Kruger: December 2009 (Part 4)

We carried on and turned off on the Red Rocks loop. Shortly after turning onto this dirt road, we were rewarded with a lovely sighting of 2 rare and shy Sharpe's Grysbok in the process of courtship!

They suddenly became edgy and froze. I could hear the alarm call of vervet monkeys down in the riverbed behind them. I was sure there was a leopard walking down there, but there just wasn't anywhere in the vicinity where I could get a view down into the riverbed!! Aaarg!

A bateleur shaking off his spiderwebs...

We also found a troop of Chacma Baboons who had a bunch of rowdy young folks...

As we came to a viewing point over the river, we had a special sighting of a small member of the animal kingdom often overlooked. A female Tree Squirrel was carrying her baby in her mouth over a thick branch at a precarious height. I'd never seen this before, check it out!

We stopped for a leg-stretch at a lovely viewing point...

As we headed back to camp slowly along the Red Rocks loop, we saw this cute little Terrapin...

...as well as a Hamerkop...

However, the highlight of the drive was this big Elephant bull, wallowing in the late morning sun like a fat piggy!

We got back to Shingwedzi and proceeded to have a late brunch and a well-deserved early afternoon nap (after getting up at 04h00 every morning!).

...to be continued...

Morkel Erasmus

Kruger: December 2009 (Part 3)

Well, now...I've just about let my trip reports fall by the wayside.
Let's carry on with this one, shall we?

The last time, we left off HERE.

On the morning of our 2nd full day in the Park, we headed out bright and early. In the summer months, you can exit the camp gates at 04h30, and it effectively gets light around 05h00, with sunrise occuring somewhere between 05h20 and 05h30.

As we cruised gently down the Shingwedzi river road, we saw the local baboon troop waking up...

A few meters on we found the same family of Southern Ground Hornbills...in the trees!

Still, not a few meters from there we found a couple of big buffalo bulls, with the usual cattle egret acting as bodyguard.

As we reached the main road running between Mopani, Shingwedzi and the far north, we turned south and spotted a young Spotted Hyena strutting along the bush. Someone in the camp had told us about a hyena den in this direction under the road in a drainage pipe. We presumed he was headed that way.

He was. We found some of the adults next to the road where the pipe is situated.

After sitting with them for a few minutes, they pushed off deep into the bush, so we turned around and headed north again, to see if we could spot where the hyenas had come from.

This shy bushbuck ewe came to greet us.

We crossed the Shingwedzi river bridge and found this little hyena lying in the road just across the bridge, all alone. We wondered if he/she was also part of the clan we saw at the drainage pipe...though it was at least 5km back.

He was quite lazy and just wanted to lie down. They probably had an eventful night.

We turned around (again). The original plan was to drive the Redrocks loop that morning, and we proceeded there. En route we saw a couple of Saddle-billed Storks in a tree. These birds are now endangered so it's always good to spot them.

The impalas had dropped their lambs in the late spring so there were plenty of little ones around - like this cutie!

Summer is a great time for birding in Kruger. This is a Green Wood Hoopoe.

And this is a Whitefronted Bee-eater. Backlit and using rimlight to add mood to the shot.

I think I'll end this episode here...in the next one you will see interesting behaviour from an elusive and rarely seen antelope...!

Cheers

Morkel Erasmus

Kruger: December 2009 (Part 2)

Okay, so it's about time I carried on with this trip report...

We carried on in the humid and overcast weather on our first day in the Kruger Park, driving up to Shingwedzi.

This was the view over the Olifants River as we crossed it.

This flock of Yellow-Billed Storks were being lazy by the water's edge.
Next up, some Cape Buffalo...

This elephant skull served as a reminder that even the mighty of the bush can fall...life is short.

We had to wait for this little guy (and the rest of his family) to cross the road. You always give elephants right of way in Kruger!

Shortly before we reached Shingwedzi Rest Camp, we came across this "lifer" for me - a Levaillant's Cuckoo.

Some more Cape Buffalo were enjoying the cool water of the Shingwedzi river...

A family of Southern Ground Hornbills provded some entertainment before we reached our destination...this is a juvenile...

This Fork-Tailed Drongo welcomed us at the Shingwedzi gate.

We unpacked, settled in and took some siesta time. Before we headed out for our afternoon drive I spent some time with the local squirrels...

Our afternoon drive was focused around the camp to explore the Shingwedzi riverbed and the low water bridge behind the camp. It was a quiet drive...here are the highlights though...

When the water flows strongly over the low-water bridge, you can see waders taking full advantage of the easy fishing on offer...

That was the end of our first full day in the Park. The next day was around the bend, but first...a nice braai (barbeque) and some rest...