Africa Wild

Leaving Phabeni SO phone started connecting to the outside world and beeping and whooping with messages while mine stayed strangely quiet . Hmm somethings not right ask SO to restart the phone . Beep beep messages start coming in .SO says I think you need to pull over .At this time we are about 1km from the site . Message reads .Please don't come to site today .The community is striking and blocking anyone from access to the site .We will send you updates after meetings later today ... ok great pull into the local center and turn around and head back to Phabeni .

So the new plan is to drive the roads in the area around Phabeni and Paul Kruger waiting for any updates then we can leave to site if things change .

Some flowers in bloom


A giraffe was crossing .


We came across some young Hyenas playing close to Nayamundwa Dam .


At the dam some Gnu were drinking


While a Fisheagle was eating a catfish


When we left the dam the youngsters were running down the road and they were soon joined by some older Hyenas.There was lots of whooping and greeting going on .


The mixed group then carried on to a spot further down the road where there was a den in drainage pipe under the road . There was even more whooping and more Adults were running around quite unsettled .




Eventually one appeared that seem to be the Alpha and seemed to chase off some of the others .I nicknamed her the Joker as she had a injury that appears to have come from a snare .


I took a closeup to check there was no snare .


We left and drove the S4 towards Kruger gate and found another Fish Eagle


We stopped in at gate for the toilets and noticed they were busy rethatching the gate roof .

Those hyenas tummies are looking full

Luckily you received the messages just in time

A nice hyena sighting with a lot of movements

Great hyena sighting!

The bicoloured flower spikes of the sickle bush are quite unique The pinkish flowers closest to the stem are infertile and have protruding sterile stamens. The flowers at the end of the hanging spike are bisexual and bright yellow. I wonder why this arrangement has evolved

Also love the hyena shots, Roger,

and the fish eagle

Very good, Rog, and great you got the message in time!

Lovely hyena shots, and cool weather!

Yes, I saw that hyena somewhere...the snare was removed a few weeks ago I think!

The sicklebush is also called the Chinese Lantern bush.

Alf wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:01 pm Those hyenas tummies are looking full

Luckily you received the messages just in time

Yes well fed .There was a dead body smell at the den that was unmistakable so think they had dragged a carcass there and probably what all the fighting was over .

Lisbeth wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:13 am A nice hyena sighting with a lot of movements

Yes they were very active and the sound was quite something .

Klipspringer wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:48 am Great hyena sighting!

The bicoloured flower spikes of the sickle bush are quite unique The pinkish flowers closest to the stem are infertile and have protruding sterile stamens. The flowers at the end of the hanging spike are bisexual and bright yellow. I wonder why this arrangement has evolved

Klippies they are very pretty took a few shots of them as they were out in force .

Pumbaa wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 1:06 pm Also love the hyena shots, Roger,

and the fish eagle

We seemed to come across quite a few around this trip

Richprins wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 5:47 pm Very good, Rog, and great you got the message in time!

Lovely hyena shots, and cool weather!

Yes, I saw that hyena somewhere...the snare was removed a few weeks ago I think!

The sicklebush is also called the Chinese Lantern bush.

I remember seeing one some time ago that keeps getting reported but has been treated already I suspect this could be the same one .

At the gate I received a follow up message that there was still no news on the talks at the site so we carried on towards Skukuza .

We found this Zeebra having an Ash bath

Stopping in at Lake Panic or should I say Muddy Panic





There was some bird life at the far edge of the water




At Skukuza there is a new OSV seating area since our last visit


Lots of work on the bridge for the train hotel while we were there ...


I received a message that the meeting was still ongoing and there was no update .I decided that after getting a meal from the take away we would travel back to camp to do a little bit of work and answer some emails during the heat of the day while waiting for updates .

On the way back to camp we found


These two were having a fierce fight on the side of the road


A fellow snacking on some bushes .


Stopping in at Shilhalve Dam the only activity was this youngster .


And we took a few more pics of the flowers before heading back to camp


and these lovely flowers


This was the last mammal before we got to camp ..... later on we meet up some of his mates actually not far from here

A very dry lake panic and a very quiet Skukuza

Am I dreaming things here

I have never seen such a dry Lake Panic

Lovely kudus and a nice zebra pic

A whole day in the park instead of working