Klaas cuckoo 26/8/2011

For the third day in a row lions before sunrise..... today was the old, old, old, old, super old female of mbagi pride. She was drinking at lulenga juu. The thing is almost a ghost of a lion... all skin and bones, with large patches of missing hairs. She is finished. Her teeth warned to the gum, her eyes almost absent. She drunk for a while and then slowly walked off, we followed her and some hundered meters after a lioness popped out of the tall grass. The much younger cat bared her teeth, a clear message for the old lady not to go any closer. She got the news straight away and went on in her wandering. To our surprise the young lioness was defending a male kudu kill she probably did during the night, her three cubs busy feeding on the bloody carcass were a show on their own.We left them and drove away but as we stopped to watch some baboons we heard lion's roaring in front of us... we watched and watched and watched again and eventually Grumpy came visible the other side of the river... he walked towards us. Behind him on the bank a lone honey badger appeared to our astonishment.... it was busy roaming around looking for food... incredible!! Grumpy walked all the way to us and then sat in the sand.....It was already a great morning but the cherry on the cake was the most amazing Klaas cuckoo sighting I have ever heard... we spotted the shining green bird from ten meters far... we showed to guests and then we whistled its call to explain guests how it was.The bird, I do not know if for our calling or for its own sake, came closer and closer again. It posed for us, left side of the car then right side then left side again. then he flew under it. Eventually it landed on the bullbar just to fly to a close branch again.But this was not enough, it landed on the bonnet and looked at us for a good minute before going to perch on a branch of a combretum 5 mtrs from the car..... unbelievable!!!!The afternoon meant Mwayembe again... we bet the lions would have still been there and hoped that the mating couple would be  more active then yesterday when the female strongly refused to concede herself. We went there, found the couple and saw them matin twice in an open ground, as the sun was setting....... the cubs were just with the other females the other side of the clearing. M&M are lucky friends.......