Jump to content

Tdgraves

Recommended Posts

Day 5: Evening drive, Satara, 21/1/17

 

Wild dogs had been spotted again and given our bad luck with the S100 during this trip, we thought we might as well check it out. Another wild dog chase, as it turns out, along the S126, which is a nice road which we had only used on this trip. It was still very grey when we left camp and quite cool. It rained a bit during our drive.

 

gallery_37950_1650_7852060.jpg

 

We found a new bird though, a Senegal lapwing

 

gallery_37950_1622_1027424.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1622_1626395.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1622_3032356.jpg

 

All from the OH and the 7D

 

We then had a lovely close sighting of ground hornbill. There were two, but one went off to the left of the road.

 

gallery_37950_1650_2182942.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4860177.jpg

 

This one seemed especially pleased with catching a frog and carried it around for ages, even putting it on the floor whilst foraging for other things - a gift for its' partner perhaps?

 

gallery_37950_1650_2207208.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_722730.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3295923.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2935581.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3602806.jpg

 

And a couple from the other side of the car, with the longer reach of the 7D

 

gallery_37950_1650_2868805.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2169541.jpg

 

And only our second sighting of a double-banded sandgrouse in the Kruger

 

gallery_37950_1650_4727516.jpg

 

a couple of mammals

 

gallery_37950_1650_4043648.jpg

 

rest courtesy of the OH

 

gallery_37950_1650_9655482.jpg

 

and a couple more birds

 

gallery_37950_1650_832050.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1023510.jpg

 

And that was the end. No dogs. Again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

very nice heffalump and ground hornbill pictures @@Tdgraves can I ask, please, which camera do you prefer using, (out of the 5 mk 111 and the 7 mk 11) and do you notice a difference in quality-I can't tell from the posted pictures! is the real difference at low light levels?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tdgraves

 

Like the close up shots of the ground hornbill, really good opportunity to see their features in detail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

very nice heffalump and ground hornbill pictures @@Tdgraves can I ask, please, which camera do you prefer using, (out of the 5 mk 111 and the 7 mk 11) and do you notice a difference in quality-I can't tell from the posted pictures! is the real difference at low light levels?

@@Towlersonsafari what a tricky question! When we got the 5d it was an obvious step up from the old 7d. But now we have the new 7d, I think there is little difference most of the time. The main thing is the extra reach of the 7d, especially for the birds and coupled with the new lens, the focussing is much faster. I think the off centre focussing points on the 5d are more reliable than the 7d, but I don't often use this feature. Probably doing extreme crops might show the differences up more. We haven't really had a chance to test the 7dii in low light yet, but I suspect that is where it will be seen. Perhaps if we used the new lens on the 5d there may be a more obvious difference....this may be happening, as the OHs old 100-400 is broken and I am currently trying to persuade him to upgrade, rather than fix it (again...)!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

Thank you @@Tdgraves for your comprehensive reply

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 6: Morning drive, Satara, 22/1/17

 

It was cloudy and cool when we set off and only got to 22 degrees later. I had the 7D again. Gluttons for punishment as we are, we decided to try the S100 again and then went north on the S41 to link to the S90 and then back on to the tar road to camp.

 

First sighting of the day was this lappet faced vulture, but it was roosting, rather than waiting for a kill to be vacated....

 

gallery_37950_1650_3575501.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3041873.jpg

 

Barn swallows

 

gallery_37950_1650_1876792.jpg

 

and an ant army

 

gallery_37950_1650_1998310.jpg

 

Ahead of us, on top of a slight rise, we could see a huge bull elephant and a little blue car, which seemed to be far too close to the bull. We stayed back as we could tell it was not happy and waited and waited. The car kept trying to past and the elephant was getting more and more grumpy, we were worried that there was going to be an accident. Eventually they stupidly pushed past it and when they got to us, still stationery where we had been sat, they said "he was a bit grumpy!". I don't think they realised the danger they were putting themselves and others in. There is a section in the visitors guide about how to behave around elephants, but I suspect lots of people file this away without reading it. The elephant looked as if he was going to block our route, but finally moved off away from the road, so we crawled forwards. Then our suspicions were confirmed, as we could see and smell the urine trail on the road. A musth elephant. Idiots.

