Mana West.

[Bush dog]

The afternoon of this third day was fairly calm, less so when daylight began to fade.

 

Little bee-eater

 

 

When this long-crested eagle was spotted, one of the guides couldn't hide his excitement, it was a first for him.  I deduced that it is not a common species in these places.  We see it here mobbed by a fork-tailed drongo.

 

 

In terms of hard to spot birds, we saw an eastern nicator several times and both guides were very excited in these cases too.  This time it was a first for me.

 

The sun was finishing its descent towards the horizon when we came across this female leopard, no longer very young, known in the concession under the name of Ushingi.  We watched it until it decided to head towards the thickets, which in this case were very thick.  Before it disappeared into these, its cub self- appeared very briefly. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This will be my only leopard sighting on the Kavinga concession where I expected to see a few more.  This void will be largely filled in Ruckomechi.

[John M.]

Many more fine shots, Mike.

I usually like to single out an image which especially appeals. This time it's two... to the leopard with her youngster in the rear, I will add the lone baobab, striking but dwarfed by the hill.

[Bush dog]

Thank you, John!  

[Bush dog]

The dawn of this fourth day was truly that of the honey badger.  During this trip, I had six sightings of it, solitary or in pairs, two at night and the other four in broad daylight.  But this is by far the best I have had the opportunity to see in the last thirty years.  We were on the bed of the Ruckomechi tributary when it suddenly appeared in front of us.  It advanced along the bank while stopping regularly to dig and search the ground until it decided to cross to continue its digging work on the opposite bank and then disappeared into the thickets.  This lasted a quarter of an hour without apparently being disturbed by our presence.  This is undoubtedly one of the highlights of this trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TonyQ]

A wonderful sighting of the Honeybadger!

[michael-ibk]

Agree, outstanding! And beautiful photos all the way Mike, as always. 

[Bush dog]

@TonyQ @michael-ibk

 

It really surprised me to see this honey badger, in its daily quest for food, doing it as if we weren't there.

 

Thank you for your comments!

[Bush dog]

In the morning, at the camp.

 

LIttle sparrowhawk taking a shower under the sprinklers and a bath in the stagnant water on one of the paths and also drinking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

White-fronted bee-eater

 

 

In the afternoon we went up the bed of the Ruckomechi.  The valley becomes narrower and narrower until it forms a gorge flanked by rocky hills, a suitable environment for klipspringers.  In fact, we saw two of them running across the bed.  Arriving at a set of rocks, you cannot go any further, the upper bed being more or less three meters higher.  In this amalgamation of rocks, there is a hole 1.5 meters deep, still filled with water, at the level of the lower bed.

 

 

The day before, a tragedy had taken place there.  A very young baby elephant, coming to drink, had accidentally fallen in it.  Unable to escape, it drowned.  Dylan, the pro guide, pulled the dead animal out of the hole so that the water would not be contaminated by its decomposition, this hole being frequented by different species.  The mother, still present at the scene, witnessed the operation and showed signs of aggression towards the vehicle.  Dylan thought it might charge cars in the future.  In the evening, Dylan warned us by radio that hyenas were present feeding on the remains, asking me if I was interested in going there.  I responded negatively.

 

Returning from the gorge, we followed the bed of the Ruckomechi.  Arriving near the camp, we found two of the three lionesses seen on the first day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we pushed further to find the third lioness with one of the two males dominating the territory.

 

 

 

 

At nightfall, we returned to the two lionesses who had not moved.  We were on the right bank, the camp being on the left side, the 2 lionesses in the river bed near the left bank.

It was not yet completely dark when a herd of buffalo slowly came out of the thickets, crossing the river towards the camp's water hole.  The lionesses flattened itselves in the sand and did not move.  The herd was going to pass to the right of the first lioness.  The second was further to its left.  The strategy was, obviously, to let the bulk of the herd pass and then attack the rear of it.  We couldn't really see what was happening anymore, just guess.  The full moon was only scheduled for ten days later and the flashlight could not be used so as not to interfere with what was about to happen.

