** Africam - Book (3)

** AFRICA - BOOK ( 3 ) IT STARTED AT A WATER HOLE
page one - RANGER CAMPBELL AND THE CREW TALK
N K O R H O - M A P
SEE WHERE THE NKORHO LODGE IS
NKORHO - FIRE PROTECTION



NOON
kru-kab bowser b.c. wrote:

HOWZIT - couple of questions on the ** FIRE KING **
WATER PUMP - how many gallons ( or litres) does
the tank hold 800 liters ( 211 gallon) - how long does it take to
empty the tank 25-35 minutes depends on at what strengh you spraw the water and how long to fill the tank with water 1 minutes
and how long is the fire hose 150 meters
and does each lodge in your area have a ( fire truck set up
like yours ) there is only one lodge out of the 7 that doesn't have a Fire King.
thank you
barry
----------------------------------------------------------
P.S I USE 30 COMMENTS PER PAGE
AND DATE OLDEST FIRST
ACROSS FROM THE MICROPHONE some technician to some minor repairs after some more adjustments camera working fine testing - 1-2-3-4- ok cambell your on candid camera ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nkorho Q and A by rangers Photos taken by Nkorho staff 



Wed, 21/11/2007 - 5:12pm
we were told about some of the animals found on this great contenent
one was the king of beasts

photo - by - PENNY-2 -- NKORHO

PHOTO - PENNY-2 ---
NKORHO
ITS GOOD TO BE THE KING- may 01 - 2008

IN THIS AFRICAM BOOK YOU WILL SEE CAM
PICS FROM --NKORHO AND ELEPHANT PLAINS
SOME ARE OF ANIMAL - BIRDS -REPTILES
THAT HAVE BEEN CAPTURED ON CAM
FOR THE FIRST TIME (THAT I KNOW OF )
Yellow-billed Kite ~ Milvus aegyptius ~ NK

Bushbuck ~ Tragelaphus scriptus

photo by ingwe -- christy aug - 2009 nk lodge
Nkorho Ranger OCT- 28 - ARE THEY RARE TO SEE AT NKORHO I CANT REMEBER SEEING ONE ON THE CAMS ? THANKS BARRY Morning from Nkorho. Barry I have been at NK 11 months, and this was the first Bushbuck sighting for me at NK. When the Bushbuck left from the wh she came right into the lodge infront of room 3 eating the grass. I phoned Karin to tell her and she didn't believe me and Karin has been at NK 5 years. Jacquesquote water monitor lizard
THIS BUSHBUCK WAS TAKEN AT NKORHO 
NKORHO AND ELEPHANT PLAINS
EAGLE PERCH AND DRAGON PERCH
CAM PHOTOS
NKORHO ADDED THE EAGLE PERCH TO THE PAN


NEW ADDITION TO THE ELEPHANT PLAINS PAN
HOWWA - a member named the log ** THE DRAGON **

ONE OF THE BIRDS TO USE THE LOG
Hadeda Ibis ~ Bostrychia hagedash ~

QUESTIONS ARE ASKED MY MEMBERS-
RANGERS ANSWER THEM
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pump for the pan runs off an old Lister motor that is what you hear when we start the pump, the boreholes for the lodge is west of the pan and runs on electic pumps
We try and pump the wh on Tuesdays only because of the noise the pump makes. Other wise when the water level is really low we start the pump.
Jacques


NKORHO LODGE JEEP
Our safari jeeps are Toyota hilux 4x4 vehicles.
They carry at the max, 10 people but we try keep it at 6 people per
vehicle
so it is as comfortable as possible.
The game drives are 3-3 1/2 hours long and it all depends on the
sighting,
such as a leopard kill or lion pride, in km it can vary from 10 to 50
km.
But we try to keep driving to a minimum and rather enjoy a sighting for
longer and have a memorable experience.
Bush greetings
Gabbi Shires
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOU WILL FIND MANY POSTINGS
TO AND FROM NKORHO AND
ELEPHANT PLAINS RANGERS
kru-kab bowser b.c. wrote:NOTE THE ODD COLOR OF THE ONE BULL
9.22 C.A.T - NKORHO
IS IT BECAUSE HE IS OLD BULL ???
ALSO THE STRIPES ARE MISSING ALONG THE BACK
THANKS FOR THE ANSWER ON THE ELEPHANT

