One of the last great wildernesses

Boating on the mighty Rufiji River

                                                                       

Pel's Fishing owl

                                    

Male Leopard resting in a small leafed Teminalia

                               

Back lit jets of mist from the Hippos exhaling.

The large Nimbus clouds have faded, all the dust settled after the long rains, there is a freshness about Selous, the dry season is closing in fast, still time though for the animals to stock up on the nutritious flora that is scattered all over the rugged terrain.The view from the lodge this year is different, all the vegetation the river that dumped the previous year on the sandbanks has now been all washed away, some of them huge trees which the Rufiji claims every year.

On a trip up to Stieglers gorge, we managed to spot the elusive Pel's Fishing Owl pictured above, it is considered a mega tick amongst birders and took me 8 years in Selous to see it.

We had a wonderful sighting of a male and a female leopard with an Impala kill in a tree, the female was less relaxed than the male, which is unusual for Selous.

We look forward to seeing you here in the Selous, one of the last great wildernesses.

The Selous Team.

Stiegler's Gorge

Setting off to the Stiegler's gorge by boat early in the morning.

White fronted Bee-eaters

Yellow Baboon

A Crocodile we have to move off the sandbank so we could have breakfast!

 Mussa preparing breakfast

Everyone enjoying breakfast

Getting ready to head back to camp

African Golden Weaver building a nest

Another highlight of staying at Sand Rivers is venturing to up the Rufiji River to Stieglers Gorge, the gorge was named after a Swiss explorer who was killed by an elephant there in 1907. The mighty Rufiji River is at some points over a mile wide, it is the biggest river in East Africa, further up stream from the gorge the Ruaha River and the Kilombero River rivers meet and from that confluence is born the Rufiji river it travels east from there to the Indian Ocean, the gorge at some points will only be 50m wide, so it must be very deep to allow all that water to pass through. 

We set off early in the morning with a packed breakfast, to enjoy the cool air and wonderful light. The sandbanks are constantly changing, making it a challenge for the boat guide. 

On the way you can expect to see a wide variety of birds and mammals, the highlights would include Leopard, Lions, Pel Fishing Owls and more Hippos and Crocs than you can shake a stick at.

16kms up steam from the camp and we are well into the Gorge, the banks rise steeply, evidence of rock slides are everywhere. After finding a good spot for breakfast, the Crocodiles need to be chased back into the river. 

After enjoying a lovely breakfast, we started to head back, the driver turns off the engine so we can drift down stream and listen to all the noises. All in all the wonderful adventure on a remote and beautiful river.

Fun in the rain

Thunder storms are becoming a nightly event here at Sand Rivers, the weather systems have started to come from the west. At dinner the other night we had to move the dinner table to the entrance of the Lodge, but the wind was so strong it was rather difficult to eat our soup without in ending up on our laps, these storms don't last long, the wind dies down quickly and the rain settles in. Before the water has had time to soak into the almost saturated earth, the puddles covering the black cotton soil (very fine black clay) make for fun game drives as the Land Rovers slip and slide their way though the mud. Fresh footprints of the animals litter the ground, the Hippos plough their way through the earth leaving very distinctive narrow trails, the Giraffes unable to move rapidly in slippery mud for fear of falling, have to be cautious not to be seen by a keen eyed Lion. Dung beetle use this time of year clear up all the waste left by the animals, the soft ground makes it easy to dig into, taking their dung under ground, keeping their eggs safe from predators.

The first picture is Lightening over Mtundussi hill, which can be seen from the lodge.

The second picture is Lioness near Lake Tagalala.

The third picture is two Grey Herons fighting over territory.

The last picture is a female Bush Buck.

Hooked on the Selous

                                                           Chloe with the catch of the day!

One of the best watered parks in Africa, the Selous offers more than just the opportunity to hop in a Landrover and go on a game drive. The main life line of the Selous is the Rufiji river, it with its tributaries are thought to contain over 40,000 Hippos and I would not dare to estimate how many Nile Crocodiles bask on its banks. The Crocodiles enjoy a healthy diet of fish, and there is no shortage of them.

One of the more pleasant ways to spend an afternoon in the Selous is fishing, a short boat trip will take you to a prime fishing spot, take your shoes off and jump out on to the sand bank. No experience needed, the rod will be set up and if you want even cast for you! Then you sit back with a cold drink, watching the sunset over the Kipalala hills, listening to the sound of the Hippos and the African Fish Eagles.

You might even catch a fish.  

Stormy nights

 

For my Christmas present this year Chloe bought me a shutter release for my camera, this enables me to open the shutter for as long as I want, great for star photography and also for trying to catch bolts of Lightening. A couple of evenings ago, a large storm passed in front of Sand Rivers Camp, I only have a 100mm lens so I had to pick my direction and hope for the best. After a couple of attempts I got lucky and caught this bolt.So thanks very much to Chloe.  

Lightning causes ionization  in the air through which it travels, leading to the formation of nitric oxide and ultimately, nitric acid, which benefits the plant life below.

These storms are beautiful to watch from the comfort of our lodge.

Puddles+Baboons=water fight

At least when in rains in the Selous there are still plenty of things to keep you occupied, as this troop of Yellow Baboons show, all you need is a puddle and a sense of fun. We look forward to having you come and visit us here at Sand Rivers during the wonderful green season.

Matilda's horned viper

Yesterday, I read a BBC ARTICLE about the discovery of a new species of snake, the golden-scaled Mathilda’s Horned Viper. The researchers who described the new species have not revealed where they found it in order to protect the snake from the illegal trade in wild animals. However, the article does say that the snake’s range is probably limited to just a few square kilometers.

With a little bit of knowledge about Tanzania, we can actually deduce quite a lot of information from what’s given. Tanzania’s biodiversity hotspots, the areas with the greatest number of species and greatest likelihood of new discoveries, follow the eastern-arc mountains. The eastern-arc mountains are a series of very old ranges stretching from the Taita hills in southern Kenya to the Udzungwa mountains in southern Tanzania.

The Uluguru, Udzungwa, and Usambara mountains in particular are well known for rich biodiversity and endemic species. The mountains are so old that there has been ample time for speciation. Another factor contributing to this is the island effect of mountain tops. Each mountain top has a climate and/or soil composition that is often distinct from the base and lower slopes of the mountain. Furthermore, because mountains in Tanzania tend to have lots of water, they are good places for human settlement. As populations around the mountain increase, so does deforestation until all that’s left is a small island of old-growth forest at the very top of the mountain. As a result, each mountain top is completely cut off from neighboring mountains, even though the environmental conditions are more similar from mountain top to mountain top than from mountain top to the base of the mountain. In each little pocket of forest, completely different species evolve. Even in the Amazon rain forest, the highest rates of biodiversity occur in the hills and mountains in the western reaches of the ecosystem where you find the same isolating effect. Most telling? These island habitats tend to be just a few or a few dozen square kilometers in size.

Unfortunately, these amazing montane ecosystems are typically overshadowed by the more glamorous savanna ecosystems, so it’s nice to see them get a chance to shine. I just wish these best-kept secrets didn’t have to stay so secret.