The sightings and experiences over the past month have been extraordinary and to do all of them justice would result in an encyclopaedic volume. I really am in a quandary as to where to start or what to recount and shall thus resort to cover as much as possible in as much detail as possible without going on forever...

The Mbagi pride killed a giraffe and 2 buffalo in the space of 3 weeks! In spite of the gruesomeness, the varied interactions around the carcasses kept us entertained for hours and revealed some moments that spoke volumes regarding relationships. As can be seen above, a spotted hyaena is glaring at a black-backed jackal with disdain. There is absolutely no love lost between the various predators and if given the opportunity one will kill the other. Competition for the same resources is a strong survival instinct and result in seemingly random acts of "hatred". Although much smaller in stature, the jackal is able to sneak in closer and exploit the spoils of a kill way ahead of the larger and slower hyaena which steers well clear until the lions have vacated. Vultures like this hooded, also moved in close pre-hyaena and made off with some titbits.

On a lighter note, the smaller aspects of nature are as rewarding as the more spectacular. This African monarch butterfly although feeding on very toxic plants during the larval phase, enjoyed this Cyprus sedge blossom.

We also had a few sightings of the crepuscular pearl-spotted owlet. What they lack in bulk they make up for in ferocity. They mainly feed on smaller birds and will perch in thickly vegetated tree from which they dart like lightning to grip their prey with incredibly powerful talons for their size. This particular one sat still long enough for a quick pic at midday...

This pair of little bee-eaters also gave a stunning display of aerial agility by catching a dragonfly and then deftly juggling it and removing the wings before swallowing.

We also did a few walking trails this month and had so much fun! Edwin from the Park Authority showed us a few tricks like making rope from the fibrous bark of the baobab tree. He really made it look easy but it proved to be a skill acquired over time and experience like we discovered after many failed attempts...

Wildlife encounters included a number of elephant sightings and loads of general game like giraffe, impala, kudu and warthog. On one occasion we heard the lions roaring quite close by but avoided walking too close to that particular area...and what a wise decision it was there were 15 lions on a giraffe kill!

Another spectacle, which casts a very confusing haze around the sequence of events, was encountered one late afternoon on the bridge across the Mwagusi River. When we arrived on the bridge there was a half eaten impala carcass below in the sand with a huge male baboon scavenging some of the meat. The rest of the troop were scattered all around and quite relaxed indicating the absence of predators, or so I thought. Suddenly we noticed a lone mangy wilddog laying amongst the baboons and obviously full from feeding on the impala and not posing a threat to them. Another vehicle which also arrived at the same time said they could see a single and skinny looking lion cub under the bridge! We had a look and the +-6 month old cub did not look in great shape. Now the questions arising from these observations are "Who killed the impala? Why is there only one wilddog as they are found in packs? Why is there an alone cub of 6 months under the bridge? Where is mom or the pride as at that age they are already incorporated and why is everyone so relaxed despite the proximity of such a variety of predators? Some things are a mystery and so it shall remain...

Waking early one morning we headed out and had a rally drive of 7 hours! It was all over so quickly as the encounters kept us occupied.

After having heard the lions roaring during the night we went looking for them and were treated to some stunning interaction amongst pride members. Suckling cubs, envious stares from siblings, playful moods that annoyed mom, and dad en route to patrol the territory.

Later in the afternoon we also saw an irate lioness chasing baboons around amongst the rocks on Kimilamatonge hill. I suspect that she might have cubs hidden in the rocks as we see her there on a regular basis and I shall let you know as soon as we find the cubs...

There have also been numerous sightings where both lion and elephants featured. Lions obviously keep a rather low profile when around these behemoths. On the one afternoon a single lioness snuck past a large herd, which were relishing the lush green sedges of the Mwagusi during this dry and tough season. The odd tsetse fly in certain areas of Ruaha also has no remorse for even the fiercest of beasts, as the one pride-male discovered! Two young ele bulls had an altercation, which started out as a playful joust but quickly escalated to some serious shoving and audible clashing of tusks! We were parked fairly close by and stayed put for the duration of their bout. Once or twice they came close enough to us for some nice portrait shots...

Luck was on our side and literally just as we were heading to the airstrip, a leopard was seen and we headed off to see... I was not expecting the cat to remain long enough for us to get a glimpse but was also very surprised to arrive at the location with the male still perched in a sausage-tree! He was keeping an eye on two impala that were browsing close-by. We unfortunately had to depart as time was pressing and later heard that the impala managed to get away unscathed.

One of the things which I really look forward to is sundowners where we stop somewhere with a nice vista over the bush and just slow down to adjust to the natural pace of life in the wild. A cold beverage contributes to our appreciation of the simplistic and powerful beauty found when allowing yourself to take stock of what is REALLY important in this hectically paced life most live.

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