December 2011 – Newsletter
Well that was our first Christmas and new year at Nkurru and what a ride it was. We had great fun with everybody. Having the fireplaces blazing in the lodge just before Christmas with cold and rainy days. But even with that we had a great time.
We also got our rifle at last after many months of waiting. So we did our first bush braai again in a long time and had a great time, I must say the insects are quite hectic around the lanterns on the table, but nonetheless we had a great time as zebra and wildebeest grazed around us during dinner.
Things at the lodge are going great with no major changes during the festive season. All the major maintenance issues are up to date. We will recap in January on the clean up at the building site and get the whole staff area in order with the boma and braai area. The guys are busy moving into their new rooms and are very excited about it. In the beginning of December I also redid our whole garden at our house with new grass in front and back, you are welcome to pop in when you are at the lodge next time. I also started a small herb garden that got sponsored by Simon Dabbs , thank you Simon ! We will see how long we can keep the klipspringer out.
We had just over 40mm of rain for December and everything looks great. We also had a beautiful full rainbow the one afternoon over the Inselbergs. Was one of my most special scenes in Madikwe ever.
Sighting wise we cannot complain. We got treated to magical African scenes here in Madikwe once again. I am not sure if all of you know about Ditaba Sepedi that got killed by the Lenyalo males a while back. It was time for them to give the rains over. The North East of the park is ruled by a coalition of three now and they are busy mating with the females in the east.
The Etali female had 2 new cubs and she hangs around Tholo dam. I am sure that some of you who have been to Nkurru the last 2 months can really see a difference in general game numbers since the lions have been reduced. It is great seeing herds of everything around. The relaxed Maukeng male leopard is also still around and treat us every now and then to a great sighting.
Every now and then we get treated to some or other special moment and one of those days were at Tholo dam where a big bull elephant played around with some lions.
I am sure some of you will agree that it is nice staying out a bit later in the morning and see what is happening at the waterholes. This specific morning we passed Thlou dam later then normal and we found some lions , ellies and rhino at the dam with some general game.
Here’s a few photos of what happened out there:
Hope you guys have a great new year and may all good things come your way in 2012.
Warmest Regards
The Nkurru Team
Nkurru newsletter- November 2011
Hi Everybody,
Hope you are all well ?
I can not believe it is almost Christmas, I only realised it when I made a point to look at the date yesterday. When you live out here in the bush everyday is a Wednesday and everyday is the 3rd 
………. No it is not always like that I just can not believe this year flew by like it did. Regarding the rain we had in total about 60mm so far and everything is turning green and new flowers coming out all over the park.
We had very interesting month at Nkurru again like always. The staff building is 95 % complete and looks great , thank you again to all of you ! All that needs to go in now is the windows and basins. The staff can not wait to move in.
We aslo had our Xmas lunch in Mafikeng a few days ago and everybody had a great time. We completed a few maintenance tasks as well this month and the lodge looks great:
- New deck lights got installed and looks fantastic
- New pump for rim flow of swimming pool
- New concrete entrance at front door with a slate finish
- New bird bath opposite the entrance to room 3
- We are installing new electrical lanterns along the path ways, it looks great
- Picked up the new umbrella covers for outside umbrellas
- All of us have uniform now and the Nkurru team looks great
- Trimmed down the reed bed completely, very important to maximize filtration and water flow to the waterhole
I just want to say thank you to Simon and Lynne Dabbs who donated another Bushnell camera for the waterhole. I will do updates on the blog again on who is coming to the waterhole. They also donated an ice cream maker for the kitchen, so get your sorbet recipes out for the hot summer lunches
It will be great to see who is visiting us while we are not around the lodge, hopefully the ellies and lions leaves this one alone
The sightings was again very exiting with good leopard and wild dog sightings. The birding is getting better and better by the day as well. On a more depressing note I am sure you guys are aware of the 2 recent rhino poaching incidents in the north of the Park. But Madikwe management are doing everything in their power to fight this.
Most of you guys have been coming to Madikwe many years now and when we go out it is not always about seeing the big and fury stuff, but you can not argue the fact that it is great to see a beautiful leopard. We have been very lucky with the male up in the North western corner, he is extending his territory to Tholo dam. So hopefully we will get to see him next time you are at the lodge.
With that we wish you all a merry Xmas and a happy new year. For you that is lucky enough to spend the merry season with us we will tell you in person. Remember to pack your swimming gear when you do come , picture this: Gin and Tonic in the swimming pool under a blue Madikwe sky with zebra and impala lazying around the waterhole
See you soon
Warmest Regards
The Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter-October 2011
Hi everybody,
I trust you are all well ?
We had once again a very interesting month here at Nkurru regarding sightings and just in general. As you all know the building was a bit of a disaster but it was rectified and the old building is broken down and the new building is going up as I write the newsletter. I just want to thank all the shareholders on behalf of myself and Monique and all the staff , they are all looking so forward to the new rooms.
We have done quite a bit in and around the lodge this month
- the painting of the family unit inside and outside, looks great
- Painted all showers on the inside
- Sanded/oiled windows at kitchen
- The deck lights gets put in next week
- Fixing up the rim flow of the swimming pool and the pipes next week
- The main entrance gets a permanent concrete entrance to main lodge no more mud when it rains
- All the fireplaces in the rooms were taken out and got given a good scrub down
- You guys will notice new products for him/her in the rooms
- All the rooms have new toilet seats, looks great
- Bush cleared infront of room 4/5 , what difference
- New umbrella covers for swimming pool area got made, still waiting delivery
- There is a new espresso machine in the lodge, old coffee machine will be used for back up
So that is some of the things we got up to this month.
We are taking the staff to Mafikeng 22/23 November for a nice lunch at Mabatho Palms Resort to say thank you for all their hard work during the year.
Ok so enough of lodge matters.
Out in da bush
The game drives this month was out of this world again, even though we are struggling with general game at the moment. We still had quality sightings ,in one week we had three different good leopard sightings. It definitely has to do with the lion numbers that is on the decrease.
This is the Maukeng male from the North West, we followed him in mid day round about 12:30 and sat with him for more then 15 min.
The next morning we went on another birding trek and I stoppped for I think was a Sabota lark and as we tried to figure out his number plate, someone said softly ” there is a leopard in the marula ” This is the female from the South West that we normally see on the fenceline at the view point.
A few days later we had her again in a Marula tree after breakfast
It is amazing how one predator influence the whole system. We even see more smaller things at night like african wild cat, caracal and genet. Somebody spotted a white tailed mongoose on Wonderboom the other night, what a sighting !
Even though the big cats were out we also made time photograph the smaller critters like this slender mongoose. It is amazing what happens when you sit still and let nature just happens around you.
One of the canines everybody asks about when they come to Madikwe is the Wild dogs. We have been seeing them here on the ridge between Kukama, Motswiri , Nkurru ,Tuningi and Buffalo ridge on a regular basis. Zede from Motswiri saw one puppy with them still black so the den has to be here somewhere around us. We did have good sightings of them as well.
The birding was also very good the last two weeks, when John and Margie Austin were here we did 152 species during their stay which I think is not too bad. The glossy Ibis made his appearance at Tshukkudu dam as well. The rest of the birds including the raptors are all over the show. At Makwepa pan we see a pair of Willow warblers. The black cuckoo shrike can be seen on Greenhouse road in those thickets. Well Id’d Jono The lion sightings have been a bit quite but the other things made up for it.
Madikwe had the buffalo auction in October and they auctioned 46 buffalo…………drum role and hold on for this……they made R 58 ooo ooo . Well done on this project ! No one expected this, it went very well.
They are talking about bringing in 2500 heads of general game next year with the Cheetah introduction early next year as well.
I will keep you guys posted. This is me for this month, see you guys soon at the lodge
Warmest Regards
The Nkurru Team
Newsletter-September 2011
The Lodge
Monique and myself are on leave after quite a long cycle and a change in the seasons where our days have become really warm and pleasant. Sean Van der merwe will be freelancing for us, we will start work again on the 6th of October.We had quite an interesting month at Nkurru with Nicolas getting attacked by the honey badgers and luckily he just got a big fright and not a single scratch. I am informing you with great sadness that our resident Small spotted genet died underneath the main deck of the lodge,of what I am not sure.
We are busy with quite a few small projects in and around the lodge and have completed a few maintenance tasks as well. We have completed the Nkurru plains project and it looks fantastic. In front of room 4/5 will be cleared next so that one can see through to the firebreak.
We had a walk through all the rooms and drawn up a list of things that needs attention and we will work through list as we have time and days available to attend to it. Some of the things that we completed the last 2 weeks :
- Sanded and oiled all outside furniture at main lodge and rooms
- Electrical issues in room 1/2 sorted with new fittings and dimmer switches
- Cleaned out all the water tanks.
- Trimmed and cleaned out the reed bed.
- Cleaned up at the staff village
- Nkurru Plains done.
News on our rifle is that the license and accreditation have been approved now we are just waiting for the white card. We have done something new regarding activities at the lodge and that is getting out an astronomy expert for a presentation on the Southern sky. His name is Vincent Nettman from Astronomy for the nation. Vincent was brilliant, he brought his telescopes along and we did a drive and he did a presentation out in the bush.
All though it was full moon we were able to see for example Saturn and a few other stars and constellations. After dinner he gave a talk and slideshow presentation. If you guys would like to something like that next time you are up here just let me know well in advance. Vincent suggested that after November is the best time to do stargazing.
Game drives:
We had once again brilliant sightings of everything this month and the waterhole also never disappointed. We spent quite a bit of time around Vlei Pan where the sightings of general game have been out of this world.
The Northwestern pride also provides us with hours of entertainment and fantastic viewing. The consist out of 3 females 8 cubs 2 big males with the old Tshaba female with them as well. With the cubs getting bigger they are moving more and further every week. The 3rd week of September they were all on a giraffe kill up in the North Western corner of the park and Rob the Jackal man were planning on getting some images of his jackal around the kill, but the youngsters had different ideas for the camera trap.
So it is not just Nkurru Cams that gets eaten by the lions. These cats are quite in tuned with todays technology These cubs are really getting big and prviding for them are getting tougher and tougher. The females are really coping well, with the two Kgala males constantly by their side.