 

Next up, some chestnut-backed sparrowlarks - male

 

gallery_37950_1650_328824.jpg

 

female

 

gallery_37950_1650_3017431.jpg

 

And we edged up closer to this raptor as we had seen it swoop into the road and presumably catch something, only for the idiot behind to zoom up and overtake us, so this is all I managed :angry: I think it was a little sparrowhawk

 

gallery_37950_1650_3053386.jpg

 

This steenbok was so happy eating, that it didn't mind our presence

 

gallery_37950_1650_3219280.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_6946593.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_5688078.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_7939251.jpg

 

These zebra were on the other side of the car (I was driving) so from the OH

 

gallery_37950_1650_2357670.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3117208.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1402016.jpg

 

Some very far away saddle-billed storks

 

gallery_37950_1650_846397.jpg

 

Next up was the sighting of the morning, some hyaena cubs

 

gallery_37950_1650_7198369.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_7472277.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_7409500.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1458910.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3727675.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3204563.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3700136.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_415251.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4965686.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1200939.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_9041622.jpg

 

I'm not sure that we have seen a black-shouldered kite in the Kruger before

 

gallery_37950_1650_1740362.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_639432.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_432192.jpg

 

Time for breakfast!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of amazing shots, @@Tdgraves! The close-ups of the Cheetah are brilliant with all the detail they show and also the Ground Hornbill sequence and the Hyaenas stand out for me. Excellent photography!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 6: Transfer from Satara to Biyamiti, 22/1/17

 

As we were changing camps, we had planned to have breakfast in the restaurant before leaving, but we weren't that hungry and as we were on our longest transfer drive of the trip, we thought it may be better to break the journey with lunch. So, we got take away coffee and muffins from Mugg & Bean and we were only stopping for good sightings - the first one being in the car park!

 

gallery_37950_1650_2272006.jpg

 

The temperature was steadily climbing, but there was also intermittent clouds and rain. Our first pit stop was at the newly refurbished Tshokwane picnic site, which is a big improvement and seemed popular. The sun slowly came out and we could take some photos. I did a detour off of the tar road, but it was not really worth it, however, we did get a close up of a buffalo and some swallows.

 

gallery_37950_1650_415972.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_6191672.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_210897.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1734338.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1665034.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_376974.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_69526.jpg

 

and a brown snake-eagle in flight

 

gallery_37950_1650_1309881.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2004196.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1397375.jpg

 

We then stopped at Lower Sabie for lunch, which, as usual was very busy. We saw a new bird, a spectacled weaver, in the car park, but no photo as the other tourists did not understand photography :(

 

It was now getting very hot (28 degrees) and there were few sightings until we got close to water - first from the Lower Sabie bridge....

 

Malachite kingfisher

 

gallery_37950_1650_3815058.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4948133.jpg

 

Egyptian geese

 

gallery_37950_1650_3149094.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_8669651.jpg

 

Grey heron

 

gallery_37950_1650_8611482.jpg

 

African pied wagtail

 

gallery_37950_1650_4369434.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_5537647.jpg

 

And then later closer to camp

 

Greenshank

 

gallery_37950_1650_1809626.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2087465.jpg

 

Green-backed heron

 

gallery_37950_1650_2458746.jpg

 

Black stork

 

gallery_37950_1650_1008516.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4514771.jpg

 

Brown-crowned tchagra

 

gallery_37950_1650_3754098.jpg

 

Wahlberg's eagle

 

gallery_37950_1650_1571031.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_468932.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2453510.jpg

 

On the last part of the journey, which is a private access road to the camp, we got stuck behind a really cautious driver, who was going excessively slowly, which was highly frustrating given the time we had spent in the car, we just wanted to get out and stretch our legs!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of amazing shots, @@Tdgraves! The close-ups of the Cheetah are brilliant with all the detail they show and also the Ground Hornbill sequence and the Hyaenas stand out for me. Excellent photography!

