With Energy aka don't take photos, paddle

  Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
November 05, 2011

Overnight we could hear the sounds of lions & hippos
In the morning we could hear the Haededa ibis - "sounds like ha, ha"
Just before we departed, we saw a crocodile swimming near camp

We left early in the morning, down the small channel where Harry the Hippo was blocking our path. We moved our canoes to the opposite bank, then we had to pull over which happened to be on his path. The poor guy is sick and could have been dangerous. Our guides, Matthew and Henry made us wait him out. Hippos can stay submerged for 8-10 mins, we were hoping "Harry" was moving with the current but when he popped up the first time at the same spot & we were wondering what was going to happen next WaterBuck. On Henry's next pop up, he let out a big grunt. Henry (our guide, not the hippo) said that his actions were a sign of aggression, so he went and got the rifle from the stern of the canoe and got ready for a possible charge. Luckily for everyone, it did not come to that & Harry the Hippo swam across the channel, up the bank, and walked across the sandbar.

For the rest of the morning we had to zig zag across the river to avoid hippos that were along the banks on both sides of the border. We saw a few waterbuck at various points, and then saw one male bounding through the water - it was very beautiful.

All the birds we saw today:
Egrets
Spoon bill
Ibis,
Glossy ibis
Rufous-bellied heron
red-billed hornbills
African skimmers
Purple heron
Goliath heron
Giant kingfisher
Ruff (I thought was sandpiper)
Little egret (yellow toes, black feet, small body)
White-crowned lapwings (saw on the last sand island for our last break)
Fish-eagles
Carmine bee eaters - the largest colony
African spoon bills (white with spoon bill)
Open-billed stork
Hooded vultures (smallest in this area)
White-backed vulture
Meyer's parrot
Egyptian geese
Pennant-winged nightjar

We stopped at Lone Trichelia in the Nyamatsutsi Wilderness Area for walk, lunch & rest Hippo!!. During our stay there we saw:
Natal mahogany tree
Grey-backed bleating warblers - eating bugs
The remnants of a monitor lizard regurgitated crocodile egg shells
Wild basil herb - repellant, season food, embalming of dead before refrigeration
Impalla remains that were snatched from wild dogs by a leopard that you can tell because the hind quarters and skin were attached; the leopard took what was left up a tree and only the skin and bones of the hindquarters remain.
Hippo bones - likely natural death; the teeth are very sharp - not very reassuring for the rest of our trip….
Impalas
Eland
Waterbuck
Baboons
Tree squirrel
Zebras
Buffalo (only Henry saw it)
Fever berries - chipped by squirrels; the bushes used to feed the black rhinos that have been moved inland to protect from Zambia hunters; was used to cure fevers

We then headed back because the sprinkles turned into rain & the sky did not look promising Henry and the Hippo Skull. We could see that all animals were taking shelter too.

Our lunch was minced meat pies, pasta salad with bacon, feta, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, cheese, crackers, salami & hard boiled eggs. Delicious!

Henry told us a story about Noah's arc & how the waterbuck was the last pair on the boat. By the time the boarded the boat, there was no more room. The only spot left was the wet seats of the toilets and now have permanent ring on their bums.

After lunch we fed the ants with crusts from the minced meat pies to keep them away from our sleeping mat. Bill and I had naps under the tree while the storm blew over. During our nap the tree above protected us from the rain. In the branches above us, the warblers jumped from branch to branch and ate some bugs. Occasionally we were awakened by ants and other bugs On the Lookout. I now have two bites on the inside of my arm from slender ants & they sting like crazy.

No animals came up close to our site like yesterday, but could see many birds, hippos, crocs & waterbuck in the distance. Bill watched a skimmer from the banks - very interesting. The rain stopped and the wind calmed down & we headed out. For the first bit, we went back the way we came to avoid a large pod of hippos. During the afternoon we saw many pods of hippos and entered a part of the Zambezi River that is quite wide. Once again we had to do a lot of zig-zagging to avoid hippos. Normally the hippos stick to specific areas, but due to the high water levels, the hippos tend to be more spread out because they are able to find many areas of deep water. Matthew was quite cautious after his close encounter yesterday and was constantly tapping the canoe and scanning for the eyes and ears that popped up - all the time Theresa almost has a Shower Guest...

We have seen a lot of motor boats today with fishermen. I am not thrilled about the noise & pollution - they are only allowed in Zambia, but a few were on the Zimbabwe side this afternoon.

We saw a few crocs this afternoon, normally only one or two together, but on one island there was a dozen - it would be a dangerous spot. We stopped on a sandbar outside at Chikwenya Island. The landscape had changed & the trees are different and more dense. The dominant species here are the mopane trees. On the sandbar we saw some Goliath heron prints that were as large as my foot print.

After we departed from our tea break, we saw more hippos, birds (one was Hammerkop) and crocodiles before we landed at camp. Our camp is named Ilala after the Ilala palm. Ilala means to sleep which refers to the wine that is made from the tree & the subsequent sleep that follows Zebras.

After showers (which was middy interrupted by a young bull elephant who attempted to enter our camp behind our tent. Thankfully Graham's shout halted & discouraged him) & sundowner we had a BBQ dinner compliments of Graham. We had beef, pork and beef sausage (Boor sausage), salad, Sadza (maize ground very fine - like polenta) served with salsa, zucchini & corn, for dessert crepes suzette. Another fabulous meal! We should camp like this more often.

Henry shared some stories from his many years of guiding. One was many years ago of a young kissing couple who caused the elderly couple to go sky high from an hippo "encounter". Then another about the young man who's paddle was snatched by the hippo & one more about his guide friend who had one hippo destroy three canoes in one foul swoop.

Thankfully Henry & Matthew stayed up late with me again to help with the blog. Without them it would say - we saw lots of birds, hippos and crocs today, & not much more!

Pictures & Videos

The Team

Grahmn serving Sundow