Our sighting of the month was of a bird of completely different feathers, we were sitting at Vleischfontein waterhole watching some lions and elephants when this lady showed up on the other side of the fence with her camera clicking away and ignoring us completely, as we are trying to let her know the lions are like 20m. away from her. I can not understand the ignorance of some people , but hey each to its own I suppose. Below is some of the images I took this month.
Hope you enjoyed this months news and see you soon at the lodge.
Greetings
The Nkurru Family
August – Nkurru Newsletter
Lodge news
Well its been 4 busy weeks at Nkurru, but all great and exciting. We have settled in getting around lots of things. The two klipspringer in camp had a baby so they are three now. Their names are Klippies -Dad, Coke-Mom Ys-baby. As soon as I get a photo of them I will put it on the site. We have changed all the products in the rooms to Andrew’s new Beauty Factory products the Earthbound Range. These products are fantastic….and yes I have used some of it as well Thank you Andrew.
We have started cleaning up in the back of the staff village and laundry, looking great so far. It is a great time of the year but we all wish the Tamboti trees will finish up dropping there leaves, Nick is permanently on his rake and broom flying around after the leaves. We haven’t put up another Nkurru cam yet, still working on a plan against the elephants. News from the Kitchen, Monique and Gabriel are working magic so be prepared to pick up a few kilos when you are at the lodge next time.
Water hole sightings :
- Lions
- Elephants
- Buffalo
- White and black rhino
- Leopard
- Brown hyaena/ spotted hyena
- a lot of general game
- The scops owl is calling around the waterhole every night.
We had a big Birthday bash at the lodge on the weekend of the 20th of August, went for breakfast at Madikwe Gardens and had a spit on the fire. For Simon’s birthday we Notched 4 rhino, 3 white and one black. It is great that more people get involved in the conservation and protection of these animals.
Park and Game drive news
It is that time of the year again, FIRE, FIRE AND MORE FIRES ! On the 27th of August myself, Nic and Godfrey help fighting fires in the South East of the Park started at 22:30 till 13:30 the next day. It was the biggest man made back burn in the history of Madikwe. It is amazing how quickly a fire can spread. Luckily no one got hurt and no lodges got burnt down.
The sightings the last while were fantastic and the lions in the South East with the new cubs made sure we had great experiences.
It is great seeing the cubs and the fact that they are all ready so use to the vehicles makes it special for us. They are only 2 months old now. The Madikwe buffalo auction will also be taking place in the park somewhere in October 2011. The big herd around Thlou dam are hanging around The bush house and Thlou dam currently.
The females of the South East around Vlei Pan, the Jamala females have introduced the cubs to their fathers the Naledi males and everything went well. It is such a tense moment for the females when they do introduce them , but these two boys are so chilled out. The plan for the cheetah introduction might happen next year, Declan said. Well this our story for this month, below is a few images of some of the sightings we had:
It is great to be on the vehicle with people who shares the same passion of photography. We can try different things like shoot right into the sun and the results were great. Hope you enjoyed the Nkurru news
See you next time
Warmest Regards
The Nkurru Family
Nkurru Newsletter -July 2011
Hi everyone,
As you are all aware there have been quite a few changes at Nkurru lately. Myself and Monique just finished our first week, and everything went great. The staff are so helpful in all ways and we are settling in smoothly. The hand over we got from Gerry and Adele was so thorough from the maintenance to the office work, they really made the hand over easy.
There was a maintenance week the last week of July before Gerry and Adele left and quite a few things were worked on. Below are some of the major things that were completed :
- Main lodge decks were sanded and oiled
- Room 4 and 5 the decks were sanded and oiled
- New aloes were purchased at Madikwe gardens and replanted in front of the main lodge by he turning circle, it looks great !
- All the roofs and chimneys of the rooms were given a layer of paint again.
Just an update on our building project, everything is going well and we will start with the roof and plumbing on Thursday. As soon as it doesn’t look like a building site I will put some photos on the blog.On Wednesday we will oil the main lodge’s deck again and get everything ready for Duncan and Eva on Friday.We got our Land rover back from Nico and so far it is running smoothly.
Nkurru waterhole :
The bush clearing at the waterhole is an ongoing project and will keep happening when we have no guests in camp.
The last 2 weeks the water hole have been extremely busy from guinea fowl to the big elephants everyday. The elephants are really emptying the waterhole when they move in and are extremely protective over this source of life. Nothing can come close to the water’s edge. On Sunday we had a young bull there the whole day chasing of all the other species including giraffe. Species seen at the waterhole lately :
- Elephants
- Buffalo
- Giraffe
- Brown and spotted hyena
- Leopard, during conservation week
- Zebra, kudu, impala and wildebeest
- White rhino , every evening
News from our game drives :
The sightings have been great like always ! Since the South Western pride have been removed our sightings in the South are none existing regarding lions, so we don’t spend as much time in the south as always.
I must say the birding is still excellent down South.
We were fortunate enough to spend quality time with the Maukeng male leopard on Monday morning. He is probably the most relaxed leopard in the Park as most of you have seen him before.
Maukeng Male
Thlou dam is one of the most picturesque places in Madikwe with sunsets at the moment, nothing beats a winter sunset I am sure you will agree with me ? The Wild dogs are still around Tau lodge on the mountain Madonna. We haven’t seen the pups yet, hopefully soon. All we know is that the alpha female stays at the den most of the time so there should be pups. We are extremely blessed to have a yellow morph crimson breasted shrike on the northern fence line and he gives all the birders , serious or none serious, great sightings.
Well that is what’s been happening around Nkurru the last two weeks. We are looking forward in seeing you guys at the lodge. Just to let you all know I am also a keen photographer so don’t forget your camera :) I aslo try and do a regular blog on happenings in Madikwe, go and have look Grant Marcus Photography
www.grantmarcus.com
If you guys need any additional info don’t hesitate to contact us at the lodge at any time
See you soon
The Nkurru Family
Nkurru Newsletter – March 2011
Hi all,
We are almost through the first quarter of the year and things are going very well at Nkurru.
With the AGM coming up in a few weeks time I thought I’d focus this newsletter more on the ‘nature’ side of things as we will be discussing the operational side of things when we meet. Just a reminder, the meeting will take place on Thursday 24 March at the Le Sel offices in New Road Midrand.
Now as you might have gathered from yesterday’s email, we had quite an interesting day yesterday.
Yeah, this is the ellie that made Nkurru his home yesterday. You cannot really see it from this image but the aloes just to the left of the entrance. Gone! We’re actually quite luck as this was, apart from a single pathway light, the only damaged caused by our day visitor. This boy has been around the lodges on the ridge and has now ‘visited’ Tuningi, Kukam, Motswiri and now Nkurru as well. He seems to have taken a liking to the lodges in the Wonderboom Node so even though I hope he won’t be back, I am almost sure he will! If you leave him alone he seems to mind his own business and then, when he is ready, he moves on again.
We will be doing what we can to make sure visitors like this don’t stay in the lodge grounds but that being said, when you visit Nkurru it is important to remember that it is the wild and that you always need to keep your eyes open.
Our ellie visitor made his way out of the front gate late in the afternoon with a little bit of ’encouragement’ from Nik and I. Let’s leave it at that!
Other than that the waterhole, where we like our wildlfie, has been pretty busy with regular sightings of pretty much everything except leopard. As you know from a previous post, when Adele and I return from Johannesburg we will be bringing two new Nkurru Cams back with us. The images from this phenomenal little cameras have been a massive hit and have been circulated far and wide. As soon as we are back I will get the Nkurru Cam updates back up and running again so that we can do the weekly image post from the NKurru waterhole.
So for now, here are a few images from game drives during the last few weeks which, even with very thick bush, has produced some terrific sightings with the amount, and quality of lion sightings being out of this world!
The Bolekega female has been giving us some amazing sightings around the Wonderboom Gate area. She has two brand new youngsters which she keeps in the quarry, right next to the Lodges sign. This image was taken at Pokojwe Pan close to Bush House.
The two new youngsters in the quarry. Yesterday, 9 March, the other Bolekega sister also arrived on the scene with three of her own cubs. This promises to make for some awesome sightings of the 5 new cubs and the best of all? It’s nice and close to the lodge!
The two Kgala males are still the big boys in the South. They have had a few serious run-ins with the two Naledi males but, at least for now, they are still the dominant males in the South West of the reserve.
The Tshabalala female has just come into estrous again and the Kgala males have not left her side. Along with her sister and the 5 Maropeng youngsters they must be some of the best lions to view in the South.
The Tshabalala femela with her ‘boyfriend’, the Kgala male.
One of the 5 Maropeng youngsters. They hang around the Western airstrip and, being very playful, make for some very amusing sightings.
The light at this time of year makes for spectacular scenes and even a Zebra on the airstrip makes for a great African scene.
The last few weeks we have had some serious birders at the lodge and Madikwe did not disappoint. Sightings of raptors were plentiful and we racked up great species numbers each week.
Now another thing that you have to consider when you come to Nkurru again is a visit to the Madikwe Gardens. Our last two groups have done visit to this oasis on the eastern side of Madikwe and it is definitely worth the drive to the east.
The Gardens are situated on a concession on the eastern border, just outside of Madikwe. It’s difficult to describe how the green and lush beauty of the garden’s stand in contrast to the rough Mawike bushveld but the drive out to the east, past Vlei pan and through the Marico river is definitely worth it. An a packed breakfast under the massive trees just finishes things off nicely!
A visit to the Gardens cost R650 per vehicle and this money is used for the upkeep and maintenance of this beautiful piece of property! When you next visit Madikwe make sure to ask us about a day trip. You won’t be dissapointed.
Then, before we end off for this month, apparently Adele and I are leaving. Yeah, apparently. 
There have been quite a few rumors that because we both now have our own businesses on the side that our departure from Nkurru is imminent.
So, to put things straight here it is…
Yes, both Adele and I have business on the side. I run Photo-Africa through which I run photography workshop, photographic safaris and soon also a pro equipment rental division. Adele recently started up Chiki Chika, a clothing and fashion importing business which is going fantastically well.
The sad reality is that no one can spend forever at a lodge. Yeah the lifestyle is great, even though it’s not a full time holiday like many people think, but you have to keep your eye on the future both financially and from a personal growth point of view.
