On safari With Robbie 5 November 2015

5 November 2015

So sometimes the final day can produce sightings we have been seeking the whole trip!!!

Yesterday we struck some luck of note in so many ways!! We spotted 6 different Leopard at various times through the day!!!

We spotted W . Rhino on no less than 8 occasions! Buffalo, Elephant, kudu, Impala etc. were prolific!!!

However the top sighting goes to the 3 different lion sightings we came across especially as we hadn't seen lion for 2 days !!??

This has been an awesome safari and 6/8 was a good result!

On safari With Gert 5 November 2015

5 November 2015

Loading up early this morning, we set off to our next destination. We heard that lions had killed a buffalo late yesterday and headed for the site.

Upon arrival we found 2 lionesses and 3 males of different ages still feeding on the buffalo. Our view was slightly obscured by a fallen over tree, but the sound of snarling lions and crunching bone more than made up for that!

Not much further, on a riverbank, we found a leopard lounging in a large Jackalberry tree. Living up to it's reputation for camouflage it was near impossible to see in the shade under the dense canopy until we knew where it was. A herd of Impala was grazing in close proximity and at one stage the leopard looked quite interested in them, but they spotted it and sounded the alarm, moving off briskly...

We stopped off at a bird hide before lunch where we saw Green-backed Heron, Squacco Heron, Grey Heron, Pied Kingfisher and African Fish-Eagle, all hunting!

After lunch, check-in and a short break we went for and afternoon drive mostly spent with lions. We found 2 large males doing what they do best, fast asleep about 5 meters off the road. We left them alone for a while to have a look at a nearby waterhole. Here we found a further adult male and 2 females! They were lying I'm the afternoon sun and after a while got up for their evening stroll. We returned to the first 2 males who were still fast asleep. They lazily raised their heads once or twice,  but we eventually had to head back to camp and left them, still sprawled in the grass!

On Safari With Gert 4 November 2015

4 November 2015

Setting out on our morning drive bright and early, it was another cool overcast morning, which soon turned sunny and again, very windy.

Although the morning started off quietly, we did have some good general game sightings, including a few quality White Rhino sightings.

One of the early highlights was a large male giraffe on the side of the road. We watched it carefully feeding on a Knobthorn Acacia, it's dark, leathery tongue gingerly pulling the tips of the freshest branches into it's mouth to strip the leaves.

A little further on we noticed a car parked next to a small drainage line. On approach we spotted a beautiful young female leopard, undisturbed by the attention, trying to get some sleep in a open spot in the shade on the bank, sheltered from the wind.

Every so often she lifted her head to get a good look at her admirers before her eyes would fall shut again. She eventually lay down flat on her side and we left the sighting with her still in the same position.

It was also a good day for birding as we found several White-fronted Bee-eaters - which were very high on the wish list - and saw one of them catch a rather large locust which it eventually got down. Another highlight on the birding front was a female Bateleur perched in a dead tree quite close to our vehicle preening herself while showing off her beautiful coloration!

On Safari With Gert 3 November 2015

3 November 2015

An overcast morning, today was a welcome change from the heat of the preceding few days. however, a strong wind soon started up which often makes for rather tough game viewing conditions.

It was a good day for the large herbivores as first up we had a beautiful sighting of a breeding herd of elephant with a few youngsters crossing the road in front of our vehicle. The strong mother instincts and social bonds plain to see as the older females put themselves between the vehicle and the calves when crossing the road, making sure they stay well protected.

We also had very good sightings of 2 towers of Giraffe, one of 6 individuals and the other of 5. In the latter group was an old male courting a female, relentlessly following her around testing her readiness to mate, with no luck as she played very hard to get walking from tree to tree browsing while leading the male around.

The highlight of the day was one of our many White Rhino sightings; we encountered a small family group of 4 consisting of 1 adult male, an adult female and 2 calves of different ages. They crossed the road some distance in front of us and then grazed right on the edge of the road, affording us some excellent views.

Towards the end of our drive we were reminded of the elusive nature of Leopard as we spotted one on the move, about 30 meters off the road. I hit the brakes and we turned around to try spot it again, but to no avail. It must not have felt like being seen as it almost immediately went into hiding, illustrating that if a leopard doesn't want to be seen by us, it won't!

It was again a good day for birding with the raptors especially active. We had, amongst others; a hovering Brown Snake Eagle which swooped down on its prey,  a Bataleur perched low down in a tree, a Martial Eagle showing off its 2,5m wingspan, as well as a family of Tawny Eagle consisting of 2 adults and a juvenile.

On Safari With Robbie 3 November 2015

3 November 2015

Today we said our goodbyes to our Spanish guests who had a magnificent time spotting the big 5 as well sad Spotted Hyena!!

The rest of the crew literally rein acted the previous afternoons epic diggings with an additional 3 Leopard sightings!!

The 2 close encounters we had with the leopards interaction with the species 〰 Impala were tied first on our top sighting of the day list!!!

The other was when we came across 7 Wild dogs on an attempted Southern Reedbuck kill!!

Luckily today all the Antelope got away but tomorrow awaits!!