Sabiepark... on the stoep of the Kruger*

[Heksie]

Day11… golden kitty galore (sorry guys I'm telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth)

After a lot of rest the previous day and a chilling afternoon I had a jam packed trip planned today. First to start with a Heksie drive this morning and then to go have lunch and fetch the fam for an afternoon drive. I was very chilled today, not a worry in the world. I knew that it was nearing the end of our holiday and the time spent in the Park was being appreciated more. My morning drive was H11->H1-2->S83->H1-2->H12->H4-1->H11. I just love the two lower level bridges on the H1-2 so I take this route as many times as possible, and this morning I was so glad that I decided to take this route. From the low level bridge at Sandriver i had the folloiwng sightings...
Great egret



And some pied kingy as well as a giant king posed for me on the bridge.







Then I looked in my back mirror and saw that a car was waiting for me, he wanted to get passed me very quickly but I didn’t know why. I started my car and drove on so he could pass and looking quizzically at this car speeding in front of me, the reason I believe he was speeding came around the bend, they came from the front..



and look what was following... our worst nightmare



Here is the poepol that raced past me, I had the time to do a u-turn and then turn around to take kiekies as I knew that they would pass me very soon...







I'm so glad that I took a few kiekies and then made a u-turn as I was in front of the cue to follow them across the bridge-YAY!!!!



The king just leaving his mark...



And then looking over the Sandriver







A new strange thing I saw today for the first time was the male lions that decided to roll in the buffpooh, I believe it is to mask their scent when hunting? But still a great sight!



The other male did this as well...







What troubled me was how skinny the males were...





And this one male was very young, his 'spots' you could see very clearly



I then let all the cars pass me and then went back on my route. I saw on the Maroela loop this cute imp.



And then in one of the riverbeds another baby shower.











I was alone with them for a good 20 minutes and it was so quiet that a slender mongoose came to visit.



The bad thing was when a car came and I told them what I was seeing, they moved behind me and I had to move on. The view was only ‘o-k’ from one spot so one car could view them at a time. Then on my way back to I saw the following. Dwarf mongoose.



Steenbokkie


Giraffe


Back at Sabie Park we had a braai and then laaied the heksie-clan into the Getz. We drove the H11->S1->S65->H1-1->H3->S112->S114->H11 We wanted to check out if the mating pair was still at their normal spot and then hope and pray for some leppies. The road was very quiet and we saw on the S65 this chameleon.



Then as we passed the riverbed towards the watergat something caught my sisters’ eye. It was two lionesses lying in the bush. My mum called them as you would to your cats and you yes you guessed it they moved towards our car?





They went behind our car and lied down on the other side of our car. I looked at the kiekies now and it hit me between the eyes, just check the females nipples, and it is what? 1km from the causeway on which I found the lioness with cubs twice... I think it was them, we should've waited maybe we would've been surprised by babies that day, but not paying attention could've casued us to miss a spectacular sighting.

We moved on and then just like the last few days on exactly the same spot we saw these lions on the H3. We had a good view and they decided to gooi us a show.













Then on the dirt road we got to see a red crested korhaan.



And my mums sighting of the day-a hyena swimming in a pool.



Then we saw a yellow billed kite.



We also saw this lapwing/plover which I can’t ID? Any help would be appreciated. I think it might be a juv. long-toed LApwing but this is definitley not where you would find them



As well as a white faced duck.



This was quite the day with many birdies and kitties and other animals which made it very special. And whilst I was braaing that night I heard something in the grass next to my chair. I did a bit of sherlocking and with a flashlight and numerous blodged kiekies I got to take a pic of these skinks either fighting or mating in some dead leaves. (The view is bad as mum and fam didn't want to help me, I had to light and take the kiekies on my lonesome)



It was exciting as we had to try to ID them and mum and fam was afraid that they were snakes or any other dangerous reptile. We had a wonderful meal and as it was New Year's eve (My first one not working in 9 years) we popped champagne and had a toast on the things that might greet us in 2013. I had a late night and went to bed at 23:00... I mean what is better than the soothing sounds of the bush?

