( Just a note for everyone that this post is disjointed as I had very poor signal and was not able to get certain parts with videos or pics but the commentary is fairly complete.
Let's get started
We have James Hendry as our guide this morning with Bryan Joubert on Camera.
Our Second guide this morning and once again doing a bush walk is Stefan Winterboer with Wiam Dornbrack on Camera..
The Sun is threatening to peak up over the horizon.
Our plan is to head right into the rising Sun and go to Cheetah Plains. Today there is not a cloud in the sky.
We stop for a few moments to enjoy the Impala while James gets an update on the radio.
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| Impala |
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| Impala |
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| Impala |
Impala can up 45 miles per hour.
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| Impala |
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| Impala |
Oh............................................. It was just about a gas cap that James lost from his vehicle the other day while chasing the dogs.
The Red Billed Oxpeckers are awake now.
Doves and Sparrows beginning to sing their morning song.
OH NO!! Sam's Elephant is NOT on the vehicle dash!
Ohhh. James is driving a different vehicle this morning Sam's Elephant is on Wendy (name we have for one of the vehicles)
Karula is on the Southern end right now in Little Gowrie. That area is Thandi's territory so there is a good chance that Karula will head back into Djuma.
Karula for those who are new to our Wildearth Live Drives is a 12 year old Female Leopard who currently has 2 cubs which will be 3 months old on May 2nd. One of the cubs was confirmed by James to be male. The second cub is slightly smaller but sex has not yet been confirmed although James thinks she might be a female.
Over to Stefan on foot.
Stefan shows us the Sunrise and we pause and watch the sunset peek up over the horizon.
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| Compilation of our gorgeous sunrise this morning |
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| Our View Looking Towards Cheetah Plains |
Over To James
We stop and take a glance at a Vacant Wahlburg's nest.
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| Vacant Wahlburg Eagle Nest |
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| Wahlburg Eagle Nest |
A viewer has asked who Inkanyeni is. She is a female Leopard who is quite famous around here. She is 11 years old. She is of the type called Golden Leopards. Her name means "light". She is a 4/4 spot pattern.
Quarantine is a 3 year old male Leopard. He has been hanging around 3 in a row pan on Cheetah Plains.
Over to Stefan
He is whispering. The Oxpeckers are alarm calling which has alerted him to possible animals nearby.
There are some Kudo off in the brush but well hidden.
Stefan says you should always take a distress or alarm call of animals very seriously while in the bush.
The Butterflies are soaking up the morning Sun
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| Butterfly Roosting In The Morning Sunlight |
When Butterflies are still it is called Roosting.
The flashy colour of Butterflies is there to tell predators that they are not good to eat. Mongoose, Civet, Spiders and Beetles do eat Butterflies. Most Birds do not.
The Kudo are alarm calling but only a couple of barks. no. Stefan says they were Nyala that were alarm calling.
It is fairly open here so Stefan is picking up the pace.
He is keeping his eyes open and looking carefully underneath bushes for any sign of a Cat.
Stefan is wearing an Armband
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| Stefan Wearing His Anti-Poaching Arm Band |
Click below to view Video on my You Tube Channel
Back to James with a welcome to Cheetah Plains. It is about 4 km from Djuma.
Impala running off into the bush.
A glorious Sjambok Pod tree.
James is going to climb up into the tree to attempt to get us a pod to look at.
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| Sjambok Pod Tree |
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| Sjambok Pod Tree With James |
Click below to view on my You Tube Channel
James climbs the tree successfully but alas .. There were no pods.
James is saying that the drought will weed out weaker animals and that they can be more susceptible to disease while in a weakened state.
Back with Stefan
He is standing in a mud pan. In some areas the mud is quite soft and it shows signs that some Buffalo have sunk into it leaving their marks.
Back to James because Stefan has lost signal.
Buffalo
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| Buffalo |
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| Buffalo |
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| Buffalo |
He is stopping and listening.
Back to James.
He hears animals alarm calling. He is driving quickly.
Stops. Yes. The alarm calls continue.
Right back to Stefan
Looking at a Tambouti tree
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| Tambouti Tree |
(I am having severe Gremlins with my system and the video is disjointed and blocky- Apology)
Stefan is not worried about Snakes as they are cold blooded and not usually out this time in the morning. The vast amount of snakes in this area are not poisonous.
Stefan is smelling some grass that he has found
He tells us that what he smells is the anal pasting of a Hyena. It is a glandular secretion
Back to James. He has found the Kudo. They were still shouting but he could see not tracks. The Kudo were looking back towards 3 in a row pan. James feels that whatever was making the Kudo alarm call is most likely still in the block.
I am still experiencing system issues.
Not much has happened. James is driving and looking for tracks. He thinks it might have been a Cheetah.
Back to Stefan who is walking along the drainage line.
He has a nervous feeling in his belly and always trusts that feeling.
He is listening. There is nothing untoward.
We see a White Berry Tree
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| White Berry Tree |
and a Leadwood Tree
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| Leadwood |
He has an amazing Beetle for us.
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| LOOK AT THOSE EYES! |
Jewel Beetle with his golden hairs and golden stripe.
James is back to 3 in a row pan for the 3rd time.
James tells us that he really likes to see Leopards, Elephants or Wild Dogs. He knows he will see Impala most times, and Lions seem to be always lying in a pile of their own muck.
Back to Stefan now
He is showing us a Mercury Drop Spider Drag line.
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| Mercury Drop Spider |
The silk has unbelievable strength.
Back with James
Buffalo are everywhere
The Buffalos have saliva dribbling from their mouths which James says is quite disgusting to look at.
Click Below To View Video On You Tube
Back with Stefan who is showing us a Tent Web Spider
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| Tent Web Spider Nest |
Click Below To View Video on my You Tube Channel
This web allows insects to fall that are flying towards the branch and gets entangled in the snares and get caught up in the web. Spiders can be so varied and so prey specific.
The spiders product silk from a gland which aerates it and spins it out and it hardens into a strand.
Oxpeckers are being noisy so Stefan wants to see what they are doing. Coming up to a series of pans. These pans often have Buffalo so he is going to be very careful.
If you come across a Buffalo while on foot... create distance.. If the encounter gets worse, create distance by going up hill. If that fails scream, and throwing sticks. at the same time as creating distance.
Stefan talks about Guiding restrictions. There are no Government sanctioned rules. There are associations. I.E- There are rules such as having an arm band for Anti- Poaching etc. In some places you need a certain number of years of experience and a certain size of kit. All guides are registered at a National level.
Back with James for a moment.
He tells us that the 3 Styx (Female Lions) are west of Chitwa Chitwa which is 3 properties from here. The Birmingham Boys ( Male Lion coalition of 4) are in the same area.
Back with Stefan
Golden Web Spider
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| Golden Web Spider |
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| Golden Web Spider |
Click Below To View Video On My You Tube Channel
It is a very sticky web. The outside strands of the web are designed to slow outside prey down as the spider descends to kill it's prey and liquefy it.
Stefan calls this spider a Beautiful Woman.
Back with James
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| Back with James |
Still no Leopard. Will try 3 in a row pan one more time because there is still a little bit of time left on our drive.
Lions are predators of Ostrich's whereas Cheetahs are usually not.
Back with Stefan and James says as we switch over to Stefan that he is sunbathing.
We see an ANCIENT tip of an Elephant Tusk.
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| Inside of an Ancient Elephant Tusk |
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| Ancient Elephant Tusk |
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| Ancient Elephant Tusk |
Stefan took out his knife and polished a part of it and underneath was the lustre of the Ivory. He is not taking it with him. He is going to hide it. He and Wiam know where it is.
Back to James
Awe!! So Cute!! James has a Blacksmith Plover with new babies.
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| Blacksmith Plover |
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| Baby Blacksmith Plover |
So
We didn't see a Cheetah.
We didn't see a Leopard.
We didn't see a Wild Dog.
BUT
We have our faithful friend. The Beetle remains on the dash of Jame's vehicles.
Even though James found him on Cheetah Plains he is taking him home with him to figure out what type of beetle he is. (I am sure he will return him to his home- no worries)
Back to Stefan who moved some grass and disturbed a Praying Mantis. And he also has located a very large land snail shell.
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Preying Mantis |
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| Giant Land Snail Shell |
Click Below to View Video On My You Tube Channel
Sorry-- Had to do a quick screen cap during the video so it will most likely show up on video. See? You can now see what I am doing in here. LOL
Back to Stefan before saying Goodbye
We see a Raisin Tree
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| Raisin Tree/Bush |
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| Raisin Tree/Shrub Leaf With Stiff Hairs |
Back with James where he says "The Universe has spit on him because he has not found any exciting animals"
And that's it for today!
BA BYE!
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