 

Thanks @@PeterHG our best ever Kruger cheetah sighting :D . We always seem to get good GHB and hyaena sightings there too!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 6: Evening drive, Biyamiti, 22/1/17

 

It was much hotter today, reaching 30 degrees. We speedily unpacked and then set off for another drive. We had planned to go north up the private road to the Biyamiti weir, but the game had other ideas. The first sighting was a duiker, but it did not pose.

 

gallery_37950_1650_1022012.jpg

 

However, we did see out first rhino of the trip. In the past we have seen them in the central areas of the park. I don't know if they have been actively relocated from there or if that is where the poaching has hit, but we only saw them or signs of them, in the extreme south of the park this time.

 

gallery_37950_1650_13127055.jpg

 

Not much further up the road and we found this family on the march.

 

gallery_37950_1650_5403161.jpg

 

Initially I pulled into a side road, but we figured that would leave us trapped, so we ended up going back the way we came, as there was little room for manoeuvre, if they were unfriendly!

 

gallery_37950_1650_3718114.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_65893.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_7716866.jpg

 

They walked towards us for a bit longer, before turning off of the road. However, we now had no time to get to the weir and back, so we just slowly drove towards camp

 

gallery_37950_1650_1819139.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4813789.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_881128.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_6195452.jpg

 

We got to camp and there was a pair of red-chested cuckoos calling, but far too dark to see. Time for a braai.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Night sky, 22/1/17

 

Given that this was our first night in a wilderness camp, it was obligatory to try and get some night sky photos without the light pollution from main camps. Unfortunately the camp has quite a lot of trees, so there wasn't a good clear view, especially for the star trails, but I quite like the effect I got....

 

gallery_37950_1650_11706798.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_11685051.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2975346.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_559766.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 7: Biyamiti morning drive, 23/1/17

 

And now the flat tyre came back to bite us :angry: . The very bumpy entrance road last night must have done it. So our early start for the morning drive was not to be. There was no-one in the office yet to see if they had a tyre pump, so we changed the wheel. Amazingly this was the first time that we had ever needed to in all of our thousands of kms. It was only when the wheel was off that we could see the issue, a screw was in the inner surface of the tyre, where the wall meets the flat surface. Frankly it was amazing that it had stayed pumped up so long!

 

The weather was cloudy, but it eventually burnt off. We thought we would aim for the weir again having not made it the night before and I had the 5D today.

 

A couple from the OH who was driving and therefore was on the correct side of the car...

 

Wahlberg's eagle

 

gallery_37950_1650_2196222.jpg

 

Long-tailed paradise whydah

 

gallery_37950_1650_1724541.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1831731.jpg

 

First up at the weir was a common sandpiper, a new one for us

 

gallery_37950_1622_1802696.jpg

 

and a three banded plover having a bath

 

gallery_37950_1650_195287.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4184814.jpg

 

Just on the other side I spotted a Jacobin cuckoo

 

gallery_37950_1650_1724494.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2799619.jpg

 

We carried on north and began to encounter safari vehicles from outside of the park. I'm not sure why, but we saw a lot more of these this year, whether they are more popular or we have just had good luck in the past, who knows? What is clear though, is that they seem to have a set route, so if you meet one, you meet many and they are in contact with each other, reporting good sightings. We were eventually rewarded by this, as one driver actually had the courtesy to stop and talk to us. He had assumed that one of the others must have told us about the cheetah sighting, but of course, they had not! Precise directions and there they were....