To be continued…

[Dewi]

Wow Heksie. Have you got a buff carcasse tied to your bumper? -O

You sure had luck with Lions this trip.

Great pics of the birds as well as the reptiles.

The Plover is a hybrid of two species. Looking at the pic, maybe Blacksmith x White-crowned? Not 100% sure which two species, but those are my best guess.

[Heksie]

Day 12… Family fun
Every morning I drove around mostly alone, but we have decided that today the whole family will be joining; it is my sis, her two snotties, mum and I. We packed in the two sleeping princesses with our other condiments for the day and off we went into the great Park of oom Kruger. Our route was H11->H1-1->S112->S114->H5->S102 to Mpondodam->S26->S25->S28->H4-2->H4-1->S79->H11->S1->S65 to the riverbed->S1->H11. It was a long day and a good 12 hour trip we had but a lot of fun. So here we go, on our way to Mpondo (our first stop) we saw a black stork,



A chameleon



And a shoe of a very unfortunate visitor,



We had a few run ins with ellies and just to tell you guys how hilarious it is for me, after mum and co.’s ellie escapades just outside LS, do they have more respect for these massive animals. One could only look our way and then they actually scream at me to put the pedal to the floor it went something like stop-GO-no-no-no-STOP-MOOOOOOOVVVVEE!!!! As the thoughts of a breeding herd around them was still very fresh in their minds.... I always kept a safe distance but 500m+ were the only safe measurement for them.

Here is a small stream on the S114, it rained the previous night and drizzled a bit very early this morning so the day was absolutely perfect for a day drive.



Some blue waxbills decided that it was time for a bath in the puddles in the road...



At Mpondo we saw something different today, we saw these black grass everywhere sticking out and when I took the binocs we noticed that it was actually barbels/catfish that were swimming very close to the surface with open mouths. A rare sighting.



We also had a grey heron in flight,



Off we went again and had the following sightings to Crocbridge, our next stop. Mr ellie that had us reversing and waiting for a good 30 minutes. There were a few tight sphincters after this…





A dungie with fam,


Then as Sherlock Heksie always do when she comes upon this... I followed the yellow cat spoor for about 5km



We found no cats on the S25 though...
only more general game and some beautiful flowers.



And what I believe to be the lesser striped swallow,





the necessary pics had to be taken of the fungi living on the ellie faeces



Also a muddy zeb,



and a fluffball having a bite



And a beautiful specimen, why people kill them I will never know.



At crocbridge some freshing up and snacking and then we were on our way again. We had an encounter with a buff or two-just for my sis, she likes them wild cows a lot.



Of course the willies of the South must be taken a pic of when we go to CB, they are very rare in the other parts (I believe that they are the prime foodsource for all these carnivores...)



A beautiful Bateleur strutting his stuff,



And then I think this is another lifer for me... ID'ing her was a bit harder than I thought. I'm saying a female Shaft-tailed Whydah...but can be wrong with this one?



I also saw a boomslang but he was a bit too quick for a kiekie-darn it. These snakes are a bit camera shy!
Very close to LS we saw the fish eagle couple on their tree.



And as you all know we have to cross the low level bridge before we enter the camp, here I saw my beautiful yellow billed stork and he was very close today, YAY!!!



After freshening up again and buying some lekker ice cream, ok not really, you guys know that fruitree icicles in guava, orange and lychee. Ya, we bought them because they are much more refreshing than a creamy magnum when it is 30+ degrees. Just past Sunset dam we encountered a bit of a traffic jam for these gentlemen. But the people were so nice, they even moved so we could have a nice spot to take pics, and then after thanking them we moved on...



On the S79 a juvenile green backed heron.



