Singita Sabi Sand: June 2022

June 2022

Singita Sabi Sand: June 2022

Very few things can compare to departing the lodge on morning game drive - mist fills low lying valleys, and birds find the highest perch possible in anticipation of the sun’s rays. The sounds of the bush travel further during the cold mornings while dew settles on the numerous animal tracks on the soft, sand roads. The pursuit is on to find wildlife which has been abundant throughout the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, let the adventure continue...

Here’s a Sightings Snapshot for June:

Lions

Our lion sightings have been dominated by the Nkuhuma lionesses, their two cubs and the Plains Camp lions. The roars can be heard almost daily. It has been rewarding spending time after the sunsets with the males in particular, as they start to wake up. Often they will call just before moving off into the night.
The Nkuhuma lionesses are looking in fantastic condition due to their success in hunting on a regular basis. They managed to bring down a zebra in the gabro grasslands in the central area of the reserve. They fed on it for over three days.
With buffalo herds frequenting the southern grasslands lions have been in close proximity, mainly lions from the Nsevu Pride, which has seen a number of young males becoming nomadic and chancing their luck with these big bovines.

Elephants

Elephants can be found on almost every game drive. With green grass still plentiful, they have lots to choose from. Termite mounds offering nutritional grass species often play host to these hungry pachyderms. Guests at Boulders and Ebony lodges are spoilt with frequent views of family groups from their decks, looking down into the Sand River. What a way to spend the down time between drives!

Leopards

The Mobeni female has offered some great viewing. As we weave our way through the woodlands of central Singita a sharp eye may just lock eyes with this watchful leopard. This old female continues to hold her own in the area surrounding Castleton Camp, and sometimes one may just hear her calling from the lodge itself. One memorable sighting from this month was when she hoisted an impala in a marula tree off of the old Castleton airstrip.
Nkuwa female and her cub have been occupying the rocky outcrops that line the Mobeni drainage. One late afternoon they graced us with their presence and lay in some beautiful golden sunlight. Guests had the opportunity to capture a very special moment as mother and cub played and groomed with one another. Truly unforgettable.
As we depart Boulders or Ebony the search begins for the Schotia female leopard. We have been seeing her more than what we did in May. One sighting of her jumping from rock to rock as she ventured to the northern bank of the Sand River comes to mind.

Wild dogs

Although we have not had many sightings of these canids, when they have appeared it has been action packed! We have followed tracks in Othawa to the north of the Sand River with very little joy, but one afternoon we were delighted to have them hunting in the eastern grasslands where they caught and devoured a steenbok. They action picked up a notch as a clan of six hyenas came bounding in, and the chaos commenced. The pack of nine held their own and manged to fend off the hyenas, while a dazzle of zebra looked on.

Bird List

The bird list for June concluded on 264, with standout sightings of a pair of trumpeter hornbills and a half-collared kingfisher hunting close to a pair of Cape clawless otters, at Taylor’s Crossing.