Weather
The barren, dry environment suddenly transformed into a beautiful, green wonderland, with the sulphur yellow fever tree's colours intensified by the green beginnings of the grass. This transformation started after a downpour of 100mm in 48 hours on the 19th and 20th November - a quarter of Pafuri's annual rainfall in 48 hours!

The resin gardenia have begun to flower, with their sweet fragrance drifting on the breeze as you drive past them in the late afternoon. The purple pod terminalia have also started flowering - and their smelly sock scent is not nearly so pleasant! It has a purpose though - it attracts flies and other insects to assist with pollination. The Woodland Kingfishers started their trilling from the 11th November and are heard calling over the full and strongly-flowing Luvuvhu River.

Wildlife
The cute impala lambs are now seen following their calling mothers - bounding and running at every sound or threat. Unfortunately, the big dominant male baboons have taken a liking to the youngsters, with sightings in November of baboon eating lambs (two nyala and an impala).

An unusual sighting was a black-backed jackal feeding on a genet carcass.

An African civet, a mammal related to the mongoose family, was seen hunting Helmeted Guineafowl during the morning daylight hours, which is not a common sight as civet are secretive and elusive nocturnal mammals. They specialise on millipedes because they are resistant to the millipedes' hydro-cyanide compounds; but they also feed on fruit, birds, eggs, small mammals and will scavenge.

We had an old buffalo bull die in front of Pafuri Camp on the 20th November from old age. The crocodiles took their time, but eventually fed on his tough old hide.

Bvekenya, one of our collared elephant bulls, unfortunately got a snare wrapped around the upper section of his trunk. Dr Steve Henley (one of the elephant researchers who is heading the study on the movements of the elephant in the Pafuri / Makuleke Contractual Park), Dr Markus Hofmeyer (Kruger National Park vet), Wilm Schaeuer (Pafuri Camp staff) and myself successfully tracked the elephant and removed the snare, at the same time readjusting his collar.

Birding
The migrants are creeping back and the bird count is going up, with some good specials coming back. We had an impressive count and here are some specials seen in November 2009:

Pink-throated Twinspot; Ayre's Hawk-Eagle; Racket-tailed Roller; Blue-cheeked Bee-eater; Thick-billed Cuckoo; Bohm's Spinetail; Mottled Spinetail; African Barred Owlet; Southern White-faced Scops-Owl; Pennant-winged Nightjar; Senegal Lapwing; Arnot's Chat; Osprey; Crowned Eagle; Lanner Falcon; Bat Hawk; Eurasian Oriole; Retz's Helmet-Shrike; Black-throated Wattle-eye; Black Saw-wing; Eastern Nicator; Yellow-bellied Eremomela; Pale Flycatcher; African Dusky Flycatcher; Scaly-feathered Finch; African Quailfinch; Lemon-breasted Canary

Walter Jubber