Krugertripping this Summer...

[Richprins]

Howzit!

The giraffe thing is common...but not a problem...warts.

The black eye on the rhino looks to be a result of the emission from the eye...looking at the scar below, probably a horn wound from another rhino? Could be anything?

Nice pics, Heksie!

[Mel]

One of my biggest wishes as well - spending Christmas (and New Year's Eve) in a park.
But I don't think I can convince the family of coming along.

Nice pressies you got as well! Particularly the painted doggies.

The giraffe with the warts looks a bit scary.
Even if RP claims it's common.

[Bushcraft]

Sorry you missed the doggies; it’s the timing thing that spins my brain all the time

Great pic of the GBH

Eish, that giraffe doesn’t look good

Mating lions, although far off, but still lion

Another great day in paradise

[Lisbeth]

Lovely pics Heksie

[Flutterby]

Love the baby ellie! That rhino has disguised itself as a panda! Some really lovely sightings!!

[Bush Brat]

Nice installment Heksie!
Like the kudu pic!
Those baboons!

[Heksie]

what a lot you saw
Love Long-tailled Paradise Whydah, Common Waxbill
instead of a Serval... a baby Ellie, playing with branch
I already saw a Giraffe like that and the Rhino seems to be hurting
love to the Pumbaas and tiny Zebra
and Bobbies

nice episode, once again

Hi nan
Thanks for the comments and having you still along for the ride on my Kruger trip
Ya, I didn't see serval today on the H5 but lets hope for the next day, all you can do in the Park is hope that you are in the right spot at the right time

Howzit!

The giraffe thing is common...but not a problem...warts.

The black eye on the rhino looks to be a result of the emission from the eye...looking at the scar below, probably a horn wound from another rhino? Could be anything?

Nice pics, Heksie!

THank you a lot for the info RP
So the skin condition is normal warts?

[Heksie]

One of my biggest wishes as well - spending Christmas (and New Year's Eve) in a park.
But I don't think I can convince the family of coming along.

Nice pressies you got as well! Particularly the painted doggies.

The giraffe with the warts looks a bit scary.
Even if RP claims it's common.

Oh Mel make a plan, it is definitely worthwhile, not as hot as KTP in summer and sometimes a bit too wet but still where I would like to be every December.

Sorry you missed the doggies; it’s the timing thing that spins my brain all the time

Great pic of the GBH

Eish, that giraffe doesn’t look good

Mating lions, although far off, but still lion

Another great day in paradise

Ag but isn't it also the unpredictability that draws us back to the PArk?
Like some other sightings that only I could experience, there were no roadblock etc. some people missed it by seconds... I'm glad that it isn't like a zoo where you know where to find what animals, I love the suspense, you would have laughed so much at me when you saw me at the leopard on the Dukes signpost... First I jumped out of my seat as I got the biggest skrik ever then I was shaking from the adrenaline pumping through my veins that I could almost take no kiekies with the whole animal...

[Heksie]

Lovely pics Heksie

Thanks nan

Love the baby ellie! That rhino has disguised itself as a panda! Some really lovely sightings!!

Hahaha a rhanda...

Nice installment Heksie!
Like the kudu pic!
Those baboons!

Thanks BB, the bobbies took a lot of time during this trip, they never did the same and their behaviour were hilarious...

[Heksie]

Day 17… this is how every morning should start
27 December

I thought this morning when I woke up that it must be time for the H5 to produce some serval for me so I take it on with a crawl, all the cars pass me on the tar and I don’t car as I know that I haven’t crossed any cars on the H5 and no one would bother me this morning on this dirt road. I drive about 3km when I see something in the front in the road, so stop, take out my binos and assess the sighting. Apparently I’ve got bad eyesight as I saw a dead impala in the road and a hyena behind it. I got excited and drove forward to be even more surprised by what actually waited in the road for me…



I was super happy and excited and elated and all those joyous words that someone can utter when their heart is warm within. I bbm’d Wendy, Thokozani and Sparrow about this and would you believe it, I had them for one hour all to my lonesome, enjoying their beauty before the first car arrived, Thokozani and SO.
Sorry guys there is so many kiekies that I have to share so bear with me…











I almost had a exhilarating morning as well, but the manne were to lazy for any action…





Thoko came and we sat there in silence enjoying the males lazying around in the road… another surprise was this car coming from the front, and unfortunately the thing with big cars are the amount of noise they make and it bothered the male in the back. Here is DavenJan with their green horn.



After two hours there arrived 3 more cars and when they passed the lion closest to us he moved into the grass next to the road as well. So they were still visible but not as good as we had them the whole time. I decide to move back to camp and have a coffee and then take on the road again. But before I get to camp I was greeted by the Vurhami pride with a kill about 4km from CB, the visibility wasn’t as good as they were about 500m from the road but you could see them as well as BBJ.



I stayed with them for about 20 minutes and then went to join Wendy for a coffee in camp. So I share my morning sightings with her over a MMC. Then we got ready to leave again. I decided to go to LS via the tar and then dirt road back and Wendy would take the H5 to Mpondo dam. I pass the lions outside CB as there are more people entering the Park and I don’t want to sit in a traffic jam and I make my way up to LS.
Guess what I see about 9km from CB… There were a lot of cars arriving so it was a point and shoot moment and then move on…



Then some buffies at the low water bridge



I also got a vulture in flight, you can see how dark and cloudy it was that day which was actually lekker as you could be on the road the whole day searching for some animals.



Then I got a zebbie on the S137 and I took a pic of his bum which looks like a lucky scar… some animals have those moments where they elude their predator and it is great seeing them healing well.



Giraffe



Black-bellied korhaan



I decide to check the lions out again on the H5 and cannot believe the road block that is waiting there for me, the people are behaving badly and hogging the sighting etc. I don’t know how they found out about this sighting but this is the first actual gagga roadblock I had this trip…
I turn around and go back to camp as I totally stripped my bolts at that sighting… I sommer pass the lions outside CB and just stop at camp, opening a beer and just let myself unwind. I decide that an afternoon nap would relax me even more. I woke up at 15:00 and then took the S25-S26-H5 back to camp.
I got my first ellie for the day



And then some homostupidos



Ya, you are seeing it correctly, he took his daughter also outside the car to take a pic of a giraffe on the other side of the road. I confronted him but there was a bit fo a language barrier and I told him that there were lions about 4km from him, he asked for directions as they were searching for lions… Eish!!!!
I made sure they got back in the car and then left them…
I got back to the spot I saw the lions and voila, they were still there but there were only 3 cars left, which became one in 20 minutes, I got to take some close up kiekies of the one male, he even laid on his back and yawned and posed in a few different ways for me.











I left him and was satisfied of my cat fetish for now, I was a very happy gal that night and as we stoked the fire and popped open our KPA’s that night we laughed and chatted and swore at some unruly park visitors but it was definitely a special day for both of us. We braaied and were happy that we wangled another night at CB tonight. Tomorrow would be our last full day as we are sleeping there on Sparrow’s reservation and then it would be time to bit our farewells…

To be continued…