Two Days at the Salt Lick

For some months now I have had a memory card from one of my cameras sitting on my desk. It is effectively full and contains 3984 images of mammals recorded at a salt lick in the Tswalu Kalahari reserve in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. These 3984 images were recorded over just a 48hour period.
I've been reluctant to write a new post about these images because, well, I just couldn't think of a good story to go with the images. However I now need to use the card and am reluctant to add another 4GB of images to the hard drive on my ageing laptop. So its a case of use-them-or-lose-them - and I've decided to use them.

Salt licks (possibly better described as mineral licks) are commonly used in wildlife reserves in Southern Africa. They're particularly used in the dry winter months when the quality of the grass is often poor. I don't know to what extent the mammals really need the additional minerals or whether they just like them. But that is immaterial because mammals arrive at the lick in droves, especially if there is also water in  the vicinity. So its an interesting site for a camera-trap.

These mineral supplements usually begin as a sold rectangular block. But it doesn't take long before they get licked down into an amorphous blob, like the one at Tswalu, shown below:

There were various mammals in the area when we arrived to set up the camera and it wasn't long after we left that the first 'lickers' arrived. The procession hardly stopped for two days.

Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis)

Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)

Gemsbok (Oryx gazella)

Greater Kudu ( Tragelaphus strepsiceros)

Common Eland (Tragelaphus oryx)

Hartmann's Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae)

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)

Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus)

Impala (Aepyceros melampus)

So what's the story here?

Well, for many wildlife professionals working in reserves like Tswalu these scenes are a daily occurence. But for the rest of us these camera-trap images represent an extraordinary view into the daily life of mammals in Africa. 3984 images in two days! Its a story that I hope our grand-children will still get to see.

Following a Wallowing

I had a camera set up at a water-hole recently and returned to find it covered in mud. Not just a little muddy, but plastered with mud! The sensor and flash cover were caked with the stuff but, luckily, the lens appeared clear. I was pretty sure that a warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) had done the dirty deed since the camera was mounted at a height of about 40cm. Warthogs are great wallowers and love to rub off the mud on a convenient tree or stump.

However, when I saw these images I soon realized that one shouldn't presume anything too quickly!

It was a youngish black rhino (Diceros bicornis) and they're usually not very respectful of human property. I'm grateful that I still have a camera in good working order.

Happy Hogs

During my recent trip to Namibia I set up a number of cameras at various water-holes on the property. Some were large and required a few cameras to monitor them properly. However one was a simple drinking trough which gave me some wonderful images. I doubt it got any more traffic than the others - its just that due to its size -the camera was able to capture everything that visited.
Our Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a great character. Whether kneeling on the ground while grazing or running through the grass with their tails erect they bring a smile to the face of any safari-goer.
They love muddy water - but also have no problem with clean water, as these images show:

Dad arrived at the pool first.  Mmmmm.... time to cool off.

Man..... that feels good.

Later it was the turn of Mum and the teenagers:

Ok kids, bombs away.......

Hey  Sis, check out the cool bubbles behind Mum. Whoa, we've got to drink this water afterwards!

 No Honey, I've told you before - no swimming right after lunch!

Bliss, peace at last!