Saturday 30 October 2010
17 PAINTED DOG SEEN IN KASUNGU
The Central Divisional Manager, Alfeus Lipiya, has done it again and seen 17 painted dog near the entrance to Kasungu National Park. There were 7 adult dogs and 10 pups. This hopfully demonstrates that there is now at least one viable pack in Kasungu National Park which confirms the data that I have collected over the past 4 years that the dogs exist here and are not from Luwangwa. Dogs have been seen here for many years.
Also seen yesterday was a serval.
Saturday 23 October 2010
PAINTED DOG IN KASUNGU
At last a picture of painted dog in Kasungu National Park. This was taken by the divisional park manager, Alfeas Lipia, on 21st October 2010 at 1900 in the evening with a full moon. Sorry about the quality but it is the best we can. These were 4 of the 6 seen.Friday 22 October 2010
THE PROJECT (OCTOBER 2010)
The project.
We went out last night to look for signs for the dogs but saw nothing except for a common duiker and a hippo.
So far the cameras seem to working well except for the 2 new ones I purchased in the UK before I left. They are ok but not up to the same standard as the Bushnell Trophy cam that I got from the US last year.
The land rover is running well but needs looking after.
The results from the cameras have been good and I have starting using the video facility. Why I didn’t use this before I don’t know.
To add to the 2 existing pictures of leopard I took last time I was here I now have 3 short videos of a leopard that I have identified as being the same male although the pictures are some 5 km apart. He looks in really good condition and moves around a lot. The marks that identify him from others are three distinct marks on the inside of his front left leg, a dark patch behind his right ear and a line on his neck.
Although I have not seen them myself this year wild dog have been seen on several occasions and only last night I received a call from the park manager saying that he had seen 6 dogs near the main gate. I spent all morning from 5 ‘o’clock looking for them and will be going back to the same area night to see what I can find. There is loads of spoor and scat so they seemed to be very active.
Being positioned at the lodge and the dam the hippo leave very good trails and paths in the bush which most of the other animals seem to follow. I have excellent footage of hippos climbing up and down a bank. This happens every night as they leave the water between 1800 and 1700hrs and return regularly between 0400hrs and 0500hrs every day. I don’t know how they find their way around in the dark but they seem to get back in one piece. I listen to them leaving and returning and it is as though they leave a guard in the water who calls them in from the bush every day. They do seem to have a language which if it is true is quite fascinating. They call if they smell elephant or other forms of danger and seem to call to each other from other areas of the dam.
I have a couple of videos of hyena one which is a carrying a duiker in its mouth which she has caught and is taking back to her den.
Other animals include porcupine, civet, common duiker, elephant and bush pig.
Other animals I have seen while carry out transects around the park are, Buffalo, zebra, Lichtenstein hartebeest, roan , puku, wart hog, common duiker, bats, black mamba and python. There are many types of birds like the black stork, saddle billed stork, African fish eagle, lourie, snake eagle, Osprey and many more.
I have tried up loading a couple of photos but it took over an hour and then cut out. I will try again when I have a better connection.
We went out last night to look for signs for the dogs but saw nothing except for a common duiker and a hippo.
So far the cameras seem to working well except for the 2 new ones I purchased in the UK before I left. They are ok but not up to the same standard as the Bushnell Trophy cam that I got from the US last year.
The land rover is running well but needs looking after.
The results from the cameras have been good and I have starting using the video facility. Why I didn’t use this before I don’t know.
To add to the 2 existing pictures of leopard I took last time I was here I now have 3 short videos of a leopard that I have identified as being the same male although the pictures are some 5 km apart. He looks in really good condition and moves around a lot. The marks that identify him from others are three distinct marks on the inside of his front left leg, a dark patch behind his right ear and a line on his neck.
Although I have not seen them myself this year wild dog have been seen on several occasions and only last night I received a call from the park manager saying that he had seen 6 dogs near the main gate. I spent all morning from 5 ‘o’clock looking for them and will be going back to the same area night to see what I can find. There is loads of spoor and scat so they seemed to be very active.
Being positioned at the lodge and the dam the hippo leave very good trails and paths in the bush which most of the other animals seem to follow. I have excellent footage of hippos climbing up and down a bank. This happens every night as they leave the water between 1800 and 1700hrs and return regularly between 0400hrs and 0500hrs every day. I don’t know how they find their way around in the dark but they seem to get back in one piece. I listen to them leaving and returning and it is as though they leave a guard in the water who calls them in from the bush every day. They do seem to have a language which if it is true is quite fascinating. They call if they smell elephant or other forms of danger and seem to call to each other from other areas of the dam.
I have a couple of videos of hyena one which is a carrying a duiker in its mouth which she has caught and is taking back to her den.
Other animals include porcupine, civet, common duiker, elephant and bush pig.
Other animals I have seen while carry out transects around the park are, Buffalo, zebra, Lichtenstein hartebeest, roan , puku, wart hog, common duiker, bats, black mamba and python. There are many types of birds like the black stork, saddle billed stork, African fish eagle, lourie, snake eagle, Osprey and many more.
