Kruger National Park Day 13

2014-07-26 | puppy1952

Friday 11 July 2014 Mopani Morning Drive
We were up around 7 a.m. and the temperature was 0 degrees C. It warmed up to 24 later in the day. Dressing in jeans, long sleeved t-shirt jersey, fleece and jacket kept the cold out before the layers needed to be removed.
After a wonderful Early breakfast we set off at 8 and drove around the roads near the camp as there was really not much to see. Lion have been spotted in the area but we didn’t find them.
First up was a beautiful martial eagle atop a nearby tree. Unfortunately we had to look right into the sun and when we moved there were branches preventing good photography so we just enjoyed him for a few minutes before moving on.
We found a small herd of wildebeest next and then turned onto the Mooiplaas loop. This is what we found.
A dainty female steenbok who posed beautifully her portrait.

A large herd of buffalo at Waterhole number 2

On the Confluence Lookout we saw a Gabar Goshawk flying past.
On the H1-6 we saw lots of waterpuck and then stopped at Mooiplaas Picnic site for a walk and a loo break.
On the return road we found a beautiful groundscraper thrush – first one this trip.

We spent some time in Shipandane Hide and observed Great White Egret, Woolly necked storks, hippos, and waterbuck.

Back at camp, we had lunch on the stoop and then rested for a while before venturing out on a short afternoon drive.
This proved to be more productive than our morning excursion. There was a long period of nothing and then a few views of zebra on the S114. Being birders we stopped to see a tchagra and coucal and got some good shots.

Coucal

We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn then we took Capricorn loop. We saw elephant, zebra and wildebeest. It became interesting after the waterhole called Nwambu. Elephants, and buffalo. After the second waterhole we found kori bustards, Namaqua doves, a bateleur and a black shouldered kite.

Kori Bustards

Bateleur

More elephant appeared to give us an adrenalin rush. The big tuskers are always interesting.

We had set out at 3:30 and gate closing is at 5:30 so we could not stop for anything but the most exciting sightings. I yelled you have to stop – It’s tsessebe. Tsessebe were reintroduced to The Park 20 years ago and now if you see them you must report it to the rangers. We saw three.

On our last stretch we were racing for the gate when Heather called – stop Jackal. It was difficult to stop as a car was on our tail but we did and watched a side-striped jackal running into the deep bush. That was a really special sighting as they are not as common as black backed jackal. Unfortunately he was gone before we could get a photograph.

Sunset was stunning this evening

Nobody felt like cooking this evening so we decided to go to the restaurant. We were relieved that it was not The Mugg & Bean. We had a very pleasant evening and the food was delicious.

Kruger National Park Day 12 Scary Encounter with an Elephant

2014-07-26 | puppy1952

10 July 2014 Olifants to Mapane Camp. Temperature at departure 4 Degrees C
It was a chilly start to the day. We woke at five, packed up and departed for Mopani just after 6 It was still dark but the light arrived suddenly and we had a few good sightings.
First up was a grey duiker disappearing into the bush. Next a pair of Sandgrouse but we missed the photo opportunity.
Then we almost knocked into a hippo who was making his way back to the river after a long night of grazing on land. He had a way to go still.
We met up with elephants at regular intervals – all lone bulls. On the S 94 We found a lone buffalo, warthogs, giraffe and tree squirrels within minutes of each other.

Lone Bull Elephant

Warthogs

Lone buffalo

Giraffe

Tree Squirrels

We arrived at Letaba at 8:30 and it was now 10 degrees C. We went to Mug and Bean for breakfast. This time was not as good as the last. Typical of M and B we have found, they did not have all the ingredients advertised on the menu. We complained and the waiter was great. He told us that the management had not got the ordering right yet. We told him we would be complaining to both Sanparks and M&B head office. If they are going to put these big franchises into the park they have to be at least as good as the last one,Tree, with whom we were always superbly impressed. M&B service is slow (it was not busy), they get the orders wrong and they don’t have what’s advertised on the menu. We overheard another patron saying to the waitress “Do I need to order the night before to get breakfast in the morning?” We sympathized!
The food is actually fine when it arrives so there is nothing wrong with the ability of the chefs – it’s the organisation that is faulty. When Mugg & Bean first hit Cape Town, I found their coffee absolutely aweful but that at least has improved. My coffee was hot, strong and black the way I like it and they gave it to me in the requested cup. When I was done I was immediately offered a refill. Mugg & Bean if you can just get your service and organisation right you might just make the grade in Kruger.
Bushbuck frequently come into Letaba Camp and we found another one just outside the restaurant.
Back on the H1-6 we had sightings of giraffe and baboon and other animals. The baboons amused us with their antics.

We stopped at the Montambeni Hide at about 11 and found fish eagle, hippos and crocs. Buck were also on the banks but little else.

As we left we found a small herd of zebra. As we pulled away they started running. “Something’s spooked them,” said Peter. Maybe a lion. Go back Earl.” Earl obliged, reversing slowly and checking the bush carefully. Then – omigosh a huge bull elephant emerged from the bush and came straight for the car. “Go Earl, Go!” I yelled to Earl. He pulled away slowly and the elephant was almost touching the car. Even though I was in a state of terror I took a photograph for those who found our crushed bodies to observe what had happened!

