Ninety lions (90) and a couple of barred owls.

[Bush dog]

@BRACQUENE

Thanks a lot, Peter, for your kind words!

 

@John M.

John, you can also find other closely related species in Africa and south America like the African skimmer and the black skimmer and the African anhinga and the American one for example.

 

 

[Bush dog]

Some last pictures around Shumba Pan :  elephants, hippo, helmeted guinea fowls and zebra, elephants and buffaloes, grey crowned crane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[marg]

@Bush dogA trip for you sharing a sighting with a fellow ST member.  Remember we were at Busanga Plains in 2018 observing the same lions?  Another missed opportunity for us.

[John M.]

8 hours ago, Bush dog said:

 

 

@John M.

John, you can also find other closely related species in Africa and south America like the African skimmer and the black skimmer and the African anhinga and the American one for example.

 

 

    Mike, I guess there are quite a few around the world.  Australia has an Anhinga, the Darter or Snakebird because of its long neck. The colouring looks different from the African species though.

[Bush dog]

@marg

 

Yes, I remember quite well, it was indeed in 2018, in September.  And, of course, another missed opportunity.

[Bush dog]

I come to what I consider to be my best or rather my two best sightings.  This happened in the same place with the same actors (5 lions, 2 males and 3 females) for two mornings in a row.
 

Masuma is a fenced camping and picnic site.  During the night, the access screen doors are closed.  Access to the large observation gallery overlooking the pan is only possible from the inside.

When you leave the site, towards Shumba Pan and Main Camp, the road descends steeply to arrive at the bottom, a few hundred meters further, at a gully above which a small concrete bridge has been built in order to allow, under it, in the rainy season, the flow of water towards the pan which is to the right of the road.

 

On the left of the road, just after the bridge, there is an open space without vegetation surrounded by mopanes and other brush and bushes.  This is very popular with lions who find it an excellent hunting ground allowing them, in pursuit of prey, to run without encountering obstacles.  The raised outer side of the gully allows them to scan the place and stalk any potential prey.  As for the gully itself, it allows them, if necessary, to hide before rushing out.  And to quench their thirst, they don't need to go to the pan.  There are, in fact, many holes dug by elephants which are fantastic “dowsers”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small herd of elephants drinking, completely unaware, due to their poor eyesight, of the presence of lions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

Last pictures of the first morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can see that our presence worries the lioness on the left a little.

 

 

 

 

 

The elephants leave the place without ever realizing the presence of the lions.

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

The next morning, we immediately decided to go to Masuma to check if the lions were still there.  And there, they were and had killed a young elephant during the night.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know how this jackal managed to steal this rather large piece from them.  Still, it was too heavy to carry.  So it had to start eating it on the spot in order to lighten it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued.....

[offshorebirder]

Thanks  for this continuing trip report@Bush dog 

 

A tiny elephant is a big meal for lions in the dry season.

 

[Bush dog]

@offshorebirder

 

It's a big meal, indeed, for a small group, five in the occurence.  If there had been twenty of them, the prey would have already been almost completely devoured.

In the dry season, due to the convergence of animals towards artificial water points, the others being dried up, like Masuma, Shumba, Deteema and a few others, they can easily carry out their predation.  In some cases, they no longer have to bother hunting.  There are quite a few animals, particularly elephants, who die of exhaustion or other natural deaths.  When we left the sighting, we went to take a look at the pan from the viewing gallery.  There was, on the opposite side along the water, another dead elephant, with no predators nearby.  This one wasn't there the day before.

[Bush dog]

 

 

 

 

 

The jackal was still very busy lightening the piece it had managed to steal from the lions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued .....

[Bush dog]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The jackal finally managed to move its piece of meat to perhaps bury it as I have already seen them do in the past in Hwange.  Hiding food for later, an attitude similar to that of squirrels.

 

 

 

To be continued .....

[ElenaH]

@Bush dogwhat date was it?

Great pictures by the way! The lioness' yellow eyes are shining bihing the bloody carcass...

[Bush dog]

@ElenaH

 

Thanks!  It was on the 6 & 7th of October.

[Bush dog]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued .....

[Bush dog]

 

After a good meal, what's better than to quench your thirst.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued .....

[offshorebirder]

Superb lion shots @Bush dog

[Bush dog]

@offshorebirder  Thanks!  Here are the latest in this series.

 

 

Now that the female has joined the male near the small pond, it obviously has other things in mind than drinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

Page 1: I hope the old Mandavu female died peacefully after a full life of lion activity.  These elephant hunting lions could be a threat to that intrepid baby elephant.  Great images.

 

You really have created a lion and elephant pictorial and not just as predators on the kill, though those are quite spectacular shots.  Such nice light for the majority.  Always a gift.  Two iconic species captured beautifully.  Plus the birds, jackals, antelope and others of course.

Edited December 2, 2023 by Atravelynn

[Bush dog]

It is always a great honor to receive comments and compliments from @Atravelynn .

Thank you so much, Lynn!

[Bush dog]

For the Hwange chapter, I did a second review of my images to see if there were still any good enough to post. Here they are.

 

Elephants at Shumba.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elephants at Chitubu Camp's waterhole.

 

 

Elephant at Mafa's Pan.

 

[Atravelynn]

On 12/3/2023 at 2:46 AM, Bush dog said:

It is always a great honor to receive comments and compliments from @Atravelynn .

Thank you so much, Lynn!

Why thank you.  I have not been commenting or complimenting for a few months.  Just busy.  Hope to be interacting again. 

 

More great ele shots!

 

[Bush dog]

@Atravelynn

When you write that I created an elephant and lion pictorial, I consider it as a great compliment.  

 

As for the quality of your interventions on this forum, it is still excellent and very personal and comparable to no other since@graceland is not there anymore.

[Bush dog]

Buffaloes at Mandavu.

 

 

Sables at Shumba.

 

 

 

The male of the Dolilo pride (Robins area).

 

 

 

 

 

Giraffes at Robins.

 

 

Giraffe(s) near Masuma.

 

 

[Bush dog]

Elephants and impalas near and at Masuma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow-billed kite.

 

 

Two males of the Mandavu pride.

 

 

Zebras an helmeted guinea fowls at Shumba.

 

 

Waterbuck at Masuma.