REDNESDAY

Welcome everyone! Snow and cold are gone here. It's Indian Summer - yesterday was 60F/15C, today is supposed to get up to 68F/20C! I'm lovin' it!

I'm sitting here at the computer with one of my Africam cams on, watching Wildebeest and Impalas at dusk. Three Giraffes wandered through a few minutes ago. With Daylight Savings Time, South Africa is now 7 hours ahead of me so, while it's 11:00 a.m. here right now, it's 6:00 p.m. there.

This first set of photos I took on my way back from church on Sunday. Someone new moved into this house within the past year and, recently, he put out some interesting yard decorations . . . and I love them!

The first is a 1940's Farmall tractor. The owner said it originally had steel(?) wheels instead of rubber tires because of the war effort.


This awesome Texaco Sky Chief gas pump has been restored. I forget if he said it was from the 30's or 40's. His two dogs were running around and jumping all over me so it was hard to focus! Notice the hydrant on the right - probably for the dogs!

We never got around to talking about this old fire truck, because our discussion had turned towards the dogs. One of them had snuck through the invisible fence and was sauntering down the street! I had a nice visit with them all!

I forgot to show you this first aid kit last week, from my auction stash. I don't know the year, but it's got some cool stuff inside!


Don't forget that Friday, Nov. 11, is the deadline for signing up with the Tag Swap! ;)

WORLD RHINO DAY

WWF is dedicating the second International Rhino Day, on 22nd September, to the brave men and women who devote their lives to defending rhinos. They are true heroes and we salute them.

Did you know

the world's rhino population

has declined 90% since 1970?

Four of the five species of rhinoceros are in danger of extinction in the wild, due mostly to illegal trade in rhino horn and increasingly, to habitat loss. If not for conservation efforts, there would be no wild rhinos alive today.

Four of the five remaining species of rhino will become extinct in the wild in our lifetime if we do not take action to stop poaching and support rhino conservation.

Rhinos in crisis: Rhino horn is NOT medicine!

Education about rhino horn is desperately needed.

We need to teach people to stop thinking of rhino horn as a valuable commodity and start focusing on the facts. Rhino horn has no medicinal properties, no curative benefits, and no magical powers.

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I enjoy watching the rhinos come to the water holes at my Africam locations - the babies are adorable, believe it or not! So, you can see that I have a personal interest in rhinos. (Even though my favorite African animal is the cheetah!)

Here's a photo I took last year.

This is from last month.

FEARSOME LIONS

As most of you know, I watch Africam live on my computer every day (see here). Today I'm going to introduce you to The Mapogo Pride, aka the Mapogo Mafia, South Africa's infamous gang of 6 male lions (5 of which are brothers), that have dominated the Sabi Sand Game Reserve for nearly a decade. (The article below is from the Africam website.)

Map showing location of Sabi Sands

The Mapogos may well have been the most infamous lion pride in all of Africa. They were unique in that they were a six male lion coalition (five of which were brothers) that joined together nearly 10 years ago, and have since dominated one of the wildest parts of Southern Africa, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Named after a South African security company sometimes said to have harsh and questionable methods, the Mapogos were able to control such a large region through size, intimidation, strength and fear. - not to mention attempting to kill nearly every single male lion they came across including cubs that were not their own. If the females attempted to protect these cubs, they got taken out as well. It is estimated that they have killed well over 60 lions throughout their reign, and they have even been known to eat them afterwards.

They also maintained control through their somewhat unorthodox mating practices. As where a normal pride would have one dominant male for its females in a given territory, the Mapogos would mate with many females in multiple prides across their entire massive region. This seemed to be an attempt to make sure that any lion cubs growing up in the area were from their bloodline.

One well known account of the rise of the Mapogos concerned a rival pride that was a coalition of two males known as the Nkuhumas. The two males had been mating with females from a pride that the Mapogos also had a vested interest in. The brothers dealt with this threat directly, as was their way. They killed one of the male lions, then chased off the other, mated with the lionesses and killed some of the Nkuhuma cubs. There were many reports in the days following the assault of wounded Nkuhuma lionesses and cubs that had been killed but the total death count is unknown.

As far as prey goes there is almost nothing beyond their reach. They have been known to take down full grown male giraffes, rhino, hippo and massive buffalo.

Even powerful coalitions sometimes have one particular member whose mere presence creates legend. For the Mapogos this would be none other than the notorious “ Mr.T”, also known as “SaTan”. His mohawk style mane has been the last thing seen by many a creature. To observers, he is known for being almost intentionally cruel and at the same time completely indifferent to the prey he leaves in his wake - including other lions.

