October in Mombo was an extraordinary time - we have had some incredible sightings, some unusual behaviour, and a landscape of incredible beauty and diversity. 

The temperatures have been, as expected, extremely warm - the landscape arid and dusty, resources, especially water, concentrated in ever-narrowing pockets. A splash of colour comes from the trees that have all burst into bud, giving a palette of electric greens to the otherwise dun landscape. Fruiting fig and mangosteen trees provide a bounty of food for a multitude of species, and everywhere we see the bright orange peels of the popular fruit carpeting the ground. Even the baobab trees are now slowly joining in the visual chorus, pushing out their leaves like awakening prehistoric giants.

Woodland kingfishers add an ecstatic trilling note to the air - the heralds of summer arrived towards the end of the month, and already we have seen the first new births among the red lechwe - the other antelope will attempt to delay birth until the arrival of the rains.

Apart from a brief mid-month shower of rain one night, the build-up of clouds each day has us looking to the sky, wondering when the rains will arrive in earnest.

The water in the floodplains is receding fast, so much so it seems as if a gigantic plug has been pulled out, sucking it away, leaving open plains that we haven't traversed in at least two years. These areas are once again attracting animal life - the most notable being white rhino: Serondela and his companions Bogale and Map wandering in the open plains were a sight to behold!

Buffalo too, have moved further into the plains, following the edges of the water, and we no longer see the old bulls in camp, just spy them in the distance towards Skimmer Hide.

The Mporota Pride is reduced in numbers now, due to the deaths of the one Jao Boy and a couple of the older females as reported last month, but they are still doing well and sighted often. The remaining Jao Boy somehow still clings on to survival against all odds, and manages to keep up with the pride. A few weeks ago the carcass of an old elephant cow provided him with a good feed with his family, and he appears to be surviving on what remains from the others' kills. 

With him unable to patrol and mark the territory, however, the dynamics of the lion population are set to change. The Mombo Boys, magnificent males now, after their year-plus absence, have re-emerged on the scene - one of them was seen mating with a female from the Mporota Breakaway, or Akuna Pride at the airstrip. The beautiful male who had been spending time with this pride recently has moved north up to the Paradise Plains area, probably to avoid the Mombo Boys. He was seen with a buffalo kill he had made on his own - testament to the incredible power of such a cat in his prime. 

On one memorable day, the Mporotas crossed the channel en masse near Hippo Hide just as we were preparing a picnic! On another evening, just before dinnertime, the baboons in the trees above camp alerted us to danger. Their sharp eyes and ears had sensed danger: the lions had killed a lechwe in the plain in front of camp. Within moments, the cacophony of shrieks and barks from the baboons was joined by the excited giggles and whoops of hyaena that had suddenly materialised out of the gloom. A phalanx of them moved in, shoulder to shoulder, tails up, teeth bared at the growling lions, which one by one lost their nerve and fled before the onslaught of superior numbers. One of the young males was the last to move away, but after a short retreat he rushed back in anger, growling and roaring, scattering the hyaenas. The hyaenas had already grabbed what they could, and ran through camp with their spoils, the male lion in hot pursuit. After the pre-dinner predator performance and the ruckus died down, cocktails were served in the bar to soothe everybody's nerves!

The Western Pride, presided over by the famous lioness Mmamoriri, has two young cubs with them now, and we look forward to observing them as they grow up with their pride. They are often heard calling from Skimmer to Bird Island further in the south, and with the previously flooded plains being dry now, we have the chance to access their usual haunts without difficulty. 

The low water levels and our expanding explorations have also resulted in the re-discovery of the Boro Pride, a small group of females with three young cubs, who are being attended by the Western Boys, two magnificent males that we haven't seen in a considerable time. 

Maru, Legadema's daughter, has also been seen again on a few occasions after a long absence - she appears to be in good health and strength, and relaxed as ever with our presence.

Pula, Maru's sister, has had an interesting time this October - her maimed right ear has healed completely now, and doesn't appear to cause her any discomfort or disadvantage. She is still a beautiful leopard, and now she has a certain hauntingly captivating appearance. She was seen in an interesting situation with a newcomer leopard recently - a female obviously in search of a territory wandered into her turf and made a kill, which she stashed in a tree. Guides following Pula at the time while she was on patrol watched her find the kill, and then, as she fed on it, the newcomer arrived. The two leopards had a stand-off in the same tree as they sized each other up, until the other female conceded the kill and the area to Pula as its rightful owner, making her way off to the south-west. We have noticed that Pula is now lactating, and she possibly has cubs hidden somewhere towards the Burnt Ebony area, which is an exciting prospect for us to look forward to. 

Legadema has popped up a few times this month - early one morning she was seen on the decks of Little Mombo, before she disappeared into the palm scrub in front of the main area for the day. At about 3 pm, a herd of red lechwe wandered into the vicinity, and Legadema was quick to take advantage - she pulled a female lechwe down right in front of us, and after resting a few minutes, dragged it into the shade of the scrub. She fed on the kill for about an hour, before wandering right in front of the decks to have a drink as we watched with bated breath. There is a possibility that she may also be pregnant, so watch this space!

Blue Eyes, the male leopard with his territory to the south of camp, has been seen on several occasion, as well as Mmolai to the north. We hope this stability among the male territory holders will result in some success among the leopard litters. 

The lone wild dog and her jackals are still providing us with some fascinating and exciting viewing. The three young pups are growing fast with all the extra food provided by their surrogate aunt, although they are becoming a little more wary of her as their understanding of the world around them and their place in it grows. 

The hyaena den nearby has also been the usual huge hit with our guests - the entertaining antics of all the little denizens there provide hours of fascinating viewing. The social dynamics of these predators are on display, and this is an incredible opportunity to gain an insight into the complexities of their society. 

Apart from the predators, the plains game here is seen in an abundance that only Mombo can provide - a multitude of species can be seen in one breathtaking vista, from hundreds of zebra, impala, lechwe in a floodplain dotted with wildebeest, giraffe, elephant in the distance, kudu in the woodlands, a loping hyaena in the far distance, lions in the shade... the truly epic scenery that Mombo is famous for!

In camp, we have the usual suspects keeping us either entertained or on our toes - monkeys and baboons swoop and crash through the trees, feeding on the bounty of African mangosteen berries and wild figs, the genets still slink around the bar during the evening, Fat Pants, the civet comes to visit once in a while, and the Pel's fishing-owls compete with the hippo, belting out their booming calls. On the subject of the Pel's, one afternoon we found the juvenile lying on the ground outside Tent 8. The bird appeared stunned, and after he managed to fly back into the cover of a nearby African mangosteen tree, the reason became apparent: he had been mobbed by an angry swarm of fork-tailed drongos, who had obviously knocked him off his perch onto the ground. Once he had regained his perch and his dignity, he regally ignored them until they lost interest and left him in peace.

Guides in camp for October were Moa, Tsile, "Doc" Malinga, Tshepo and Cilas. 

Managers in camp were Jene at Little Mombo, Vasco, Ryan, Katie, Ruby and Glen at Main Camp. We bid a sad farewell to Vasco this month, who has moved on in the company and will now be based in Maun, but on a happy note, bid him and Miriam huge congratulations on the birth of their baby daughter! Vasco, you will be missed by all at Mombo, and you leave big shoes to fill. 

Until the next time, hopefully with a sprinkling of rain and the joyful event of the mass antelope births! 

Pictures by Ryan Green and Moa Monwela.