Kruger Newbies *

[Richprins]

Love the croc!

Wild Dog normally tear their prey to shreds chop-chop, (to excuse the pun), so no vulture problems!

But they sometimes kill bigger stuff...ironically saw a nyala carcass near Punda once. They don't come back to a kill much, busy bees!

[PJL]

Thank you Lisbeth, Pumbaa, Flutterby, Bushcraft, Richprins & Amoli for your comments and following along

Day 8 Continued: Tamboti to Lower Sabie

Near Kumana we took a detour around the baobab tree loop to see if there were any leopards hiding in the trees, but it was all quiet on the cat front. We did however catch this hoopoe feeding young inside the tree



And this dwarf mongoose stayed just long enough for a pic before scampering away



Kumana dam was very quiet for a change, but Mazithi had some young hippos which the kids found entertaining, as well as some waterbuck milling around







We weren't interested in stopping at Tshokwane for anything more than a quick check of the sightings board and a chuckle at newcomers trying to hold on to their food
There wasn't anything of much interest on the sightings board so we kept to our original plan of taking the H10 down towards Lower Sabie. I was secretly hoping to get some cheetah along that way, but it was also great to see a new route in the park. As we approached the Nkumbe lookout point, we found some Kudu next to the road, and D's sharp eyes spotted some klipspringer





The view from Nkumbe really is spectacular... photos don't do the panorama justice!





TBC

[Bushcraft]

I also always do the baobab tree loop with the hope of finding leopard

Nkumbe is worth a stop

The H10 can be hit and miss at times

Did a cheetah show up

[PJL]

Day 8 Continued: Tamboti to Lower Sabie

We didn't get any luck with cats on the H10, which was a bit disappointing as I had high hopes for the route. Like all things it's just a case of timing.

At one point we found a family of rhino snoozing. One of them had a particularly large horn when looking closely





We continued on to Mlondozi and cooked up some lunch which was a tricky affair due to some very brazen vervets. The kids retreated to the car to eat theirs
The panorama at Mlondozi is amazing. Looking down from the viewpoint we could see a good array of animals including a black stork (which I hear is not so common), giraffe blending in to the scenery as well as the mass of hippo on the banks.









Some of the little hippos decided it was time for a swim so dragged their parents along for company





At the low level bridge over the Sabie there were elephant, buffalo and hippo in the distance and the view of Lower Sabie deck looked very inviting.
Whilst having a look around, this pied kingfisher gave us some nice hovering action and kindly came to sit close to where we were parked







The area seemed to be a hive of activity - we didn't have to go very far to find some lion and buffalo





It was great to arrive at Lower Sabie with plenty of time to spare - I was keen to try out the H4-1 for an afternoon drive



TBC

[PJL]

Thanks Bushcraft, Lisbeth, Flutterby, Richprins & Pumbaa for all your comments and following along.

The monkeys at picnic sites are a real pain... and as newbies to the place we didn't know which places are worse for them.

Day 8 Continued: Tamboti to Lower Sabie

After briefly getting ourselves unloaded and beds arranged in our huts, we hopped back in the car to go see what we could find along the H4-1. Sunset dam was a hive of hippo activity, and as we cruised up to the Lubyelubye bridge, the resident pride came into view



They were a sleepy bunch, but a few heads came up for the odd yawn



I'm not totally sure of the dynamics of this pride - there appeared to be a couple of older females (one with a collar who appeared to be the main mom), whilst most of the rest seemed to be adolescent males
The collared female decided to get up and show some affection to one of her boys








Once they had all flopped down again we moved on a few hundred metres to where a leopard had been spotted. There were plenty of cars around, but it wasn't too chaotic - Bushcraft had a harder time getting through the traffic a bit later.
This chap had caught a bushbuck which was waiting on a branch in full view ready for consumption, but rather than eating he was fast asleep in the most obscure position in the tree. You would actually think he had hidden himself on purpose as it was that difficult to get a view of him. Anyway, after much reversing and jostling for position we managed to get a few snaps of him through the branches





We didn't hang around for too long as he was so fast asleep... we figured that he'd get up and start eating as it got closer to gate closing time, so made a plan to shoot up the S79 and back down to camp to see if he would make a move. It would also be quieter (we hoped) what with everyone needing to get back to their respective camps. A bit further up the H4-1 there was another lioness which I somehow forgot to photograph Anyway she was busy eating a bushbuck and you'll see her if you check out Bushcraft's TT

Along the S79 things were fairly quiet apart from this bateleur enjoying some meat leftovers



It must have been about this stage when we noticed a sliver navara with ND plates trailing us, so guessed it was Bushcraft and clan. We let them stalk us for a while before pulling over to say hello and find out about their mammoth journey from Durbs. I'm not surprised there's sometimes drama in their car after a drive like that
We travelled back the H4-1 in convoy and called in again at the leopard, whose meat was in a prime spot:



We weren't sure whether to wait around or go on to the Lubyelubye pride which Bushcraft was sure would be heading up towards the road sometime soon. We decided to duck and see the lions, thinking that the leopard would be munching away and more visible early the next morning. As we pulled onto the bridge near the pride, they were already moving



D did a great job of spotting where they were coming out through the bush. Again, we were in a prime spot as they popped out onto the road
After circling our car, the collared female went off into the bush on our right, while the rest of the young males continued along the road. One of them appeared to have something wrong with his left eye...









