Africa Day Seven - Day of Lions

Spot the lioness!

Before I really get into this post - there's a LOT of photographs for this day, because a lot happened. I've narrowed them down to 150 pictures for this post, but even that is way too many, so for those of you who would like to see ALL the pictures, please feel free to click on this link right here. Note also, halfway through the album you'll see the events repeat - Sandy's photographs are first, and then mine - so you are seeing the same things through two different lenses.

Right. So, the morning of the seventh of April, and our seventh day in Africa, I woke up to see Sandy standing at the zipper of the tent, with his flashlight in his hand. I must have made some sound, because he said, without turning to look at me..."Listen!"

I listened, and heard what sounded like the world's largest food processor. Humorously, I was not far off. Sandy, still at his post, unzipped the flap and proceeded to duck his head out and look around, saying as he did so, "it sounds like an elephant." I was thinking, "it sounds like Gurgi, with his munchings and crunchings..." Around that time, our breakfast coffee and tea arrived on a tray, borne by one of the camp staff. Sandy was out on the porch with his flashlight, trying to find the elephant. The woman with our tea things said, "yes - an elephant," and she pointed out past the palisade toward the path that leads to the main camp. Sandy shone his flashlight in the direction she indicated, and the elephant, annoyed, gave a short trumpet blow. Sandy said, "Oh! There he is," and his voice was half laughter and half chagrin. I was still in bed. Even an elephant in camp was not enough to get me willingly out from under the covers at 5:30 in the morning. At least not without a fortifying cup of tea in me.

By the time I had drunk my cup of tea and begun to resemble a human being, the elephant had been encouraged by the staff to seek browsing off the path, and I didn't see him. Breakfast was a rush job - the morning helicopter crew had to get their tushes in the air, and the rest of us were hustling so we could go try and find that group of lionesses and young before we had to catch our bush plane to depart Chief's Camp for Chobe Chilwero. Gavin had already called the plane and begged off for an extra hour; we'd been due to leave at 10 but he pushed our flight back until 11 or so.

The morning boded well. We hadn't been driving long before we bumped into two lionesses. Gavin told us they were from the Golf Course Tribe. Nancy and I joked around that if they were Golf Course girls they ought to be wearing Lily Pulitzer and have pink sweaters knotted around their necks. Then we had to explain the preppy clothing style, and its association with certain American traditions like country clubs, to Gavin - who was utterly mystified by our comments.

"So then I said to him, I said - 'I don't NEED this, you know.'"

"Right, right..."

"I mean, I'm hot! I could have any lion I wanted!"

"I hear you..."

"I said, 'Just because you have a big mane, it doesn't make you a big man!'"

"Good one..."

The older female was pregnant.

The younger female was sleepy. I totally understood how she felt.

We followed the two girls for a while, then left them and hurried off to the area where yesterday's group had seen the large pride of lions. No dice. We looked high and we looked low, but we couldn't find them. It was a bummer.

We found some other stuff though...a Lechwe dining while casting a truly fabulous reflection of himself into the water...

Sacred Ibis which I was totally not obsessed with at all...

More (Gavin Ford)ing of watery bodies. (I'm going to hell for that pun.)

Impala does. Fragile beauties!

The best were two Giant Eagle Owls - complete with lovely pink eyelids! Cross Dressing owls! They are the Eddie Izzard of the Owl world! I was so very happy.

If you have been properly stalking me, as I expect many of you have, on Facebook - then you already know how I feel about Owls in general, and Giant ones in particular.

Two Saddle-Billed Storks by the side of the road - we startled them into flight.

Am I the only one who instantly thought, "Klingon Bird of Prey!" upon viewing the below photo? Probably. *sigh*

A Red Necked Francolin. Insert hill-billy joke here.

A lovely Greater Kudu doe.

