Summer is here! Those who call the Delta their home are already wise to the fact that October is probably the hottest month of the year and temperatures were reported as high as 38 degrees Celsius at Jao while other camps in the concession reported highs of 42 degrees Celsius.

We experienced only three short bursts of rain with a meagre 6 mm to date - the true rainy season is yet to begin. In the meanwhile, there are breathtaking views of heavy cumulonimbus clouds and spectacular lightning displays with only an empty promise of rain. The water level in the Delta continues to drop but the birdlife is still thriving and the fish are still jumping!

For any person who calls themselves a wildlife enthusiast, the sighting of a honey badger brings on a fit of excitement and this month, there have been two such bouts of excitement! Two honey badgers were seen at the Jao Bridge hurrying on their way in true honey badger style - nose down, a rapid trot and with an occasional grunt or snort announcing their presence. The Jao floodplain also boasted two honey badgers but this time, a mother with her baby. The youngster was having a hard time keeping up with the mother and had a sit down every now and then to catch its breath! This was only due to the inexperience of age as it was in perfect health and it was not long after the baby would take a rest that the mother badger would make a prompt turnabout to retrieve her offspring and then continue trotting along.

The elusive sitatunga also made its presence known on two separate occasions. The first was at the concession jetty, clearly unperturbed by members of the concession team who carried on with their work, and the second was on the Jao floodplain in full view of the main area. Two sitatunga were making their way across the plain with a steady yet alert manner - alas, they were too far away for any witness to take a decent photo for bragging rights. 

In the camp itself, crossing the walkway that the staff frequent, a healthy two-metre-long Southern African python was found in the early hours of the evening as the temperature cooled. These snakes are constrictors and non-venomous so we were not worried. However, depending on which reference book you have available, the Southern African python, which is the biggest of all African snakes, can average 4,8 metres in length. 

There were also Cape buffalo bulls seen on the Jao floodplain and the spritely Cape-clawless otter darting in and out the water lilies near the jetty in front of the main camp much to everyone's delight. Lastly, a pair of white throated monitor lizards was seen around the spa in a dramatic fighting frenzy - the reason for their fight being most likely for the mating rights to a female waiting patiently while tucking herself away in a nearby crevice.

We are proud to boast that we have a small family of the southern ground-hornbills that call the Jao Concession their home and this month they decided to liven up Jao with their antics. Two of the birds landed early one morning in the sycamore fig tree in front of the main area, one with a dead snake hanging limply from its beak. They then proceeded with their deep and booming call for a few minutes before making a dramatic exit flying over the main area's roof and off into the distance. The next few days they were seen foraging in the small openings alongside the road leading up to the main area and on a particular morning even slowing down traffic while they stood on the road calling. The last time they were seen, they made a visit to the office behind the scenes, again in a sycamore fig, perched and announcing their very obvious presence. In the local language of Setswana, the southern ground-hornbill is called a 'lehututu' which is derived from the bird's call. 

Other birds seen this month were a pair of woodlands kingfisher, of all places, nesting in a pile of sand along the main camp road. The pile of sand has been left well alone for now until such time as the nestlings have grown and left the nest. The beautiful African-paradise flycatcher with its lingering orange tail feathers giving away its hide in the thick canopy of mangosteen trees it chooses to frequent can be seen fluttering around camp almost any time of the day.  

We've had the pleasure of creating romantic dinners and settings for guests celebrating honeymoons and anniversaries. It seems that all of the staff (gentlemen included) have a romantic side as can be seen in the breat taking tables that were presented. We had a guest decide to decorate the guest comment book and within an hour of sitting with the book on the upper deck of the main area, we had the scene of the jetty and the channel within view sketched with skill in the gentlest of pastel colours. We also had some of the younger generation enjoy movie and popcorn evenings, chocolate-dipped marshmallows and countless games of Jenga making the days colourful, with the managers and guides letting their inner child join the fun!

Managers: William Whiteman, Angie Whiteman, Bryan Webbstock, Theresa Fourie, Retha Prinsloo and Phill Ngisi.

Guides: Cruise Mollowakgotta, Simon Tshekonyane, Solly Kanyeto and Bee Makgetho.