The boys stopped a bit further up the road as they appeared to realise that one lioness was missing



The other lioness came back right past our car roaring away to figure out where the collared lady had gone.







We were thrilled with the sighting, but as we weren't so familiar with the area and how long it would take to get back to camp we ended up ducking a bit sooner than we needed. On the way back we did stop to have a quick word with the granny of this car that she might not have a passenger by the time she gets back to camp unless she reels him in



Back at camp we thoroughly enjoyed a meal on the deck. It had been quite a day - another big 5 day and we were now up to our 12th lion sighting of the trip



TBC

[Bushcraft]

You got much better pics of the Lubyelubye pride That’s one mother of a lens to get that close

Great Bateleur

You made the correct decision to stay with the lion

Fantastic family pic

[PJL]

Day 9: Lower Sabie to Berg en Dal

I was a bit gutted that we only had the one night at Lower Sabie, but that was all that was available when booking I was determined that we'd make the most of the area before heading over for our last night in the park at Berg en Dal, so dragged everyone out early to go see the leopard who by now would be munching breakfast.

Breakfast was served:



But the alarm clock hadn't gone off



The tail flicked occasionally and a couple of times I was sure he was getting up to come and eat. But it was false alarms.
BC and clan arrived shortly after us and got bored sooner so took off up the H4-1. I was tempted to follow knowing his luck, but I was parked in a seriously prime spot ready for some leopard breakfast action, so we stayed put. Unfortunately for us, breakfast was cancelled and without wanting to give anything away, my lesson about following Bushcraft was learned

We couldn't hang around by the sleeping tail forever, so we continued up the H4-1 and along the S79 (bad call) on what turned out to be a bit of a birding photography trip. This brown hooded kingfisher wasn't far away from the leopard



A hooded vulture was standing sentry over the lioness's kill further up the road



Whilst along the S79 the sun was catching the colours on a LBR



By now our morning coffee was breaching the dam walls so we cruised up to Nkhulu for a break. I found out from the driver of the car next to us in the car park that wild dogs had been seen up by the H12 bridge with a kill. He wasn't sure whether they would still be around as they had dashed off from the kill to take meat off to the pups, but we figured it was worth checking out as our paths hadn't crossed with any yet on the trip....

TBC

[PJL]

Beautiful pics, again, PJL!

Am confused...so a leopard and a lion were eating bushbuck?

Great bateleur pic indeed!

Ja, that laaitie leaning out of the window is taking a chance...if the lion were a bit "wilder", and not tar road resident camera stars habituated to people, they might pluck him out just out of curiosity. Lucky no adult mating male there, IMO! There is a thread for these "gallery of shame" pics!

One eye being blinded is not so unusual, normally the result of an earlier fighting injury. What is a bit unusual is all the scars on these young males..those are from territorial fights, I think. Weird social stuff going on there, and don't regard them as too young, often nearly or fully adult males can have feeble manes...kraagmannetjies!

But they are not fully adult, as seen from the spots on their hind legs.


Who is everyone in the family pic again?

Thanks RP
Yes - leopard had a bushbuck stuffed up the tree, while a few hundred metres down the road a lioness had killed a bushbuck as well... seemed to be linked to a story about a sanparks vehicle bumping into the bushbuck leaving it dazed, after which the lioness took it out
So the family pic left to right round the table is H, me, Grandpa, S, Granny & D

[PJL]

Day 9 Continued: Lower Sabie to Berg en Dal

So we motored up the H4-1 thinking that the dogs might not stay put for long. There were enough cars around the H12 bridge and part of the S30 to suggest they were still in the area, so we parked up on the bridge to try spot them. They had made a kill earlier in the morning, and there were vultures all over the place near whatever was left of the carcass. After a bit of waiting, out popped the dogs - some of them were still around





Although some of the pack had taken meat back to the younger pups, some of the older pups were brought back with some adults to eat at the kill. They really were a long way off in the river bed which didn't make for great photos, but the bridge was a great vantage point to sit back and watch them all interacting.

Some of the youngsters were chasing vultures



We took a short detour onto the S30 and got a nice view of the younger ones lined up in the river bed



Back on the bridge we found that most of them came down to the river to drink and play





The photos didn't really do the sighting justice... so here's a video of them playing around




TBC

[PJL]

Day 9 Continued: Lower Sabie to Berg en Dal

It had been quite a morning, but as we were moving to Berg en Dal we had to leave the dogs behind and head back to Lower Sabie to pack up the car again

On our way back, we found some lion next to the Sabie, but the bushes weren't being kind enough to give us a clear view



The traffic around the lazy leopard tree was getting insane so we made our way through it as quickly as possible. We heard later that Bushcraft had an even worse time of it
The lubyelubye lions were back again - this time sunning themselves on the rocks





Getting closer to sunset dam I was taken by surprise when this hippo appeared right next to our car





At the dam itself there were plenty of hippo giving us smiles, and some youngsters wanting piggy back rides





By this stage of the trip I felt like I was getting quite good at packing up the car with all our gear... 4 adults and 2 kids makes it quite a puzzle. But I was wondering whether we'd all fit properly for the journey back down to PE as my parents were hitching a ride with us

Once packed we swung around camp to try figure out where Bushcraft and his clan were hiding out. It didn't take long to find them and we finally had a chance to properly meet and catch up on sightings and stories... was great to meet them and next time will hopefully be for longer

TBC