Browns in Kruger July 2014*

[Bushcraft]

The page has turned

18th Satara continued

The first lion started towards us, which got me lining the car up for the best spot and then I switched off and issued camera instructions, which got the Cow talking again.

“I’m taking video!”

I wasn’t going to argue.

Two of the males got up and starting walking towards the front of the car, which got the rats jabbering big time with excitement in the back seat.





The 3rd male was a faulty looking chap though and he was walking straight at us, which had me trying to push my camera lens into itself as he was getting too close.



The Cow then issued warnings to the rats.

“Windows!” but it was too late, so I whispered “Don’t move”

I then thought the lion was going to chomp my front bumper as he started sniffing around in that area, so I was about to start the car, but he stopped and put his head up to check us out.

Suddenly a vicious smell wafted through the car, which burnt my nostrils, but I couldn’t put my head out the window for fresh air as the lion was still there.

“What the heck, who dropped it?”

The howling then started in the back as all got drilled and Albert suddenly started chirping

“Dad, the lion farted”

The lion didn’t fancy this change and continued on after his brothers.

I then started laughing as it was obvious that someone in the back seat had got over excited at the close proximity of the lion and as Albert was still going on about the stinky lion she was the suspect, but I know from experience to not elaborate as it normally results in tears, so just said “That lion was rotten!”

In the pic below taken by Albert you can see how close the lion was as he continued on. (Ignore the giant bird dump on the window)



The mood had improved in the car, but I was now worried about the time as we still had the rest of the S41 and then entire S100 to drive to get back to camp, so although we spotted plenty more locals on the S41 we only stopped for a giraffe and then a ellie in the road.





We could relax a little as we turned onto the S100 as I now knew exactly how long we had to get back to camp and we still had plenty time, so I started to stop for a few more things.

I’m not sure of the raptor ID below as we were looking directly into the sun, so I won’t guess and make name.



The S100 surprisingly had no traffic and was rather peaceful, so the expected massive dust clouds weren’t an issue and around 5km before the end of the S100 we found 2 lionesses next to the road, but the one refused to look up, so I just snapped a quick pic of the more social aunty.



It was our last night at Stanley, so all settled in to watch the little waterhole for the last time while I started the fire.



The normal hyena clan soon started cruising around and then the little Scops owl local popped in again for a visit which caused some excitement.



I was starting to get a pelican as I didn’t want to leave Stanley the next day and my head was still a little sore from the previous evenings taste testing, so we all headed off to bed reasonably early.

To be continued

[Bushcraft]

Thanks Flutts, BB, Lisbeth, nan, RP, Dewi and PJL for checking this TT out and commenting

The Cow said it was a Martial and I will post the ellie pics for aat when I'm done with the TT

19th Satara to Lower Sabie

We woke to a very misty morning which never excites me as it limits viewing, so I wasn’t in a major rush to leave camp.

We were heading down to Lower Sabie for our last night, so the car packing mission started at 6am and at around 6:20am we waved goodbye to Stanley.

The plan was to just head straight down the H1-3 and spend some time in the Lower Sabie area waiting for the 2pm check in.

Things were relatively quiet until Kumana Dam which produced the normal gang including a giraffe having a morning drink.



We then decided to pop in at the Baobab, which Albert always nags about for some reason and found a herd of ellies still sleeping in the mist.



Just before the S86 loop the Cow spotted something move in the road and shrieked “Leopard, 2 leopards!”

“No, what are they?”

It was very difficult in the mist but as we got closer my hanging teeth pulled back slightly as it was just lion.

There were around 7 or 8 in the long grass and by the time we arrived the 2 in the road had also ducked into the grass. It was a major mission getting pics and the lion were moving deeper, so we didn’t hang around long.





Next up were a few birds and I’m going to take a guess that the first one is a lizard buzzard and then brown hooded kingfisher that was still wet from all the mist.





We had planned on eating breakfast at Tshokwane, but it was still early and nobody was hungry yet, so it ended up a quick loo break and we continued on.

The drive from Tshokwane to the H12 produced all the normal locals including a few ellies cruising along, a nyala at Leeupan, 2 Tawny’s and then a fish eagle next to the H12 Bridge.









To be continued

[Bushcraft]

Sorry, I have to finish this TT this week

19th Satara to Lower Sabie continued

As we hit the H4-1 the increase in traffic volume was immediately apparent, but the mist had started to lift which made us feel that our chances of seeing something would improve.

A few km from Nkuhlu the Cow spotted a male lion who we initially thought was just warming up in the morning sun, but soon his aunty came out the bush and sat on a rock in front of him.





They were obviously a potential mating couple, but the male needed a blue pill and the aunty a few headache tablets because after half an hour there was still no action.

“This is getting boring, why doesn’t the male make an attempt?”

I still haven’t learnt to rather just keep quiet as the peanuts in the back heard my comment.