During the first two years at Nkurru we had quite a bit of, umm, damage control that we had to take care of but now things are a lot more manageable. We have knocked most of the large maintenance projects and the staff systems and procedures we have in place are working very well. There are still days where all hell breaks loose, even though you won’t see it when you are at the lodge but as a whole things are running smoothly enough for us to manage the lodge and out businesses on the side. We are currently running all our showing, workshops and safaris during our leave cycles and so far so good!
I hope it goes without saying that Nkurru Game Lodge will not suffer because of this. We will continue to maintain the property, service levels and magic that is Nkurru to the level that meets, and hopefully exceeds, the expectations of shareholders and guests.
So, contrary to any rumours out there, we are not going anywhere yet!
Adele and I will be on leave from 11 to 25 March 2011. We will be in and around Johannesburg so if you are keen to meet up please give us a shout.
Until next time (and hopefully with more Nkurru Cam pics).
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele and the Nkurru Team
* * *
Nkurru Newsletter – January 2011
Hi,
Let me start by wishing you the very best for 2011! After a long December holiday I am sure you must all be well rested and ready for another year. Working in the hospitality industry means that you seldomly get to spend Xmas and New Years with friends and family. Yeah, that’s the nature of the beats but with good friends in the reserve and guests who are more than just shareholders it’s not all bad.
The bush is green, there is water everywhere and Madikwe is looking great! If you were at the lodge up until November you will recall that Tlou Dam was a massive dust bowl with virtually no water. All it took was one major downpour to transform it from it’s winter appearance into this.
86mm in one night will dramatic results wherever you are! Since that first rainstorm we have had pretty good rains and we are currently sitting on about 240mm.
Electricity, Insurance and a Transformer
Now with rainstorms comes lightning. And with lightning, if you are Nkurru Game Lodge, comes new transformers. Our brand new transformer was damaged by lightning on 15 December, a day before all the contractors close for the holiday season. Long story short, we were able to get a new transformer installed the day before Xmas but now, and this has been a drama of note, we do not only have this insurance claim pending butt he previous one as well.
I am not going to go into all the nitty gritty details now, but the short version is that we were paid out for our new electrical cable and it has already been installed and it’s working great. The rest of the claim is still pending as there are a number of items, such as our previous transformer, that also needed to be fixed. As things stand, we are waiting for the legal outcome of the initial claim and now also the claim for our second new transformer.
During this same thunderstorm it was not only Nkurru that sustained damage but Mooifontein, Motswiri and Hillside all lost major equipment, from transformer to generators. To say that it has been stressful / frustrating / annoying is an understatement. Things have been dealt with but now we are waiting for the outcome of the insurance claims and inquiries which, should it not go our way, might result in our lodge budget taking a bit of a knock. This is something we have been fighting very hard for because everything else, budget wise, has been going great this last year! We will obviously keep you all posted as to how things work out.
Operational Matters
Since there is a lot to do and take care of before our AGM I am only going to go over a few small operational reminded now and we can then get back to major items and planning for next year close to the meeting.
- SMS - Please do not SMS the lodge any urgent changes to menu or guest info. As you know the signal is very bad and we sometimes only get the SMS a few days later. Email and pone is by far the best to get hold of us.
- Cigarettes - If you smoke, or if any of your guests smoke, please ask them to not throw their stompies over the room balconies. We recently did a clean up and it was quite shocking as to the number of stompies we had to pick up.
- CapEx - we are currently in the process of putting a CapEx list together for next year so if you have any thoughts please email them through to the lodge.
- Catering - If the lodge is doing your catering, please remember that we need your menu details by no later than 10AM on the Monday before you arrive. We have to get our orders in to our suppliers by midday Monday.
Staff
When you are next at the lodge, I would also like it if you take the time to ask any of the staff members to take you of a ‘tour’ of the staff village. This is not only to show you what goes on behind the scenes but it will also help us to manage the tidiness of the village a bit better. The staff are completely responsible for the cleanliness of the village, their rooms and the area around their rooms and we would love to hear yuor feedback, both good and bad, so that we can take steps to remedy any situation that might arise.
Wildlife
The sightings have not been as plentiful as in winter because the bush is very very thick. Madikwe never disappointing though and we have been having quality rather than quantity. Images tell a much better story so here goes:
Photographed this giraffe on the afternoon of 25 December. Stunning colors!
The Kgala males are still one of the most dominant coalitions in Madikwe. However, during the last few months the two Naledi brothers have been looking for a fight. We have found both sets of males with serious injuries but so far everything is still the way it was. Gonna be an interesting time ahead though!
The latest game count puts the number of elephants in Madikwe around 800. Yeah, a lot! You can always be assured of some amazing sightings when you visit Nkurru.
The general game in Madikwe is doing very well. There are youngsters everywhere!
If you choose to go out in the rain you can get some amazing sightings! This female was trying to sit out the rain next to the Western Airstrip. She looked absolutely miserable but we were quite comfy under the canopy of our new Land Cruiser!
Taken at the same time as the image above, this young male was also quite miserable. when the storm faded a couple of minutes later we watched as the seven lions hunted zebra on the airstrip. One hour later… close. Very very close!
When I photographed this image we were sitting on Tlou Dam wall and could literally not see Tswene Tswene. It was an absolute cloudburst. Luckily these giraffes kept us busy for a while. Didn’;t help though and we had to basically row back home.
Just a bit of fun from yesterday’s drive.
Not wildlife. Simply Ziggy relaxing.
So with that it’s time to say goodbye.
FYI, Adele and I will be on leave from Thursday 14 January until Sunday 20 January. For the first 8 days we will not be contactable via phone or email as we are heading up to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with some friends. Have not been away on a proper holiday for quite some time, and after the last few weeks we are REALLY looking forward to this one.
Will be back again next month as we pick up on a lot of operational matters leading up to the AGM.
I’ll leave you with one last image. Truly Africa!
As always we look forward to hearing from you.
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele and the Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter – October 2011
Hi,
What a few months it has been. Fires, insurance claims, more fires, new vehicles and even more fires!
Let’s start with this.
I shot this scene from Nik’s View North the day after the most recent fires in Madikwe. The regular inselberg landscape scene that we all know and love was still covered with smoke from the previous days raging fires. It was just not as vibrant and magical as it always is but the sky over Tswene Tswene was absolutely spectacular.
On this particular day there was also a strange hangover-type feeling in the west of the reserve. Many people spent the previous day fighting massive fires that ran wild on the ridge between our lodge and the Wonderboom Gate and the evening was spent checking, double checking and triple checking that the winds did not start another fire. It was tiring. Very tiring.
I am not going to go into too much details on the fires but will say this. It is an absolute miracle that no buildings or infrastructure was lost on Sunday. I have never seen such a devastating fire run wild without causing massive damage. Through the perseverance of many people, lots of running around and a serious amount of luck we were able to stop the fire from taking a lodge. Nkurru never really came into play, even though we were seriously worried late in the afternoon, but our fire breaks are still some of the best in the reserve. I am also proud to say that our staff knows what they are doing. My hat goes off to Godfrey for the way he helped to fight the fires and save the various lodges. I will fight fires with him anytime, anywhere!
The little truck that can. Our fire cart, as it is in the driveway right now. We will be leaving the cart like this, ready to go, until the first proper rains arrive. Our fire cart is probably one of the most important pieces of equipment we have at the lodge and it most definitely brought it’s A-game to the fires of 24 October. we had to fill up three times during the day and it never missed a beat!
Nkurru – Insurance Claim
Back at the lodge, things are going well even though the last two cycles have been somewhat (read very) challenging. During out last cycle we had to deal with the damage from the fires and fight with insurance with regards to payouts to try and get our cable fixed.
Insurance has finally paid out for the damage to our cable and we will start installing the new cable on Monday 1 November. Instead of doing this in exactly the same way as it was done initially, we will be securing the cable by encasing it and cementing it in the places where we cannot dig it into the ground. Two or three manhole covers will allow us to check the cable and, should the need even arise in future, pull the old cable out and install a new one.
Now apart from the above cable installation the lodge still had to cough up a lot of money for other damage caused, and costs incurred, due to the fire. This is an ongoing ‘discussion’ with our insurers so we will keep you posted.
Nkurru – Maintenance
As you might know, we had a maintenance week during October. This was not planned but it was very welcome as we had a lot of smaller, and some not so small, projects to get done. Here are a few images of projects completed during maintenance week and the week after.
In an attempt to neaten up the front of the lodge we have fitted ‘latte’ around the bottom of the deck. This is similar ot the deck on the waterhole side of the lodge and makes a huge difference to the look of the front area.
While working with the latte we had ‘latte’ cages built and installed around all the outside aircon units and geysers. The above image shows the aircon unit outside the wine cellar.
This image shows the new cover on the aircon unit outside room 4. All aircon units and geysers have been fitted with a cover. Looks great and, even though it is quite a small thing, makes a huge difference in our attempt to make the lodge ‘neater’.
During maintenance week we fitted a new pool filter. The old filter cracked and was spurting heaps of filter sand into the pool leaving a sandy mess. While we were installing the filter we also drained the pool and properly cleaned the surface. Looks great! In this image, even though you probably won’t see it, we scrubbed off all the stone tiles and treated then with stone sealer. Small things, but they all count.
Yeah, this is our spotlight tree at the waterhole. With the numbers of elephants we get at the waterhole it is an absolute miracle that this tree is still standing. After a few close calls we decided to pack a bunch o logs around the bottom of the tree. Looks pretty natural, will keep the ellies away and, when we throw a handful of bird seed into the logs, attracts a huge amounts of birds!
This is an interesting one. We cut the reeds, seen above, 5 weeks ago. It is truly growing like reeds. Earlier this morning we started to thin the reeds out a bit by removing them from the root. The reason? They are growing so well and using so much water that the waterhole was not getting enough water! We removed a lot of the reeds, and added a leadwood stump, in order to streamline the water flow and attract more birds to the open areas in the reedbed. Strange problem to have at the lodge… something workgin too well?!?
The sliding doors at the lodge are working again! It was a huge project as all the doors and the entire fitting had to be removed, redone and replaced but at least now both sets of sliding doors are working like they should. In the bottom corner of the image you can also see a bit of the deck. During maintenance week the decks at the main lodge and all the rooms were cleaned and oiled. we oil the decks every three months.
