16 November 2017

We were all up by 5 am this morning and after packing a picnic brunch we set off to Pafuri Picnic Site and Crook’s Corner which are the places for keen bird watchers to visit.  The route is so pretty as it winds through Mopane woodland with some loops to waterholes and then there are areas where taller trees like the Fever Tree appear as well as quite a few Baobab trees.  The different shades of green are also frequently broken but a splash of colour from the indigenous flowers that pop up every now and then.

Having an extra pair of eyes is such a help in the park and sharing the experiences with people who are as passionate and appreciative of Nature as you are also makes a visit to a game reserve so much more rewarding.   Also when you’re going through those times where you wonder whether the creatures have packed up and gone on vacation you can chat and reminisce on past trips done together or relate stories about trips done separately.   There was a lot of  debating on what bird that was, reminiscing, fun and laughter in our car today!

It was cooler today and we enjoyed not having to deal with the fatiguing heat. The creatures seemed to be happier in the cooler conditions too and we were privileged to have some lovely sightings.

Birds of Prey are always exciting but these birds are difficult to photograph when they sit up too high on a tree, are too far away or the light is wrong.  We all had to get our eye in to help identify these tricky raptors.  The first one of the day stimulated a great deal of debate but we finally agreed that it was a Lesser Spotted Eagle.  (Heather and other experts out there who might read this – please correct any errors in our diagnoses.)

Would you believe that one of the most common birds in the park had us guessing for a few minutes until it dawned on me after not seeing one for three years that it was the female Red-Backed Shrike!

It was great to see a black-crowned tchagra

At one point on our trip we found an abandoned antbear hole and observed some interesting bird activity.  There were a lot of flying insects around and they were having the time of their lives feeding in that spot.   Here are but a few of the species we saw.

Other birds that we were thrilled to find and get photographs of on our drive were the following.

It’s the unexpected little things that make a drive in The Park interesting and we get just as much joy out of them as seeing any of The Big Five.

“What’s that bunny doing in the tree?”   Well he might look like a rabbit but actually he is a tree hyrax and more closely related to an elephant – and No elephants don’t climb trees either.   A cousin of the tree hyrax is the more common rock hyrax.  The tree dassie has four toes on each of his front feet and three on each of his back feet.  They have rounded nails and rubbery soles to help them climb trees.

We got out on the bridge overlooking the beautiful Luvuvhu River.  

As we enjoyed the breathtaking view and observed some distant waterbirds Tony alerted us to a prehistoric looking creature below.

We stopped for brunch at Pafuri Picnic Site.  Some Nyala Females decided to join us.

There were some cheeky monkeys about too.  But I just love them

We returned to camp and had a rest and then went out again for a short time.  We saw more elephants, zebra and birds.   The sunset this evening was stunning.

For supper we roasted a chicken in the electric Romosca Pot. I cooked a mix of veggies in the smart space pan on the  Snappy Chef.   It all worked beautifully and we enjoyed chicken with a crispy skin and delicious veggies.  Another Fabulous Day in Africa.

 

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