Ruaha November 2013.

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Hello again from a now finally wet Ruaha!

At long last the much anticipated rains have soaked the earth bringing with it new life!

More about this later...

Lions are so much part of our everyday lives here in Ruaha that they are easily taken for granted. Especially in the light that their numbers are plummeting, it is critical to retain some realism and consider that seeing the 2 or 3 sightings we do on an average day, is indeed an incredible privilege!

The estimated population in Ruaha is around 3000 or roughly 10% of the world’s remaining lions! The next decade or so will be critical in the future of these large cats!

Read more about the ongoing efforts here by The Ruaha Carnivore Project.

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As usual the birdlife has also been very productive and three of my favourite images from this month are of the diminutive Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, impressive Steppe Eagle and powerful Martial Eagle. 

The Cordon Bleu hopped amongst some twigs of a Combretum bush on the banks of the Mwagusi and finally settled enough to get this shot. The crimson patches on the cheeks of the male is very striking and always funnily reminds me of what we (some of us more than others) would look like if we had to constantly “turn the other cheek”... 

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Incredible voyagers and supreme hunters the Steppe Eagle arrives around Oct here in Ruaha. Their journey brings them all the way from the Russian Steppes to join in the bounty brought by summer in East and Southern Africa! 

As this individual took off to join its partner in the background, I was lucky enough to capture it at full stretch, showcasing their spectacular features!

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Mid afternoon and it was hot. Passing an Acacia (now Vachellia and Senegalia) tree we saw this immature Martial Eagle sheltering something on the ground. It was only as it took off however that we could see that it had caught a Rock Hyrax on the nearby koppie and had already consumed half of it prior to our arrival. The powerful legs and talons provide enough force to kill small antelope like Dik-Dik and even young impala!

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When considering the high metabolic rates of birds and the challenges of finding enough seed or hunting, it is surprising that they manage. Actually not only birds but every single animal out there has the objective of succeeding in this critically precarious energy balancing act. Ensuring there is enough energy to travel, compete, fight, defend and be left with sufficient to succeed in replenishing the expended energy! Not an easy task and thus when next you notice lions or other animals being “lazy”...take a moment to reflect on their trials compared to ours....

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Sometimes though animals require more than just sustenance...they also need to supplement their diet with the all important trace elements crucial to sustained life. These are usually not found in conventional forms and may necessitate literally eating the soil! Sodium is one of the more common minerals sought after and here an adult giraffe bull can be seen taking the easy way out by laying down to more readily reach the sodic soils along the Mwagusi River. A young ele also made a close approach to our Landy in search of the newly sprouting Palms. Getting purchase with the trunk on the upper tips of the fronds and then swinging the foot forward to deliver a severing jolt, they prune these ambitious little trees and suppress their endeavours to mature!

Speaking of endeavours being impeded, another sighting which I really enjoyed was of a little Pearl-spotted Owlet being pestered by an agile, arrogant and persistent Fork-tailed Drongo! It is so symbolic of how even supreme predators don’t always have it easy. These tiny owlets are crepuscular hunters of particularly small birds where sitting on a hidden perch, they rely on cryptic colouration as camouflage and then dash lightning-fast in for the kill. However Drongos are very observant and once an unwanted visitor has been seen, the mobbing starts! With repeated swooping flight, constant alarm-calling and the occasional physical assault it just becomes unbearable even for a patient hunter! Additionally the commotion attracts the attention of so many other birds which then flock to add to the pressure...leading to the eventual departure of said threat.

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A threat which is however NOT departing is that of poaching! Unprecedented numbers of a myriad species of wildlife is being decimated under various justifications and it would be unfair to highlight only one. Poverty on the one side and greed on the other makes for a lethal partnership! As I particularly love eles, I would miss THEIR shadows most of all....

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Back to the new life brought along with the rains! Impala lambs are now a daily sight and what a joy they are to watch. Dainty yet agile and alert. Full of promise. One of the so called strategies of Impala survival is that most ewes will lamb in a very short window period so as to “flood the marketplace” with newborns as it would be impossible for ALL the lambs to be taken by the limited amount of predators. Within a few days the lambs are agile enough to really keep up with mom and avoid predation, so odds are good for the species to persist. However on an individual level for those leading the way it is not so rosy. Initially we saw so many newborn taken by either Black-backed Jackal or Yellow Baboon but it has reached critical mass and now more and more are living to see another day. 

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Scenery even in this drab and dry time of the season is still inspiring. I really love the view of Nyanyiwa Hill to the West of our camp as it makes for a stunning backdrop with eles coming to visit their wells daily. With vegetation either trampled flat or just desiccated, the lack of obscuring plants allow for clear views like this moment of a cheetah cub taking time to play with mom. One can almost recognise an expression of contented fulfillment on mom’s face as she prepares for the hunt to provide milk and even solid food for these cubs which must be around 4 months or so old.

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On the morning of 27th Nov we had widespread rain for the first 3hrs of our drive. Although we didn’t see much in the rain, once it started clearing, the sight of new murky floodwaters flowing into and mixing with a dark stagnant pool made for exciting views. The attendant hippo didn’t seem to be phased by the arrival of turbidity. We expect the rivers to start and stop a few times before they usually settle into steady flow around Christmas.

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There is so much parched soil to saturate first before any meaningful runoff starts.

A new flower for me personally is this spectacular Pink Sand Lilly which grows in groups in sandy areas. Only this one had fully opened although we could see a whole stand starting to emerge in a patch of about half a hectare. 

The next few weeks will be incredible as thousands of wild flowers erupt after months of dormancy. Steve will be here during the peak of the rains and many more blossoms will appear, he will keep you posted on developments...

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To return to an earlier point of becoming complacent I would like to leave you with this.

The image below was taken at sunset and her side profile really struck me. Partial silhouettes like this, I think, are underrated as we get desensitised by the graphic nature of current media. In-your-face action and drama is pandered at the expense of subtlety and finesse, increasing the potential of being disappointed with reality.

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Stop a moment when next you see anything considered “ordinary”, and really THINK about what you are witnessing. There is so much depth hidden in the obscurity of simplicity that we completely overlook it.

Enters a phrase from my favourite poem Lost by David Wagoner: 

”If what a tree or a bush does, is lost on you, you are surely lost!”.

Yours in Awareness

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Small Beginnings…

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Needle In A Haystack…