ants and elephants, turds and terrapins & other silly ta *

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:09 am

:) :) :) :)


the conditions at sunset dam this morning were the best since my arrival

:D :D

so i planted myself on the "beach" section close to sunset tree

along with a whole bunch of other lenses of all shapes and sizes

and there were some biggies

the hammerkops were skimming as usual





and there were a few other passer-bye like this blacksmith plover and white-crowned plover
thanks dewi Ei





and also this eagret hovering about lookout for fish



the one fellow that had the most successful catch, however, was this pied kingfisher.







then the master arrived .





he had decided to hunt on the far side of the dam this morning

so i was not as lucky as during my october visit with the images.

















during this time there was quite a bit of arguing amongst the red-billed buffalo weavers...

particularly with these two

as they kept on with their screeching call "lookatit-lookatit- lookatit"

they both looked like males,, so i don't know if it was a territorial squabble.....

can such large gregarious communities have territorial males ????

have you ever asked yourself?

"self..... why are these weavers called buffalo weavers"

i have, but i have no idea ......






then there were these diderick cuckoo who were also making a noisy fuss around the weaver's nest.........

it was as though the male was insisting that his mate go inside and lay the egg there and then so that they can get away and have some time together...

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:19 pm

:) :) :) :)

(preamble for this episode: do not despair ,,, only one more day at sunset dam......)


so when breakfast time was over and the fisher-birds had all taken a break

the gyppos started with their domestic squabbles............



there was this kingfisher and gyppo male sitting on a branch

having a peaceful chat about the day's catch

when one of his women friends arrived,






amidst an almighty squawking and quacking, almost landing on the startled kingfisher.




then if that was not enough,,, another noisy woman arrives




and the two of them
start tussling with each other over, what i can only assume to be,
the right to be fertilized by male egyptian goose.








they made so much noise that eventually someone called the geese police........
and the commotion ceased.



however, the morning serenity at sunset dam had now been disturbed
and it resulted in unrest among the hippo population......







so today was the day that i was scheduled to meet richprins at croc bridge and we were going to rendezvous with aat and elly

with that in mind i packed an overnight bag and took the s28 south.
an uneventful journey until i made acquaintances with carol v and her s/o who were on their way to lower sabie (you can read her tr on the spf)



a short while later i encountered these two zebra who seemed to be sparring
in preparation for the mating season......






besides these pretty little flowers,



this spider's web



and this growth on the end of the branch (i have no idea what it is, so if any of you well informed forumites can shed some info we will all be grateful)



just before croc bridge i observed this hyaena mommy having a few harsh words with her teenage offspring



and just outside the shop was this giraffe

that richprins was dying to have a ride on but he had no money left after paying for the chalet that we were to stay in for the night.



the evening with aat and elly was very memorable

and i learnt all sorts of fascinating stuff from him and fellow forumite, scipio who also joined us for the night..........

here is photo taken by richprins' remote controlled camera

i am way on the right of frame, with aat next to me and elly and scipio on his right.....

the guy at the end is a "mr coleman" aka r/p




and here is snap of the starters that r/p was preparing before the chicken braai.....

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:51 am

:) :) :) :)


so at about 04:30 on the morning after the chicken braai at croc bridge,

i hopped into the shower (as there was no water at 01:00 when i went to sleep),



i packed my bag and managed to get away at about 5 am to head back to lower sabie.....

it was a cool overcast morning and there was lots of water all over the place

after a lovely downpour during the night...
:D :D

did not see much as i had a bit of a headache from the water at croc bridge,

and i was merely focused on getting back to my hut at lower sabie...........

i still had to pack and leave for leteba............

and that morning would be my last morning at sunset dam,

well, at least for a few weeks anyway.....

when i got to lower sabie the clouds had cleared so i went straight to the dam.......

there seemed to be no sign of the gyppos and hamerkops (or is that hamerkoppe ??)

one pied kingfisher.......



and an egret in action as it managed to catch it's breakfast........













and my last good viewing of the majestic fish-eagle .........

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Wed Feb 08, 2012 7:46 pm

:) :) :) :)


so,,,,,,

i headed off to letaba on all the the main roads via satara

and stopped in satara for something to eat...

ordered a take-away toasted bacon and egg sarmie and thought 30-something rand was a bit much to pay for a toasted sarmie,

however,,when i received it i saw why it cost 30-something rand........



a slice of bread,, with 3 slices of bacon,,, then another slice of bread,,, with a fried egg,,,, and another slice of bread,,,,,,,,

with a generous helping of "slap tjips" and an awesome view of the plains' game roaming over the savannah ........

all this for 30-something rand .......



en route

a reedbuck


a klipspringer



a standard kruger issue leopard in a tree



and a dead buffalo..........



the cause of death,,,,,,,,,,,

:? :? :? :?

according to my on the scene observation and conclusion,,,

seemed to have been diarrhoea,,,!!!!!!

as there was just a gaping big hole where his sphincter muscle should have been....






i guess that is what "wrecked him"

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

after i booked into my "garden hut" overlooking the river




i took a drive to the bridge and was amused to see that someone had modified the road sign at the approach to the bridge....