Being chased by an elephant is not funny! This was taken from the front passenger seat through the back window of the Caravelle

Earl took out his cell phone and took photos through the side mirror. We all went into panic mode and begged him to go faster. “No, he said, “he’s far away!” The thing was that through the side mirror things look further away than they are so we yelled louder. Earl just laughed and continued snapping photos.

The elephant increased his pace, flapped his ears and waved his trunk. We were in fits of nervous giggles and screaming hysterically. Earl is normally very wary of ellies but being in front gave him a feeling of power. I kept yelling – He’s flapping his ears. He’s going to charge. Finally Earl decided that caution was the better part of valour and went a little faster and thankfully the elephant let us go.

After that adrenalin rush we all reprimanded the errant driver for his casual attitude to a dangerous, wild creature. Only after examining his own photos days later, did he admit that he had taken a bit of a chance! Never ever fool around when elephants are about – they can be unpredictable and are quite capable of overturning and crushing a vehicle even if it is as big as a Caravelle.

We cruised slowly along until the S62 where I saw the birds we missed this morning – double banded sandgrouse – this time there were 2 adults with a single tiny chick. We managed to get photos but the chick was hidden by the parents.

By 11 the temperature has risen to 22 degrees C. On the H1-6 we found zebra then a lilac breasted roller with a large insect. We watched it devour its prey before carrying on.

We stopped at Mooiplaas picnic site for a loo break and to enjoy the shady trees and river outlook. In this section of the park the picnic sites are unspoiled and lovely. Long may this last!

We found a brown hooded kingfisher in a tree and took some photographs.

We did the river loop and stopped to observe for a while. A pied kingfisher entertained us by catching and devouring a fish.
We arrived at Mopani at 2 o’clock, checked in a spent the rest of the day in camp.

Supper at the dinner table in our family cottage

Supper at the dinner table in our lovely Mopani family cottage

Kruger National Park Day 10 Day trip to Letaba

2014-07-26 | puppy1952

8 July 2014 Day Trip to Letaba
We started the day at 7 a.m. warmly dressed and expecting rain. It did drizzle for an hour or two so we decided to take the tar road to Letaba, have breakfast there then take the dirt roads home. This turned out to be a wise decision as the rain stopped for our return journey.
First up today – Impala. If they’re around you know the park is healthy! Stopping on a bridge we found a huge herd of buffalo crossing the river.

Crossing the river

Crested Francolin were up early, zebra crossed in front of us and then we found our first tortoise of the trip. Strange that he was not hibernating on this very cold morning. Heather suggested that his burrow might have been flooded and he was forced out.

Tortoise crossing the wet road

Is his tongue stuck to the tar or does the tar make the water taste like coke?

A lilac breasted roller was fluffed up and wet looking rather sorry for itself.

Wet Lilac Breasted Roller

We saw bull elephants quite a few times. I feel quite sorry for the male of the species as elephants have a matriarchal society and the alpha female leads the family and when the males get to a certain age they have to leave the herd and are only allowed to visit.

Birds of prey have made themselves scarce this trip but the brown snake eagle is often around.
Baboons amused us several times today too.

So waaa to you too

We have not stopped too many times for birds as they seem to be scattered abroad. But we did find a few bird parties and this little lark had us guessing. We finally decided it was a monotonous lark.

We stopped to look at giraffe, zebra and elephant and then arrived at Letaba at 9:15.

Refurbing of the restaurant and rest rooms are in process. Bug and Mean have taken over and we were apprehensive as to the service having had two bad experiences at Satara and Olifants. Our waitress was lovely but we had to speak simply as she did not understand everything we said. Our drinks arrived in less than 15 minutes and our meal in less than half an hour which we find quite acceptable. The food was good. My coffee was the house blend which is bottomless. The first cup was not very hot but as I take it black it was drinkable. I was offered a second cup and I asked for it to be hot and it was! Usually their coffees are served in a mug but I asked for a cup and a cup I received. So we were impressed with Mug and Bean, Letaba! After breakfast we walked around the camp trying to find owls but they were clearly away on holiday. Instead we found a grey-headed bushshrike. It was not easy getting photographs as it moved constantly and his behind the foliage.

My shot with his bill behind the branch

Earl managed a clearer shot

Bushbuck love Letaba and find their way into the camp. We found one trying to look inconspicuous under a tree.

We took a slow drive back to Olifants along the river road but there was not much to see. The cold weather had clearly sent the critters into hiding.
There were of course stops to see the usual suspects of giraffe and zebra etc. The vegetation is very pretty in this area with Mopane trees in varying colours from autumn to new spring leaves. So the colours are green, yellow, orange, red, bronze. At one of our stops we found pied wagtail, 3 banded plover and a coucal in a tree.

African Pied Wagtail

Three banded plover

A flock of canaries startled us out of a reverie and we stopped for ages taking photographs. There were other species among them like grey headed sparrow and twin spot batis. Red winged starling flew into a tree and as I watched them I caught sight of a brown headed parrot hiding in the foliage. This caused a great flurry of camera activity and finally we all managed to get some decent shots.

