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A warm Hello from the Leopard Mountain Team
We are so excited to share all our amazing stories with you, as the past month was quite an exceptional one regarding all the sightings we’ve had...
News from the rangers: by Johann Lotreit
I could probably be accused of being biased and writing rosy reports all the time, but be assured that this month is no exception. And not without good reason- as a matter of fact, this was probably the best game viewing month for quite some time and sightings were very varied and numerous. The reserve is flourishing after more good rain and the bush looks exceptionally good for this time of year. There truly is a feeling of abundance and fertility in the air that becomes very apparent as soon as you join us on one of our great new game viewers and step into our little paradise...
Rhino
I have made a habit of starting with rhino sightings in the past not only because they are such magnificent animals, but also because I truly believe that we are one of the top lodges in terms of viewing these beasts. There are now more rhino’s being seen in the Leopard Mountain area than ever before, many of them even in the lodge vicinity. A cow and calf were seen drinking at the lodge waterhole and soon attracted the attention of one of the local bulls which also utilizes the waterhole. He was promptly dispatched by the very protective female with some grunts and aggressive posture. Another more dominant and younger bull also uses the waterhole on occasion and also patrols Leopard Mountain. The newest addition to this is a group of three white rhino’s, two adult cows and a sub-adult calf, which are now also regularly seen drinking at the hide waterhole. And this is only on Leopard Mountain!!! There are so many other white rhino’s once you start exploring the rest of the reserve that even we are often dumbfounded by the amount of these amazing beasts. Of late we have seen several different groups of six and many other groups of 3-5 together. This means that many a drive will afford you encounters with as many as 8 different whiter rhino’s. It really is a privilege to be surrounded by so many of these ancient giants and know that they have a safe home here with us. Black rhino sightings were slightly down for the month with only three good sightings recorded. Two separate solitary bulls were seen as were a mother and calf sharing a territory with one of the bulls.
Cheetahs
The male coalition of two brothers have returned with a bang and has been giving us hours of endless excitement as we have watched them hunt, sleep and mark territory as close as three meters from the vehicle. What is nice is that we are seeing them in many more different areas than before. We also have a very special visitor on Leopard Mountain in the form of a female cheetah which was seen several times and seems to like the Leopard Mountain area.
Leopard
Undoubtedly some of the best sightings for the month were of two previously unseen leopards. The first was of a very large male cat on a morning game drive which was in the process of stalking a juvenile Nyala. Although fairly swift he afforded us a good view of his magnificent majesty. The second new individual is a solitary female which was seen on an afternoon game drive the next afternoon as she strolled down the Msunduze riverbed at dusk. She is a much more relaxed cat and she afforded the very grateful vehicle of guests a good two-minute view of herself before nonchalantly trotting off into the nearby thicket. Other good encounters were logged across other parts of the southern section of the reserve for the month as well.
Elephant
This path month has been really good for seeing the giants of the bush. They have been loving the whole southern area for the past month and have been making frequent incursions even on Leopard Mountain. Solitary bulls were frequently seen using the hide waterhole and the breeding herd less often so. The breeding herd was spotted many times on game drives and really are a special sight. The babies are doing very well and on occasion the cows actually allow you to get pretty close to the herd. There is also a very large bull that has now been staying with the herd for a while so it might not be long before we have yet another addition to our trunked family! Even when we have not seen the elusive giants there is almost always some fresh signs of activity to show that they can be around any corner.
The other ‘big furries’
One of the great things about our game drives is not only the above-mentioned sightings of the really “big” things but the fact that there are always so many other unique and special things to see. Giraffes abound and buffalo sightings are excellent as ever. A suni was spotted in the riverine forest on Leopard Mountain. This riverine habitat also hosts bushbuck and plenty of red duiker. In the plains areas we have good numbers of southern reedbuck and at higher altitudes you can also find the much scarcer mountain reedbuck. The early onset of sunrise with the approaching winter means that sightings of the elusive nocturnal beasties are becoming more frequent. These include white-tailed mongoose, large-spotted genet, porcupine and the occasional aardvark.
Birding
This past month has again seen us accommodate many local and international twitchers and even the more experienced ones can’t help but be impressed by what we have to offer. With the reserve boasting approx. 300 species and Leopard Mountain being a prime spot for birding, there is no shortage of local specials and some really interesting endemics. Just a few good sightings for the month are: dark-backed weaver, Rudd’s Apalis, pink-throated twinspot, lesser- and greater honeyguides, a melanistic gabar goshawk; many lappet-faced and white-backed vultures; collared sunbird; grey-tit flycatcher; sabota lark; striped pipit; eastern nicator; black cuckooshrikel; red-capped robin-chat; grey-headed kingfisher makes it six kingfishers for the reserve; martial-, tawny-, African crowned- and brown snake-eagle’s are also seen in good numbers, as are African goshawk, lizard buzzard and many owl species such as the more common spotted eagle-owls and barn owls and the less frequently seen African wood-owl, African scops owl and the scarce grass owl.
Bush Cuisine
Curried Apple Soup (serves 10)
2 Onions, diced
2 tsp Ginger
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
6 Green Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 Potatoes, peeled and diced
+/- 2 Liters Chicken Stock
1 ½ Cups Cream
- Sautee Onion in butter till soft
- Add Ginger and Curry Powder and fry 1 minute
- Add the Apples, Potatoes and enough stock to just cover
- Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are soft
- Remove from heat and puree
- Adjust consistency with cream and season with salt and pepper
- Garnish with a spoon of Crème Fraiche/Yoghurt and fresh Coriander
And finally…enjoy!!!!
