This is the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park FILM - The Auob River - Kgalagadi Photography

it is December month on planet Earth elsewhere it is wet green and cold but here hugged among the countries of South Africa Botswana and Namibia it is not this area called the Hara har-ee trans frontier park is now a dry and hot landscape it is the end of the dry season no rains fell for almost eight months and the Maday temperatures already average around 40 degrees Celsius scorching with a ground temperature reaching 70 degrees Celsius due to the heat pressing in from the Northwest this forgotten world holds one of the few untouched biodiversity x' left on our planet a place where only those antelope that have evolved to survive in these conditions are left roaming for the odds surviving blade of grass or leaf [Music] but there's a restlessness now an instinct passed on through the centuries witnessed in those species that can sense that the heavens are about to gush new life but those who survive these conditions will ensure the toughening of genes for generations to come it is a semi desert area where during the wet periods of the distant past the rain water cut broad flat floors metres below the level of the plains and formed the alb and nasim riverbeds [Music] the river valley of the orb forms the most impressive landscapes in this otherwise monotonous desert like surrounding the survival mechanisms of each species are fascinating nowhere else in the desert this can be observed better than from the single road running along the Alba riverbed joël anta hyung is a South African with a deep passion for this area with his camera he patrols this unique desert like one day for 30 days our travel down the out riverbed in my vehicle and filmed the plants and animals responses to this transitional season at the end of the dry and the beginning of the rainy season I always filmed from within my vehicle in general public roads without any special permit and never interfered with nature this is what I call the world's wildest river the dunes to the south of the Arbour riverbed are bound by grasses and the most important tree in the dunes is the Shepherd's tree water reaches the roots of the dune plants easier and quicker due to the large grains of sand but it dries up fast only the few drops of rain is enough for a wide variety of plants and animals to respond immediately with life and reproduction the Steinbach the most widespread of all Kalahari antelopes is one of the few animal species that don't particularly move into the riverbeds they have a very selective diet of highly nutrias plants after the first raindrops succulent mushrooms spring up and the Steinbach instinctively finds them but it is along the riverbed where the camel thorn trees host the center of the energy cycle with the evaporation rate 10 times higher than the annual rainfall the Sun quickly takes care of le moist the few drops of rain and the sunlight create the ideal conditions for desert plant species to flower within days and in turn trigger the insects that pollinate them to ensure that the seeds return to the soil before drought could kill the plant a good example of how the desert life evolved here can be seen in the tree - an ambush that has the ability to flower immediately after only a few drops of rain but will dry out completely if no good follow-up rains occur if therefore wastes no energy in producing leaves until the plant receives enough water these nutritious flowers soon provides some of the first nourishment when most of the other plants need more water to produce leaves softening the aesthetics of the desert they also provide ample food for most of the birds insects and reptiles such as lizards and a Gamez a common sights along the riverbed is the agamous that feed from the top of these grid whirring bushes on passing butterflies and other insects the animals start moving into the riverbeds immediately knowing that the more fertile soil will ensure the first and most nutritious mineral rich plants the spring buck moves first and then the hartebeest wildebeest and then the hems buck the two hundred kilograms wildebeest is the most water dependent of all the antelope and grazers in severe drought situations when the overgrowth in the riverbed dries out they have to retreat to the dunes where they are more grass and little to no water an antelope species that without a doubt favors the harsh desert habitat is the spring bar here in the desert they grow up to 1/3 larger than elsewhere in South Africa's more moderate climates at least a hardy parables have started producing leaves to the Springboks delight it he said that the Springboks rates of reproduction is higher than that of any other antelope each adult you produces a lamb each year regardless of the condition of the felt she can even produce two lambs over a 13 month period at around 220 kilograms the hems buck is the second largest saathi antelope that frequent the riverbed during dry conditions they prefer the dune areas they will then only return to the riverbed to get minerals through eating mineral rich sand or drinking mineral enriched water from some morals their preference from minerals can be seen clearly by this one completely devouring the Springboks carcasses leg