This might be a female or non-breeding red-headed weaver

Chinspot Batis with yellow fronted canary in background

Yellow-fronted canaries

Brown headed parrot

After this excitement there was a dry spell of driving until among the beautiful burnished colours of the Mopani trees I saw a ball of grey. I called stop and Earl reversed and even when I saw it again I was tempted to say – no its nothing but I raised my binoculars to it and found a pearl spotted owlet. It took a while to describe to the others where I was looking and there was great excitement when everyone spotted it. We had a brief minute or two when suddenly it was gone and we could not see where it had flown too. A really special treat!

Pearl Spotted Owlet

We had tried to fill up with diesel at Letaba but they had run out so we needed to be sure to get back to Olifants before we ran out. We arrived back at quarter past 2, filled up, went to the shop and then had left overs for lunch at our huts. At half past three we went out again this time to find our crocodile and terrapin pond. We always visit this pond as the first time we found it a baby croc and his terrapin friends came rushing to the edge to meet any vehicle that happened along. Clearly someone had started feeding them and they still try to cash in on the deal. And yes they were there! The croc is much bigger and more frightening now but still ruler of the pond! I wonder if he will ever migrate away from it.

My but he’s grown!

Beware

Have you got some crumbs for us?

Please?

To end the day we found kudu and then a korhaan.

It was our tamest day so far but a slow day in Kruger is still better than a good day in Cape Town.

Kruger National Park Day 9 Orpen to Olifants

2014-07-25 | puppy1952

7 July 2014 Orpen to Olifants Our day started very early with a loud clattering and crashing coming from the stoep. Earl and I both got up to investigate at the same time – I knew it had to be a honey badger and I grabbed the walkie talkie to alert Heather. By the time we got there the invader had gone. It was just after 2 a.m. We went wearily back to bed and eventually dropped off only to be awoken by fresh clattering and this time there were 2 naughty critters. They’d upset the bin, opened a latched cupboard and were greedily devouring the scraps left over from last night’s supper! Our presence with cameras did nothing to deter them and we managed to get some reasonable shots of the little burglars.

Intruding Honey badgers

After all this excitement it was difficult to get back to sleep but exhaustion took over and we were back in dreamland knowing that our wake up time would be 5 a.m. BUT I had somehow got it wrong and woke with a start at twenty to six. The alarm was only set for 6 which was supposed to be departure time! But with cooperation from everyone we packed up quickly and were on the road to Olifants by 6:30. Our intention was to stop at Timbavati Picnic Site and make breakfast there. But the weather had turned and it was freezing so we had a loo and coffee break there then continued to Olifants where we had brunch much later. The sightings today were good. From Orpen along the H7 we first found wildebeest and then Peter said – red brake lights up ahead – what has he seen? As we approached Heather called out Jackal and to our joy he cooperated well and gave us a good photo shoot. He sniffed and scratched for morsels to eat, performed his toilet then took off into the bush.

On an early morning mission

When nature calls you must respond

We saw zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and impala and then another holdup of cars ahead.

Just love these elegant creatures

When we caught up we found a huge herd of buffalo – nice to see after the few scattered pairs and individuals we’d seen previously.

Nice herd having breakfast

All this was before 7:30 in the morning. Then up ahead two cars cruising slowly and staring into the bush. Earl passed the one in front very slowly and I mouthed – what? Lion he mouthed back. We couldn’t see anything then the car in front of him pointed and we caught up and stopped. Heather yelled – there he is and a huge male stared me right in the eye! Earl said – close your window – my hands were shaking on the camera but I was not about to give up my shot to wind up any window!

He stared me in the eye before looking away

We watched him for a while turned around and saw him cross the road and march off into the bush. There was a second lion but we didn’t see it. It must have gone over while we were looking at his friend.

He was a big boy

Off to find his friend

A nice scratch on the prickly bush before moving on again

Near the waterhole Girabana we found a fish eagle in a tree and waterbuck looking too gorgeous for words.

Fish Eagle

Beautiful Female

Sat on a wet toilet seat? Or is it just a target on her bum!

After our coffee at Timbavati we took a detour to the Ratelpan hide but it was disappointing. Usually we spend at least half an hour there but today the cold prevented us from waiting for something to turn up. There seemed little to see on the S127 and were chatting about this and that when I interrupted a story Heather was relating – Kori Bustard! And then there were 2.

All Puffed up to look attractive for his mate

Approaching each other

Shall we dance?

Soon after we stopped for Temminck’s coursers and while we were trying to identify them a car drew up and asked if we’d seen the Secretary Bird. You mean Kori Bustard? we asked. No and he showed us his photograph – he’d seen it 5km back – too far for us to chase. We were most disappointed to have missed it because earlier in the holiday I’d commented that we’d never found Secretary Birds in the KNP! How annoying to have missed it by 5km! They raced ahead and we found them soon after starting at a bird of prey in a tree. It was difficult to identify but we thought we knew what it could be We asked the driver what he thought but he was stumped. “Juvenile Black breasted Snake-Eagle we said. ” when it’s a juvenile – I give up he laughed. But that’s what my son thinks it is too! The boy was about 12. Next up we found a small group of Mommy elephants with their adorable offspring.

