The red-billed queleas had been unleashed

[Richprins]

That vulture in the shade is a very difficult shot, Pumbaa!

Are they called white-faced now?

Also the dikkop under the rocks...or maybe very old concrete?

[Flutterby]

Very dirty lions!

Lovely pics!

[Philip1]

Pumbaa and Timon.

[Richprins]

By the way, Pumbaa...there were millions of quelea still rushing around the central district when I went up earlier this week, never seen so many!

[PJL]

Great start to your trip Pumbaa

You certainly had some nice cat sightings already despite the height of the grass (which we have since discovered to be just as high )

[Pumbaa]

The impies in the middle of all the wild flowers are sooo pretty

we noticed more white faced vultures in a tree

This one is a hooded vulture though

Thanks for the correction The flowers in Kruger were this year so beautiful

Great to spend time and read your TT Pumbaa

Lions and that Boon is priceless

Impies are always a pleasure to see being among the flowers stunning!

Welcome on board All-Nature and

welcome back Pumba

indeed nice start

my prefered Amur Falcon

Welcome back to you, nan The start was indeed not that bad

That vulture in the shade is a very difficult shot, Pumbaa!

Are they called white-faced now?

Also the dikkop under the rocks...or maybe very old concrete?

I think their were looking for some shade as it was extreme hot in the sun that day

[Pumbaa]

Very dirty lions!

Lovely pics!

And also very well hidden ones

Pumbaa and Timon.

so much, Philip

By the way, Pumbaa...there were millions of quelea still rushing around the central district when I went up earlier this week, never seen so many!

Us too wasn't that amazing to see that many of them

Great start to your trip Pumbaa

You certainly had some nice cat sightings already despite the height of the grass (which we have since discovered to be just as high )

Welcome on board, PJL, and in fact surprisingly the cat sightings were indeed not that bad this year despite the high grass

[Pumbaa]

A lovely stop is then normally always on the causeway across the Mlambane but this year the grass was for too high to discover anything but for sure the ever present terrapins swam frantically closer – just in case something will fall down –



insider tip but at that time of the day and during the prevailing heat it was extreme quiet and we only met a couple of kudus.



After a short stop and in order not to attract all the terrapins we carried on and drove to Berg en Dal via the Mlambane loop which over the years turned into our favourite over the years, simply an
Check in at Berg en Dal went smoothly and fast and we got bungalow No. 23 close to the fence in which we already stayed a couple of year ago. After everything found its place and after a well earned break on our verandah we strolled a bit along the fence under the trees in the shade and came across a sunbathing crocodile



and a beautiful butterfly and must say that such a number and variety of butterflies we saw this year in Kruger we never ever saw before which was also extreme impressive.



Finally after a nice walk we left camp quite late again late in the afternoon and turned into the direction of Matjulu. We met a lot of cattle egrets



and spotted already our first ground hornbills during this trip. All in all we counted three adults and a juvenile one spread quite widely so very difficult to capture and spot



due to the dense vegetation.



Close to the waterhole itself then we were stuck in a huge traffic jam and at first stage we could not see anything only after quite a while and after asking the people in the other cars we noticed again lions, already our third lion sighting during that day which is in fact more than unusual for us.



It were three of them, 2 younger males plus one female who just had a lazy afternoon and in which now at the end of the day came some movement



as they started to walk one by one from their previous resting place down to the waterhole to quench their thirst.

[Pumbaa]

It was again difficult to take pictures as at the place where we stood the dense vegetation was nearly hiding everything but after moving a bit we found a place where we could see them drinking.



As already said nearly all people staying at Berg en Dal that evening must have been at that sighting as I never realized such a traffic jam there ever before.



Gladly the lions did not bother at all about all the traffic around and finally all three arrived at the drinking spot.



It was a wonderful sighting to round up the day and we were again extreme happy that after lots of evenings or mornings we spent here to finally spot lions there again.



After all of them drank extensively they moved up hill again and one after the other laid down in the grass



not to forget to first to look into each direction as maybe a nice snack for the evening might come around.



As always when sitting at such sighting time was clocking down and as we only left camp relatively late for that drive our time here was already nearly over



and with a final wave from us and a final body roll from the lions we left and returned ones again extreme happy back to camp.



Whilst the braai was going and we relaxed on our verandah we were talking about our sightings that day which were already exceptional good but the best this was that we finally were back in Kruger.

To be continued.......

[Richprins]

Nice day indeed!

There was actually an article in the paper mentioning the surge in butterflies in the park this wet season!

The one lion looks a bit skinny...not so easy now after the drought!