Hwange with Julian Brookstein at Chitubu Camp

[Bush dog]

@offshorebirder

 

It is indeed a very large warthog!

[Bush dog]

@Julian

 

They are, indeed, the lions I'm refering to.  I saw those two females, for the first time, 6 years ago

[Bush dog]

The afternoon was a bit quieter.  We first went to the Kashawe area where Julian suspected the presence of lions from the number of scavengers we had seen there the previous day.  Once again he was right.  From a viewpoint similar to that near Masuma, he spotted three in the distance.  Unfortunately the place was inaccessible.

 

 

Brown snake-eagle

 

 

We ended the day having our sundowners at the same location as the day before, in Mandavu.

 

 

Elephants on their way to the water.

 

 

The lonely hippo getting slowly used to our presence.

 

 

[Bush dog]

 

Day 1

 

We left camp very early, out for a full-day drive to the Robins area (60 kilometers from camp).

 

On our way, we stopped at Mandavu.

 

 

 

 

Yellow-billed stork

 

Then we continued in the direction of Masuma but turned right, before reaching it, to Deteema and Robins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we stopped at Deteema to check if there was something interesting.  At the camping site, the ranger told us that we had just missed four lions. The rangers are an important source of information on the sites where they are on permanent duty and from where they do not move. 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

Sorry, Day 3 of course

[Bush dog]

Between Deteema and Robins.

 

 

 

Dark chanting goshawk

 

 

 

Some birds at Salt pan in the Robins area.

 

 

 

 

Red-billed teals

 

 

Black-winged stilts

 

 

Ruff

 

 

Grey heron in the nest

[Bush dog]

Two months ago, much of the Robins area was ravaged by fire as can be seen in the photos of it.  The secretary bird had captured a snake which was immediately stolen from it by a tawny eagle.  The secretaery bird then tried to retrieve it.  In the end, both ended up abandoning it.  We went to look on the spot and found that it was a big puff adder, surprised and killed by fire.

 

 

I secretly hoped to see again, at Big Toms, the fantastic pride of ten lionesses that I had seen five years ago on an elephant kill.  We haven't found them.  The dominant male at the time, Vusi, who was already quite old, was obviously no longer there.  Shortly after, it disappeared, probably chased by one or more rivals. Two years after this disappearance, his collar was found, and I am quite serious, miles away, near Nxai Pan. This says a lot about the long end-of-life wanderings of an old lion.

 

However, other lions, two males, including a one-eyed one, two females and four cubs, were there, close to an old dead elephant which they had obviously not killed, died of an unknown cause.  Julian told me that they would probably abandon it because of the difficulties in opening it.  Moreover, they had only consumed the tender parts, namely the trunk and the penis. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

Crossing the Big Toms river, a three-banded plover and chick.

 

 

 

Back to the lions.

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back, stop at Salt pan.  

 

 

 

Grey herons in their nests.

 

 

[ElenaH]

very interesting reading, @Bush dog, especially becasue we are often in Hwange. Last year we met Julian on the road to Mandavu, he was looking for the place for the camp with the investor. He didn't say the name of the camp, he just said to look for Julian Safaris ;-)  And now the camp is built. Great!

Can you pos some photos of main or dining area as well?

I am looking forward to reading abot your next days in Hwange.

 

[Bush dog]

@ElenaH

Thanks !

 

I did not make any pictures of the main area but you can find some at the following address:

 

https://campchitubu.com/

[Bush dog]

On the way back, we stopped at Masuma which was, for once, not very busy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4

 

We started the day by Kashawe in search of lions.  We saw elephants, giraffes, kudus and a large herd of buffaloes in the distance, but not the lions this time.  We decided to go to Masuma by the road that runs along the Lukosi River and joins the main road before Masuma.  This is very little used by tourist vehicles. 

The vegetation being quite dense there, there are very few open spaces.  It was after a few elephants, giraffes and kudus that Julian spotted a lion in the bushes.  After a few minutes, he counted fifteen, an adult male, a few subadults, females and cubs.  I'm sure there were more.  Without him, I would never have been able to see them.  Some of them, the young ones, had probably not yet been confronted with a vehicle often.  They were indeed suspicious.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

At Masuma again with elephants, kudus, impalas and helmeted guineafowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John M.]

I'm not surprised you were pleased with the lodge in Zambezi National Park. My favourite Vic Falls accommodation was the A'Zambezi,  not quite as far out of town but still nicely removed. As for ZNP, probably one of my best and most enjoyable photo experiences was had there in 12 years of Africa visits.

[John M.]

As for Hwange, your photos indicate splendid wildlife sightings.  Mine were far less impressive in 1998, though on foot we did get within 15 metres of a black rhino (and didn't take any photos in case camera noise alarmed or annoyed it ) and on foot again reached a wild dog den only to have the pack melt away into the bush. 

[Bush dog]

Still during the morning and at Masuma, hippos, impalas and crocodiles, kudus, baboons, buffaloes, elephants, waterbuck.  On the second image, we can distinguish the dorsal crest of a crocodile which made a failed attempt to catch an impala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

In the afternoon, on our way to Kashawe.

 

 

Again, Julian wanted to go to the Kashawe area to find lions.  And this time his perseverance was rewarded. These are the three lions seen in the distance on the second day, to which was added a fourth who was probably already with the others that day, but out of sight.

 

 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

Excellent bird shots!  The sable were posing for you too.  How nice to find young lion cubs with super model moms, no less.  The pans were really active.  Those giraffe wash basins are gorgeous.

[Bush dog]

@Atravelynn

 

Thanks a lot, Lynn!  It's always a pleasure to have your comments on a report.  More sables to come!  The wash basins were created by a South African woman.  In each tent, the animals are different.

[Bush dog]

We ended the day, as usual, by the sundowners, in Mandavu once again, but this time at a location diametrically opposed to that of the previous days, not far from the main road.

 

 

 

While we were commenting on the day, these two lionesses appeared on our left, extremely relaxed, not at all bothered by our presence, to stop just between us and the pan and drink there and to then continue on their way.

 

 

 

 

 

But that's not all. Also coming from our left, came this male lion obviously very interested in one of the lionesses who seemed to be ready to mate but not quite yet.

 

 

 

 

[ElenaH]

On 11/20/2022 at 10:52 AM, Bush dog said:

Right after Shumba, on our way to Roan, Julian spotted two lionesses, "The Super Models", and three cubs on a male warthog's kill.

I met "Super Models" in 2015 in Shumba, too. They had cubs, too. We were with Julian as well staying in Camp Hwange. How old can they be? I guess 9-10 years old? They still look like super models. 

[Bush dog]

@ElenaH

Yes, they must be around 9-10 years old.

[Bush dog]

Day 5

 

The welcoming committee at Masuma.

 

 

 

 

Our intelligence service, at Masuma, told us that the lions were a few hundred meters further near the concrete bridge.  There were three subadult males on a young elephant kill just along the road.  We were there later in the morning the previous day and there was nothing.  It was therefore less than 24 hours since the kill had taken place, perhaps at night.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

A fourth soon joined them.

 

 

And a fifth to complete their coalition which will undoubtedly be very powerful when they reach adulthood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

Portraits of three of them.

 

 

 

 

 

The sun and the rising temperature, two of them have already found refuge under one of the few bushes providing enough shade.

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

Two went to join the others in the shade.  The latter then realized that it was somehow tricked into being forced to keep the carcass, under the scorching sun.  As soon as it pretended to move away from it, the scavengers approached it.  As a result, it must have told itself that in this case, it was better to combine duty with pleasure.  So it continued to feed on the remains of the young elephant.