Saturday, 30 August 2025

Sabie & Kruger in Spring

 We left Pearly Beach early on the 22nd August. We had a long drive of over 1,000 kms to reach Bloemfontein, where we stayed with Francois & Chantelle. The next day we drove to Burkea Park in Pretoria. The next couple of says were spent doing chores in & around the city. We arrived home late afternoon on 27th, just in time to have a sundowner drink on the veranda. Lion & Spotted Hyena called nearby. It was good to be home again.

On my spot!

Our lawnmower is working!

Warthog




African Firefinch





Fork-tailed Drongo

Black-backed Puffback



Collared Sunbird


Yellow-bellied Greenbul


I was up early on 28th August birding in & around the garden. A pair of African Firefinch seem to have taken up residence & an African Goshawk displayed overhead. 

We saw a Cheetah on the way!

In the afternoon we drove into Hazyview to do some shopping. 

A foggy start to the day!


Brown Snake Eagle




Long-billed Crombec


Rattling Cisticola

Side-striped Jackal

A very uncommon & patchily distribution in Kruger.

Giraffe

A young Elephant flexing his muscles!

Mother & very young baby Baboon





King of the Castle game!






The next day we drove into Kruger for the morning driving down the S114, before turning on to the S21 & back along the main road. The best sighing was a pair of Side-striped Jackal, who kept hidden in the long grass! It was a pleasant outing & nice to be back in the national park.




We spent the 30th at home, first birding around the garden & then enjoying a late breakfast at the picnic site.

Everything is very brown here.
Still in the grip of winter!

Eastern Bearded Scrub Robin




The last day of the month saw us conducting a bird walk around Sabie Park. It was a beautiful winter's morning & although birds were not plentiful, we recorded a creditable 49 species in just over an hour.

A large herd of Impala.

Helmeted Guineafowl

Young Swainson's Spurfowl

African Green Pigeon

Laughing Dove

Emerald Spotted Wood Dove

Red-billed Oxpecker

Crested Barbet

Ashy Flycatcher

Long-billed Crombec

Male Red-headed Weaver coming 
into breeding plumage.

Golden-breasted Bunting

Water Monitor

Spotted Hyena


The 1st September marked the official first day of spring. However, it didn't feel like spring! Very much still winter here. There was however, the first two intra-African migrants in: Wahlberg's Eagle & Yellow-billed Kite. We drove our normal half day route: S3 & S4, onto the Diospame Road, down the Waterhole Road to Transport Dam & back via Skukuza. The game viewing was decidedly ordinary with Spotted Hyena being the best sighting. 

African Hawk Eagle


We did have a very good sighting of a pair of African Hawk Eagles on the newly constructed New Loop Road. We were back home for lunch & spent the rest of the day in the garden.

Early morning on the 2nd saw me birding around the house. It was very birdy with 42 species seen within an hour. The best sighting was a male & two female Purple-banded Sunbirds feeding very high in the trees alongside the river. This species seems to be expanding its range & is a rare winter visitor to the riparian forest along the Sabie River. Couldn't get any meaningful photos, as the birds were very high & against the sky. Must try harder! 

The ever decreasing Lake Panic!

African Fish Eagle

Natal Spurfowl

Yellow-billed Kite: one of the earliest 
intra-African migrants.

Ring-necked Dove

Grey-go-away Bird

Brown-headed Kingfisher



Kurrichane Thrush


African Black-headed Oriole

Village (Spot-backed) Weaver

The afternoon saw us visiting Lake Panic Bird Hide. The light was fantastic for photography & although there wasn't that much water, we had a brilliant couple of hours there.

The Sabie River from the picnic site.





Grey Heron


Saddle-billed Stork






Brown-headed Parrot


African Black-headed Oriole

African Palm Swift

A tough species to photograph!


Tawny-flanked Prinia


Red-faced Cisticola



We were up early on the 3rd September & went to the picnic site for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful morning & very birdy, but it was the Elephants which stole the show!

The Elephants followed us home!
Here on our fence line.

Giraffe taking it easy in the heat!

Retz's Helmetshrike

African Firefinch


Southern Black Tit

Yellow-breasted Apalis

Yellow-fronted Canary


White-browed Scrub Robin

Green-backed Camaroptera




White-browed Robin Chat


Red-capped Robin Chat











We spent the afternoon at home, as the temperature rose to an incredible 41degrees Celsius! Some great birds were photographed visiting our bird bath. It was a really entertaining, but very, very hot!

White-backed Vulture

Young Bateleur

Black-winged Kite

Red-crested Bustard

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Striped Kingfisher

Little Bee-eater


Southern Black Flycatcher

Wire-tailed Swallow


The 4th September saw us drive through the park to go shopping in Hazyview. Game viewing was average, with nothing of special interest seen. However, we did see some nice birds like Striped Kingfisher.

Southern Ground Hornbill

Purple Roller

Magpie Shrike

Pin-tailed Whydah

I had to return to Hazyview again on the 5th, because I forgot to pick up my chronic tablets from the pharmacy. So I once again drove through the park seing very little, but I did bump into a family party of Southern Ground Hornbills. 

Male Purple-banded Sunbird




 6th September was the day I finally photographed Purple-banded Sunbird! It was yet again feeding in the same tree, but this time much lower & I managed to obtain some decent photos. This is a rare bird here, so important to get some shots. it appears to be a species which is slowly expanding its range along the Sabie River. So far I have only seen it in the winter months, but this could change. 

Cardinal Woodpecker

Yellow-fronted Tinker Barbet


Pied Barbet

White Helmetshrike

Spectacled Weaver


Jameson's Firefinch

Collared Sunbird

Saddle-billed Stork


African Black Duck

I then went on a walk around Sabie Park, briefly ending up at the picnic site where I saw a pair of African Black Duck. 

Trumpeter Hornbill


Light phase Wahlberg's Eagle

Male Chinspot Batis


Crocodile at Sunset Dam


Up early on 7th September to spend the day in Kruger. The day was off to a great start by photographing 2 Trumper Hornbills by the Sabie Park exit gate. Once inside the park, I drove along the Sabie River to the high water bridge & along the Salitjie Road to Lower Sabie Rest Camp. 

Part of a large herd of 250+ Cape Buffalo

Lion





I returned home via the main tar road. It turned out to be a good day out with plenty of birds to photograph, two huge herds of Cape Buffalo & two prides of Lion!