AW Pilanesberg Meet 23-29 September 2013

[Bush Brat]

Very nice pics Amoli!!

STF - LIONS!! Great pics too, like the variety of animals you got at Makorwane Hide!! Pity the following day was cold and rainy, hope it didn't dampen your sightings!!

[Richprins]

Excellent, stf!!!!

Looks like Pilanesberg has great waterhole-sitting opportunities!

[Amoli]

Super pics of the lions STF

I saw a zebbie rolling in the dust at Lengau... it made me smile..

Am I glad we left before that storm - yet very thankful that the park got some rain.
Most of the pans were totally dried up.

[Bushcraft]

The zebra dust bath pic is brilliant

Some awesome general sightings and then a fantastic lion sighting

[steamtrainfan]

As this is TT by a mixed buch of folk I thank everybody for their positive comments on my photo contribution.

MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2013 - Part 1/2

Our first photo of the day on Tilodi Loop. This koppie is now known as Elephant Ridge.


A view from the top of the koppie on Nkakane Link. Windy, cloudy and cold , not condusive to good photography.


Soon after passing the small unnamed dam on Nkakane Link Joan suddenly shouted "LION". Sudden consternation as the three of us also tried to see what Joan saw.
Unfortunately his back was to us and he was looking at some wildebeest grazing the other side of the stream.


We decided to sit this one out as we were convinced that his pride were stalking the wildebeest. After about about 10 minutes he gave a few roars and then got up. We could see that he was favouring his left back leg.


He then walked back towards an outcrop of rocks. We then saw he had a collar on.


We then reversed back a while so we could watch what he was up to. There were no other cars around so we had the whole road to ourselves.

Instead of continuing on in front of the rock he decided to do a duck behind the rocks and that was the last we saw of him.


It was now that Joan spotted these two on the rock that the big guy had just walked behind. How did we miss these two in the first place?
Another male and a female.


After a few minutes the wildebeest that were grazing on the other side of the stream came running down , over the stream and up towards us. Now for some action we all thought. Camera changed to high speed and ready and waiting. The lions showed no interest whatsoever in the wildebeest and remained on the rock as if they were statues.

A few more minutes of watching them we decided that they were going nowhere we trundled on.

Could this be a juvenile masked weaver? Any suggestions please.


While having breakfast at Pilanesberg Centre these two lesser striped swallows parked on the cabling.


At Rathlogo Hide Joan saw this mongoose scuttling around sticking his head down holes and then moving on to the next. At one of the holes he pulled out a scorpion and devoured in a matter of seconds. Joan the focussed her camera on him in the hope of getting her first photo of a kill. Perseverence pays off. A couple of holes later he pulled out this crab, posed for the photo before ducking into the growth with his breakfast.


We saw plenty of crimson breasted shrike but never a nice clear shot. This is the best we could do.


NEXT: Birds, birds and a hare.

[nan]

wow a Mangouste with a crab
and the Lion seems to have a bear's furs
magnificent

[Bush Brat]

Nice Mongoose sighting and lion sighting! Great pics of all the birdies!

[Richprins]

Looks like that lion has a collar, stf? First thought it was a snare!

Great stuff again, especially the kill! Didn't know they ate crabs!

[Lisbeth]

Nice mongoose with a crab

[H. erectus]

A view from the top of the koppie on Nkakane Link. Windy, cloudy and cold , not condusive to good photography.

Still it portrays a spectacular view of a country we live in!!

Only to roam free in this vastness, is surely a gift??