lechwe can go back to grazing now.

 

Disappointingly, there were no big herds of buffalo or wildebeest, and the lechwe were mainly scattered around in relatively small groups.

A bit later we bumped into Paul Barnes (ex owner of Pioneer camp) who told us that 2 female lions were in the vicinity of 'one fig'.  This area used to have a huge fig tree growing there which was a bit of a landmark, but had since fallen over in a storm.  Everyone still calls it 'one fig'.  We drove over and the collared female known as Princess and her sister were there lazing around.  After chilling separately for a bit, they got up and walked over to some bushes and laid down together in the shade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped by 'hippo pools' for a tea break.

 

 

Then carried on driving around.

 

Grey crowned crane

 

African Fish Eagle

 

These two hippo looked like they may have been about to have a bit of a disagreement, but it came to nothing.

 

We had lunch at 'Acacia Island'.  There wasn't much about apart from a few elephants in the distance, but it was a lovely spot to eat.

Then Phil got a call to say 2 male lions had been seen not far away so when we were ready we set off to find them.

 

It took a while because they were quite well hidden, but we eventually spotted them.  They were totally uninterested in us and were definitely not for getting up.

 

 

By now it was half three and we started the long drive back towards camp.  When we got closer we found the small herd of wildebeest again.

 

 

We got back into camp at 5.30 with plenty of time to get showered and have sundowners around the camp fire watching the sunset.

[Zim Girl]

This morning we were driving back to Musekese.  On the way, to make the most of the beautiful rising sun, we parked off the road and walked down to the riverbank and through the surrounding woodland full of gnarled old trees.  The sun reflecting on the water looked amazing.

 

 

A few hippos were scattered about watching us.

 

 

We could have stayed there ages as the woodland area was beautiful.

 

 

 

But we had to get going.  A while later we stopped for morning tea at a very picturesque lagoon with lots of birdlife including this goliath heron and the odd baboon looking on.

 

 

We took a detour for a change of scenery by the Lufupa river and met a Zambian Carnivore Project vehicle coming the other way. Anna, who was driving, looked very excited and when we pulled up she got out and told us they had seen a female cheetah with 2 male sub adult cubs laying down further back along the road.  She gave Phil the exact location co-ordinates and we set off to try and find them.  It took a while as they must have moved but finally I spotted them under a tree out in the grassland.  However, they were very nervous and as soon as we stopped they all got up and trotted off.  Phil didn't want to follow and he wondered if they had been harassed since Anna had seen them as she said they were relaxed.

We carried on and got back into camp at 11am.

After lunch, I had a mooch around camp and the usual suspects were still out and about.

 

 

There were a couple of vervet monkeys with small babies that I had seen at camp since the start of the trip and this one was relaxed enough to let me take a picture.

 

A bit later, I watched a baby being left by the mum while she was picking through the leaves nearby.  I took a picture of it but it saw me with the camera and freaked out.  Mum came running back over and whisked it away.  Poor thing, I felt quite guilty about giving it a fright.

[BRACQUENE]

@Zim Girl

 

All this brings back a lot of memories from my 2019 Trans Kafue Safari : Ntemwa has changed a bit but the lagoon and the " famous" male bushbuck at Musekese certainly haven't   Thanks a lot for sharing !

[Galago]

Great photos, and the early sun on the river is a delight. And you saw cheetah! Now that was a big treat!

[Zim Girl]

Thank you @BRACQUENE and @Galago.

 

We decided on another boat trip for this afternoon, going the opposite direction to Skimmer island.  On the way down to the mooring point we found a big male leopard in a tree.  This is MSM3, and apparently he is quite fond of this tree.  He was having a nice snooze and not too keen on showing his best side.

 

 

 

He did shift at one point and held onto the branch when he moved which looked quite cute.  But he still wasn't interested in looking at us so we left him to his nap and carried on to the boat.

 

 

We had some luck with the kingfishers.  First, a Malachite and then another Half-collared, which allowed us to get quite close.  

 

 

 

 

Finally found one of these with a head!

 

Then we spotted an elephant browsing on the river bank.  We glided slowly in to say hello.

 

He was nice and calm but a bit shy.

 

 

There was another beautiful sunset over the river.  We came in slightly earlier than normal, just in case we could find that male leopard still near his tree.  However, he was nowhere to be seen - never mind.

[Zim Girl]

For this morning, Phil had worked out another way of giving us a long walk, while also incorporating a visit to the APU and Musekese Conservation.

We were going to take the boat with JohnD and the scout, as far as the start of the SCZ.  Then we would walk as far as we could, time permitting, to the APU.  JohnD would carry on with the boat to pick us up from the APU.

 

We started walking at 6.45am.  Only a couple of minutes in we heard a lion roaring.  Phil thought it was one of the 2 male lions.  We went in that direction and found his tracks, which we followed for a short while until they disappeared.  Unfortunately we didn't hear from him again and didn't pick up any more tracks, so he was either travelling much faster than us or had completely changed direction.  Still, it was fun for a bit!

We didn't see much else other than the odd small group of puku.  We walked for around 3 and a half hours then Phil said we would have to take the boat for the last stretch to the APU or we would run out of time for them to do their presentation.  So he radioed JohnD, who picked us up and took us in.

 

As others have said, a visit here is very worthwhile to see the amazing work that is being done.  We were met by Victor and Ruth, who gave us a very interesting talk about Musekese Conservation and showed us around the compound.

 

We left at 12.00 and JohnD whizzed us back to camp for a late lunch.

 

We had a quiet drive in the afternoon. The best bit was a lucky spot by me of a young male leopard sitting well off the track in the long grass.  Phil didn't know him but guessed he was around a year old and thought maybe the mum might be around somewhere.  He was a little bit nervous so we hung back and waited just in case an adult appeared.  Nothing happened and the young leopard just stayed sitting in the grass, so we left him and went for sundowners.

