Africa Wild

So we'd agreed to leave at gate opening at 4.30am. I think Anna was horrified but she put on a brave face and agreed! I set the alarm for 4am and was then woken by my dad at 2.30am when he went to the loo. He then switched on the lights and started fiddling around in his bag. When I asked him what he was doing he said he was going to shower. I told him it was only 2.30 and could he please go back to sleep but he said he wouldn't wake up if he went back to bed!! I told him I'd set the alarm but he's so stubborn that I can't argue with him. I told him to at least turn off the lights and keep quiet as I would like to go back to sleep!! By now it was about 3am and I was wide awake, and tried to go back to sleep but couldn't so I evenutally got up at 3.30am and made coffee. I went to sit on the verandah in the dark with my coffee and a cigarette, fuming at my dad!! I banged doors and cups to show my displeasure but he's so deaf he didn't hear any of it , and then he came outside and said "Oh, you're up nice and early, is there coffee for me?"

Anyway...he was in the car just after 4am telling me to call my brother, but I just ignored him and waited for them on our verandah. They arrived at 4.30, not looking too happy. We left camp and turned right onto the H4-1 but we couldn't see anything...it was pitch dark and drizzling, and the windscreen kept fogging up. I eventually decided to turn around and go and park at Sunset Dam until it got light! I don't understand the gate times at this time of year. You have to be back in camp at 6.30pm when there is still quite a lot of light left, but they let you leave when it's pitch dark...doesn't make sense!

At about 5am it started to get a bit lighter so we carried on. I'd made a bold statement the day before that we'd never had a trip where we didn't see lions, but with the rain I did not have high hopes.

Our first sighting was a Woodland Kingfisher. They really are the summer noise of Kruger...you hear them everywhere!


A young impala braving the wet weather.


Then we saw a Jacobin Cuckoo, but too far for a pic, and then another first for me in Kruger, a Diderick's Cuckoo.


Anna's new favourite...the Vervets!


Lots of impala's everywhere!


Bookends.


Bushbuck mom and tot.


It had stopped drizzling but it was still overcast and miserable.


This tortoise was enjoying the water on the road.

IMO it's the last time that momo goes to Kruger You must have been pretty stressed by now and with no sleep or almost Luckily he has moved to a place where they look after him

Lovely woodie All the animals are wet

The Diderick's Cuckoo was a nice find Not seen yet

Koamaster is the guy who posted about the tents, Flutts?

You must give Mommo lots more in the evenings, methinks...

There are almost always clouds in the morning in summer, maybe that makes it dark?

Those tortoises do like their tar water..

And thank you for thinking of me every time you eat!

Terrible awakening

That happens when they get old. My mom and father in law are the same

You give them a time and they get up 3 hours before that to make sure they are ready

Remember, that you will get there too, every time that you get annoyed with an old person

Your dad is quite some work If I remember correctly something similar happened on one of your previous trips already,
when he also thought it apt to take a shower in the middle of the night so he wouldn't be tardy for gate opening time

Anna's new favourite

I'm sure you'll find that lion

Lisbeth wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:03 pm IMO it's the last time that momo goes to Kruger You must have been pretty stressed by now and with no sleep or almost Luckily he has moved to a place where they look after him

Lovely woodie All the animals are wet

The Diderick's Cuckoo was a nice find Not seen yet

I thinks so Lis...I can't see us doing another trip to Kruger with Mommo.

Richprins wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:39 pm Koamaster is the guy who posted about the tents, Flutts?

You must give Mommo lots more in the evenings, methinks...

There are almost always clouds in the morning in summer, maybe that makes it dark?

Those tortoises do like their tar water..

And thank you for thinking of me every time you eat!

Aha, Koamaster...tx! You're probably right about the ! The clouds did make it darker, but it only starts getting light at about 5.

Alf wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:08 pm Terrible awakening

That happens when they get old. My mom and father in law are the same

You give them a time and they get up 3 hours before that to make sure they are ready

So frustrating but as Lis says, we'll all be like that one day!

Mel wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:03 pm Your dad is quite some work If I remember correctly something similar happened on one of your previous trips already,
when he also thought it apt to take a shower in the middle of the night so he wouldn't be tardy for gate opening time

Anna's new favourite

I'm sure you'll find that lion

You're right Mel, my dad did the same thing on our last trip. Each new sighting was Anna's favourite but she did have a definite favourite by the end of our morning drive on day two.

Still on the H4-1, this boy had some nasty sores.


I just love this one's expression!


The boons were full of beans this morning! Anna declared they were now her favourites!


A Brown-snake Eagle, I think.


As we'd agreed on shorter morning drives than usual, we had decided to cross the high-level bridge and go down the S30 Salitje Road, then back to camp on the S128. My dad tried to change the route into a much longer drive but we vetoed his idea!

A Reed Cormorant from the high-level bridge.


A Black-backed Puffback.


A White-browed Scrub-robin...another first for Kruger.

Joh! Wonder what happened to that baboon!

A nice array of sightings despite the weather... that section is such a predator hotspot it must have felt strange not seeing any but I'm sure there's luck round the next corner