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Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:43 pm
by Pumbaa
Mel wrote:The carmine bee-eater would make for a nice tick on my bird list

Beautiful!
My three first and only visits to Kruger weren't really distinguished by birding
Will amend that on the upcoming trip. Who knows if and when I will ever go back after that

I am sure you will make a lot of ticks on your bird list during that trip, Mel

Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:44 pm
by Pumbaa
More curious faces had a look and we were happy again
to capture that many different buffaloes.
The drizzle got more and we unfortunately had to close the windows as otherwise we would have been completely get wet and also the grey heron was not that happy about all the rain.
Lots of juvenile fish eagle could be found along that road -
reason must have been simply that there was still a lot of water left in the Mphongololo compared to other rivers and areas of the park. We came across a very tired juvenile yellow-billed stork
as well as very wet dwarf mongooses.
In between the rain also got more and we had to close the windows and whenever something caught our attention we had to open it again we normally do travel through the entire park with windows wide open to hear and smell everything so travelling in the hard rain is for sure not our favourite way to drive through the park. We met another fish eagle which were in fact easily to be captured in that area
and stopped again in front of a tree in which lots of our colourful feathered friends could be discovered again – Gladly when standing there the rain got less again and allowed us to capture a very wet crested barbet,
a black tit,
uncountable masked weavers,
another scimitar bill

Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:45 pm
by Pumbaa
and even wood hoopoes. It was again another very successful stop in front of a tree or bush and we simply let the birds come.
Due to the nearly none existent vegetation we saw that much nyala males during one trip as never before.
They are always such beauties
and they had a lot of appetite!
More birds appeared in form of a fluff ball
or in form of another beautiful European bee eater.
Now also a group of nyala females could be photographed,
giraffes appeared and a burchell’s coucal was willing to pose extensively.
to be continued...
Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:58 pm
by Lisbeth
Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 4:19 pm
by Richprins
So different to see the raindrops in pics, Pumbaa!
Such a nice selection again, it must be great going through the pics when you get home!
My favourite is the nyala bull with eyes closed!
What were tits called in the good old days again?

Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 5:20 pm
by Lisbeth
The southern black tit was formerly one of the many species in the genus Parus but was moved to Melaniparus after a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 showed that the members of the new genus formed a distinct clade.
Was it chicadee?

or are those only found in North America

Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 9:18 pm
by Mel
It was definitely wet

And with that, the dwarf mongoose reminded me of our hedgehogs

Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:32 am
by Flutterby
Everything was so wet!!

Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:45 am
by harrys
Beautiful photos off all the wet animals

I don't think they worried to be wet

Re: The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:25 pm
by Pumbaa
This year it was far wetter