The area outside the kitchen is in the middle of a ‘beautification’ process. What you see here is the result of filling the area, where there used to be slate stone, with soil and flatten it. The next step, and this will happen as soon as I find the correct color, is to cover the are with pebbles. This is all part of CapEx and I reckon it’s gonna make the area look great. Just out of view to the right is a new retaining wall that we have built to help channel rain water away from this area and the kitchen door. With the rainy season approaching this was a must!
This might not look very impressive from the image but this was one of the largest projects we tackled during maintenance week. The image shows the view from the Room 5 shower. The problem here was that it always felt a little dark and dingy due to all the plant growth but a new chainsaw and a lot of hands allowed us to smash through about 40 meters of sickle bush to open up a view from the deck of Room 4 & 5 all the way onto the fire break. Looks great! We also opened up the view from Room 1 and 2 so everything is ready for summer!
Apart form the above there are a lot of smaller projects which we have been ticking off the list. A lot of these things you probably won’t notice during your stay but they still need to happen!
Nkurru – Rifle Application
There is no new news on this. You will recall that we have finally been issued with our business certificate (to use and own a firearm). Our final license application documents were handed in at the beginning of May this year. Firearm control was, as luck would have it, closed during the World Cup so as things stand now we are still waiting. We spoke to the local police station, who is our contact in this matter, and they said there is no news yet so all we can do at this stage is wait.
Will let you know as soon as we receive the call to tell us we can go and collect our license and rifle.
Nkurru – New Game Viewer
I have just, literally 5 minutes ago, received an email form the company who is doing our conversion saying that the vehicles roof has just been cut off and that it will be going to the paint shop on Wednesday. The bullbar, side bars and fold out table has also all been completed and is ready to be fitted ot the vehicle as soon as it returns from the paint shop.
I spent a lot of time on the conversion and when we get our vehicle it will be one of the very few ‘legal’ vehicles in Madikwe. In order to be registered as an 11 seater vehicle there are certain criteria that have to be met. Our vehicle will meet all of these criteria and will therefore be a legal vehicle in Madikwe and on national roads.
I will be going on leave next week and during my time in Johannesburg I will go and pop in at the converters to check on progress. All going well I am hoping to bring the vehicle back to the reserve on 22 November when we return from leave.
Can’t wait for this one! We’re talking kid in a candy store type of excited!
Wildlife and Sightings
During the last few weeks the sightings have been pretty erratic. I suppose the numerous burnt areas and us not being able to off road has made things a little difficult but, Madikwe being the park that it is, you can always be assured of some amazing sights.
The Sable’s Final Moments
I am sure you all know about this one by now. The above image, by Grant Marcus from Tuningi, shows the last moments of Madikwe’s last Sable. You will see in the image that the sable broke his front right leg and this must be what made the dogs pull him down. It is very sad that the last Sable had to go this way but nature is cruel and, you never know what is going to happen.
On a side note, the sable’s skull was taken to a lodge, with the intention of it going to Parks Board offices but a brown hyena had other ideas. The hyena came into the lodge, found the skull and carried it off somewhere. Let’s hope someone can actually find it.
‘Bulls’ – Image by Gerry van der Walt
He’s back at Nkurru. Yeah, everybody’s favorite elephant, Tsokwane, is hagning out at Nkurr again. A lot!
The whole in his ear is unmistakable and he is just as chill as ever. I photographed him a few days ago while sitting in the floor with my back against the deck. Gotta love the old guy!
‘Uncertain’ – Image by Gerry van der Walt
Not going down the whole poaching road now, as I might get completely carried away. Madikwe still offers some amazing rhino sightings and it is great to know that there are people out there who are fighting for these amazing animals.
‘Focus’ – Image by Gerry van der Walt
This is one of the Naledi males photographed at Phuti open clearing. The two Naledi brothers are the first grandsons of the Batia brothers and if they keep on moving into the areas where we have been seeing them the last while they might have to call on those genes in a big way.
These to males, currently about 6 years old, have been wandering into Kgala territory.
Bad plan…
The Kgala brothers are brutes and do not take to kindly to other males in their territory, as Mateya and his brother knows very well. Mateya, who is still going strong even though he got lost a while ago and is still limping quite badly, was injured by the Kgala males in a territorial fight more than year ago.
With the number of lions in Madikwe these kind of soap opera plots keep on evolving and things are currently changing so often so make sure to ask about what the latest lion news is when next you get to the lodge.
‘Bull’ – Image by Gerry van der Walt
There is currently very few waterholes in Madikwe. Tlou Dam is still, well, a puddle but other than that the most active watering holes are down in the south. The above image is from the waterhole at the old hunting camp down in the south. Park Board has been pumping it a bit lately and I have had some of my best ever elephant sightings here during the last few weeks.
We have also made a new wtarehole on Tau Link. Makwepa Pan was an immediate hit and is now regularly visited by elephant, the Kgala males and a range of other species. Awesome spot!
‘La Luna’ – Image by Gerry van der Walt
Winter always means amazing evening skies. The last few weeks we have been desperate for rain but the evening skies have been spectacular. Shot this one night from the lodge driveway.
Right, that’s about that for this month.
Next week Adele and I will be going on leave next week. We still have one annual week left for 2010 so in order to get a decent rest after a hectic two cycles we will be taking three weeks off. During the first week we will be going to Bangkok (long story and more on this later). For the rest of the two weeks, apart from a few days in KZN, we will be in and around Durban. If you are keen to meet up for a coffee or lunch give us a shout on my email address or cellphone. Always great to meet up!
We will be back at the lodge on Wednesday 24 November so please keep this in mind when you contact the lodge during this time.
Before we say goodbye one more image taken at Tlou Dam earlier this month.
It’s moments like this that make Africa unique and us all coming back to Madikwe again and again.
‘Sunset Queen’ – Image by Gerry van der Walt
Until we meet at the lodge again – take care and stay safe!
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele and the Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter – September 2010
Hi, Welcome to September and a slightly delayed newsletter.
Yeah, this edition of the Nkurru newsletter should have been online in August but, as mentioned in one of my email, the last 7 weeks have been somewhat of a challenging time at the lodge. In between insurance claims, breaking vehicles and still going on drive it is quite amazing that there is still a general sense of humor and good vibe around the lodge. Throughout this tough time the staff has been amazing which helped a lot! Thanks guys!
Fires Update
A quick update on the fires that raged in the reserve a month or so ago. Nature is amazing in it’s ability to recover and almost all the areas where the fires went through is showing amazing growth. The green grass is growing all over the place and as soon as the rains come life is going to explode back into Madikwe. The general game on these green areas is spectacular and the only thing that really impacts our game drives is the fact that we cannot off-road on areas where the new grass is less than 10cm long. Almost there!
Electrical Cable Claim
This has been a nightmare. As you know, our electrical cable got burnt in the fires and we have been working on the insurance claim. This sounds much easier than it really is and the process is still ongoing. We have incurred a huge amount of costs trying to fix the lodge and various pieces of equipment that got damaged, which also includes lots of generator costs. We will keep you posted as things develop.
Game Drive Vehicle
I took the above image of the Nkurru vehicle a few weeks ago and since then it has been giving a huge amount of trouble. Again. The vehicle is currently at the mechanic to be fixed which means we are renting a vehicle and costing us more money. After trying to get the necessary info from all the shareholders, which is apparently an impossible task, one of the shareholders have been able to arrange for a great deal on a new Cruiser. He will be buying it on his name and then sell it to the lodge so that we can get the process rolling. Soon. Hopefully very soon.
Wildlife
Sightings the last few weeks have been pretty quiet. Some nice one in between but by Madikwe standards pretty quiet. Here are a selection of images form the last few weeks.
Our resident Klipspringer is still around the lodge. At last count there were three of the cute little guys living inside the Nkurru fence. Keep an eye out for them!
This is the Mateya male leaving our waterhole a few morning ago. With water being very scarce in the park, our waterhole has been very busy!
Our rhino sightings are always great but unfortunately their numbers continue to decline due to poaching. 2010 has seen 192 rhinos being killed by poachers in South Africa. Very sad.
We found the Madikwe cheetah again a few days ago. We bumped into him close to the airstrip and spent quite a bit of time following him through the bush. An amazingly beautiful animal.
Shot this earlier this morning from the lodge deck. Yeah, from the lodge deck! Ask me about it when you are next at the lodge!
That is about that for Madikwe wildlife for now.
Now as you might know Photo-Africa, my photography company, runs workshops and photographic safaris. The workshops are run either from Johannesburg or Pretoria so please drop me an email if you would like more info. I am also very excited about a number of photographic safaris I will be leading next year so if you are keen to explore more of Africa with me let me know!
Here are a couple of photographic safaris I will be hosting in 2011.
I have been able to schedule all of the above trips in our leave cycles but there will be a number of other trips as well which will be led by some of my other photographers. These trips are all aimed at getting you in the right place at the right time to create compelling wildlife images so you can assured of amazing sightings and visual scenery. If you would like any further information please email me at info@photo-africa.com so that I can send you the info sheet and prices for the various trips. A special Nkurru shareholder discount will apply!
I have not loaded all of the above trips to Photo-Africa yet but will be doing so in the next week or so. Make sure to check it out!
Anyway, time to get going. Adele and I will be on leave from 9 to 24 September so if you need to get hold of us please use my private email or cell number.
We look forward to welcoming you to the lodge.
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter – July 2010
Hi,
Time flies!
Not only is half of this year gone, but it is already one and a half years since Adele and I started at Nkurru. Yeah, one and a half years. It doesn’t really feel that long but if I think back on everything that has happened during the last 18… perhaps it does!
As you know we have just completed a maintenance week which, apart from being a huge amount of work, makes us reassess where things have come from and where they are going. The last 18 months have not been all moonshine and roses even though many people still think that living in ‘the bush’ means that you are on a full time holiday. Sure, there are days when things are a little mroe realxed but up until now those days have been few and far between. Just too much to do and in between I keep on thinking that there is book waiting to be written about life at a lodge. Oh, the stories we could tell!
Last year was, as you will agree, quite hectic both from a workload and financial point of view. There was a LOT of projects that needed attention and at one stage it felt like it would never stop. Sense of humor was under serious threat at times but at this stage all is still in tact!
This year started off like that but, and this is due to hard work from all the staff it seems that we are (hopefully) finally on top of things. It has been a pretty good 18 months so let’s see how things go from here! :)
Maintenance and Operations
I was going to do a big update on this but decided against it.
