Ruckomechi Camp - June 2009
09 Jul 2009
Weather
June signifies the first signs of winter with cool mornings (12º Celsius) maturing into glorious days with temperatures reaching highs of around 25º Celsius. With the cooler temperatures, activities have been very pleasant.
Vegetation, Landscape and the Zambezi River
There has been a noticeable thinning in the 'woody' ground cover with the soft carpet of Spheranthus continuing to provide its pleasurable scent.
The ana trees on the concession are now mostly bearing young fruit and probably have the entire resident animal population eagerly awaiting the usual shower of pods to descend like 'Manna from Heaven'.
Many of the older ana trees on the concession have been heavily ring-barked by elephnats. Mana Pools typically conjures visions of bull elephants reaching skywards beneath these majestic trees in search of the snack-sized, protein filled pod.
The concession is drying out rapidly including the seasonal Ruckomechi River. The Zambezi River has a high flow at present, shifting silt more efficiently.
Wildlife
Although the general feeling amongst guides at present is that the game has been fairly 'quiet', the concession has continued to provide unexpected gem sightings from Southern Ground Hornbills with unusual chameleon prey to the elusive Ruckomechi female cheetah showing herself on six different occasions and seen twice on kills.
Our lions persist with their lack of visual presence, moving under the cover of darkness and leaving only spoor to keep the guiding team inspired and devoted to discovering their whereabouts. Also not particularly 'showy' this month, leopards have merely sounded their rasping 'coughs' around Ruckomechi Camp from time to time, reminding us that they are around. We are confident that as the season progresses, game sightings will only improve.
Nature walks into new areas have also been exciting. Finding herds of buffalo and eland, of which the latter have, on occasion, numbered forty.
Fishing
Although the Zambezi Valley is experiencing cooler weather, tigerfish still seem eager to feed! A number of fair-sized fish have been caught this month with an 8.5lb beauty caught by a female member of a visiting fishing group! Nkupe still continue to fascinate guests not only because of their size and different looks but also in the way they bite baited hooks which is actually intended for tigerfish! Bream have been caught less, probably due to a constantly fluctuating river volume!
Birds and Birding
126 species of birds were recorded this month. Highlights of hunting Bathawks, Western Banded Snake-Eagle, African Fish-Eagle, Giant Kingfisher and African Hawk-Eagles, topped with a gracefully choreographed 'Ballet du Sigone' (Ballet of the Storks), reminds us how privileged we are to live and work in this avian heaven.
An African Harrier-Hawk found on the ground near Parachute Pan with an injured wing more than a month ago, is now capable of short flights and is clearly on the road to full recovery.
Other News
Ruckomechi looks forward to soon being able to expand its scope of wildlife viewing opportunity for guests with a viewing platform overlooking Parachute Pan! Site selection is superb as the pan is always a 'hive' of activity.
Camp Staff
Caro and her team of managers and assistants steering the Ruckomechi 'ship' along its course in a professional and enthusiastic manner. Graham and Sibs have been handling their various responsibilities confidently while Alistair has been persisting with a constant onslaught of challenges in the workshop.
With only a handful of guests to juggle amongst themselves this month, Kevin Sibs and Tendayi have eagerly scoured the concession in search of interesting sightings and experiences. Since safari guiding is more of a 'way of life' to be enjoyed. Mathew has lent a hand in the guiding department when not on Mana Canoe Trails.
Hosting by Clea Bridges has been confidently executed this month with a peak of logistical tests being merely take into her stride. Assistance from Jeremy (host for Mana Canoe Trail) in this field has been greatly appreciated. Clea has also overseen a portion of the training of Nikita and Lance, two students of the Ruckomechi Safari Training Programme.
A compliment of colourful, multi-talented personalities ensures that Ruckomechi not only operates, but flourishes! The staff are looking forward to the near future awaiting busier times.
-Kevin and the Ruckomechi Team-
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