within an hour by allowing his body temperature to fluctuate the hems buck maximizes any utilization with no water around and exposed to extremely high temperatures he can raise his body temperature to 45 degrees Celsius most animals die when their body temperature reaches 42 degrees Celsius by increasing their body heat they can retain high volumes of water because they don't sweat this enables them to stay alive by cooling off the blood just before it enters the brain through a fine network of blood vessels around the nasal sinuses Crim's Buc occur in small herds of 5 to 20 but formed temporary groups of around 150 for short periods at times these antelope have no specific mating seasons but the highest number of calves are dropped in the late winter hems buck are territorial by spreading out their breeding throughout the year they ensure that at least some will survive they also in turn provide food for the large predators throughout the year when the antelope start moving into the riverbeds the Predators await their arrival in anticipation yet the onset of the rainy season always causes greater concentrations of larger prey in and along the riverbeds it is then that the lion prides patrol the riverbeds or use the dunes as lookouts for potential prey that move up and down the riverbed a movement that would provoke any scavengers to me to raw unfortunately by now most of the weaker animals are starting to give in to the long dry war months and the leopard faced and white backed cultures don't even have to take to the air to spot the dead especially the eel and by now were dying in the hundreds despite the good conditions of the spring back and him spot it he said that when the field mice and rats make their appearance by the hundreds the migratory game will start they search for new green pastures at around a hundred and twenty grams the whistling rats is the fourth largest rodent in the Kalahari it feeds on grass seeds and shoots and small shrubs especially the dry during mid lives under the Cape Cobra is the largest most conspicuous and poisonous snake in the riverbeds and makes full use of the vast rodent population mole snakes and a variety of sand snakes make up the rest of the snake population in and around the riverbed the leopard tortoise is one of the only two species found in the Kalahari and are mostly seen during the rainy season now becoming critical due to the remoteness and aridity the government in 1914 sank a series of boreholes among the old riverbed an appointed guards to protect them although animals are adapted to life without surface warty in the Kalahari they have become used to an easier life with constant water pools at balls this is one of the two major factors that ensures more active wildlife in and around the riverbeds of the alb and nasim as the center of attraction these water holes are used with extreme caution by those not at the top of the food chain therefore the nervous display by this jackal although this jackal seems to be uninterested in anything it is exactly how they behave before they attack they very effectively hunt these pigeons and other birds at these water holes they themselves need to keep an eye on mega predators that take preference at water holes in the Kalahari it is a known fact that lion are extremely aggressive in the Kalahari due to the habitats male lions fight more frequently than elsewhere the only thing they seem to tolerate is the love of their lives [Music] it is now a mating season and these two should produce Cubs soon they have just devoured a blue wildebeest over two days [Music] beside the waterholes the invaluable shade of the camel thorn trees along the riverbed is the other main reason larger animals frequents their river valleys why don't you drink less water now give me a bit of spice please [Music] [Music] plant species in the Kalahari are established vertically rather than horizontally due to their specialized root systems this maximizes effective catchment of the little rain water this is also the reason for little growth leeches and the dominance of a few plant species despite of that the Kalahari delivers the highest production of natural felts in South Africa the most important and dominant plant species along the river valleys is the camel form the reason they are so prolific along the riverbed is because of their root systems that can penetrate down to 40 metres tapping into underground water they also provide a shady lounge for almost all the action along the or riverbed this is due to the heightened biodiversity within the immediate area of the tree from a distance the simple landscape seems lifeless to the untrained eye but on closer scrutiny the camel thorns form the center of all habitats along the river valleys insects that make use of the large surface as hiding places and eat the pods attract the reptiles and a large variety of true desert birds like the crimson breasted Shrike and the bee eater the name camel thorn derives from its first scientific name that used to be acacia giraffe I directly translated a giraffe is called a camel horse in a local language and therefore the association with a giraffe or camel of course this name was given due to the fact that the giraffe has a specifically adapted tongue and lips that can avoid thorns