Clare & Rowan pay us a visit!

Delana & I spent almost three weeks in June at our house in Pearly Beach in the Cape. We enjoyed a nice gentle time of it, as I was recovering from my gall bladder operation. My lack of balance & frequent chronic fatigue meant that I couldn't go far. I did see Shy Albatross, White chinned Petrel, lots of Sooty Shearwaters & several Roseate Terns from the house. 

The beautiful Sabie River that runs past our house.

The girls were coming to visit in early July for a week. They had both managed to organise a weeks remote working & had chosen Sabie Park! So we were up early in the freezing cold & darkness on 3rd July. The shuttle arrived on time & we drove off towards Cape Town International Airport. We decided to leave our new Suzuki in the garage, fly to Nelspruit & pick up our Amarok from Palm Motors. As we were driving, the weather started to get worse, in fact a lot worse! It was gale force winds & torrential rain by the time we arrived at the airport & we got soaked walking from the bus to board the plane. Little did we know that this was just the start of several weeks of really bad weather to hit the Cape Region. We had left just in time! We arrived in Nelspruit to a beautiful sunny & warm winters day. What a change from the Cape! We picked up our car & drove to our house in Sabie Park arriving in the dark. We had cleaners in for the whole of the next day to make the house spik & span & I worked the garden, cutting back vegetation along the driveway. 

Thick-billed Cuckoo

We made a quick visit to the picnic site on 5th July & Delana spotted an adult Thick-billed Cuckoo sat atop of a large tree! An amazing record! It must be the same bird that wintered here last year.

On the 6th July we entered the park to pick up Rowan from Skukuza International Airport (yes it is international these days)! It makes a huge difference that the girls can fly in & out of Skukuza & saves a lot of time for us too. She arrived on time & we made a quick stop for a drink & a catch up at the Cattle Baron Restaurant in Skukuza Camp. 

A dehorned White Rhino.

Once common, but rarely seen in this portion

 of the park these days.

Cape Buffalo.

We then drove home, spotting a White Rhino & a very close old male Cape Buffalo from Paul Kruger Gate Bridge. Rowan settled in & a nice evening was spent on the verandah.

Goliath Heron & Black Stork

Black Stork with Crocodile!

This bull Elephant was in the car park!

One can see the smoke from fires outside

 the park in the background.

The very next day we were doing the Skukuza Airport run again to pick up Clare. Rowan stayed behind, as she was remote working (how things have changed these days)! The rest of the day was spent at home, with both girls working remotely: one in Abu Dhabi & the other with people in UK, Germany & India.

Purple-crested Turaco.

Green Woodhoopoe

Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robin

A regular, but secretive visitor to the garden.

Brown-capped Tchagra

Ashy Flycatcher

On 8th July I did a little birding in & around the garden. Delana & both girls were working on their computers. Ite was a pleasant winters day, but I saw nothing special. As the day wore on we became aware of the fires several miles away in communal lands. At first it was just a haze in the distance but later we could smell the smoke. The fires were getting closer! As darkness descended we could see the fiery glow in the dark.

Fire!

Getting closer!

Map of the fires around 

Kruger & Sabie Parks.

The fire slowly got closer to us as we sat on the verandah & watched it spread. I was confident we were in no danger, as we were across the river from the fire, which formed an excellent barrier to it spreading to our side. Sabie Park staff went to fight the fire in Kruger & did an excellent job. 

Dwarf Mongoose

Coming in to drink.

The next day was spent at home with both Clare & Rowan working. We were entertained by a pair of Dwarf Mongoose which spent sometime in the garden, & drinking/sunbathing by our little pool. It has been several years since we have seen this species in & around our garden. What is unusual is that there are only two of them. Usually, they are in groups of six or more. Could this be a pair that have split off from the family group to start their own little colony? I hope so, as it is wonderful to have them around.

My new birdwatching caddie!

Sable

Female White-bellied Sunbird

I have been slowly getting stronger each day. With this in mind Clare & I decided to do a bird walk around Sabie Park, to see how far I could walk. It turned out to be quite good, with me managing just over four kilometres, before exhaustion reared its ugly head. Bird wise, it was quiet, but we did manage to see our herd of Sable Antelope. These animals can be elusive & we go many days without seeing them.

There is a male Lion in the mirror!

Told you so!

Female Lion.

Vervet Monkey sunbathing.

Baboons

Immature African Fish Eagle.

Double-banded Sandgrouse.

Kori Bustard.

A nice breeding herd of Elephants next to the road.

Hippo

Crocodile

Mlondozi Dam

Picnic at the dam!

After a quiet day at home, we all had a full day in the park on 12th July. We were up early & drove along the Sabie River Road to the high water bridge & then took the Salitje Road & had a nice breakfast at Mlondozi Dam. 

We returned along the S29 & enjoyed a nice time around the fire at home.

All my shots were out of focus!

 It caught me by surprise!

We were up early again on 13th July & entered the park. Delana decided to stay home & work, so it was just me & the two girls. We drove on to the S3 road which is opposite our house & the first thing we saw was a Cheetah! I have never seen a Cheetah here before & the habitat is quite thickly wooded, so not ideal for this species. It was unfortunate that Delana wasn't with us, as this is here favourite cat species. The rest of the drive was uneventful & we returned home at mid-day. 

Once home we hitched up the Mobi Lodge & drove it to the house, where we packed it for our next trip. 

At the picnic site.

The 14th July was the girls last day with us, as they were flying out in the early afternoon. Where had the week gone? It had gone in a flash! We spent the morning at the picnic site, enjoying the views & a nice breakfast. 

Then it was time for the girls to pack & we drove them to Skukuza Airport. Time to ay goodbye & see you both in three months girls!