A Voice From The Valley

by Kim Brake

October – suicide month they say. Well we are all still here and I have not even heard of any near misses. The only close call was me when I was visiting Lusaka last month and managed to fall over a rope at Manda Hill – hurt pride but nothing seriously damaged.

It has been warm to say the least but then that is always a valid excuse for a long siesta. We have all been rising early with guests being gently woken at 5.30 by the drum and guided to breakfast around the camp fire (yes, maybe not totally necessary but it does look nice!) for a dose of caffeine before heading out for their morning activities.

It has been quite humid during the last few days and all of the guides being the fountains of all knowledge have turned into weathermen. It will be interesting to see who is right – so far we have “it will definitely rain in the next five days” to “the rains are going to be late this year, definitely not before Christmas day”. The only certainty is that someone is going to be way out!

Game viewing has been excellent again this month. We have had such diverse and unusual sightings as a cape clawless otter, caracals, rock hyraxes and klipspringers. On the birding front a pair of black eagles, slaty flycatcher and a whimbrel are just some of the species to get guests and guides alike somewhat in a tiz. I know these are rare, as the guides tend to get over excited and jump around a lot, usually accompanied by excessive arm movements!!

Another happy sight is the number of leopard and lion cubs that we have been seeing. This is always a welcome relief and hope for continued rejuvenation of the area.

One of the funniest sights was at camp when guests had just finished lunch. A familiar (and very cheeky, young) elephant appeared at the lagoon and all retreated to the bar. The dining table had been partially cleared leaving just the tablecloth, water jugs and a few glasses. The elephant walked up to the table, took hold of the cloth with his trunk and pulled it out from under the jugs etc - leaving them all in place just like the old waiters trick. The caterer was glad that some of the guests had witnessed this as we would never have believed her!

Kim works for Robin Pope Safaris in the South Luangwa