EXCITEMENT IN THE LONG GRASS

Yesterday late evening we headed out for a walk. It was Jacques the regional guide trainer, Moffat and I. And Moffat took the lead. We decided to head north of the concession, to the riverine forest where we usually see Pel’s fishing owl, a special bird of our region. There were lots of bird calling; Like woodland king fisher a summer visitor, Fork-tailed Drongo, and coucals.

While walking through the trees we found vervet monkeys playing high up in the branches and some metres ahead Jacques found leopard tracks which looked like it went through the forest in the morning because we had some early showers that morning and there were droplets on those tracks.

Not far from there we stopped and heard elephants breaking branches in the distance, as well as hippo’s in the channel. We went toward a pan system where the grass is growing tall which attracted a bird party. We first saw African Hoopoe chancing each other through the leaves of a nearby Mopane. Jacques and I heard Red-Billed Oxpeckers and saw them take off and land back in the pan in front of us.

We used our binoculars to scan the area when we noticed two sets of Buffalo horns cover in mud just above the grass. The animals were not aware of us and we slowly retreated back to the safety of the forest. What an exciting moment. If it wasn’t for the Oxpeckers we were going to share a very sticky mud wallow with a pair of unhappy buffalos. Birds help us guides to know where potentially dangerous animal are.

Posted: Nxabega by Lesego Letebele, Date: 12 January 2012