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.
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.
In the afternoon we drove into Hazyview to do some shopping.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
The 8th was spent doing chores around the house. In the afternoon we went to the picnic site for a couple of hours. Nothing out of the ordinary was seen but we had a very pleasant time there.
I was up early on 9th & did an early morning bird walk around Sabie Park. Nothing unusual was seen but I recorded 54 species, which is good for the winter months.
The next day we visited Skukuza Rest Camp for birding. Everyone who stays there goes out for an early morning game drive, which leaves the whole place practically empty & good for birding! And so it proved. We recorded 52 species & obtained some nice photos.
We then visited the Skukuza Wetland next to the Nursery, which is always pleasant. We heard Yellow-rumped Tinker Barbet there, but couldn't see it.
Finally we had a quick pit stop at Lake Panic, but it was the middle of the day & not much bird activity.
On the 11th September I did a bird walk along the eastern portion of Sabie Park (an area which I don't visit often). It was incredibly hot & slow going bird wise, with little of note seen. I then popped into the picnic site with the same result.
On 12th I went into Kruger alone, as Delana had work to do at home. I did my normal short circuit down the Waterhole Road & back via Skukuza. I had a nice sighting of a male Leopard eating an Impala up a tree. But couldn't get any photos, as it was on the wrong side of the car for me & I couldn't get low enough.
The highlight of the morning was photographing a pair of Mocking Cliff Chats, which performed wonderfully well for me.
The next day we went into Kruger again & enjoyed a run down to Lower Sabie & back. It was a nice day out with a good selection of both game & birds.