We have just completed a successful maintenance week and, after a shopping trip to Johannesburg, we are in the process of fixing / upgrading / paying attention to a lot of smaller projects around the lodge. These range from new door handles and new garden light fittings to rearranging the maintenance store room and pebbling the pathways.
The short version is that everything is going pretty well so for the purposes of this particular newsletter let’s leave it at that!
Game Viewer
The response to the email we sent with regards to the new game viewer was overwhelming. Thanks a lot!
I have almost everything in place so the moment Sara gives me the go ahead, and funds have been paid and are available, I will order our new Land Cruiser. Getting the vehicle is not a problem but the conversion is going to take us about 4 weeks. I have already got all the conversion details ready and will, based on input from various shareholders, finalize them during this week.
Will keep you posted as things develop but I am glad to say that we are now in the final stages of the vehicle saga!
Thanks!
Before we get to some wildlife updates I would like to send a very big thanks to the three shareholders who sponsored heaters for the staff village. This is truly an amazing gesture and the staff appreciates it more than I can say. Cannot wait to have you guys back at the lodge so the staff can say thank you to you personally. Thanks!
Wildlife Updates
We’ll get to some of the game drive updates in a while but just had to do this first.
With winter in full swing, the sighting we had at the waterhole yesterday afternoon is the best argument for taking time off from drives to enjoy the Nkurru waterhole. It is absolutely ROCKING!! The short version from yesterday goes like this…
- Lots of ellies at the waterhole
- Large herd of buffalo arrive at the water
- Ellies take exception to buffalo and proceed to chase them all over the place
- For the next two hours it is a cacophony of sights and sounds as the bug guys fight for drinking space
- After dropping the water levels the buffalo move off
- Two hours later the ellies are still hanging around
Could go on trying to explain the amazing sighting but let;s rather do it this way…
Buff arriving at the waterhole while the ellies are just to the left.
Buff having a drink.
Adele watching the ellies and buff just before all hell broke loose.
Calm before the storm.
The ellies start chasing the buff out of the water.
The young ellie was on top form.
Buffalo and ellies all over the place.
The young guy still going for it.
Buff running for cover.
With buffalo, elephant and rhino being (almost) daily visitors the Nkurru waterhole is definitely the place to be this winter.
Out in the bush most of the waterholes has dried up with only the large dams still attracting animals. Tau Dam still has a bit of water while Tlou Dam is still looking quite good for this time of year. Parks Board is not currently pumping Tlou Dam as they are waiting for some new pipes so let’s hope this happens sooner rather than later. If they can start pumping before it dries up completely Tlou Dam should make it through winter easily enough. Above is a young ellie enjoying the last bit of sunshine at Tlou Dam.
The rhino poaching situation is still out of control and it does not seem that there is an end in sight. Apart from the Chinese and Vietnamese demand there is also people like Elle Macpherson who recently admitted to using powdered rhino horn. How sad / stupid / ignorant / clueless can she be? You can read the full article by clicking here.
It has been VERY cold and birding in Madikwe has been pretty quiet. All the regulars are still around and the hordes of ‘little guys’ are nesting in the reed bed but other than that not too much to report on that side.
The Kgala males, one seen above, continue to dominate the South of Madikwe. These two brutes have started pushing their territory up towards the lodge and it is a matter of time until they bump into either the Tshola-Mateya coalition or the three young Linyalo males who have been hanging around the Wonderboom area.
The two boys have also been quite busy and have, in the last year, fathered 8 new cubs.
The five 6 month Maropeng youngsters are going strong. Along with the Tshabalalas and the two big boys they have been hanging around between Tau Dam and the Western airstrip.
This is one of the 4 week old Jabulani youngsters. Yeah, named after the soccer ball! They have only been seen a few times but it is most definitely worth going to look for these little fur balls. They are the newset additions to the Mika pride, now 12 strong, and mom has been keeping the little guys around the Abajaterskop / Elephant Boma area. Absolutely gorgeous!
Mom has not let the three youngsters out in the open too much yet and this is one of the best photographs I have been able to get of all three together. Cute little things and a possible highlight of your next trip to Madikwe.
Right, time to get going but before you log off, why not check out the free Photo-Africa wallpaper downloads for July? You can download any of the 4 images for free to use a desktop image on your PC. Click here to choose your favorite and save a bit of Africa in your computer!
If you have any thoughts or comments we look forward to hearing from you.
We look forward to seeing you at the lodge and sharing more memories from Africa!
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter – June 2010
Hi,
It is amazing how much can change in a week.
In a week a lodge can be transformed to a maintenance war zone and back to being better than before. In a week the waterhole has gone from an empty space void of all living things to the animal fest we have gotten used to. It is amazing how much can change in a week.
Let’s start with an update on the Nkurru maintenance week that was completed a week ago.
One of the new, but very subtle, additions is the lead wood railing that has been constructed around the outside lounge area.
This new railing was originally planned from a safety point of view and subsequently our insurance company has also stipulated that we need to erect this railing. Initially were were quite concerned about how this will affect the look of the front deck but it has worked out beautifully. Apart from the deck planks that are slightly discolored from being removed, the railing looks like it has always been there. Worked out very well and toom only about three days to complete.
One of the largest projects for the 2010 maintenance week was the combing and patching of the roof. We were originally hoping to complete all the roofs in the week but rain, in the middle of winter, delayed everything for a few days. We pushed on and in the end we completed all the roofs except for the double unit which will be done as soon as we have 4 days open at the lodge. Apart from the weather, the state of some of the roofs caused the whole process to take longer than anticipated.
This is the valley just above the front door to the main lodge. The thatch in this area was so rotten that we had to replace pretty much the entire valley. There were a few areas like this and this caused obvious delays as the guys had to replace huge amounts of grass. The double unit, room 4 & 5, is also in a serious state and is the only roof we still need to complete. Due to the bad state of this roof we are going to need at least 4 days to comb, patch and repair all the valleys. As soon as we have a few days open at the lodge we will complete the last roof. Mental note for future… don’t wait for three years before doing maintenance on roofs!
The other major maintenance week project was the sanding and treating of the decks. Last year, due to time constraints, we only did the main lodge deck. This year we started with the rooms and, apart from two rainy days, things went pretty well. The only deck that we did not complete is the main lodge deck but this is not too much of a worry as we can do this the moment we have two days open.
The image above shows the difference between the newly treated deck and one that is a year old. Nice improvement. The room decks in particular looks great and is probably the most noticable improvement from a deck point of view.
Apart from those main projects there were also a lot of cleaning, fixing and organizing going on. We worked on the fence, store rooms, laundry, pathways, rooms and main lodge. Lots of little things. Lots and lots of little things. Calibrating pumps, cutting open the electric fence and servicing all the fire equipment are just a few of the smaller projects that kept us busy.
The one project that we were planning to complete was the maintenance of the reed bed. Each year we will be cutting the reeds and halving the amount of lilies to ensure new growth and the cleaning of the water that ends up int he waterhole.
After seeing the amount of birds that are currently still nesting in the reeds we decided to leave it as is and give it a few months before we chop the reeds but from a safety point of view we did do a lot of clearing around the reed bed.
The last major project we completed was the installation of the descaling system. Yeah, finally! The system is now operational and, even though you can taste the difference, it will take about 2 months for all the pipes, geysers and other equipment to be cleaned up and working like it should! The end is (hopefully) in sight!
Now with the change of season and water getting quite scarce out in the bush the waterhole is starting to move into winter mode and in the last few days we have had lions, leopard, elephant, buffalo and a host of other species popping in for a drink. We have also started putting out some salt which, combined with the waterhole, promises to make for some fantastic game viewing from the deck.
Mateya Male
The Mateya male is still going. Not necessarily strong, but going.
This shows the Mateya male just around the corner from the lodge with his brother, the Tshola male, in the distance. More than a year has passed since the Mateya male was injured in a territorial fight with the Kgala males.
The leg is not going to get better and many feel that it is just a matter of time.
The amazing thing is how this formerly majestic lion just keeps going. He does not stop and feel sorry for himself. He does not hassle anybody for favors. He just keeps going.
Kgala Males
The two Kgala males are still dominating the south of Madikwe and have been very busy.
A few days ago they made a trip all the way up to the Impodimo where they found the two Matusis on a kill, chased them away and took over the kill. We found the Matusi female in a very nervous state a day later but up until now no one has found the Matusi male. Will keep you posted.
The two Kgalas, mean as they are, are apparently lovers and fighters! Last week Gavin, from Tuningi, found the Mika female close to the Western Airstrip with four brand new cubs.
These four new feline additions mean that there are now 9 young cubs, under 8 months old, in the South. Fantastic to see, great to watch and always a highlight to any drive!
Other than the lions, sightings have been pretty slow but now with water drying up things should be changing.
If you would like to see more wildlife images make sure to pop in to Photo-Africa. Here are some of the highlights from the last few weeks. Click on any of the links to view the blog post.
Also, if you missed it you can get your free desktop wallpaper for June 2010 by clicking here. There are five different images that you can use as a desktop on your PC or Mac which also includes a handy calendar. Let me know what you think!
To end off with a bit of shameless self advertising.
If you have been following Photo-Africa you will know that we are now presenting a number of workshops and photographic safaris. These include:
- 10 July 2010 – Digital Photography: What? How? Why? (Inanda, Johanensburg)
- 11 July 2010 – Free photo walk (Northern Farm, Gauteng)
- 17 July 2010 – Digital Photography: What? How? Why? (Centurion, Pretoria)
- 24 July 2010 – Worldwide Photo Walk (Melville, Johannesburg)
- 4 & 11 September 2010 – Wildlife Photography 101 (Johannesburg & Pilansberg Game Reserve)
- 5 to 7 November 2010 - Route 62 Photography Workshop
- 28 February to 7 March 2011 – Photographic Safari to Kenya (Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru)
- 29 August to 7 September 2011 – Photographic Safari to Kenya (Masai Mara for big migration)
There are a lot more events and dates that will be confirmed soon so make sure to check the website for details. If you would like any further please contact me!
As we say goodbye until next month we would like to say – Viva Bafana Bafana!
Even though we will not be able to get to the matches or soak up the atmosphere we will be wearing our Bafana jerseys and supporting the World Cup as much as we can! For a few ‘wildlife meets soccer’ pics click here.
