Correspondence Course Practical September 2015

Hi there everyone!

The first summer rains have arrived.
 

This means that the bush has taken in a breath of new energy and is changing colours day by day. I can never decide what my favourite season is in the bush but I must say… when we arrived at Nkombe Camp early September, I was blown away!

The beautiful Narrow-leaved Morning Glory

The earth had been craving water for so long and finally the thirst has been quenched. My senses were more awake than ever… the smell of fresh vegetation and wet soil – an earthy scent that cannot be bottled or replicated. I absolutely love the sounds of buzzing insects calling incessantly at dusk and the characteristic calls of many male frogs in the hopes of attracting females.
 

The bush is alive and it’s just getting better!

 

Inspecting an old buffalo skull

This blog is, however, not dedicated to the wonders of the ever changing bushveld. It is dedicated to our first Correspondence Course practical of 2015! Students from all corners of the earth came together for two spectacular weeks with one thing in common – an everlasting passion for nature!

The students arrived on the 19^th of September and we wasted no time in getting them into the swing of things.

The first thing they saw, before even arriving at the famous Nkombe Camp, was the most beautiful female leopard. She was lying beneath a tree with a couple of Spotted Hyaenas lurking nearby. This is because she had made an impala kill which we saw dangling in the tree above. What a way to get settled in ;)
 

Always amazing to see...

The next thing on the agenda for the first day was 'welcoming sundowners'. We unfortunately didn’t see the sun go down as the weather was not ideal and continued to drizzle for a day or so. That being said, we were so impressed with the students, as they never once let the weather get the best of them. We had an amazing sundowner stop under an impressive Jackalberry tree and enjoyed Mandla’s homely chicken potjie around the captivating fire whilst getting to know each other.

The first few days were spent learning about trees and birds.

Just one of our spectacular sunsets

Dave Strydom (our expert birds and trees lecturer) truly has an impeccable way to give students the tools to gain the skills of successfully identifying trees and birds. We enjoyed bush walks every morning, as one tends to learn more whilst on foot.  There is more to see, smell and hear without the noise and distractions of a vehicle. The one thing I was not so keen about was all the pepper ticks! I walked through at least three nests and I sit here now itching and itching with over thirty bites (yes, I counted)! It seems they have grown immune to Tabard. Nevertheless, it was completely worth it!
 

A group of vultures patiently waiting...

One day stood out in particular: the 25^th of September. We went for a long game drive to the south of the reserve and had two absolutely stunning sightings. The first was of a pride of lions on a buffalo kill. This was the Southern Pride – experts in eating buffalo. We also enjoyed seeing a massive dead tree covered in various species of vultures waiting for their turn to devour the leftovers. What an unforgettable scene! This was also the first ever sighting of lions for one of our students!
 

Joe and the bull elephant

The other magnificent sighting was of a herd of elephant - our favourite animals of all. It started as we saw a bull elephant on a mission. He covered a lot of distance in a very short time. After following the determined elephant, we came across a breeding herd. The bull was in hot pursuit of the females, but they were showing no interest. I predict the bull was too young and not in musth. After failing to impress the females, he moved off. It was that perfect time of day just before the sun started to set. We parked our vehicle some distance from the herd and let them approach us. It was incredible. The females passed right by us, carrying on with their usual activities. One relaxed female even fed on a tree less than five metres away from Joe (a student from England). He claims this to be one of the best moments of his life. A young calf was gently guided by her mother - stunning to watch. My best sighting of the week!

This day also happened to be my birthday. I couldn’t have been happier spending it in the bush with this amazing group of people. The students even made me a special gift – they carved onto a piece of wood and all wrote a special message on it. Thanks again guys!
 

Before we knew it, it was assessment time! We treated our students to a surprise bush breakfast with an amazing view of a dry riverbed and the open plains beyond it. This was also our way of saying 'good luck!' to everyone for the upcoming days. We are so proud of each and every one, as they all passed their assessments with flying colours as well as their FGASA 1 exams. Congratulations ANTs!
 

The herd of buffalo

We haven’t even spoken about half of our fantastic sightings…We were treated to a visit by wild dogs which spent the day less than five hundred metres from camp! They are always fantastic to see and we loved the fact that they were so close to us for so long.