As expected, the first lioness let the herd pass and pounced when the last buffaloes came within reach.  This, of course, caused utter chaos and confusion, as one can imagine.  The front of the herd stampeded towards the camp, perhaps without even knowing the reason for what spooked them, while the last buffaloes turned around to rush into the thickets, followed by the lioness.  In the meantime, we had turned on the flashlight.  The second lioness quickly passed in front of the vehicle before also disappearing into the vegetation.  All this in a cloud of dust and a symphony of sounds such as mooing, cracking of wood and branches and hammering of hooves on the ground.  We followed them and searched for a long time without success.  I think the hunt was a failure.

 

[Bush dog]

The fifth day was very calm.  Never mind, such days allow you to be interested in something other, than cats, predators and other large mammals, such as birds, trees, flowers, insects, etc.   As far as I'm concerned, it’s just as edifying.  I'm never disappointed in the bush.

 

Baboon meditating.

 

 

Swainson's francolin, as often perched on an elevated place.

 

 

The couple of lions of the previous evening.

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

Early in the morning of the last full day, the buffalo were present.

 

 

This one was not with the herd and the two lionesses had spotted it.  They immediately began the hunt which quickly ended in another failure.

 

 

 

 

 

They then set out in search of water, first towards a hole that had practically dried up.

 

 

 

 

 

The second male then appeared.

 

 

[KaliCA]

What a sad sad event having a baby elephant drown in a deep hole. And if the mother starts to attack, she too, will be destroyed.  I completely understand not wanting to see it get devoured by hyena. 
Thanks for sharing your Mana adventure. 

Edited June 21 by KaliCA

[Bush dog]

@KaliCA

 

The laws of nature are indeed harsh and sometimes unjust. This in fact doing what nature is, however, I derive no satisfaction from this type of spectacle. And thank you for following this report.

[Bush dog]

 

Nearby, they apparently found a hole that had not yet dried up.

 

 

 

 

 

Checking for odors on its territory.

 

 

The females with the male trailing went up the right bank of the Ruckomechi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They crossed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And disappeared in the bushes.

[Bush dog]

 

So we went back to where we came from and found the couple there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

On 6/6/2024 at 9:11 AM, Tom Kellie said:

~ @Bush dog: Thank you for the images above.

 

The first glance wasn't careful therefore I missed the little one beside its mother.  Me too.

 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

That camp waterhole and hide at Kavinga is highly productive.  Such nice low angle shots.  The black and whites are impactful. Those buffalo may be massive creatures, but I think the oxpeckers are the stars.  That lifer sighting of the long-crested eagle that you portrayed in B&W that includes a bonus diving fork-tailed drongo is eye popping.   Little Sparrowhawk bath. 

 

Good choice to "Go west, young man, go west!"

[madaboutcheetah]

@Bush dog- Lovely report, Mike ........  I haven't been to Kavinga, but, I suspect it's not too far from the Chitake springs area where we had a fabulous time many years ago.  

 

Can't wait to hear about Ruchomechi which i think is the WS private concession, correct? 

[Bush dog]

In the afternoon of the last full day.

 

A bateleur's nest.

 

 

Elephants in the riverbed, looking for water.

 

 

 

 

It probably can no longer raise its trunk vertically.

 

 

African hoepoo spreading its crest.

 

 

 

This lioness is that of the couple.  It was alone and calling.

 

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

@Atravelynn

 

Thanks a lot, Lynn, for your comments

Nice reference to Village People.  As for “young man”, I would like that to still be relevant.

[Bush dog]

@madaboutcheetah

 

Yes, Hari, Chitake is less than 15 km from Kavinga but is not accessible from the concession, without spending at least one night there.

And correct, Ruckomechi is a WS concession.

[Bush dog]

To round off the excellent stay at Kavinga, here are some late processed photos:

 

At the water hole.

 

 

 

The elephant peeling the baobab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, last but not least, the honey badger.

 

 

Next : the Ruckomeshi concession.

[Tom Kellie]

~ @Bush dog:

 

Although I'm preparing to head out to the local airport to begin the journey to northeastern South Africa, I must send my appreciation for one of your images.

 

The African hoopoe spreading its crest has vivid colors, excellent focus, and captures the essence of a hoopoe crest.

 

That image is inspiring, especially when within days it will be possible to photograph wildlife.

 

You've set a very high bar, but that's most welcome.

 

Thank you.

 

         Tom K.

[Bush dog]

@Tom Kellie

Once again, thank you for your kind words!

