TREMISANA GAME LODGE
The brilliant red florets of the FLAME CREEPER, Combretum microphyllum, herald the arrival of summer. We have a falme creeper in the main boma and there has been a frenetic frenzy of bird-life. Glossy starlings, Masked weavers, Marico, White-bellied and Purple-banded sunbirds all enjoy the nectar of the florets and compete vigorously. Insects are also attracted to the florets and Black-eyed bulbuls, Dusky flycatchers and the Black-headed oriole feed on these insects.
Also, at this time of the year, the early fig species bear fruit and attract Plum-coloured starlings, Black-collared and Crested barbets and the ever-present Grey loeries.
The masked and lesser masked weavers are building their nests and seem oblivious to the cameras that our tourists point at them at very close range. The red-headed weaver has gone one better and has built a nest under the thatch eaves right outside the kitchen-literally at touching distance. It shows how confident the birds feel at Tremisana.
From the air, Tremisana look like a veritable oasis. There was no rain in September/October and conditions for the animals are tough. We have regular entry into camp by kudu, that jump the fence and warthog, that simply dig under it.
Game viewing has been unbelievably good. Elephant are almost daily visitors at the Tremisana waterhole. The most recent highlight reported by rangers is a female waterbuck which was killed by a very large Cheetah right on the road about 3 km from Tremisana Lodge. The next morning, lions had appropriated the kill- truly excellent game-viewing for the lucky tourists we had in camp on the 29th October!
In Kruger Park, the guides are having an easy time bagging the Big Five regularly. It is simply a matter of driving from waterhole to waterhole and seeing the big concentrations of game and the predators they attract. The leopards at Nsemane Dam near Satara are almost becoming monotonous insofar as they are seen on every second drive. It is quite amazing how things change after the first rains- everything seems to disappear.
MARC’S CAMP
The drought is taking its toll – Pieter, our ranger, reports almost daily deaths amongst the nyala population. In the past 5 years, Marc’s Camp has had good rains by the second week of October, but this October has yielded no rain ( old-timers always want to believe that rains fall in Kruger Park by the time of Paul Kruger’s birthday, 10 October).
Game-viewing on Motlala has been good with the exception of rhino sightings. The prolonged dry period seems to have affected the rhino and from a 90% success rate in spotting rhino in August, we have dropped to about 50% in October. On the other hand, the buffalo have come out of the bush and are seen on a daily basis along the river, providing thrilling viewing for our tourists from the safety of the treehouses. The garden at Marc’s Camp has suffered tremendously at the hands of hungry buffalo, warthog, kudu, impala and nyala. There is no grass left around the swimming pool and we hope our guests understand. A recent sighting of two bushpigs near the main lodge is a first for management.
Ronald, our carpenter, has completed a deck for treehouse 2, so every treehouse now has its own viewing deck overlooking either the river or the dam, and many pleasant hours may be spent here absorbing the tranquility of Africa.
Birdlife along the river is excellent and there have been regular sightings of African Finfoot. We believe they are nesting on our property but are keeping the nest site a secret as too much activity may lead to the birds abandoning the eggs. A recent first was the sighting of a Narina Trogon not near the river but outside the manager’s bedroom!
The thick-billed weavers are building their beautiful nests (probably the most intricate of all the weaver species) in the reeds at the dam and a pair of Paradise Flycatchers are building their cup-shaped nest on the branches of the Marula tree at the swimming pool. The masked weavers are building fairly low in the trees and authorities believe that this means there will be a below-average rainfall this season.
We hope to bring you good news about abundant rain in our report for November/December.
On behalf of all our staff at Tremisana and Marc’s Camp as well as the Viva Safaris staff, we wish you a wonderful festive season.
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