Where's Waldo?

Sitting upstairs in our office, I heard a loud commotion from the tree just outside the window - lots of birds all calling and swearing, very agitated.  Clearly there was something up.  So I scanned and scanned and eventually saw green, green scales among the green, green leaves - and a head, staring indignantly at me, clearly not enjoying the attention.  A lovely Green Mamba, maybe 2m (6'+) long, looped and coiled in a dense patch of leaves.

Mambas occur here, but this was my first time to see one near the house.  They are shy, arboreal creatures, moving gracefully through the treetops, hunting mainly for birds.

Jules is convinced he (she?) is after our lovely Kingfishers...

Bushmen in the Kalahari

It was fascinating to spend a bit of time with a Bushmen family in the Kalahari recently.

The Bushmen (sometime also known as the San) of southern Africa’s drylands belong to the Khoisan group, the original hunter-gatherer inhabitants of much of Africa, who have been displaced from most of their traditional range by later arrivals, peoples with new technologies and lifestyles.

Recently, their way of life here has been threatened by a Government relocation policy, with some claiming that this has been spurred by the need to clear the way for profitable diamond mining and tourism interests.

Wikipedia has this to say:

‘Since the mid-1990s, the central government of Botswana has implemented a relocation policy, aimed at moving the Bushmen out of their ancestral land on and near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) into newly created settlements, such as New Xade. The government's official reason for adopting the policy is as follows:
"Over time it has become clear that many residents of the CKGR already were or wished to become settled agriculturists, raising crops and tending livestock as opposed to hunting-gathering when the reserve was established in 1961
"In fact, hunting-gathering had become obsolete to sustain their living conditions. These agricultural land uses are not compatible with preserving wildlife resources and not sustainable to be practiced in the Game Reserve.

"This is the fundamental reason for government to relocate the CKGR residents."
The government has also explicitly denied that any of the relocation was forced. The official website states:
"Government's policy has at all times been based upon the consent of those concerned, at no time has government contemplated the use of force."
However, a 2006 court ruling confirmed that residents had been forcibly and unconstitutionally removed.’

I think it is fair to say that the Botswana Government has, on the whole, done an honorable job of looking after its citizens, spending its diamond and tourism cash far more wisely than has been the case across most of sub-Saharan Africa.

But it is also true that indigenous peoples around the world (think Native American, or the Aborigines of Australia) have suffered at the hands of their new political masters.

One thing that particularly struck me on my recent visit concerned hunting. Botswana used to be a well-known tourist hunting (love the ambiguity…) destination but has recently banned all forms of hunting. Which applies equally to the Bushmen. I was told that, in certain areas, Bushmen can apply for a license to hunt small game such as springhares and porcupines, so they can demonstrate their survival skills to tourists.

When asked about this policy my guide responded: ‘Sure, hunting is banned, so of course that must apply to Bushmen too. Otherwise it would be unfair.’

But: what happens to a hunter-gatherer when he can no longer hunt?

On a rest break while walking through the bush, my bushmen hosts were astounded to hear that Tanzania has recently passed a law granting the Hadza (Tanzania’s very own ‘bushmen’) title to their own land. On this land, they are entirely free to live as they always have, by hunting and gathering – this provoked a gasp of amazement and a burst of animated talk. Finally, my translator: ‘They are very lucky, these Hadza.’

I can’t help wishing that the Bushmen had a similar deal: a piece of land to call their own, with full rights to live a traditional life. Surely we can make a special exception for these amazing people, who until recently eked a living from an exceptionally harsh environment in a truly sustainable way?

Deep down, I’m sure the government’s claims are mostly right: that most bushmen WANT to live as agro-pastoralists; they WANT access to healthcare, education and clean water from a tap, they WANT to take their place in Botswana's economy and society; even so, there must be a few who want to live as their forefathers did.

Is that so very much to ask?

The Mighty Zambezi

Just as you can't write 'leopard' without prefixing it with 'elusive', it appears that Mighty and Zambezi just have to go together.

