Chobe Game Lodge Newsletter, June 2006

General

The average temperatures dropped considerably in June as we moved into the heart of winter. The average morning temperature was 13 °C and afternoon temperatures were around 24 °C on average. The coldest temperature measured was 11 °C, which combined with the wind chill factor on the open game drive vehicles made the morning activities a very chilly affair for the unprepared.

Water Levels

The guides reported that all of the rainwater pools away from the riverfront dried up already and it is only the Sedudu Pan that actually still held a small amount of water. This pan is however drying up very quickly and will probably be completely dry by the end of July. The levels of the Chobe River dropped drastically in the latter three weeks of June and the river is basically back at its normal levels again.

Vegetation

Most of the large fever berry trees (Croton megalobotrys) which occur in abundance in the Chobe region have shed their leaves during June, but a large number of them are still covered in yellow leaves. These trees shed their leaves briefly during the winter and the leaves normally turn bright yellow just before they drop, making for an unusual show of colours in the otherwise dry and dull bush.

Birdlife

As usual, birding in the Chobe National Park is never dull. The dry vegetation now allows easy views of birds and late afternoons seem to be particularly productive. Large flocks of seedeaters tend to concentrate in open patches and on the roads as well. These flocks invariably consist out of emerald spotted doves, green-winged pytilias, blue waxbills as well as common waxbills.

Another factor that enhances the birding in the area is the Chobe River receding at quite a fast rate. This leaves open stretches of muddy floodplains with small pools of water containing stranded populations of crustaceans, aquatic insects and mollusks as well as smaller fish. This of course is like heaven on earth for many species of waders who are letting nothing go to waste.

Apart from being an important food source for browsing mammals, the camel thorn acacia is also the preferred species of tree for white backed vultures to nest in. We have already spotted a few pairs of white backed vultures nesting in the tops of these trees as we are entering their breeding season. Most bird species breed in times of abundance and for vultures this is the dry season.

This is when there are most deaths among herbivores due to their losing condition because of the reduction of both quantity and quality of their food. Poor condition results in susceptibility to disease and predation, which in turn equates to good news for vultures.

Reptiles

Since Botswana is enduring the coldest two months of the year, the reptiles are not very active and sightings of the larger reptiles were limited to mainly water monitors and Crocodiles. Johan Bruwer, General Manager of Chobe Game Lodge, witnessed two water monitors near the Serondela picnic spot as they were engaged in a strange wrestling act.

This could easily be interpreted as mating, but could also be ritualized combat behaviour. Female water monitors normally lay their eggs inside active termite mounds. She will simply open the mound, lay her eggs, and the termites will repair the mound after she left, enclosing the eggs inside the mound where the temperature and humidity is kept at a constant level which is also favourable for the incubation of the eggs.

Mammals

Game viewing in June was very rewarding with especially good sightings of predators. The Lions were particularly cooperative with only five days in June with no recorded sightings of Lions. On the 12th our local pride of Lions killed a Giraffe at the old airstrip and with that amount of meat available it guaranteed Lion sightings for the subsequent 3 days as they didn't move very far from the carcass.

On the 21st they killed a Buffalo not very far from the area where they took down the Giraffe and again this provided guaranteed Lion sightings for the next few days.

Leopard sightings are normally far and few in between but during June our guides were fortunate enough to have come across quite a number of different sightings of these elusive cats. They were most notably active in the Nantanga/Serondella area where they were sighted at least 4 times.

One of these sightings was of a male and female together, which most probably indicate that the female is in heat and that they were mating, since Leopards are solitary creatures and adults are not often seen together unless they are mating.