Elephants again

Then surprise and delight I spotted the elusive bird we’d been seeking – A secretary bird! What were the chances after missing the previous one we would so soon find the culprit!

The elusive Secretary Bird

The next interesting sighting was a little yellow mongoose trying to hide away from us. The final highlight of the day was once again seeing 2 cars ahead going slowly, catching up and Earl declaring – its a hyena. In fact it was a baby. On a previous visit we witnessed an adult pack going off to hunt, a baby bidding its mom goodbye and going off to the den. Clearly this one had not obeyed the instruction to stay hidden while his elders we getting his lunch! It was a beautiful sighting!

My shot – he was right next to my window

Nice capture by Earl

And then he stalked off!

We arrived at Olifants at 12, checked in but could only pick up the keys at 1 so we had brunch at Mug and Bean – a tad better than Satara but not much!

Kruger National Park Day 8 Orpen

2014-07-06 | puppy1952

6 July 2014 – Orpen

We made a fairly early start today leaving at 6:45 at 15 degrees c so not too cold. The temperatures rose to the mid twenties by mid-morning.
The sightings of game were fairly frequent and we enjoyed coming across zebra, giraffe,wildebeest and kudu at regular intervals. During the spells of nothing we would stop to see the odd bird but we certainly have not seen as many birds as we normally find at other times of the year.

Yellow-bellied Eremomela

Pipits are difficult to identify but I think this one is a Bushveld Pipit

White-browed Scrub Robin

Emerald-spotted wood-dove

Travelling long distances, slowly through the park we sometimes start to lose concentration and drift into dream mode. During such a period Earl suddenly slammed on brakes and reversed slowly backwards. I’d seen an odd looking dove sized bird fly into a bush and we soon found it well hidden amongst the foliage. Heather managed to get a reasonable photo. A tiny pearl spotted owlet. Our first owl this trip. It is a diurnal bird unlike most owls that hunt at night.

We also came across a traffic jam and were irritated that cars were blocking the road to state at sleeping lions. They had huge cameras pointing out of their windows. Lions lie and sleep 20 houses a day. Take the photo and move on for Goodness sake. Come back later if you are so desperate to keep company with the king of the beasts. We were stuck behind two cars on the left and unable to see anything but a flicking tail or to pass as a car on the right blocked the way. We finally managed to persuade her to move on, slipped into her spot, took a quick photo and moved on. Half an hour later the front car caught up to us. During this time we’d stopped to commune with steenbok, giraffe, elephant etc. He raced past looking for the next lion or leopard I would imagine.

Lion deliberately ignoring his admirers

We stopped at Muzandzenzi Picnic spot where We hired a slotted for R20 and Earl cooked us a divine breakfast. We had fun watching the cheeky hornbills and starlings beg for tidbits.

Kruger Cook

Yellow-billed Hornbill by Earl

This picnic site has no amenities other than a long drop loo which is very clean And well maintained. There are tables and chairs and it is shady and pleasant.
Here are some of the critters we saw today

Tawny Eagle

Ellies found some fresh drinking water

Saddle-billed Stork

Rhinoceros

We bought pizzas from Debonair at Satara and took the home for supper.

Kruger National Park Day 7 Orpen

2014-07-05 | puppy1952

5 July 2014 Orpen

Today was a rest day. Well for us it was restful compared to our normal hectic pace. I set the alarm for 7 but both Earl and I were awake before 6. We needed to do laundry but the washing machine was a bit odd so the maids offered to sort it out for us. Very kind of them.

We left camp just after 9 and stopped at Satara for brunch. To our horror Mug and Bean have been given franchise rights in the park. We found them at Lower Sabie first. We do realise that the masses of visitors need to be fed but the last Franchise – Tree – worked fabulously. We seldom had complaints. Admittedly our lunch at Lower Sabie was efficiently dealt with too. But at Satara we waited ages before our order came and then it wrong! Peter’s order didn’t arrive at all and when he complained there were a million excuses about being misunderstood. He said he would give them 2 minutes to fix it otherwise they could just not bother. 5 minutes later he got his order. My order came with an ingredient missing. Earl’s tomato for his Eggs Benedict was uncooked. Heather got cucumber and cheddar cheese instead of Avo and cream cheese in her chicken wrap! Really there was no excuse. I called the manager and he took his time coming. He apologized but made the excuse that the kitchen was not yet used to the very varied menu! Really? Mug ‘n Bean? Then they shouldn’t be in the Park. I told the manager that they were highly privileged to have this franchise and that I hoped things were going to improve fast. We could see from other patrons that things weren’t going well. Kruger is our a flagship and I would hate our overseas visitors to get a bad impression! Mug ‘n Bean – you have a huge responsibility to this country!
Well complaints over. The food that we got was good and the manager gave us free coffees and didn’t charge for Peter’s meal. It was the least he could do.
Now for the sightings of the day. Each day always has a special highlight and for us today it came early. We stopped to see two birds – a tawny eagle and a white faced vulture on a kill. It took a while to work out that they were devouring a python! We have never seen a python in the park dead or alive so this was very interesting.

