The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers

[Pumbaa]

I love the storks on the tree

Also one of my favourites from that day

[Pumbaa]

Really lovely when it's so wet

For sure and especially last year during the drought - This year it was in fact a bit too wet

[Pumbaa]

You sound depressed on that last day, Pumbaa!

Still, great pics...I like the moustached hyena!

Everything wet, I must say!

Who would not be depressed during the final hours This February it was far wetter

[Pumbaa]

Lovely pics. Nice bird sightings and the hyena too.

In fact the birds did not let us down during the last days

[Pumbaa]

We stood again in front of such a bird tree and whilst photographing some feathered friends a plum coloured starling presented us his collection of food he just collected.



Another masked weaver,



a burchell’s coucal





and a fish eagle we met next.



A hippo left its obligatory track,



a Wahlberg, another fish eagle came up next plus one of those uncountable juvenile ones along that drive which turned out to be quite successful when it comes to birds.



Whilst stopping in front of another “bird bush” we gladly could also capture a beautiful paradise flycatcher male,



a group of white helmet shrike



and more dwarf mongooses.



The group of buffaloes could not be overlooked and especially the yellow billed oxpeckers on their backs caught our attention



as they were quite a lot



and secondly we never could capture them that close so Timon took again a lot pictures of these beauties.

[Pumbaa]

Also a group of giraffes could be admired and dragged the final hours in the park a bit longer. The obligatory stop at Babalala picnic spot is always a must and to stretch the legs a bit the fig tree in the middle of the spot is always a lovely destination and for sure it took not that long until we discovered the first birds inform of a grey lourie



and a couple of cute posing green pigeons.





The rest of the drive was once again disappointingly quiet – the best still was the green spots of sprouting grass here and there which the recent rains had caused. We really do not have that sighting luck in this area but I am sure one day we will. No Kruger visit without driving the Mahonie loop as farewell drive and so it was this time too. We came across quite a large number of buffaloes,



kudus which always occur in uncountable numbers on the loop



and another nice sighting was the one of two Wahlbergs in a dead tree.



The rain again got more and pressed also onto our mood which was also not the best during the last hour in the park and in that area the landscape still looked desolate.



That elephant bull we met was also not in a good mood but gladly was far enough away





so that we could watch and photograph same – this was by the way the first and only one we saw that day.





The last animal we saw this year was a tawny who just landed in a puddle in the middle of the road



and after same quenched it thirst it was time to fly away



and also our time was over after another final ice cream break at Punda Maria camp we left the park and started to already count the days until it was time to return again.

The end finally!

[Lisbeth]

A very beautiful paradise flycatcher ! Lots of yellow-billed ox-peckers! A more than usual number of cougals! etc. Great pic of the tawny flying away

Now we can finally concentrate on the new TT

[Flutterby]

More lovely birds, you certainly had a good variety. Nice ellie bull.

[Richprins]

Very nice sightings, depressedus!

The hippo is brilliant!

Paradise fc's are rare in the park, in my experience!?

A nice farewell eagle too! Thanks for this report, Pumbaa!