The 2025 Botswana Journals, Ch. 28: Cries of Alarm and We Respond

         (Click on one photo to bring up a film strip that will allow full-screen viewing.)

        It's late on the afternoon of Nov 9, and we are in the vicinity of the Lala Limpopo overnight guide, where we are scheduled to stay the night and, hopefully, photograph animals and birds at the waterhole.   If they come to the waterhole, that is.

A tree that caught my eye.

        Rather than head straight to the hide, we ask if we can have a game drive on the way, and our guide is agreeable.   The sky is mostly overcast, and so the temperatures are reasonable for Africa.   That has the effect of decreasing the wildlife at the waterholes.

     Plus, the fact that Botswana had heavy rains for the couple of months preceding our safari, also means there are plenty of water sources available for the wildlife, and they don't have to rely on the man-made waterholes at the various hides. 

        Hence, our game drive.   

        Lest you think we are driving along a nice paved road, here's a short video of our vehicle crossing a small wash.  This is typical of the remote reserves and parks.    Few have paved roads. Kruger Park in South Africa is the only one I know of.     

Remember this, as it will be referenced in a future chapter.

        The sun is sinking on the horizon this late afternoon, and when the golden rays of what is called "the golden hour" illuminate the animals, they appear to glow with a rich, rewarding light.   Photographers love the golden hour.  It also occurs in the morning just after dawn.

        It can take my breath away, especially when the sky is dark with storm clouds.

        

        Even the elephants have that Midas touch.

        We find a cute black-backed jackal resting beside a bush.     They are members of the Canidae family, making them related to dogs, wolves, and coyotes.   They are omnivores, and often seen at the site of carcasses, barking bravely at lions in the hope the cats will move away and leave some meat for them.

        They also eat large numbers of insects and rodents.

Jackals do not make good pets.  They are destructive chewers, highly territorial, and will spray and defecate all over your house.

        And then!   Cries of alarm carry across the bushveld.   

        Immediately, our driver starts the truck and heads in the direction of the sound at a fast pace.   Hang on!   

        We find the source of the distress.

        Yes, it's coming from a black-backed jackal.   I have never before heard a jackal "alarming," but I take one look at the surroundings and know there's a leopard in the area.

Volume up for this cell phone video!!!

        The search begins.   We drive the edge of the riverine vegetation,  the leopard's chosen habitat, and eventually spot the cat disappearing in the tall grass.

We follow its course along a grassy ditch and are finally rewarded with one shot in the open.

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        We are past due at the hide, and I'm sure the host is wondering where we are.   The guide turns around and heads to the hide.

        We are so close, we can almost see the turn that takes us  to the building.

        And then sharp-eyed Shelly spots something out in the open field about a 75 yards away.   Our guide turns off the track and heads in that direction, but stays far away from what they see.

        I gasp when I use my long 500 mm telephoto lens to look at the animals.   They are Bat-eared fox!!!   I cannot emphasize enough how rare an opportunity this is.

        The little critters are exceptionally skittish and usually run away when they spot vehicles and humans.  I have seen them a couple of times in past years and have never been able to get even a half-decent photo.   

        Therefore, I can't call them a LIFER, but I think I'll award myself a HALF-LIFER.

Bat-eared foxes at their den.   The one on the left is lying across the entrance to the underground den.

        These little critters might resemble Yoda from Star Wars when they are at rest, but when they are alert, those large ears are erect and rounded, hence the name bat-eared.

A Yoda toy I found while picking up litter along the highway.

They are small (12-16 inches at the shoulder) with ears up to 5 inches long.

After weaning (14 to 16 weeks), the male takes over raising the pups.

        Info from the Internet:  The males take over grooming, defending, huddling, chaperoning, and carrying the young between den sites. Additionally, male care and attendance rates have been shown to have a direct correlation with pup survival rates.  The female forages for food, which she uses to maintain her milk production.

        They appear to be relaxed.  So much so that it's hard to tell when their eyes are open and when they're sleeping.  Even through the long lenses, it's difficult, so I take a lot of photos in the hope that I will see some open eyes.

        Since they seem undisturbed, we move a little closer, but are still many yards away        

        And then, the golden light of the setting sun bathes the bat-eared foxes in its glow.

        These photos are from the memory card that was "hiding" from me for two and a half months.  I was particularly sick about losing these forever.

        And then, it's time.   A short distance down the road is the familiar entrance to the Lala Limpopo hide.

The Five Star ( my award) Lolo Limpopo overnight hide.

        It's almost dark.    We quickly get our camera gear ready and set up on the shooting counter.

        Aubry has already put out the lights that will illuminate the waterhole and a bit of the surroundings.

        He sets out our dinner, and then we settle in for the wait.

The waterhole at dusk.