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Thu Feb 09, 2012 6:03 pm

:) :) :) :)

one of the great things about letaba, and any camp for that matter

is that one can see a lot just sitting at your campsite or chalet or, in my case, my "garden hut"....

'twas funny watching the red-winged starlings trying to find suitable nest building material

they would land on the roof of the neighboring chalet and start pulling on a piece of thatching

and keep on pulling,,,,

until they eventually discover the piece that they now have is far too long for their use





then they would find another one to tug on,,,,

until they see that it too is far too long to be used..........



and this would continue :? :? :?

this white-throated robin was quite active a short distance away



the monotonous call of the grey-headed bush shrike

got me off my stoep and under the trees searching.....





and then in an acacia next to the walkway was this busy little waxbill

popping in and out of the nest with an array of nest lining....









another garden friendly bird that was busy foraging nearby was this

crested barbet

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:48 pm

:) :) :) :)


when in this part of the park i always look forward to encountering

the resident yellow-billed kite at the olifants river bridge



he seems willing to do a fly-by for anyone with a camera



and his usual escort of swifts.........



it is always a challenge trying to capture these birds

effectively in a photograph........

because they are........

a little swift......

and one has to be quite quick to do so..........





this giant kingfisher, however, seemed unaware of my presence....



and another regular glider in the skies above kruger........





and the newly born gnu seem to be so innocently oblivious of their fate

that they will one day grow up to look like their parents






there was one day while at letaba when it rained and

gave a bit of relief from the searing heat..........................

at middelvlei this family of black-backed jackal





were making this group of wildebeest and their young one rather nervous....




the rain abated at about midday,,,

leaving the sun still hidden behind a grey blanket,,,,,,,,,,

so when this cloud of quelea came by,

i had no illusions of getting any great shots ..









there seemed to be quite a bit of activity in and around the river bed close to the camp

with the arrival of a number of vultures




and almost every time i encounter vultures....... they seem to be accompanied by a few tawny eagles...

on this occasion,

i observed this tawny who, i think, was almost in a mid-air collision

with another tawny while teasing a swift ....



and he flashed a rude sign at the culprit........






this resulted in a bit of air rage between two tawny eagles








a short while later, i discovered what the excitement was all about in the river bed,,,,,

there must have been a recent kill,

as this tawny had managed to scavenge the hind-quarter of a baby impala

and taken it off to savour on his own.....

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:45 pm

:) :) :) :)


so,,,,,,

besides all the birds and newborns and tusks and teeth that we all go in search of during the day.......

the times around the campfire are to look forward to as well.......

robertT and tammy and jordan had also made their way up to letaba,,,

'cause they had seen how undernourished i was at lower sabie.

roberto's pappa was also visiting and my friend annie had also popped in from the united kingdom.......

so we were a merry bunch around the fire and a contented bunch around the table after the braai master had done his magic with the steaks..........

what surprised me the most was that when annie went to do the washing up...........

roberto helped her with the task.........



out on the road the next day i heard the sound of the warriors beating the drums as they were returning from a very successful raiding party.........




i grew up in zambia and zimbabwe....

so i have always been very familiar with the matebele .......

this particular raiding party was returning with a significant booty....




each one had a termite firmly clasped within its jaws........






if i had used the correct settings on my camera then theses photos would have been a lot clearer...

Ei Ei Ei O\O O\O O\O

nearby was this mopani worm making his way across the road

with what looked like the makings of a sizeable portion of waste

protruding from the opposite side of his head........



i stopped at a nearby waterhole to observe some elephants.....

on this occasion, there was a group that were exhibiting very interesting behaviour

that is sometimes typical of small family groups who are in the presence of others of the same species.

they kept very close quarters



and when they moved from one point to another they did it "at the double"






reminded me of my conscription day's as a candidate officer........

wherever we went, we went in groups and at the double...

when they got to the other side of the dam they relaxed a bit and found time for a bit of cooling off.








what i loved seeing in this part of the park

are these stunning yellow trees that stand out brilliantly in the green summer livery after the rains.....



the only bird that caught my attention this day

was this loud-mouthed ox-peckerina with her overdone make up and common behaviour........

screaming like a street worker looking for an ox pecker

no class whatsoever........





my sighting of the day was this enormous specimen

(don't use the word "specimen" in robert's company........'cause he thinks a "specimen" is an italian astronaut")

who came out of nowhere to make his mark





the evening drive took me to where the makhadzi river becomes part of the engelhard dam

a beautiful place indeed......

