Flavour of the Month: January 2014 S89 - NGOTSO Road

[dup]

Ngotso- he name of a local inhabitant of long time ago and used by H Berthold 1889
-Tsonga, word means literal,small calabashes for storing fat or fetching water.


There are 5 important landmarks in reference to the name Ngotso;
a. The creek,12 km south east of houtboschrand(houtbosch rand the ranger's post,on the eastern bank of the Timbavati river ,near the mouth of the Hlangari.)
b. Small concrete dam 9,5 km south east of Houtboschrand(1952), also spel Ngotsa/Nghotsa.
c. Earthen dam,9,5 km south -east of houtboschrand.(1964)
c. Drinking trough 13 km South-east of Houtboschrand, next to the main road.(Fed by the Olifants/Satara pipeline.(1971)
d. Ngotso-Noord , drinking trough 5 km south-east of houtboschrand,next to main road, north of Nyamarhi fountain. Most northern drinking trough to receive water from Olifants-Satara pipeline.
From: A dictionary of Kruger National Park place names.(J.J.Kloppers and Hans Bornman)

Genaral
-This road is not know for big sightings but is the knot between Balule - H1-4 - S90.
- As this road is always been travel early mornings or late afternoons , to or from Balule one tend's to travel to fast or did not spent enough time at sightings.
- However some of our most memorable moments along this road include,birth of Impala lamb, leopard hunt on impala's and a group of 18 giraffe together.
-We drove this road 29 December 2013 AFTER RAIN OF 100 MM, the previos 24 hours and it was water everywhere.

Let us travel it and let the memories and photo's flow;

S89 Blackstork which had two chicks



S89 Greyheron Water in the smaller streams after the rains



S89 This is the first time we've seen Hippo's Ngotso Weir. New territories



Ngotso area has lots of hyena two den's near each entry to s89. This little one makde sure we knew who was his mom.

The past two years giraffes are abundant

[dup]

[Toko]

Map

[Richprins]

Here's a google earth pic, which shows the two streams crossing. The Ngotso stream is on the left!













At the bottom left intersection with the tar road, there is a culvert that has been used by hyenas for at least a decade, in my experience! It may be a bit silted up now?

[dup]

RP, When we passed there on 29 Dec 2013 ,due to the rain 9 adult hyenas were outside or around that den.

[Richprins]

A funny story:

Many years ago, as a student, we had crossed the "Ngotso weir", as one may call it, and stopped for something. Believe it or not, something caught my eye in the side rear view mirror...a leopard crossing the road at the causeway! We reversed pretty fast...but it was gone!

My navigator was sceptical, to say the least...

But it goes to show!

[Sprocky]

Ngotso wier was always the best place in the park for me, until I started staying at Tsendze instead of Balule. I used to sit there for hours, shooting on film. This is one of my favourites from that time, October 2004.

[Richprins]

This whole area is interesting, regarding vegetation "biomes", as one can have a bit of central "Savannah", then a bit of "Olifants Broken Veld", which means a lunar landscape, then a bit of Mopaneveld, then riverine vegetation... Quite remarkable!

[Mel]

I've only travelled that road once in 2007 when we were staying at Olifants.
And this is also the only photo I got from there. But a lion is a lion is a lion on a kill.

[Flutterby]

Nice sighting Mel.

Haven't had too many sightings on this road, but will post what I have.



Crested Francolins



Burchell's Coucal




Will look for more.