Cold, rainy, windy....Sunny?? Scotland

Faerie Dells-Isle of Skye

Wonderful weather



Golf...being played...on a golf course...in St Andrews...Really????






So I have been in Scotland for the past two weeks, having a nice quiet break, doing a some sightseeing, and experiencing the varying weather they get. It has been a shocking couple of weeks, heavy rain, floods, crap weather, but surprisingly some sunshine thrown in. (Blink and you will miss it though!)

I have spent most of my time in and around Dundee, seeing some castles, ruins, St Andrews (and yes there is a golf course there!), Stirling (learnt about William Wallace, apparently it is bad if you havent heard of him!). I then went up to the highlands on a 3 day tour to the Isle of Skye. A lovely place, when you could see it through the rain and cloud, it must be amazing during the sunny times.

Back in Dundee again planning a trip up to Inverness before heading over to Germany for a couple of weeks.

Some video

Back to civilization

Vulture


Tulia


Our wonderful showers


Chris and I on our aborted sleepout


Jackie and Boloka


Jackal


Elephant


Eagle


Jackie, Boloka and Tulia


Cheetahs feeding


Carla and Mabela


Brown Hyena


Aardvark



I have returned to civilization with a bit of a shock. From 40 degrees to about 10 degrees in 12 hours, bright sunshine to rain and windy absolutely no-one around to the middle of London-quite a culture shock.

I abslotely loved Tuli, a true untouched environment, full of wildlife which is truelly wild, and not used to humans so to see anything was amazing. Back in London, I visited the Tower of London, the Science Museum and spend an afternoon exploring Greenwich, visiting the observatory and a fan museum. I then caught a midnight bus up to Scotland where I am staying with a friend from Africa.

Still at Tuli

So I am still alive-loving it up in the bush. Am currently in town to renew my visa (Botswana only gives you 30 days at a time). Have had an amazing two weeks of interesting and unusual sightings-so lucky. Started with Bushpigs (not common in the area), then Bat Eared Foxes (very shy), and a Leopard that night (OMG!!!!) Then we saw Honey Badgers (rare to see), and more Bushpigs then Bat Eared Foxes during the day (normally nocturnal animals). We then saw an Aardwolf (first on this property, rarer than Leopards) and a couple of days later an Aardvark (my second for the holiday, very lucky). We then saw Bushpigs again, a herd of over 90 elephants Cheetahs on a fresh kill. To see any animals is amazing as the area is so remote, large, and the animals arent used to humans or cars, so just run away when they hear or smell us (unlike in game reserves like Kruger where they are used to humans).

Will post more when there is time, and I am back in the UK, as well as photos I promise!!!!

Tuli-Botswana

I am still alive, having a ball, dont want to leave-but then again whats new. I am currently doing a project where we are recording the animals found in the area we are in, the Tuli Block. We do game drives in the morning and afternoon and then a couple of times a week also at night, and record the types of animals we see, the number, where they are. Interesting work, get some great views of animals, and some close sighings of Lions and Cheetah, just waiting for a Leopard sighing-they are in the area so keep your fingers crossed for me. Also learning tracking so I can identify the different tracks we see.

Will post photos and more when I have more net-prob back in the UK, we have no electricity, power, phone-not much where we are, but it is so awesome!!!

Last day at Moholoholo

Rhino and Warthogs at Hippo feed

With Lion Cubbie

Yes I have been here too long!!!! Locked in a cage ( I was meant to be cleaning it but we all go a bit crazy once we have been here a while)

Giant Baobab tree

Well my last day has finally arrived (3 weeks after it was supposed to!) and tomorrow I leave at 9am to drive back to J'burg and then stay overnight before another 9 hour drive back to Botswana and my elephant project. I have a friend who was here with me and is now at Tuli (my Botswana project), and says it is fantastic, lots of game drives, night drives, game counts, elephant and lions in the camp. Relly looking forward to it

As for here, it has been more of the same old, cleaning cages, getting madder by the day (see photo of me locked in a cage), went back to Nhoveni (part of the greater Kruger NP, and in big 5 country) where we saw lots of elephants, rhino, giraffe, had a poo fight (kinda smelly but good fun), and saw a lovely sunset. On the way home we saw some jackal cubs, so small and cute, just want to take them home.

Not sure how much contact I will have in Tuli, dont even know if there is electricity, so it may be 5 weeks before I post again, dont worry I am still alive, sitll having fun, and will try not to forget you all.

Still at Moholo

Feeding Alice (White Headed Vulture)

Releasing Brown Hyena

Carrying Brown Hyena

With Brown Hyena

Lion Cubby

Jan stalking with Lion Cubbies

I am still at Moholo, it feels like home now I have been here so long. I have about another week left here, not sure if I'm leaving on the 5th, 6th or 7th of October yet. I think I have to get out a bit more, as those of us who have been here for a while begin to go a bit mad!

