Pilanesberg - The Great Album Show *

[steamtrainfan]

OCTOBER 2008 - PART 3 OF 3

A NICE ELLIE SHOT WITH SOME GENERAL GAME IN THE BACKGROUND.


SOME SPRINGBUCK NEAR MANKWE DAM.


A GUINEA FOWL AT REST.


SORRY ABOUT THIS BUT YET ANOTHER SHOT OF JOAN AND I AT OUR FAVOURITE SPOT ON A HOT HAZY DAY.


A YOUNG GIRAFFE TAKING IT EASY.


ON THE SHORES OF MANKWE DAM.


THE AIRPORT TREE FROM MANKE DAM HIDE.


THE SETTING SUN OVER MANKWE DAM ESTUARY.


NEAR RATHLOGE DAM.


A HERD OF ELLIES AT LENGAU DAM.


A BLACK SHOULDERED KITE.


SUNSET OVER MANKWE DAM. CAN YOU SPOT THE ELLIES??????


The end of October 2008. Our next visit will be a day visit during January 2009.

[steamtrainfan]

JANUARY 2009.

We popped in for a days visit so not many pics in this months album.

SEEN ON TSHWENE DRIVE.


THE SALT LICK AT PILANESBERG CENTRE.


SOME ZEBRA IN THE EARLY MORNING LIGHT.


SEEN ON TLOU DRIVE.


A GUINEA FOWL FAMILY ON THUTLWA LOOP.


IMPALA DRINKING AT MAKORWANE DAM.


Next - Our 7 days during October 2009.

[steamtrainfan]

OCTOBER 2009 - PART 1 OF 2.

A THIRSTY ELLIE ON TSHEPE DRIVE.


A VIEW OF MANKWE DAM FROM TSHUKUDU eNTSHO.


NEXT TO THE WALKWAY TO RATLHOGO HIDE.


ON THE NKAKANE LINK.


SEEN FROM THE WALKWAY TO MANKWE DAM HIDE.


SEEN ON TSHEPE DRIVE.


WE THINK THIS IS A NATAL FRANCOLIN.


A HIPPO CARCASS NEAR TLOU DAMS.


MARULA GIVING SOME GAME VIEWING TRUCKS A HARD TIME ON KUBU DRIVE NEAR MANKWE DAM.


FROM MANKWE DAM HIDE.


SEEN ON MOLOTO DRIVE.


TWO ZEBRA HAVING A SCRAP ON MOLOTO DRIVE.


SAW THIS FINE LOOKING LADY WALKING WITH A PURPOSE ON MOLOTO ROAD.


SHE WAS HEADED TO THIS FINE LOOKING GUY IN THE SHADE OF A TREE. ONE CAN JUST SEE HER BEHIND HIM LYING IN THE SHADE.


INSTEAD OF DOING WHAT SHE WANTED HE LAY DOWN IN THE SHADE.


MAYBE HE HAD A HEADACHE BECAUSE HE THEN WENT TO SLEEP.


More to follow for October 2009.

[steamtrainfan]

OCTOBER 2009 - PART 2 OF 2.

A LOVELY PLAINS SCENE ALONG SAFARA DRIVE.


A MAJOR ROADBLOCK JUST OUTSIDE MANYANE CAMP.


A COUPLE OF KUDU CROSSING TLOU DRIVE.
]

A MAMA WITH HER BABA.


SEEN FROM RATLHOGO HIDE.


FROM OUR FAVOURITE PLACE AGAIN - LENONG VIEW.


THIS FELLOW CAME TO SEE US WHILE HAVING LUNCH AT FISH EAGLE.


MY BROTHER EXAMINING SOME ELLIE POOH FOUND INSIDE MOLOTO PICNIC SITE.


SUNRISE FROM OUR HUT.


SOME NICE FLOWERS WE SAW ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.


SEEN ALONG MANKWE WAY.


A BABY CROC AT MANKWE HIDE.


A LOVELY SHOT OF MARULA NEAR MANKWE DAM.


A GIANT KINGFISHER AT MANKWE DAM HIDE.