Bush Greetings Barry
Hope this helps have attached info relating to mange this is common during long periods of little to no rain often cause by stress due to the conditions of the veld and lack of water, all hair in some animals will fall out and only then regrow however some animals are permanently marked by the effects of the mange.
Mange is a general term for several skin ailments caused by tiny mites that infest skin or hair follicles of dogs, cats and other mammals. Mange mites cause an allergic reaction and intense itching. Most commonly the term is used to describe the condition caused by the sarcoptic mange mite (near right), Sarcoptes scabei. This is the same mite that causes scabies in humans.
The other common "mange" is caused by the follicle mite Demodex sp. (far right). Normally this tiny mite lives in hair follicles and causes no symptoms. Occasionally, however, populations explode causing hair loss and itching. Demodectic mange (demodextic mange) is often associated with stress, or other illness, which predisposes the animal to an outbreak.
Mange is a very serious condition and should be treated. The stress brought on by the intense itching and the secondary bacterial infections caused by wounds opened by scratching can be fatal.
Thanks
And then a heard of beautiful zebras came down and finished a perfect day



dan.
** THE ** CAPE BUFFALO SKULL **
24 DAY 9TH MONTH 2007
http://www.africam.com/wildlife/monday_24th_sept_2007_streaming_cam_pics
CAM PICS FROM SEPTEMBER 24 2007
Hi Barry
Thanks for your mail. The skull is lying in the tall grass,
-- but KAREN will have it moved closer to the
webcam - so you all can get a good look at it !!
BUSH GREETINGS

MAJESTIC EVEN AFTER DEATH
SOME HORNS SPREAD MEASURE
40 - to - 48 -INCHES
NYATI -MEANS BUFFALO
WE CALL HIM ** OLD FAITHFULL **
HE IS LOOKED AFTER BY
Jacques


i have a real love for the cape buffalo skull
ever since you moved it for us to view and i click picks of
all the differnt animals that go near It and put them in the aficam book
my ?? is i see it often tipped over or moved by animals
who is setting it back up each time and facing it towards the cam
i have not seen anyone set t up
thanks barry
Hey Barry.
The fun is mine of moving it back ore picking it up to face the cam again for pic's.
Jacques
SLIDE SHOW PAYS TRIBUTE TO
*** O L D F A I T H F U L L ***
CLICK - HERE
many thanks to ** PENNY (2) * JANUARY 27 - 2009
Hi Barry
Thanks for your mail. The skull is lying in the tall grass, but Karen
will
move it closer to the webcam so you can get a good look at it!!
Bush greetings


BUSH WALK - THANKS TO JACQUES
Briefing before bush walk:
1. Rules regarding handling of firearm
2. Cameras photography only with ranger consent
3. Trail rules- single file behind the ranger, stay close and no lagging behind
4. Minimum noise
5. No smoking
6. No littering
7. Pre- arranged communication signals
8. Emergency drill: no this point all depends on the danger and what is happening. Your main aim is to back-up and move quietly out of the sighting.
9. AN NEVER RUN
10. enjoy the walk
They leave for bush walk after breakfast all depends on what time the game drive came back and how long breakfast takes, but generally at 10 am.
Max number on bush walk 8 guest if a back-up walks with and only 4 if the ranger walks alone.
A walk is between a 1hour and 1 and a half hours. ( I have been on a 2 and half hours walk before at Nk) depends on the guest.
CAPE BUFFALO DIES OF
NATURAL OF NATURAL CAUSE
SEPTEMBER 24 2007
It sure has been a couple of exciting days at Nkorho...
The Rangers have informed me that the Buffalo near the pan suffered from a disease that affected its respiratory system and prevented it from being able to breathe.
This particular disease does not effect carnivores, only grazers. The animals are clever enough to know the difference and knew that this carcass was fine to feed on.
The Jackals arrived first, being that they are resident in the area and extremely opportunistic.