The majority of the time spent at Nkombe Camp was focused on the smaller aspects of nature which are no less important than the famous Big Five. The rest came naturally, as we saw all of the Big Five on the last day without even trying. We saw female lions on another buffalo kill, as well as a gorgeous female leopard which recently had hunted a duiker. We were privileged enough to see a massive herd of buffalo, after which we stopped at a famous granite outcrop to have some refreshments overlooking the reserve.  What a day it was!

After this course, we can all agree that we will never look at the bush the same way and we have a much better insight into the never-ending world of nature.

The ANT Blog
written by Chanyn-Lee Zeelie

What a great group of people!



A lioness with her meal in the background



Conrad exploring Jacana Pan

A group of Blue Wildebeest graze as the sun starts to set



A beautiful picture of the end of another day in Africa



Nkombe Camp managers - Chanyn and Conrad Zeelie

Surprise Bush Breakfast!

Christin's practical assessment

A silhouette of a windmill near Nkombe Camp

 

The best sighting EVER...

Hi there everyone!

I’m not sure where to begin as this past week or so has been so eventful and has been filled with endless unforgettable, unbelievable sightings…

First of all, we have received some unexpected and much needed rain and this has brought forth a wide variety of life in the area (even more than usual!). The bush has started to turn a refreshing shade of green, with new shoots emerging on the recently burnt areas. This has made for fantastic scenery, coupled with the stunning animals which have been showing off for us these past few days.

Every day here in the middle of the African bush is a special one as each day brings new, unpredictable sightings along with more knowledge...which leads to a better understanding of how nature works. 

One day in particular stood out far above the rest and it started out like every other day. We woke up to an overcast morning and decided to go out for a game drive to see what the bush had to offer. It turned out to be more than anyone would ever have expected…

 

A young Buffalo calf

The first incredible sighting was one of an enormous herd of buffalo. We switched off the vehicle and watched in amazement as we became surrounded by these amusing bovids. We were lucky enough to see all sorts of behaviour from youngsters suckling to impressive bulls head-butting one another and even saw how one male actually mounted another in order to show his dominance! At times we had no clue where to look, as all this entertaining activity was taking place around us. I personally love viewing buffalo as they each  have their own facial expressions which ensure there is never a dull moment…

The gorgeous male leopard

We then came across a scene in which a very young male leopard had stored an impala kill in a massive Jackalberry tree. He had been feeding on this along with his mother for the past two days and he was panting from gorging himself on his well-deserved meal.

We found him lying comfortably with his limbs hanging either side of a large branch with his kill not too far away on a lower branch. This was an absolute treat as we could view the gorgeous cat only metres away from us without any obstructions. We then realised that his mother was lying in a patch of dense vegetation in close proximity to the tree, which was even more of a bonus. Scanning the surroundings of the open area, we saw a couple of old buffalo bulls which were also very close to the leopard. They showed interest for a moment or so then remained unfazed with the predators nearby and carried on with their normal behaviour.

After a couple of minutes, something appeared in the far distance across the plains…a lion! We could not believe our eyes, as we looked through our binoculars to see a dishevelled and hungry-looking male lion which appeared out of nowhere. We decided to drive closer to inspect the scruffy cat as he sat staring into the distance towards the leopard kill. We stopped near the lion, expecting him to remain lazy and lethargic, as most lions do during the day...until the wind direction changed and he got a whiff of a much needed meal! He immediately got up and walked past and behind our vehicle (as if deliberately using it as cover) and made his way across the open area towards the leopards.


The lion stealing the kill

His eyes remained focused on the lifeless impala and he started to gain speed and run to the tree, without even glancing in the direction of some very angry and alert buffalo nearby. 

We were absolutely stunned by the scene unfolding before our eyes and somehow it was all happening so quickly…Before we knew it, the mother leopard had scattered out from behind the bushes and disappeared in a flash. The young male shot higher up the tree and found himself balancing amoung the flimsy, thin branches, left only to watch dumbfounded as the lion clumsily climbed the tree to steal his kill. The lion struggled to keep his balance and quickly returned to the ground with the remains of the impala. He then proceeded to consume the rest of the kill, biting and chewing through the carcass in minutes, whilst the leopard remained helpless in the safety of the Jackalberry. The sighting of a lifetime!