when feeding on the camel thorn tree the leaves are highly palatable with a protein content of 17 percent and digestibility of 35 percent but it can cause severe pratik acid poisoning during over utilization especially during drought periods these trees are seldom used by caterpillars they can grow for up to 300 years the giraffe used to roam the northern parts of the southern Kalahari and was successfully introduced to the Kalahari in 1990 after a long absence they were monitored for eight years before they were released early our Valley although trees are scarce the giraffe have no competition for the medium to high leaves on the camel thorn trees they are also the only animals that can forage in the center of the wide shrubs like the swat Hawk no one is perfect and although they are well-suited to forage the leaves on these trees they do get nabbed by the odd thorn this one has managed to work out which kind of branch to use as a thorn scraper for its tongue and mouth Darwin stated that the long neck of the giraffe is due to the advantage of reaching food even an inch higher than others gives a serious advantage to individuals therefore the evolution to longer necks latest theories by scientists are that those with longer necks have greater impact when fighting for females therefore a distinct advantage to the speed cheese with a longer necks the five meter long tariff has a two meter long neck and a head that weighs thirty kilograms they are however dependent on the man-made water holes along the riverbed this 5 meter 15 year old camel thorn tree can produce around 50 kilograms of pods per season the seeds in the pods contain a staggering 33 percent protein a 10 meter high tree can produce half a ton of pods every year many insect species lizards and rodents shelter and live in the camel foam tree especially during the flowering season one of the loyal associations with a camel thorn is the white Brad Sparrow we were the first grains also stimulate nest building on the south western side of larger camel thorns these birds would also abandon nest building if no follow-up rains occur only one female in a colony of around six birds will breed and incubate the eggs the others will help feeding the chicks while the most dominant one would utilize all his energy to defend the nest against intruders pods dropped by the camel fawn attract many insects therefore the weavers have a pantry right below their accommodation where there's normally a hype of activities with most of the birds and tree rats nesting in the camel thorn and all the rodents and lizards that keep themselves busy in the tree the Predators find it a very easy habitat to hunting as the table is set permanently this large camel thorn was the focal point of this cape cobras daily hunting routine on more than one occasion he sailed from quite a distance past other trees to get to this specific one it was inhabited by a variety of birds lizards and tree rats the temperature was 41 degrees in the shade and it seemed that the Cobra couldn't distinguish between the heat reflection of the tree and that of the Gecko the Cobra seemed quite a lousy hunter [Music] [Applause] [Music] another animal closely associated with a camel thorn is the kori bustard as the largest flying bird in the world it favors the glue of the camel thorn and is called a home bow in a local language home means glue and pol peacock part of the Kalahari and riverbed landscape and almost an extension of the camel form tree is the sociable Weaver's nests these nests make up colonies of up to 300 Birds and are just too secure as the strength of the branch upon which it was built the ever increasing weight together with strong winds ultimately causes it to come down Cape Cobras are successful raiders of these nests yet a good understanding exists between the sociable Weaver and the pygmy Falcon measuring 20 centimeters from beak to tail the pygmy is the smallest Raptor in Africa the weavers allow him to occupy some of the chambers in the nest for the sake of protection against smaller snakes hi camel thorn branches allow these small Raptors to have a 360 degrees visibility the red-necked falcon Lanner Falcon and the chanting goshawk can be seen almost daily along the riverbed the red necked Falcon is less common and best spotted at first lights and at sunset but the openness of the riverbed makes it the best place to observe these Swift hunters of small birds Lenna Falcons use camel thorn trees and windmills to attack from they prey on birds frequently drinking at water holes such as sand grass they dislike other Raptors within the hunting areas and vehemently defend their territory against other Raptors such as the goshawk chanting goz hawks the larger of the small raptors are easily spotted along the riverbed and adjacent dune felt with a perching prominent places unlike the other two Raptors the chanting goshawk spent a lot of time sitting and waiting to spot rodents reptiles and snakes another common ground dweller and probably the most intelligent of all the animals along the old riverbed is the black crow recent research indicates that the cognitive sophistication of the crow is on par with primates they are omnivores and able to invent tools to solve various challenges they produce a sign that seems to