The 14th January saw me with Rob, Cath & Sean
checking in to Kruger, via the Paul Kruger Gate. It was a very grey, overcast
morning, but our spirits were high, as we were driving north to the game rich
savannas centered around Satara
Restcamp.
Between the Sabie & Sand Rivers.
African Wild Dog
Pack ties are very strong.
This is why we shouldn't litter!
The first part of the drive was
very quiet, with only the commoner plains game evident. But then our luck
changed as just north of the low water crossing over the Sabie River we spotted nine
Wild Dogs running ahead of us down the road. However, there were three vehicles
ahead of us & so initial views were not great. But as so often the case, tourists move on to
the next possible sighting very quickly & we had the wonderful dogs all to
ourselves. And they performed beautifully, being if truthful, a little too
close. I had my large lens on the camera & at times, could only see heads
& shoulders in front of me! Eventually the dogs moved off the road &
trotted purposefully away into the surrounding bush. What a start to our trip!
White-faced Whistling Duck.
Yellow-billed Kite
Tawny Eagle
Carmine Bee-eater
We moved ever northwards, along
the main road, spotting quite a few bird species at
Leupan & just north of
Tshokwane.
I love the road here, as it is elevated above the surrounding bush &
you can obtain great sightings of both birds & mammals.
Breeding herd of Elephants.
Two male Cheetahs, resting in the heat of the day.
We arrived at
Satara just after 12.45 pm. Checked in
to our accommodation & then Rob & I went on another game drive down the
S100 to
N’wanetsi Lookout & back via the
H6.
Black-bellied Korhaan.
Immature Martial Eagle.
Me enjoying Africa!
Water Dikkop & Egyptian Geese.
Half-collared Kingfisher.
Heavily cropped.
Male Ostrich.
Female.
The hide at Sweni Dam proved to be the highlight of the
afternoon, as a superb
Half-collared
Kingfisher was present for at least twenty minutes. Views of this very
localized species were distant, but sustained & this was my first record at
this location. I was delighted with this sighting.
The superb male bird.
I forgot to take any photos of the
much drabber female!
Eastern Red-footed Falcons
with a few Lesser Kestrels.
A female Eastern
Red-footed Falcon.
Lots of Blue Wildebeest calves
were along the roadside.
The next morning we were up at
4.am & on our way as soon as the
gates opened thirty minutes later. We drove down the
Orpen Road & then went to the
Timbavati Picnic Spot via
Girvana waterhole. As so often the case, viewing was a little slow but we
started picking up great bird species like
Double – banded Sandgrouse; a host
of
Eastern Red-footed Falcons (c.70) & dotted in among them, a scattering
of
Lesser Kestrels.
The start of it all!
This is savanna country.
The truck, in its natural habitat!
It was really muddy out there!
Not much grip on those tyres!
Quite a large Leopard Tortoise.
This had been dead a while &
there was no meat left inside.
We then returned to
camp to obtain the permit for the
Mananga
4x4 Adventure Trail. I had never
done this before in Kruger, so was keen to give it a go.
A superb male Kudu.
Adult male Eastern Red-footed Falcon.
Kori Bustard.
Male Namaqua Dove.
The abundant Carmine Bee-eater.
European Roller - a very common summer migrant
to the grasslands.
The grass was very tall so
viewing wasn't too good, but the scenery was splendid & not another vehicle
for the next six hours!
It was very wet, slippery &
muddy in places & in one spot we got stuck, until we gathered enough
material to place under the wheels for extra traction. We hauled ourselves out
& eventually found ourselves on one of my favorite tracks, the wonderfully
open
S90.
We were looking at this Steenbok, when......
Serval in broad daylight!
A little bit of an altercation between the two species!
The undoubted highlight
here was a hunting
Serval at 2 pm!
We enjoyed prolonged views for several minutes. This was a special day indeed
to see this elusive animal so well in broad daylight!
Mourning Dove at Satara Restcamp.
The rest of the afternoon was
spent cleaning the car. It was a real muddy mess! Then, sundowners on the
terrace. Not a bad day at all!
Swainson's Francolin.
The
16th January was like all other days! Up at 4 am &
out by 4.30 am! We drove up the main road in darkness & then on to the
gravel
S 90. Today wildlife viewing
was quiet (yet again)! The recent rains mean the grass is very high & it is
difficult to spot animals in such dense & lush vegetation.
