Flavour of the Month - Dec 2012: S39 Timbavati Rd & Picnic Spot

[Richprins]

A cavespringer!

[Flutterby]

I didn't spot that RP...good one!

[Richprins]

This is the standard scenery north of Roodewal camp:

And Roodewal windmill:

Near the northern end is Goedgegun, worth a quick detour from the tar road too!

[Flutterby]

And Roodewal windmill:

I don't see any windmill.

[Richprins]

Right near the top of the road is this little loop:

And sunset:


(One quite suddenly enters Mopanieveld in the northern bit!)

Access road to Roodewal:

[Richprins]

From a story by aat 2014:


viewtopic.php?f=46&t=5183

*** Travel Tales ***
Trip to Kruger NP from November 11th till December 4th 2014
New series of Travel Tales

Thanks all for the comments and time for next story

06 – A Hide is to hide for ?

Satara.
After an early morning drive we decided to take a book with us and to go to a hide. Some drinks and snacks with us and go, to Ratelpan Hide.
Arriving , bringing camera’s and other supplies to the hide. Nobody there so taking position.

After just a minute we heard something approaching the hide.
One of the beautiful antelopes, a male Bushbuck.

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and

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One minute later…..
At once a “cry” just next to the hide (left hand side) and our male Bushbuck took off and gone…

Huhhhhhhhhh ? (some question marks in our eyes) what is this ?

Just a few seconds later….
We heard something at the other side , something running….. and

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A Lion !! ??
Mouth open, heart pounding a bit but capturing the lioness in the riverbed

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And then showing her face to us. She was just on her own, looking around but no other lions

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She disappeared at the other side of the riverbed

Then we looked at each other and started with something like pfffffffffffffffff, huhhhhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and then stumbeling with “ we just walked there a few minutes ago” !

Thinking: A few minues ago we left the car and walking to the hide but as always , first look around if etc…..
So this lioness was close to us when we entered the hide and the “cry” was a warning mhhhhhhhhhh

After some time other people entered the hide and told us they had seen two male lions, 5 km ahead.
We told them the experience with the lioness and they looked at us with big eyes…. , here ? close to the hide ? Yes, here… 15 minutes ago…., (with a big smile)

We left to go to the 2 male lions.

5km ahead and yes there they are:

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Two big boys together

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A bit of whispering always helps

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Beautiful males and with a last shot of them we went back to Satara.

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So… going to a hide … take care and if you go to Ratelpan Hide, don’t think about this story (smileeeeeeeeeeeee)


Thanks for being with us again and next story will be about “working hard to see and follow them and a driver of a big tourist vehicle saying something like Sh…tt”


Aat & Elly

[Richprins]

Piet Grobler Dam:

(Ratelpan Bird Hide to the south)

[Richprins]

By flying cheetah 2012:

https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... 6&start=20

Usually I don't get extremely excited when I get to a lion sighting and if it's the usual sighting with sleeping lions and many cars my only wish is to get through the traffic as soon as possible.
But sometimes you have one of these special encounters and then this memory stays with you for a long time. I had this luck while driving the Timbavati road (S39) some km south of Roodewal.
I saw 2 lionesses with 4 cubs and the curious cubs even walked towards my car. They were playing near me for a good while before the adults decided it's enough and were leading them down to the dry riverbed. One of the lionesses had a blind eye but she seemed to be in a very good condition and she clearly controlled the situation. What a wonderful and impressive sighting

[Richprins]

From a 2013 vinkie report:

After some coffee at the Picnic spot we saw some Vultures in the air circling, we wondered if some kill had been made during the night, we had heard lots of Lions roaring.

Suddenly Apex Predator saw a BBJ on the left-hand side of the road, together with a Vulture.






After a few moments 3 Lions arrived, they where young but good-looking and Healthy.






















After a while they lay down..

https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... 2&start=30

[Richprins]

From a Summer 2013 Pumbaa report:

It normally takes a while until you reach on that road the riverbed where the stunning views do start and today we had a great time in watching a large herd of impalas busy in a morning chat,



in feeding,



or in simply enjoying the new morning.



I think the height of the grass gives you a good impression how dense the vegetation was at that time of the year.



The views into the river bed were as always breathtaking and although it was extreme quiet that morning until we reached Leeubron we had a lovely time as moreover not much cars crossed our path. Funnily as quiet the road was previously at Leeubron there is always animal activity – We experienced this meanwhile on each of our visits here. A family of Egyptian goose with meanwhile nearly grown goslings could be watched and lots of impalas quenched their thirsts very alertly.



With the following picture I at least can try to explain why I love this road in February that much – A lovely green jungle with birdies maybe not always to be seen but chirping from everywhere and out of nowhere a giraffe appeared on the scene and did not bother our presence and walked giraffewise closer and closer



until same disappeared together with a baboon in one of the green carpets on one roadside as if same was not there only seconds earlier. We drove all the loops on that road to allow closer looks into the Timbavati riverbed although you had to be careful as some of them do not look that trustful after the last year’s flood. An African fish eagle landed close by and although same only turned its back onto us we spend quite a while in watching and photographing same



until same took off unfortunately into the wrong direction.



Next came across a strange dangling bush and whilst examining same a bit more careful the closer we came we realized a family of vervets very well hidden but also a very famous and regular sighting on this road as well.





All of them were nearly the whole time on the move and first we had problems to choose for a victim and finally our cameras stopped on one of the cute little ones



which was about to chew a bit on a small branch.

https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... 1&start=50