make insects move the Cawley spot on every time they dig for insects no energy is wasted and every dig produces a bite the plovers and the well camouflaged dikkop are other ground dwellers with its excellent night sight the de Kaap breeds writing the open and defends its nests and chicks possessively as well as the Plumber some chicks have hatched by now to the delights of the Raptors without the black core hon the Kalahari would not be the same they are without a doubt the most conspicuous Birds in the dunes resembling a dwarfed ostrich they feed on insects seeds plant material and here on the flowers of the tree door and shrub the master of all the ground hunting Raptors unmistakeably the secretary bird a daily sight eally our riverbed they are extremely agile hunters of lizards mice and also kill and devour large poisonous snakes like cobra and puff adders this often causes them in digestive problems as the largest snakes seem to irritate their stomachs when swallowed half dead they then have to regurgitate the snake kill it off with a few extra kicks and then swallow the dead reptile this one had to regurgitate three snakes [Music] the third largest rodent living along the riverbed is the 600 grams ground squirrel this snappy neighbor can forage seeds and grass stems indirect medicine by using its tail as an umbrella besides this attribute they don't have to drink any water they have the most water absorbent kidneys of any studied mammal another feature the ground squirrel has is to regulate its body temperature refer to as hearthrug II with a lay flat on their bellies legs are spread out and bringing their lower bodies in contact with the ground to either cool down or warm up when extremely hot they spend some time in their burrows during the midday heat they are social animals and live in a group of six to twelve grooming of the youngsters are non-negotiable and these toddlers dare not resist they wind down at the end of the day when they start gathering at their burrows to struggle to keep their eyes open just after sunset they disappear underground often sharing the same holes and social circle as the squirrels is the similar-sized yellow mongoose they do not share a table though but compete in some way with a surrogate or meerkat for a bite at a hundred and fifty kilograms the ostrich is the largest bird in the world it has unique adaptations to live in the desert they hardly ever need to go into the shade and rarely have to drink water when conditions are extremely dry like now they have to obtain their moisture in the vegetation and through fruits and berries they breed mostly just before the rainy season and each female lays around thirteen eggs in a collective nest with such great eyesight and a top speed of around 65 kilometres an hour not many predators can catch an ostrich but in the flight for life the ostrich possesses a full speed sidestep to further reduce the risk of being caught they can lose a remarkable 25% of their body weight when dehydrated without suffering any ill effects to add to that they can sustain their normal body temperature for as long as seven and a half hours even when the outside is a boiling 51 degrees Celsius joining lads the ladies prepared us a nice fine dust bath hurry up chaps the lights getting low the challenge comes at night when the riverbed turns into a fight for survival zone near speedy sometimes not enough for one to witness another sunrise this ostrich injured its leg and was quickly hunted down by a group of jackal they either feed alone or in larger groups these jackals were called together to form a large enough pack to pull down the ostrich they are scavengers that are never far away from the large predators using the big ones as a gateway to food jerkle are the ultimate opportunists and feed on anything including fruit besides scavenging they are extremely good hunters that possess all the speed skills stamina persistence and aggression to pull down rather large a game especially when they detect injury or illness they also deposit their surplus food underground especially when the carcass is too large to devour in this way they prevent other scavengers from finding it [Music] the basic family unit of The Jackal society's territorial and in monogamous pairs males weigh around seven and a half kilos and females just below seven it is difficult to determine the agenda except when urinating the parenting of the newly born pups are often assisted by older brothers and sisters it is then that the packing order is enforced rigidly without a doubt the alb river bed is the most exciting location for the general public to observe the behavior of these absolute survivors during this period in the riverbed it's also best to view the smallest and most agile canid in the Kalahari the cape or silver fox maximum three kilograms they live of small rodents insects and lizards and are not that interested in scavenging driving along the riverbed is also the best way to observe resident Raptors basically no other tree besides the camel thorn is large enough to allow large vultures and eagles to use as lookout points resting places or to built their heavy nests in like the striking Acrobat of the air the battle ax and the tawny Eagle the most daring of all Raptors with no hesitation they