Tawny Eagle scavenging on Python

White-headed vulture on the pyhthon kill

White-headed vulture sitting on the python – note the full crop

Tawny flew into a bush with very full crop

We saw lots of other animals and birds on our route which took us to Satara and back via a few detour loops.

Fiscal Flycatcher

Ground Hornbill

Male Waterbuck having a rest

Ellie reaching for a tasty snack

As I type Heather is cooking our evening meal. The weather is amazing. Not a breath of wind and temperatures to day shot to 32. The mornings are cold but the evenings are still pleasant enough to sit outdoors. Kruger is indeed The Best Place on Earth.

Orpen Camp

Kruger National Park Day Day 6 Skukuza to Orpen

2014-07-04 | puppy1952

4 July 2014 – Skukuza to Orpen

We made an early start today as we had a long way to go to get to Orpen and we did not take the direct route so by 6:15 we were packed and ready to go. We needed to fill up and Earl got onto conversation with the petrol jockey. He confided that he’d been to Cape Town and liked it for the fishing but not the weather. Earl readily took this opportunity to show him some of his fishing photos on his phone!

Once we were off I read him an email from his friend John and in the process we forgot to post the keys. This Peter alerted us to when we were half an hour into our journey and so we had to turn back and take a different route to the original plan to Orpen!
We then took the H1-2 and soon found a tawny eagle in a tree.

Tawny Eagle by Earl

Elephants and baboons were about and zebra buffalo and rhino made an appearance.

Jumbo’s tusks looking a little worse for wear

At Leeupan there was a gathering of zebra which we first found crossing the road before they headed to muddy up a small water puddle. Impala and kudu were there as was a single giraffe. There was a woolly necked stork hiding in the reeds and some other water birds were there too.

Quite a pose one has to pull just to get a drink

A martial eagle was the next exciting bird to be found sitting atop a tree. A bit far but lovely to see.

At 9:30 we arrived at Tshokwane Picnic site, ordered kuduwors rolls and coffee – the best in the park and spent an hour chilling before hitting the road again.

At Mafagalamba Dam we found a pod of hippo in and out of the water. A heron found the back of a hippo a good viewing point. There were wildebeest and waterbuck grazing and drinking and we renamed the dam Waterbuck bum waterhole as it’s actual name is too difficult to pronounce!

As we crossed a ford over the N’waswitosonto River I spotted a ‘stone’ at the edge of the water but when I looked with my binoculars it tuned into an Ayre’s Hawk Eagle – a wonderful find for the mad birders that we are!

It was a long day today and we continued to find the usual suspects – impala, zebra, giraffe,wildebeest which was great because sometimes you can see nothing and worry about what has happened to our wildlife. Happily they are alive and well and living in The Kruger National Park.
We usually visit Kruger in Spring or Summer when the birdlife is prolific. The migrants are missing in winter so the abundance is not present right now. However every now and then we stop and find parties of small resident birds which are difficult to photograph as they move so quickly.
Some special birds we saw today were Brown Snake Eagle, Red-crested Korean, rattling cisticola, saddle billed stork and woolly necked stork.

Cape Glossy Starling

Arrow-marked babbler

Yellow-bellied Eromomela

Rattling Cisticola

Saddle-billed Stork

Red-crested Korhaan

Cats – any cats and predators are always exciting to see. We have seen very few so far – 12 lion yesterday were a big surprise. I had a strong feeling that cheetah would appear today and I told everyone that we would see them.

We were tired and in a hurry to get to camp when we noticed a few cars stationery up ahead. In the distance Earl pointed out a shape moving toward us. Lion, he said but it turned into a cheetah! We pulled into a space and had brilliant views of two cheetahs walking gingerly toward us. One ran across the road between the cars and the other was skittish and frightened not wanting to take the chance. He was right next to our car, on the correct side of the road for the sun not to spoil the picture. But the animal is the same color as the grass and very well camouflaged! He eventually summoned up the courage to join his mate and it was so sweet to see them greet each other and frolic together before running off into the sunset.

Looking for his mate

Debating which way to go

He changed direction then crossed quickly

Earl’s Cheetah looking him right in the eye.

Wow that left us on a high and now Earl just wanted to get to camp and we stopped only briefly for elephant, rhino, buffalo, kudu and a korhaan!
Orpen Camp is our favourite. We were in huts 8 and 9. Each had an outdoor kitchen and covered stoep. The room was comfy with an en suite shower and loo. Orpen also has the best swimming pool and a floodlit waterhole on the other side of the fence. It is a small, unspoilt camp with no restaurant. However, there is a coffee hut next to the shop that serves excellent coffees, teas and hot chocolate.

Kruger National Park Day 5 Skukuza and surrounds

2014-07-03 | puppy1952

We decided to wake up a little later this morning and do breakfast before going out. The plan was to have brekkie ready by 7 and leave at 7:30 but we ended up leaving a tad later than that. The weather was once again cool in the morning, 9 degrees C at 8 a.m. but warming up to the late twenties by midday.
We did a short drive in the morning with a view to returning to Skukuza by midday and going to Lake Panic for a couple of hours as the sun would be in the right place to facilitate good photography. Heather in particular was keen to get to Lake Panic a.s.a.p. and Earl kept teasing her that we wouldn’t make it. He wanted to find cats first!
Our first sighting of the day was an early morning Steenbok. Earl then burst out laughing when he spotted a baboon at the apex of a very tall tree. He must have had a fabulous view from up there.