Until we next see you at the lodge – enjoy the World Cup, and stay safe!
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
2010 Maintenance Week
Hi!
We have just gotten back from a two week break and now it’s that time of the year again – maintenance week!
The May newsletter got lost somewhere in between finalizing the lodge rifle documents, trying to sell our game viewer and going on leave but don’t worry, the next edition will be up during the next week. In the newsletter we will have some wildlife updates, staff updates and other interesting stories but for now, here is a quick update of a few maintenance related matters and a list of some of the projects we are currently busy with.
If you are desperate for some wildlife news and updates you can check out a recent blog post I did on the Nkurru Conservation Week that took place at the beginning of May. Along with Jono and his mates, we had a great time catching lions, notching rhino and chasing Wild Dogs. You can check out the post on Photo-Africa by clicking here.
For now, back to lodge maintenance matters.
World Cup
By now you will probably know that Nkurru will not be operating as a commercial lodge during the World Cup. As per the email we circulated we did not have any bookings so we decided to, rather than have to deal with last minute bookings, run things as per normal and let shareholders use their allocated weeks. Even now, many of the commercial lodges are not even close to full for the World Cup so we are quite happy with our decision. More updates on this, and the CapEx projects that will be affected at a later stage.
Nkurru Rifle
We finally received the last documents from the Firearms department and three weeks ago we handed in our rifle license application in to the police so now we just wait. Everything from our side has now been done so next step, all going well, would be to collect our license and then our rifle that has been waiting for us in JHB for almost a year now. Almost there…
New Game Viewer
Some things in life are difficult others are impossible. Apparently selling a Land over game viewer falls in the second category. We are having some serious issues with finding a decent trade in price for our game viewer which is imperative for us to meet our budget. We have already arranged for the conversion on the new Land Cruiser, which is bloody amazing, but… yeah. But….If any of you have ANY contacts who might be able to help us in selling our current vehicle please let us know!
Maintenance Week
We planned this maintenance week a few months ago and guess what… it’s raining! Yeah, it’s winter, cold and it’s raining! The two big projects that are being affected by the weather is the combing / patching of the roofs and the sanding of the decks. We have been pushing through and hopefully the weather will clear from later today so that we can complete all the roofs and decks. Projects for maintenance week include:
- Patching and combing of all thatch roofs
- Sanding and treating of all wooden decks
- Clearing of sickle bush out of lodge grounds
- Build a leadwood railing around the outside lounge area
- Cleaning up and thinning of reed bed
- Full clean and repack of laundry
- Full clean and repack of kitchen
Weather depending there are a number of other projects we are also hoping to finish but we will give updates next week.
Right, time to get going. It’s Monday morning, it’s cold and wet and we have a lot of maintenance to do.
Check back next week for the monthly newsletter!
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
Coffee With Lions
Just had to share this one from earlier today.
Yeah, that’s a lioness trying to take a bite of our hot box during coffee stop this morning!
For a few more of these images from this morning visit Photo-Africa by clicking here or on the above image!
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter – April 2010
April is a fantastic time of year in the bush. Every morning brings a chilly reminder that winter is on it’s way but the days are still warm enough for the pool to be enjoyed.
If you have been to Madikwe during the last few weeks you will know that there has been a lot of rain. Even though it is quite unexpected, the late rains is very welcome and many of the watering holes have been filling up very nicely. Tlou Dam is lookig fantastic for this time of year and even Inkwe Pan is completely full again. Great to see.
The only negative, but this is being completely selfish, is that the waterhole at the lodge has not been as busy as normally but we have still had a nice procession of game including elephant, lions and pretty much any plains game you could think of.
CapEx 2010
Since wrapping up all the discussions around CapEx we have been completing and ticking off many of the items on the list. These include:
- Annual Service of Fire Fighting Equipment
- Service of both Generators
- New duvets and towels
- New Hot Box and Flasks
- New tires for Fire Cart
- New pots and pans for the kitchen
- New torches for rooms
- New set of slip covers for dining room chairs
- New set of covers for outside furniture pillows
- New coffee table for the outside lounge area
- Upgrade of some of the wooden screens around the lodge
- New chest freezer for lodge
- New stretcher
At this stage we have a Maintenance Week planned for the week starting 28 May 2010 during which time we will be taking care of a lot of the larger items on our CapEx list such as the combing of the roofs, swimming pool, decks and some of the smaller building projects. Up until then we will be fitting in smaller projects wherever we can.
Game Viewer
Since the shareholder’s meeting we have been liaising with various Toyota dealerships with regards to trading in our Land Rover on a new Land Cruiser. The reality… not too much demand for second hand Land Rover Defender gem viewing vehicles. Even as a trade in many of the dealers are not willing to accept our current vehicle. Persistence, however, pays off and we are not getting a bit more interest. Really pushing hard on this one as we want to try and get this sorted as soon as possible. The conversion of the vehicle is not the problem and we can have that done in less than two weeks. The big problem is just actually getting the vehicle. If you have any contacts or know of anybody that is looking for a second hand game viewer please let us know at the lodge. Soon…
Nkurru Rilfe License
As you by now know, we have received a faxed copy of our lodge accreditation to use a weapon for business purposes. Still waiting for the hard copy but we can go ahead with the final step in the whole rifle saga. The last hurdle is now to apply for a rifle license, something I am truly hoping to get sorted out as soon as possible because I am not sure there is too much sense of humor left for this whole debacle. We have all our license application documents ready to go and as soon as Inspector Havenga, who is in charge of all firearms related issues, is back from leave on 3 May. So, a few weeks of calm before the (hopefully last) storm! Close… so close!
Wildlife & Nature
The image above shows one of the Kgala males walking past the Nkurru waterhole a few morning ago. Yeah, the Kgala males. These two big boys from the South have been doing a bit of a walkabout in what we can only think is a bit of a ‘property shopping’.
The two Kgala walked all the way past the waterhole, continued on to Wonderboom and then headed west towards Bush House. The next morning we found their tracks all the was at the junction of Tswene West & Tswene South form where they headed back south towards Vleischfontein. This is about as far north as these two beautiful lions have gone and it was great to see them around the lodge. Waking up to the roars of a serious male coalition is one of the moats fantastic safari experiences anybody could wish for.
As of this morning the two Kgala males are back in the south where we saw them with the Tshabalala females and the five Maropeng youngsters. With Parks Board having called a halt to all lion removals, not sure why yet, the lion sightings have been phenomenal! Yes, yes, there is the whole ecological impact and all that but damn it’s nice seeing these guys so often!
The Tshola Mateya coalition is still operating in the north of the park but due to all the rain we have not been able to get up there to view them. Hopefully more info on these guys next month.
The two Matusi youngsters popped up at Vlesichfontein waterhole a few days ago where they were found on two wildebeest kills. With the fences and old ruins around the watering hole their is not much escape for any general game that gets cornered in there. We sat watching the two youngters as the sun went down and ended up with some amazing night shots.
Madikwe’s icons, the wild dogs, have been in and around the Wonderboom Node for almost two months now. This has afforded us the oportunity to get some amazing sightings both at the lodge and on drive.
I shot the above image about two weeks ago as we were on our way back to the lodge. We spent the whole morning looming for the dogs which was last seen on the Southern Inselberg. As we were heading back to the lodge, having decided to try again in the afternoon, we bumped into the dogs next to our borehole on Diperoro as they were finishing up an impala they killed no more than 5 minutes earlier. We are still not sure whether it was the large male impala that has been hanging around the lodge since January but judging on the size it looks like it might just have been him. However, his spot at the waterhole was very quickly filled by a slightly younger male.
With temperatures changing quite a bit now there has be a huge amount of snake activity at and around the lodge as all the reptiles are starting to look for a place to estivate during winter. In our first week back from leave we have removed 6 puff adders and 2 spitting combras from the lodge grounds. Most of the snakes are quite docile but please make sure to keep your eyes open when you are next at the lodge. I shot the following image of one of the puffies we removed earlier today.
Yes, I was flat on my stomach.
That’s about that for this month. Next month we will have a full update on the World Cup and all the what’s, how’s and why’s but please shout if you have any questions at this stage.
If you have a few moments and would like to see more wildlife and nature photography make sure to pop in at Photo-Africawhich I update every weekday with new images, stories and photography tips and tricks. It might be a week or so late, but if you are looking for a free desktop wallpaper for your Mac or PC, click here to select one of three of my more recent image.
You will see that I have changed the Twitter feed on the left of the screen to run my own feed rather than one from the lodge. It was becoming too much to run two accounts so decided to rather include my own Twitter feed which will give you a lot more info, links and images. If you are on Twitter you can follow me by clicking here. If you have no idea what that all means – don’t worry about it! :)
One more images as we say goodbye until next month.
Finally, congratulations to Godfrey who has become a father! His new boy, Kagiso, was born last week and the proud dad has not stopped smiling all week. Hopefully we will be able to post some pics when Godfrey comes back from leave.
As always we look forward to hearing from you!
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
March 2010 – Nkurru Newsletter
Hi,
It was great seeing everybody at the AGM. Nice to catch up and discuss the coming year at the lodge.
We have already sent out a short summary of everything that was discussed at the meeting but if you still have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at the lodge.
We have had a few days open at the lodge during which time we have taken care of quite a few maintenance issues. None of these were included on the CapEx list as we still need to collect all the monies and also arrange for a maintenance week during which to tackle all the larger projects. Some of the projects we completed the last week includes:
- Wooden Screens –We broke down and rebuilt many of the wooden screens around the lodge, the main one being the one around the generator which was half falling into the driveway.
- DSTV – In stead of calling in a contractor we decided to first chop off the tops of the trees which were blocking the satellite dish’s view of the sky. Saved a lot of money and the TV is back to perfect working order – just in time for the Super 14!
- Staff Village – As discussed at the shareholders meeting, the staff village needs attention. During this week the staff not only cut all the trees at least ½ meter away from the building and roof but also started a garden and boma. Looking good so now the challenge is to keep it up.
- Showerheads – We have replaced the showerheads in 4 of the 5 rooms – again. Until we install the water descaling system we are going to have to keep on doing this so the sooner the better.
- Lodge Floors – Once every few months we strip the built up polish off the lodge floors so during this last week we carried all the furniture out of the lodge, cleaned the floors and put everything back.
