The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers

[Lisbeth]

The lioness has chosen quite a strange spot to lie down

Great hyena pics

[Flutterby]

She didn't look to comfortable on that mound!

[Richprins]

Very interesting, Pumbaa!

No idea why the lioness was lying there!

You can maybe post it under "unusual behaviour"?

Good shots again!

[Pumbaa]

She looks old and very tired

She still look quite fit to me

right, she looks very tired

like the lazy Hyenas

Maybe tired after a long night

The lioness has chosen quite a strange spot to lie down

Great hyena pics

I had to look twice when I spotted her but that are cats - They sometimes choose strange spots to lie down

[Pumbaa]

She didn't look to comfortable on that mound!

But obviously she conquered same

Very interesting, Pumbaa!

No idea why the lioness was lying there!

You can maybe post it under "unusual behaviour"?

Good shots again!

As already said I guess that is a cat bahaviour I do have two at home......

[Pumbaa]

We still stayed quite a while but as neither any lions were clearly visible any longer nor did happen anything else for quite a while we decided to carry on but today we did not turn into the road to Duke’s waterhole as today we wanted to stop at Ntandanyathi already knew prior entering the hide it will be empty and needless to say it was – It looked in fact a bit poor there with no water or hippos left also the birds kept away and we were already about to leave again when a nearly tame crested barbet landed on the hide and was not willing to leave.



To me it looked as if same wanted some crumbs which might have fallen down from people in the hide eating rusks or cookies at least same was accustomed to people. For sure Timon got some nice close ups and that close without any disturbing leaves or branches hiding the bird we never had that specific bird ever before.





The rest until we reached the Lower Sabie causeway was totally quiet besides a lone hyaena sleeping under a bush close to the road.



Whilst standing on the causeway we noticed that this was already our parting visit there as the rest of our journey will lead us steadily northwards. The crocodiles were having a feast in gnawing on a dead hippo calf which was in fact not a nice sighting





whilst on the other side of the causeway a hippos was feeding on the grass which just had sprouted after the bit of rain earlier that morning.



Also today a lot of cars had meanwhile piled up following the feast of the crocodiles on the poor hippo.



It also looked as if a swarm of piranhas was feeding on the hippo carcass as well as we saw a crush in the water



and really after a while a huge catfish jumped out of the water whilst Timon got that lucky shot and it looked as if also the catfishes were getting their share?



After quite a while we slipped through a gap between all the other cars and also paid Sunset dam a final visit and today the pied kingfishers

[Pumbaa]

put together a show as we could spot one extreme close and willing to pose



and where one is normally more are not far



and so we could spot a male and female together.



Also here we stayed as long as time permitted but as we wanted to pay Mpondo dam a visit we finally left and after another small stop at Lower Sabie camp we returned via the S28/S130 and as already expected the S130 was dead quiet and we never had any noteworthy sightings there so far. We spotted a couple of giraffes



and some bare bushes were invaded by groups of white helmet shrikes and we had even luck in capturing some juveniles.



Before we could turn from the tar road turn into the H5 there is on the left hand side a lovely loop leading to a normally dry small riverbed of the Vurhami and whilst a safari vehicle already took position in front of this fig tree



we first drove well-behaved each loop in order to spot some birds and then it began to dawn on me and I said to Timon: “Are you sure they are looking for birds in that tree?” In no minute we joined the safari vehicle and stopped close to them and in fact they did not look for birds they were facing a sleeping beauty in a crotch of the said huge and beautiful fig tree just like on the picture hanging in our bedroom in our chalet in Biyamiti....



Wow – What wonderful sightings we were blessed today with and we were already totally satisfied and simply enjoyed that sighting as much as possible as the leopard was totally relaxed and was simply blinking with the eyes.



Needless to say that we amicably already decided that we will cancel our visit at Mpondo dam today again and instead stay in front of that tree as long as possible.





What a beauty that spotted one was and also after changing the sleeping position a couple of times we could not took our eyes off of her.



to be continued....

[Lisbeth]

The leopard looks very comfortable with the tail hanging down

Lovely close up of the kingfishers and crested barbet

Lucky shot of the catfish Not nice to see a hippo being devoured

[harrys]

Now thats a lazy Leopard just enjoying the view

[Flutterby]

Great capture of the barbel and croc.

I wonder who spotted the leopard...not so easy to see.