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| Warthog |
Karongwe
has a watering hole that can be reached via a trail (mostly paved) that winds past
the pool through several of the Karongwe lodge communities (ours, Chisomo, was
the farthest away). Linda, Caty and I opted to go there rather than go to the
spa. Along our ten-minute hike, we encountered some Bushbucks -- female ...
 |
| Bushbuck doe |
... and male ...
 |
| Bushbuck buck |
The
watering hole has an elevated viewing platform. We spent the afternoon
observing comings and goings from there …
 |
| Watering hole |
Becca
had gone earlier and captured this video.
A male Nyala walked by ...
 |
| We could just watch all this |
Resident
in the watering hole was a bloat of Hippos ...
 |
| Relaxing in the cool water |
... which included quite a few
youngsters, one of which was a bit restless ...
 |
| Baby hippo |
... and feisty enough to wake up another calf and get into a tussle …
 |
| Tussling |
Nile
Crocodiles were basking in the sun ...
 |
| Sleeping croc |
... and then one decided to slip into the water ...
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| Swimming croc |
We think it was hunting for fish and there was a brief moment where we thought
it was going to take one of the herd of Impalas – many of which were small -- that
had come down to the water to drink ...
 |
| Dangerous drink |
But, it turned around and kept swimming ...
 |
| Would you have noticed it? |
Good for the Impala ...
 |
| He does look wary |
Bad for exciting photographs!
Impalas
weren’t the only animals that came to the watering hole to drink. A couple of
Warthogs arrived, drank ...
 |
| Warthog |
... and wallowed just a bit in the mud before they abruptly
left.
 |
| Wallowing |
We
were excited when several Giraffes approached ...
 |
| They just keep coming |
We really wanted to see them
bend down to drink. But something – maybe the Crocodiles – prevented them from
coming all the way to the water’s edge.
The
same things happened with a couple of Burchell’s Zebras that showed up quickly
and disappeared almost as quickly. But for a moment, we saw the Giraffes and Zebras together ...
 |
| Two species |
Across
the lake, there was considerable traffic, including female Kudu (who hid in the bushes) and her calf …
 |
| A Kudu |
Vervet
Monkeys that were just too far away to photograph and a bunch of Serrated Hinged Terrapins basking on the opposite shore ...
 |
| Resting by the shore |
In Africa,
all water turtles are called terrapins. The term “turtle” is reserved for sea
turtles. The land critters are tortoises.
 |
| Reflection |
We
also had a visitor in the overlook – a Dwarf Gecko, hanging on to the roof …
 |
| Close up |
We
saw some birds – not too many, though. There was a Pied Kingfisher across the lake ...
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| Pied Kingfisher |
A pair of
Egyptian Geese, who never left their perch in a dead tree ..
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| Egyptian Geese |
Some
Banded Martins swooping and skimming over the water …
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| Fast-flying birds |
A Common
Sandpiper working the shoreline ...
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| Walking the shore |
A Hadeda
Ibis near the trail ...
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| A glossy bird |
Lots of Dark-capped Bulbuls ...
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| Some bright colors |
On the way back, there was, a female Bushbuck that really knew how to work the fence line ...
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| Fences ... |
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| Schmences ... |
It seems to be
a standard feature of the accommodations to have a watering hole. It makes for
great entertainment at no extra cost. It makes me want to have a house on a
watering hole!
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| Watering hole |
Trip date: August 25-September 9, 2017
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