June 2025

June has come to an end and we’re already halfway through 2025! Can you believe it? Our sunrise is currently at 6:59 and sunset at 17:38. During this month we had our Winter solstice on the 21^st. Marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. So, from here on we can expect our days to slowly start getting a little bit longer. We had some pretty chilly cold fronts sweep through this month with our temperatures averaging at highs of around 21’C (70’F) and lows of 4’C (39’F). On a few mornings the temperatures dropped to 0’C (32’F), for us, that’s pretty cold! These cold fronts have us wondering just how cold this winter will be as we head right into the middle of the season.

Despite the cold bite in the air on the early morning game drives, the game viewing has still been good. And because we know that the cold is not for everyone, we have had a few mornings with later starts. Staying in bed, cozied up for a little while longer, allowing the sun to rise before we do, so that it can do its part in warming up the outside before we dare drive out into the cool air.

As we start most mornings as the sun comes up, we may find the jackals curled up on the road or even a pile of dung awaiting the suns first rays to warm them up. The birds are already warming up their vocal cords to welcome the sun with a song or two! First light still remains the best time to catch the first movements of the diurnal creatures and the settling down of nocturnal species.

It has certainly been a month of vocal predators, with lots of sounds to listen to in the evenings and early mornings. There has been quite a bit of Hyena traffic around the lodge this month with frequent visits to a carcass not too far from us. It would be hard to miss the sound of the Hyenas letting out their long “Whoops” as they announced their presence just outside the lodge’s borders during the evenings. Or perhaps even being woken up by a “whoop” before your daily wake-up call is due!

Another sound that has frequented has been that of some lions calling out to announce their presence. And not just any lions, but specifically from the Addo and Matata males, all the way from the north-western corner of Madikwe. These two males have been sighted on more than one occasion, making their way deeper into the Mahiwa male territory. They certainly aren’t trying to hide their presence. Whilst the other coalition, Bolokega and Lafathla, have been lurking in the Mahiwa territory for a few months now, but have remained very quiet. Sneaky, but probably wise. The Mahiwa male has got his paws full, and his work cut out for him. It will be interesting to see what happens to the dynamics of his territory in the months to come.

As far as game viewing, June was a good month in terms of a few decent leopard sightings, slowing down towards the end of the month. But much to our surprise, the wild dogs have still been making more frequent appearances than expected for this time of they year. However brief, the Bates pack have been making a habit of traveling to the east on most mornings to pick up some breakfast before rushing straight back to their den site. So, if you’re in the right place at the right time, you could still catch a glimpse of these magnificent painted dogs! Back to the topic of surprise, we’ve been enjoying some daily visits to Tshukudu dam for the past couple of weeks to see a couple of flamingos that seem to have delayed their trip back home for an extended stay in Madikwe! Can we blame them? I think not.

Until Next Time!

The Mateya Team