Weather and Landscape
The weather pattern for December has been one of false hope. Dark clouds build up, promising big storms, but eventually just disperse. No rain. The few days that saw rain were characterised by strong winds and lightning. On the 18th we had a huge storm that caught everyone by surprise. It was so strong that we were literally made prisoners by it - everyone had to stay put where they were for two hours. The roofs of our tents were ripped off by gusts of wind, and our main area was practically drenched inside, as if it had no roof. Flashes of lightning and the crack of thunder made everyone in camp so scared that they were convinced doomsday had arrived. But for most of the month, calm weather and  warm afternoons were the order of the day. This peculiar December weather has left us wondering if good rains are still to come...?

It's amazing what a little bit of rain can do to the vegetation around camp though - it's like a magic wand has been waved over the land. Many trees are already flowering and the animals are enjoying the fresh new green grass. All you can see, for miles around, is green. On the other hand, our waterholes are clearly suffering from the lack of rain. Most of them have very low levels of water, and some of them are drying out. This is unusual for this time of year. Our pumps are therefore working overtime.

Wildlife
A burst of new life is being witnessed everyday, with most animals dropping their young now. Ngamo Vlei is filled with young wildebeest and zebra running around, full of energy, and following their mothers. Tiny baby giraffe were seen on one game drive, and our guests were very pleased to see the miniature version of the tallest of animals.

Breeding herds of elephant are seen with their young, which is unusual for this time of the year. This is probably due to the absence of rain. The bulls are in musth at the moment, and so are very unpredictable. They are so beautiful to watch, but you never know what could happen next...

Buffalo have been a common sight at the waterhole in front of Davison's, arriving in big herds to drink. They sometimes even decide to spend the night in camp, coming very close to our tents and main area.

Our lion had a feast this month, when they spent three days feeding on an elephant. The guides suspect it was the same elephant that had been lurking around camp on its own for almost four months, which was not in good health. We never managed to determine the cause of his malaise - it could have been age, illness or injury.

Rhino have been very elusive this month, and all we've seen are their tracks - proving that they are in the area, but are surprisingly (considering their bulk) good at hiding.

Birding
Due to the erratic rains we have had, the normal routine of our summer visitors has been disturbed. White Storks have been seen re-grouping and flying to different areas, following the rains. At some point hundreds and hundreds of these birds were seen at Little Samavundla. Lesser Spotted Eagles have also been seen in large numbers, feeding on flying termites in different areas of our concessions. Pygmy Geese, Cape Teals and Fulvous Ducks are some of the water birds that one can look forward to seeing in our area. We've seen a total of 200 species this month.

Camp Staff
Guides: Tendai Mdluli, Douglas Muyambo and Dennis Nyakane
Hostesses: Nelly Chinyere and Rania Mutumhe