Mashatu News - February 2009
| We have just returned from a fabulous 12 days in Mashatu Game Reserve
(south east corner of Botswana).....our trip started with the glorious
sight of vast expanses of purple flowers, not seen in this magnitude
for 20 years! The drooping flower head gives the plant its common
name of 'Cat's Tail'. It was spectacular to see herds of elephant
and eland wandering through these purple fields. |
| The mammal viewing was outstanding - in addition to all the usual
suspects (including Lion, Leopard, African Wild Cat, Wild Dogs, Giraffe,
Zebra, large Eland herds, Kudu, Bat-eared Fox and of course the often
overlooked but beautiful Impala) a lucky find was a Cheetah resting
in the shade of a Shepherd's tree close to Main Camp, giving everyone
great photo opportunities. Black-backed Jackals were particularly
noticeable during this visit, many pairs with 2 or 3 high-spirited
youngsters in tow. One of our most exciting sightings was a pair of
porcupines foraging just before dark. Unfortunately the light was
not good enough for a really special photograph but one of them calmly
lay down on the ground not to far from the vehicle, paying no attention
to us whatsoever. |
| The birdlife too was prolific including large numbers of migratory Lesser Spotted
Eagles and European Rollers, the latter competing with the resident Lilac-breasted Rollers
for the position of most colourful bird in the Reserve. One afternoon we came upon a male
Ostrich incubating eggs, unusual because the male with his black feathers is normally
on duty at night with his brown-feathered female partner taking over during the day. Another
unusual sighting was an immature Black Eagle perched on top of the rocky cliffs close to
Pete's Pond, a favourite haunt of large numbers of Rock and Yellow-spotted Hyrax. Despite
the fact that hyrax is the main food source for this magnificent eagle, this was the first
time one had been recorded at this spot. |
| As always the elephants are our favourite mammal at Mashatu. During
the rains they gather in large numbers and spend much time wallowing
in the mud and bathing in the rivers. The 2 young bulls in the middle
photo spent over an hour playing in the water and appeared to be enjoying
themselves immensely! Despite the amount of available water, many
elephants still dug holes in the sandy riverbed to ensure that they
could obtain crystal clear drinking water filtered through the sand.
Recording sounds from as many animals as possible was our target for
our first week, and the elephants did not disappoint us! |
| Many wild flowers were in bloom in addition to the 'Cat's Tails'
(a close up photo here), the tiny violet or dark blue 'Veld Violet'
is a relatively common perennial at Mashatu, best seen when on a walk.
The common name refers to the colour as it actually bears no relation
to true violets. The larger Yellow Cleome is an annual that is also
more commonly seen after good rains. The upturned thin filaments give
this plant its other common name of 'Mouse Whiskers'. |
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