THESE PICS WERE TAKEN AT ABOUT 18:15 IN THE SHADOWS OF TILODI DAM. THIS IS EITHER LERU OR FISA. NOTE HIS SORE JAW AND SWOLLEN EYE.


THIS IS THE OTHER ONE CATCHING A SNOOZE.


THEY THEN WALKED UP TO OUR CAR - ONE ROUND THE BACK AND THE OTHER IN FRONT. JOAN GOT THIS SHOT OF THE ONE GOING AROUND THE BACK OF THE CAR. THIS WAS ON OUR LAST DAY IN PILANESBERG FOR OCTOBER 2009. WHAT AN ENDING.


Coming soon - August 2010.

[steamtrainfan]

Our October 2010 week was to prove to be our best week at Pilanesberg so far. We have sorted 50 photos but maybe we should thin these out a bit. But, back to the here and now and we now attach our August 2010 album. We managed a two day one night stay in early August.

AUGUST 2010.

A GREY HERON FROM MANKWE DAM HIDE.


THREE BEAUTIES NEAR MANKWE DAM.


MALACHITE KINGFISHER AT BATLHAKO DAM.


WHAT A FINE MOUSTACHE.


A WATER MONITOR NEAR MAROKWANE DAM.


SEEN AT PILANESBERG CENTRE.




GOT THIS FELLOW JUST WAKING UP IN THE LATE AFTERNOON NEAR MANAYNE GATE. UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS LATE AND WE HAD TO GET BACK TO CAMP.



OUR FRIEND IN CAMP.


OUR FIRST SIGHTING ON OUR SECOND DAY.


HE STOOD IN FRONT OF US AND ROARED. WHAT A LOVELY SOUND SO EARLY IN THE MORNING. BEATS THE SOUND OF EARLY MORNING TRAFFIC ANY DAY.


NEXT MINUTE A FEMALE APPREARED SOON FLLOWED BY ANOTHER MALE AND THREE FEMALES.


THEY THEN CUT ACROSS THE VELD TO MANKWE WAY. JOAN GOT THIS SHOT AS THEY CROSSED MANKWE WAY.


THEY CROSSED MANKWE WAY AND HEADED INTO THE VELD AGAIN. WE KNEW THAT MOTLOBO DRIVE WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RISE IN THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THEY WERE HEADING SO FROM MANKWE WAY WE TOOK A RIGHT INTO MOTLOBO DRIVE AND WAITED FOR THEM TO APPEAR OVER THE RISE. HERE THEY ARE WITH WILDEBEEST KEEPING A WARY EYE ON THEM. HOWEVER, THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN CATCHING ANYTHING THIS MORNING.


WE DID HOWEVER CATCH THIS GROUNDSCRAPER THRUSH ON THE HUNT.


THE RESIDENT FISH EAGLE NEAR MANKWE DAM.


A PIED KINGFISHER WITH HIS BREAKFAST AT MANKWE DAM HIDE.


A L.B.R. NEAR BAKUBUNG GATE.


Coming up next - October 2010, our final album but our best week yet.

[steamtrainfan]

OK, now for a start to a lengthy October 2010 album.

OCTOBER 2010 - DAYS 1,2 AND 3.

Not a great start on these first three days but here are a few shots.

A ZEBRA WITH A SORE LEG. PLEASE EXCUSE THE COLOUR BUT SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH THE CAMERA.


SOME ELLIES PLAYING AT LENGAU DAM.




SOME IMPALA DRINKING NEAR MANKWE DAM.


MY WHAT BIG TUSKS YOU HAVE.


AFRICAN WATTLED LAPWING NEAR MAROKWANE DAM.


A DRAGON FLY BUT UNFORUNATELY WITH THAT CAMERA PROBLEM AGAIN - A BLUE TINGE TO THE PICTURE.


SOME ELLIES COOLING OFF IN MANKWE DAM AS SEEN FROM THE HIDE.


Coming up next - 4th October 2010.

[steamtrainfan]

OCTOBER 2010 - DAY 4.

SEEN AT THE SMALL WATERHOLE JUST BEFORE TILODI DAM.










