Summer is in full swing, and the bush is alive with the signs of the season. The lush greenery and the start of the summer rains have resulted in the start of the impala lambing season, baby warthogs have started to make their way out of their burrows and baby wildebeest are charging about, but one sign of summer stands out above all the rest for me and those are the sounds of summer.

A few of the Londolozi guides look out over a lush, green, summer landscape.

The African bush comes alive with a symphony of sounds unique to this time of year. A cacophony of noises erupts each day which have been crafted by the best bush musicians. This band of voices blends together creating an unforgettable soundtrack that is the sound of summer.  There are three calls that specifically stand out to me at this time of year, one from the air, one from the trees, and one from the puddles that now scatter the Londolozi landscape.

A Pair of Woodland Kingfishers

The Woodland Kingfisher: Summers Serenader

The sound from the air that stands out to me above all the rest is the distinct call of the Woodland Kingfisher. The return of this beautiful bird adds a dash of bright, light blue colour to what is now a lush and green landscape. Above the colours it brings to the African bush they also bring a song that is easily the most unique to the summer months.

In my last blog I spoke about the return of the migratory birds and the Woodland Kingfisher is an iconic bird in this category. Being an intra-African migrant means during the winter months (April-September) the Woodland Kingfisher migrates further north to its non-breeding grounds around equatorial Africa, but when they return they announce their presence with the unique kri-trrrrr, a descending and fading song, an evocative noise to many people including myself.

Cicadas: The thrill of heat and life

A Cicada, having made its way from the ground to start ‘thrilling’ for a mate.

The sound from the trees that stands out more than any other is the “shrill” of a cicada. When the midday sun starts to beat down, cicadas take this opportunity to take centre stage while most of the other animals look for refuge away from direct sunlight. Their buzzing shrill resonates through the air like nature’s own Vuvuzela. Spending most of its life as a nymph below the surface of the ground, the male cicadas announce their surfacing to mate and sing their distinctive song.

This distinctive buzzing sound created by the Cicada is produced by a unique process called “stridulation.” The cicada has special membranes on the side of its abdomen known as tymbals and when the cicada contracts muscles attached to these membranes, they rapidly vibrate, creating the high-pitched, almost rhythmic buzzing sound that takes over the Londolozi bush during the heat of the day.

The Bubbling Kassina: Londolozi’s natural drummer

The arrival of the rains brings my favourite sound of summer to the surface and that is the sound of the Bubbling Kassina frog. The small unassuming frog walks into the spotlight as the evening approaches. The distinct “bloop-bloop-bloop” of this beautiful frog is unmistakable. The soft bubbling sound creates a sense of calmness amongst, what can sometimes be, an intimidating chorus that ensues as the sun dips below the horizon out here in the bush. This unique call generates an almost meditative quality to the summer soundscape, a perfect counterpoint to the cacophony of insects and other frogs.

A Bubbling Kassina about to make its distinctive call.

To me, the call of the Bubbling Kassina is more than just a sound. It is the sound of celebration and of summer’s transformative power. In an ecosystem that is often brutal it signals the renewal of life and speaks to the harmony of even the smallest creatures in the interconnected ecosystem that is Londolozi.

As I sit in the symphony of summer, I’m reminded that these sounds are more than just background noise. They are the heartbeat of the bush during this vibrant season. Each chirp, buzz, and call tells its own story and the Woodland Kingfisher, Cicadas, and the Bubbling Kassina are reminders of the beauty and vitality that summer brings. These sounds always remind me why I cherish this time of year and I urge you to listen out for these sounds on your next visit to Londolozi.