Day 4
Hot coffee was delivered to the tent at 6:30, and the animals put on a display on all sides as we enjoyed a cup or two with the homemade biscotti. First to arrive were wave upon wave of collared doves, I have shot over sunflowers, but never have I seen as many as this in one place. Guineafowl came next, the helmeted variety, they remind me of naughty kids on the school field at break time, running all over the place. And what a raucous outburst when an eagle flew into the tall mopane tree and spooked them. Contrast that with the crested group over on the other side of the pan, alltogether more dignified with their smart hair do's and muted cackle, quite a treat to see both together. We unfortunately don't get the vulturine variety here in Zim, but I wonder if anyone in Tanzania or Kenya has seen them all together?
All too soon it was breakfast time and as we tucked into a full English on the deck the ellies began to arrive, one family group after the other. This was to be ellie day, maybe twelve or fifteen at once but as groups swapping out all day long. There is a study in progress to identify individuals from ear nicks, tusks of course, and the shape of the hair on the tail. The camp staff seemed to be familiar with most of them as this is the only water for miles.
An interesting fact I learnt is that pans form from a small depression in a clay area that holds water from late rains. The ellies come and wallow and spray their backs with mud, carrying away a few kilograms each as they go. Next year more rain and mud and so after tens of thousands of ellie visits you have something like Kanga, about an acre in extent. The owner pumps water all year now so it will grow and deepen at an even more rapid rate. We hear a lot about the destructive side of elephant numbers, but at least they bring water to the fellow animals.
Big Mac is the camp pet, he is estimated at about forty five years old and carries modest ivort of about forty pounds a side. He is the biggest bodied bull we saw, not as big as the Hwange bulls, but respectable. What he lacks in size he makes up for in character - he loves human company, even came and rubbed against my shower wall and peered over the top inquisitively, literally a foot away. It is so tempting to touch them, but you never know how tame wild really is.