Africa Wild

Lovely birdies , and more spots!!

Epaulettes and Leopard

Saturday 26th August - Delaporte Day! continued...

Since the Leopard was really only visible from our position, and the moment he got up to continue on his way he would disappear from view, we were quite happy to just take a couple of pics and then move on so others could enjoy him too. Unfortunately a massive Kruger scrum immediately formed and we were boxed in. I signalled my intent to get out and continue on but there was nowhere to go. Cars were parked 3-wide on the road and there was no lane moving. Most of the people in the cars around me were desperately trying to find whatever amazing animal was causing this roadblock, so I just bided my time until the traffic started moving. Sadly the Leopard moved off first, so most people missed out on seeing him. Unfortunately that is what happens when people don't follow the rules and keep the traffic lane clear.

Eventually the centre lane started moving so I ducked out and jumped off onto the Lake Panic entry road. On the way in we spotted a Lizard Buzzard perched, and then located it again from the carpark. It was busily moving about in a tree trying to break small branches off, no doubt for the purposes of building a nest. It was a bit distant for good photos, but we love these kinds of sightings where we no only see the animal but also get to observe behaviour and learn more about what it does. Not to mention it was a new species for both of us!

The Lake Panic hide was packed, so I directed Lyca to the only good spot available and took up a roaming strategy myself. Firt to grab our attention were the Crocodiles, a Goliath Heron, and the Hippos. Spot the hidden animals Once the immediate attention-grabbers had been captured we looked more closely to see what else was lurking. First some Thick-knees were spotted. The resident Darter wanted us to marvel at his webbed feet. The Jacana said "If you think his feet are impressive..." Then a Grey-headed Bushshrike popped up across the water, much to our delight! The picture required heavy cropping due to how far away it was, but hopefully you can appreciate its beauty. Satisfied with our visit we returned to the car, spotting a few new birds from the carpark before getting moving again. On the drive out an obliging Bushbuck sat quietly beside the road while we took its photo.

love the Goliath Heron
and all the birds

Those traffic jams can be infuriating!

You had nice sightings at Lake Panic...never had much luck there ourselves.

The Lake Panic Hide is a lovely place to sit and relax, while watching the on-goings of especially birds.........but not when it is packed with people

Those road blocks are terrible and you also have to keep calm

A whole sequence of spotted things, Ratel!

Not the best road that, traffic-wise...

Qulality pics nd sightings and narration...like the big feet!

Lake Panic is always worth a visit, Ratel,

and you even had luck with the Leopard and all the beautiful birds there

TWO leopard sightings, and even one with an impala meal

Love all the birds at the Skukuza pond, but of course my favorite is the Grey-headed Bushshrike , and the bats are so expressive with those cute eyes

Love Lake Panic hide, but the overcrowding can be a bit too much at times. Still, I wouldn't miss a chance to visit - have seen some lovely birds there, as did you.

Awesome photos! ALL of them