Browns in Kruger October 2023

[Bushcraft]

Catching up, Bushy, and so lovely to see you again!

I really giggled at your narration while reading, a special treat always!

Love the 4x4 episode, and shocked at the Mananga road!

Wow, Albert has really grown tall and skinny, say hello!

And great sightings already!

Good you had the shoes on at the golf club.

Howzit RP

Nice to catch up on the phone the other day

A section of the road from Mananga is stuffed, I hope they have sorted it out by now

Albert is the youngest of our 3 girls, but the tallest.

Don't start the Golf Club shoe story, you will set me off again

[Bushcraft]

1st October Lower Sabie to Talamati

We woke to a cold windy day and it had drizzled a little during the night, so we weren’t in a major rush to pack the car for Talamati and only pulled out of camp at around 6:30am.

The plan today was to take a slow drive up the H4-1/H1-2/H1-3/S125/S36/S145 to Talamati with a chow stop at Tshokwane.

Our first sighting for the day was a hyena once again, which seemed to be the pattern this trip, and then the Cow spotted a BSK with a mouse kill right next to the road, so we parked off for 20 minutes while the BSK chowed.

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The next stop for pics was on the H1-2 just before Mantimahle dam where some lions were grooming in the riverbed and while checking them out, the Cow spotted a Trumpeter.

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[Bushcraft]

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We took the Leeupan turn off and immediately noticed a Brown Snake Eagle checking the scene out and then the Cow got distracted by a squirrel which we had to stalk for a pic. There was only 1 other car parked off and it didn’t seem like there was anything else to see, but just as we started to pull off the driver of the other car called us and said that there was a mating lion couple in the bush on the other side of the dam and that he was leaving and we must park in his spot. The couple were hiding behind some bushes and it was a mission to see and photograph them in the darkening conditions; however the lion eventually came sludging around the lioness to score and we managed some pics before they moved off deeper into the bush.

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[Bushcraft]

Just before Tshokwane we found some cars next to the road and we quickly picked up the 1st wild dogs of our trip as they were curled up in little groups fairly close to the road.

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We parked off with the dogs for half an hour, but we knew that they weren’t going to move until much later in the afternoon, so we continued on to Tshokwane for a boerewors roll.

Tshokwane was busier then expected, but we had taken a very slow drive up, so it was later than we would have normally arrived.

I lack patience and even more so when hungry, however there was no choice but to wait in the queue, which the Cow, as per normal, sorted out while I wandered around Tshokwane and stalked people approaching the sighting board with the hope of some information.

My stalking didn’t result in any information and it seemed to be very quiet coming down from the Satara side, but we expected this in the cold howling wind conditions.

The S125/S36 section and the S145 produced a few of the usual suspects, including giraffe resting, another hyena on the road and a Martial just before Talamati, but it was generally very quiet.

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[Bushcraft]

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It wasn’t 2pm yet so I was worried that we would be told to return in half an hour, but the Cow went to try her luck at reception while Albert and I went to check out the waterhole from the hide.

There were no animals visible from the hide, not even the usual odd local, but I expected this because we had passed many puddles next to the road on the S145, so there was no reason for any animals to approach the waterhole in front of camp.

The Cow then arrived and was successful with the early book in con, so we cruised off to our unit and the plan for the rest of the day was to start an afternoon braai and just relax in camp.

After unpacking we took the traditional walk along the camp fence line and immediately noticed the construction of the new white elephant kak Spa thing. I still have no idea how this is ever going to make a profit or where the client base is going to come from. There’s so many things that could have been done to improve the Talamati bush camp experience and a Spa isn’t one of them in my opinion.

The camp fence line next to the units was more productive and we found the local bush buck and then some ellies in the river bed.

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[Bushcraft]

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We were enjoying the peaceful ellie sighting and I had also enjoyed some of my “green tea” as we weren’t going on another drive today, so my teeth were hanging out because I love relaxing in a quiet peaceful environment in nature as it seems to rebuild my soul, and this is the reason I always book a few nights at bush camps on each trip, but suddenly a screaming kid arrived.

