Good day Kings Camp followers
As always it is amazing reporting from the Timbavati reserve. Where the animals are at home and we, a privileged few employees also get share this environment. With summer in full swing all our gorgeous migratory birds are all back. Singing their hearts out, jostling for positions to attract mates and start with nest building or in search for a safe home of the next generation. A very characteristic sound and true sign of summer is the Woodlands Kingfisher. This amazing electric blue insectivore is a constant summer sound from the time you wake up to back ground noise if you are on the phone with someone else in the bush and until it is dark! They dart in around the camp displaying flashes of electric blue leaving guests in amassment at their beauty.
Sightings have been good with the exception for lions. These largest of our predators have huge traversing areas that they have to fight for and maintain. This work has been keeping our resident lions away from our game drive areas. The rest of the wildlife has been great. Including many rare sightings of wild dogs. The now almost resident pack has lost one pup but 3 of them are very healthy and strong and follow the adults everywhere.
The biggest highlight living in the bush is the dramatic change from winter to summer with in a couple of weeks. End of winter the landscape is brown and golden, the only green being in river lines and sodic areas. After first bit of rains many of the trees produced leaves. Then a while no real rain but then last week the bush has exploded in all variations of deep tropical greens sprinkled all around with colorful wild flowers and pools of water. This transformation has happened is so rapid it is truly amazing! One can do a drive in the morning, on the afternoon’s drive one can see that the bush is already a bit thicker than the mornings drive. What obviously is also so superb this time of year is the abundance of new life. I give special note to the impala young they are so cute and already when a couple of hours old, are so mobile and quick.
This is the most exciting time to be in the bush. This time of year one has everything game, migratory birds, young animals and the bush looks truly stunning in all these magnificent colours. So I hope you will be joining us here at Kings soon for one of our drives.
Jade, kings Camp Guide
