24 September 2014
Another
tour started today, so we had a lot of firsts. Our first buffalos were already
welcoming us when we just entered the gates at Numbi. Three daggaboys looked up
briefly and then resumed their grazing.
After
checking in and a spot of lunch we set off for our first proper game drive. All
our binoculars and cameras at the ready, we spotted our first elephants on camp
road this time. Well, elephant... We could see its bum and some flapping ears,
but he refused to turn around or come out of the bush at all. Hoping for some
better sightings we continued.
Our third
animal today was a family of reedbuck. Now all is burned it is good viewing of
the animals that would normally hide. And the greens are already shining
through at some places so lots of fresh veggies for them to eat. Then we saw
two white rhinos standing in the distance, butt to butt, one in the shade and
one in the sun, as well as a small herd of buffalos. Wow, three of the big five
and reedbuck already, and still no impala!
After a
sighting of female kudus crossing, we finally saw our first impalas. First a
little group in the distance, hanging out with some zebras, then a lone male
posing very nicely for pictures.
Close to
Shitlhave Dam it got busy! We had a great sighting of a herd of elephants in
the distance, a herd of aprrox 9 sable in the distance, but out in the open so
good visual with binoculars, a herd of buffalo just leaving the dam and a couple
of steenboks. A tree agama showed off his pretty colours on a tree, but when we
stopped he hid away on the other side. The braver female just hung around on
the ground and didn't shy away.
The herd
of elephants that had just left the dam when we arrived gave us a great show of
how to use a trunk. One of the older cows was showing us the tip and how to use
it by sniffing the fresh grass and grabbing little plucks at the time. A little
accacia was broken in little bits twig by twig by trunk and tusk working
together and a nearby leafy tree with fresh greens was stripped clean of its
leaves without damaging the thin branches. A great show worth lots of pictures!
Then at
the dam we saw a sadlebilled stork with two youngsters, a woolly-necked stork
and a grey heron sharing the little dam. The egyptian goose at the big dam must
have been in a bad temper as nothing else wanted to share the dam with them!
Just some waterbuck were looking on from afar.
Then the
return journey gave us more zebras to look at, although still hidden in between
the burned twigs that were just as high as they were, a mother white rhino with
her calf that refused to be so close together they would fit into one picture,
a duiker, an African harrier hawk flying off, a giraffe mother with a baby that
decided to go the other way when mum disappeared into the bush, and a nice kudu
bull that looked like a statue.
Not bad
for a first afternoon drive! Happy Heritage Day everyone!!
25 September 2014
After last
night's dinner, just when we had gone to bed, the bush went crazy. There were
many sounds all around, like thicknees, crickets and a faraway call of a
spotted eagle owl, when suddenly there was a lot of roaring. Unfamiliar with
this specific roaring it kept us alert and settled between a cross of hippos
and lions sound wise. Although some had thought it was their neighbor snoring
loudly! But eyewitnesses told us in the morning it was actually a stand-off
between hippos in the dam in front of the lodge. An intruding hippo was denied
access to the dam, and loudly and aggressively told so.
In the end
all of us had fallen asleep and started the morning afresh. After a full
breakfast we set off to see what we could find today. On camp road, just
outside the lodge, three giraffes were curiously looking at us. Two were babies
and one a youngster, so there must have been at least two mums nearby. However,
these we didn't see. We had seen yesterday that giraffe mums can wonder off
quite far from their children, so we were not worried, we just enjoyed the
sighting.
Some
buffalos were also on camp road hiding in the leftover grass. The impalas and
zebras were waiting for us on Numbi road, we took a loop around Shabeni. Here
we saw our first klipspringers. The couple was walking on the rocks, never far
away from each other.
Down Napi
we spotted a couple of nervous kudus crossed the road in front at a run. A
lovely great troop of baboons passed through the bush and crossed the road
while feeding, playing and mating. Other sightings were: a tree full of grey louries,
juvenile martial eagle, more klipspringers and giraffes, and some elephant
bulls.
After our well-deserved
break at Skukuza, where two warthogs were feeding next to the road, we had
gotten a tip about a leopard at Ingwe Donga. So we drove down Doispane with our
fingers crossed. Upon arrival at this donga however He had disappeared.
It had
gotten warm now so the rest of the drive down Doispane and Albassini was pretty
quiet with the animals hiding in the shade. We came across more zebras, kudus,
impalas, warthogs, bateleurs, a lone male baboon and multiple giraffe
sightings.
We did
stop at Nyamundwa Dam where two fish eagles were sitting in trees on opposite
sites of the dam. There must have been a fight in paradise! Two hippos were out
of the water briefly and we saw some white breasted cormorants and blacksmith
lapwings.
In the
afternoon we split up, as some of us had just joined us and came on an
afternoon drive and others went on a sundowner game drive. On the afternoon
drive we started with a large herd of impalas that were joined by a couple of
wildebeest on Numbi tar. Then down Circle Road it was busy with kudus as well
as waterbucks and even some buffalo in the end. We came back on the tar when we
were told about some lions up ahead. Upon arrival we saw two youngish male
lions lying down. They still had their head up when we stopped the car, but
soon after they plopped down completely and snoozed. After waiting for a while
we did get lucky as one of them apparently was a bit uncomfortable. He got up,
walked three or four paces and went to lie down behind a termite mount. When
Robbie, the other guide, arrived at the scene we gave up our spot and drove
back to the lodge.
The
sundowner drive had, thanks to Nkambeni guide Clayton, a dream sundowner drive.
Not only did they see the sunset with a drink in hand, and they saw the same
lions as we had on the afternoon drive, but in addition they had also seen a
leopard, buffalos, a white rhino, elephants (so the total big 5 on a sundowner,
that is a first!) and to top it of a black mamba! Aren't we a lucky bunch!
More
coming soon!!
