The following morning we found
the missing frog, on the headboard behind the mosquito net!
We’d woken up early today as we
were keen to get to the Carmine Bee Eater Hide.
This is a mobile hide set up each year at the end of August when these
beautiful migratory birds arrive to bury into the soft sand banks to create
their nests. And not just one or two,
they arrive in their 1000s.
To reach the hide we had to cross
the shallow water in a canoe (when levels drop even further you can actually
wade across but at the moment there are still crocodiles). Liesbeth and Franz went one end each and,
with an unusual error of judgement, Sandy told me and Ian to sit together in
the middle. I got in first and Ian
passed all the gear to me before getting in, somehow managing to wedge himself
on the seat next to me and we set off.
All too soon I was aware of a wet bum – we were taking on water – but couldn’t
move without upsetting the whole balance of the canoe. All I could do was make sure my camera gear
was well out of danger. But we got to
the hide safely and clambered in. The
din was deafening.
These beautiful birds dig nests
up to 1m deep into the riverbank and move in and out so quickly it’s virtually
impossible to get a decent picture. Every
so often something spooks them and the fly off en masse for about 20 seconds
and then all come back again.
We stayed for about an hour and I
tried very hard to just focus on two birds interacting but by the end of it I
had quite a bad headache and probably not one useable picture – but what an
experience.
I tried to upload a video but
Blogger wasn’t having it!
I also liked this almost “cave
painting” type of picture
We didn’t make the same mistake
with the boat going back, Franz and Ian went first.
Kaingo Lodge also has a bush camp
erected each year where the accommodation is considerably more basic – reed huts
and bucket showers etc. They also have a
very good waterhole which is the very last in the area to dry out and have a
hide built there too. So after we’d
finished with the Carmine Bee Eaters we drove up there hoping to catch some
more Lilian’s Lovebirds – unfortunately we’d missed them but we did see
numerous other animals and birds
After another delicious brunch we enjoyed our downtime and bottle of wine, then after the usual tea and cakes at 3pm we headed off for the afternoon drive.
First to watch the elephants crossing
Apparently elephants are either left or right trunked and this one definitely favoured the right side.
Lilac Breasted Rollers are the most beautiful of birds and they are plentiful here - given half a chance I would stop and photograph each and every one. Its become something of an "in joke" now, Ian only has to raise a forefinger and I know there is one on a bush close by.
Then we happened across this hippo skull
Sandy, although a trained guide/tracker has only joined Kaingo this year and his knowledge and feel for where animals might be is extraordinary. His hunches are usually correct and so was the case late afternoon when we came upon Chiphadzuwa, a young female leopard.
Our sundowner tonight was back in the Ebony Grove, a beautiful place, watching the baboons
After that the spotlight was on and we wandered around for a while without finding anything much of interest (animals being totally unpredictable) apart from the odd Hippo - they are very poor sighted and if you shine the light in their eyes it can blind them.
Almost back at camp though was the rare Pel's Fishing Owl, but I was so excited I failed to get my settings right - b*ll*cks!