Have You Ever Wondered?
Which spider creates the strongest web?
This is not the world’s largest spider but it creates one of the strongest and largest webs. But first some more detail on the spider’s spectacular web, before we reveal its name…
This spider’s web can run from the top of a tree 6m high and up to 2m wide. Unlike other spider webs, this spider's web is not dismantled often and can last several years. Designed to catch large flying insects, the web is slightly angled. It is not a perfect wheel and is usually off-centre.
To make its web, the spider releases a thin thread into the wind. When it catches on something, the spider walks along it trailing a stronger non-sticky thread. It repeats the process in the centre of the line to form a strong Y-frame. Around this, it spins the rest of the web out of sticky capture silk. The silk is so strong that it can trap small birds, which the spider doesn't eat. These trapped creatures often destroy the web by thrashing around. To avoid such damage, the spider often leaves a line of insect husks on its web (like the safety strip across glass doors!); or builds smaller barrier webs around the main web.
Furthermore tribal people have long used the webs of these spiders. In the South Pacific, the web silk is used to make fishing lures, traps and nets. In the Solomon Islands, the spider web is collected by winding it around sticks to make large sticky balls which are suspended just above the water. Needle fish are lured to jump out and get entangled in the ball. In Southeast Asia, people make a net by scooping up the web between a stick bent into a loop. Spider webs have been used as bandage to stop blood flow and used to make bird snares.
In modern times, this spider's silk is set to become a major product. The silk is almost as strong as Kevlar, the strongest man-made material which is drawn from concentrated sulphuric acid. In contrast, spider silk is drawn from water. If we could manufacture spider silk, it would have a million uses from parachutes, bullet-proof vests, lightweight clothing, seatbelts, light but strong ropes, as sutures in operations, artificial tendons and ligaments.
I am sure that you have figured out the name of this intriguing spider by now… and yes you are absolutely right it is indeed The Golden Orb Web Spider!
Red Leaved Rock Fig
Ficus Ingens (55)
The Red Leaved Rock Fig grows singly; it is easy to find in rocky areas or growing over large boulders in all Ecozones. It can also be found on the edges of rivers and streams, and in thick woodlands.
Description
This trees branch spreads low down and widely, to form a semi-circular canopy. The trees stand out clearly among the other vegetation in spring, when there is a spectacular flush of wine-red to coppery leaves.
All parts of the tree contain some milky latex.
The small figs are smooth of slightly hairy, and are dull red to coppery when ripe (June to December).
Flowers and Fruit
As in all figs, the flowers are not visible as they grow inside the fruit. The figs have a very short stalk, and grow in the angles formed by the leaves.
Bark
The bark is shiny, grey-brown and smooth, often dented and grooved.
Human Uses
The fruit is edible. An extraction of the bark was used to treat anomie, and the milky latex as a disinfectant and astringent. Cows with a low milk yield were also treated with an extraction of the bark.
Links with animals
Mature leaves are seldom eaten, but young leaves turning green are favoured by the Grey Duiker, Kudu and Nyala. Ripe fruits are eaten by Monkeys, Baboons, Squirrels, Dassies, Bushbabies and a wide variety of fruit eating birds. The fruits that have fallen down are eaten by the Bushbig and Wharthork.
Funny Bones
Adopted Turtle
Deep within a forest a little turtle began to climb a tree. After hours of effort he reached the top, jumped into the air waving his front legs and crashed to the ground. After recovering, he slowly climbed the tree again, jumped, and fell to the ground.
The turtle tried again and again while a couple of birds sitting on a branch watched his sad efforts. Finally, the female bird turned to her mate.
"Dear," she chirped, "I think it's time to tell him he's adopted."
.........You could be the lucky person to win yourself and a partner a free night including dinner, bed & breakfast and game drives at the lodge. You may email us your answer to
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(competition closes 30th April 2010 terms & conditions apply):
THIS MONTH'S COMPETITION
At night we come
without being fetched.
By day we are lost
without being stolen.
What am I?
Thank you to everyone who responded to our last competition! The winner of our Leopard Mountain competition for March is Belinda Schwegman. Congratulations - you have won yourself and a partner a free night at the lodge including dinner, bed & breakfast as well as game drives!
Last Month’s competition was:
What always runs but never walks?
Often murmurs, never talks,
Has a bed but never sleeps,
Has a mouth but never eats?
What am I?
River
Best Guests comments of the month:
• Peace, Tranquility, amazing scenery, the perfect antidote to London life. I couldn’t have dreamed of a more romantic place for my partner to propose to me. Special thanks to all the lovely staff for making our special day truly unforgettable. Personal attention much appreciated, all meals were delicious.
• What a place, great staff, thanks for a lovely time. Hope to be back.
• Thank you for a special 18th Wedding Anniversary – fantastic service. Friendly staff loved the giraffes and Stoffel! Thanks to Ruaan who shoed an amazing amount of knowledge with us! We will be back! Well done Khumbulani for being great tracker!
Thought for the month:
“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches,
but to reveal to him his own.”
-Benjamin Disraeli
Good wishes until we chat again next month...
Editor
Hilke Klingenberg
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