WE KNEW THIS LIONESS AND HER TWO CUBS WOULD BE HERE FOR A FEW DAYS SO WE MOVED ON. NOT MUCH ELSE SEEN BESIDE THE USUAL GAME.


RATHER UNUSUAL TO SEE A GIRAFFE EATING GRASS.


SUNSET NEAR MANKWE DAM.


DAY 5 TO FOLLOW.

[steamtrainfan]

OCTOBER 2010 - DAY 5.

AN EARLY MORNING MOMMY AND JUNIOR SHOT ON MANKWE WAY.


MAJOR ROADBLOCK ON TAU LINK. THIS FAMILY HELD US UP FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE MOVING ON.


CLOSE UP OF THE ONE WITH AN UNUSUAL HORN.


A YOUNG ELLIE WITH AN ITCHY EYE NEAR MANKWE DAM.


TWO SWALLOWS AT MANKWE DAM HIDE.


THIS GUY POSED VERY NICELY FOR US.


HOLDING UP THE TRAFFIC ON TSHWENE DRIVE NEAT MANKWE DAM.


NO SOONER HAD THE RHINO CROSSED OVER THEN SOME ELLIES CROSSED OVER IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.


A JACKAL AT THE WATERHOLE WHERE THE LIONESS WITH TWO CUBS WAS.


WE ONLY SAW THE TWO CUBS. MOMMY WAS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.


THIS ELLIE TRUNDLED ONTO THE BRIDGE WHERE WE WERE WATCHING THE LION CUBS CAUSING US TO REVERSE SO THAT HE COULD GET A BETTER LOOK AT THE LIONS.


Day 6 to follow.

[steamtrainfan]

OCTOBER 2010 - DAY 6.

THE LIONESS AND HER TWO CUBS AT THE WATERHOLE NEAR TILODI DAM.




A SADDLE BILL AT TILODI DAM.


LERU AND FISA SLEEPING ON ROCKS ON TSHEPE DRIVE NEAR H4.


THEY THEN STARTED TO WAKE UP.


THIS ONES JAW IS LOOKING A LOT BETTER SINCE WE LAST HIM. SEE OCTOBER 2009 ALBUM.


THEY THEN STARTED TO WALK TOWARD US.


CROSSED OVER THE ROAD IN FRONT OF US AND WALKED OFF INTO THE VELD AFTER POSING FOR ONE LAST SHOT.


ON THE SHORES OF MANKWE DAM.


A YOUNG KUDU BULL WHO WILL NOT BE HAVING ANY HEARING PROBLEMS.


AT DITHABANENG DAM WE SAW THESE 4 LIONESS LAZING IN THE SHADE.


AT G5 WE DISTURBED THIS FELLOW HAVING A LATE AFTERNOON SIESTA.


Wow - three lion sightings in one day. A very satisfying day indeed. Tomorrow will be our last day bit I have about 16 pics so I think I will split day 7 into two parts.

[steamtrainfan]

OCTOBER 2010 - DAY 7 MORNING

Today was such a great day we have decided to split it into two - morning and afternoon.

First off we stopped in to check on our lioness and two cubs. They were there but far back under a tree, No pics. We then moved on and found this guy on the Nkakane Link nowhere near a dam.


While munching on some lovely toasted bacon and egg sandwiches for breakfast at Pilanesberg Centre we were watching these wildebest near the waterhole. A most peaceful and relaxing scene.


Suddenly the wildebeest scattered in all directions and someone shouted " Lion". Sure enough, two young males suddenly appeared in the clearing and had looks of surprise on their faces as they wondered what had happend to their possible breakfast.




At Ratlhogo Hide we saw this fellow hitching a ride.


At the little unnamed dam on the corner of Tlou and Kgabo Drives we saw these ellies enjoying themselves.






On our way back to camp for lunch we stopped off and found the lioness and her cubs much closer to the road and nicely in the open.




Having had lunch and a siesta we found these guys playing around the sprinkler system.


We then went out for our final afternoon drive little knowing what we were going to see. Unfortuntely Norman and Melanie decided to stay in camp and relax. BIG MISTAKE.

AFTERNOON DRIVE TO FOLLOW.