Stories from Tar Roads and From Spots

[Pumbaa]

Summer is really birdie time, Pumbaa!

It is very pretty, that S122/128 area, indeed!

Very rare to get the baby duiker.

And the shouldered widowbird!

Although we had extreme quiet drives along the S122/128 they are always good for a couple of surprises so we normally give them always a try

[Pumbaa]

Grand array of birdies again - with the paradise whydah being the star of the show

But you were also very lucky with that lovely duiker mum and child sighting. Very cute.

We were so happy that mum duiker and her little one stood long enough on the road for a couple of shots

[Pumbaa]

Finally we reached our beloved S28 and noticed full of joy that same was now open into both sides but as it was already a bit late we today only limited our drive onto the Northern part and decided to drive the rest tomorrow. Unfortunately Ntandanyathi hide still could not be visited which is a shame as this is such a wonderful hide so we continued and found again one of those animal hot spots as we noticed warthogs,



impalas and



zebras



as well as a great number of kudu bulls resting on the ground close together.





We enjoyed staying with them and from time to time other cars joined us as well and we simply loved that wonderful sighting



as nearly all of them were totally relaxed and allowed also lots of close ups and





let the oxpeckers do their work as well.

[Pumbaa]

Some were feeding on the bushes



and also the zebras, impalas and warthogs were teeming around





and only after quite a while we could drag us away from this stunning spot.



The rest of our drive until we finally reached Lower Sabie camp was quiet besides a couple of more giraffes



and it was meanwhile already afternoon so we straight could check into camp and got bungalow No. 85 close to the fence which luckily was available as due to Corona only each second bungalow was occupied. After we moved in we strolled through the fence and sat there on a bench and to our joy lots of birds decided to join us there as well.

As it was still extreme stormy they found in the dense vegetation close to the fence a nice wind shadow spot and we were happy about their presence.



A great number of red bishops could be seen



as well as many white fronted bee eaters



and for sure we never got tired in photographing and watching them



especially after spending nearly the whole day in the car so we simply enjoyed the view.





to be continued………

[Mel]

Majestic kudu bull! And he seems to enjoy the spa treatment by the oxpecker staff

The bishop looks quite funny with his "mitre" but beautiful

[Lisbeth]

Handsome young kudu bulls

That orange hood must be hot in the middle of summer Great portrait

Are they still repairing the Ntandanyathi hide or was it closed because of the rain

[Pumbaa]

Majestic kudu bull! And he seems to enjoy the spa treatment by the oxpecker staff

The bishop looks quite funny with his "mitre" but beautiful

Totally right about the "mitre" and the kudus did not move and let the oxpecker do their stuff

[Pumbaa]

Handsome young kudu bulls

That orange hood must be hot in the middle of summer Great portrait

Are they still repairing the Ntandanyathi hide or was it closed because of the rain

The hide was closed still because of the fallen tree last year and no sign of repair The red biships can look extreme funny

[Pumbaa]

At first stage the red collared widowbird could only be captured from far



therefore the weavers were close



and so were the red bishops who often returned





more fluffy birds could be noticed as well



and now also the red collared widowbird dared to come a bit closer.





Lots of juvenile white fronted bee eaters were around as well



whilst the adults were busy in catching for insects



whereas dragonflies and bees got the preference



and for sure the juveniles still tried to be fed instead of searching for themselves for insects.



Another birdie joined the bee eater





and it looked as if same was attacking the bee eater



permanently



whilst the bee eater still continued in catching inscets.



Lots of weavers often returned





and for sure we were fascinated by the white fronted bee eaters

[Pumbaa]

who never got tired in catching either dragonflies



bees or other insects



and we never got tired in watching them as there was so much to be seen.





In between I strolled along the fence to the shop as we needed fresh fruits and vegetables whilst Timon stayed at the bench photographing again the white fronted bee eaters





and weavers and as soon as I returned from shopping I again joined him and we could not drag ourselves away from all the different birds





that we stayed inside the camp and skipped our afternoon drive and instead enjoyed our sundowner at the fence on the bench.



Later we enjoyed our braai whilst the storm was still howling strongly and also our dinner guest enjoyed the wind shadow in a tree close to our bungalow.



Monday, 17. February – Lower Sabie

Driven roads: H4-2 – S82 – S130 – S137 – S28 – H4-2 – S130 – S137 - S28 – S137 – H4-2 – H4-1

After so many rainy days today it already looked much brighter and it looked as if it will become a sunny day but it was still very stormy and we did what we normally do not when in South Africa do we had to put a jacket on as the wind was a bit cold whilst driving.

Needless to say that we again tried today the S82 no elephants this morning but hyenas came running





or better to say flying.



There were more than these two but the others straight ran into the thick and high grass and we could not locate them anymore.



Lovely was that along this road we had to cross a couple of causeways and it was amazing to notice that there was still water flowing especially in the upcoming sun.



Many impalas could be seen as well and in the morning sun



they even looked much more beautiful than they normally already do.





to be continued…….