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Newsletter - Spring 2006

The clear days of winter often turn a little fuzzy towards the end of the season. This is caused by huge amounts of smoke from the veld (bush) fires burning across the North West Province at the end of winter.
The smoke hangs in the air, blurring the sun and giving the light a yellowish cast. The fires, caused both deliberately and accidentally, have plenty of fuel this year because the heavy, late rains resulted in a very good grass growth, creating a more noticeable haze than usual.
As you fly between Johannesburg and Madikwe, you can see the long lines of fire eating their way across the grasslands. The columns of smoke, grey curtains against the cobalt sky, are visible from miles away. Sometimes the smoke reaches high enough for clouds to form at the head of the column, the smoke particles acting as nuclei for raindrops to form around. The clouds seldom last long though, the air is too dry and the water drops usually evaporate as quickly as they form.

In Madikwe, veld burning is used as a bush management tool and this has been going ahead as usual this year. Various areas of the reserve that have not been burnt in the last few years have had fires sent through them.

At the end of winter the grass is bone dry and most of the trees are without leaves, so fires tend to move very quickly through an area and are relatively “cool”, causing little damage to established trees and wildlife. The fire shoots through an area, consuming the dry grass and debris, leaving only black gossamer strands and white ash.
Large animals run ahead of the fire or wait until there is a break in the line of flames and then dodge back behind the fire. Smaller animals like porcupines, mice and snakes hide in holes and burrows until the fire has moved past. Slower animals like tortoises are obviously more vulnerable, but they tend to move to open clearings when they realise that a fire is on its way.
Roads create good safety zones and there is often a very interesting congregation of animals on the roads in the reserve during a fire!
Amongst other benefits, the fires clear out moribund growth and allow for fresh, healthy grazing to become accessible to game. Only days after the fire, fresh green growth is already visible and grazers quickly move into the burnt areas to take advantage of the nutrients that the new grass offers.

The bush fires always attract plenty birds, in particular fork-tailed drongos, cattle egrets and hornbills. The smoke catches their attention and they gather around the flames to feed. As the fire moves, insects try to move out of the way, often ending up as a snack for the birds. The drongos dive and swoop literally between the flames, catching insects in mid-flight. Those insects, and larger creatures, not lucky enough to get out of the way of the fire become pre-cooked meals for the hornbills and egrets moving just behind the flames. Once the fire has moved on, many other birds quickly move in, robins, larks and thrushes looking for any insects the hornbills and egrets may have missed and queleas, finches and waxbills looking for seed visible and obtainable now that the grass has been reduced to ash.

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Head Guide’ Report

Our resident female pride (The Mosela sela female, Kwena females, Mopipi female, and the Tshepo cubs) are still being subject to an ever increasing amount of pressure from the surrounding males (Bulaya males) and neighbouring females (Dipelo females).With the Batias ( the two dominant males) now packing on a few years, the younger, fitter males are pushing their luck and investigating potential territories. Our females are doing an excellent job of deterring any trespassers and have given the Bulaya males a good beating on m ore than one occasion.

Understandably, the Mosela-sela pride is keeping out of the way of the males in order to protect their cubs, one of which has unfortunately disappeared already, bringing the number now down to seven. When they have been seen recently, the cubs have become very curious about vehicles and are now providing excellent viewing and photographic opportunities.

Not so long ago, I had a warm (or not) greeting from mom and the cubs one morning on the way to work. They had all decided to pitch camp at our entrance gate and where not open to negotiation about anyone coming through. Fortunately, after about fifteen minutes, they decided to go and look for breakfast and I was able to quickly slip through the gate when they weren’t looking. It sure beats bad traffic as a reason for being late for work!

The elephants are slowly but surely making their way back towards the east and sightings close to the lodge are becoming far more frequent. Every few months, the elephant herds will move between the east and west of the reserve, this is natures way of ensuring that the vegetation gets a bit of time to recover after these gigantic creatures have had their full in a specific area. They are spending more and more time at the main water holes, as the small watering holes hidden in the bush have dried up. Elephants seem to prefer drinking late in the afternoon and, almost like clock-work at the moment, they are finding their way to the watering holes just before sundown, making for very dramatic sunsets.