 

gallery_37950_1650_1391522.jpg

 

Quite far away in the shade. In fact, when we got there, another vehicle was on site and it still took me ages to spot them!! We stayed for a while, hoping that they would activate, but it was not to be. This loop road had lead us to the main tar road, so we decided to continue north to the Afsaal picnic spot for a break (where the coffee is much nicer than Mugg & Bean) and then turn back south. I spotted our first ever Kruger dark-chanting goshawk.

 

gallery_37950_1650_36567.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1144756.jpg

 

We then cut back into the gravel roads, to return to camp via the weir again......

 

Egyptian goose

 

gallery_37950_1650_4986951.jpg

 

Wood sandpiper

 

gallery_37950_1622_3755167.jpg

 

Giant kingfisher - unfortunately scared off by an oncoming car, who I was very disappointed to see, after he turned around and took the spot that we had been in, was also a keen photographer :(

 

gallery_37950_1650_893110.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_7001099.jpg

 

Hamerkop

 

gallery_37950_1650_2791375.jpg

 

We has seen some rhino, but no photo opportunities. Back to camp for breakfast.

 

This will be the last installment for a while as I am away for the next fortnight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Reading through this made for an enjoyable morning! Particularly enjoyed the widowbirds, hoopoes, black-bellied bustard, and cheetah. And of course the series of hyena amongst flowers was a treat!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atravelynn

Page 1 is chock full of great stuff--mating cuckoos, flying widowbird, gorgeous water birds, big stripes, and so many pink flowers along with the animals, plus double hoopoe. You seem to always be in South Africa!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks @@Atravelynn I have @@Peter Connan to thank for page 1

 

We have spent a lot of time in RSA over the past three years, but now that we have recovered financially from moving house and the Rand has rallied, we'll be back to once a year instead of twice from now on - September is booked for Zim (although we will have one night in joburg)!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 7: Biyamiti around camp, 23/1/17

 

I decided to do a bit of birding around camp and not long into it and I was overheating!!! Just next to our room I found a new species, a collared sunbird

 

gallery_37950_1622_955104.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1622_1663404.jpg

 

And a spotted flycatcher feeding its' young

 

gallery_37950_1650_2849966.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_5162240.jpg

 

While I was in the undergrowth trying to get these as they flew from branch to branch, something huge flew past my ear. Obviously I had the camera up to my face, but was convinced it was a bat, in the daytime?? The mystery was solved as the cleaner, intrigued by my antics, pointed out where they were roosting - under next doors eaves!

 

gallery_37950_1650_11230225.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2743719.jpg

 

Black-backed puffback

 

gallery_37950_1650_3324161.jpg

 

Sombre greenbul

 

gallery_37950_1650_21496.jpg

 

I went back to the room for a cold drink and the local eles had the same idea, herd after herd appeared at the river bed for water and a bath......

 

gallery_37950_1650_18821978.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_638868.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4830988.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_9675958.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2573958.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2785831.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_7263382.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_17981390.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1937188.jpg

 

Time for another cold drink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atravelynn

Your korhans and bustards are belting out the tunes. Those young impala must have leapt right over you at their speed. You caught their gangliness. The ground hornbill in the tree made a nice quartet.

Edited by Atravelynn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The buffalo appear dwarfed by the elephants! Great series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The buffalo appear dwarfed by the elephants! Great series.

 

@@Marks I forgot to mention this. Buffalo are not exactly small, but it makes you realise how huge a bull elephant is!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 7: Biyamiti, evening drive, 23/1/17

 

I thought it was hot when I was walking around camp and this was confirmed when we got into the car - 35 degrees. The drive was on a slight curve and I had parked a bit nearer to the trees at the side of the drive at lunchtime in a vague attempt to shade the car more, it failed. It also meant we had our first hire car accident for years. Despite the reversing camera and sensors, the OH backed straight into a tree :( He was going really slowly, but the bumpers on these cars are plastic, so it completely buckled and annoying also slightly dented the rear wing. Not a good start to a game drive and definitely not a good day for the rental car. Oh well, nothing to be done except see how much of the excess Avis charges to the credit card.