Have a nice and safe trip to South Africa.

[Bush dog]

Day of transfer

 

I skipped one last game drive in order to have a good breakfast and finish packing.  The transfer was made by one of the camp's co-owners, who was there because he had an appointment with the park warden at 10 a.m.  Along the way, apart from a few kudus and impalas, we didn't see much.  Arriving at one of the pools, we stopped to stretch our legs. 

 

There was this vervet monkey.

 

 

 

 

Arriving at park headquarters, I was picked up by my guide, Rinz.  Two hours later, I was at camp just in time for lunch.

 

RUCKOMECHI CAMP & CONCESSION

 

Ruckomechi is a 10-room camp built on the bank of the Zambezi river, close to the mouth of the Ruckomechi river, currently dry.  It’s a Wilderness Safaris camp.  The rooms are very comfortable tents, set up lengthwise on a raised platform.  The central tents (bar, reception room, dining room, etc.) are also raised on a platform which extends into the open sky towards the river, where dinners are served when the weather permits, often most of the time.  Nights are generally very noisy.  To the usual roars of lions are added the trumpeting of elephants, the whole range of calls of hyenas and hippos, the alarm calls of baboons and impalas, when they spot cats, and, as it was the rutting season of impala rams, their snorting grunts.

 

Ruckomechi is truly an elephant camp, more day than night.  At any time of the day, you can meet solitary males like small family units who are there to feed.  I think the proximity to the river also has something to do with it.  Every day, at lunchtime, a small family made up of the mother, a sub-adult and a very young one approached the edge of the platform, perhaps attracted by the smell of fruit and vegetables, certainly by a tree extending its foliage above and outside the platform, bearing fruits that they love which the mother shook to make them fall.  All they had to do was help themselves.  As long as these fruits are at a sufficient distance from the end of their trunk, they have no reason to climb onto the platform and they do not do so unless even one is out of reach.  The case presented itself and the fruit having rolled quite close to my table, the mother climbed onto the platform and walked towards me.   What to do in this case?  Well, don't move.  I could see that the animal was aware of my presence and that it did not show any signs of aggression, so why move?  What could perhaps have been poorly perceived and provoke an unpredictable reaction.  After picking up the fruit, it turned around to left the platform.  What a privileged moment to experience this unique encounter with the wild.  I was able, in a brief moment, to sense the intelligence and wisdom of this powerful animal.  It's worth all the photos I've taken and will still be able to take.  When I think about it, I'm still very moved.  There were other encounters of this type during the week I spent in Ruckomechi.  I had never been so close to an elephant outside of a vehicle, or to an eland for that matter.  In fact, an enormous eland bull spent all its nights in the camp.  It certainly felt safer there than outside, especially since two security guards patrolled there every night.  Depending on the place it had chosen to lie down, it was sometimes necessary to get around it quite closely.

 

Ruckomechi is the opposite of what I experienced in Kavinga.  There is no family atmosphere here.  You can feel that it’s part of a large corporate machine with precise rules, more than in other similar companies such as Great Plains.  The staff is numerous, starting with a manager assisted by three or four assistant managers on duty plus many waiters and cooks.  Each time we return from a game drive, it’s the eternal litany, “Welcome back, how was your drive?”.  I imagine a lot of newbies appreciate this.  As for me, I find it a little too repetitive and boring.  The food is very good but they want to give it a gourmet touch at dinner.  I think they would have more to gain by keeping it simpler.  I particularly enjoyed the lunches which were simpler but very tasty.

 

There is of course two Zim Pro guides for those who want to walk and quite a few learning guides.  I was entitled to a private vehicle for almost the entire duration of the stay.  That was, of course, a good surprise.  On only two occasions was I accompanied by a couple.  Then they asked to go on another vehicle.  I don't think I was the cause of it because they continued to ask me to share their meals.

On the concession, some things happen in the dry beds of the Ruckomeshi but not as much as in Kavinga.  There are also spaces such as found along the river in the national park.  The tree species are the same as in Kavinga with the exception of baobabs which are found here in very small quantities.  cheetahs are almost absent and wild dogs are rarely seen.

 

For a change from a week of game drives, I decided to do a little boating on the Zambezi.  It was very quiet, actually conducive to meditation.