The tents were thoughtfully placed facing east so we awoke to a lovely sky as the sun came up. At 6 we made our way to the fire to have a coffee before having a shower and then breakfast. The shower was really hot and the tent was open on one side allowing you to view the world without others viewing you - that is except the big bull elephant I watched eating his way through the bushes a couple of hundred yards away.
Breakfast was delicious porridge, fruit yogurt and toast. After which we packed our bag and set off (7.15) for a lovely walk taking in all the wildlife but particularly the birds - we saw the pygmy kingfisher, grey headed kingfisher, streaked kingfisher, martial eagle on a tree with it's chick on the nest, steppe eagle, nubian woodpecker, bearded woodpecker,and as we got back to camp we saw the resident flycatchers on their nest. The highlight was walking past a pair of night jars who flew up as we passed exposing 2 speckled eggs on the ground - which night jar it was we are not sure but think it might have been the dusky. We got back to camp just after 0930 and refreshed ourselves with a cup of tea and another shower!
We are the only ones in camp as Yoko left this morning to go to another camp and the next guests don't arrive until the weekend. This is really a lovely time to come -the rain is unpredictable but not solid, if there is any, - less tourists and good vfm- I think another out of season visit is definitely on the cards!
At 4pm we had tea and cake before setting off with Roleof to look for the elusive leopard. We headed off to a riverine valley on the other side of the conservancy where one was known to live but it was to no avail despite an extensive search. However the scenery and wildlife were lovely and we did have an eye-level look at a male giraffe who was in the river gully - we watched as he walked up a slope out of the river - not easy. Enroute across the plains we saw a dead Thompson's gazelle - not killed by a predator but the bruising suggested he had died in a fight with another male - the circle of life continued as he was now food for vultures who were accumulating for supper. I also took some great pictures of a maribou stork fishing -not the prettiest of birds but the evening light and its reflection in the water made it look good! We watched a family if dwarf mongooses running around then pop out of their burrow ( today's picture).
On the way back to camp it was dark so with the spotlight on we saw lots of spring hares- who bounce around like little kangaroos - and scrub hares which look like our rabbits. We also had the best view of a bush baby we have ever had as it was bouncing around in a leafless tree. The prize of the night was an ardwolf - the size of a jackal but the shape of a hyena but with stripes - a rare sight.
On return to camp we had dinner on our own and packed ready for our departure tomorrow. The night was filled with noises of lions, elephant and hyena - all in the area of the camp or passing through - it was lovely listening to them while we were snugly tucked up and secure in our tent!