And who could this jaunty fellow be? I thought Gavin was going to have a stroke on the spot, he became so excited. An adult male Red Necked Falcon. Gavin said the species in general enjoys hanging out in palm trees. And he mentioned several times that it is quite uncommon to spot one, and that we were very lucky to have a glimpse of this gentleman. Binoculars were passed around. Gavin and I were the only two on the trip to have brought binoculars, so they went from hand to hand pretty frequently. Note - anyone planning an African safari - bring binoculars. You never know when you might need them. Anyway, what's one more strap-chafe-mark on your neck?

Completing our Jackal inventory, we stumbled for the first time upon the Side Striped Jackal.

Sandy got some fabulous pictures of a Brown Snake Eagle.

Another Wattled Crane...

Botanicals. Sorry Gavin, I have no idea what this flower is.

But the below is wild sage, the plant responsible for the heavy fragrance in the air as we drove about.

In the area where the lions were supposed to be, or rather, had been - was a very large troop of Baboons and a herd of Lechwe.

This was a troop male.

Not sure about the below - a female or a young male? (Edit: took a closer look at her behind - and she's very definitely a female.)

But THIS is very definitely a girl. And a mother. Can you see the baby hanging on beneath her belly?

How about now? That can't be a very comfortable way to travel.

Like this shot of the Wattled Cranes

More of the baboon troop. I love the baby riding pillion on his mother in these shots.

After driving around for a bit with no lion pride success, Gavin got a call on the radio from the other group. They'd returned from the helicopter drive, and had found a pride of lionesses and cubs. Not the same pride we were looking for, but they weren't very far from us, so we drove to meet them. At first, we couldn't see anything.

But as we got closer...

This one lioness was sunbathing, but when we drove up she decided she'd had enough and got up to join the rest of the group in the shade.

This cub got up at one point, and went back to lie down next to one of his siblings - they lay down facing each other with their noses touching, and wrapped their paws around one another! I did my best to get the shot but the grass was largely in the way, still if you look closely maybe you'll see it.

The Mamba Boy brother with the broken leg was with this group. Gavin was pleased for him, because the protection of the group might help him survive the winter, but he thought this particular lion was on his way out - he gave him maybe one more summer if he survived the winter. Circle of Life, y'all. Still, he makes me cry.

While we were watching the lions, Gavin pointed out this fabulous Little Bee Eater to Sandy.

African birds = Awesome.

After we left the pride of lions to their snooze, we drove around for a bit and watched some Red Lechwes playing in the water - they have this amazing bounding gait where they gallop five paces and then LEAP as high as they possibly can. Photographing this is difficult. I gave it a try anyway.

Look! A Line of Leaping Lechwes! (I know, I know. Groan.)

The leap:

Hang time!

The landing:

We also got to see two males face off in a duel. I love how the rest of the herd watches. The does are clearly rooting on their favorite, while the males are placing wagers and making mental notes on strategy.

"Ooooh, Cynthia! Ronald and George are finally having it out!"

"Really? Gladys you're right! I wonder who will win?"

"Oh Ronald, without a doubt. Look at the size of his..."

"GLADYS!"

"What?! I was going to say horns!"

"You're a dreadful old baggage, Gladys, that's what!"

Alas, George lost, and had to make a run for it.

After we finished shooting leaping lechwes like Japanese tourists on overdrive, (speed of lechwes requiring photo shooting in sport mode - meaning camera takes shots in rapid-fire succession, many in a second...clickclickclickclickclick), we drove off to re-canvas the area where the other group had spotted the lion pride the day before - Gavin was DETERMINED that we should see those lions, and none of us objected in the least. But we drove and drove and looked and looked to no avail. We just couldn't seem to find them. And the off-roading was having a predictable and unpleasant effect upon my bladder. It was time for a call of nature. A call of nature I will never, ever forget. Yea, to remember that call of nature is to feel the creeping chill of doom lightly brush my spine once more. But that story will have to wait until my NEXT post.

Stay tuned...