15 Dec
This morning it was again time to do some short drives we went up the H1-4 to the S79 and back and then then down the H4-2->S130->S137->S28->H4-2 back to camp. The road was slow and quiet, we trundled next to the riverbed with not much sightings to see, we did see a civet cross the road far off in the road but could not take pics. Some sightings that we had the morning:
Bobbies as usual entertaining us on the road

Yellow billed kite

Buff wading in the Sabie river, wish we thought the same as this would be one of the hottest days of our trip

At sunsetdam I got the best close-up I could get of white-faced ducks

Then as per usual I had to drive over the lower sabie bridge and it was full of swallow, here is a wire-tailed swallow, I think…

And a water monitor was sunbathing on the water eroded sides next to the Sabie river

I also saw lesser striped swallows on the bridge when I turned back to the H4-2

Then a terry crossed our path, he had a lovely mudbath in the early morning heat

On the dirt roads we got a giraffe cleaning his nose

And some waterbuck

Then the fish eagle was posing as always on our way back to camp

In camp our very friendly neighbour, who couldn’t speak any English, showed us a critter in his camp, this was my first time seeing a baby rock monitor…

Now today wasn’t like any other day, we were back in camp by 9:30 and I thought it time to take a morningish nap… after an hour or so I started sweating too much that I couldn’t stand it in my tent anymore. When I peered outside my tent I saw Wendy chilling underneath a very small tree 2m from our camp. I got myself a KPA and a book and then joined her, she then decided to try to have a nap and I sat In her very comfy chair and the whole hot afternoon I was absorbed in Tony Parks’ Dark Heart. I just had to stand up every now and then to get a refreshment from the freezer. By 15:30 it was time to do an afternoon drive and I decided to do the S29 loop. I saw a red crested korhaan

Some kudu crossing the road

A spurfowl was screeching from a small bushel next to my car, so thought to take a kiekie of him

And then a highlight of the day for me was three green pigeons on the H10 . very bad pic but still proof

Whilst waiting for the greenies to pose I saw a crested francolin family crossing the road in front of me

I had time left so decided to check out Lubye-Lubye, and unfortunately no spotty was waiting for me there… but the woodie of the other day was sitting in the same spot again on the side of the bridge.

Some other sightings on the H4-1: ellies

Close up of a water monitor

And another bushveld sunset.

It was the first catless day for me but a day still full of beautiful sightings, we had bean chilli with cous cous that night and a glass of Amarula, tomorrow would be our last full day in LS so to bed we went early as we had our own routes to think about for the next day.
To be continued…