“DAD, THERE’S ELEPHANT……DAD…. DAD …. DAD…. DAD”

Albert shares my dislike of kids that aren’t controlled in the Kruger environment, so she started chirping softly which was adding fuel to my intolerance levels.

The screaming continued until Mom, Dad and another kid arrived, but the ellies had also noticed and my hanging teeth had turned into a pelican.

I expected the parents to control the overexcited junior, but they did nothing and the shrieking continued which resulted in me blowing a gasket and chucky appeared.

“HEY, be quiet!”

The Cow instantly started greasing me “Stop it, it’s just a kid, talk nicely”

I expected a drama from the parents, but strangely they said nothing and rained their kid in so peace returned, but the moment had been ruined and the ellies were pushing off, therefore we returned to our unit to start a fire.

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We wobbled off to the hide later that evening and sat there in the cold wind for an hour. The only action was a genet that cruised past, but it ran as we switched the torch on, so we ducked off to bed.

[Bushcraft]

2nd October Talamati

We woke to a cold morning, but at least there were gaps in the cloud cover, however the wind was still howling which is never a good sign for game viewing.

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Our plan this morning was to head down to Tshokwane for brunch and then return to Talamati just after midday and spend the afternoon in camp to allow Albert some matric studying time.

The S145/S36/S125 was again rather quiet, but we did stop for a few pics of a hyena, baby giraffe and some ostriches while on route.

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[Bushcraft]

When we arrived at Kumana Dam we found a gang of vultures busy chowing the remains of what looked like an impala, but we couldn’t find anything hanging around that may have killed the impala, so we moved on.

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The rest of the drive to Tshokwane was again very quiet sighting wise, so we lacked motivation on arrival at Tshokwane.

The Cow and Albert cruised off to the loo before ordering chow while I did my normal sighting board stalking and this time it paid off as seconds after my arrival a newcomer put a leopard magnet on the board right next to Tshokwane, so I immediately went into interrogation mode.

“Did you just see that leopard and was it moving or stationary?”

The newcomer advised me that he had just seen the leopard and it was moving around, but in one location fairly deep in the bush just south of Tshokwane past the H10 turnoff from the H1-2.

I knew it was possibly a long shot, but it had been a quiet morning everywhere and the leopard magnet was the only cat sighting on the sighting board, so I walked halfway to the female ablutions to wait for the Cow & Albert to hurry them up, but in 2 minutes got irritated as they didn’t come out, so went to the car and reversed it out.

Eventually the Cow and Albert came wobbling along, but by now I was ready to drive off and leave them.

“Get in the car, leopard just south of us”

“What about chow”

“Stuff the chow, we will sort that out later, get in the car!”

Just past the H10/H1-2 intersection we spotted a few cars, but no leopard, so we slowly moved along while checking into the bush when suddenly Albert shouted

“Leopard, there!”

Then I spotted it

“THERE, Cow take pictures it’s on your side. Quickly it has a porcupine!”

The Cow was still looking around blankly

“WHERE, I don’t see it!”

“THERE! IT’s RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!”

“WHERE!”

The Cow and I then entered into a mini domestic, but fortunately Albert grabbed the camera and started snapping pics as the leopard approached with its porcupine kill.

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To be continued

[Richprins]

Ja cold windy weather is terrible for game viewing, Bushy, and Talamati hide is a bust if it isn't dry!

But still great sightings!

Agreed the spas in the camps are white elephants, I think some political bigwig's daughter got a tender...

Indeed hyena every morning!

What a leopard sighting!

[Lisbeth]

The hyena is returning from a tough night with the pals at the local pub

The trumpeter hornbill was the first "strange" bird that we saw on our first trip to SA a loooong time ago

I also have a weakness for squirrels

Another leopard and with a porcupine

A lovely elephant sighting at the fence..... Welcome to the anti-screaming kids' club

Wow! The prepared braai looks great Have you ever burned down anything