The red-billed queleas had been unleashed

[harrys]

Nice start to your new TR Pumbaa

[Flutterby]

Great start, and nice to see it so green.

[Lisbeth]

Not bad for a first outing

[Richprins]

Much wetter than the previous trip, Pumbaa!

Which B&B did you get in the end?

[Mitch]

Lovely start to your Travel Tale Pumbaa and what incredible sightings Lioness for the first animal and then ellies Wow wow wow

[Pumbaa]

Nice start to your new TR Pumbaa

Thanks so much, harrys

Great start, and nice to see it so green.

That was the best sighting ever to see the park that green again

Not bad for a first outing

In fact the first day was very rewarding

[Pumbaa]

Much wetter than the previous trip, Pumbaa!

Which B&B did you get in the end?

And also during the coming days we in fact did not had that much rain as ever before

We stayed at the Selati 103 guest cottages two km from the gate which was very good

Lovely start to your Travel Tale Pumbaa and what incredible sightings Lioness for the first animal and then ellies Wow wow wow

Welcome on board Mitch

Yes we were very surprised to see a Lion already that early

[Pumbaa]

More giraffes came across and it looked as if a migration of giraffes took place that early morning.





At least for us a more than wonderful chance to photograph some more than nice portraits of this beautiful animals.



The bush not only did look delicious at least for the giraffes but same must have tasted yummy as well.



Also the birds awoke meanwhile and it was great to spot already at that early stage of our trip a couple of amur falcons which we only saw last year once.





A far away tawny eagle, warthogs, leopard tortoises and a very close wattled plover



made us busy in watching into each direction not that we might miss anything interesting and compared to last year were most of the grazers or browsers looked really thin this year they looked extreme healthy not to say fat.



For us it was in fact a wonderful sight to see the animals that way.



Quite a lot of vultures were soaring in the air



or just landed on a tree



and I must say that I love the mountains and green in the background.



We could identify white backed and white headed vultures.

[Pumbaa]

The European rollers could again found on nearly each bush along each road in the park



and the crested barbet must have had a bad hair day – At least that morning! Same in fact looked so funny.



A nicely posing magpie simply had to be captured



as well as the impalas who came across. They are such beautiful creatures and do offer always fantastic moments





and so it took quite a while until we could carry on as Timon was so busy in taking shot after shot.





Lots of grey louries could not be overheard and finally we found the culprit



and after watching more elephants and buffaloes in their own private spa also the first of many wildebeests during that trip came across.



We could not believe our very successful time we already had after entering the park only a couple of hours earlier and in that good mood we finally needed a short break at Afsaal with the obligatory ice cream and for sure whilst we stretched our legs a bit the camera in hand is a must as otherwise we might have missed this chinspot batis



or that nicely posing sparrow.





Although it was still early and a weekday the picnic spot was quite full and after a lovely break we carried on and stopped for this klippie on and under a koppie.



to be continued.....

[Lisbeth]

The crested barbet looks totally ridiculous

Seeing the klipspringer under the koppie looks scary