 

We decided to go up to the weir and saw many rhino. Including these two right in the middle of the road

 

gallery_37950_1650_88420.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_5764277.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_8030246.jpg

 

By this stage another car from camp was stuck behind us and looked exceedingly underwhelmed, so I asked the OH to move to let them past. This act of kindness would be rewarded later.

 

gallery_37950_1650_6321284.jpg

 

We soon caught up with the other car, watching, you guessed it, rhino! These ones must have been more interesting though :wacko:

 

gallery_37950_1650_6323069.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3364695.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3485494.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_937469.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3349925.jpg

 

After the other car pulled away, it became apparent why this one was wallowing....

 

gallery_37950_1650_13715331.jpg

 

Someone else was also admiring his huge horn....

 

We got to the weir and managed a front end shot of the giant kingfisher we had seen in the morning

 

gallery_37950_1650_3568360.jpg

 

And some other water birds - hammerkop

 

gallery_37950_1650_1783406.jpg

 

Water thick-knee

 

gallery_37950_1650_4588502.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_316330.jpg

 

We had decided to venture a bit further across the other side of the river and went straight on instead of the road next to the river, this was a mistake as there was nothing around. We got back to the weir and were turning around for camp, when the other car from camp who we had let past, flashed us to stop. They told us that there was a mating pair of lions on the other road and we could just make it before gate closing time. We don't usually do this sort of thing, but given that we hadn't seen many lions and they were quite close, we thought we'd give it a go.

 

gallery_37950_1650_6281411.jpg

 

A couple of shots of flat cats and then 180 back to camp.

 

Nearer to camp yet more rhino (16 in total for the drive)

 

gallery_37950_1650_10666282.jpg

 

A Wahlberg's eagle

 

gallery_37950_1650_1101794.jpg

 

And then back for a braai and to check the Avis documents...

 

Again the red-chested cuckoos were calling next to our house, but it was too dark.

Edited by Tdgraves
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atravelynn

Great closeups of the predators. The pastel flowers really enhance the animal photos. The first shots of the cheetah show the same expression as the Martial Eagle right above it. I started feeling sorry for the frog in the mouth of the Ground Hornbill, but maybe it was dead. I like the thought of it being a gift. So many wonderful birds in your report!

Edited by Atravelynn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 8: Biyamtiti morning drive 24/1/7

 

We decided to travel south today and avoid the long and bumpy camp road, so we connected to the S25 and across to crocodile bridge and then up the s28 to lower sabie and back via the tar road. This was a very long drive, but we needed to go as far as lower sabie so that we could have a rest stop. It was a lovely day with blue sky and sunshine, 23 degrees when we left camp, up to 36 by the time we returned. I had the 7D.

 

There were a couple of hyaena sitting on the road, but by the time we approached (hilly road), they left so no photos

 

gallery_37950_1650_587183.jpg

 

Joining the s25 in the middle, meant little traffic. We did meet a couple of cars ahead and had just missed a leopard crossing the road :(

 

Then a fleeting glimpse of an African cuckoo

 

gallery_37950_1650_10866.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1472874.jpg

 

Around the bend, we met a pride of lions! We were the only car from our direction, so we could get close

 

gallery_37950_1650_5923287.jpg

 

Although a lot of my shots were ruined by a strange reflected glare from the car (which was a pale metallic colour)

 

gallery_37950_1650_5978102.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2965167.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2366170.jpg

 

Then one of the vehicles from the other direction left, so a self driver decided to drive right at the cub, which of course, then left the road and hid in the long grass with the others, grrr!

 

gallery_37950_1650_2682408.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4107279.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_324924.jpg

 

We were looking at this guy sat in the shade, when a day trip OSV pulled up and we were chatting to the guide. As he crossed, you could see that he was in poor condition....