will fly right into a pride of feeding Lions or a hyenas to grab a piece of the carcass their colors vary from light cream to dark brown and of course the large Eagle Owls are a daily sight in the mammoth camel thorns right next to or growing over the road where they prefer to take their daily naps with such biodiversity in and around the camel forms they trunks serve as in cryptic message boards for basically all game including the mega predators these camel thorns could cause great confusion with very few trees in the desert these trees are used for marking territories by leopard cheetah lion Wildcat and other predators decrypting these markings could therefore be a confusing and time-consuming affair by these various species the camel thorn is also his signpost when he marks his territory right below the caves on the southern bank of the riverbed he's home for years camel thorn trees are also the only trees leopard can use to store larger prey in no other tree species have sufficient Heights to keep the prey high enough and out of reach of lion and hyena besides the hyena the leopard preys on the widest range of animals from mice to hartebeest they are extremely solitary and the territories overlap those of several females from the vantage point of the caves he has a clear sight for kilometers up and down the riverbed for approaching prey from where it can be ambushed at very short distances from the Shepherd's tree in front of the cave a tree that is used for up to 70% of the time by lion and leopard for shading only five kilometers from the Leopards cave in the shade of another large camel thorn next to a water hole right next to the road these couple of lions were sleeping peacefully most of their days are spent underneath these trees but in the late afternoon around five o'clock they start moving to prepare for an action filled night life but for the Kalahari lion trouble is always around the corner the body language of this male lion signals one thing only trouble the female line started walking across the river to the opposite side Bank now the males seem to be more reluctant in keeping her close to his protection circle but she could take the risk her alpha male is within a territory the male sensing that another male was in croce started a vocal display that would normally scare off any sensible suitors but in this case the intruder is the brother of the leader he's challenging his brothers territorial dominance over the females troubled Scarface an absolute ladies man has challenged many males before but never his own brother he's willing to take the chance especially now that he can see that the female is not as attached to the leader as one would imagine [Music] with quite a few females on the loose scarface census that it's better to live and fight another day and he backs off maybe this will encourage his brother to stay closer to his female [Music] well he sprayed hurt ever so slightly and a few scratches on his face and legs Scarface heads off to the waterhole before sunset he will recover within a few days and then move off to a neighboring territory to try his luck with someone else's wife maybe find some stray scenes there is more moist in the air this morning this together were the bobbing of gamez are said to ensure rains within a day or two South Africa's rain is mostly caused by an anticyclone movement that carries moist air from the warm Agulhas sea currents on the East Coast but the hydrogen's Berg and Malucci Mountains in Lesotho blocked most of the moist that would assist the Kalahari with much-needed downpours the leftover moist that escapes the Lesotho mountains contributes to some showers over the South African interior the little atmospheric moisture left is for the Kalahari now back in the riverbed the massive cumulonimbus clouds around midday will definitely help Joe to see the first good downpours of the onset of the rainy season he has to race to get to the actual spot so do the migratory species they are all well aware that here in the desert the range of the rainfall could be very wide these paddles will not last for more than 12 hours as the evaporation rate in the Kalahari is 10 times more than the rainfall itself thunderstorms or rains in the Kalahari also do not last long as this one rumbles into a distance it leaves behind the fresh smell of wet sand and cool crisp air a rain shower normally starts with light winds in the morning huge cumulonimbus working in the Monday were after gushing winds that could blow for a day or a couple of days torture all the sandstorms that follow form a blanket over the deserts and then rain would fall for a few minutes due to the flat landscape hail is normally a rare sight although the riverbed was now filled with pools of water it usually comes too late for many forms of life the strong winds normally rip off the heavier branches from the camel thorns especially where tree rats nested their acidic secretions and the accumulating rainwater weakened the bonding at the fork where they nest almost immediately a new excitement can be detected along the river bed for now at least certain areas along the river bed and in the dunes received enough water that will sustain life for another few weeks if need be flowers new leaves insects reptiles and rodents put