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Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:05 pm
by Bushcraft
Peter Betts wrote: ↑Tue Nov 06, 2018 6:21 am
Bushcraft wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:12 pm
Back in camp I decided to start a fire even though the weather was still very suspect and the Cow charged around after some bird in the dark, but surprisingly she got close enough for the little camera flash to work.
26.jpg
To be continued
White Browed Robin Chat (Heuglins Robin) nice one..Yip best time to see cats = light rain as they seem to hate getting drips on them lying under a bush/tree and they come out into the open
Thanks for the bird ID Peter

I'm getting better but mainly with the raptors and owls at the moment
Funny, I have battled with cats in the rain historically. I'm a big fisherman and find a NE wind, just like predators in the sea, brings out the best cat mix

but it's better if overcast also.
Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:10 pm
by Bushcraft
Richprins wrote: ↑Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:11 am
Very interesting, BC!
You sure that is not a hamerkop nest?
Very strange, as you say!
All 3 types of cat in one day again, despite the rain!
So how filthy do your feet actually get then in muddy conditions?
Hamerkop

I'm no bird expert

It must be a big arse hamerkop though

That kill was in exactly the same spot we had seen the 2 leopard the previous evening, so I think they found a comfortable spot to chow
Ja, it was a quiet day, so we were lucky to get what we found
Dirty feet in mud

They get about as dirty as your shoes, but I wash my feet, how often do you wash your shoes

so is it better sitting next to me in a restaurant or you with the "never washed" shoes

Flip flops ……...eish, a million times worse

Education is the key

Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:17 pm
by Bushcraft
Lisbeth wrote: ↑Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:16 am
That was quite a change in temperature
All wet and they do not like it
Nice pic of the open-billed stork and also the bateleur
I love the cheetahs and the pics are great
I am not going to mention that other spotted "thing"
For us KZN locals who find 20 degrees cold this was freezing

I didn't have the clothes for it so it was an interesting day for me, especially with no shoes
"Open billed stork"

I learnt something
We battled with pics this day because it was so dark all day
More spots coming

Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:21 pm
by Hawkeyes
Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:21 pm
by Bushcraft
Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:24 pm
by Bushcraft
Hello senior rat
Don't spill the beans

I'm getting to the next episode

Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:28 pm
by Bushcraft
5th Skukuza
We woke to a bright sunny day which was a massive welcome change from the previous day’s bad weather.
The original plan was to have a picnic breakfast at Mlondozi as the rats had been nagging to visit, so the cooler box was packed with Prego roll stuff, but I was looking to try something different this morning and head the H1-1/H3/S112/S114 direction however the Cow was giving me the hairy eyeball because that area hadn’t been producing according to the sighting board, so we were still arguing at the Skukuza 4 way stop, hence we came up with a compromise and decided to do my route up to Kwaggaspan and then turn and head towards Mlondozi via the H1-1/H4-1.
I started to flap a little with my plan and nearly turned before Kwaggaspan as it was very quiet on the H1-1 and the 1st few km of the H3, but luckily we pushed on because minutes later we found a hyena hanging next to the road and then 15m from the road a leopard with his kill.

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We were major stoked with this sighting because there were only 2 other cars in the morning convoy with us, so I turned quickly to face the correct direction and we had a prime spot.
The leopard didn’t seem to want to wake up and frustratingly went to sleep.

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15 minutes later he stirred and got up, which is when we noticed he was missing the end of his tail, so it will be easy to ID this guy again.

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Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:31 pm
by Bushcraft
Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:35 pm
by Bushcraft

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The leopard parked off facing away from the road and started chowing again while the hyenas continued sniffing around below the tree.

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We watched him for another 20 minutes but the crowd was now starting to grow as others arrived from both directions, so we were getting parked in rather quickly. We discussed the situation and decided to give others a gap in our spot, so we signalled that we wanted to move and ducked back up towards Skukuza, but stopped minutes later for another hyena cruising up the road.

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To be continued
Re: Browns in Kruger October 2018
Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 9:04 pm
by Alf