Friday, 22 November 2013
History from Nyalaland Walking Trail in Kruger
Paparatzi Game Drive
Kruger update again
Just when you can't seem to think there's another better sighting out there for you - like 5 wild dogs on the road trotting along - Kruger delivers!!
We travelled a road and a lady told us of 5 lion on the plains walking away - we spotted them with binoculars - they hunted a couple buffalo - far in the distance but we saw no less than 3 attempts of 1 lion on top of a buffalo's back - rodeo was on. Unfortunately it was too far to see the outcome! We were just a few metres down the road congratulating ourselves for the great time we had (alone in the sighting), when we spotted 2 more lionesses walking across the road. We followed them for a while - when they spotted a different group of buffalo and they started to hunt too!!!!!!!!!!! One lioness was so flat in the short grass of the plain, the wind was right, they were close to the road, the buffalo were grazing towards them - 2 pass by between us and the lions. Then 2 more. No move from the lions. (Cars are now piling up on the road!) the last buffalo was the closest yet - he spotted her as he was about 10m away! It was a chase and a half! But no joy for the lions - the buffalo hit the road and now we know what 'hightailing' it means! Those buff had the acceleration on! Sorry the photos are not downloaded yet....
But here are some other buff that we saw:
Diderick Cuckoo male - too beautiful
Black backed Jackals - (I think they need some flea control!)
Thunderstorm coming in
African Hoopoe
Female Waterbuck - Christo's favourite antelope - we love the little heart shaped nose!
Ok that's it for now - very little time in the bush left - we may need to upload the rest of the photos once we're back on the cold soil.....
We travelled a road and a lady told us of 5 lion on the plains walking away - we spotted them with binoculars - they hunted a couple buffalo - far in the distance but we saw no less than 3 attempts of 1 lion on top of a buffalo's back - rodeo was on. Unfortunately it was too far to see the outcome! We were just a few metres down the road congratulating ourselves for the great time we had (alone in the sighting), when we spotted 2 more lionesses walking across the road. We followed them for a while - when they spotted a different group of buffalo and they started to hunt too!!!!!!!!!!! One lioness was so flat in the short grass of the plain, the wind was right, they were close to the road, the buffalo were grazing towards them - 2 pass by between us and the lions. Then 2 more. No move from the lions. (Cars are now piling up on the road!) the last buffalo was the closest yet - he spotted her as he was about 10m away! It was a chase and a half! But no joy for the lions - the buffalo hit the road and now we know what 'hightailing' it means! Those buff had the acceleration on! Sorry the photos are not downloaded yet....
But here are some other buff that we saw:
Ok that's it for now - very little time in the bush left - we may need to upload the rest of the photos once we're back on the cold soil.....
Kruger Leopard
Today we had a great day - back in the relative metropolis of Skukuza camp. We went with a birding guide for the day to find only birds and found this amazing leopard female which allowed us to watch her for 40mins!
Saturday, 16 November 2013
Kruger Update
Hyena pup/cub! toooooo cute
The first leopard sighting - in a traffic jam to see him but we were lucky and he moved while we were in positon
Grey headed kingfisher going to the nest
And what is Africa without our closer relatives! Baboon! I love the hairstyle...
Ok - until we have a better connection that's it for now!
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Video from Kruger
Here is a taste of blogs to come!
The closest I have ever been to a wild lion - without drugs being involved!
Hlane Royal Game Reserve - Swaziland
We spend one night at the Royal Hlane Reserve in the kingdom of Swazi. The border post was surprisingly smooth. The roads better than some we faced in South Africa!
It was a lovely camp - no electricity - lovely rondavel overlooking a waterhole. We were not allowed to drive our own car on this reserve and with the rains it was just as well! We spend a lovely afternoon at camp watching zebra, impala and a lone elephant drink while drinking some beverages ourselves!
We had a lovely dinner at the lodge - impala chops and wildebeest wors with pap (similar to polenta only much dryer) and salad - light by parrafin lamp and a small herd of elephants at the waterhole - could only hear them at that time!
A huge storm blew in that night! Thunder and lightning (and hailstones as we later realized when we looked at our cars roof......!) We woke up to a fresh clean morning for a game drive on a landdrover with our guide.
We were with an Austrian couple and they requested to see the lion - with persistent tracking we finally located the females - they weren't too impressed - by the tracks going every which where they were hunting and unsuccessfully so!
We had a lovely sighting of an elephant female with 3 of her various aged calves - very relaxed! Nyala, impala, and some bull elephant were great too!
We were just about to leave to go back to the camp when we bumped into the male on the way home!
He was a beautiful male -no scars (no other males) and it seemed like he had just been to the groomers!!! Haha! I can't even get my hair to look that polished!
We left for Kruger - another border post without issues!
I just have to share a photo from the road to Kruger - I love all the enterprising small businesses in the rural areas - this one is relatively fancy really!
Until I can get some more time online this is it for now!
