South Luangwa, Mwamba and Kaingo, Sept- Oct 2018

[Geoff]

Whilst completing my 2017 South Luangwa trip report I had a quick look at my 2018 safari image folders. I was aghast to see that I had only processed a few images.

I have now quickly optimised a hundred or so images and this trip report will be more of a pictorial review of my trip with a few words to add to the story when necessary.

 

From memory the safari was;

 

Mwamba 14 nights

Kaingo 5 nights 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John M.]

@Geoff Magnificent!  A fine selection to start;  I'm looking forward to more of your careful choices.

   I didn't realise you had stayed at Mwamba so long. I wish I'd been able to do the same😛!!!

[Tom Kellie]

~ @Geoff:

 

The image of Spilopelia senegalensis (laughing dove) is terrific!

 

As ever, your photography is inspiring and instructive.

 

Thank you.

 

      Tom K.

[Athene]

@Geoff beautiful pictures, I stayed at Kaingo for 5 nights last year in October and I loved it. It is one of my favourite camps in Africa. We also were able to visit the hide at Mwamba and had great sightings there.

[Geoff]

@Tom KellieThanks Tom. You're taking some good photos too.

 

@John M.I  couldn't remember how long we stayed (Peter & myself) and had to use the dates from my images to ascertain the actual nights.

I had been in conversation on FB messenger with Lyndie the then camp manager of Mwamba. She had said she was happy that we were returning and I told her she might change her mind when she sees how long we are staying. Later she told me upon reading my message she drove straight over to Kaingo to check the booking. 

[Geoff]

Mwamba's hide can provide exceptional up close game viewing, although the orientation of the hide relative to the sun can make photography tricky.

I've spent a large amount of the down time between game drives in this hide. Before dinner ask to be escorted to the hide, you'll be amazed at the number of bats flitting about in there.

 

Banded Mongoose

 

Impala

 

Kudu

 

Hammerkop

 

Elephant dust bath

 

Elephant eye

 

[Geoff]

This poor lioness was in an appalling state when she arrived at Mwamba's waterhole. After a drink she staggered to a nearby bush and collapsed in the shade.

A day later she was dead. The Zambia Carnivore project was contacted. I was later told she was identified as a member of the Luwi pride and was only 3 years old.

 

 

 

 

[John M.]

   Gosh, that's heart-rending. A reminder of the reality of life and death for those magnificent carnivores which we usually only photograph in all their glory.

[John M.]

1 hour ago, Geoff said:

Mwamba's hide can provide exceptional up close game viewing, although the orientation of the hide relative to the sun can make photography tricky.

 

   

   All those images get a thumbs up from me, but I especially like the dust bath and the hammerkop.

   For some reason I can't explain, I didn't spend much time in the hide. I usually sat on the flat below the dining area, watching wildlife come towards me. 

[Geoff]

1 hour ago, John M. said:

    For some reason I can't explain, I didn't spend much time in the hide. I usually sat on the flat below the dining area, watching wildlife come towards me. 

 

@John M.There's some nice settings around the camp, you just have to wait for the opportunity. When elephants left the waterhole I'd often check on where they went. 

 

[Geoff]

A large buffalo herd was transversing the area.  One morning we found them not far from Mwamba camp slowly making their way to the river. So we followed them.

 

 

The Pathfinder

 

Buff portraits. I have many buffalo portrait images but the 1st one is my favourite

When the herd arrived at the river the setting was lovely and made for excellent viewing

 

Thirsty Buffalo

 

 

[John M.]

@Geoff Your fave buff portrait is an exceptional image. I never managed to get both horns, both ears, both eyes and both nostrils just right!

   "Thirsty buffalo" is great, too.

Edited August 26 by John M.

[offshorebirder]

Yes, Thirsty Buffalo is choice.

[Geoff]

A coalition of 4 young but big lions (collectively known as the Nomads) had moved into the area. The Nomads were busy making a nuisance of themselves proclaiming the territory as theirs. The numbers were on their side, as the MK's only had two pride males and the Hollywood pride was ripe for the taking, six females without a pride male. Neither pride wanted anything to do with them, The Hollywoods had moved far to the north of their territory whilst the MKs with the exception of two lioness with very young cubs hidden, were either way south of their core territory or spending a lot of time across the river in the Nsefu sector. My impression the first time I saw the Nomads was, they're big but very young, their manes are only just growing, one versus one the MK pride males would beat them.