 

A magical moment...

We were convinced we had seen it all and thus didn’t expect to have another unbelievable sighting but, once again, we were proven wrong… After some classic sundowners in the bush, we were on our way back to camp when one of the students spotted some eyes reflecting in the distance. We assumed it was Impala, as usual, until we approached closer...to find that it was actually a leopard!

When we got close enough, we were delighted to see that it was in fact a mother leopard as well as her cub. We could not believe our luck as we followed these two leopards and watched the playful cub wander about and interact with her mother. It was a unique sighting and we spent quite a bit of time with them, enjoying observing their natural behaviour. The leopards eventually came to a water-hole where they had a drink before moving off into the night.  It was such a memorable experience! 

Life's tough in Africa!

After this we had another fantastic sighting of a male cheetah as well as at least fifty Marabou storks, African Fish eagles and many more! We have been extremely lucky and never take anything for granted…Today the students start with lodge placements at one of the prestigious lodges in the area where they will get the full experience of how a lodge environment works. Exciting!

Stay tuned to see what happens next…

The ANT Blog

Another fantastic sighting of two lions doing what they do best!

The King of the Jungle stares intently into the distance...

A Spotted Hyaena near the Leopard kill

 

Unforgettable memories made!

Hi there everyone!

As you can imagine, a lot of incredible things have happened in the course of the last ten days or so… Every day the pieces of nature’s puzzle get put together to form a bigger picture and, as the time passes by, we are able to see and understand more and more about the African bushveld. This is, of course, accompanied by unforgettable sightings which are always a pleasure to witness!

A Blue Wildebeest calf suckling 

The bush is extremely dry this year, but this has had no ill effect on the high density of thrilling animals surrounding our camp. These conditions have also brought some unusual birds into the area such as Namaqua Doves and Wood Sandpipers, which we have never seen here before! We have also had some great raptor sightings, the most exciting of which were the African Hawk-Eagle and Martial Eagle.

The game viewing is also at an all-time high - we have been visited in camp by Giraffe, Elephants, Buffalo and elusive Spotted Hyaenas this past week alone!

There is truly never a dull moment at Nkombe camp, as we are often interrupted by the chattering alarm calls of Tree Squirrels, the barking of Bushbuck and the nervous distress calls of the Vervet monkey whilst going about our daily activities.

The walking has been absolutely amazing as we have been studying different tracks and signs from small birds to impressive lion tracks. Bird watching is also at its best when on foot, as we often find ourselves only fifty metres from camp with so much to look at!

We had a couple of exciting encounters on foot as well. It is a whole new experience to view animals on their level in their environment as opposed to from the game-viewer. We had fantastic encounters with a couple of Buffalo bulls as we watched them from a distance scratching themselves on trees and continuing with their natural behaviour. We also had an exciting Elephant encounter as we watched a mighty male feeding on nearby vegetation after which we followed fresh lion tracks!

The beautiful cheetah!

We added an all-new, elegant creature to our 'exsighting' list as we found a beautiful Cheetah lying in the shade in the heat of the day. This was a first for many and still spectacular for the rest, as we don't often get to see these charming cats. 

 

We were lucky enough to find a fresh impala kill hoisted up in a tree one morning. The Leopard responsible for this was nowhere to be found. After scanning the area for a few minutes, we moved on, but decided to revisit the site later that day. On our return that afternoon, we suddenly heard the thumping sounds of massive Hyaena paws crashing through the bush, literally scraping past our vehicle. We decided to stay put at the site of the kill and just observe these misunderstood creatures with the hope that the Leopard would come back to her trophy...

After about half an hour of waiting, we were just about to move on when Gus spotted her hiding on top of a termite mound not too far away from where the vehicle was parked moments ago. She shot up the enormous Marula and continued feeding on her meal, with Hyaenas’ mouths watering below as they waited for scraps to drop. The carcass started to slip due to her feeding and ,despite all her manoeuvring around the tree, she could not keep the kill from falling. As soon as the carcass hit the ground, she knew it was over and that the Hyaenas outnumbered her.

