Africa Wild

Lisbeth wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:26 pm The hairdo of the malachite Kingfisher is hilarious

Yep!

Great variety of birds, Pumbaa, in great quality again

Welcome back, Pumbaa!

What a bird festival, all while sitting on one's backside!

Great fish eagle at an unusual stage!

Wow, the riches in this TT just keep flowing - too many extraordinary sightings, and photos to mention each one, but I love seeing Kruger through your eyes - and lens.

Amazing birds!! Love the Malachite and very interesting to see the Jacana eggs.

Stunning birdies

Lisbeth wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:26 pm The hairdo of the malachite Kingfisher is hilarious

The Fisheagle is beautiful, especially with wings open

Lots of other great birds.

The next time I'll be going to the Lake Panic hide, I'll try to sit there for a looong time, it seems to pay off

Definitely Lisbeth, it is a nice place with lot of birdies and for sure larger animals around

Mel wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:31 pm

Lisbeth wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:26 pm The hairdo of the malachite Kingfisher is hilarious

Yep!

Great variety of birds, Pumbaa, in great quality again

We always have a gread laugh when the malachite looks like that

Richprins wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 5:42 pm Welcome back, Pumbaa!

What a bird festival, all while sitting on one's backside!

Great fish eagle at an unusual stage!

We were exsteme happy about that juvenile fish eagle

ExFmem wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:31 pm Wow, the riches in this TT just keep flowing - too many extraordinary sightings, and photos to mention each one, but I love seeing Kruger through your eyes - and lens.

Thanks ExFmem, always a pleasure

Flutterby wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2019 8:11 am Amazing birds!! Love the Malachite and very interesting to see the Jacana eggs.

The jacana eggs first laid a bit loveless on the ground but then dad cared about them

Alf wrote: ↑Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:23 pm Stunning birdies

Thanks Alf, and for sure more to come

Meanwhile only few people stayed in the hide and we all got suddenly a fright when after an extreme loud splash a huge hippo emerged from the water.



We never realised that hippos are such huge animal for sure huge but when suddenly you found yourself in an eye level with same same is looking indeed like a giant.



Luckily same stayed far away enough and then plunged into the water and was no longer to be seen. The darter who was sitting close to the hippo was not impressed by same



and simply stayed where it sat



staring in the water to look for some fish.



One of the green backed herons came closer,



we observed one of the many weavers hanging around



and had a good laugh about the strange hairdo of the green backed heron.



The malachite kingfisher presented itself also once again



as well as the green backed heron



and also the African darter.

I indeed never realized all the different colours on the wings of the green backed heron – Same is looking indeed very interesting



and after the famous call had been heard during the whole time we stayed at Lake Panic same also now finally sat on its favourite tree – one of the adult fish eagles.



Also one of the terrapins now climbed the fallen branch in the water and started to take a sun bath



whilst in the background of the fish eagle a large flock of birds flew by.



As we meanwhile stayed over two hours in the hide and as it was also meanwhile time to check in we left but we made an oath that we if time permits will return tomorrow again. Check in was fast and easy and to our delight we were again booked into the Lion Cottage and as soon as everything was packed away we enjoyed the view from our verandah and as the grass and reeds down in the Sabie were extreme high we were entranced to spot although a bit far away a red-collared widowbird



also a bird we do not see often in the park.



Same was in fact not easy to photograph as the wind was blowing and the grass and reeds were waiving in the wind and so the bird but finally same came in fact a bit closer and Timon fired away.





In no time it was then time for our afternoon drive and as usually we decided to drive on our so called magical quadrate. Along the Sabie river we stopped for a lot of elephants



who took a bath in the river,



were in the mood to throw mud around



or enjoying to spray water with water.





to be continued…….

Extraordinary pictures of extraordinary birds

The weaver is literally "hanging"

This time it's a heron with a special hairdo

A hippo that close in that spot must have been impressive