the environment into top gear birds can now start building nests animals are now concerned mostly with impressing and selecting partners males remain close to females [Music] young males get involved in play fighting and showing off games for those at the top of the hierarchy it is time for serious fighting injury and even death Springbok now take up most of the space along the riverbed at this time the Rams inhabiting their own space along the riverbed gather as many use they can handle they keep them together and mate with each one that is receptive if au escapes from this area she becomes the property of the herd of neighboring males three weeks after the fight with his brother Scarface has managed to round up a pair of beautiful females as expected he mates with him and now fulfills his role as guardian even in 44 degrees Celsius clearly more determined not to lose his ladies to any other male including his brother [Music] some animals like these jackals find it surprising to have more water than that was needed after the rains and the tortoises can now feast on new shoots without walking for miles these shoots are drawn by the Sun like magnets the risk for survival is now spread there are pools everywhere for animals to drink in the places where the good rains fell young nutritious grass blades shoot up within three days and the Springbok can gain 1/3 of its body weight immediately the dreadwing and shrub canal rest for a while the scorpions now have enough to eat and the millipedes come out from underground burrows after the rains they feed on dead plant material including this fresh dung they also prefer the cool evening temperatures for most of their activities so do the other insects like the squirrel pasture that squirts poison into one's eyes when disturbed the male inserts his sperm obtained by his legs called Conner pods from the genital opening on the seventh segment of his body the Sun instrument of death in the absence of water is now the major giver of life for all plant life they eagerly soak up the sunlight to reproduce by pushing out flowers and fruits that sustain the rest of the life cycle the rare wild small spotted cat smallest of the catch species along the riverbed will now catch some of these last butterflies food is becoming plentiful as many rodents have already started giving birth and the deep sand hole used as a daily dust bath by the ostriches now retains water longer than the rest of the flat riverbed these holes are used by animals to drink from long after the rest of the rain water has dried up after the rains [Music] there is now enough energy to waste on prong key protecting the young and producing milk this springbok curve can now only use natural camouflage to evade predators within a month it will use its own speed to stay ahead of those lethal jaws with the same swiftness as its parents spring buck and hems buck will now move between those areas that received good rains on the last night of Joe's visit to the Kalahari Jupiter and Saturn made their rare visit to the moon and the next morning it was scooping up fresh hope for more rains by midday the cumulonimbus clouds were working hard to produce that promise but it all fell in the far off distance [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the isolated thunderstorms throughout February and the good rains now at the end of March transformed the riverbed into a lush green garden and those that now visit the Kalahari for the first time will not believe that it could turn into a dry desert landscape towards late summer most animals are in peak condition and the long grass assists smaller animals in hiding away from predators and the road now even more so than in the other seasons is preferred by the lion prides in the early morning as they don't like to get wet walking in the long grass and of course the photographer's do not complain about that [Music] Springbok cannot get any fatter and aren't they heaviest then our only feed for a few hours during the day water pools are everywhere and suddenly the artificial water holes are used for their mineral content only the tons of seeds provide ample food for seed eating birds and small mammals and the insects that are invited by the flowers and grasses further ensure that the energy cycle is completed rapidly it is a time of Plenty and those few species of animals that have not produced young ones will now finally do so if you see a spring back in the stance you can bet your house there is a large predator in sight lion are now only camouflaged by the dunes if the thames buck get any fatter they will explode they supplement their diets with minerals from the soil in extremely lush periods like this felt conditions must sustain life throughout the difficult season from august september to the next rains in february march of the following year the riverbed now looks like a racehorse track and the solitaire Springbok Rams lie and waiting their territory for the use marching down the riverbed hoping to gather a herd for the second time in the year devil thorn flowers cover the northern face of the riverbed as they get the first and last sunrays of the day as well as the kaleidoscope of other flowers just a few weeks earlier it seemed unimaginable in this harsh ecology [Music] bristle