Off for a swim and then a night drive tonight - guided again = maybe we can spot the 2 male lions we saw this am - one was SO close to the car he nearly touched it - I can say I have never been so close to a wild lion before... Christo wants to see another honey badger tonight!
It was a lovely camp - no electricity - lovely rondavel overlooking a waterhole. We were not allowed to drive our own car on this reserve and with the rains it was just as well! We spend a lovely afternoon at camp watching zebra, impala and a lone elephant drink while drinking some beverages ourselves!
We had a lovely dinner at the lodge - impala chops and wildebeest wors with pap (similar to polenta only much dryer) and salad - light by parrafin lamp and a small herd of elephants at the waterhole - could only hear them at that time!
A huge storm blew in that night! Thunder and lightning (and hailstones as we later realized when we looked at our cars roof......!) We woke up to a fresh clean morning for a game drive on a landdrover with our guide.
We were with an Austrian couple and they requested to see the lion - with persistent tracking we finally located the females - they weren't too impressed - by the tracks going every which where they were hunting and unsuccessfully so!
We were just about to leave to go back to the camp when we bumped into the male on the way home!
We left for Kruger - another border post without issues!
I just have to share a photo from the road to Kruger - I love all the enterprising small businesses in the rural areas - this one is relatively fancy really!
Off for a swim and then a night drive tonight - guided again = maybe we can spot the 2 male lions we saw this am - one was SO close to the car he nearly touched it - I can say I have never been so close to a wild lion before... Christo wants to see another honey badger tonight!
Mkuze Game Reserve
We are now sitting at our rondavel at Satara in Kruger - Very hot day today - +32 and rising! We finished a game drive this morning at about 11am and have been vegetating at camp ever since - even the animals don't move much in this heat! Loving it!
Next for our blog: Mkuze Game Reserve
These impala look shocked that we stopped and took their photos! They truly are beautiful but their downfall is that they are SO common!
Mkuze is more famous for its amazing bird life and we did enjoy them - although we saw more than enough general game and of course some more white rhino and elephant too. It was quite rainy during the night and in some parts of the park while we stayed there and our little honda car had to become more of a '4X4' car as the roads got quite challenging with the clay base! Actually the roads in the reserve were better than the ones leading to the gate...
A Casuality! We drove this road twice- once to town (supplies needed!) and then out to Swaziland -it really was an adventure....
See the roads in the reserve! Better! Even the giraffes were using them!
Back to the birds - I don't have enough time to put all my favs in but here are some!
I'm not sure you can appreciate the rain on these hippos in the middle of a huge dam - and the little egret was using them as an island to fish from! It was pelting down!! Warm rain is an African special!
We reluctantly said goodbye to our safari tent - with an open kitchen - we were visited nightly by some thicktailed bushbabies - I posted those photos on facebook- took them with my phone! The first night we weren't expecting them and I had a pineapple out on the counter for dessert and he had his hands on it - we chased him off but not before I saw him lick his lips! I think he thought he was home free and was just about to take a bite!!
Its calving season for the cows too - no fences in the rural communities that we drive through to get to the reserves - you have to be careful as they are super habituated to the vehicles! I couldn't resist these 2 nguni calves - too beautiful!
Off to Swaziland for one night!
Next for our blog: Mkuze Game Reserve
Mkuze is more famous for its amazing bird life and we did enjoy them - although we saw more than enough general game and of course some more white rhino and elephant too. It was quite rainy during the night and in some parts of the park while we stayed there and our little honda car had to become more of a '4X4' car as the roads got quite challenging with the clay base! Actually the roads in the reserve were better than the ones leading to the gate...
Back to the birds - I don't have enough time to put all my favs in but here are some!
Crested Francolin calling
Black bellied bustard male trying to dry out!
The greeting contingent at the parking lot! This male collared sunbird couldn't figure out why the other male was so aggressive!
With the brand new rain after the dry winter the lilies were blooming - so beautiful to see some colour in the bush!
A 'red' blue wildebeest - he's been rolling in the mud to get rid of ticks and a few oxpeckers to take care of the rest!
We signed up to do an escorted walk through a fig forest that has ancient fig trees -some as old as 600years - preserved through a taboo on felling fruiting trees from the local tribes. This is where we searched for some of the special birds only found in this area of SA. We got a broadbilled roller and bluemantled flycatcher but no Fishing owl! It was a fantastic walk and these suspension bridges helped get us over the worse of the clay mud patches!
There are a few bird hides on this reserve and we spend a lot of time at them just enjoying being in nature -
We reluctantly said goodbye to our safari tent - with an open kitchen - we were visited nightly by some thicktailed bushbabies - I posted those photos on facebook- took them with my phone! The first night we weren't expecting them and I had a pineapple out on the counter for dessert and he had his hands on it - we chased him off but not before I saw him lick his lips! I think he thought he was home free and was just about to take a bite!!
Off to Swaziland for one night!
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