How the flippin... did you spot THAT?
Listing all wildlife encounters from the 35 days we spent in Karongwe and Pridelands for our Field Guide practical course is impossible. Each one was more amazing, challenging or memorable than the last. But what has always stuck with me ever since, is how an EcoTraining course changes your encounters with wild animals for good. Not only will you appreciate many different kinds (and not just the ones with iconic big species), but you’ll also experience many more of them, thanks to a crucial skill taught in Field Guide training called ‘situational awareness’.
Focus on what you’re doing and keep your senses alert for what is happening around you in the bush. Be aware of your surroundings, those clouds rolling in over the hills, the seemingly random tracks in the sand, and that distant call of a red-billed oxpecker. All that together is situational awareness in a nutshell. Hear, smell, see and feel all the signs that nature gives you. They will not only help you spot animals more frequently, you’ll also understand what they’re doing and why, and you will experience every single encounter much more deeply. From a sleepy little frog to a majestic leopard on the hunt.
The lions from the tracker seat
I remember the afternoon drive in Pridelands as if it was yesterday. After a few hours of practising guiding, the instructor suggested I grab the tracker seat to practice spotlighting on the way back to camp. Hardly a minute into the drive, I spotted a bunch of big cat tracks popping onto the road, highlighting them with the spotlight and looking back at the bush-savvy man behind the wheel. “Lion! Well spotted, tracker, and I bet we’re close.” Minutes later, fellow students in the back go quiet when we find six lionesses on their evening stroll. It goes beyond quiet, listening to the whispered instructions on spotlighting predators on a night drive and, simultaneously, letting this moment sink in. Here I am, the random guy from Belgium, sitting on the tracker seat of a Land Rover as six prime specimens of Africa’s most iconic predator walk right by my feet. And I found them, by their tracks! “I noticed you went quiet there for a moment”, the instructor smiled afterwards. It is a highlight in my life, and it will remain forever.
The frog that blinked an eye
All credits for this encounter go to my partner, Sofie. On a quiet morning drive, she was guiding the group and stopped for an interesting spider web in a thorny tree. A few facts and stories about spiders followed before she invited us to step out of the vehicle to come and stand by a thick little bush behind her.
“If you look carefully in between those branches, there’s the cutest southern foam nest frog who’s been hiding from us all this time”, she pointed. Jaws dropped, and amazed looks exchanged when the instructor asked, “How the Flippin… she had spotted that!?”.
I just inspected the surroundings during the spider web story, and his hidden cover was blown when that beautiful amphibian winked a sleepy (but brightly reflecting) eye!
The leopard that got snorted at
It all happened on our day off. A rest day on the course took us on a leisurely morning drive to the far corners of Pridelands. Nothing peculiar happened, and we enjoyed spending time with Impala, having a laugh about how the males in the rutting season were showing off, parading like teenagers in puberty on a night out. “Hey… have a look at those wildebeest back there”, someone said while peering through their binoculars. Out on the plains, a few wildebeest were very intently staring in one direction. They were soon joined by a dazzle of zebra, who seemed to get more nervous by the minute. Making our way towards the scene, we started to hear francolins alarm calling, tree squirrels going crazy (well, a panicky squirrel will shout at anything, but still) and then the final indication: a big impala male actually forgetting about his female-pleasing extravaganza and snorting angrily at the long grass in front of him. Cover blown, she realized, and she stood up out of nowhere: a majestic female leopard who had made it very close to the plains game (and us!) by sneaking belly-down through the long grass. Close, but not quite close enough. It would be invisible if it hadn’t been for the behaviour of all the animals around us. As the big cat reluctantly strolled off, we watched her for a few more minutes and then let her have her private peace. I bet she soon figured out a new way to catch a well-deserved breakfast.
The chameleon up in the tree
I just noticed it in the upper corner of my eye. Driving the Land Rover back to camp in the dark, the atmosphere on board was happy, with the whole group looking forward to a tasteful braai and a nice drink around the fire. We weren’t really looking out anymore when, in the outer edges of the spotlight beam, I picked up on an ‘out-of-place’ splash of bright green.
“Hang on, everyone; we can already smell the worst on the braai, but let’s make this our last sighting of the day.”
Bewildered eyes questioned me when I reversed the five meters to the tree and pointed the spotlight straight up. The beautiful flap-necked chameleon had found his night hideaway up in the high branches and made for a perfect last guiding story. Driving the final stretch to camp afterwards, the instructor next to me whispered his famous words one more time: “How the flippin’ … did you spot that!?”
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Insane wildlife sightings in Pridelands: Lions, leopards and cheetahs
We join EcoTraining’s 55-day Field Guide student, Moxie Rue Soren De Leon from California. Moxie has always deeply loved Africa and enjoys the smells and sounds of the bush. She made her way to Africa and is experiencing incredible experiences firsthand. It’s raining cats here in Pridelands, from multiple leopard sightings to lions and cheetah! We were spoilt for choice. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the spectacular wonders of the African bush!
