Flutter No. 6 *

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3 October Skukuza – Lower Sabie cont.

Just after the weir we found our one and only Brown-hooded Kingfisher!



Then a Crested Barbet.



We came around a corner and found this giraffe drinking from puddle in the road...again I was too lazy to change lenses!



We had two great rhino sightings during our morning drive.

This rhino was fascinated by this branch and kept picking it up and dropping it again.





This lump was loving the mud!









Bliss!

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3 October Skukuza – Lower Sabie cont.

We heard that lions had been seen on the S25 but of course we didn’t find them! We did come across the only bee-eaters of the trip.



We made a quick pit stop at Croc Bridge and then it was up the H4-2...another dead road! When the road met up with the Sabie river we came across a big herd of ellies and some buffs in the river bed.







They all started to move towards the road and the buffs crossed behind us and the ellies in front of us.









This one bringing up the rear looked very sheepish!! -O

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BC....that would be a laugh!!

Toko, we were at the front of the queue so we had the best position, except maybe for this guy......

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Here's a video of my dad counting ellies (there were 34 ellies not 26 )...you can here how interested the Brat is!! Please excuse my dad's little outburst at the guy who passes us! -O

View My Video

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3 October Skukuza – Lower Sabie Cont.

After all 34 ellies had crossed the road we carried on and headed for Lower Sabie. Just before getting there the Brat checked the BBM updates and saw that a leopard and a lion had been seen on the H10 about half an hour before. We've always vowed not to chase these sightings, but the Brat was so desperate for some action that we agreed to take a look.

About 4km’s up we came across a few cars and saw this!



It was quite far off and not a great sighting, but spots are spots, so we were happy!!





Unfortunately, he didn’t hang around long and disappeared down the back of the tree.

About 3km’s later we found the lion! Not even worth the photo!



Oh well, we had seen the Big 5 so couldn't complain about our morning!

We checked in at Lower Sabie and settled into our unit...no 20 on the river! At about 4 we decided to head down the H4-2 and back again.

At Sunset Dam a herd of ellies were having fun in the mud!







A bull with some nice ivory soon arrived and the herd went to greet him.



Look how big he is compared to the females!





A smaller bull arrived and they went through their own greeting ritual.





We’d really had our fill of ellies for the day, so we carried on to see what else we could find.

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3 October Skukuza – Lower Sabie cont.

We carried on down the H4-1 and I saw something out of the corner of me eye. I asked my dad to reverse and found this...a Little Sparrowhawk...another first! It was quite far away so not easy to get a good shot.



A bit further on, a juvenile Bateleur.





It was time to turn back and we made another stop at Sunset dam. The hippos were waking up and offering lots of photo opportunities.





A heron sunset.



We returned to camp and settled around the braai...although the Brat was finding it very hard to relax. We were inundated with these cicada beetles that would fly , screaming, into your face!! The Brat (and his father) do not “do” bugs!! -O



This also had the Brat running for cover ...any ideas what it is?

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4 October Lower Sabie

So we awoke to our last full day in Kruger to this beautiful sunrise...taken from the verandah.



This White-browed Robin-chat came to say good morning – another first for me.



We decided to head up the H10 and weren’t sure whether to come back on the S128 or the S29. We opted for the S128, but it was another very quiet drive, producing 3 rhino and a few ellies.



This mountain was playing hide and seek. -O



Kruger started early with the Christmas decorations.



We stopped on the low level bridge to watch some gyppos creating mayhem again.



A Black-winged Stilt was foraging for breakfast.



This was the second of only 2 Pied Kingfishers we saw on this trip.



Lower Sabie bathed in a morning glow.



While we were on the bridge the Brat checked the BBM sightings only to find that 2 cheetah had been seen on the S29 half an hour before. We decided to give it a go, but no luck!! If only we had chosen that route in the first place!!

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4 October Lower Sabie cont.

We crossed the low level bridge to head to Sunset Dam and once again the Brat checked the BBM sightings and saw that 10 lions had been seen on the S28 about 7km’s from the north entrance so we agreed to check it out. Just after turning onto the H4-2 we found some ellies playing in the water. At this point my camera battery died (how could I have forgotten to charge it the night before? ) so I took some pics with the little Mik en Druk!!



We left the ellies and went in search of the lions. Visibility was supposedly 10/10 so we were quite excited. We soon saw some cars but it took a while to find anything. We eventually saw a couple of tales flicking in the distance and then one or two heads!! 10/10??



They eventually started moving (away from us of course ) and we counted 7 lions.



They soon disappeared and we headed for Sunset Dam where two giraffes were taking a drink.



While we were deciding where to go next, I got a message from cheetah to say that he’d got an update that there were two lions in the riverbed about 3kms from Sunset Dam, so off we went.

Bingo! Thanks cheetah!



It was really hot and they looked so uncomfortable! They kept moving around trying to find a shadier spot.



We stayed until we couldn’t bear the heat anymore and headed back to camp for a swim and to recharge the battery.

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4 October Lower Sabie cont.

We got back to camp, I got my battery on to charge and then it was off to the pool! After cooling off we walked past the bungalows where BC and family were going to be staying to see if they had arrived yet…but it was still too early. Some birdies were also cooling off in one of the bird baths in the gardens.





Another lifer…Chinspot Batis…male and female!! Not great shots though!





We had planned to wait until BC arrived but as usual the Brat was getting restless and wanted to get out of camp again, and seeing as it was our last day we obliged. We headed up the H10 and back on the S29, but it was another quiet drive….not surprising in that heat!!





Kori Bustard



We headed down the H4-1 again.

The two male lions were still in the riverbed, but had moved closer to the road and were in thick bush, so no pics.



This was a horrible sighting…looked like it had been hit by a car!



We went as far as the high level bridge and then turned around and headed back to camp.

On the N’watimhiri causeway we found some ellies.

View My Video

Back on the tar this couple were in a big hurry. Hope you enjoy the Brat’s singing! -O

View My Video

We had another quick look at the lions and then came across a few cars. There was a hyena lying in thick bush right next to the road. Someone told us they thought it was caught in a snare and had notified a ranger, but it didn’t seem too distressed. The Brat suggested it might have been about to give birth.

View My Video

While we were watching this I saw a vehicle approaching that had a green plastic bag tied around the mirror, -O and some familiar faces inside….BC and clan!! We said hello and told them about the two lions further on and agreed to meet at our bungalow after we got back to camp.

The ranger arrived but did not seem too keen to do anything with so many onlookers so we decided to get a move on. These Bushveld Chincherinchees were all over the place.



We'd also had a nice sighting of a rhino and buffs somewhere along the way.



We made one last stop at Sunset Dam, but all was quiet so we headed into camp. My dad got the fire going and not long after the Browns arrived. It was great to finally meet them…what a lovely family. My dad handed control of the fire over to BC and I asked the Brat to take pics of everyone but he didn’t do a very good job!





It was a wonderful evening. We traded stories of our sightings and of course had a good skinner about the forum. The Brat and the Rats got on well and went exploring along the fence and found a bushbaby. We’d had a hyena walking up and down the fence the previous night but unfortunately it didn’t make a repeat appearance. BC cooked some mean steaks which were accompanied by the Cow’s legendary potato salad and my green salad. A great meal! Thanks guys…it was an awesome night!! Too soon it was over, and we had to face the drive home!

Only one pic on the way to Kruger gate the next morning – a flat boon! -O



And that’s all she wrote…..