The vultures were right behind them. When vultures are not currently at a feeding site they circle all day looking for a new one covering very large distances. Once they have found one they will alert many others.This is how they were able to arrive before any other animals.

The hyaenas arrived next. They operate on a very similar system. They are usually solitary but when food is discovered they approach in numbers for safety. There is a very good chance that a hyaena saw the vultures circling and then called for reinforcements before approaching the site.

There were no lions in the area yesterday. However it did not take long for the Styx pride to hear about the Buffalo and make their way to the pan. They arrived early Tuesday morning.

SASSABUCK - MADE THIS BEAUTIFULL TRIBUTE
OLD FAITHFULL
THE MARULA TREE ( NAMED MIKE)
HAS TWO MICROPHONES ON IT
DISTANCE FROM CAM to water ege 45 feet
distance across pan is 68 feet
distance from water to marula tree 150 feet
-------------------------------------------------------------------
263 feet in total
The new mics are just behind the shrubs on the termite mound directly to the left of the marula tree, the old mic on the cam tree still works but only in mono so it is not on but is there as a back up we can switch over to it any time.
Greg



THE NKORHO PAN IS 80 x 68 FT
Water Level: The Nkorho pan is in fact a natural waterhole. So of course its water level rises and falls depending on the rains and what animals are drinking from it. It also contains an underwater pump that is used to artificially supplement its water level in extreme situations. Sometimes you can even hear the pump through the Africam audio. A good example of a time to use this pump would be after a large herd of Buffalo stops by for a drink.
(true story )

Good day Barry.
From the bottom going up: the first small box above the ground is the power supply. the big box is the audio and video unit, then the cam with a steel roof over. on the left branch there is a IR light with housing and a mic. On the right branch there is three IR lights with housing.
Hope this helps.
Jacques
cam is 800mm zoom lens or 16 power
Nkorho Ranger
Posts: 499
Joined: 2008-02-19
Location:
-->Wed, 20/08/2008 - 11:04pmkru-kab bowser b.c. wrote:
thank you - JACQUES - for information
on the cam tree
NEW QUESTION - much chat -- about how far the
microphone,s can pick up sounds
it may be a tough question for you to
answer - ? - ( thanks barry )
Bush greetings Barry.
We can't really say 1 mile or 2 miles because we don't know, but to give you a idea how far you can hear. Every morning a Ranger reads the chatroom to see what you have heard at night. Many times even in the day you have heard lions roaring and we hear nothing.
The other day all the viewers heard a gun shot we heard nothing.
Hope this helps
Jacques
THE CAMS ARE ON 24 - 7 SO WE HAVE
N I G H T - L I F E
Leopard ~ Panthera pardus ~

White rhino ~ Ceratotherium simum ~

Elephant ~ Loxodonta africana ~

Lion ~ Panthera leo ~

Verreaux’s (Giant) Eagle Owl ~ Bubo lacteus ~

Scrub hare ~ Lepus saxatilis ~

Giraffe ~ Giraffa camelopardalis ~

Spotted hyaena ~ Crocuta crocuta ~

Egyptian Goose




In spite of their names, the Egyptian, spur-winged and pygmy geese are not geese, but ducks. There are, in fact, no true geese south of the Sahara. True geese lack iridescent plumage and have an irregular, net-like surface to the tarsus (that part of the leg between the 'ankle' and 'knee'
YOU WILL SEE RAW NATURE AS IT HAPPENS

snake - hanneke photo


and a heron eating a toad

thanks to geschue for use of photo,s
Hello again, just found some pics from the leopardkill in 2000 at LeopardCam, hope I'm allowed to post them here 




