Author Archives: firetreeadmin

Considering that this is the first report for the new year, I think it is quite fitting to shine a light on all the new life! There is always excitement emanating from the back of the cruiser when we move into a sighting with baby animals. Impala lambs, Lion cubs, and Giraffe calves are probably some of the most popular, but there certainly has been a baby boom for many species.

Our breeding herd of Buffalo is growing steadily and the youngsters have been full of sass, there are plenty of Blue Wildebeest calves chasing one another around on the plains and then there are the Helmeted Guinea Fowl chicks being taught how to run at full speed in front of a game viewer by their parents!

The fact that mammal babies are perfect miniature versions of the adults never ceases to amaze. They are far more entertaining to watch and always appear to have limitless energy.

Towards the end of the month temperatures cooled down for a few days and the energetic youngsters showed their delight with playful interactions. In the coming weeks we will get to watch them grow!

The festive season has been in full swing at the lodge, and our guests have enjoyed some epic sightings!

Our team of three rangers grew to four when Field Guide, Noleen Turner, joined us early in December.

It has been the lion dynamics on the reserve that have caused the biggest buzz around game drive times. The two dominant males had a giraffe kill in the south and were caught in a bit of a situation when a breeding herd of buffaloes chased them onto a rocky ridge! The two younger male lions have been spending most of their time in the south as well. We spotted them a few times around the lodges, and they seem to be more relaxed around vehicles.

The northern lionesses have been rather scarce as they are raising six new cubs and with the Sunday’s River flowing strongly, their movements are somewhat restricted. It has been a wonderful month for the southern pride (two Tswalu lionesses and their seven sub-adult cubs). They began the month in the southern valleys but soon moved northward to plunder the plains, where most of the game has been grazing.

The lodge has been busy, and we are looking forward to more great game drives as the new year rolls on.

This month has been a fantastic month for sightings in the bush. The birds are chirping and the Impala have started rutting. 

We have been having more sightings of all three of our Cheetahs in the last month – close ups and walking past our game viewers. They are definitely some special moments to experience with the fastest cat in the world.

Download Ranger’s Reports

The month of March was hot for the first 2 weeks, but as we approached the second half of the month, the weather suddenly changed and we received quite a lot of rainfall, which is very good for nature just before winter comes. We have even seen the last of the young from the Kudu, Impala, Zebra and Wildebeest.

Download Ranger’s Reports

The month of February has been a hot and wet month to be sure and, as such, the animals have followed the usual pattern of moving to the northern half of the reserve. This has not decreased the sightings at all.However, it does require the rangers to travel a little further to get the best sightings of the animals, but the results are worth it.

We are often catching our beautiful breeding herd of elephants moving from one green area to the next and always putting on a show, even the old bulls coming out and showing off their impressive size. Though he may be getting on in years, the old bull BFE is always a sight to behold.With all of his character, he is a crowd pleaser.

We have even gotten regular sightings of our resident cheetah brothers,often appearing when they are least expected, but always appreciated whenever they decide to show themselves. They have been getting more and more accustomed to the vehicles to the point where they barely seem to notice our presence!

The daughters of the northern female lioness have started to venture further and further down south since the large lioness that used to control the south has been moved. This is great news as it means the lionesses are starting to expand their territory. With the females moving it, of course, brings the males along and there is nothing like waking up to the lion’s roar as the sun rises.

As February draws to an end,this signals the start of the colder months and the inevitable coming of Autumn and Winter, which often brings the buffalo herd further down south. Surprisingly enough,

they have been spending more and more time on the western plains. They are probably enjoying all the green grass they could ever need.

If you are keen on your birds then it’s exciting to see a new species in an area where it doesn’t usually occur. I have been here for three years and I have never seen an European Roller here and now you will not go a drive without seeing this beautiful bird at least three times.

In other smaller fauna news, we were lucky enough to spot a leopard tortoise just below our lodge, which is a first for this ranger as we weren’t sure they occurred in this area. Nature finds a way I guess!

We would like to welcome all our guests to 2021. We wish you all a healthy and prosperous year.

2021, thus far, seems very successful in terms of climate, although it has started off with the continuation of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

However, we are hopeful for a better year, as the wildlife continues to blossom with lush vegetation. This new life cheers up our majestic animals. Clearly our large mammals are in heaven after such a dry winter,

It’s always good seeing all our migratory birds back in the country. Just to mention a few: Common Buzzards, European Rollers. Umar Falcons and many more.

Some of these birds migrate as far as Northern Asia, like the Umar falcons and the Common Buzzards will go as far as Russia.

The sightings have been great; from our cats to large mammals such asElephants, to creatures as small as Chameleons.

Lately, the sightings of the elusive Leopard have improved as it has recently been seen around the Reserve.

The cycle of life is quite evident as all the predators, including the birds of prey, are hard at work controlling the population. It may seem cruel, but it’s Mother Nature’s way of controlling the population of newly born Impala, Blesbok, Wildebeest and many more.

Summer is the time when the bush is back to life. Where trees are flowering, attracting bird species like Sunbirds; which attracts snakes such as the Boomslang and Vine Snake.

And that is when it all comes together…