The temperature has soared, indicating that we are approaching the hottest month in Malawi - October. Guests and guides are now able to walk in the mornings without heavy coats, but the evenings are still quite chilly. The animals have reacted as well, with most of them retreating onto the plateau from the low lying areas in the woodlands. The roan and eland antelopes in particular prefer to conceal themselves in these areas to give birth. Fortunately a mid-September rain shower brought some relief to the intensity of the dust.

On the plateau, there have been an increased number of sightings of eland and roan, along with their calves. A herd of 80 eland was seen accompanied by an astounding number of young. Towards the end of the month, a herd of over 250 was seen!  Servals have been spotted multiple times this month, dashing in and out of the ferns to avoid the strong gusts of wind. A side-striped jackal was also found running around the ferns, and three bush pigs were found foraging around Chosi Loop. 

Spotted hyaena have been active on the plateau and found playing with young ones. Apollo and Watson viewed two hyaena chasing after a dazzle of zebra. Later on in the month, a couple of hyaena meandered in front of the vehicle and lay down for a rest, blocking the road. 

In mid-September, Sam spotted a leopard lounging on the road at Dam 1. The leopard then got up and wandered along the dam's wall into the hagenias On a night drive later in the month Apollo and Watson spotted a leopard squatting just 5 meters from the road. He then moved further away, stopped and then just stared at the spot light. A few weeks earlier a serval was spotted in the bracken ferns as well as two porcupines running on the road. Later on that same day Whyte found a honey badger wandering around the grass near the airstrip! . 

The spotted eagle-owl has returned with the onset of the warming weather. Birding in the forest also has proved quite successful - Whyte and Abasi managed to see the bar-tailed trogon, Malawi batis and Fullebome boubou as well as many others this month. Closer to camp, one often spots black kites throughout the day. The black-headed heron continues to remain around Dam 1 and has been seen catching trout.

"Nyika is the start of our trip and we look forward to Chintheche and the rest; Chelinda camp is lovely"

Newsletter by Sam, Apollo, Whyte, Stanford