WILDLIFE BLOG

African Scops Owls are beautiful little nocturnal carnivores, slightly larger than a man's fist. Their frog-like "prrr-up" call is heard across the bushvelt in Southern Africa, and with a bit of patience can lead you to a good sighting.

While the rest of the herd drank from the lagoon behind him, this buffalo bull kept a wary eye on us to make sure we didn't approach too close. By this time of year, when water sources are drying up, we find large herds of buffalo (sometimes more than 1500) searching for grazing opportunities. Taking refuge in a large herd offers protection from predators but makes getting enough to eat much harder!

While boating along the Zambezi River last month, we came across this group of bulls feeding on the reeds growing on the submerged sandbars. They didn't seem concerned by our approach and we managed to take some close-up photographs, but I preferred the earlier ones I had taken when their environment is more visible.

We were out one evening recently and were following a small group of bull elephants. Seeing that they were heading to the river, I hoped that they might cross the water. We set ourselves up and waited. Our patience was rewarded as they formed a tight bunch and moved out into the channel. Elephants usually wait until last light before crossing the river (I've not worked out exactly why) so it's always a treat to watch [...]

On an all-day safari to the north of the park, we spent much of the day trying to track down some Cookson's Wildebeest which can be found in the back-country away from the river. We didn't have much luck (despite lots of tracks) as there was still a lot of water in the many lagoons, so predicting their movements was tough. However, we did find a very healthy looking buffalo bull at one of the lagoons [...]

I found a troop of Vervet Monkeys feeding on Ebony fruits early in the morning. There were also baboons and impala on the ground below, enjoying the feast. Strangely, this female monkey was not feeding and merely sat grooming herself and keeping watch. She'll most likely be pregnant (births are usually in September) so she will need energy to feed the foetus.

We are lucky here that we enjoy regular leopard sightings. It's always easy to pick up the presence of leopard in an area, as there are plenty of signs, but it's hard to find them. The leopards of the Luangwa are secretive, just like all other leopards, but if you listen to the sounds, it's possible to track them down, and then they reward you by not running away! These two females were patrolling their areas, [...]

So overlooked and yet such a feature of the bush, the lowly impala is a joy to watch. This little group were licking soil at a natural salt-lick and looked up in unison as I passed. As a species, they so often tell us where there are predators, that we owe them some attention once in a while!

This large male baboon was acting as sentry early in the morning. While I was watching, he began to look uncomfortable. He stood up on the branch and started to shift from side to side, as if trying to get a better view of something in a thicket nearby. Suddenly, his demeanour changed and he began calling agressively - "wahoo wahoo wahoo". In baboon-speak, this translates as "Leopard" and is one of many calls that they [...]

These Red-billed Oxpeckers had eaten their fill of ticks from the back of their host giraffe, and with no other feeding options around, chose to hang on and enjoy the ride.

It's pretty unusual for me to see a new species in an area that I know so well, but it does happen occasionally! Last night, I found this Spotted Dikkop in some open grassland between areas of scrub Mopane trees. It's a nocturnal insect-eater and is not common in the riverine area of the park. I was very happy to see it and even get a photo! With 480+ species of bird in the Luangwa, there's [...]