 

This is our land

 

Marking the territory 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one had a nasty wound on its paw. It did not seem to impede him but I saw him licking the wound often.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 27 by Geoff
removed duplicate image

[Geoff]

Just some of the species commonly seen in the Kaingo - Mwamba game viewing area

 

Cookson's Wildebeeste - perhaps the most striking of the wildebeeste family

 

 

 

Thornicroft giraffe

 

 

 

Two young males jousting

 

 

Greater Kudu

 

 

 

 

 

Puku

 

 

 

Waterbuck

 

 

Zebra

 

 

Yellow baboon

 

[Geoff]

Hyenas enjoyed a meal from this rancid hippo carcass. The lions never touched it though they were in the vicinity and would have definitely smelt it.

 

 

Note the thickness of the hippos hide. No issue for a hyena's biting power.

 

 

 

 

There were a few youngsters usually hanging around at a well known den site.

 

 

Edited August 27 by Geoff
fix spelling

[Geoff]

Some nice sightings from night drives.

 

Chameleon

 

Large Spotted Genet

 

Giant Eagle Owl

 

A few different leopards

 

 

 

 

White-tailed Mongoose

[John M.]

   The prowling leopard is a stunner.

 

[Geoff]

Forgot to include this civet in the night drives post

 

Edited August 27 by Geoff
formatting

[Geoff]

When staying at Kaingo the Hippo Hide is my favourite spot during the hottest time of the day. I often spend a few hours there before the afternoon game drive commences.

It is the perfect location to keep cool with the hide in the shade provided by the river bank and a cooling breeze blowing across the river. From 3-4 PM the sun angle is just about perfect for photography. And there always seems to be some action. If the hippos are lethargic, other animals are coming for a drink and birds are flitting about.

 

 

 

 

Youngsters play fighting 

 

Crocs are always present

 

 

Fish Eagle with catfish

 

Common Sandpiper

 

Wood Sandpiper

 

white-fronted Bee-eater

 

Elephants are often near the hide

 

 

 

 

 

[Geoff]

A few birds.

 

Carmine Bee-eater

 

Bateleur (juvenile)

 

Yellow-billed Kite

 

Crowned Hornbill

 

African Jacana

 

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

 

Common Sandpiper picking at a wound on a hippos back. Unusual behaviour I thought. I neglected to put this image in the Hippo Hide post. 

 

[Geoff]

Late in my stay at Kaingo the MK pride finally returned from the Nsefu sector. We located them resting near the river just after dawn one morning.

Some were on top of the river bank and others were spread out on the sand.

 

A quick head count of 12 lions revealed only three were missing - One Pride male and the two adult females with cubs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Geoff]

The Kill.

 

We stayed with the lions for a few hours. As the morning heated up lots of animals including a lone Cookson’s Wildebeest were coming to the river for a drink. The wildebeest ambled down the game path river access point and proceeded to walk along the sand directly towards us and the lions.

 

At circa one hundred metres distance the wildebeest stopped and assessed the area, staring straight ahead, then looking left, right and then behind.

As soon as the wildebeest looked behind one lioness moved quickly in a crouched walk staying in the shadow created by the river bank. She had closed to within fifty metres when the wildebeest turned back to face us and the lioness froze, she was caught in an awkward stance but remained in that position.

 

I had a brief glance at the rest of the pride, all were pressed into the sand as flat as pancakes.

 

Time ticked on and finally the prey walked forward before again stopping and surveying the scene.The wildebeest stared at the crouching lioness for what seemed like ages. Perhaps it was its poor eyesight or the sun was in its eyes but it didn’t seem to make out the lioness in the shadows.

 

It then took a few more paces forward. I felt my heart rate quicken, I was now fully invested in the hunt. I was watching the wildebeest through the viewfinder and with my non-dominant eye watching the lioness still in that awkward pose. I was now wishing I had a different camera with a zoom lens in my hand but it was too late to change.

 

I said to the guide “If that wildebeest takes a few steps forward it’s dead.” and as I ended that sentence the wildebeest moved and the lioness broke from the shadows. Cleverly she ran behind the wildebeest and herded it towards the rest of the pride which now rose as one.

 

The wildebeest sprinting made a sharp lefthand turn and jumped for the top of the river bank with another lioness closing in. I put the camera down in time to see her tap the wildebeest rear leg and it fall in a cloud of dust.

 

Wildebeest sprinting for the river bank

 

Unprocessed image of wildebeest and lioness jumping the river bank. I defintely had the wrong camera in my hand.

 

The scene when we finally made it off the river sand and back onto the track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[offshorebirder]

That Common Sandpiper is acting like an Oxpecker @Geoff!    Amazing capture, as was the Lion / Wildebeest sequence. 

[John M.]

   I was going to suggest it was the most lions I'd seen on a carcass, more than on the elephant at Selinda in 2002. 

   But with the elephant, the pride was more spread out. Yours are remarkable 'crowd' images 🙂