Weather
It has been a hot October here in the Kalahari, with a few days of sporadic rain. As we watched the clouds disappear, having enjoyed the brief respite from the heat, the sun returned to scorch the earth once more. A small amount of rain has finally coaxed life into the landscape: most trees are verdant in their summer dress, and the grasses carpeting the Kalahari in green.

Wildlife
Game concentration has been centred around the Lekhubu area, throughout Letiahau and Piper's Pan. We are seeing huge herds of gemsbok and springbok together. This aggregation is probably due to the vegetation being more lush from a higher rainfall here than anywhere else in the Reserve.

It has been a little quiet with cats this month, especially cheetah. We have seen the Letiahau Pride (lions) for the first time in three months now and the juveniles seemed to be doing well and growing fast. The sub-adult male has already started developing his black mane which is great to see. The Lekhubu and Deception Prides have been sighted quite a few times this month as well.

Good news: the Deception Pride's big male is back and we have seen him with the females a lot.

Species we call the "Kalahari Specials", such as Cape fox, bat-eared fox and honey badger, have been seen on almost every game drive. Reptiles like Kalahari tent tortoise (pictured) are an exciting find for us.

Birding
The summer visitors that appeared last month have increased in number and guests are always entertained by watching them drink at the birdbath in camp. There is now a Gabar Goshawk that visits the camp daily, and we get to watch it trying to catch some of the smaller birds that are also attempting to quench their thirst. It's a dangerous business, taking a bath in the Kalahari...