- General – With a few days open we also did a lot of general maintenance around the lodge and rooms.
We have started arranging a few of the CapEx projects already and will keep you posted as things develop. One of the main items discussed at the shareholder’s meeting was the purchase of a new game viewer. We have gotten all our ducks in a row and have quote for new Toyota Land Cruisers as well as the conversions but the first step is to find a buyer for our current vehicle. If you know of anybody who might be looking for a second hand game viewer please let us know! Trying to get this one sorted out as soon as possible.
From a staff point of view we are slowly implementing all the new staff scheduling as discussed at the meeting. We are taking things step by step so that the staff know exactly what is expected of them. Should you need more clarity on this when you get to the lodge please don’t hesitate to ask. As soon as we have finalized the ‘What to Expect From Nkurru Staff’ document we will send it out to all shareholders.
On the wildlife & nature side of things it has been lions everywhere! The lion reductions has begun and to date three lions have been removed from the park with another 30 or so to go.
The highlight of the last few weeks is the fact that the Tshabalala females have been bringing the 4 month old Maropeng youngsters out into the open more regularly. These five little guys make for absolutely fantastic sightings and if you are lucky the two Kgala-Etali males also join in on the fun.
For the last 3 weeks the pride has been hanging around the Western airstrip which means we get fantastic sightings of the youngsters out in the open and because it is so far South the sightings are never really busy. On numerous occasions we have sat watching and photographing the youngsters as they play around in the early morning sun. Gonna be great to watch these little guys grow up.
Further North, the Tshola Mateya coalition have pretty much settled into the Tau concession with an occasional trip down to the ridge. Mateya is still in bad shape and it seems that during the last few weeks his condition has gone a little backwards. Still a beautiful animal, we can just hope that his brother can take care of him for a little while longer.
The two Sereti males have been chased all over the place and seem to be settling in around the Wonderboom area. Pretty big for their age, it’s great to have to males around our lodge and in time these boys should turn into a force to be reckoned with.
The Etali female and her two youngsters have been seen around Tlou Dam for a few weeks now and it still seems that she is keeping them away from all the males in the West. Not sure wehre she is going to end up but will keep you posted.
Leopard sightings have been rather quiet but we still get the occasional spotted cat.
With summer drawing to a close, we can see an increase of animals to the waterhole. Rain has been quite spread out which means there is virtually no surface water or seasonal puddles around. Even Tlou Dam is rather empty for this time of year so let’s hope it gets pumped this year.
The bird life is still not bad but during the next few weeks the migrants will signal the beginning of winter when they start their journey up north.
In general we have had fanatstic sightings, both on drive and at the lodge, and if you would like to see more wildlife images you can head over to Photo-Arica. Some of the posts from the last few weeks include:
- African Moments
- DOF in Wildlife Photography
- March 2010 – Free Desktop Wallpapers
- Shooting Africa in Black & White
- Bad Boys
If you are keen on improving your wildlife, or any other type of, photography let me know as later this year I will be running various workshops and photographic safaris. These workshops will take place in Johannesburg, Pretoria and later this year in the Cape Winelands as well. Keep an eye onPhoto-Africa for more details as it becomes available. Also, between 18 and 31 March Adele and I will be in Johannesburg and during this time I will be doing various hospitality and lifestyle shoots. If you would like to have a lifestyle portrait shoot done during this time please let me know so that we can book a date!
One last thing before we end it off. Could we ask that all shareholders please take a few minutes to send us your updated contact details. In between a PC crash in January and very old mailing lists it is time that we update our contacts list. Thanks!!
If you have questions, comments or suggestions please don’t hesitate to contact us as the lodge. Alternatively we look forward to seeing you ant Nkurru!
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
February 2010 – Nkurru Newsletter
Hi!
Adele and I had the most fantastic holiday in Bangkok (of which you can see a few images here and here) followed by some time in Johannesburg and a photo shoot in the Drakensberg. It was a great break away from the lodge and the first proper break in quite some time.
Since returning from our holiday we have been busy with CapEx, budgets and maintenance and, on a personal note, we were very impressed by the way the staff took care of the lodge. As with any lodge there is always a few maintenance related matters that need ongoing supervision and work but all in all things went pretty well during our absence.
With the AGM coming up on 23 February we are busy with all the numbers and proposed projects so will be looking at all of these in a lot more details in the next Newsletter. For now, here are some images from the last two weeks at Nkurru. The sightings have been amazing and the photographic opportunities even better!
This must be one of the highlights since getting back from holiday. We were sitting watching the Kgala males and Mika pride close to Vleisfontein on a giraffe kill when suddenly the one male took issue with his brother. Over in a few seconds the intensity was awesome. For more images of this sighting click here.
We have had loads and loads of lions and wild dogs while the scavengers around the many kills have been making for great sighting! Here are a few more images taken on drive during the last two weeks.
With the annual shareholders meeting coming up we will see you all in 23 February 2010 where we will discuss various lodge related matters including CapEx and details on the 2010 World Cup.
Oh, almost forgot. Even though their system is down and they could not yet fax or email our certificate to us yet, but Nkurru’s accreditation to use a firearm for business purposes has been awarded. We got the phone call on Friday! Yes, after almost 8 months of phone calls, trips to Pretoria and sense of humor failure our accreditation has at last been finalized. As soon as the Firearm department’s system is back up and running and we receive our accreditaiton certificate we can now complete the final step of licensing the rifle. Will keep you posted but FINALLY things have started falling into place!
Look forward to seeing you at the meeting on 23 February, alternatively when you next visit Nkurru.
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
Quick Update!
Hi,
We have just arrived back at the lodge after a fantastic three week break.
We will be posting the February Newsletter later this week. As soon as we have dealt with a broken office PC, few issues with the game viewer and a bucket load of admin!
Sightings have been out of this world so will add some pics as well!
Check back soon!
Gerry, Adele and the Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter – October 2009
Hi,
A few days late but here goes with this month’s newsletter!
African Sunrise
Adele and I have just returned to the lodge after a two week break. Apart from a few days in the Magalies we spent most of the time in and around Johannesburg. Even though there is no doubt that living and working in the African bush is amazing, it is still great to get back to the city every now and then. Movies, coffee shops and restaurants, all the things we cannot get in the bush, make for a lot of entertainment. The best part is that we can do everything on our own time and don’t have to contend with traffic and some of the other necessary evils that city life brings with it. Also test drove a new car… Hmmm… soon!
It is however always nice returning to the lodge especially as you can literally see the bush change day by day and the African sights and smells are even more pronounced than normal. With around 70mm of rains so far this season the bush is starting to thicken up as the new green shoots are visible everywhere and, as you can imagine, the grazers are loving it. This not only means that the predators will become increasingly difficult to spot but from an operational point of view we are doing a lot more bush clearing ‘on-the-go’. The trimming of shrubs around the pathways and the natural canopy above the deck has now been promoted to weekly tasks rather than a once off job every couple of weeks. As long as we stay on top of things the plants and shrubs around the lodge grounds will get greener and thicker without taking over. So far so good.
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Nkurru 2010
World Cup 2010
As you will recall, a few weeks ago Andrew circulated an email asking for feedback on whether Nkurru will be operating as a commercial lodge before, during and after the World Cup next year.
Initial feedback has been very positive in this regard but with time running out we need to seriously look at and try and finalize this matter. Even with around 7 months left before kick off there is a huge amount that would need to be done should we decide to go ahead. The planning and subsequent implementation of the various ‘Nkurru 2010‘ projects would have to start as early as December this year and unfortunately cannot wait until the CapEx meeting early next year.
Next Year’s World Cup will run from 11 June 2010 to 11 July 2010 but safari accommodation for two weeks before and two weeks after the event will still be in high demand and with Madikwe being a malaria free area will make Nkurru a very attractive destination.
There are many factors that we would need to consider but before we jump the gun we need to, as shareholders and management of Nkurru, answer a few questions. To that end we would greatly appreciate it if you could email us your feedback and thoughts on the following questions to get the ball rolling.
- Should Nkurru operate as a comercial lodge during the World Cup?
- Would 1 June 2010 to 25 July 2010 be acceptable as possible dates?
- What are your main concerns, if any, with regards to operating as a commercial lodge?
By planning well in advance, operating the lodge can prove to be very viable form a financial point of view for all parties involved but should we decide to go ahead we need to start planning immediately. We have already looked at numerous points that would need to be addressed but we can look at this in a a lot more detail as soon as we have feedback from everybody.
* * *
The Nkurru Website
The Nkurru website has been running very well and is about 90% complete. Sharing the newsletters and other updates is a lot easier than having to email them to everybody. We have also created a Twitter account for the lodge which makes it possible to do much more regular, shorter updates. When you log on to the Nkurru site you can see the Twitter updates on the left of the screen under ‘Nkurru News’. The nice thing about these updates is that they can be made from a pc or cellphone so updates can be made anywhere, anytime and all you have to do to follow the updates is to visit the Nkurru site!
The various pages on the site will be updated during the next few days and this includes adding images of the staff to their individual pages.
If you have any interesting images from Madikwe that you would like to share you can email them to us so that we can include them on the site. The same goes for video clips and you can either send this to us on disk or email us a web link form where we could embed the video on the site.
* * *
Lodge Maintenance
As you will recall we had a maintenance week a few weeks ago. This week was quite unexpected but very welcome and here are some of the major projects we were able to complete during this time.
- Anthills – After sealing them. we painted both ‘anthills’ (TV room and kitchen). The colour is still the same but we used normal paint rather than cemcrete and it looks great.
- TV Room – We painted the inside of the TV room… with great skill and determination!
- Outside Furniture – We fixed, sanded and treated all the outside furniture on the deck.
- Reed Bed – After completion we used rocks, shrubs and large lead woods to hide the cement base and make the reed bed fit into it’s natural environment. Looks great!
- Store Room – The store room which we created under the main deck was unpacked, cleaned and repacked.
Nkurru Reed Bed as seen from the Boma
A lot of other smaller projects, which we don’t really have time for when there are guests at the lodge, was also completed and the maintenance week gave us a chance to get back on top of the little things.