Leopards are still being seen from time to time, especially the female that spends her time around Kolobeng dam. She is becoming more and more relaxed, and doesn’t seem to pay much attention to vehicles at all anymore. She is a beautiful young female, and should provide us with superb sightings for many years. Recently a large male has also been seen in the same area, so things look good for the possibility of seeing some leopard cubs!

A young male cheetah was darted right in front of the lodge a few days ago. Keith was out on drive when he spotted the cheetah very close to the lodge and reported that he was in a very poor state. Garth and myself went out to have a look and noticed that his back left leg appeared to be broken, which explained why he was so thin. A cheetah’s survival depends on speed and mobility. If he should injure or break a leg, he would almost certainly die from starvation. There was no chance that we were going to let that happen, as we have known this specific male from when he was born. We reported the cheetah to the reserve ecologist who came out and darted the animal. The cheetah was placed in a holding boma (enclosure), and is now being carefully monitored. Apparently he is now feeding well, putting on some much needed weight (cheetah are typically very slim but he made a supermodel look overweight) and he is well on his way back to good health. As soon as his leg has healed and he has gained enough strength, he will be released.

Our resident pair of white rhinos are spending quite a bit of time around our plains, just in the tree line, at the moment. When we first began seeing these prehistoric looking beasts, they were very nervous and trotted away at the slightest hint of danger. However, they have calmed down considerably now and are providing some incredibly good viewing. Hopefully in the not too distant future, they will pluck up enough courage to start grazing out in the open on the plains.
Summer is definitely on the way, most of the thorn trees are starting to push out new shoots, the Shepard’s trees are starting to bloom and the grass in the burnt areas is starting to grow. Most of the antelope are pregnant, so we are looking forward to an excellent summer.

Regards,
Dylan
Head Guide, Makanyane Safari Lodge

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A few weeks ago, we had thought that we were on the downhill slide into spring, when we were suddenly hit by a late cold spell (ironically, just as Europe was going through a heatwave). Cold front after cold front moved across the country, bringing unseasonal downpours which caused flooding countrywide. Madikwe was hit with a radical change in weather, grey cloud and freezing rain accompanied by howling wind set in for a few miserable days. Thick frost again covered the ground each morning and the flowers and buds just coming out on the trees were knocked back by the frost. The birds, already preparing for spring, fluffed up and sulked, waiting for the return of the warmer weather.

Recovery was swift though, the buds quickly reappeared and the flowers on the Blackthorns soon showed pale yellow against the blue sky again. The birds quickly got back into the spirit of things, the tiny prinia whose patch includes the windowsill outside the lodge office has started attacking his reflection in the glass again. A spirited, if wasted, defence of his space in preparation for mating.
The winds that typically accompany the start of spring here have started to blow, clearing the haze from the skies and blowing the last of the dead leaves from the trees. Nest building is now in full swing and the first of the spring migrants, the lesser-striped swallows, have arrived.
The first spring flowers are staring to show themselves, tiny wild irises and carpets of tiny cleomes suddenly appearing out of the dry ground. The days are already much warmer and the temperature does not drop nearly as dramatically at night anymore. Even the reptiles are becoming more active, the friendly and harmless sand snake and spotted bush snakes are being seen far more frequently now.

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Here is what the kitchen has on offer to put a “spring” in your step on the way to dinner:

Confit of Leek Soup

Rich and tasty, combined with our home-made bread, this soup starts your meal perfectly.

Carrot, Mango and Lime Leaf Rice Paper Rolls with Chillied vinegar

The fried lime leaves bring freshness and zing to this Vietnamese dish.

Green Coriander Chicken with a Potato and Pea Curry, finished with Roti and a trio of Sambals.

Chicken, marinated overnight, is slow braised in tomato based curry sauce. Hand-made Roti completes the delicious main course

Orange, Date and Cardamom Tart.

Creamy texture and complimenting flavours create a grand finale to the meal.

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With the days now warmer, summer and the calving season on its way and the arrival of the migrant birds around the corner, make a plan to get here and join us as soon as possible!

Garth