Baboon’s Eye View

Our birding stops provided us with green pigeons, golden breasted buntings, blue waxbills, cardinal woodpeckers and crested barbets amongst others.

Golden-breasted Bunting

Rhino although highly vulnerable to poachers and many are unnecessary lost to the most horrific slaughter were seen often.

We were amused by an interesting sighting of young zebra and giraffe on a play date! One seemed to be saying Mom, he called me a long neck. But you do have a long neck darling. Yes but he said it meanly. Well just tell him he’s a streepgat!
At the top of the hill there is a lookout point where you can get out and survey the scene. We noticed a school bus spilling out a dozen or so teenaged boys from Pretoria Boys High School. I chatted to one of them who was extremely polite and he told me they belonged to the school’s wildlife society and that this was an annual visit organized by a couple of their teachers. What a wonderful thing to do with a group of interested boys. They were staying outside the camp and this was their last day. During their week in Kruger they had seen everything and had had a thoroughly good time.
Earl took a road along which we’d seen cheetah on previous trips and insisted that we would see them there again. We were agitating to get to Lake Panic but he ignored our nagging. Suddenly he said oh no we weren’t supposed to see lions! and there in right in front of us a single lion crossed the road.

Oh my – the cheetah turned out to be a lion!

Peter alerted us to more in the bush and we sat and watch no less than 12 very young lion cross over into the bush and disappear.

We were alone with this sighting but alerted other cars to what had occurred. We saw them in the distance as we travelled on and another car told us they had seen just one lion walking in the bush. That is simply being in the right place at the right time!
Still on this high we made our way to Skukuza stopping for a brief look at warthogs and a longer one for a saddle billed stork in a small pond.

We took a short loo and coffee break at camp and then went to Lake Panic, just 10 minutes away.
We couldn’t have chosen a better time to visit. The hide was full but we Heather Peter and I found a spot together and Earl was slightly round the corner. We have wonderful views of Goliath Heron, pied kingfishers and a mother and baby hippo. The baby couldn’t have been more than a week old and Mom was so protective. There were no other hippos about.
The hide emptied and we made our way to where Earl was sitting and found more herons, a crocodile sunning himself on the bank, many black crake and more kingfishers. The hippos swam to this end too and we observed them emerge form the water and rests on the bank. The photos tell the story.

Pied kingfisher suscessful in his efforts

This is going to fill me up

Mom I need to have a swim

Come out of the water now

The grass here is rather tasty

Oh Golly – Here’s a goliath

Grey Heron

Goliath Heron looking good

Showing off

Terrapin Ballet

African Black Crake

Best shots we have ever had of this usually shy bird

Rigt at the end a grey duiker appeared for a quick drink

Kruger National Park Day 4 Turning 70 at Skukuza

2014-07-02 | puppy1952

2 July 2014 Celebrating 70 years of Earl

It is Earls 70th birthday today and what better place to celebrate than in The Kruger National Park. Our first few days in the park have been slow as far as sightings are concerned and we began to fear that the animals had packed up and emigrated! Today though they were all out and about specially to greet Earl on his birthday.
It is important to make an early start in the park because of the distances that we travel at extremely slow speed. The first leg of our route started at 6:45 and the temperature was 7 degrees C. (By midday it was in the high 20s) We followed the Maroela Loop to the Nkulu Picnic Site where we stopped for breakfast at 9 o’clock.
First up was a buffalo followed soon after by a beautiful, young bushbuck who emerged silently from the bush and crossed in front of us.

Beautiful bush buck

We were pleased to see several large herds of impala along the way. We also encountered nyala several times and kudu were plentiful – some in bachelor herds, some just females and a few mixed.

Male Kudu

Warthogs turned their backs on us.

There were lots of vultures flying overhead and we wondered if there was a kill nearby but if there was it was not close to the road. We also found one perched in a tree.

Always cute to see are the shy little steenbok and we were to see them a few times today.

Steenbok

We stopped at Nkulhu Picnic Site which is terraced to the river. It is a beautiful spot but the monkeys and baboons can be a nuisance. We managed to eat our boerewors rolls without being harrased.

Crossing a bridge we found some amusing baboons.

The next leg took us to Lower Sabie and we enjoyed many sightings along the way.

A gymnogene gave us quite a performance scratching for prey.

Brown Hooded Parrot

White crowned shrike

Sunset Dam was great as always. We arrived to see an elephant enjoying a drink, hippos and crocodiles sunning themselves on the bank, wildebeest coming down to see what was up, several species of storks having a conference and little shore birds strutting about looking for food.

Three Banded Plover

Grey Heron

Lower Sabie is the most commercial of all the camps and caters for the tourists every need. The Restaurant is now a Mug and Bean! How horrible but I guess the masses must be fed and this is possibly the most efficient way of doing it. The view from the deck is still amazing and hippos and buffalo were on the river bank, a giraffe loped lazily by and open billed storks stood about waiting for something.

