The last two weeks have brought changes here at Leopard Mountain, with food and water being plentiful and available around every corner. Summer is approaching fast and so are all the wonders that come with it.

Leopard sightings have been great! A big male was seen doing his rounds one cool afternoon. On another occasion, a younger male was less interested in marking and protecting territory, and more focused on reliving his cub days as he played along the river bed climbing trees (almost getting stuck at one point) and stalking crickets as guides and guests watched on.

Another fascinating sighting was a Leopard cub chasing and eating Flying Alates, better known as Flying Ants, showing us how adaptable Leopards can be.

The Lions are roaming a bigger area now and seem to be expanding their territory in search of females. We’ve had many sightings of the King of the Bush and they have treated us to their powerful calls in the distance while guests enjoyed their evening meal or hot cup of coffee before the morning game drive.

The Cheetah cubs are growing quickly but are still under mother’s guidance as she catches prey and leaves it for the cubs to master their skills. The young Elephant bull born not so long ago is doing well and is getting the hang of his trunk, the art of which will take around six months to master.

Some Spotted Hyaena have been seen close to the lodge, following other predators to either chase them off or hang around for any left-overs. A pack of Wild Dog have now been in the area for some time. They have five month old pups which are already joining the adults on hunts. Wild Dog have the most successful hunting rate of all predators. They are extremely fast and efficient, have endurance and work continuously together as one.

Behind the scenes, there are some amazing birds and butterflies out and about all adding to the beauty of the bush. The Redheaded Weavers are back and building nests. This is their second consecutive year here. Amazing to think that they are way out of their distribution area, by about 100 kilometers, and yet they are very happy to settle here with us at Leopard Mountain.

Our resident African Crowned Eagle has two baby chicks in her nest in our Fever Tree forest. We have viewed her on a couple of occasions feeding the chicks with guests getting some incredible photos of this special moment.

The dung beetles are hard at work while moths and African Giant Land Snails are taking advantage of the moist times, feeding and laying eggs. An unusual rare find was an African Rock Python’s nest with newly hatched eggs and an Ostrich nest with seven eggs all together. Wild Jasmine is also in bloom now, producing a lovely heady scent typical of spring.

Courtesy of Leopard Mountain Lodge: tales of last month’s walks and game drives as told by their rangers, Chase, Andrew & Adam.