Which is fair enough - it is a magnificent river, especially the awesome spectacle of Victoria Falls.  It doesn't matter how much you've read and seen before about the Falls (and we all have) - when you stand on the lip and watch this huge mass of water hurl itself over the edge, the great curtains of water falling in slo-mo into the chasm below, the roar and mist rising from the abyss, it takes your breath away.

We sit in Devil's Pool, a natural jacuzzi inches from the lip.  It is ludicrous how much fun this is, squirming onto the rock ledge to peer over the lip and into the depths as the water swirls past your elbow.  Health & safety - sorry, can you spell that please?

A couple of days later, we find ourselves floating down the same river in canoes. The same river, but how changed from the restless power of the giant that you see at the Falls; here in the Lower Zambezi National Park, TMZ is a wide and lazy body of water, meandering between low-lying islands with happily munching elephants and gape-mouthed crocs lying on the banks.

What a great way to experience the river this is, floating slowly with the current, with plenty of time to take in the teeming life on the river bank - everything from gorgeous Carmine Bee-eaters to monitor lizards and drinking elephants.

Coast Trip

Jules & I are in chilled mode after a wonderful week away at the coast with a small group of friends.  Let's call it a recce...

We started out at Capricorn, simple yet lovely self-catering bandas near Kigombe Village, about 20 kms north of Pangani.  The highlight here (apart from great seafood BBQs and delicious pizza, general chilling and much-needed R&R) was the birdlife.

Traditional ngalawa at dawn

To the north, there is a shallow bay that drains extensively at low tide, fringed with stands of mangroves, so there are hundreds of plovers, sandpipers and other shorebirds, all feeding enthusiastically in the mud.  In particular, there were lots of Greenshank, Terek & Common Sandpipers, as well as Grey & Ringed plovers.  Plus a colony of 100+ Madagascar Bee-eaters roosting in the mangroves, wheeling and trilling just before they settled for the night.

After Capricorn, we set off for Saadani safari Lodge - a great beach'n'bush destination in Saadani NAtional Park, set on a wide sweep of golden beach near the Wami River.

Beach at Saadani Safari Lodge

Top Saadani treats: tracking Marsh Mongoose, Spotted Hyena and Civet (and Jules...) on the beach each morning;

Tracking on the beach...

- stunning boat trip on the Wami (more fab birding, hippos, crocs and Angola Colobus);

Great White Egret

Spoonbills & Yellow-billed Stork

Angola Colobus

and a game drive to a beautiful palm-fringed pool, much visited by elephant and buffalo, judging from the sign; more R&R.

Here comes trouble...

... oh, and these vervets playing on the makuti roofs in camp!

Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti

Ngorongoro Crater, a cold, cloudy morning. A male ostrich displays to his consort, an elegant, balletic performance.  She indicates her approval, and they mate.

A lioness lies by the road, hidden from a nearby wildebeest herd by the slope of a drainage ditch.  She focuses on 3 animals that are drifting closer to her as they feed.

Their path changes subtly; decision time. If she waits, they may walk out of range, but if she charges, she risks missing them as they are still a good distance away.  In the end, hunger drives her to make the attempt, and the startled gnus run panic-stricken from her.

Her presence is now known to all, so she decides to move on, try pastures new.  She walks surprisingly fast.  It is warm, approaching mid-day, an indication of how hungry she is.  She spots a lone zebra out in the plain - single animals are easier to approach than herds, which have the benefit of lots of eyes all looking out for threats; alone, the zebra must rely on its own senses to survive. 

She starts her stalk along a small gulley.  The zebra, unaware of the danger, moves onto more open ground.  Suddenly he spots her approach and stares at her, snorting. She realises the game is up and moves off once more.

From a small rise, she spots a line of wildebeest on the move.  She moves fast to intercept them, getting into position in a grassy thicket close to their line of march.  The herd keeps coming – it seems that they must walk right over her.  There is a sudden tawny blur, wildebeest scattering in all directions.  When the dust settles, she is left standing there.  She has missed again.  Frustrated, she lies down in the grass and begins to groom.  It’s not as easy as it looks being King (Queen?) of the Jungle.