 

It's no wonder leopards can be hard to find with this camouflage.

 

After sundowners, we went back to see if he was still there.  He was, but was quite settled and still no sign of any adult, so we left him alone.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Zim Girl

[Galago]

Well, I'm no expert in leopard ID, but that youngster looks very similar to the youngster we saw on the river bank as we were leaving on the morning of 28th Sept. I posted some photos at the end of the TR attached to the one started by @wilddog.  What do you think @Zim Girl?  Coud it be the same one or is it just wishful thinking on my part? 

[Zim Girl]

I have just been comparing and I think you could be right @Galago.  The markings around the eyes look the same and there is a very small 'V' nick on the top of his left ear.  You can't see it on my picture without zooming right in, but it is there, and can also be seen on your picture.

Phil asked me to send him my pictures, which I did, and he sent them to MC to add to their database for ID purposes.

[Zim Girl]

This morning we are in the vehicle, and the plan is to take a loop out of camp and then get on to the access road that is used to drive into camp through the Park from the main road.  

A couple of minutes from camp we bumped into 2 male elephants.  They came up to the vehicle to say hello, then moved aside into the bushes to browse.

 

Phil taking a quick video of the ele by the vehicle.

 

The area we are going into is full of tsetse flies so Phil douses the whole vehicle in the spray that is rigged up by the side of the road for the transfer vehicles to use before they come into camp.  

In we go! 

It is a shame the area is so fly ridden as it is very beautiful.  The sun is now just rising and there is a lovely golden glow everywhere.  As we drive through the woodland we see Roan, Sable, Oribi and Reedbuck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it is a bit of a surprise as you come out of the woodland and into a vast open plain area.

 

There are small groups of zebra dotted around.

 

We see quite a few warthogs and more reedbuck as we slowly drive through the grass.  There isn't much of a road as generally guests don't come here.  When we got back to the woodland we made a fairly quick dash through, as the effects of the spray was wearing off and the tsetse's were making a move on us.

It became a bit of an antelope morning as we also saw more hartebeest, waterbuck, common duiker and finally some kudu, which was nice as we had only had really distant views of kudu so far.

Even here they are hiding but at least they are closer.

 

We were back in camp for around 11am.  After lunch we had a nice view of an elephant drinking at the lagoon from our tent.

 

 

On my usual mooch around I found the lovely little resident Barred Owlet.

 

Final afternoon boat trip coming up.

[Galago]

7 hours ago, Zim Girl said:

I have just been comparing and I think you could be right @Galago.  The markings around the eyes look the same and there is a very small 'V' nick on the top of his left ear.  You can't see it on my picture without zooming right in, but it is there, and can also be seen on your picture.

Phil asked me to send him my pictures, which I did, and he sent them to MC to add to their database for ID purposes.

Great, I'm glad I mentioned it. Would it help if |I send him my pics, or does he have enough with your pics?  

 

Love the photo of the Barred Owlet.

[Zim Girl]

15 hours ago, Galago said:

Great, I'm glad I mentioned it. Would it help if |I send him my pics, or does he have enough with your pics?  

 

Love the photo of the Barred Owlet.

I only sent him the one on the TR as it was nearly sunset and not the best quality.  Yours are clearer, so could help.  If you do, tell them it is the same leopard we saw on the pm drive on 3rd October.

[Galago]

Ah, ok, will do. Not sure which email to use. Can you DM me please? Thanks

[Kitsafari]

well, the finfoot is my nemesis and I'd never ever got a decent shot of it, not in Kafue, not in Gabon, so I consider your finfoot shot a triumph still! wish i had one like yours showing its funny feet! 

 

Dogs at Musekesee! wow, and the plains was pumping even with lions which we didn't see when we were a few years back. (wow it's already five years ago)

Did Ntemwa move location since 2017? 

[Zim Girl]

13 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

well, the finfoot is my nemesis and I'd never ever got a decent shot of it, not in Kafue, not in Gabon, so I consider your finfoot shot a triumph still! wish i had one like yours showing its funny feet! 

 

Dogs at Musekesee! wow, and the plains was pumping even with lions which we didn't see when we were a few years back. (wow it's already five years ago)

Did Ntemwa move location since 2017? 

We searched for finfoot every time we went out on the boat.  That was the only time I got a clear shot at it and it turned and ran!

The dog packs in their part of the Kafue do seem to be doing very well at the moment.

I believe the rooms at Ntemwa have been upgraded but I don't know if the actual location has changed.

 

[Zim Girl]

This was our last trip out on the boat and we went all the way down to Skimmer island to see if we could actually see any!

On the way we found a Pan-hinged terrapin and a very chilled looking crocodile, which made a change.

 

 

We reached Skimmer island and there were actually 3 pairs of skimmers flying around and skimming.  

 

 

We watched them for quite a while and then broke out the sundowners.

 

On the bank in the distance we had seen a large group of puku grazing.  Now we could see they all had their heads up and were all watching to the right.  We looked in that direction and below the bank was a leopard lying on the sand.

Phil quickly turned on the engine and we went a bit closer.  Phil said it was another un-named male he didn't recognise but guessed his age at around 2 and a half years.

 

 

Unfortunately we couldn't get too close as this particular area is very shallow with sandbanks.  We watched the leopard get up and walk along the bank.

 

Then we got stuck!  

Phil jumped out and started rocking the boat back and forth to try to get it free.

 

We had a leopard to follow before it got too dark.

 

It took about 15 minutes, then we were finally deep enough to get going.

Luckily the leopard had settled down a short way along the bank and we were able to reposition a bit closer to him.  

 

 

Pictures of this leopard were also sent back to Phil, to see if they could find any matches to their known individuals.