December 31 - New Year's Eve... Before our eyes the earth shadow is sampling a slice of the bright full moon in a partial lunar eclipse. Our own appetites have been subdued by the three course dinner fit for a king. All around us the cacophony of night noises fills the air, amidst the exited chatter about the day's events. Almost midnight! While I hand out champagne to everyone present I find a moment, in the circle of interlocked elbows, to reflect on the year gone by. Surrounded by smiling faces and laughter, I realise that we are a world away from civilisation, standing on the banks of the Luvuvhu river in Africa - I couldn't be happier and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Here's the countdown now! Godfrey Baloyi's thundering voice leads us into traditional song and dance, with flames burning high; our feet stomp down onto the wooden boardwalk echoing like drum beats into the wild African night...

Weather and Landscape
This region has had the least amount of precipitation for this time of year since opening in 2005. A mere 38mm is all we received for this month and the grasses are the first to feel the strain. The usual two metre high grassland areas have been replaced by knee-high fields. The purple pod terminalia adds vibrance to the landscape with its brilliantly brightly coloured seed pods. The baobab trees are also starting to bear fruit, much to the delight of our chacma baboon population, who relish the added protein and vitamin boost. They have a tendency to dislodge or discard fruit for other animals to enjoy.

Wildlife
Due to the lower grass levels this year we've been blessed with great game sightings. Elephant bulls and breeding herds have offered ample opportunities for our guests to see the social interactions of these majestic giants, especially the special relationships between mother and calf.

Cape buffalo herds numbering more than two hundred are moving through the area. Sitting quietly at night with lights turned off, while these bulk grazers rip and tear at the green grass creates a unique auditory experience. My personal December highlights must surely be the cats! Despite thick undergrowth the graceful spotted prince of stealth, the leopard, graced us with some great sightings.

In one encounter we were following a sub-adult male and female lion as they were lurking in the shadows, looking for their next meal. Suddenly the male sprung into action and took off at full pace toward a tree twenty metres to our left. Following the male's intent stare, we saw a male leopard confidently perched five metres above the two lion. Considering the threat to the leopard, he seemed perfectly composed and confident about his safety and superiority, much to the chagrin of the snarling lions.

Birding
A typical Pafuri morning for me is to be woken at 4:27am by the sounds of two resident Tropical Boubous competing against a White-browed Robin-Chat, with an arsenal of calls, joined quickly by a competitive Woodland Kingfisher - the dawn chorus acting as my alarm clock.

As I hear the African Fish-Eagle's iconic call it reminds me about the birder's goldmine stretching between the Luvuvhu on my doorstep northwards toward the Limpopo. Some of the special bird species sighted in December 2009:

Crowned Eagle; Verreaux's Eagle; Black-chested Snake-Eagle; Peregrine Falcon; Pels Fishing-Owl; Greater Flamingo (seen at Crooks Corner); Great Spotted Cuckoo; Southern Carmine Bee-eater; Blue-cheeked Bee-eater; Three-banded Courser; Thrush Nightingale; Black-throated Wattle-eye; Grey-headed Parrot; Lemon-breasted Canary; Bohm's Spinetail; Mottled Spinetail; Thick-billed Cuckoo.

-Stephan Breedt-