..... and yes it was Tjololo !!!!
*** gone but not forgotten ***
1995 - 2007 ( november)
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/10/01/html/ft_20011001.5.html
The Rock Drift male (Tjololo)
TJOLOLO - THE LEGENDPublished by Wildcaster 2 months, 1 week ago Tags: africa, animal kingdom, conservation, education, Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, leopard, mala mala, national geographic, Open Content Alliance, peace parks, photos, predators, teach, wildcasting, wildlife.TJOLOLO – THE LEGEND
This morning Tjololo was found on Mala Mala in a really bad way.
His was very lean, his coat looking terrible and had many porcupine quills stuck in his body. A vet was called in and Tjololo was darted. He had quills in his throat his chest and even his paws. Some quills about 5 inches deep in his body. The vet removed these all and cleaned him up, but Tjololo never came round again after antidote was administered.
This was probably the best way for him to go, as he would probably just have continued to suffer in ill health.
I first saw Tjololo in 1999 as a young 4 year old leopard setting up his territory on Mala Mala Game Reserve. It was then I made a film about him, “Stalking Leopards” for National Geographic. I spent 18 months in the field with him following his every movement every day. He became a close friend as this image alone speaks to.
Tjololo had just killed this kudu cow and was dragging it off. I got out the vehicle and lay on the ground to take photos. He could drag the carcass anywhere, but wanted to go where I was lying, and so did just that. He dragged the kudu within touching distance of me and didn’t so much as give me a glance. What a trusting dude.
He was small male leopard but feisty. As time went by Tjololo began to take control of a larger territory encompassing nearly the whole of Mala Mala. On several occasions he came across much bigger males who we thought were REAL dudes and in just about every confrontation the little man came out the victor. And then in time he started trespassing outside Mala Mala still increasing his domain. He RULED!
But in the last 6 months his condition has been seen to deteriorate as he’s been getting on and would now be 12 years old. Not a bad innings for a male leopard.
I left Mala Mala in 2005 in which time I’d made another 2 films, “Predators at War” and “Hyena Queen”, both of which featured Tjololo in numerous sequences.
He also did me really proud when he was the feature of my cover story in the National Geographic Magazine 2001.
He was a very special leopard and I’m just so grateful to have shared so much time with him.
THE NKORHO ZOOMI OPERATOR GIVES US GREAT
REFECTION CAM PICS

AND OTHER GREAT CAM PICS

Impala ~ Aepyceros melampus

WE WERE TOLD ABOUT THE ** WILD DOGS *
SOME OF US WERE TREATED TO 4 WILD DOGS ONE DAY AT THE WATER HOLE ( A RARE SIGHT )
WILD DOG VIDEO AT NKORHO WATER HOLE
ht



http://www.honoluluzoo.org/african_hunting_dog.htm
TAKE THE WILD DOG QUIZZ
A F R I C A ,S the “magnificent seven”: the “big five” (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard) plus cheetah and wild dog.
Hi Barry
You asked for a story on wild dogs. I was fortunate to view them fairly regularly when I worked in Madikwe Game Reserve. I saw some great social interaction. Two of my favourite stories are the 2 kills I watched. I watched them take down and kill a wildebeest. There was another vehilcle in the sighting. When we arrived the dogs were chasing the wildebeest around. After a couple of minutes 1 managed to grab the wildebeest at the muzzle and another got the tail. A few then started to bite at the flanks and another the stomach. This may sound a bit gruesome to some but its only natural. The adrenalen pumping after watching something like that is incredible. Josh
** BIRDS THAT HAVE BEEN TAGGED **
** Marabou STORK **
http://www.odensezoo.dk/site/dyr_engelsk/afrika/fugle/Marabou_stork/

