Africa Wild

:D :D :D :D


so.........on my way back to letaba for my last night

i was entertained by this family

it seems as though this one chap was so desperate to get to the grubs

and insecty type creepy crawlies

that he ripped the bark off the trunk of the tree to get to them
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displaying remarkable acrobatic prowess
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this, while babyboon had to be helped onto the "saddle" by elderboon
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so that he could kick his heels into maboon's ribs to get her to move along
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and just as you thought it was safe to leave the north with all its "bee-catchers"

the last of the evening meal was being plucked out of the air
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back at camp the last of my braai ammunition lay ready
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so i struck up the fire at my garden cottage
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and waited for the full moon to rise over the letaba river
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and a last peek at the moon through the acacia
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the next day i would be leaving for my final destination of the 4 week excursion

lower sabie......

:D :D :D :D


so.......................

time to head south from letaba to lower sabie...

luckily the braai i had enjoyed on the previous night consisted of more solids than liquids

because the first sighting i had when i turned onto the h1-5

had been deposited there by someone who had more liquids than solids
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then there were the lovely little purple flowers
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and the wild hibiscus
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i decided to take the s 39 down past roodewal

one of my favourite routes with its variety of fauna and

interesting geological formations

this proved to be more frustrating than enjoyable because of the poor condition of the road



i did stop at roodewal water hole
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just to let my vital organs settle down amidst the corrugations
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and then a bit later to study the various profiles of the juvenile wildebeest
at first it looked like he had a booger
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but at second glance saw it was just a bit of salad
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and then this lady who had just left the hairdresser after getting a blonde hair-do for her fringe
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and the disapproving long face of the adult who probably had to pay for this fashion make over
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i eventually made it back onto the h1-4


a short way down the road i was flagged down by an oncoming vehicle

it was an italiano pappa anda hizza famiglia

he wazza waving frantically and even before i could come to a stop

he was leaning out of the driver's side window

and said

liyons liyons liyons

ezza 90 liyons

jussta necksttoo thè rod

itsa fô kilowmita uppa thè rod

yoo musta gowwanna looook

ezza 90

and then he sped off ..............................................................................

wow.....

i thought ninety lions

yô yô yô

so i looked on the map and then realized that he was directing me to the s 90 which was just up ahead

i took the s 90 and cruised up for about 7 km and then saw 3 other vehicles parked

what a bargain,,,,,, i thought only 3 other cars at such a great sighting,,,,,,,

i stopped next to the other cars expecting to see at least a few lions

but there was nothing

after a while the one driver must have seen my puzzled expression as i was scanning the plains

and he pointed out the spot.
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so that was the lion sighting



then i remembered why i prefer ants and dung sightings



some big birds
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and a crazy bird
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the last baobab for the trip
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kumana dam
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mazithi
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and then the ever present ellephant
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where ever you looked
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then i saw what, at a distance, looked like a gemsbok when i saw the horn(s)
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it was in fact a waterbuck with an interesting horn configuration
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i was pleased to see that there was a fair amount of water in the upper reaches of the mlondozi stream
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and then, if you want to see a reedbuck then head on down the h10
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:D :D :D :D


so........

a grey start to the day
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three braais left before departure,, so i needed to get to komatipoort to get some chicken and tjops and braai beverages

took the "blacktop" to croc bridge

this sanparks emblem eating toffees
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a purple morning glory to add some colour to the dull day
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a horse with dirty pyjamas

(just ready and waiting for flutterby to get the soap and sponge out)
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a fluffing martial
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then this warthog with a huge pair of tusks
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and a huge pair of "warts"
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and huge pair of ...............ears ????????
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a zinnia
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and some other bright wild ones
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a brief stop at the gezanifombi dam
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where these blue gnus were having a late morning snooze
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so..........

here is an astounding observation

a grandfather monkey with his distinctive grey hair enjoying a morning snack
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amazing how old men often have such big ears with those dark sun spots
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and wrinkly body parts
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then there was someone in the tree above.... who was adorned with a "blue bulls tow-bar cover"
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:D :D :D :D


so....

later that afternoon i took a drive to mlondozi via the loop

and encountered this feeding flock of

martins ??

swallows ???

help me here dewi, please......

they were very busy

and it never fails to astound me how they manage to even see what they are feeding on let alone to catch and devour











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there was a weaver that decided to join in
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and even a "bush chicken" that wandered into the dining area
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and a lost starling as well.
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and a short distance away was the resting area
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have to admit that i thought there would be a lot more water in mlondozi after the new year's rainfall
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so it was time to return to camp but not before stopping for this lazy python
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have you noticed how much (or is it how little) wood one actually gets for 28 rand
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:D :D :D :D


so....

the day dawned sunny and i figured i should go and rest next to the random nameless pond on the s 21.

but,, first the daily dose of wild flowers

now,,,,,, this is one plant that you actually do not want to have a dose of

the poison apple (you know the story of snow white)
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but this is the real thing (not even the huntsman can save you)

this can kill you............................
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and then the wild foxglove......

just like the ones in wales dewi.... (the country.. not the noah one)
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and.... what looks to me like a wild sesame (says me)
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and then a creamy coloured one ?????
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a newly built pyramid
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and a shongololo
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and then i arrived and parked next to the water
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and watched the gyppos enjoying some family time
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a bit of a scary moment as i thought dick had tracked me down
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but this was just a member of the title

going for a dip

(he seemed a bit tyred but it was just the tread)
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so while i am sat there all quiet and comfy

a huge grey form appeared next to my vehicle and moseyed along to the pond to do what huge grey forms do
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so close that i had to use my 85mm lens to capture the entire being

as he enjoyed the water
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and made stereotypical shapes with his trunk
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and then splashed off through the pond
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now.................

