Finally! We are at last experiencing the long awaited boost in sightings since our last report.

The waters are playing tricks again and it appears that there is a very small flood this year. Some waters across roads have dried up while others have been rising causing the dry ones to flow again and due to the large amount of elephant, buffalo and hippo activity recently, the main stream is very dirty again this year.

A constant presence has been the huge elephant herds along the water ways and plains as well as the buffalo herd who have also finally reappeared. For a few days the buffalo had to put up with being hounded and harassed by a couple of male lion and one lioness which provided exciting viewing for guides and guests alike. A number of attempts at a kill were observed as the herd came together to protect the target and chase the lioness off. Her persistence paid off and with the help of the two males, they eventually managed to dispatch the ailing buffalo who by now had suffered a large amount of blood loss from the wounds received. Guests observing the finale returned to camp with tear stained faces and in sympathy for the ill fated buffalo!

The pride of lion we spoke of in our last report had left the area but have since returned so that the new males who settled here in their absence have had to patrol and mark their terrain all over again, keeping everyone up at night enjoying the cats chorus (hyena have added to the chorus by calling profusely at night too). Wild dog have also been spotted over this period but for short sojourns while leopard and cheetah have been surprisingly open in their presence here and among all the other predators; We recently had a mother with two kittens provide us with a marvellous photo opportunity as they hunted impala openly for all to see.

Our family of genets who now have a youngster with them, often enjoy lofty views of the dinner table from the thatched roof above much to the amusement of our guests. The baboons and monkeys have added to the hilarity in camp by sitting on the tent roofs and watching guests as they answer the call of nature! More news from in camp is that our resident bushbuck have recently produced two offspring this month and the one lamb has become quite attached to the bushbuck Ram who is obviously doing a good job at looking after his kids! They are such a delight to see in camp.

As the onset of spring brings with it the new sounds of birds calling overhead, we watch the skies anxiously for the return of the migrants. In the meantime, we continue to have sporadic sightings of the Pels fishing owl. This season has been quite strange - we’ve had clouds in the sky which is unusual for this time of year and although we’ve had a few cold spells, the winter hasn’t been too severe. Our lowest temperature recorded to date is just 8?C but having said that, we’re definitely all looking forward to the warmer, longer days that are imminent!