SELOUS IMPALA GAME DIARY March 2009

  
Selous Impala – March 2009

The last month has seen a phenomenal increase in the water levels of the Rufiji river mainly due to the rain water gushing in down from the west - this makes it great for longer river safari explorations. It means we can access the well-known Stiegler’s gorge on a day outing and the usually tucked away and inaccessible Mzizimia Lake. Around this lake we have had two sightings of the majestic Pel’s Fishing Owl in just the last ten days - our last sighting being in June 2007. This is a stunning, large owl whose main food is fish which is why it lives in thick riverine vegetation. This habitat allows the bird to remain elusive and it also provides shade during the hot daylight hours. Like most owl species it is nocturnal and hunts mostly at night time, pairs also work hard to defend a territory. So these were very lucky daytime sightings - we will keep our eyes open in the area for any new fledglings!

Another animal which defends a territory is the leopard. In late December last year one leopard between the lakes Nzerakera and Manze was killed by the local pride of lions. This unfortunate event left the territory undefended and so it became available for the next contender in the area. Until now we still think this territory has not been fully won over by any one leopard. One week ago we saw a leopardess in the same area with wounds on her back side and face - maybe received from a rival in the area during a fight for the territory. This area is prime leopard territory as it includes well wooded areas and deep trenches and river courses which all provide an ideal hunting ground for these animals, who rely on stalk and ambush hunting, as well as giving plenty of cover in which to hide prey and raise cubs. No wonder this major location is not being taken over with ease, we can just hope one of the contenders will give up the fight and find its own territory next door or even further afield to avoid any more conflict.

Those of you who have stayed at Impala camp recently will no doubt remember the choir of toads serenading you as you drifted off to sleep at night, along with all the other night time reverberations! After the rains the water is plentiful and the toads are very happy, the males call constantly to advertise their territory and more importantly to attract the females. The repeated calls can last for hours while the males attract mate after mate, as unlike the female who only mates once or twice a season, males mate repeatedly.

Boat safaris at this time after abundant rain offer great sightings of the strikingly graceful saddle-billed stork, named after the yellow ‘saddle’ on the top of the large bill. Our boat drivers have seen them daily, especially in the shallow waters of the lakes where they love to forage for their prey, they are known to take a wide range of prey and this was proven when one of our boatmen witnessed a stork with a chick in its beak - he thought it was most likely a weaver which had fallen from the nest above. These monogamous birds forage individually but are usually in sight of each other, mostly we see one on one side on the lake and the other either the other side of the lake or a little further along the shoreline.

The local village dispensary renovation has been going well with the first stage completed; here below are some photos of the jobs done so far. Thanks to Dr. Berben from Belgium who has made this possible and enabled more hygienic conditions for the villagers in their surgery.

We will close the camp at the end of March for the rainy season but we look forward to sending you all our news in June!

Chloe and the Impala team

  

Mwaseni Dispensary before.... and after!

  

Newly painted and restored Dispensary buildings