Some humid days and an occasional unexpected chill in the air herald the onset of the rains. Our resident wildlife seems to be gathering itself in preparation.

On the river the Fish Eagles have young and the four commonly seen Kingfisher species – Malachite, Pied, Grey Headed and Giant – can be seen flitting noisily through the bankside vegetation, whilst higher up on dead boughs the Broad Billed Rollers are busy proclaiming their territories.

On the riverside banks the Monitor Lizards are actively foraging for their next meal and a kaleidoscope of colour is provided by the numerous species of Dragonflies on the wing. To the untrained eye they predominantly seem to simply be either blue ones or red ones but a closer look will reveal that each colour contains several markedly different species.

It is a little early for the wealth of Wild Flowers that we can expect once the rains arrive, but this shortfall is compensated for by a number of Butterfly species preparing to breed so their emerging caterpillars can feast on the various food plants that will be making their appearance in the next few weeks. Alongside them one or two spectacular Wasp species  are busily gathering mud to make their nests.

On the mammal front our Giraffe are doing exceptionally well and there are several substantial family groups to be seen making the most of what remains of the dry season foliage and biding their time for the vegetal bonanza that will emerge in the next few weeks.

Our Plains game are also thriving with the Lodge lawns proving an irresistible attraction to impressive numbers of Impala, Wildebeest and Zebra together with the more occasional Kudu or Eland.

Warthogs will soon be in their element and family groups with a number of sub-adult young are a common sight

Thanks for reading and see you at the next installment of my Riverside Rambles! – Brian Petit