"The Bachelor Party" finds its rightful home at Antares
It’s already mid-way through April and Autumn is definitely upon us. The rusty orange colours on the bushwillows create a beautiful backdrop on game drives. The evening chill creates an opportune time to sit and relax around the braai in the early evenings. The Bachelor Party finds its rightful place on the wall of the lodge- read more about this further down the page.
A special piece of art finds its home at Antares
We recently had the privilege of hosting Ilse and Abraham de Villiers and their friends for another wonderful weekend at the camp. Ilse is an exceptional artist and she produced a beautiful painting of a bachelor herd of elephant at the waterhole. The painting was inspired by one of Abraham’s photos taken on their previous visit last year. She very kindly donated a signed limited edition #1/10 print that now hangs in the lounge. It has transformed the feeling of the camp and we are super excited about it.
Perfect weather conditions create perfect reflections
The early morning light and the calm windless conditions has created the perfect opportunity to capture some stunning reflection photography, whether it is the mighty elephants, the adorable impala or even the smaller birds. The orientation of the hide has certainly made these photographic moments something special.
Impala rutting season in full swing
Over the previous six weeks we have had a great deal of activity in and around the camp and waterhole, with several herds of elephant becoming regular visitors once more. The impala herds have aligned themselves into their breeding herd structures, with the not-so-strong males forming bachelor herds and the dominant males being kept busy trying to keep and control their harems. These strong males can secure a harem of as many as 50 ewes and they really have their work cut out for them, protecting them from rivals, and then mating with the majority of them. In almost 197 days the ewes will give birth to the next generation, around November or early December.
Predator activity at the waterhole
Lions, leopards, and hyenas have all put in appearances to ensure that the predators are not forgotten about. Minona, the female leopard that comes past from time to time has a single cub with her, and we were so excited to see them come past the waterhole towards the middle of April. On a few occasions the hyenas have been late returning home and have been seen in the early mornings. The Wild dogs have been showing a great deal of activity in one area of the reserve further east and we expect them to start denning any minute and hopefully increase the size of their pack. This will offer exciting opportunities in the months to come to photograph the puppies as they start to explore their new world.
Some unusual and special visitors at the hide
April and May have seen some special and unusual sightings over and above the normal. A pair of honey badgers paid us a brief visit and looking at the timings on the camera probably created enough of a show to chase off a bull elephant. Certainly, amongst us humans, these tough little animals come with a reputation of being some of the most fearless animals in the bush and there are often stories told around the campfires by guides and hunters and others of how they are capable of killing a buffalo! Whether that story is true or not most of us have learnt to respect their space and not give them the opportunity to prove it. A pair of porcupines also came past one night. It has been several months since we caught either of these two species on the cameras.