I have tried up loading a couple of photos but it took over an hour and then cut out. I will try again when I have a better connection.
LIFE IN PARADISE
Life in Paradise!
I have now been back in Malawi for nearly 2 months and Kasungu National Park where I live still throws up its amazing surprises for me. The department has put in a little house at the lodge which is very good. It has all of its windows and a good clean bath room. A hot water solar panel set on the roof gives me a good supply of very hot water in the evening and along with my own electrical solar panel set I have nearly everything I need. Food is still a struggle as the closest town is around 70km away but a weekly visit sees me ok for most supplies. I look forward to a pitza when I go to my mates little restaurant but he has not been able to get any cheese lately so it has been chicken and chips instead. This is the only fresh meat I get all week. The days here are hot, between 35 and 40 deg C. However the nights are quite cool so there is no problem getting to sleep. When the heat really bites I go to the lodge (Lifupa Lodge) and sit up in the viewing gallery overlooking the dam where there is a constant cool breeze blowing in your face. Here I read a book and wait for the animals to come down to the water and in particular the elephant for a bath and some fun. This is the only place in Africa that I know where they regularly come down to the water, which is fairly deep, and have fun. They run in, walk in backwards, push each other in and in some cases almost do head over heals as they reach the deep water. All you can often see is their bum. They blow bubbles out of the trunks and spray water around like children with water guns. They climb on top of each other and generally act like young children dunking each other under the water. At this time of year when the water, elsewhere in the park, is drying up they come from miles around. The young bulls have to show their superiority over the other animals and chase the hippo back into the water. Believe me the hippos don’t hang around and tear away at a great rate of knots. The geese and the puku suffer the same as the hippo as the young elephants set about them as well.
The lodge hasn’t had an owner since February this year because of the death of a German tourist so the place is being run by the department with a skeleton labour force. As usual there are hardly any visitors which is a bit lonely for me but when they do arrive it is good to find out about their safaris and tours through Africa and Malawi that most of them are doing. Most have been English and German.
The park has a new manger now and many improvements are being made. They are employing more law enforcement officers for anti poaching duties, they have a couple of new land cruisers, they are rebuilding bridges and have re graded most of the roads. They have installed new water pipes in the main camp and will be installing a new pump and solar panels to supply more water for the workers. For a poor country like Malawi the investment for the future is quite impressive.
I employ Mary to come in twice a week to clean the house and do my washing. I give her about £2 a week for a few hours work. A luxury I couldn’t afford in the UK. She is very happy as this is the equivalent to 2 days work for many of the people here.
Please forgive me for not updating my blog regularly but the internet is so slow and expensive out here.
I have now been back in Malawi for nearly 2 months and Kasungu National Park where I live still throws up its amazing surprises for me. The department has put in a little house at the lodge which is very good. It has all of its windows and a good clean bath room. A hot water solar panel set on the roof gives me a good supply of very hot water in the evening and along with my own electrical solar panel set I have nearly everything I need. Food is still a struggle as the closest town is around 70km away but a weekly visit sees me ok for most supplies. I look forward to a pitza when I go to my mates little restaurant but he has not been able to get any cheese lately so it has been chicken and chips instead. This is the only fresh meat I get all week. The days here are hot, between 35 and 40 deg C. However the nights are quite cool so there is no problem getting to sleep. When the heat really bites I go to the lodge (Lifupa Lodge) and sit up in the viewing gallery overlooking the dam where there is a constant cool breeze blowing in your face. Here I read a book and wait for the animals to come down to the water and in particular the elephant for a bath and some fun. This is the only place in Africa that I know where they regularly come down to the water, which is fairly deep, and have fun. They run in, walk in backwards, push each other in and in some cases almost do head over heals as they reach the deep water. All you can often see is their bum. They blow bubbles out of the trunks and spray water around like children with water guns. They climb on top of each other and generally act like young children dunking each other under the water. At this time of year when the water, elsewhere in the park, is drying up they come from miles around. The young bulls have to show their superiority over the other animals and chase the hippo back into the water. Believe me the hippos don’t hang around and tear away at a great rate of knots. The geese and the puku suffer the same as the hippo as the young elephants set about them as well.
The lodge hasn’t had an owner since February this year because of the death of a German tourist so the place is being run by the department with a skeleton labour force. As usual there are hardly any visitors which is a bit lonely for me but when they do arrive it is good to find out about their safaris and tours through Africa and Malawi that most of them are doing. Most have been English and German.
The park has a new manger now and many improvements are being made. They are employing more law enforcement officers for anti poaching duties, they have a couple of new land cruisers, they are rebuilding bridges and have re graded most of the roads. They have installed new water pipes in the main camp and will be installing a new pump and solar panels to supply more water for the workers. For a poor country like Malawi the investment for the future is quite impressive.
I employ Mary to come in twice a week to clean the house and do my washing. I give her about £2 a week for a few hours work. A luxury I couldn’t afford in the UK. She is very happy as this is the equivalent to 2 days work for many of the people here.
Please forgive me for not updating my blog regularly but the internet is so slow and expensive out here.
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