here's the thing..............

did you know that the common factor between the elephant, the rhino and the hippo is that they are all bolus poopers

(even though the territorial hippo likes to splash his poo about)

however,,,, the elllie is the odd one out.........

why, you may ask....??

the elephant is the only one of the bolus poopers that defecates on the move

as the following images will show.................
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so after that sphincter display i decided to move on back to lower sabie...
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:D :D :D :D


so.....

on the way back to the camp

a midday snack for what looks to me to be juvie gymnogene
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and another white crowned plover at sunset dam (next to the blue green algae)
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a "blueskop" chilling at the restcamp...
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an afternoon drive along the h10

dick's brother sunning himself
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and then.....

the factory where they make "bronzed" elephants.........


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a short distance from the mlondozi water hole on the h10

saw a small group feeding on some termites

a white stork
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a woolynecked stork........
(or as a friend of mine's daughter once said a "willynecked" stork)
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two tawnys
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and a roller
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and then the drive back to camp.........
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:D :D :D :D


so........

this day would be my last full day in the kruger.........


and the day dawned bright and sunny
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and habit and conditioning (and mitsubishi) took me along to sunset dam

the morning catch was en route to the sunset tree
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and there were the usual residents going about their daily activities
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and the impala were full of the joys of summer and happy after having survived another night
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and there was another group barely

a hop and skip away from where i was parked

that let out an alarm call and their focussed attention and curiosity
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resulted in a mass exodus
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that made way for harry the hyena who was probably on his way home after a late night out with the clan
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after a while i took a short drive up towards skukuza

passing this family on the riverside
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and stopping to admire the acacias
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it was on one of the little river loops... that i spotted, what i am quite certain,

it is a buckle-head waist snake..........




(a close companion of the one eyed trouser snake)

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the only other time i recall seeing one of these (a much longer one though ) was next to the swimming pool at teba, pafuri......

:D :D :D :D


so.....

after having wondered about the existence that snake

i turned back towards lower sabie just in time to be near the front of an eloff street traffic jam


the reason for the excitement
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i got back to camp and figured i would fill my vehicle with petrol as i would be heading back to the spruit the following day

have you ever noticed the words of welcome created by the pump attendants at the filling station?
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the proud sign cultivator
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and the rest of the message.......
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with some decoration for good measure....
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some activity in the camp...
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and this has to be one of my biggest irritations in many of the rest camps......
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i think that lower sabie has to be one of the biggest users (or is that abusers?) of night time lighting east of the mbombela municipal area.........

why ???????

my last afternoon drive

and a reminder that the invaders are not just in the form of commercial enterprisers ......
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an afternoon fisherman waiting patiently ...
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then there seemed to be a discount for bulk at the elephant bronzing works
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i wonder what happened to this chaps tusk ??



(no doubt my cilium challenged colleague will have the answer)


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it is always reassuring to see this fresh evidence on the roadside
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another roller on a branch
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and the same roller.............................

not on a branch
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an aikona bokkie.....
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then at the mlondozi stream a swallow having a bath
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it is always fascinating to see how well the birds with the long bills manage to prepare their meals before swallowing...
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the afternoon sun on the grass
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then back at sunset for my last sunset

but not before the egyptian crossing
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a farewell flypast
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and then back to base for my last night.......

:D :D :D :D


so..........

after 4 weeks it was eventually time to go home.......

the day dawned as usual, i was all packed......

so i drove out of lower sabie and headed south for croc bridge.

once again........ good to see the tell tale signs


but then............

more tell tale signs........

someone had too much of a party the night before

and had deposited his supper on the road.

just as well i had not had too much of a farewell function the night before or else i would have deposited my supper on the road as well

because this stuff was putrid and could be smelled from a long way off.....




not wanting to contribute i headed off towards home

and had one last stop at gezanifombi

where the gnu were still sleeping,
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i took some time to reflect on my stay in kruger

and everyone that made it such a pleasure
:D :D
to dorcus, at lower sabie reservations who allocated me "my" hut and all the other friendly staff at lower sabie camp and filling station

and the pleasant lady at letaba (whose name i had noted on my phone before it was re-formatted) who also allocated me "my garden cottage"
and the lady from housekeeping at letaba who ensured that i was comfortable in pristine surroundings,

and the staff at phalaborwa gate who made entry into the park on new year's morning such a pleasure,

and the staff at shingwedzi who made the stop there on new year's day such a pleasant one,

and to sprocky for showing me his leopard

and to robert t and tammy and jordan for the food and companionship


and to annie for popping in for a few days....

and to aat and elly for sharing their knowledge and experiences
and to richprins for the whiskey.......................................................................................................

and to all the animals
and all the birds
and all the trees
and all the flowers
and the grass
and the moon
and the stars
and the sun.....

so................

after many pages of banter and contributions from the wild ones.......

and over 1300 photos

it was fun.........




now,,,,,,, back to the immediate surroundings

and the impala where quite frisky here as well
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then someone started a scuffle
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so all the little ones were hurried away in a group

so as to protect them from the delinquent lads
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then i went home..................................................................