The restaurant, which was excellent.
Familiar Chat
Typical habitat in the far south of the park.
Mokala is a recent national park, only being proclaimed in 2007 after a successful land claim against the Vaalbas National Park meant that this park would be lost & after a search, several farms were identified in the Plooysburg area as being suitable for a newly proclaimed national park. game was relocated into this area.
Once inside the park the roads are graded & in
very good condition.
Mokala is around 28, 414 hectares & covers a good representation of the different habitats found in this region.
Male Pygmy Falcon
It is not often that you see this species
at close quarters.
We arrived at around 8.30 am at the Mosu Gate & went to he restaurant for breakfast. We sat outside & spotted a male Pygmy Falcon in a nearby tree, which gave excellent views.
Eland
Red Hartebeast
Gemsbok
Tseebee
Springbok: the animal on the left is melanistic.
your game drive.
All have fantastic facilities.
Red crested Korhaan
& central regions of the park.
We then started exploring the game viewing roads & despite the late start, had some great success.
We spent a bit of time at the Stofdam Bird Hide in the heat of the day. It was dry but had a little clear water in a small mud hole & the good variety of birds came to drink.
The Rietriver
Delana birding.
We managed to cover most of the drives & ended up in the far north & exited at the Lilydale Gate. It was a wonderful day in a new area for me (Delana had been there once before). I would love to go back a spend a few nights camping here as the facilities are first class & there are a variety of activities on offer.
This Gemsbok was intrigued by this Rock Monitor.
The monitor lizard eventually wandered off
unscathed.
Warthog, looking for a drink
Male Red billed Fire-finch
Female
Green winged Pytilia
Violet-eared Waxbill
Cinnamon breasted Rock Bunting
Black throated Canary
Tsseebee: the far north is much more open grassland.
Black Wildebeast
All of the waterholes were drying up quickly.
Small numbers of disease free Cape Buffalo
are in the park.
Sable Antelope
These young Warthogs were just having fun!
Cape Ground Squirrel
Kori Bustard
Greater Kestrel
Quite common in the west.
Rather surprisingly we saw 9 European Bee-eaters.
Early migrants?
Spike heeled Lark
Ant - eater Chat
Mammal list for the day:
Cape Buffalo; Black Wildebeest; Blue Wildebeest; Steenbok; Springbok; Gemsbok; Kudu; Eland; Impala; Red Hartebeest; Sable; Tseebee; Chacma Baboon; Vervet Monkey; Plains Zebra; Cape Ground Squirrel; Warthog; Yellow Mongoose.
Bird list for the day:
Cattle Egret; Hadeda Ibis; Cape Vulture; White backed Vulture; Jackal Buzzard; Pale Chanting Goshawk; Yellow billed Kite; Black shouldered Kite; Pygmy Falcon; Gabar Goshawk; Greater Kestrel; Ostrich; Kori Bustard; Red crested Korhaan; Crowned Plover; Blacksmith Plover; Emerald Spotted Dove; Namqua Dove; Grey Lourie; White rumped Swift; White backed Mousebird; European Bee-eater; Swallow tailed Bee-eater; African Hoopoe; Acacia Pied Barbet; Sabota Lark; Rufous naped Lark; Spike heeled Lark; Greater Striped Swallow; Fork tailed Drongo; Black Crow; Pied Crow; Short toed Rock-thrush; Familiar Chat; Ant eater Chat; Cape Robin; Khalahri Robin; Chestnut vented Tit-babbler; Black chested Prinia; Fiscal Flycatcher; Marico Flycatcher; Chat Flycatcher; Orange flanked White-eye; Cape Wagtail; Buffy Pipit; Grassveld Pipit; Fiscal Shrike; Brubru; Cape Glossy Starling; Wattled Starling; Cape Sparrow; Southern Grey headed Sparrow; White browed Sparrow Weaver; Sociable Weaver; Red billed Firefinch; Violet eared Waxbill; Green winged Pytilia; Yellow Canary; Black throated Canary; Black headed Canary & Cinnamon breasted Rock Bunting.
