Bush Day

june 

back in the land of blood red sunsets, elephants in your front yard and a fast beating heart. it is so good to be back, to hear the thousands of different species of birds, to smell the smokiness of the fire and watch the sparks drift amongst the sky littered with stars. i stare into the embers of the fire, it's like staring into a soul, a soul full of life, just like africa. letting an ice cold beer slip down your throat as you listen to the low whooping of the distant hyena. the coolness of the night makes its way into your bones, but you don't care, you need to be out, out beneath the stars and with the sounds of the nocturnal animals. and then, hot, very hot. the dry air of the day and glaring sun, beams down on you through the open window. the dust fills your nose, but it feels so good to be in the bush again, using all your senses. watching and observing the signs of the bush, you discover so much more. the alarm call of a francolin and the staring eyes of prey into the deep bush, sends chills down your spine because you know their is a predator near by. searching the bush you look for that distinct flick of an ear or a tail hanging down from the dense foliage of the sausage tree. winding down the lonely dirt road through the leadwood graveyard, you rarely see animals in this scorched land. A couple of eagles sit at the top of dead trees, blending in with the tawny branches. identifying the birds of prey and finding some rare species is always a good way to start the day. as soon as the road makes its way towards the river, the land changes. bursts of green start to emerge. huge fig trees tower along the river and their limb like branches seem to stretch so far. in the dense and lush foliage you can find an array of birds, singing and adding to the tune echoing deep in your heart. water buck and impala are abundant which brings the attention of the elusive leopard. the fish eagles glide along their kingdom, the riverbed, and watch over the animal antics. 

driving a long the river we decide to stop and enjoy our egg sandwiches that we've pre-made and pull into a bay, beneath massive trees. turning off the engine you really get to immerse yourself into the situation playing out around you. the bush becomes more alive, you can hear the sounds made by tiny animals making their way through the bush, and the shwoosh of wings in flight. after inhaling half my sandwich I decide to grab the binoculars and give the area a better look. I notice a herd of aggravated water buck standing on an island in the middle of the river. they are all staring, endlessly in one direction. I move the binocs in the direction they are looking and can't seem to find anything, before i recocgnise that typical swagger of a male lion, two of them actually, walking down the river bank with that arrogant presence about them. we start the car, and instantly head out in that direction. before getting anywhere i shout, stooop, there's another lion. Lucky enough I caught a glimpse of those indistinct ears and eyes staring just above the grass. He dropped his head down and I heard a crackle and crunch. He was obviously chewing on the remains of a kill. Not sure which lion to go to, we decide to carry on looking for the ones on the move in the river, before being stopped by a decrepit couple in a little old croaky car. They proceed to let us know that we just missed five male lions crossing the road and then headed into the river bed. Now thinking those male lions will be out of sight we turn around once again to go see the male on his own. Out of nowhere my mom is shouting: " Leopard, leopard!" I cannot believe my eyes, a huge male leopard lingers in the road, not sure where to go and then makes a run for it into the bush. With all the excitement going on I don't know what to think. Once again the bush has baffled me. when we got to where the single male was, he had disappeared. Obviously gone to join the rest of his coalition he must have startled the leopard and it made a run for it. What a sighting!