The 2025 Botswana Journals, Ch. 27: Elephants, Hannibal, and a Bunch of Birds

NOTE.  Once again, I selected too many photos from about 2000 I shot on this day to include in one chapter, so they will be split into two chapters.  

On Feb. 4, I posted about finding a missing camera memory card that contained many once-in-a-lifetime photos.   I was heartsick about losing it.   Then, almost miraculously, while looking for other memory cards, I spotted it hiding in a little plastic container on my computer desk.   Many of the photos you see in this chapter and the upcoming chapters will include those precious photos.

(Remember, click on one photo to bring up a film strip.   Then, by clicking and scrolling, you can view the photos full screen, which I recommend.)

Now for today's (Nov. 9) part one of our afternoon game drive on the way to the Lala Limpopo overnight hide--and I have a flight of fancy.

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        Minutes out of Tuli Lodge, on the afternoon of November 9th,  we are treated to a dramatic reenactment of elephants crossing the Alps. 

        The stage is set.

 

        The talent is on their marks.

 

        And, ACTION!

 

        Off they go, those massive gray bodies straining for each elephant-sized foothold up the precipitous crags.   Step by step, they come closer to their objectives.     The vaunted Roman armies below on the other side will be caught entirely by surprise.

An elephant-sized footprint.   This reminds me of a photo of me holding a plaster cast of a polar bear's footprint.   The cast almost covers my upper torso.

        Oh, yeah, they had that Hannibal guy with them, too.    Not Lecter.   You know the one--the Carthaginian who outfoxed Rome.

        This reenactment, though, differs greatly from that 218 BC drama.   Hannibal is thought to have used North African elephants, and they are thought to be cousins of today’s African savannah/bush elephants as both are in the  Loxodontga genus.

        There is a substantial size difference, also.  Hannibal's elephants were 8ft at the shoulders.  The savannah/bush elephant males here can be 9-13 ft. at the shoulders.

        North African elephants are now extinct.   Hannibal should have left them alone.

        The African Savanah/bush elephants are the largest land mammals on earth, larger and heavier than Asian elephants (6 -12 ft tall) and African forest elephants (6-7 feet tall).

        The also-ran is the Bornea pygmy elephant, a smaller subspecies of the Asian elephant, is about three feet shorter than the Asian.

Note the light-colored established trails going up the hills.  This isn't their first time here.   Elephants tend to walk single file and usually on the same, familiar track.

        The elephants in today’s reenactment are the locals.   Perhaps not trained for the stage, nor expecting to do battle with the Roman Army once they summit and descend.

        In fact, they are participating in the time-honored idiom of “The grass is always greener.

 

        Yes, up there in the lofty heights, with no thoughts whatsoever of historical events, the elephants are after the lush green grass that grows among the red sandstone rocks.

 

       We leave the elephants to their greener grass, and drive along, slowly making our way to the night hide, and find a few more elephants.

        There's a hyena, a very cooperative spotted hyena, lying under a bush.   You never know how hyenas will react, but this one lay there quite a while while we took photos.

Then it wandered away when it was tired of the paparazzi.

      

          It turns out to be a great day for birds!    A lilac-breasted roller is perched amid some branches.   

        As we watch, it flies to the ground.   It isn't hunting, though, and we are treated to the bird taking a dust bath.   That is done to condition the feathers by eliminating excess oils and ridding them of any feather mites and parasites.

        I was totally thrilled with this behavior sighting.   When I grow up, I want to study animal behavior.

        On second thought, I think I'm already doing that.

First, a security check.   This is a wise thing to do as there could be sneaky predators around, especially shrikes.

It makes another security check to all quadrants.   Look at the sand falling!

        

We leave the roller to its spa treatment and find the colorful bee-eaters.

White-fronted bee-eater.

LIFER,  LIFER.   My first Buffalo weaver.

The African darter, also called a snake bird because of its long neck.   Note the duck-like webbed feet--it's an aquatic hunter.     Darters are similar to the anhingas found in the US.

        Ah, now for a great sighting of a gray hornbill!   Not a lifer for me, but this time  I get decent photos.

All of that is the hornbill's bill, including the casque on top.

Open bill.

It's little tongue sticking out.

Female red-crested korhann, a member of the bustard family that also includes my favorite--the kori bustard.

 

This warthog, photographed in late afternoon, didn't run away as these animals usually do, but it did amble away, refusing to look at the camera.

An ostrich strolling by.

Meve's starling, also known as a long-tailed starling.   I had never seen them before so they are LIFERs for me.   This one's posture messed up my photo composition but I thought the background color complemented the photo, so here it is.

        And then we hear an alarm call!   Out here, those calls should never be ignored, so our driver hurries to find the source.

        That story will be in the next chapter.