Not too difficult to spot this one though!
Black-bellied Korhaan displaying.
We saw a few good
birds though, perhaps the best being a displaying male
Black-bellied Korhaan. After the poor showing we decide to retrace
our steps & go back down the
S 90
again, until it joined the main north – south road. This proved to be a good
decision, as the road is elevated & we could see so much more.
Cape & White-backed Vulture.
This species is rare & endangered.
A few vultures were seen
loitering around in the trees & among the abundant
White-backed were a couple of
Cape
Vultures. This species appears to be on a downward spiral & presently
is a real cause for concern.
An amazingly pale bird.
A nearby
Tawny Eagle was one of the palest birds I have ever encountered.
Kori Bustard.
A
Kori Bustard also showed well.
Hard to spot - there were four, not three!
As I arrived at
Nagotse Waterhole, I spotted
four Lionesses, they were a little
distant for great photos but their cool was about to be shattered by the
arrival of
30+ Elephants, which were
a female dominated breeding herd, who really don’t like Lions!
The
Lions lasted a few seconds, before beating a hasty & rather undignified
retreat!
Wattled Starlings.
Male singing.
I moved ever north & saw a
large group of
Wattled Starlings
singing & getting ready for breeding. It was fantastic seeing them at close
range, as all too frequently sightings are of rapid flying flocks across the
grasslands.
The wondeful Olifants River.
Rob, Sean, Cath & myself on the bridge
over the river.
Elephants.
We enjoyed a nice brunch at
Olifants Camp, surely one of the best
views in Africa. In my mind’s eye, exactly what Africa should look like!
Finding the heat a bit much!
Then I took the long but
beautiful,
S39 Timbavati River Road. The
weather was really hot, reaching 38 degrees Celsius & consequently
sightings were not plentiful, but a second group of
five Lionesses also had a small cub present, in a dry but very
shaded river bed.
Marabou Stork.
Marabou Storks sailed overhead.
The power of this bird was phenomenal!
The lizard was really thrashing around.
In the struggle it got its wing caught in the tree.
It eventually flew away with its prey.
A little further down the road an
adult
Martial Eagle had hold a a
large Land Monitor Lizard, which was thrashing wildly in its talons! The eagle
flew into a nearby tree with its still alive prey & promptly got its wing
stuck in the tree branches! After several minutes it managed to free its wing
& also finally kill the monitor lizard!
I finally took a shot of a female!
Lilac-breated Roller
looking wonderful, as always.
European Roller.
The rest of the journey was
largely uneventful, but the light was wonderful & I managed some great
shots of a pair of Double-banded
Sandgrouse & two species of Roller.
The rest of the evening was spent
talking, drinking wine & eating pizza! A terrible job, but someone has to
do it!
It was a stormy night; lots of
thunder & lightening but strangely, no rain! We were all up at 4 am & off soon after. It was dark
& cold (unbelievable)! I drove south & then went west along the Sweni Road. Very few birds & no
animals at all! Everything must have hunkered down because of the bad weather.
Two Square-tailed Nightjars were on the track in the darkness. The
only wildlife on note in the early hours was a pair of
Southern Reedbuck, which performed nicely for us.
Quite an uncommon species in Kruger.
Southern Reedbuck.
Impalas for comparison.
A young one.
Cape Buffalo are common in this part of Kruger.
Wahlberg's Eagle.
Woodland Kingfisher.
Rob, Cath & Sean then peeled
off down a different route from me. I continued down the gravel S 36, seeing over 100+ Eastern Red-footed Falcons, 2 Lesser Spotted Eagles & an
African Cuckoo.
Some down time in the heat of the day.
When I rejoined the tar road, I
found nine Wild Dogs sleeping deep
in the bush. This was the same pack I saw at the beginning of this little trip,
four days ago! A really nice little sojourn into Kruger.
Levaillant's Cisticola.
Common in the long wet grass & in marshes.
Southern Masked Weaver.
Southern Red Bishop in full breeding attire.
Black Heron (Egret) - an even rarer bird here!
Around 35 Squacco Herons were seen.
Common Moorhens were equally common.
Whiskered Tern
African Jacana.
One of the many Eastern Red - footed Falcons
Blacksmith Plover.
White-throated Swallows were nesting
White-throated Swallow nest.
Singing!