It is easy to see in this brief account of their history that the Mapogos far reaching power seemed unshakable. However, like all great empires, even theirs could not last forever. It was rumored that the first was taken in a stealth attack at the water's edge by a crocodile a few years ago. At that time the remaining brothers were beginning to separate into different territories in the area, but would come together from time to time if a new threat had to be dealt with.

Kinky Tail

Mr. T and Makhulu

Two of the Mapogos, “Kinky Tail”, and “Mr. T”, ventured away from the other three quite awhile ago, perhaps sealing their fate. Rumor had it that there was a new coalition in the area. It was thought to be a group of 4 males that had come from the Kruger National Park. This group has since been named "The Majingilanes" which means to march in military like movements. They were younger than the Mapogos, and were looking to try and claim a piece of the Sabi Sand.

Coming upon one of these new Majingilane lions on its own, Mr. T and Kinky Tail attacked and killed him with grizzly vigor. Unfortunately for the Mapogos, this would not be enough to scare off their new rivals, and within hours the remaining Majingilanes moved in for revenge. By the next day, Kinky Tail was dead...meeting a demise he had proudly given to others.

Kinky Tail and Mr. T with the Majingilane

Mr. T was thought to be fatally injured, but lived up to his legend by escaping and heading south to meet up with his remaining brothers. There is no doubt that increased age and waning strength is dethroning the once fearless Mapogos. For all intents and purposes their reign as the unstoppable rulers of the Sabi Sand is over.

How long will it be before the remaining Mapogos are merely shadows in the dark? How long before we have only the grim tales and ominous photos left to remind us of their empire? Given the power and focus the Mapogos have had and still fight for, their stories will resonate long after their lives have faded away.

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As luck would have it, that fight between Mr. T and Kinky Tail with the Majingilanes last summer, happened right near the Nkhoro Lodge, where one of the Africam cameras is located. Unfortunately, we couldn't see any of the action but could hear all the fighting going on. Actually, I'm glad we couldn't view it because it was extremely loud and quite unnerving! The above fight photo was taken by one of the Nkhoro rangers.

I'VE GOT AFRITUDE!

As most of you know, I am addicted to Africam. (Click on the black info box below to go to the website.)


I posted about Africam two years ago here, but I want to share some photos today! First, here's a map of where the three cameras are located, to give you a general idea. The first cam was placed at Nkhoro Bush Lodge, which borders the Kruger National Park. The second was Elephant Plains Lodge, about 7.5 miles from Nkhoro. The third, and newest, is at Tembe National Elephant Park, home to the largest elephants (with the longest tusks) in the world!


Here's my desktop set-up with the three cams, the Africam forum (and internet) to the left, and my solitaire game in the middle!

I turn on the cams every evening and this is what I "stare at" all night! LOL! This is the Nkhoro water hole, or "pan". They use infrared (night vision) lights for night-time viewing. Night time is usually quite monotonous. You hear sounds around, sometimes elephants, sometimes lions and hyenas but, more often than not, it's just usually crickets and owls! Most of the action is in the dawn to dusk hours.

I've downloaded a program that allows me to take photos of the cams so, even though I'm not there in person, I can snap pics of the action as it happens live. Here's a few snapshots from my "photo album"!

This is a Black Backed Jackal. I love these guys. There's a family of them that lives at NK (Nkhoro) and they run around the pan and frolic in the grass every morning at dawn! They're so cute! (Oh, dawn over in South Africa is 7 hours ahead of my time.)

Woodland Kingfisher ~

Male Waterbuck ~

Saddle-billed Stork ~

This dumb bunny, a young male lion, climbed a tree at Tembe and had trouble getting back down!

It's always a thrill when you get a rare sighting, like this Serval, who is quite shy ~

Or a pack of Wild Dogs ~

And, of course, it's always frustrating when the critters don't cooperate and pose for the camera, like this leopard!

Oh, I could go on and on! But I'll just end with two photos taken by Karin van der Merwe, the manager of the Nkhoro Lodge. Note the proximity of the animals to the lodge. Nice shot of a Giraffe family (with Zebras and Impalas in the background)~

. . . and a lone young male Lion ~
Why is he all alone? Read about it here!

A CORNER OF MY ROOM

The sun was shining into my "play room" this morning, so I took a shot. It was so nice and bright and sunny! Of course my point-and-click camera makes it look cloudy. This next photo is to the left of the door. (Oops! Crooked picture in the picture!)

I have my Africam cameras on while I'm working, and a herd of water buffalo decided to grace us with their presence! They all took turns rolling in the mud!

This is a shelf in the playroom.

For those of you not familiar with my "playroom", it was originally the dining room in our house plans but I claimed it for my own. It houses my washer/dryer, computer table, pantry shelves, craft stuff, eBay/Etsy stuff, plants and plant stuff, home school books, and (eeuw!) the litter box! Why the litter box, you might ask? Well, no one wants it in the bathroom and we tried it in the basement, but out-of-sight-out-of-mind. Besides, it's cold down there in the winter! Thank goodness the cats only use it during the winter.

Mister picked up this framed photo a few months ago because he liked it. I do, too, but we just don't know where to hang it. As you can see (because I put a yardstick beside it) it's quite long. Her body looks a bit scrunched, but that's just from the angle. Actually, these Victorian-style photos always seem a little spooky to me!

I can't wait for tomorrow! It's the semi-annual auction that our fave thrift store hosts. Mister helped them in the Spring and I went, too. It was fun! The proceeds go to helping a prison ministry.

CHEETAHS ON AFRICAM!

Can you see the four cheetahs? What a rare thrill to see them on AFRICAM today! Cheetahs are rare enough as it is, and usually only one, maybe two, at a time - but four? WOW!

AFRICAM is a live streaming camera website that has live feed cameras at three water holes in South Africa - Nkhoro Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, and Tembe Reserve. You never know what you're going to see from day to day - many times nothing (it requires a lot of patience), many times something! I'm an Africam Addict!

I LOVE MY AFRICAM

So what is "Africam" anyways? And why do I love it so much? You may have seen the link in my sidebar and, now I'll tell you.

Basically, Africam is a website from South Africa for the viewing of live wildlife. They have two 24-hour cameras mounted beside two different watering holes which border Kruger National Park in the northeast of the country. One is at the Nkhoro Bush Lodge pan (water hole), the other at Elephant Plains Lodge water hole - which is 12.1K/7.5 miles from Nkhoro.

Why do I love it? Easy - great viewings of African wildlife, and great friends made on the Forum Chat!

These just happened to come into view yesterday. They use infrared cameras at night so we can see in the dark. This first photo is a leopard.
This is a pride of lions! Neither are a frequent sighting, and to have both leopard and lion on the same day was quite a thrill!

Here's some more information about Africam, if you're interested:

Africam originated in 1998. Regarding the choosing of Nkhoro Lodge as its first site, owner Campbell Scott said, "We needed to choose a place where no matter what time of year, people could see the Big 5. People want instant gratification." What are the "Big Five"? The Rhino, Leopard, Elephant, Lion and Water Buffalo. There have been a few rare occasions where we have seen, on cam, the Big 5 within a 24-hour period! We also have a term called the "Magnificent Seven", which adds the Cheetah and African Wild Dog to the Big 5.
I discovered Africam almost two years ago, a tip given by someone on my gardening forum at Dave's Garden. You never know when you're going to see an animal. During the (African) daytime is when you mostly see "critters" - Impalas, Wildebeests, Zebras, Baboons, Warthogs, Elephants and Giraffes. Rhinos show up occasionally, as do Hyaenas (affectionately known as Whoopers on the Forum), Jackals, and Mongooses. There's a wide and beautiful variety of bird life, too, with Egyptian Geese keeping watch over Nkhoro Pan most days!

Now, these are all wonderful, but the piece-de-resistance is a cat sighting! Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, or Serval! Not a common sight, but one sighting makes up for all the nights sitting in front of an empty, quiet camera! I've been fortunate to see all four at different times.

This is Jacques, a ranger at Nkhoro Lodge, here feeding a young wildebeest. His nickname is Zoomie because he is the primary camera operator.

On Africam, many viewers are come-and-go, and many are "lurkers" - those who watch the cams, and maybe even read the forums, but don't participate in chatting. I'm a Participator, and log on just about every day, or night I should say. South Africa is 6 hours ahead of my time zone, so if I watch it during my evenings, it's the wee hours of the morning over there!

I have many friends on the Africam Forum Chats. They hail from all over the world, just like in BlogLand!

I love all my online families - whether they're from BlogLand, Africam, or Dave's Garden. (Just don't invite me to a family reunion!) LOL!

Spring is Here!

Well, it's finally here! I made this countdown calendar last year. It counts down from January first until Spring, with a different floral pic for each day. I keep it in a plastic page protector so I can cross off each day with a marker and still re-use it.

On Africam, at this very moment (5:30 p.m. SA time), the lodge chef has brought his cooking supplies down beside the watering hole and is cooking up a braai, which is the South African word for barbecue. He has his cast iron pots over a wood fire and is cooking up a storm! He mentioned that the weather is beautiful, and the view also - with zebras and wildebeests in the background. Looks yummy! They do this about once a year to show the viewers a little of the culture.
This photo shows the fire pit, a few of the rangers, and some local singers putting on a show for the viewers.

A note about my VTT post yesterday: from the comments I received, it's safe to say that the pink box is a q-tip container.