It was good to have a break before heading back to camp but we had to be back at camp by 5:30. Earl said we would therefore only stop for the most exciting sightings.

We did make a little draai to a puddle where we knew we’d find some water birds.

Giant kingfisher

There was a lot to see on the way back giraffe, zebra, elephants, rhino, buffalo, several types of buck and birds of course.
At Renosterpan we had our finest sightings of – yes you guessed it – rhinoseros. There were 3 present proving that the name was chosen with good reason.

We celebrated Earl’s birthday by going to the restaurant. Peter and Heather contributed to his gift of a Panasonic Lumix Camera along with the kids and me but they also found a lovely solar powered lamp which they presented to him with a sign in it saying I am 70. They treated us to dinner too. Thanks H2 and P.

Happy Birthday Earl

Heather and Peter

Chatting to the kids who called to wish him

Kruger National Park Day 3 Pretoriuskop to Skukuza

2014-07-01 | puppy1952

1 July 2014 Pretoriuskop to Skukuza

Today we rose a little later, cooked breakfast, packed up and then left at 8:30 for Skukuza. It was a glorious, sunny day with temperatures warm enough to be dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Check in at Skukuza would only be from 2 p.m. onwards so we took the Sabie River road which promised to provide us with some good birding. It proved to be a slow day for both birds and game viewing but a bad day in Kruger is better than a good day in Cape Town so there were no complaints in our car. Being in a confined space with no chance of escape for a few hours at a time can have its moments. Hyperactive children can be trying but try an older man with the attention span of a 7 year old who needs constant stimulation, and some fun situations can develop. To give him credit my darling husband will do anything to make me happy and what makes me happy is to be able to spend a bit of time at a sighting before moving on. But impatience sometimes gets the better of him and he will start the car and move on before I and the ‘kids’in the back have had time to enjoy the moment. So the rule is – don’t move until I say so! Yes I know this sounds bossy and school teacherish and he looks so sad when I make him stop a few extra seconds but it’s worth it because nine times out of ten we get to see more than we bargained for. Today we had some stunning stops to watch birds and congratulations Earlie – you were very patient with us all and helped us get some gorgeous photies.
Some of the creatures we saw today were:

Vevet Monkey surveying the scene

Female Bearded Woodpecker

Blue Waxbill

Little Bee-eater

Iconic bird of the park – Lilac Breasted Roller

Female Kudu going down to the water to drink

Some of her friends

These are my girls

Aren’t they adorable

There always has to be one great highlight of each day. Today we were going through a monotonous spell of no sightings when E suddenly slammed on breaks and drew our attention to a small bird of prey hiding low down among some trees and very close to the road. It would have been so easy to miss. It was a Little Sparrow-hawk. We had superb views and he sat quietly for a photo shoot but flew off just before Heather got her camera to behave. E and I got some good ones though.

Highlight of the Day. Little Sparrowhawk

At Skukuza a problem with my Wild Card was picked up and so a call to the Wild card center had to be made but once it was sorted out we were through by 3:20 and into our huts 114 and 115. Once settled we went to the restaurant for coffee and muffins and did a short walk along the river trail. Heather cooked us a stunning meal of chicken and couscous this evening and we sat outdoors without jackets till 8 o’clock. What a fabulous day!

Kruger National Park Day 1 and 2 Bloemfontein to Numbi Gate and Pretoriuskop

2014-06-29 | puppy1952

We are back from another amazing sojourn in The Kruger National Park. I have hundreds of photographs providing wonderful memories and will be going through them and posting some on this blog in the week or so.

Sunday 29 June 2014 Bloemfontein to Numbi Gate and Pretriouskop Rest Camp

We left Bloemfontein at 5 a.m. after a very comfortable night at Duinerus. Thanks to Magriet for her fantastic hospitality. The weather was clear and sunny though a little chilly for the first few hours. We stopped at Grasmere for breakfast and met some people with a CS number plate. They were from Bredasdorp and on their way to Kruger and Mozambique.

We decided to do our shopping at Middleberg Mall just off the freeway instead of Nelspruit and that proved to be a good idea as it had Woolworths and we were done in no time! The arrival at Numbi at 3:00 went smoothly. We had to fill out an indemnity at the gate and then went through reception very quickly. We then travelled the S3 and our first sighting was a fork-tailed drongo – very common in the park. Shortly after we stopped off at Mestel Dam. There was a pod of hippo basking in the sun. Earl wanted to leave straight away but I insisted he turn off the engine and watch and wait. Within minutes we found a fish eagle, darter, pied king fisher, giant kingfisher, jacana, and black crake. The thing about waterholes is that things can change so quickly. We even got to hear the fish eagles iconic African call.

First of many hippos seen this trip

We were quite tired after our two days of travelling so did not do a long game drive. We found grey hornbills and then Peter alerted us to waterbuck and kudu in the bush.

What are you doing in my park?

A target on your bottom is quite something to live with!

We then turned onto the S7 and Heather called Stop when she spotted a burchels coucal posing in a tree. Shortly after that we found some glossy starlings and more drongos.

