13 July 2015
The day started
cold and rather quiet, but after breakfast our sightings started picking up. We
came across a pride of lions warming themselves on the rocks. And it was an
entire family. We saw five females, one male and four cubs that were 2-3 months
old! The cubs were adorable, especially two that greeted the male lion (who
ignored them pretty much) and then tried to climb on top of the rock to two of
the females. However they were too small. But it was sooooo cute to see them
try with their stubby little legs. Ultimately they gave up and went to lie with
their uncle instead. The two cubs on the rocks were obviously smart enough to
have followed their mother who had walked up the rock from the other
side.
We also saw a
large herd of elephants, as if it came straight from Jungle Book (the elephant
patrol). First they were all playing down in the river, drinking their fill.
Soon we lost sight but could still here the sloshing if elephants walking
through water and throwing it over themselves. But then they came up the bank through
the bushes. And in perfect single file they crossed the road. We even got a
trumpet sound out of one of then when already in the bush (and of course we
wondered if one had stopped and others had walked into her). Only downside is
that the rest of the day we couldn't get that song out of our heads... Tarra ra
tata tatahhh, tarra ra ta ta ta tah....
Other
interesting sightings: many warthogs, vervet monkeys, hippos in and out of the
water, crocodiles sunning themselves on the shore, kudus including pretty
bulls, bushbucks, impalas, giraffes, zebras, steenboks, white rhinos, a herd of
buffalo coming down to river to drink and leaving in a cloud if dust and a cute
little tree squirrel.
And new birds of
today: forktailed drongos, lilac breasted rollers, grey louries, red-billed
hornbills, the rare and endangered ground hornbills, hooded as well as
white-backed vultures, marabou storks, twice an endangered sadle-billed stork,
yellow-billed storks, blacksmith lapwings, african jacanas, bateleur, chinspot
batisses and a fish eagle catching his breakfast.
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