“An attempt at what dad?”

“Errrr.......hunting”

“But there’s nothing to hunt dad”

A change in subject was required and the traffic jam was starting to grow.

“Who wants muffins at Lower Sabie” which worked as a distraction and we continued on.

The rest of the drive to Lower Sabie produced more locals, but we didn’t stop as all of us were hungry and sick of being in the car.

We arrived at Lower Sabie at around 10:30am and cruised to the Mugg and Bean takeaway and then sat around on the deck just relaxing for around an hour as we all needed some time to stretch the legs.

At around 11:30am the Lower Sabie deck was getting irritatingly busy and we still had to hang around until 2pm, but I knew that I wasn’t going to survive on the crowded deck, so we jumped back in the car and headed for Sunset Dam which produced the usual clan including a yellow billed stork, a legavaan that was cruising close to the car and then some strange action between impala and a small croc.







I then realised that we weren’t going to pass the time staring at Sunset Dam, so we decided to drive up to Lubyelubye with the hope of more action and a few km later we found what I had been looking for.



The leopard was in a tree right next to the road, but he was fast asleep and didn’t even move as cars pulled in below him.

These types of sightings normally turn into chaos and I have no doubt that this sighting was going to head that way, but I wanted the leopard to at least move once before we moved and around 5 minutes later he obliged, however he refused to look at us.



Seconds later the first twit arrived at the sighting and tried to push his way in, so the Cow and I looked at each other and almost at the same time said “Let’s get out while we still can”, so I started the car and headed back towards Sunset Dam which produced a few new arrivals including a Martial with a stretched neck and what I think is a black winged stilt.





It was now around 1pm and still too early for check in but we decided to attempt an early book in anyway.

To be continued

[Bushcraft]

19th Satara to Lower Sabie continued

The Cow got given a toffee with the early check in, so I had to sit with a pelican amongst the crowd on the deck for another half an hour while the rats roared around in the shop looking for sweets that they could spend their pocket money on.

We originally had an EH5 booked for our last night in the park, but after my last experience in April I had been checking the availability everyday for a cancellation and scored a luck with a FU4V.

The first time we stayed in a FU4V it had 5 beds in it as we had paid for 5 people, so I sung the Lower Sabie praises on the forum, but today it only had 4 beds, which instantly caused a problem and we had to make a bed on the floor for Hawkeyes out of all the spare blankets in the cupboards.

I’m still trying to work this deal out with family units. If one is permitted to add a kid to a booking and is charged full price for that kid, then surely there should be a mattress for that kid?

Katja and family had also checked in but there seems to have been a stuff up somewhere and they got an EH3 hut for 4 of them which was also a problem as they didn’t have utensils.

At around 4pm I pulled in to their hut and told them that we were heading up to Nkuhlu and back for our last evening drive and they decided to follow the same route.

Around half way to the causeway we found our first H4-1 mini jam and there were lion in the riverbed, but they were difficult to see and we didn’t feel like the chaos, so I continued on, but first took a pic of a chap who had decided to make his own road for a better view.



The causeway area produced a few boons and buffalo.





As we existed the causeway I realized that we were running out of time, so we weren’t going to make it to Nkuhlu and back, therefore we decided to travel 5 minutes up the road before turning and heading back to Lower Sabie.

I was about to turn around when the Cow and Hawkeyes both shrieked “DOGS!”

This caused a major spin out for me as it’s the one key animal we hadn’t seen yet and we always battle in July to find them as they normally hang around their den area, so they aren’t spotted often at this time of the year.

“WHERE! Take pics! Move it! Wake up!”

“RELAX, they are moving! Reverse!”

The dogs were moving along at pace in the riverbed, so it was difficult to keep a visual on them as we kept hitting sections of thick bush.

I gave up on the reverse mission as other cars were starting to approach, so I did a quick turn in the road, but the approaching cars had seen the frantic turn and the camera chaos in our car, so I was getting waved at and asked what was happening, which is never a good thing when the pressure is on, so I shrieked “DOGS!” and I drove on, but the Cow was still trying to politely give instructions.

“That’s rude!”

“Quiet! Concentrate on the dogs!”

I now knew that I was getting overexcited in heading into the “picture and no sound” category, so I forced myself to take a few breathes and calm down.

We eventually found an opening where we could see the river and 7 dogs came past.







We now remembered Katja and the fact that they were desperately searching for dogs, but we assumed that they were on the causeway somewhere and we didn’t have cell signal. I looked at the time and realized that we would never find them in time unless they were still heading this direction, so we continued down the road towards Lower Sabie with the hope of finding them in 5 minutes.

We only found them 15 minutes later a few km from the Lower Sabie side of the causeway, so there was no way we would make it back to where we had seen the dogs, so the Cow said “Please don’t tell them about the dogs just yet as they will be very disappointed”

I must have looked guilty though as Katja started questioning me about what we had seen, so I told her and omitted the dogs, but I wasn’t escaping that easily.