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Wed Feb 22, 2012 3:34 pm

:) :) :) :)


so the next day i found myself
(hello self !!!)

on the dirt road towards mingerhout dam

still enjoying the vibrant colours wild flowers......




and the amazing ability that some trees seem to have

of growing out of a granite boulder.....



just before the dam i spotted this left-handed elephant

browsing in the letaba river bed.




it was a rather peaceful morning

and things were moving along at a leisurely pace...





after avoiding the erosion at the dam lookout point i continued along the road as it veered south towards the s 131

and a familiar sound and smell filled the air...........

warriors on the move again.......





a short distance down the road there is a concrete roadway that crosses a small waterway.

i think it crosses the mahlatini..........

so now........ while one is in kruger one feels so far removed from all the bad things that happen in the real world .........

like highway robbery ......................................

as i got to the concrete stream crossing i thought i saw something in the water

and slowly, i came to a halt...

suddenly they were all around me.....................






cleverly disguised in their green cloaks and clawed gloves

i was being surrounded by water-way robbers







who seemed to appear out of nowhere......





i was shell-shocked .............

next thing i was face to face

and staring into the luminous eyes of their slimy leader

the notorious

dick terrapin........




luckily i had studied in johannesburg and instinctively i shot first

and managed to elude my would be assailants.......

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:22 am

:) :) :) :)


now,,,,,

having survived the terraple encounter

with the exoskeletal marine maraurders

i continued south and after seeing only one

solitary bull elephant




i eventually arrived at nhlanganini dam ............

again......

and lo and behold.......

a small family group of elephants hurriedly making their

way across to the other side of the dam

in single file and on the double.........







i asked myself

"self ........ did you not see the same thing yesterday from the same spot?"

i think "nhlanganini" is the tsonga word for déjá vu .............................

when this family arrived yonder they proceeded to "ball-jar" in the water.

keeping sure to stay in a straight line ..........



until one thought he was a dolphin



and another took the time to practice some moves on his sister

(maybe he heard the banjo music)



what is always humorous, though, is the juvenile delinquent

that so often takes it upon himself

to chase away the phantom threats that only he can see.



as he stomps off,

trumpeting away with flailing trunk, flapping ears and twirling tail.....




that afternoon i took a drive to the makhadzi confluence

found this juvenile "mountain rooster" trying to eat, what looked like

"white ants",, off the ground...................

tough when you don't have lips.............






also saw these egrets flying by....




now........

when i was next to the makhadzi on the previous day,

i observed, what i thought at the time was a green-backed heron,

flying towards engelhard dam

so i sat and waited......

(please note that these photos are rather indistinct as they have been cropped quite drastically)

here it comes..........................




looks like it could be the green-backed heron

there it goes.........




and here is another......



now i will "go out on a limb" (it is easier for me to do this)

and say that this one is a little bittern

i could be wrong...........

[leachy]

Posted by leachy on Sat Mar 03, 2012 5:02 pm

:) :) :) :)


so robert and jordan and tammy were going to be returning to the big city soon,

so i joined them for one last steak braai,

excellent stuff as usual !!!!!

and as is usual,,, at the end someone has to wash the plastics,

so while robert was busy guiding tammy through the process

young jordan and i had a chat next to the fire and i asked him if he has not been expected to help with the washing up

(i mean, he is five years old !!!)

he replied that he only needs to keep his own stuff clean and in order,

but he did add...

that he is not going entertain all of his teddys together at one time again

because that was just too much washing up....

-O -O -O -O -O -O -O

so........ it was to be my last full day at letaba (for a short while at least)

so i made my way out of camp

under the watchful eyes of the young and the old




and in the presence of the amazing things that we tend to take for granted.......




and the road lead me to deĵá vu dam

i parked at the viewpoint at the top..

below was quite a large obstinacy of buffalo,

socializing around and in the water




just then...... a "toyota people mover" pulled up next to me.

a tinted widow at the rear slid open and a smiley faced girl with camera in hand

popped her head out and exclaimed excitedly

"veel-da-beest"

and her friends inside echoed "veel-da-beest"

i mentioned to her that they were in fact buffalo,

and she tilted her head at me....... so i said

"inyathi"

to which she reacted....... "ohh....... awkay....inyathi"

and her friends inside echoed "inyathi"

it's lovely when one can teach others something new......

so these inyathi were just chilling

while some were jousting



some seemed to have forgotten why they were standing like that




some were flehmen while others were chewing the cud.



now,,,,,

you remember those adolescent elephants that get so cheeky

with everyone.

well.....there was one who had decided to dig for water in the sand

instead of drinking from the dam where these trespassers had been immersing themselves








after a short while he decides that,

out of the blue and for no apparent reason other than to be a nuisance and a bully

that the ruminants look far to relaxed and he storms off towards one group close by who scatter in all directions......







but wait.........

what is this.........???????

at last,,,, someone who will not give in to this bullying....

a lone brave bovid is prepared to stand his ground and not retreat.





it turns into a standoff between the bully and the brave.

the one with ears flapping and trunk waving

the other with his head down showing his boss






at one stage the ellie resembled a playful puppy waiting to chase a stick




but he kept retreating right up into the shrubbery......







it was a "buffalo soldier"



and just in case i had forgotten where i was

a small family group of elephants emerge and start making their way around to the opposite side of the dam............