I told mum and co. that we should go check out the riverbed because the babies have been seen almost every day there, so they agreed and we went to check it out. So glad that we did, because they were there entertaining only two cars.







Happy with what we saw we turned around and went back towards Kruger Gate. We had seen four of the BIG 5 today and a lot of other strange things, we hoped that we would have a leopard just before we leave so driving extra slow towards the Gate a few cars passed us. They Gate came closer and we bid our farewells, as we got on the bridge after exiting the Park, 2 cars stopped next to the road and the passengers jumped out of their cars and ran to the railing of the bridge, very weird behavior I thought and then stopped my car, opened my door and did the same, leaving the car door open with my cam around my neck and as I peered over the railings I could not believe my eyes!!!!!! A FREAKING LEOPARD!!!!!







My camera went ballistic taking kiekies, a few people came next to us and an oke showed us that the leopard came from other side of the bridge, crossing it to go and visit oom Kruger as well I suppose. We knew it was the Sabie Park leopard that visited us on Christmas. We were euphoric that afternoon braaing and discussing how wonderful our Big 5 day was. A few KPA’s were consumed and we went to bed very satisfied with another day in the Park.

To be continued…

[Heksie]

Day 13… a very slow but special day

This morning me and ma-heks decided to do a morning drive. I woke her up early and we packed some biltong, droewors and buttered buns so we can have a lekker bush breakfast whilst enjoying nature. Off we went and our route was H11->H1-1->H3->H2-2->S114->H1-1->H11. It was very quiet today but we did have lovely sightings and it was mums first time seeing Biyamiti weir. We saw the following:

Red backed shrike



Great egret





Water thick-knee



Blacksmith-lapwing



Rhinos



One or the other plated lizard



And at Renosterkoppiedam we had another mating pair of kitties





Our special treat for the day was on our way back on the H11 about 1km from Skuks on the bridge where we had a close encounter with a fisheagle. I have never seen one giving his marvelous call so close and it was magical. We stayed a while just there on the bridge drinking in the sweet sound of this magnificent bird...







http://youtu.be/fv3GfZxfyYc

We went home and after an afternoon chill reading a book, taking a nap, having a few KPA’s and maybe a game of scrabble we fitted the whole famdamily into the Getz and went on an afternoon drive. It was a quick drive as it was already 15:30. We just went to Nkuhlu and back. The only thing that was upsetting about this drive was that there were wild dogs supposedly in the grass when we got to a roadblock, the cars didn’t move and no one saw them, they say that the dogs were lying flat and they were waiting for them to move. We were there for about 2minutes and then decided to move on. We got to Nkuhlu at 16:30 and it was like a ghost town, we didn’t know that it closes at 16:00. I believe that it is a shame as the gates only closes at 18:30 and a lot of visitors are losing out on their ice cream or cold drinks... We wanted to buy ice cream but were heavily disappointed. But we did see a few water monitors at Nkuhlu that was a good consolation prize.





Also on our way back we got to see a purple crested turaco feeding its young which was a super sighting for me!



a saddle billed stork through all the vines and branches



And we had a beautiful hyena sighting as well.





Our last animal for the day was some giraffe



This was surely not a big cat day for us but a lot of interesting sightings and the special bird sightings was so worth a day in Krugs. She never seems to disappoint us. We had a lekker braai and went to bed after drinking a few cold KPA’s and looking at the stars.

To be continued…

[Heksie]

Day 14... searching for doggies

This morning everybody was loaded into the Getz again. We just wanted to do a morning drive to Nkuhlu as we hoped that the wilddogs would be in that area again. So it was only the H4-1 for us this morning. Cheets and friends was staying at Skuks and told us that they were taking the H1-2 then S30 so we would inform eachother of any good sightings on our different roads. Our first sighting for the morning was this bushbuck ewe next to the Sabie River...



And then an ellie having a brekkie



We came around a bend and saw two cars sitting on the wrong side of the road. As the rule are with sightings: ‘move to the side of the sighting’ and lying there in the shade were 3 menere.