“What else did you see?”

“We got something else, but don’t worry about it”

“WHAT! Another leopard”

“Nope, dogs”

I then felt very bad for them as the disappointment at missing out was obvious, but that’s just Kruger and being in the correct place at the correct time.

Around a km later the Cow spotted something “Stop! Lion” I’m not sure how the Cow spotted this lioness as she was a mission to see, so I think we initially confused Katja and family, but they soon spotted her also.



A lone buffalo suddenly arrived on the scene which caused some excitement, but unless there were other lion around which we couldn’t see, the lioness was probably just trying to make herself invisible to the buffalo.



Time was up so we had to call it and head for camp for our final KNP braai.

I had purchased 3 bags of wood for our final fire, which has become a little ritual for me, but it was the normal hard wood, which is cool for coals, but not to get going unless you have a bag of fire light, so I was fighting with the fire while Bushpig charged excitedly along the fence line after 2 bushbuck.



A few minutes later Katja and family arrived and offered to take us to Mugg and Bean for supper, but the fire was already going and I had half a cow defrosted in the kitchen, so much to the disappointment of the rats, I declined the offer.

Around half an hour later they returned with a few takeaway muffins for supper and stated that they didn’t want to go to supper without us, so I felt even guiltier, but I noticed that Mr M had an Amarula bottle in his hand and soon the taste testing started.

I had been moaning to the Cow earlier about our Keartland guest house neighbours who were making a massive noise, but around an hour later and seriously into the taste testing, I think they were looking at us and moaning.

It ended up a brilliant last evening with old friends and I certainly hope to meet up with them in Kruger again during their next visit.





To be continued

[Bushcraft]

20th Lower Sabie to Home

I hate waking up on the final morning in Kruger, but we had a long drive to do in 1 day and I had work the next day, so final last minute packing happened rather quickly.

My head was a little sore from the taste testing and I couldn’t help but notice that there wasn’t any movement at Katja’s hut as we drove past, which had me giggling to myself as I wondered if Mr M felt the same way as me.

We arrived at the gate just before it opened, so I wasn’t stressed about our timing, but knew it was going to be a long day unless my head cleared.

The Cow knows not to hassle me with sightings when we are leaving because my routine dictates that we need to be at Croc Bridge at 7am to be home at around 14:30pm, which gives me half an hour to make the car wash before work the next day.

It was another cold morning, but it didn’t worry me as I had blinkers on and most of the people in front of us either turned right out of Lower Sabie or ducked up the H10, which left us in front heading down the H4-2.

Around 8km down the H4-2 the Cow shrieked

“STOP!”

“What now?”

“Reverse, there are lion!”

There were a few lion lying around in the grass, but I didn’t want to hang around if they were just going to continue sleeping.

“Take a quick pic!”



The Cow was battling with her camera as it was still fairly dark, so I snapped a few pics of the aunty close to the road as she was at least waking up.





The lioness close to us suddenly decided to get up so I thought that they were going to duck, but they started coming towards us, so my excitement raised a few levels and we were now into the sighting and the reverse mission started until they crossed the road in front of us and a young male crossed behind us.







We didn’t fart around trying to follow them after they crossed as other cars were starting to arrive from Lower Sabie.

Around 5km the Cow and I spotted something in the road up ahead.

“What’s that?”

I strained my eyes and the penny dropped

“Lion with cubs!” “CAMERA!” “Just shoot through the window!”



I stopped a fair distance from them as I didn’t want to upset them.

There were 9 cubs in total and the a few adult lionesses who continued to cross the road while we were watching, but we were more interested in the cubs, especially since one large junior was still stealing a drink from mom.







The mother lioness was the last to follow the other adults and the cubs followed her. I knew that based on where we were that they were going to show up on the S82 shortly, but we had already scored with a sighting with no other cars around, so we pushed on towards Croc Bridge; however I love a planned sighting, so I was secretly tempted for around the next 10km to turn around and head for the S82.

Next up were all the normal locals and then a few ellies which we stopped for. Try and find something else in the pic below. The Cow spotted the kingfisher immediately and forgot about the ellies.





Our last sighting which we stopped for was a wartie family ducking across the road and the one aunty had us all laughing as she didn’t like where I had parked.



We arrived at Croc Bridge at around 7:10am, so the stress levels were up again and we hit the stop/go story big time on the way to the border, so we didn’t make the car wash, but I wasn’t going to wash the car after driving for 9 hours, so the Cow got her first experience driving a big bakkie to the car wash the next day.

Lastly, thanks to all of you guys that have shared our adventure with us and for allowing us the opportunity to relive our trip.

Bushcraft, the Cow and the Rats.