Browns in Kruger April 2017
Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
I forgot, we also had a bush baby pull in while at the Lower Sabie EH huts, which was a first for us while staying in the huts.
Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
It seems photobucket has issues again 
I thought I would continue while I had a break at work, but will have to check again later
I thought I would continue while I had a break at work, but will have to check again later -
Flutterby
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Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
We also stayed in the EH3 huts...heard the bushbaby but didn't see it. 
Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
We spotted it by luck Flutts. Only the 2nd 1 we have ever seen in Lower Sabie. They are plentiful at Skukuza and Croc Bridge, but not in Lower SabieFlutterby wrote:We also stayed in the EH3 huts...heard the bushbaby but didn't see it.
Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
8th Lower Sabie to Biyamiti
The car packing mission went fairly quickly and just after 6am we were on the road.
Biyamiti is very close to Lower Sabie and with a 2pm book in we had plenty time to kill, so the plan was to do the H4-2/S130 loop as my stats indicated a female leopard and older cub in the area and then to head up to the Golf Club again for hot chip sarmies before continuing down the H1-1/H3 towards Biyamiti.
First up for the morning were some giraffe chowing, an ellie sleeping against a tree, a speedy jackal and then some stroppy teenage ellies as we turned onto the S130.
The S130 is normally fairly quiet traffic wise early in the morning and this morning was no exception; however it was also quiet animal wise, so my lip was dropping further down with each km, but around halfway we found a car stopped on the side of the road.
“A leopard just sprinted across the road, but now we can’t find it”
I thanked them and went on my own OCD mission as they moved on.
“Focus! All eyes on the bush!”
“Calm yourself, you can’t see over the grass!”
Around 2 minutes later the Cow and rats spotted the tell-tale tail above the grass and then the leopard cruised through a gap in the bush next to us, which was too much for my short fuse early in the morning and I snatched for my camera on the Cow’s lap, but she was tangled up in the camera’s safety strap, so I nearly pulled her and the camera onto my laptop, which resulted in a greasing.
The greasing continued but I wasn’t listening
“Rats, did any of you get a pic?”
“No!”
While this was going on an OSV had arrived and the occupants were looking curiously at us.
I can’t handle OSV’s and the Cow understands this so she decided my potential response to them would be more embarrassing then the greasing she was finishing.
“Be polite!”
I took a breath and then chirped “A leopard cruised past us in the bush.”
It was a young driver with only 2 occupants from some private lodge and he instantly went into a long speech to his occupants “I have been doing this job for 6 weeks and have only found 1 leopard, so you have to be very lucky at this time of the year, etc, etc.”
We then chatted about the franklins squawking so we both decided to wait it out a few minutes, but I got impatient in around 2 minutes and signaled to him that we were moving on.
Around 100m up the road just as we went around the bend I spotted that familiar stroll in the road
“LEOPARD, cameras ready!”
The Cow was more interested in the OSV gang.
“Signal to the safari vehicle, shame!”
This gave me a conscience so I stopped and signaled to him in the distance, but I could only see the front of his car from my position, so the Cow started waving at them from her side, but seconds later the leopard started to “jog” down the road which caused a mental tilt and I roared off after it.
We followed her along for at least 10 minutes with no other cars around and she seemed very relaxed with us.
She started to slow, crisscrossed the road a few times and then went into a tense stance.
Seconds later the young OSV driver arrived, so I moved over slowly to allow them in.
He whispered to me with a shaky voice “She’s hunting”
“Ja, we have been following her for a while now, we tried to signal you”
We sat in silence for another 2 minutes and then an impala spotted her, the barking started and seconds later they charged off.
“$%#*, it’s over!”
The leopard also knew it wasn’t on the cards and started to check us out a little. Bushpig got the close up pic with her point and shoot.
The OSV driver then suggested that we move alongside the leopard for better pics. I chirped him straight away “She will duck if we move!”
“No, she’s relaxed!”
I looked at the Cow and started my car and instantly the leopard bolted into the grass and out of sight much to the embarrassment of the OSV driver. I tempered my reaction and suggested to him that we try and pick her up again, so we both went slowly backwards and forwards for around 5 minutes. We found some more impala about 50m up the road, so I reversed and suggested to the OSV that’s where I think she would head, so we slowly headed forward that direction.
When we were about 10m from the impala there was an explosion through the bush, impala barking, snorting and running around wildly.
The OSV driver suddenly shrieked “She’s got one, she’s got one”
The leopard had taken out an impala 5m from the road, but all we could see in the grass from our level was the impala’s legs kicking, but the higher OSV could also see the leopard also. My excitement had boiled over, I couldn’t even hold the camera properly and the frustration of not being in a high enough vehicle was too much, so I sat there brain dead for 10 seconds.
The OSV driver then started shouting “She’s dragging it! There she goes!”
We got a 3 second view as the leopard dragged the impala off into thick bush, but I only got a blurred pic of the tall grass.
We all sat in silence for around 1 minute, then the 2 OSV guests started jabbering in a strange language and the Cow broke the tension in our car by proudly showing off her con “grasshopper” in flight pic, which caught me for a second, much to the amusement of the rats.
Then the after effects of an adrenalin rush kicked in and all started talking as we continued on past Lower Sabie.
To be continued
The car packing mission went fairly quickly and just after 6am we were on the road.
