12th Biyamiti to Skukuza
The previous day had been “long” so we didn’t rush our morning and first took a stroll around camp and down to the fence before heading out at around 6:30am.
The hyenas had been howling the previous evening and even though we were later than normal, the odd one was still hanging around.
We were cruising down the S25 casually chatting when Albert, who sits in the middle on the back seat, suddenly shrieked “WILD DOGS!” which got the Cow and I throwing cameras around again.
The pack was heading straight for us, so I pulled over and switched off, but they then ran into the bush, so we just waited and minutes later they returned to the road, but closer to us and continued on towards us.
The dogs ran past us on both sides of the car, which got me howling about my 500mm lens as I couldn’t take pics and the Cow and rats also stuffed up with their point and shoot cameras as they all forgot to change to “TV mode” for fast moving subjects and I have given up trying to explain the way different modes work on their cameras, not that I understand how to use them properly either, so their pics were all blurred.
I tried to turn and follow the dogs, but 2 other cars had pulled in behind me, hence I had to wait for them to turn first and we ended up behind both of them.
The guy in the front was either afraid of the dogs or he wanted to give them major space, because he was following them, but he was staying 50m behind them, therefore we could only get a fairly far view of the dogs in the distance.
I was starting to lose it with the driver in front when the dogs took off after something into the bush, so we all switched off and waited however after 5 minutes my patience collapsed and we continued on towards the S108/S25 intersection.
The short piece of the S108, the H5 and the section of the H4-2 to the H4-1/S21 intersection only produced the normal clan, so we stopped a few times, but never took many pics.
There’s a little “no name” seasonal pond 5km down the S21 off the H4-1 which we like to check out each trip, so after a conference we decided to check it out. (I know leachy has got a leopard there before. Lol)
On the way to the “pond” we found an ellie in the road and then something we hadn’t seen before
The Cow started pointing and then said “There’s a vulture’s nest”, so I continued slowly on, but then I spotted a long legged thing coming in to land and hit the brakes.
“It’s a SBS’s nest”
We had never seen a SBS feeding its juniors before, so this was something different for us, therefore we parked off for 10 minutes and watched.
I was fascinated, but about something different to the rest of the clan
“Those juniors are ugly things when compared to the adults”
This upset the Cow
“SHAME!”
The little seasonal pond didn’t produce “Leachy’s leopard” and it had been taken over by hippos, which will have to move in a few months, so we didn’t hang around long before heading back to the H4-1 and up towards Skukuza.
We only stopped for pics again when we were just outside Skukuza as a zebra was hanging its teeth out next to the road and some lion were sleeping in riverbed in the distance.
To be continued
It was absolutely wonderful, and yes, I wobbled straight to bed, no problem!
but seriously, thanks for what you did 
I prefer July to November, but can't always get in during school holidays 
hence my drive for a more functional method of securing accommodation as I could book my 2020 trip now 
There's something around the corner 