 

gallery_37950_1650_1534620.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_6902075.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2664836.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4759642.jpg

 

After only a few minutes, all that was visible was the occasional tail flick under the bushes. We carried on to Crocodile Bridge for a comfort break and then went north up the tar road. Along the drive we saw 8 rhino, but none close enough for photos

 

Southern white-crowned shrike

 

gallery_37950_1650_2399445.jpg

 

Burchell's coucal

 

gallery_37950_1650_796592.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2595303.jpg

 

We then turned off onto the S28, which seemed to be the set route of the OSVs. A few minutes later, we saw the guide we were chatting to at the lion sighting parked and searching with bins. We could see nothing, so asked what they were looking for "apparently there are some cheetah here" he said. No sooner had he said it, than the mother got up and started walking, we let the OSV pass and followed her, but the terrain was very difficult to see far...

 

gallery_37950_1650_1338080.jpg

 

And then a little guy appeared (there were 2 cubs)

 

gallery_37950_1650_2708804.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3393384.jpg

 

And then they vanished again....

 

Not much further up the road was a traffic jam - two more cheetah!! They were sat under a bush and you could only see them when they changed positions. We waited a while to see if they would give us a better sighting and then moved on. However, when we were waiting I found another new bird, a fan-tailed widowbird (very far away)

 

gallery_37950_1650_1706963.jpg

 

Comfort break in lower sabie and then back south down the tar road, but first a stop on the low level bridge...

 

gallery_37950_1650_346389.jpg

 

Squacco heron

 

gallery_37950_1650_6287457.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_6067387.jpg

 

Grey heron

 

gallery_37950_1650_694343.jpg

 

And further south, red-faced mousebirds

 

gallery_37950_1650_3750133.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1309490.jpg

 

On the road back into camp, this martial eagle kept giving us a go at take off and landing shots, although I think I still need practice!

 

gallery_37950_1650_4293535.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3287474.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_986962.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_1965057.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4495383.jpg

 

We were very hot and tired when we got back to camp to cook breakfast, but what a drive!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

what a drive indeed @@Tdgraves

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 8: Biyamiti - evening drive, 24/1/7

 

It was a scorcher so I did not doing any birding around camp, apart from this guy who took my eye - a black-collared barbet

 

gallery_37950_1650_4114083.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4754140.jpg

 

I also saw a purple-crested turaco, but was unable to get a shot.

 

It was 37 degrees when we left and we decided again to go south to the S25 and then east before turning around to get back to camp

 

The first sighting was a new bird for us, a Western osprey perched overlooking the Crocodile river

 

gallery_37950_1622_569457.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1622_230684.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1622_1275923.jpg

 

As you can see, it was already becoming hazy and overcast

 

A crested barbet

 

gallery_37950_1650_4442899.jpg

 

And a few rhino

 

gallery_37950_1650_2022985.jpg

 

and some piglets

 

gallery_37950_1650_2187141.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_2667305.jpg

 

We had seen no other vehicles and gone quite a long way along the S25, so we decided it was time to turn back. Not long after, we saw some vultures drop down from their perches and we rushed to see why....

 

gallery_37950_1650_1212172.jpg

 

Time for a drink!

 

gallery_37950_1650_5741628.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_983020.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_5719664.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_939174.jpg

 

Now you can see why they are called white-backed cultures!

 

gallery_37950_1650_946542.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4520995.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_564898.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3864829.jpg

 

Some more rhino

 

gallery_37950_1650_2407448.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_3592373.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_7062700.jpg

 

and a dusky lark

 

gallery_37950_1650_4106808.jpg

 

This pair of bateleurs were just outside of camp

 

gallery_37950_1650_1060208.jpg

 

We were a little earlier back into camp and so I was able to catch my nemesis new bird of the trip, the red-chested cuckoo on camera! :D

 

gallery_37950_1650_3272634.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1650_4874763.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy