Hooded Vultures

    Around this time last year lions were becoming a regular feature of the Masuma Dam area as they preyed on elephants coming in to drink. We were at Masuma recently to carry out a mammal count and we heard that the lions were not far away so Sue drove down to get some photos.

     She found that an elephant had died of natural causes and the lions, never very fussy feeders, were getting a free meal. There were several females….

With cubs………

Two adult males…..

And a young male…….

With a whole elephant to deal with there was food to spare so there were plenty of vultures……..

And a jackal waiting for a chance to get at the carcase……..

Back at the dam, I was enjoying watching a fairly newly born hippo trying (without success) to bother its mother into taking some notice of it…..

It stayed close to its her and she was very protective, chasing any other hippo that came close….

Later in the day a Hooded Vulture came in for a drink……

It was soon joined by a second vulture and they spent a long time together next to the water. They sunbathed…..

They stood together and posed for the camera….

They twined necks and rubbed heads…..

And Sue became convinced they were more than just good friends. Boring old me, trying to be scientific, said we shouldn’t anthropomorphise but as it turned out, Sue was probably right…….

 

So there should be a Hooded Vulture nest somewhere by now but strangely, although we see many of that species, as well as White-headed, Lappet-faced and White-backed vultures, we’ve only ever seen White-backed nesting in the Park.  No doubt the other species do so but I don’t know where.