grass wild pea prefer the cover of the camel fall trees [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] annual grasses are the lifeline in the Hara har-ee but the perennials will thrive depending on the quality rainfall each season this season however they are in abundance for the jackhole the grass is of good assistance in many ways but for the line it could be a disadvantage as they stand out more against the green backdrop compared to the rest of the year when the habitat is predominantly the same color as the lion [Music] there are still good showers of rain falling but it will come to an abrupt end within a matter of two to three weeks and the majority of animals will marvel in the rare pools of rainwater that starts drying up as soon as the rain showers end the Terrapins and frogs need to move from drying up pools to the pools that they think will last the longest before hiding underground for months until the next year's rain or the year thereafter [Music] [Music] the camel thorn and gray camel thorn trees now have maximum loads of pods that will be the sustainers of life for many animal species during the dry months and all bids well for the camel horse or giraffe amongst others in the dry months if the underground water tables have been filled like during this season along the alb [Music] driving out of the park it seems as if I'm leaving some tropical desert but I know if I return in four weeks it will all look different [Music] with the nights now notably longer than just a month ago and the very last late drops of rain that fell during the night temperatures plummeted to below freezing for the first time in eight months on Joe's first night back in the Hara har-ee the carpet of green grass that covered the riverbed and the embankments has almost overnight turned into a soft beige grass landscape more familiar to the animals and man bristle grass that grew mostly in the shades of the camel thorn trees in the green dark patches turned into a thick layer of compost below every tree there's also no sign of the wild piece that grew with a bristle grass and the tumbleweed the camel thorn trees however survived the cold and show no effects of drastic temperature drop happy with all the underground water supply [Music] [Music] let's take a look at a typical day during this transitional phase from the wet to the dry season [Music] [Music] in the early mornings animals try to get the first sunrays to warm up their bodies and those that can get to the top of the trees can warm up before the smaller creatures on the ground Raptors take advantage of the small birds and reptiles that are still slow-moving due to the cold and are more successful at this time some Raptors start using the warming air currents to search for prey especially birds that need to drink at the water holes around nine to ten o'clock there is now an abundance of insects and rodents and the whistling rats nervously start appearing from their holes and make up a large portion of the diet of many a raptor predator and reptile populations the tonnes of seeds also produce the highest density of grass and insect eating birds during this period and the normally quiet background is now replaced by the constant chirping and singing of the hundreds of seed and insect eating birds [Music] when it is warm enough for some of the Eagles that now started breeding the Springbok herd start moving down to the riverbeds and almost every second day a cheetah kill can be witnessed somewhere in the our proper bed they launched their attacks from behind the camel thorn trees in the center or in the side of the riverbed Springbok are at the peak of their condition although they don't suffer easily the Rams gather as many hues as they can that cross their territory and then must ensure that they don't leave the herd or then they become the property of a neighboring bachelor male who eagerly awaits the odd female escape [Music] this endless chasing of the females fighting or father males and maytee use so much energy that the males lose a third of their body mass it is also a time where their awareness levels are at the lowest due to the concentration on keeping the herd together and mating after all they're not that easy [Music] speaking of hyperactivity the sociable weavers seem never to stop building onto or replacing their communal homes hems buck can now be seen in great numbers in the riverbed during April May with the grass have matured but will soon move into the dune felt as conditions dry out they will only return to the riverbeds from time to time for minerals mostly [Music] although all forms of life along the out river are now at peak condition they also know instinctively that the sudden cold indicates the start of the arid phase this season that separates the weak from the strong [Music] [Music]

Channel: Joe's Camera

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Keywords: auob river, kgalagadi film, wildlife film, worlds wildest river, worlds wildest rivers, kgalagadi transfrontier park, kgalagadi park, kalahari film, joes camera, joe lategan, kgalagadi photography, kalahari gemsbok park, kgalagadi sightings, kgalagadi, kalahari, wildlife photography

Id: zVC-i6RxHyI

Length: 73min 45sec (4425 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 18 2020