We then spent the rest of the time observing these creatures’ powerful jaws crushing through bones and hooves until there was almost nothing left but the horns of a once living impala ram. One of the most amazing sightings ever, just proving that patience is everything!

A curious elephant decides to investigate our vehicle

The Elephant sightings that we have been experiencing  are personally at the top of my list! We have seen every form and size of Elephant from the cutest baby trying to manoeuvre its clumsy trunk to the most striking and impressive bulls. The students sitting right at the front (on the tracker seat) have had a few unforgettable moments as a few of the Elephants approached the vehicle curiously from the front. These memories will stay with all of us forever…

The coalition of male lions

As if all of the above is not enough, we had an intimate sighting of two new male Lions in the area.

I must say, they were more energetic than our previous coalition, in that one managed to stand up and re-position himself only a metre or so away and then returned to being its lazy, lethargic self!

This was still an absolutely incredible sighting, as we were alone with the respectable cats and had the privilege of watching and inspecting them for half an hour or more. It was remarkable!

Sunrise at Nkombe Camp...

It has been an incredible journey so far to see these great students grow and learn every day. I personally (Chanyn) can’t wait to see what amazing field guides they will become…

To another day in Africa - cheers!

 

The ANT Blog

The cutest, smallest African carnivore - Dwarf Mongoose

A rare sighting of a juvenile Southern Ground Hornbill

A majestic Elephant bull crosses the open plains

A Red-billed Oxpecker in its element, scissoring its way through the hair on a Buffalo's back

The curiosity of a Giraffe

Those magnificent eyes!

The king of the jungle!

 

The FGASA level one course is more than half way!

Hi there everyone!

A lot has happened yet again since our last update on the FGASA level one course. Spectacular memories have been made and the 'once in a lifetime' sightings continue to prevail...

Every single week unexpectedly out-competes the previous one. We spend all our nights around the fire discussing how incredible each day has been and how unbelievable it is to learn and experience countless incredible things in the bush every single day. To wake up with that hunger for the day to begin and the utter excitement to see what nature has in store for us is truly amazing.

The yawn of a cheetah...

We had our very first cheetah sighting! It was a beautiful male cheetah resting in the heat of the day. We spent quite a bit of time observing the rare cat as he elegantly posed and yawned for us. We also had another stunning lion sighting. Three gorgeous males doing what they do best... resting!

We have had countless majestic elephant sightings, even in camp which is always absolutely incredible. Our wild dog sightings have also improved as we had the privilege of seeing these gorgeous animals around the reserve. All this and a blood-curdling three metre long black mamba! A highlight for many on the course. We have been so incredibly lucky!

A large female leopard with a Nyala kill

The lucky leopard sightings haven't been scarce either! We have had many unique and unforgettable sightings of these magnificent cats... One in particular was when a female leopard and her cub sat in a tree and protected their meal (and themselves!) from an impressive female spotted hyena lurking below waiting for any scraps to fall to the ground. To see a leopard cub is wonderful enough... but to see this whole interaction was priceless!

Another unbelievable scene took place as we watched a different female leopard rip a Nyala to pieces as she fed on her well-deserved meal. We watched her in awe as she enjoyed her meal in the safety of a Marula tree with her cub lying in the shade of a small shrub on the ground below. No one can describe the adrenaline rush after witnessing something like this! Our most recent leopard sighting was when we were out on drive scanning the area for grasses to identify when all of a sudden we spotted a leopard right next to the road on a termite mound. We enjoyed the sighting before speculating which grass the leopard was lying on :)

A curious female buffalo approaching a pack of wild dogs!

We approached an enormous herd of buffalo which we saw in the distance when suddenly we got a huge surprise and found the wild dogs... again! They spent the heat of the day lying down under a couple of Magic Guarris until the buffalo started grazing in their direction. Both parties were completely unaware of each other and we couldn't wait to see how their unexpected meeting would unfold... A curious female buffalo was the first to break the ice as she approached the pack and gave a short burst of a chase to intimidate the scurrying dogs. Absolutely unforgettable!

