We managed to squeeze a morning trip to the park in last weekend, and despite my best intentions it wasn't an early start
I was really hoping to try and find Josie and her cubs, as S&H were still yet to see them. All 8 lions (Roy, Nomad, Dawn, Duffy, Josie + cubs) had been around Mbotyi during the week so we figured they must be somewhere either up Ngulube direction or perhaps towards Harveys tree
The kids decided they wanted to go round Vukani, but it was fairly quiet until a load of jackal started crying. We did however see a lone ostrich egg... perhaps this is the decoy to keep eyes away from wherever the real nest is
There wasn't much else going on, so we decided upon Ngulube for our next loop, but friends called me to say they had found Josie on the southern side of Harveys loop. Naturally we were very grateful for the info, but by the time we got there, Dawn, Duffy, Josie and the cubs had dropped into a low section of bush that was out of view
We couldn't really tell which way they would travel, so we tracked up and down until we finally hit some luck and managed to catch them as they walked up and along a fire break
It was great to see them, and we checked on some maps to see where they might be heading. Harveys loop is really long and winding, however if you're a lion it's only about 3.5km walking from the southern side to the northern side of the loop, so we scoured the northern fire breaks to see if they would appear but without luck.
The northern side of Harveys had lots of kudu, including this handsome chap
Wayne's Valley had a lone buffalo bull complete with an oxpecker maintenance crew member
On the hillsides up from Wayne's Valley a couple of secretary birds were strutting their stuff
After a break at Jacks we ventured up to the hyena den at Rooidam. It's good to see that the park have placed rocks at the side of the road to stop people driving too close to the den, as there had been some tire tracks pretty much over where they live
We were fortunate to see them out and about again as they enjoyed some winter sunshine
With time running out we had to head south and out the park, stopping for a couple of nice sightings along the way.... a bushpig couple making their way down the hillside, and a bushbuck ewe in a clearing
