With the golden splinters of dawn slowly creeping across the barren
landscape, a solitary white rhino drinks away, occasionally lifting its head to
check for unannounced visitors. Having finished its fill, the rhino runs across
the stones toward the distant trees, scattering a still herd of Zebra in the
process. Each group getting its five or ten minutes share of the water, I leave
after having watched the dainty springbok, zebra, guinea fowl, jittery jackals,
elephants and gemsbok all take their turn.
Last night this hole was alive with activity. The sun falls bringing a
gold-to-blue gradient to the sky. The thin crescent moon and a nearby bright
star also make their way to the darkening horizon. Elephants call out in the
distance. Jackals join in with an eery laughing howl. The brim of the waterhole
is teeming with the silhouettes of little black birds collectively issuing a
bubbly chirp. The first visitor to the edge of the pond is a skitterish jackal,
drinking for only a couple seconds before snapping its head up to look left and
right, then back down again, repeating its nervous drinking manner for a few
minutes before running off.
Calvin & Sharon
(to be
continued)