Kogakuria Kopje, north Serengeti.  A dead spider lying on the path.  A wasp, shiny blue-black, emerges from a small hole, looks at the spider then continues excavating once more, showering earth particles backwards, like a dog digging.  After a few minutes of energetic excavation, the wasp returns and drags the spider into the hole, which looks far too small.  Somehow the wasp manages.

The spider isn’t dead at all.  The wasp has paralysed it’s prey with a carefully placed sting; it will now lay a single egg on the spider – the grub will be provisioned with plenty of fresh food when it hatches, a neat solution to the problem of food storage.  Not a great outcome for the spider though…

 Mara River.  Thousands of wildebeest are pouring across the river, a great honking, bleating, mooing horde, driven by some ancient urge, the-grass-grows-greener...

Some young animals, having already crossed once, decide to cross back again.  It's the wrong move for one unfortunate - a large, scaly head slices through the water, easily overtaking him.  There is a brief swirl and the water closes over his head.
Video - Mara crossing

On the side of a road,  a magnificent Martial Eagle, feeding on an Egyptian Goose.  He has plucked his prey and eaten most of it - there's not much left but the webbed pink feet.  The eagle pants hard, from the heat and overeating.

Midday, north Serengeti.  It’s hot.  In a thick tangle of branches atop a nearby rock, we can just make out a patch of patterned fur, a resting leopard.  We wait. There is a rustle in the bush and a lithe shape emerges onto the rock nearby, followed by another.  With a mix of flirtatiousness and much snarling and apparent ill will, they mate in the typically perfunctory manner of large cats.
Video - Leopards mating

Within minutes, they mate again – and then again.  But the level of hostility doesn’t abate one jot.

  

Kogakuria, early morning.  We heard lions roaring as we set off, so we are trying to track them down.  We try one set of rocks, where we estimate the sound came from but no joy. Then Jairo spots them, distant specks.  They appear to be on the move.  Hunting?  But all have full bellies.  There is a fresh kill nearby and one small lioness has blood on her neck.

One by one, the ladies move off, until we are left with two adult males and the small lioness.  Suddenly, mayhem – the males attack the female, who defends herself ferociously, lashing out at them.  They circle her, looking of ran opening, as she crouches, ears laid back against her skull, snarling and spitting.  They move in again and she launches herself at them, a blur of whirling claws and teeth.

The males roar at the morning sky, then move off, leaving her to lick her wounds.
Video - Lion fight

SUBLIME & RIDICULOUS

There was a lot of interest generated by the close (very close!) fly-by of Asteroid 2012 da14 on Friday night - apparently it came within 27,000 kms of earth (inside the orbit of Geostationary communication satellites) before speeding off again on its own journey around the sun.  We learned that it would be visible through binoculars, so we set off into the garden to scan the right bit of sky... to no avail.   It started clouding over just at the wrong time, blotting out the stars one by one until the whole north eastern sky was covered.  

Luckily there was lovely bright sky a couple of hours earlier, with this beautiful crescent moon going down in the west:

At the other end of the spectrum, we have had an invasion of spectacularly coloured Ornate Grasshoppers for the last few weeks.  They're playing hell with Jules' radishes, but as a fashion statement they're something else!

The neighbours come visiting

Chada Camp, Katavi.  There has been plenty of rain and the whole park is a delicious green - so different from my last visit here.  There are huge herds of elephant (300+ in one group we saw) and buffalo (around 800 in one group, we reckoned).  The Chada pride appears to be making kills every other day or so - one day we find them on a fresh eland kill.  It's all happening.

As we sit on the deck one day, there is a rustling in the bushes and an elephant appears, munching happily.  Then another, and another... it's the Mahoneys, frequent visitors to the camp.  So we settle down for a happy half hour of elephant antics.

One female, with 1 tusk missing, is a proper prima donna - she holds her head high, flares her ears and stomps around glaring at us.  Then gets on with lunch again.

Here's a short Mahoney video - enjoy!  And please let me know what you think of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4YTCyQGs1M