They were very relaxed and we knew we would see them on our way back so we moved on. It was a very slow day today and just before we came to Nkuhlu we had another encounter with the turaco. They are just one of the most beautiful birds I’ve ever seen and the colours are just amazing, wish I could just have a pic in better light.



There were no doggies and we turned back, to our surprise, the 3 gentlemen moved out of the bushes and just next to the road and there were a bit of a traffic jam, but they were about 10m from each other and on different sides of the road so the cars were spaced evenly and it allowed us to take a few nice kiekies.















We also saw a rock monitor in a tree.



We went home with no luck of doggies and off my mum and sis went to the swimming pool. I dove into a book with and ice cold KPA in one hand and spend my late morning reading some fiction. At 15:30 I went into the Park again only to drive to the low water bridge on the H1-2. I really love the road to there and the bridge always holds some beautiful bird-gems to photograph. A southern Red Bishop.



A common sandpiper



A wood sandpiper



My favorite bird- the hamerkop



A Great Egret




And on my way back at the Skuks low water bridge a few JJ’s had a run in with Mr Magnificents. Definitely a different way in seeing them...



I got home and lit a braai. The whole family sat outside and we enjoyed the night immensely with something to drink and a lot of laughs and stories. It dawned upon us that tomorrow will be our last full day in the Park…

To be continued

Edited to change my hairy egret into a white bird

[Heksie]

Day 15… Super 7? Say what!?!?!

You know what? It has happened to me timeously that on the last day of visiting the Park I get the best sightings, to put it bluntly-dit gee ‘n krap in my gat (makes me itchy) to go and book a trip as soon as possible-and today was definitely one of those days. This morning I set up to do a morning drive on my lonesome as we had a maid cleaning our house and my family wanted to start packing. I always pack in the last minute you can ask Wendy about it. So the same thing happened today, make alekker MMC, get the last bits of droewors before mum gets to them and pack it with some chips. Ready as ever I wait in my car in front of the gate when I received a BBM from Cheetah2111 about the S65 causeway kitties. So my route this morning was planned: H11->S1->S65->H1-1->Transportdam->H3->S112->S114->H1-1->H11.
First on my sightings list was a kudu fawn having breakfast.



And a cute little imp-I always take close up kiekies of these cuties



A car was in front of my the whole time to the causeway and I couldn’t believe it!!!! They drove over it never stopping and on the right hand side about 200m in was a lion family chilling on the sand. Just shows that you can miss a sighting just like THAT. I stayed with them for a while and then after 2 JJ’s arrived went on my way.



On my way to transportdam I got a lekker 5 car roadblock and after asking someone and squinting a lot I got to see this through a lot of branches. My car was just too low so branches and grass was what I saw. Now those of you that know me have heard that I saw my first cheetah sighting with Wendy on 25 Nov so I was ecstatic of this far-away sighting. I was a bit sad though because mum has never had a cheetah sighting in the Park and I couldn’t share it with her.







Too many cars started arriving and so I didn’t go to Transportdam and just made a U-turn. On my way to renosterkoppie dam I had the following sightings. A ground hornbill



My first white stork so close up to me,



Rhino



Rockjumpertjies, it was my first sighting of these cuties-they are by far my favorite antelope in the Park



I made a quick turn at the S21 intersection just hoping that there would be a leopard waiting on a rock or something where I was waved down by another car coming from the S112. They informed me about a lioness on a rock about 1km back on the road and I thanked them for the information and waited for them to pass when I started laughing at myself-Ya I do have a loose screw or two so I do talk to animals and myself and laugh at myself as well. Here I was thinking just an hour or two ago on the S65 how could people just not see a sighting like that and what do I do? Drive past a lioness almost next to the road…



The road was very narrow and after a few kiekies I moved on. Here is a ellie herd that got us a bit nervous. We were about 4 cars waiting and discussing who would take the leap going first when a JJ arrived and said not to worry. He moved forward and the matriarch trumpeted a few times then he moved closer still, she then moved off. He waved for us to come and then I had to just find my balls and take the plunge. He informed me that she was just acting and never really in a charging mood. Oh-ok mister whatever you say, I will check them out from a distance.



