The re-introduced pride of lions have now settled in on the Reserve and are affording the residents some wonderful viewing Late one evening I came across the males lying in the middle of the road staring intently at something It turned out they were just admiring the mountain view Here the larger of the two lionesses lies up in the shade during the heat of the day It looks like she may be gestating with our first lion cubs possibly on the way soon The smaller lioness rests up nearby Talk about putting your feet up One of the lions comes across to give my Land Rover a roadworthy inspection
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I was lucky to come across the pack of Wild Dogs the other day. I missed out on them taking down and eating a young Waterbuck earlier, but was able to sit and observe them as they rested up afterwards. This one was previously caught in a snare. When seen it was darted so the snare could be removed. Note the scar high on the neck This is the Alpha male and he carries the tracking collar Note the fully extended stomach on this dog after the recent meal
Recently we were fortunate to be able to introduce a reasonable sized crocodile to one of the dams on the Reserve. I managed to take a few images when it arrived for release A close-up view of the croc through the cage The trapdoor of the cage is opened It begins to disembark It pauses momentarily as it enters the water A few seconds later with a flick of its tail it departs Later in the evening I came across it basking on the bank. As I drove past it quietly slithered back into the dam
Red-billed Hornbills are monogamous. The female seals herself inside a natural tree cavity during breeding. The male finds and brings food items to the nest to feed his mate. Most nests have an escape hole above the main chamber. Usually 3 - 5 eggs are laid. Incubation 23 - 25days starting after the first laid egg. Once the chicks have hatched and are developing the female also leaves the nest and assists with feeding. An opening to the breeding chamber within the tree trunk The male arrives with a juicy caterpillar He passes it through the slit to the female bird in the nest chamber About to set off in search of food again He arrives back at the nest with another insect
A Red-billed Oxpecker arrives at the nest site and checks that the coast is clear It then hops down the trunk to the entrance to the nest Perched at the entrance. The actual nest is situated further below within the tree trunk The tree is adjacent to the main road on the reserve. The birds are quite habituated and watch as the vehicles drive past below their nest site
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March 2024
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