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/accipitriformes/white-backed.vulture.html

YOU WILL SEE CAM PICS OF MANY
ANIMALS PAYING TRIBUTE TO
OLD FAITHFULL - AS HE IS CALLED




IN 2008 WHEN THE BABIES
COME WITH THIER MOMS
THE CAM PICS WILL BE POSTED
BY MANY AFRICAM MEMBERS




IN THE BOOK YOU WILL READ ALL BOUT THE
ELEPHANY PLAIN LODGE AND CAM



Elephant Plains, like Nkorho, is a luxury lodge located in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin. The lodge is situated on the bank of the dry Manyeleti riverbed
THE NAME MANYELETI MEANS
Place of Stars
New Streaming Camera at Elephant Plains

After countless hours of work by the Africam Team and a massive amount of anticipation from the loyal members of Africam, we are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of our second live streaming camera: Elephant Plains.
Elephant Plains, like Nkorho, is a luxury lodge located in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin. The lodge is situated on the bank of the dry Manyeleti riverbed. The area encompasses clay based plains, broad-leafed, hilly woodland interspersed with dolerite ridges and mature riverine habitats, creating a fantastic diversity of flora and fauna. A natural waterhole is the centrepiece of this region that provides a drinking spot for all the big five, as well as more rare predators such as cheetah and wild dog. Upon hearing the details of this location it didn’t take the Africam team long to see exactly where their new camera would have to be.
Roughly 20 metres from the waterhole is a large Jackalberry tree. Fortunately for us it houses a large branch extending completely parallel to the ground, with nothing between it and the bush. The camera has been mounted underneath this branch providing a perfect vantage point of the waterhole and the surrounding area. In addition, its ability to rotate 360 degrees will give our viewers the ability to observe wildlife in all directions, including from above. Just imagine the sight of the elephants, which this area is famous for, passing UNDERNEATH the camera.
Of course the location of this new camera made for an interesting installation process that took almost a week - the highlight of which was an encounter with a hyaena. The team had elected to stay at the waterhole after dark in order to properly adjust the infrared lights. It wasn’t long before a young hyaena came to investigate what this strange new group was up to. We kept an eye on him while we finished our work, and watched him observe us as he circled the entire area. He eventually lost interest and headed over to the waterhole for a quick drink before departing, and in doing so, provided us with our inaugural sighting on the new camera.
All of us at Africam know how long our members have been awaiting this new addition. The camera has been fully installed, and is currently undergoing active testing. At this point the remaining logistics are out of our immediate control. However, we have every confidence that the camera will be going live in the next few weeks.
http://www.elephantplains.co.za/home/index.html
Africam Admin
YOU WILL SEE BIRDS OF PREY
Wahlberg’s Eagle

African Hawk Eagle ~ Hieraaetus spilogaster ~

Steppe Buzzard (Buteo vulpinus

African Fish Eagle ~ Haliaeetus vocifer ~

WATER IS LIFE - AND ALL KINDS OF
ANIMALS - BRDS - AND REPTILES
COME TO THE PANS
Spotted hyaena ~ Crocuta crocuta ~

Bateleur ~ Terathopius ecaudatus ~

Giraffe ~ Giraffa camelopardalis

TERRAPINS

hello - to the rangers many thanks for your information
SUBJECT ** DOGS **
we hear what we think are dogs at the nkorho pan -
could you tell us how many dogs are at the lodge and the breeds
i know some time back i seen a jack russle and a larger dog at the helecopter one day _ thank you - barry
Good day Barry
We have 3 dogs at the lodge.
Spot and Milo are both Jack Russels and there is Seun, who often sneaks onto the view of the camera, who's breed we are a bit unsure of but will find out this weekend when the owners are here.
Seuns father was here and he was born here.
Seun goes home as it gets dark and Milo attaches herself to who ever is still about the lodge or stays in the bar. Spot is still young so we take her home at night if Karen is not here.
Hve a good day
Ernst
Bush greetings Barry.
Seun 11years.
Milo 9 years.
Spot 2 years.
Micka 6 months.
Jacques
Black-backed jackal ~ Canis mesomelas ~

