We drove from Pretoria on 4th November, arriving in Sabie Park late afternoon. For the next ten days or so I wasn't feeling too good, so we didn't do anything apart from birdwatch from the veranda. I managed to do a walk around SP one day but totally exhausted myself & couldn't do anything for the rest of the day. On 6th November I went for my sixth & final chemotherapy infusion. It went well but made me ill for the next few days. It is very frustrating to be in such a great location & not being able to be active. I have been ill for the last six months due to chemo side effects & it just feels a total waste of my life! I can enjoy very little these days.
By the 13th November we decided to get away for a few days & booked three nights in a chalet at Crocodile Bridge Camp. This was to be followed by another three nights at Serenity Lodge up in the hills behind Malelane.
Due to a number of factors were arrive quite late at the camp on 13th. We had time for a quick walk around the camp & settling in to the chalet. We enjoyed a quiet night listening to the sounds of the nearby river.
Up early on 14th November but the weather was poor: very overcast & light drizzle throughout the day. We set off north on the main tar road to Lower Sabie & then drove to the savanna like area north & east of the camp. The highlight here were multiple views of Black-bellied Bustards displaying. In total we saw five different males really well & we spent some time taking photos.
We returned to Lower Sabie Camp for lunch & then drove back along the dirt S28 road. It was a long & exhausting day for me, but we obtained some great photos of some nice species.
The weather on 15th November was much better & we set out to explore the Crocodile River Road & Mpondo Dam area. It was slow going both for birds & animals. We did see two shy White Rhinos, but they moved off before I could get a photograph. We did slightly better with a Leopard sighting. Despite it being quiet, we saw 81 species in the morning. We had lunch back at the chalet & 18 Red-winged Pratincoles were hawking insects over the river.
After a lazy lunch break, we set out on our afternoon game drive at 2,45 pm. We went north & then cut across to the S28 road via Duke Waterhole. My plan on using this route was to try & see Cheetah, which is no mean feet in these areas!
It was a slow drive with few animals but we did see an adult Red backed Shrike & a fleeting Eurasian Golden Oriole. There were also several hundred Wattled Starlings in this area.
Then we headed south & saw three male Cheetahs walking parallel to us in the tall grass. Eventually they climbed a termite mound to have a look around & gave us excellent views! It was a wonderful sighting which we had all to ourselves. Delana was delighted, as this is her favorite cat species. Sometimes a plan just comes together very nicely!
The rest of the evening was spent around the fire at the chalet.
We packed early on the morning of 16th November & took a leisurely drive down the Crocodile River Road (S25). The only sighting of note were a group of five Senegal Plovers by the roadside.
We exited the park through the Malelane Gate & Delana took me to The Deck Restaurant for lunch. What a nice place it was with expansive views over the Crocodile River looking into Kruger.
Next to the parking area was an ornamental pond with both Spotted backed & Southern Masked Weavers breeding in good numbers.
Grosbeak Weavers were also breeding in the bullrushes in the pond. I also kicked out an adult male Little Bittern at the waters edge. However it was too quick for me to obtain a photo.
After a nice lunch we drove the short distance to Serenity Mountain & Forest Lodge.
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