The early mornings and late evenings are the best times to observe birds and animals. During the heat of the day much of the wildlife rests under cover. Leave camp or the lodge early and remember to drive slowly. Look under trees and bushes for the pricked ears of some animal raising its head, and also keep a watch out in trees for the dangling tail of a leopard as it lies on a branch. Observe movements of the plains animals that may appear disturbed for no apparent reason—they may have seen, or be suspicious of, nearby lions. Tick birds may indicate the presence of rhinos or buffaloes in bush country, and vultures circling can mean a kill and therefore their presence is worth investigating.
When you first see members of a pride of lions or a group of zebras they all look much the same. If you spend a few moments watching you will begin to see individual differences. No two zebras have the same stripe pattern; individual cheetahs can be recognized by the different patterns of rings on their tails; and lions can be told apart by scars on their faces and the pattern of their whisker spots. Baboons have tails of various shapes and lengths and antelopes may have unusually shaped horns. Look to see the composition of the group: Is there one male with several females, all males, all females, or a combination? As you watch carefully you may begin to notice the way the animals interact with each other, how the young play together, how closely they feed together, and what a courtship display looks like. If you watch for long enough you can be rewarded by learning a lot about the social organization of a group of animals and get as much enjoyment out of watching the herbivores as the carnivores.
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