On Safari with Robbie: 29 January 2015

29 January 2015

This morning was rather quiet but thoroughly enjoyable as we added nyala, bushbuck, wildebeest, waterbuck and baboons to our mammals list whilst our birding list topped 50!

The nyala was most impressive as there was 5 bulls together close to the road. We observed the baboon troop for 45 minutes as they gathered fruits off the sycamore fig tree and played their various games.

What made this afternoon drive so amazing was the patience of my guests! It took us an hour and a half to find our first sighting which was a lone elephant bull. From then on it was pure magic. We got 5 species of kingfishers including the pygmy which is a rarity in itself!

A troop of vervet monkeys were over indulging on a feast of marula fruit which was hilarious to watch.  Buffalo, giraffe and zebras were suddenly everywhere and a rhino pair popped out of nowhere.

The cheetah cat which we were looking for all day was found in Spectacular fashion dragging its fresh impala kill to the safety of the thick bush!

The best was yet to come with an African rock python the length of the road sunning itself no worries style, suddenly when another vehicle arrived it changed direction in mid air then disappeared into a nearby acacia tree. Not often are these large snakes seen never mind at full speed! What an incredible day!!

On Safari With Robbie: 28 January 2015

28 January 2015

We started off this morning in a temperature drop of 19 degrees compared to yesterday which was quite something!

Our early 5am departure from camp was rewarded with a great sighting of 5 lionesses and 1 large male on the move. A little later we picked up some wonderful kudu bulls close to the road.

The moderate temperature caused animal movement and we had brilliant visuals of buffalo, white rhino, elephant and 2 large herds of zebra. At the hyena den we spotted 5 youngsters who had a giraffe vertebrae, which they were busy fighting over next to the road whilst mom and other adults watched patiently.

After breakfast we were again in luck to see a huge male leopard lazing up in a marula tree where visuals were excellent!

Our guests with us for just 1 night could not believe they had seen the big 5 in such a short time. Bird sightings were great with a total of 41 species spotted.

This afternoon was full of great individual bull elephants as well as 2 white rhino bulls exceptionally close to us!

We waited patently to see if the bush telegraph reports of newly born lion cubs was true but all we saw was a very anxious and tired looking mom!  We will follow up on this in the morning.

Kudu and impalas greeted us in abundance on route to camp whilst a huge approaching storm brought out the bushes smaller animals in the form of tortoises and chameleons to say hi to us.

On Safari With Robbie: 27 January 2015

27 January 2015

We entered the park today on one of the hottest and humid days in a long time (38 degrees, 70% humidity) on the way to camp we came across a nice breeding herd of elephants and a rather flustered heat stricken giraffe. 

The afternoon drive was not too bad considering the conditions. A memorable sighting as well as an unusual event was a lone hippo bull chasing every single buffalo away that came near to drink at shithave dam. This carried on for quite a while until the huge herd avoided their drinking spot. (maybe this is the first signs of a drought?). Furthermore we saw excellent white rhino and elephant bull sightings as well as close up zebra, giraffe, kudu and impala.

The sky coloration and the hopefully approaching storm made the drive that much more interesting.

On safari With Karen: 25 January 2015

25 January 2015 

As it was our last day of our safari we once again set of early. However, compared to yesterday it was a rather quiet morning. Our first highlight was a waterbuck. Even though the animals were scared this morning, we still managed to find something new. 

After breakfast we set of slowly towards the gate, when we ran into a herd of elephants. Their baby was smaller than the tall grass so we only noticed it when they walked out in the road in front of us. One of the elephants must have been in heat as they were closely followed by a large bull in must. He kept an eye on his herd and when they moved so did he. But when we moved he thought we wanted to take a chance with his girls. He let us know he was the right bull for them and we had to firmly tell him that we were humans with no interest in his ladies so he should leave us in peace. Twice! But then it finally dawned on him. Or the ladies had moved away again and he needed to keep close to them. So with one eye on us and one on the girls, he moved away and the road was once again clear for us to continue.

Other animals seen: elephant bull, black-bellied bustard, lilac-breasted roller, buffalos, tree squirrels eating marula nuts, giraffes, impalas, a warthog, red-collared widowbirds, pintailed whydah, a slender mongoose and kudus.

On safari With Karen: 24 January 2015

24 January 2015 

Today we went on a full day safari when our first highlight was a stand off between a large pack of wild dogs and some adult hyenas. It was close to the hyena den and the youngsters were hiding. By the looks of it the wild dogs just stumbled on the hyenas when they were looking for prey. The show was amazing as the hyenas were vocalizing all sounds and the wild dogs were actually chasing one hyena across the road with the tail between the legs. Even better was that it all happened in front of us! It only ended when the wild dogs' alpha returned and moved the pack away. The hyenas were then all greeting and congratulating each other before dispersing again.

Our second highlight of today was a family of vervet monkeys that was playing around. The youngsters, still blackish, had found a branch that was perfect for jumping on and then it would bend double because of their weight but springy enough to stand up straight for the next one to jump on. And they kept on jumping and jumping. Sometimes missing the branch ***giggle*** or fall off ***snigger*** or got caught by a flying monkey that jumped straight after ***lol***. It was so much fun that even the older ones engaged in the play and soon the whole family was rolling around, pushing each other off a fallen branch and two were even shadow boxing! We had so much fun watching them we didn't mind at all we were late for breakfast grin emoticon.

Other animals seen: multiple white rhinos, a second pack of wild dogs, only two impalas before breakfast (but the rest of the day made up for them), giraffes, lions crossing the road, kudus, bushbucks, a leopard snoozing, steenboks, a herd of elephants, buffalo mud wallowing, crocodile, hippos, a chameleon pretending to be a leaf, warthogs, common grey duiker, a black mamba having a stand-off with dwarf mongoose, and hyena pups.

The birds list includes carmine and white-fronted bee eaters, European rollers, southern masked weavers, african jacanas, black storks, bateleurs, white-faced ducks, white-backed and hooded vultures, white storks, Dideric's cuckoo, jacobin cuckoo, red-collared widowbird and guineafowls.

On Safari With Karen: 23 January 2015

23 January 2015

On this new safari the guests arrived at Pretoriuskop Camp to go straight on their sundowner safari. They saw vervet monkeys, kudu, a leopard chilling in the shade, a sable crossing swiftly, a young bull elephant and giraffes far away.