News / Camp News

Jacana Camp - January 2010

05 Feb 2010

Weather
The month of plenty has passed, leaving behind green grass and trees and a lot of water - they don't call it the rainy season for nothing. We received 300mm of rain this month (that's 120 inches). The soothing evening showers helped tremendously to cool down the warm summer days and push up the water levels. Daily temperatures averaged around the mid-thirties, and the evenings cooled to a comfortable 20 degrees. The magnificent thunderstorms here in the Delta never cease to amaze us and provide hours of entertainment.

Wildlife
Scattered clouds are illuminated by the late afternoon sun and draped in all the shades of gold and red imaginable. As the sun sinks below the horizon the bark of a baboon and the laughing of monkeys signal a sinister shadow looking to quench his appetite... Soon afterwards the stomach-churning loud volume of a male lion roar shatters the serenity. Unbeknownst to us the females are not far away and then we hear the sound we were waiting for - four young lion cubs squeaking in the undergrowth, signalling it's time for dinner! The little cubs with their crystal blue eyes and swinging tails will one day be the apex predators in this paradise, but for now they are nothing more than amusing.

On the other side of the floodplain the local female leopard is raising her cubs well. The little spotted cats are almost two months old now and will most likely be growing faster from here on. Playing with a stick or chasing a butterfly, the cubs are honing their skills, and will eventually become the most sought-after photographer's friend.

The changing of the season is not yet apparent to us but the signals are there: a quick glimpse of a Western-banded Snake-Eagle, or the colouring of the young Saddle-billed Stork's feathers. The return of male elephants and the excited grunt of a hippo bull in the distance all tell us the water is coming.

Birding
Paradise! Slaty Egret, Black Egret, Pygmy Goose, Pel's Fishing-Owl, Wattled Crane, Malachite Kingfisher, Purple Heron, Rufous-bellied Heron, Green-backed Heron... Where do I stop? The amount of rare birds around at the moment is too long to list, and it's not hard to find just the right spot at just the right time of day to deliver magical results. In fact, a little before the flood comes, the numbers peak, as there is an abundance of insects flushed by the water.

Camp News
Our yearly maintenance commences in January, and everyone lends a hand to make the camp shine. The hard work pays off at the end of the day when we tell our guests that the camp is ten years young and still going strong! This also gives us a chance to enjoy the finer things in the late afternoon like a herd of elephant crossing from island to island across the water, or the hunting of a kingfisher that seems to never tire from all the flying.

Guest Comments
"Wonderful place. Merci par votre chaleureux accueil and good staff." - Anne & Ambrogio, Switzerland

"Jacana Camp will never be forgotten! The staff were wonderful, the guide incredible (thanks, Mike) and the lions amazing! Wow." - Jungle Bob & Dylan, New York

Camp Staff
Managers: Pieter Ras and Danielle van den Berg
Guides: Mike Tebogo

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