I went home in one piece at least and we made a brunch and I just told them about my great sightings. It was just past 12 when I informed them that the weather is great-it was cloudy which is not kiekie weather but great Summer drive weather. I also told then that it would be our last full day so they agreed for another family outing in Kruger. We were informed about a leopard at the H3/H1-1 intersection so with that our route for the afternoon was planned. H11->H1-1->H3->S112->S21->H4-1 to LS and back->H4-1 to Skuks->H11. Here is the leopard on the intersection. There were a lot of cars and the view wasn’t that great, also the people were rude. This one car with a guy sitting on the side window scolded at us for being in front of them . So it was stop, take 5 kiekies and get your ass out of there.





The lioness was still lying on her rock on the S112 and also the rockjumpertjie was frozen on his rock. We passed them and moved on to the S21, Here I saw my first white backed duck, another lifer



A Wahlberg eagle



A little vervet posing nicely



After buying our last ice cream in the Park we went for our last drive on the H4-1. We got to a ellie crossing and found a very stupid human being as well.



There was another ellie crossing and she climbed out of the car like that again. Then we got a special sighting. This is what we have been searching for, for the past few days and here they were looking like this….



Now what do you say about that? That woman climbed out on the window ledge again at this sighting! But they were never close enough so I could give her a piece of my mind!!!! We decided to take in a parking space at this doggy sighting and wait-I started to get very nervous and just worked out how many km’s are left and time till gate closing. Everytime I said just another 5 minutes because doggies we want to see, and we started chatting to other people who had to go to Skuks etc. we all just waited very impatiently and then it happened…







We were elated and that we had to get going or be fined. We also had the following sightings on this road. Buffalo across the river,



A very ugly hyena



And that is how we ended our last day in the Park with 5 minutes after gate closing time, but after 2 weeks they knew us and just left us with a friendly warning. I saw the Super 7 that day and hyena, we had amazing bird sightings and the greatest most exciting wild dog sighting. That night we had our last braai and sipping on my KPA, reflecting about the days sightings I just knew why I love this Kruger place…

To be continued…

[BluTuna]

Jeepjockeys tend to think they own the Park but sometimes they get reminded who really owns it!

http://www.news24.com/Travel/Multimedia ... 20130902-2

[Heksie]

Day 16… on our way home

Last night we decided that we will enter Kruger Gate and go to Hazyview via Numbi Gate. Everything was backed up and with two fully loaded cars we entered the Park for the last time. We made a quick stop at skuks to put in some petrol to get us to Hazyview, just as we got to the entrance a car was parked there and the women inside was very happy, she informed us that we just missed a leopard that crossed the road… WHAT?!? Oh well, we went to the loo, put in some petrol and off we were again. At Delaporte we had a BIG roadblock-for this dame…


We didn’t stay long and the cars kept coming, now about this H1-1, I really do not like the Pretoriuskop area-too much HIGH grass-I struggle to see anything hey…
I was fortunate enough to see my first Steppe Buzzard on this road,


And also a new sighting for and very exciting-a fork tailed drongo attacking a Bateleur in flight. This was really something special to see.


And I think this is a Shikra but I believe you birders will help me with this ID,


We turned at Transportdam and saw a few Waterbuck but nothing else.


Then in the long grass another lifer for me, white-winged widowbird




And just before we reached the gate some dwarf mongoose bid farewell and a safe journey for us,


This was definitely one of the best and luckiest trips I’ve ever had with 29 lion sightings, 10 leopard sightings, 2 doggy sightings and cheetah. A trip that will not soon be forgotten and always cherished.
Till next time…