Another quite week, just normal rounds, although we did release and collar a Brown Hyena yesteday which was nice. I can now say I have kicked a Hyena in the bum!! It was waking up quicker than we would have liked, and we had to get it into the cage quickly. Because it was so awake it put its paws out to stop itself from being pulled and pushed in, so after trying to push it in with our hands, I used my foot-definately a unique experience.

We have had really mild weather here recently, rain for a couple of days (I had almost forgotten what it looked like) thunder and lightening and the most amazing wind. It has all cleared up now,and is now stinking hot again and we are back to sweating!

I have heard great things about Tuli, the next project I am going to and cant wait until I get there-it is more basic than here, camping out and not sure if there is electricity or much mobile reception.

In answer to some of your questions:

The long pants are light weight, but the shirt is just a normal t-shirt so quite warm, and combined with hiking boots, makes for a toasty outfit.

Winston is a Wood Owl, so cute, when you go in to clean him or feed him he talks to you, and we talk back (yes I have been in the bush for too long, need some more human contact)

We were moving Xianandi between camps, and I was the first one to put my hand up for who liked Cheetahs. When told to get into the car I was somewhat shocked, and not sure but was well worth it!!! And yes I was locked in with her, so coulnt have got out if I had wanted to.

I'm still alive!

With Xianandi in car

Xianandi

Peter Pan

With Croc

Feeding Winston

View over Blyde river

Sorry its been a while, but the net here is so crap, and only one computer for about 30 people so can be hard to get on.

What have I been up to. We got a call to say a Leopard cub had been hit by a car, and went out to collect it. Unfortunatly, the mother had already called it through the fence by the time we got there, and we couldnt get to it, but looking at the wreckage of the car spread 20 meters along the road it wasnt going to survive. I also managed to roll my ankle while running in the dark to leave to get the Leopard, and a week later still have a massive scab on my knee, a lovely bruise on my foot, and can almost walk properly and pain free again.

I went to Kruger NP. Fantastic experience, saw 4 of the Big 5, Lions Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant, just missed out on seeig the Leopard. Unfortunatly, Kruger is being destroyed by there being way too many elephants in the park, and you can really see the damage. It is begining to look like a wasteland. (there are about 17000 elephants in an area designed for 7000).

Have also been on a river cruise through some unspoilt area, which was fantastic. the environment is so varied here, in so many ways it reminds me so much of Australia, except the animals are somewhat different.

I was meant to leave for my next project last Wednesday, but I am enjoying myself so much here, and have heard bad things about the place I was meant to be going to, that I have changed my plans, and am staying here for an extra 3 weeks (leaving 6th October now), and then heading up into Botswana to do some Elephant research and tracking, and maybe some Leopard, Lion and Cheetah tracking.

It is begining to get hot over here now, up into the high 30's during the day, and still staying quite warm at night (its compfy in an open toped car in shorts and singlet top. Unfortunately, the centre where I am working at the moment has very strict uniform rules, so its long pants and t-shirt while working during the day which gets very hot, although we can change and wear what we like at night.

More of Moholoholo

Ballooning

Kudu

Rock Dassies

Peter Pan

Hotair Ballooning

Juba

Leila-one of my two Servials I'm mummy to


Another quiet week. We had 6 people leave on Wednesday, which was sad as we had all become so close. We have new people now, who are still settling in. I am kept fairly busy, being group leader (for cleaning rounds in the morning and afternoon), Servial mummy and aviary manager.

A typical day is as follows,
Up at 5.30 to start aviary at 6 (I do this about 4-5 days a week, when I’m not on aviary I have to check that everything has been done after each shift, at 6, 12, 2 and 4)
Aviary until about 6.45-7
Morning rounds and clinic clean until 8.30
Feed Servials
Breakfast until 9.30
Daily Cleaning duties (this includes cleaning the big cats camps or feeding cages) until about 10.30-11.30
Feed Servials at 12, then either help in aviary, or check it has been done
Usually time to ourselves until afternoon rounds, although sometimes we will go into town, or have an injured animal come in.
Lunch from 12.45 until about 1.30
Either do aviary or check it at 2
Afternoon rounds and clinic clean from 3 until about 4.30-5, including aviary if I am doing it
Feed Servials, and check aviary if I’m not on it after rounds
Shower and relax until 6.45 when we go down for dinner
Get back from dinner at about 8-8.30 and feed servials.

I am usually in bed by about 9.30, and wake about 4am but am to lazy to get up then, and just listen to the birds and animals calling to each other.

Sundays we generally have off, and just have to do morning rounds, afternoon rounds, and I have to check aviary and feed the servials, so you get from about 9.30 until afternoon rounds to relax

Photos

Vulture Restaurant

Sunset

Kuza and Satara

Jolly

Hammy and I


Went on a balloon flight at dawn this morning-soo nice, peaceful, beautiful, an amazing experience. We got to see some Impala, Giraffe and Wilderbees from up there. Very worth the money spent on it-and a great way to say goodbye to the other two people who went and were leaving today.