Selinda, the return

[optig]

@@Bush dog I particularly loved your photos of the python. You obviously had a very knowledgable guide with an incredible eyesight. I never realized that pythons were preyed upon by lions and leopards.

[Bush dog]

@@optig

 

Kops is indeed an excellent guide and tracker also. I do not know if you already had a look at my report "Selinda, a ten years love story". In it, I said a few words about a leopardess, Amber. When I was there in March, they told me that Amber was still alive, at least the last time they saw it, in February. Amber is, or now was, certainly around 15 years old which is exceptional for a cat in the wild. Anyway, they also told me that it was struggling to catch preys. For that reason, to survive, it had to rely on weaker or weakened preys including in particular, pythons.

[Bush dog]

Green season skies and sundowns.

 

 

Wet black-backed jackal in wet grass.

 

 

And a very photogenic and relaxed dry jackal close to the cutline separating Selinda and Kwando concessions.

 

[Atravelynn]

What beautiful skies. I had missed the rainbow over the ele before.

[Kitsafari]

@@Bush dog such sharp crisp fantastic shots. really enjoying seeing the green season through your camera. I had expected the python's stomach to be much larger since it had swallowed an impala but I suppose it's probably halfway digested.

[Bush dog]

@@Kitsafari

 

The traces of the struggle were quite fresh, not yet cleaned by the rains. The kill probably happened during the night or very early in the morning. It will take the python several weeks, even months to complete digestion.

 

Here you can see a python swallowing an impala

 

http://www.maxisciences.com/python/un-python-engloutit-un-impala-devant-les-cameras_art31841.html

[Kitsafari]

@@Bush dog oookkkkaay. that's an enormous mouthful of impala. i wonder how long it would take for it to kill it and then swallow it completely. it looks so vulnerable to any other predator at this time as well.

[Bush dog]

Dawn ; variations on a tree.

 

 

The Selinda pride (second sighting)

 

Two days after the first sighting, we found tracks on the road that soon left it to go through a rather wide area of thick vegetation. Though it was not easy for the car to go through it, we followed them and we caught them up, ten lions, a few adult female and subadults. Victor from Selinda Explorers joined us. After an hour during which they only stop, start and mark their territory, we came across leopard tracks.

 

 

Hunting accident?

 

 

We decided to leave the lions to track the leopard (see post #23).

[Geoff]

Wow, that is amazing that Amber is still alive. I was looking at pics of her from 2002 the other day.

[Bush dog]

@@Geoff

 

I found it also unbelievable! I do not know if it still alive as of today.

[madaboutcheetah]

Which is amber? The one with the 3 cubs?

[Bush dog]

@@madaboutcheetah

 

Hari, I did not see Amber. They just told me that it was still alive and that they had seen it for the last time in February. I think that it was also known in Kwando but under a different name that I can't remember.

[Bush dog]

Birds

 

A couple of tawny eagles.

 

 

Grey-headed kingfisher.

 

 

Ground hornbills,

 

 

Well not always.

 

 

African fish-eagle.

 

 

Coqui francolin.

 

 

Little bee-eater.

 

 

African hawk-eagle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

More birds

 

Black-bellied bustard.

 

 

Red-billed francolin.

 

 

Bronze-winged courser.

 

 

Hammerkop.

 

 

Egrets.

 

 

Wattled cranes.

 

[Bush dog]

The bush bar.

 

 

Taken from the bush bar, sunlight on the tall grass.

 

 

Hippos (and their passengers)

 

 

Difficult to keep its balance when the vehicle starts moving .

 

 

There is a kill in the air.

 

[Peter Connan]

Every photo a masterpiece Mike! Wow!

[Bush dog]

I’m nor far from the end of this report. So here is a bit of everything.

 

Leafy leadwood.

 

 

Waterbuck.

 

 

Baby elephant.

 

 

Water monitor lizard.

 

 

Greater kudu.

 

 

Very relaxed red lechwe.

 

 

Elephant herd in the distance.

 

[AKR1]

Superb pictures. Love the "bushbar "?

[Bush dog]

Warthogs

 

 

The Selinda pride (last sighting)

 

For our third sighting, we found them the next day far away from the place of the second one. It was south of Selinda Camp, somewhere between the camp and Zibadianja lagoon. We followed them until they decided to stop on a quite bushy and leafy higher ground. It was a good place to scan the area around without being seen.

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Mike, how many Lions in the big pride? I'm under the impression these Lions go back and forth between Duma Tau and Selinda? i saw a blurb online which mentioned the big pride came back to DT after a long absence - so, just wondering...... Anyways, love the report and look forward to more!

[Bush dog]

@@madaboutcheetah

 

Thanks, Hari.

 

I do not exactly remember the number of lions making up the pride, but certainly around ten individuals + the two males.

[Bush dog]

This is the end of the report of the penultimate stop of my March 2016 trip. I will continue to go back in time. The report of the previous stops, two camps in Hwange to which I will add some comments and pictures of far more distant vacations, will follow soon.

 

I would like to thank all those who have shown interest for it and more particularly those who added one or more comments : @@Atravelynn, @@michael-ibk, @@madaboutcheetah, @@Marks, @@wilddog, @@marg, @@optig, @@elefromoz, @@Safaridude, @Peter Connan, @@Game Warden, @@AKR1, @@ice,  @@Neeners815, @@Kitsafari, @@Big_Dog, @@LastChanceSafaris, @@Geoff, @@offshorebirder. I would also like to thank my guide, Kops, for his guiding and tracking competences and knowledges but also the fantastic staff of Selinda Main Camp who succeeds in maintaining, in a luxury camp, a relaxed atmosphere and a true camp spirit.

 

I’ll finish this report as I started, with a few pictures of green season skies.

 

Afternoon.

 

 

Early morning.

 

 

Landing of the helicopter just in front of the camp,

 

 

and « en route » to Duba Plains. Kops and Noxy waiving goodbye.

 

[Marks]

Fantastic stuff, as always. I'm really impressed with the way you've captured the way light hits trees and defines them, especially on the previous page.

[Kitsafari]

Thanks once again for a most enjoyable TR. look forward to your back to the past TRs soon.

[michael-ibk]

Magnificent report as always, Mike! I´m glad you enjoyed your return to Selinda.