The class of September 2014

The lodge placements were a massive success as all of our students learnt how a five-star lodge operates...inside and out! They had the opportunity to learn first hand from experienced field guides how to conduct the ultimate guided experience. They worked in the kitchen learning how the food is prepared and the procedures that take place to make sure everything runs smoothly. They learnt how to change tyres on the game viewer as well as how to do a basic service on the vehicle and to make sure that is is spotless and polished at all times. They were involved in habitat management as they had the opportunity to implement a number of conservation management practices. Laundry was another department where they learnt what goes on behind the scenes to ensure the guests' rooms are immaculate. The students had the opportunity to see some of the fully furnished rooms and what has to happen on a daily basis to maintain the highest standard. All in all it was priceless experience!

Sand River males

We recently saw the most beautiful lion brothers. The bond between the two was truly incredible to see. They are in a coalition with one other male and seem to be the dominant male lions in the area at the moment. It has been an amazing couple of weeks in terms of experience and knowledge gained as well as unforgettable sightings. 

The ANT Blog



Another amazing bush walk

The stare of a buffalo bull

What an incredible sight!



More of the wonderful wild dog...



ANT's FGASA level 1 students - September to November 2014

Summer is here... and the bush is alive!

Hi there everyone!

It seems as if the bush has transformed overnight. The long-awaited rains have brought upon new life and a new energy in the bush as everything has suddenly come to life! The dust has settled. The dry grass and leafless trees are a thing of the past. Previously burnt areas are now sprouting fresh, nutritious new-growth grass which attracts a variety of grazers and thus predators as well...

The Wild Dogs drinking

What a sight!

Despite all the amazing sightings we had the first two weeks of the FGASA level 1 course, the last couple of days have been even better! The density of game is increasing now that the conditions are becoming favorable for all life - big and small. So favorable that we had the absolute delight of seeing one of the most endangered mammals in Africa... Wild Dogs! We had not only one, but two spectacular sightings of these wonderful canines. The first was as the family of dogs started to get active after their afternoon siesta. They stretched, scratched and then decided to drink water from a rock pool which provided for the most beautiful setting. The following day we sat with them for at least half an hour studying their behaviour and habits. There were around twelve dogs including four pups which are very quickly starting to grow in size! We had a good laugh as they rolled and yapped just like a domestic dog, even biting off bits of grass with their tails continuously wagging. It was breathtaking!

Our students have also started driving the game-viewer in preparation for the final assessment. We are making good progress and the understanding of nature is becoming all the more clear. Everyone can now give an excellent pre-departure brief and entertain guests with many interesting facts about not only mammals, but the smaller things like termites, trees, birds and much more! Very soon it will be time for them to work and gain valuable experience at the lodge in various departments as well as to 'shadow' the field guides to see how everything works together in the tourism industry. Exciting!

The young male leopard

Male lion and his meal

Another unforgettable scene took place yesterday as we ventured in to the south of the reserve. Ashlee (one of our students and an excellent spotter) somehow spotted a leopard next to the road. He is a well known, recently independent male leopard around two years old. Little did we know this was only the beginning as, a few minutes later, we came across an impressive, magnificent male lion! He had made a buffalo kill the previous night and we were fortunate enough to see him feeding on his well-deserved meal! The buffalo must be at least three times heavier but he manoeuvered it as if he was flipping a pancake. To see this power was an eye-opener for us all... As we sat and observed the lion feeding, a couple of Hooded Vultures arrived at the scene to scavenge on possible scraps left behind. The lion was not too impressed with this, of course, as he frequently chased the large raptors away. No words can describe that overwhelming feeling whilst looking at something like this. Amazing!

It never ceases to surprise me how much mother nature has up her sleeve. Every single day is a story waiting to be told. Let's see what happens next!

The ANT Blog

Hooded Vulture on the left, with two White-backed Vultures in the background

Magnificent White-backed Vulture in flight

That power...

Smile!

More Buffalo

A Chin-spot Batis in her nest

That expression! (and look at the Buffalo's tongue)