Burchell’s Coucal

On the H 1 Earl spotted a single warthog grazing in the dry grass. At the Pretoriouskop day visitor picnic site we found impala with oxpeckers giving them a beauty treatment.

You really must take care of these ears!

Three lovely waterbuck appeared just before Pretoriouskop entrance and a group of 4 dwarf mongoose darted across the road before we finally entered the gate at 4:30 Checking in went smoothly and we were delighted to move into to Huts 130 and 131 . We dined on braaied chops, sweet potatoes and salad an spent the evening outdoors in beautiful weather. It only got cold at around 9 pm

Relaxing on the stoep of our rondawel

Cheers my love

Our own personal chef

We also brought our own personal window cleaner!

Monday 30 June 2014 Pretoriouskop

We made an early start this morning and exited the gate just after 06h00. It was still dark but it was not as chilly as we’d anticipated. It gets light suddenly here and the sunrises are magnificent.
This sunrise with a giraffe silhouetted in the foreground typifies Africa for me.

This is Africa

The first leg of our journey took us along the H1-1. We turned off onto the s71 to Shithave Dam where there was very little besides a grey heron and a pied kingfisher.
Back on the H1-1 we found giraffe, zebra and kudu. The highlight of the morning was a beautiful brown snake eagle perched atop a tee. Snake Eagles are not true eagles as their feathers do not go down to their feet – only to the knees. Most snake eagles have yellow eyes.

Brown Snake-Eagle

We also spent ages observing a party of birds flitting about in the bushes. Seeing us stopped and staring into the bush caused a number of cars to enquire as to what exciting creature we had seen. They tore off in a puff of dust when we tried to point out an interesting bird or 2. Many people visit the park for the Big 5 and other predators and as excting as it is to see them I get more of a thrill out of the small things in Kruger. One can travel the roads for hours and not see a thing if you don’t take note of the birds and other small things.

At 9 we arrived at Transport Dam where a pod of hippos were frolicking, a few jacanas were walking in the water plants, a crake made an appearance, water dikkop sunned themselves and hornbills and lapwings begged tidbits from the tourists!
Continuing further were shaken from a reverie when we spotted a roadblock up ahead. A herd of elephants were refusing to allow the cars to pass. One mock charged a car and then swerved into the bush probably giggling and elephant laugh as the occupants breathed a sigh of relief.
A special sighting thereafter was a little Klipspringer staring at us silently from his rocky perch.

Klipspringers are incredibly nimble on rocks.

A Kruger Road Block!

Klipspringers are incredibly nimble on rocks

We stopped at Afsaal for breakfast at about 11. It was quite warm now and we sat in the shade to enjoy our toasted sandwiches and coffee. Afsaal is one of the larger picnic sites which has a kiosk providing meals and good coffee can be obtained. We prefer the smaller picnic sites where they do not have shops etc but Kruger draws thousands of tourists and they must be fed!

Afsaal

We went a little further past Afsaal before turning back to Pretoriouskop. A pile of cars were staring into the bush where leopard had been seen but we didn’t bother to wait for the phantom to appear. We enjoyed sightings of giraffe, zebra, warthog and a few more bird parties and arrived back at camp at 3.

Beautiful Model

She’s on a leaf and thorn diet

Hello Boys!

Brown hooded kingfisher

Hamerkop

Longbilled Crombec

Yellow-billed Hornbills

After shopping, getting and ice cream and resting for a while we explored the camp and found some lovely birds in the pool area.

We were delighted to find a crested barbet, black headed oriole and red-billed woodhoepoe. In front of our hut we also found a Kurrichane Thrush.

Crested Barbet

Black Headed Oriole

Red-billed woodhoepoe with bug

Kurrichane Thrush

Supper was an early braai. Earl went to be very early and the rest of us chatted outdoors for a while before turning in for the night. We do not keep late hours in Kruger!

Taking the Kids to Kruger – Conclusion

2012-04-05 | puppy1952

5 April 2011

Cape Town to Oudtshoorn t0 Kokstad to Kruger National Park for 7 days then back to Kokstad to Karoo National Park (Beaufort West) to Cape Town. Phew – a lot of travelling done in 10 days. But it has been a most rewarding time. Seeing our grandchildren’s faces and hearing their cries of delight when they’ve spotted cheetah, leopard, lion, hyena, elephant, rhino, buffalo and wild dog has given us great pleasure. We have watched as they’ve become more observant of the smaller things in the park, they have a fresh appreciation for birds and they’re all deeply concerned about poaching and determined to do their part for conservation.
We would love to take them again but next time we’ll choose a different time of year – summer is best for birds. Luck was with us as far as spotting interesting things this time and each day had its special highlight but there were long stretches in the car when little was seen. Many people say June/July is best when the grass is short and its easy to see game but for us summer has always been productive for both birds and mammals. I think the time has come too when the long drive from Cape Town is just too long. We will in future fly and hire a vehicle – and this is for the sake of Grandpa who insists on doing all the driving!

We are proud that the kids were so patient in the car, did their chores dutifully and behaved beautifully. We hope we’ve given them a passion for the wild and that their introduction to photography will become a life-long hobby.