Other than maintenance week everything has been going well and apart from the occasional geyser, pump and pipes it has been going quite well. We have already started looking forward to next year and some of the projects we would like to sink our teeth into but we will wait for more clarity on the World Cup matter mentioned above before finalizing these. We have already received a couple of items from shareholders that we have added to a preliminary CapEx list for next year so if you have any thoughts and / or suggestions please email the to us.
* * *
Wildlife Update
Kgala Male
Lions
The above image is one of the last ones I got before going on leave. The Kgala males have still been hanging around between Vleisfontein and Elephant Boma and they meet up with the Mika pride every now and then. Seeing them all together is great as 11 lions together make for great sightings and awesome photographic opportunities. Other lion updates:
- Tshola-Mateya - They have been hanging around in the Tau concession and wander down to Inkwe Pan every now and then. Still keeping their distance from the Kgala.
- Etali & Youngsters - Also hanging around in the north-western corner of the reserve with the occasional visit to Tlou Dam.
- Sereti Males – They have been running scared since the Tshola-Mateya coalition moved into the area but hanging around the northern Inselberg area.
- Morati Males – Almost always around Tholo Dam.
Wild Dog
The breakaway pack, who were denning on the northern fence line is still hanging around the Derdepoot Gate area but now that the youngsters are growing up they are moving around more and more. The image on the right was taken almost three weeks ago as the pack was running on the fenceline, moving east away from Mooigenoeg base
Leopards
The pale male, who has been named Sepoko (meaning ghost), is still around the lodge. He was seen two evenings ago moving across the road and heading towards Kukama. Good to know that he is still in the area.
The one-eyed male has, since this morning, been involved in quite a few rumors. Will update the site as soon as we know exactly what is going on but apparently he was found dead, close to Buffalo Ridge, with a broken jaw. It will be very sad if this is in fact the case and shows just how cruel nature can be. More on this soon.
Ellies, Rhino and Buffalo
Apart from buffalo, we have been getting fantastic sightings of the big guys. Elephants in particular have been treating us to some amazing sightings as they try and cool down in any water they can find. White rhino have also been quite frequently spotted out on drive and even Hansa, the black rhino that hangs around Inkwe Pan, has been seen on a regular basis. The large herd of buffalo was last spotted around Phiri hill so they havebeen moving around quite a bit making it difficult to keep track of them.
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Wildlife Photography on Photo-Africa
Photo-Africa has been completely redesigned and has been updated on a regular basis over the last few weeks. Here are a couple of posts you might find interesting:
- The Raptor Guide – A short review of this amazing new field guide.
- No Stopping for Lions – A short review of this easy to read book
- The Goal is to Improve, Not Change – Thoughts on processing your digital images.
- A Thought on Ethics - Thoughts on wildlife photography.
- You Have to See This – Some amazing wildlife images!
To visit the site and browse around yourself you can click here. There has also been some amazing images added to the Photo-Africa Stock Library which you can view by clicking here.
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Wildlife. Photography And everything in between.
The new edition of my book is finally ready to be printed. The book, which you have all probably seen at the lodge, has been updated and now consists of more than 200 images spread over a 198 pages. During the next 10 days I will be placing an order for the new book. If you would like to order a copy let me know as soon as possible. Since the books are printed and shipped from the US (yes it is still cheaper!) it is easier ot order in bulk now rather than to order single copies at a later stage. The book is available as a softcover, hardcover with wraparound sleeve or as a printed hardcover. Prices for the book vary from depending on which format you choose.
If you would like to order a copy please email me as soon as possible with how many books you would like, and in which format, and I will send you more details.
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Thats it for now. Make sure to check the site regularly as we add new posts or short updates. When you have a moment please send us your thoughts on ‘Nkurru 2010‘ and any other lodge related matters you would like to discuss.
As always we looking forward to hearing from you.
Warmest regards,
Gerry, Adele & the Nkurru Team
Nkurru Newsletter – September 2009
Hi!
So here it is, the first monthly Nkurru Newsletter to be posted on the Blog.
Sunrise as seen from the Nkurru deck.
As mentioned in the email we sent out there is still a lot of changes and updates that I want to make to the site. Some of these include a page for each staff member, photo gallery of the lodge (when I get a chance to shoot it) and of course regular updates and images from Nkurru and Madikwe. Make sure to check back often as these and other additions go live on the site.
Sundowners at the amphitheatre
Things at the lodge have been going well and, as mentioned by all guests, it remains a truly special holiday destination. Apart from the spectacular game viewing that has become synonymous with Madikwe, it is the time spent at the lodge that makes it unique and memorable.
Is it not the small things that makes the time spent at the lodge stand out?
The sunrises from the deck. The comfortable and understated elegance of the main lodge. Even though everybody ‘complains’ about it, eating too much thanks to Gabrielle and Adele (everything in excess right?). The Nkurru waterhole that has become a veritable theatre of wildlife. Sundowners as watch the sun set over the Ineslbergs. The call of hyenas while sitting around the camp fire. Having to not feel that you have to go on every single drive and just enjoy the lodge. All of these things, and the fact that you always have the lodge to yourself, sets Nkurru apart and makes for a truly personal African experience.
A great deal of last month’s newsletter focused on maintenance related projects at the lodge so for this edition lets look at some other happenings at the lodge. Will picjk up on all the maintenances update during the month and in next months newsletter.
One of the most discussed topics while at the lodge, apart from the animals and what’s for dinner, is photography. Combined with wildlife it makes for a very addictive and time consuming hobby. I reckon that on every vehicle driving around a game reserve there must be at least three digital cameras. I have said this before but if I had one Rand for every image that gets taken in Madikwe each day I would be a very happy person. Now one of the benefits of having the lodge to yourself is the freedom to work any given sighting to find the best position to shoot from and the complete luxury of having the vehicle to yourself.
Photographing lions.
Getting to know your camera and taking time to look for the best shots will not only leave you with better reminders and images of your trip but will also add a whole new dimension to each drive. Ultimately you will start seeing even the most boring animal as a potential photographic subject which means that you will never have a quiet drive. There is always something to photograph.
One of new pages I will be adding to this site is a gallery where you will be able to upload the images from your visit to Nkurru. More on this soon but if at this stage you have any images you would to add email them to me at the lodge. We are also now able to embed video on this site so if you have any interesting videos shot during your visits to Nkurru let me know. Another great way of sharing sightings!
Along with the above galleries, and in conjunction with Photo-Africa, I have been working on a number of photographic short courses specifically aimed at wildlife photography. During the next few months I might be using some of the drives at Nkurru to test drive the notes and various exercises from these workshop type courses but more on this a little later in the year. Let me know if you are keen to give something like this a bash next time you visit Nkurru.
Also along the photography line of things, we are in the process of doing a Nkurru cookbook. This exciting little project is still in the planning phase but we have already started looking at certain recipes that we want to include. Adele will be working with Gabrielle in putting the recipes together and as time goes we will be photographing all the dishes and compiling book from there. If there are any specific dishes you have enjoyed at Nkurru which you would like to see in the book let us know. The more input we have the better. Will keep you posted as things develop on this one.
Now as we will be able to do a lot more updates on wildlife and interesting sightings through this site we are going to end off this newsletter with a number of slightly different sightings and images from the last few weeks.
Jackal sleeping.
On a windy morning drive a few days ago we found this jackal sleeping right out in the open. Unusual yes but not completely out of the ordinary. Sat watching her for a while when suddenly magic happened. From a hole not more than 10 meters from us we saw four little heads pop up.
Young jackal pups.
Even though we bumped into Wild Dog as we drove out the lodge, on this particular morning these four little guys were the highlight of the day! They had cute written all over them and apart from the occasional heads popping up, they were quite skittish. I’m sure the strong gusts of wind did not help but now that we know where they are we will most definitely be going back to sit and watch these little youngsters. If you are heading out to Nkurru during the next few weeks you might get a chance to see these youngsters. Great sighting!!
The Nkurru Barbet.
We are going to have to name this little guy. Before every morning drive, while we are having coffee, this Crested Barbet and his mate takes over the deck. After chasing all the starling and other birds away they come and keep us company. They have become so comfortable with the people around the deck that on some mornings they will literally eat out of your hand. The bird life is becoming very ‘alive’ around the deck but at this stage these to barbets are still taking centre stage.
Sable photographed with iPhone.
The sable that roams the ridges around the lodge is still around. During the last week I have seen him on three different occasions. On this particular occasion I was even able to get a shot of him on my iPhone. Reckon it must be some kind of first but still great to see this beautiful guy around Madikwe.
Adele and chameleon.
I shot the above image as we were driving from the Wonderboom Gate back to the lodge. The chameleon was very slowly crossing the road in their forward-back-swaying motion. They are always great to see but it is very sad to see the number of chameleons that get hit by cars. When next you drive to the lodge please make sure to take it easy and keep your eyes open for these little guys.
iPhone Application - Sasol e.Birds
During the last few months I have noticed that there have been quite a few shareholders and guests who are using an iPhone. If you have an iPhone you have to check out the new Sasol e-Birds of Southern Africa application. It has all the information you would find in the Sasol field guide but you can also listen to the various calls, compare birds and work through a series of questions to try and identify difficult species. I just downloaded this app and am loving it! Nice one to have on your iPhone when you visit Madikwe again. To purchase and download the application visit the iTunes store and search for Sasol birds. Easy as that!
First rains in Madikwe.
This is the view from the deck at 06h00 this morning. Yes, the first decent rains of the season has arrived. As I am writing this we are sitting on about 30mm for the last 24 hours and the skies are still pretty dark around Madikwe so hopefully some more rain coming. The rains are very welcome but, as you know, can cause havoc with game drives. If you are going to be visiting Madikwe during the rainy season remember… bring something to read or do for those rainy African days.
Now we could not end the newsletter on such a wet and somber note so one more image to finish up with.
Rain clouds over the Inselbergs.
The above image was taken at Nik’s View on the saddle a few days ago as the rain clouds started moving in. Fantastic spot and with clouds and sunsets… never the same.
The ‘Did you Know’ feature from the previous newsletters will be posted during each month as a stand alone post on the site. Also remember that, apart from the images and videos you can send us, you can comment on the newsletters and other updates we will be posting as each month goes by. Simply scroll to the bottom of each post and use the link to add your comments and suggestions!
So until next time, we look forward to hearing from you!
Sunrise from the Nkurru deck.
Until next time.
Gerry, Adele and the Nkurru Team