Biyamiti is very close to Lower Sabie and with a 2pm book in we had plenty time to kill, so the plan was to do the H4-2/S130 loop as my stats indicated a female leopard and older cub in the area and then to head up to the Golf Club again for hot chip sarmies before continuing down the H1-1/H3 towards Biyamiti.
First up for the morning were some giraffe chowing, an ellie sleeping against a tree, a speedy jackal and then some stroppy teenage ellies as we turned onto the S130.
The S130 is normally fairly quiet traffic wise early in the morning and this morning was no exception; however it was also quiet animal wise, so my lip was dropping further down with each km, but around halfway we found a car stopped on the side of the road.
“A leopard just sprinted across the road, but now we can’t find it”
I thanked them and went on my own OCD mission as they moved on.
“Focus! All eyes on the bush!”
“Calm yourself, you can’t see over the grass!”
Around 2 minutes later the Cow and rats spotted the tell-tale tail above the grass and then the leopard cruised through a gap in the bush next to us, which was too much for my short fuse early in the morning and I snatched for my camera on the Cow’s lap, but she was tangled up in the camera’s safety strap, so I nearly pulled her and the camera onto my laptop, which resulted in a greasing.
The greasing continued but I wasn’t listening
“Rats, did any of you get a pic?”
“No!”
While this was going on an OSV had arrived and the occupants were looking curiously at us.
I can’t handle OSV’s and the Cow understands this so she decided my potential response to them would be more embarrassing then the greasing she was finishing.
“Be polite!”
I took a breath and then chirped “A leopard cruised past us in the bush.”
It was a young driver with only 2 occupants from some private lodge and he instantly went into a long speech to his occupants “I have been doing this job for 6 weeks and have only found 1 leopard, so you have to be very lucky at this time of the year, etc, etc.”
We then chatted about the franklins squawking so we both decided to wait it out a few minutes, but I got impatient in around 2 minutes and signaled to him that we were moving on.
Around 100m up the road just as we went around the bend I spotted that familiar stroll in the road
“LEOPARD, cameras ready!”
The Cow was more interested in the OSV gang.
“Signal to the safari vehicle, shame!”
This gave me a conscience so I stopped and signaled to him in the distance, but I could only see the front of his car from my position, so the Cow started waving at them from her side, but seconds later the leopard started to “jog” down the road which caused a mental tilt and I roared off after it.
We followed her along for at least 10 minutes with no other cars around and she seemed very relaxed with us.
She started to slow, crisscrossed the road a few times and then went into a tense stance.
Seconds later the young OSV driver arrived, so I moved over slowly to allow them in.
He whispered to me with a shaky voice “She’s hunting”
“Ja, we have been following her for a while now, we tried to signal you”
We sat in silence for another 2 minutes and then an impala spotted her, the barking started and seconds later they charged off.
“$%#*, it’s over!”
The leopard also knew it wasn’t on the cards and started to check us out a little. Bushpig got the close up pic with her point and shoot.
The OSV driver then suggested that we move alongside the leopard for better pics. I chirped him straight away “She will duck if we move!”
“No, she’s relaxed!”
I looked at the Cow and started my car and instantly the leopard bolted into the grass and out of sight much to the embarrassment of the OSV driver. I tempered my reaction and suggested to him that we try and pick her up again, so we both went slowly backwards and forwards for around 5 minutes. We found some more impala about 50m up the road, so I reversed and suggested to the OSV that’s where I think she would head, so we slowly headed forward that direction.
When we were about 10m from the impala there was an explosion through the bush, impala barking, snorting and running around wildly.
The OSV driver suddenly shrieked “She’s got one, she’s got one”
The leopard had taken out an impala 5m from the road, but all we could see in the grass from our level was the impala’s legs kicking, but the higher OSV could also see the leopard also. My excitement had boiled over, I couldn’t even hold the camera properly and the frustration of not being in a high enough vehicle was too much, so I sat there brain dead for 10 seconds.
The OSV driver then started shouting “She’s dragging it! There she goes!”
We got a 3 second view as the leopard dragged the impala off into thick bush, but I only got a blurred pic of the tall grass.
We all sat in silence for around 1 minute, then the 2 OSV guests started jabbering in a strange language and the Cow broke the tension in our car by proudly showing off her con “grasshopper” in flight pic, which caught me for a second, much to the amusement of the rats.
Then the after effects of an adrenalin rush kicked in and all started talking as we continued on past Lower Sabie.
To be continued
-
Richprins
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Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
Stupendous, BC and Clan! 
Nice you helping the OSV, you are calming down!
Where is this S130?
Lucky tourists, and nice grasshopper!
Great shots indeed.
A bit concerned that you and PJL are doing your reports at work...
Nice you helping the OSV, you are calming down!
Where is this S130?
Lucky tourists, and nice grasshopper!
Great shots indeed.
A bit concerned that you and PJL are doing your reports at work...
Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
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Alf
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Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
Very unlucky to miss the kill with the long grass in the way
But still a very nice experience
But still a very nice experience
Next trip to the bush??
Let me think......................
Let me think......................
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nan
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Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
super sighting... grass or not 
Kgalagadi lover… for ever
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
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Lisbeth
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Re: Browns in Kruger April 2017
Where have this TT been hiding 
I'll catch up tomorrow
I'll catch up tomorrow
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge