I have just finished driving a family for the last week, and the sightings we had together were fantastic. On the first couple of drives with my last set of guests it felt like we couldn’t turn a corner without coming across something interesting, and on a hot afternoon about halfway through their stay, we decided to head towards a waterhole to just sit and wait to see what would come down to drink.
The result was unbelievable.
This was the calm before the storm. Little did we know that this Golden-breasted bunting quenching his thirst was the start of an incredible afternoon.
The waterhole we intended to go to is just on the edge of the open grassland area of south western Londolozi. On the way there we came across large herds of zebra and wildebeest that all seemed to be congregating around the open grasslands; this seems to be some of the only nutritious food left here towards the end of our dry season.
After viewing these large herbivores, we headed to the intended waterhole and parked under the shade of a Knobthorn tree and waited.
Our first visitor that afternoon was the beautiful Golden-breasted bunting. This common resident took the opportunity to come down and slake his thirst before a large herd of buffalo made an appearance. Just over a nearby rise we saw one lone buffalo that peered towards the water and began to trot towards us to drink on this hot afternoon. Before we knew it we were surrounded by about 300 buffalo drinking and cooling off in the mud; there was a small flock of Yellow-billed oxpeckers around, which always excites me. This bird – generally only associated with large herds of buffalo in this area – is seldom seen here.
The buffalo hung around for about 30 minutes, as most of the herd had started moving off; there were only a few left drinking and wallowing. Just off to our right, a rhino cow and 3-month-old calf began making their in our direction. Rhinos are very water dependent and will often drink in the late afternoon. I was interested to see whether the rhino would be aggressive towards the buffalo as she had her youngster with her. Interestingly the last of the buffalo herd saw this two-ton animal walking towards them and decided to move away and catch up with the rest of the herd.
A massive buffalo bull wades through the mud to find a perfect spot to wallow. On a hot day like this, buffalo will immerse themselves in mud to try cool themselves down.
A nice perspective of how these two rhinos as they were wandering towards the water. I can’t imagine this rhino calf has seen many buffalo in its life.
So here we are, we haven’t moved for over an hour, we’ve had so many incredible experiences in the same place and now were watching a tiny rhino calf trying to perfect the art of drinking water. “How could this get any better,” these were the exact words I was saying to my guests when Tracker Innocent Ngwenya, who I work with, interrupted me when he called out, “There’s a leopard!”. To our amazement the Kaxane Male wandered in and drank right next to the rhino.
The Kaxane Male, now 13 years old walks boldly towards the two drinking rhinos. As he spent most of his life west of Londolozi this is only the second time I have seen this male.
He was born to the Kapen female in 2005, and upon independence moved south the lower Sabi Sand.
The rhino cow not happy with his presence chased him slightly further away, but he settled a few meters away from the two rhinos and continued drinking for the next 10 minutes.
After charging the leopard, the female rhino kept a watchful eye over him as he quenches his thirst.
As the leopard finished with his drink, we watched as he moved to a nearby termite mound where I’m sure he spent the night. We all looked back at the watering hole and for the first time in an hour and a half there were no animals around it.
Quite often we get into the habit of thinking that covering ground will lead us to finding more animals, but the longer I do this job I’m starting to learn the opposite. It seems that in our haste it is all too easy to miss exactly what we are looking for, and by just sitting in presence, what we seek will sometimes find us.
Can you relate to this experience? When in your own life have you rushed around without success, and only when you have paused have you realised how much more effective a simple slowing down can be?
Visiting Londolozi for the twelve time a few weeks ago I eventually realized that it is not about chasing around, trying to get hundreds of photos of every animal, it is all about enjoying each special moment. Enjoying nature. Enjoying the peace and quiet. It is special moments. It is all about patience. It is about waiting and if it is meant to be nature will give you something special.
“Good things come to those who wait”. Great article Fin, hello to T!
Your words are so true Fin. Chasing around through the bush often yields nothing but a few sightings of birds and animals far away. To park near a waterhole is an excellent vantage point as water is a necessary element in all of animals’ lives. Well expressed!!
Good advice! Look what came your way! During dry season, that was certainly a logical choice and it did not disappoint. I think first time safari goers definitely want to dash here and there searching, but if you have been blessed to be on safari several times, you get a different perspective. Sometimes just closing your eyes and listening to the ‘sounds of the bush’ is a real treat and can lead to a better understanding of the Bush. Loved the photo of the leopard and the rhinos!
I did this when I had a Land Rover to myself with Andrea Campbell , we waited by the causeway and were rewarded with kingfishers courting and hunting. A fantastic morning and one of the best game drives of my life
Yes I totally agree with your sitting at a waterhole. I love doing that with a thermos full of tea, a rusk. Just wait & you will be richly rewarded as you & your guests were. Thank you Fin & your pictures are stunning