The red-billed queleas had been unleashed

[Pumbaa]

Legendary Letaba Leopard

Definitely a superb sighting and I'm so very happy for the both of you that your patience got rewarded so beautifully

We already thought we had to leave with only headless leopard shots

[Pumbaa]

Magnificent pics after the patience indeed, Pumbaa!

Interesting the red-billed feeding a yellow-billed oxpecker!

A red billed oxpecker is always a strange sighting for us when not on any animal

[Pumbaa]

It's a chick, RP! It has not got the final colour yet

Yep

[Pumbaa]

Sjoe and the leopard sighting got even better

Yes sometimes we also do have luck with leopards

[Pumbaa]

I think it may be a cuckoo there with the oxpeckers...have sent on to Garth!

Thanks Richprins

[Pumbaa]

Exquisite leopard pics - stunning!

I love the European Bee-eater colors

Oxpeckers feeding chicks - I would be smiling all day

I gues it is one of the birds with nearly each colour on

[Pumbaa]

Although it was still a bit dark we enjoyed to stand here and observe a lone spoonbill in the distance and two waterbuck males



in the riverbed – both of them where not sure whether to fight or not and in the end they decided for the latter



and finally we turned around and stopped along the tar road back to Letaba as there on the right hand side is always a little pond at which we always do stop and today we had luck as there a couple of pied kingfishers were busy in fishing



and in taking a break from same.



We stayed here a bit longer as this year this bird was extreme rare for us as normally same is found everywhere near water in the park so we could get a couple of shots finally as well.



All the loops along this road were ours and in one we saw lots of marabou storks



and then the white fronted bee eater show started in an open area – In the beginning only two shared a branch,



whilst the others were still busy in catching bees





but finally four of them cuddled up on the same branch



and to our joy a fifth one squeezed between the others and Timon was in heaven and could not get stopped in taking shot after shot.



Also at this sighting we stayed quite a while as we simply loved to watch them



we then also discovered an African hoopoe and more waterbucks



and then we turned into the first loop along the S46 right opposite the Matambeni hide and here I only noticed something light brown and I already thought of impalas as Timon was covering the animal but this animal was far larger and even heavier than an impala as Timon was facing a male lion who looked extreme well fed.

[Pumbaa]

This sighting turned out to be one of the best lion sightings we ever had in the park and we had already quite fantastic ones – we must say that we were the whole time we spent with them the only car and we had them all to ourselves.



It was a pride consisting of 3 females, 2 younger males and two gorgeous cubs



whereas one of the females always kept a bit away from the rest of the pride and always stayed hidden on the other side in bushes so it could be that there still were more lions somewhere else





but we were that happy that we were so close to them especially with these cute and very playful cubs around.



As soon as we settled and switched the engine off still a bit farer away from the lions they totally relaxed and did not pay any attention anymore to us



so they settled on a small hill on which at least the adults stayed most of the time. Here is a shot of the whole gang between the overgrown area



as I still remember that place from the year before as there was no grass or any other vegetation and you could directly watch into the Letaba at least what was left from same.



One of the cubs started to play with a clump of grass



and soon the other one joined as well and they started to play.





to be continued......

[Flutterby]

Love the bee-eater pics and great lion sighting!

[Mel]

What a wonderful close lion sighting

But the bee-eaters in a row take the prize for me in this episode