The dry heat of October continued into the month of November here at Mombo - where dust clouds followed any movement we made, the earth appeared cracked and parched, the landscape barren and dun. Clouds built up temptingly on a few days, only to be blown away before they could develop into rain. The floodplains dried out completely, leaving only a trickle of water in the larger channels to slake the thirst of the multitudes of animals that wandered into the open in search of water.  In contrast to the landscape around them, the baobab trees began to flower, and then push out new leaves in the first signs of the summer of plenty to come. 

Many animals show a distinct loss of condition - the impala in particular as they wait out the dry season in anticipation of the mass birthing the rains will bring; we have seen a few elephant deaths as well - the old and the weak winnowed out by the ravages of this harsh environment. 

By the middle of the month we had only one decent shower of rain, which triggered the first births amongst the impala - too few to overwhelm the numerous hungry predators, and many became victims of voracious leopards, jackals, lions and baboons. The rains arrived in earnest in the last days of the month, and the area has begun to respond enthusiastically. Everywhere are impala lambs, skittering on unsteady legs, zebra foals taking their first wobbly steps, warthog piglets trotting obediently behind their mothers, while dozens of young giraffe gaze curiously out at this new world they find themselves in.

The summer has now begun, and we look forward to the thrumming vibrancy of life that will surround us soon. Coupled with spectacular sunsets and crisp, clear air, not to mention the multitude of avian summer visitors, it is a wonderful season to experience. 

As to be expected when resources are scarce, the game viewing has been of a spectacular calibre. 

Among the leopards, Pula has been seen many times this month - her beauty and poise unmarred by her missing ear. The most exciting news concerning her is the discovery of two tiny cubs, tucked deep into the bole of a tree several metres off the ground. We have since closed access to the site to allow the cubs the freedom and security they need at this crucial stage, and we hope to come across them again when they are a little older. 

Legadema also appears to be in the later stages of pregnancy, and she also provided us with some thrilling viewing this month.  Jeff and Carol Derx had just arrived on a midday plane when Doc Malinga suggested they go to where she had been seen a few hours before. They found her crouched flat at the base of a leadwood tree, her attention focused intently on a small herd of impala grazing a short distance away. Over the next hour she didn't move a muscle as the impala came ever closer, oblivious to the danger that lay in the grass. Just as the anticipation reached fever pitch, a troop of vervet monkeys wandered onto the scene, also without noticing the motionless cat. In a complete about-face, Legadema suddenly shot from her position, not in the direction of the impala, but away from them towards the monkeys! In the split seconds that followed, a large male monkey shot up a tree, closely pursued by the leopard - the shock of the encounter caused him to lose his footing and come crashing to the ground; the same happened to Legadema - the speed with which she had attacked made her fall and land on her back with a thump. She recovered in an instant, and leapt on the still motionless monkey, which she subdued with a few swift bites. With her prize in her jaws, she climbed into the safety of the leadwood tree and fed on her spoils for the rest of the afternoon. Clearly this would indicate her preference for monkey meat over impala, and is also a testament to her amazing speed and agility to catch one! We saw Legadema regularly over the next weeks, but she has since disappeared - her heavy appearance may be the reason for this - we believe she may have gone to ground to have cubs?

The new female leopard that we reported seeing in the last couple of months has been seen again, usually in quite diverse areas as she seeks out a new territory of her own. 

Blue Eyes, the male leopard from the south is also around - we found him quite close to camp this month, possibly exploring the new areas the receding waters have left exposed for the first time in three years.

Mmamoriri and her Western Pride were seen often - their two young cubs have lost quite a bit of condition due to their mother sustaining a bad injury to her leg, and possibly being unable to feed them for a time. These lions provided the last, and possibly most exciting, sighting of the month - right in front of the deck of Little Mombo Camp! In the early hours of a morning, they brought down an old buffalo bull, and as the sun began to rise, we were confronted by the spectacle of the pride and the two young cubs feeding on the carcass. It wasn't necessary to leave the camp for game drive that morning, as all the drama was happening right in front of us! Between feeding and resting, the pride stayed around all day, until late that night when the hyaenas arrived en masse and fearing for the safety of their cubs, the lions left - following a huge battle on Skimmer Island that went on for hours?the noise of which could only be imagined. When the sun rose the next morning, we found the old Jao boy from the Mporota Pride in charge of the carcass. Surrounded by more than a dozen hyaenas, he held them at bay with his ferocious appearance and bluster, despite his advanced years and lack of teeth. When he departed in the mid-morning, the carcass was left to the attention of vultures and marabou storks. At nightfall the hyaenas returned to do their work, and by the following morning, the skull was all that remained. 

Other lion sightings this month were one of the Mombo Boys mating with a female from the Akuna or Mporota Breakaway Pride - this male is a magnificent specimen and just in his prime.

We have also seen the Western Boys a few times this month - these beautiful lions were with the Boro Pride that have three cubs.

The Mporota Pride and their remaining Jao boy remain in the western areas of camp, and have been the most regular lion pride seen. A large herd of about three hundred buffalo that came through the area proved too formidable an adversary for them to take on, but provided some exciting viewing as we watched them attempt to stalk and strategise an attack on them. The guardian bulls of the herd were sufficiently brave and vigilant to see them off before they could even get close to the vulnerable members of the herd. 

The hyaena den on Galloping Horse Road has been abandoned once more - probably due to an infestation of parasites. The nearby site the mothers moved the pups to was the erstwhile den of the jackal pair the lone wild dog had been associating with. The jackals had to bow down to their superior numbers and relocate with their three puppies. The dog still hunts with these jackals, but she also discovered another pair further west near Thompsons Crossing with even younger pups, which she managed to befriend and feed for a while before they recently grew wary of their strange surrogate aunt. 

Plains game numbers in the area have been spectacular to say the least - with the floodplains being completely dry, we are seeing large herds of zebra, wildebeest, lechwe and impala crowding the open spaces, dotted with giraffe, elephants and buffalos, kudu in the forests, lions in the shade. This kind of multi-species view is one that only a region like Mombo can offer, and is a sight that few will ever forget.

On the birding front, all of our summer visitors are now present, with the trilling calls of the woodland kingfishers in contrast to the mournful warble of the black cuckoos. The now-dry grasslands left by the receding waters are a primary habitat for rosy-throated longclaws, which has caused great excitement for some, as we haven't seen these birds here in some time. 

We bid a warm welcome to Callum Sargent and Jemima Middleton who have moved from Abu Camp to join the Mombo team, and wish them every success and wonderful experiences here in our little slice of Africa - judging by their first few weeks, they have certainly seen some extraordinary things already! 

Ryan Green and Katie Horner are now bowing out after two wonderful years here, off to experiences and adventures anew - it has been an incredible time, and we shall miss all the people and animals we have come to know in this amazing place. 

Guides in camp for November were Tsile, Cisco, Moss, Tshepo, Sefo and Callum.

Managers in camp were Jemima at Little Mombo, Graham, Liz, Katie, Glen and Ryan at Main Camp.