Named for the broad, dark saddle on the upper body, which extends from the neck to the base of the tail, the Black-Backed Jackal is a nocturnal scavenger, although they also kill for themselves and prey on small mammals and birds. The black-backed jackal is known for its habit of trailing lions and other carnivores when a kill is made: up to 10 jackals will keep a distance until the big predators have had their fill from the carcass. They also dine on newborn buck, springhares, mongooses, mice, rats, lizards and insects. The black-backed jackal is known as a wary and cunning animal. They are one of the few mammalian species with a long term pair bond. From 5 to 7 young are born, in holes in the ground, which are very often disused aardvark burrows adjusted to suit their needs.



BLACK BACKED JACKAL

http://www.encounter.co.za/article/177.html

These jackal are the most abundant and widespread of the larger carnivores in sub-Saharan Africa.
NKORHO
BLACK BACK JACKAL
BLACK BACKED JACKAL
NKORHO Black-backed jackal





















A F R I C A M W I K I
THIS IS AN -- A TO Z
INFO SITE ON - E.P & NK
EXAMPLE
B
click here
* CAMBELL * said hello from NKORHO PAN
Jono , Campbell Gabbi and Karen
ITS WAS HOT THIER TODAY 105 F 40.55 CELCIUS
** 7 lovely dancers came to the water hole -
and they sang and danced for us ( and they were wonderfull)
WE ASK QUESTIONS TO THE NKROHO &
ELEPHANT PLAINS - AND THEY ANSWER OUR ??
A D A Y I N T H E L I F E OF A N K O R H O - R AN GE R
--------------------------------------------------------------
HOWZIT - A QUESTION TO ANY RANGER
WOULD ANY RANGER LIKE TO GIVE US WHAT
ITS LIKE TO BE A RANGER AT NKORHO FOR ONE DAY
FROM WHEN YOU WAKE UP -TILL YOU GO TO SLEEP
photos of your day would be great also ( if possible)
THANK YOU BARRY-
typical day when guides are driving
- Wake up at around 4h30
- open lodge and make sure coffee machine is ready for use and help pack hotboxes for morning drive
- 5h00 wake up all guests going out on drive
- 5h30 to 8h30 game drive
- 9h00 breakfast
- 10h00 walk for about 1hr30min or so
- one guide goes off for the morning between the time they get back from the walk and the 13h30
- lunch is at 14h00 guides sit all meals with their guests
- next guide goes off straight after lunch till 4h00
- ensure your cooler boxes are packed as soon as you come back
- 4h30 afternoon game drive leaves
- 19h30 game drive comes back
- 20h00 diner
- after dinner the guests return to the bar and guides stay up till the guests go to bed.....
- for the guide who is on duty while the other is off they have to make sure guests are happy and served drink when needed also do luggage for guests checking in...
for the guides not driving
- wake up at 06h30 at the lodge at 07h00
- check the pools and do maintenance
- help with guest checkouts
- in charge of clearing roads ad road maintenance
- responsible for waiting for the guests who are late arrivals till the drive come back
- usually off from 17h00 till 19h00 when they come back and do welcome drinks for the game drives coming back.
- help with first round of drinks till guests go down for dinner
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush greetings Barry
Yes they do check the area and guests who are in room 7 are walked to and from their room at night because of the distance from the main lodge. guides doing wake up calls have to walk around turning on lights and doing wake up cllas generally do this while they are checking around
hope this helps
Bushie
http://www.africam.com/wildlife/animalbirdreptileday
http://www.africam.com/wildlife/africasouthafrica
http://www.africam.com/wildlife/africasouthmafricaindex