On Safari With Robbie 29 April 2015

29 April 2015

We arrived at Numbi gate and set out on a short drive prior to the sundowner for Steph and her Mom Nina .

Due to the heat most species were gathered at Shitlhave dam!

A herd of Zebra as well as a huge Waterbuck herd gathered at the waters edge. A lone Buff bull lay in knee depth water whilst a Croc patrolled past him!

200 head strong Buffalo herd grazed in the distance whilst a tree squirrel stole the show with a sprint through the viewing area!

Sunset drive was rather quiet but enjoyable!

Up at the cracker tomorrow!

On Safari With Curtis 29 April 2015

29 April 2015

Today we were rewarded with some great sightings throughout the day. Picking two is quite challenging!!!

Our first highlight was a crash of three rhino close to the road. All three equal in size they were busy play fighting, pushing and shoving each other trying to work out their place in life. We were able to spend plenty time watching as they worked things out.

Our second sighting was a group of male elephants who slowly made their way towards us and eventually crossing the road in front of us. We managed to get some great shots of these giants and were also then spoiled with the sudden appearance of two hyena.

Also seen were impala, kudu, waterbuck, warthog, zebra, giraffe, steenbok, common duiker, hippo, crocodile, vervets, leopard, a huge herd of buffalo and two lion sightings, one of which was an incredible sighting.

Birds seen today lappet faced vulture, white backed vulture,  secretary bird, yellow-billed stork, grey heron, cape-glossy starling, pied kingfisher, hadeda ibis, verreauxs eagle owl, grey headed hornbills,  yellow-billed hornbills and red-billed hornbills, red-billed oxpeckers,  bataleurs, tawny eagle and African fish eagle.

On Safari With Curtis 28 April 2015

28 April 2015

The beginning of a new tour saw us entering the park through Numbi gate and going for our first drive. During the afternoon we had first encounters with impala, zebra, warthog, kudu, klipspringers and hippo.

The highlight of the day was our final sighting of the day as we found a bachelor group of six dagga boys (buffalo bulls). Perfectly relaxed after a long day grazing they were just lying in the grass ruminating.

On Safari With Karen 29 April 2015

29 April 2015

We set off early once again for a day full of safaris and we had an amazing day. As it was Bryan's 50th birthday, we were hoping to get some good sightings, but boy, was he spoiled on his birthday! And that doesn't even include the chocolate cake with ice cream and singing birthday songs, because that only came after dinner ;-).

This morning we did see some hyenas again. It was special as it looked like the hyenas started to come back to their den after a long night foraging. They appeared from all directions and some even passing the car close by. The pups came out of the den to greet the elders and to beg for some food. When a large group had formed they all greeted each other with their special hyena sounds.

After breakfast at Skukuza we had gotten a tip from some other guides about some lions. We decided to have go and see if we could get lucky. And we were rewarded with a great sighting!! Upon arrival we saw two lions and a lioness full from a meal snoozing it off in the shade. Three other younger males were still guarding the buffalo they had killed from lots of lappet-faced and white-backed vultures that were all waiting to get their share. We saw one lion trying to eat a little more. And we now know that lions are strong as he pulled the half eaten buffalo carcass away from the vultures all by himself.

But the action wasn't done yet as the female turned out to be in heat. One of the males sacrificed himself to make full use of the females estrus cycle even though he had just engorged on a buffalo buffet. We saw them mating once and a second time seemed on hand but he just couldn't get himself to do it. The girl gave up after that and went for a sleep in the shade with the male close by her side.

One of the other males that was snoozing before had apparently gotten some new room left in his still very bulgy tummy, as he got up and started to make his way back to the carcass. Full on fresh meat, he wasn't thinking properly and his now extra heavy body sank in the muddy banks of the dam he was crossing. He managed to pull himself together and out of the mud and got across. Only to change his mind and go lie down in another shady spot.

Other interesting sightings: a herd of buffalos, many elephants including some very close to the car, kudus, waterbucks, a chameleon, another lion sighting, white rhinos, steenboks, warthogs, common grey duikers, vervet monkeys, Speke's hinged tortoise, hippos, one and a half giraffe (as of the second one we only could see the bottom half), a lovely view from Mathekanyan, a crocodile, marabou stork, a brown snake eagle, zebras, a leopard in a tree and of course plenty of impalas.

On Safari With Karen 28 April 2015

28 April 2015

We started this new day with a clear sky and we had a great day out in the park. As we spend quite some time at each sighting, all of them were a highlight, so to speak. 

Our first sighting however started just as we had begun our day. In the distance we spotted an elephant. As it was our first elephant of this safari it was a great find. And he was coming closer and closer. So we decided to hang around as he walked for about 2km in the background right past our car. While munching on grass, bushes and trees. 

Once he had past us he stopped again and munched on another bush. We then noticed a hyena coming up the road behind us. And so did the elephant who instantly had gotten rigid and made himself look even bigger as he was. Ears out and tusks up high, he watched the hyena pass. 

The hyena however didn't even look at the elephant and passed without looking up. He had found something in the air that was worth investigating. He kept on walking up and down the road sniffing the air and the ground trying to locate... it. Not sure if he found it but when it got a bit busier with cars trying to pass him, he gave up and disappeared into the long grass. 

And let's not forget that after we hadn't moved all this time, some kudus and impalas had also joined this sighting. 

Our second giraffe sighting today we almost missed! He was standing only a few meters from the road but completely obscured by the bush he was eating. Until his curiosity got the better of him and he stuck his head around the bush to say hello. 

What made this sighting extra funny was the impala ram that was fighting a bush next to the giraffe. At first we thought he was just having an itch, but no, upon closer inspection that wasn't the case. Then maybe he was thrashing the bush to impress some females, but we didn't see any in sight at all. Neither did we see any other males, so he wasn't impressing those either. Nor was he stuck as he managed to pull himself out quite easily. But he kept at it over and over again, so either he is practicing his new moves on the bush or he is sight impaired and thinks it is an enemy... Either way, we had a good laugh!

Other interesting sightings: lots of impalas, yellow and red-billed hornbills, leopard tortoise, slender mongoose, white rhinos, hippos, water monitor, blacksmith lapwings, waterbucks, blooming impala lilies, pretty kudu bulls with nice horns, buffalos, lilac breasted roller, grey louries, zebras, bateleurs, warthogs, forktailed drongos, white-backed vultures, candelabra trees as well as many marula trees and giraffes.