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Splendour in the Grass*

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:13 pm
by Duke
We were in Kruger for the long weekend O:V . Two nights in Malelane Camp and a night in Lower Sabie. Most of the dirt roads in the south were closed but Kruger is looking as splendid as ever. The vegetation is lush and green and the grass and trees hid some splendour :-)

Banded Mongooses
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Warthog
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Fish Eagle
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Lions
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Pearl Spotted Owlet
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Martial Eagle
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Cheetah
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Wild Dog
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Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:27 pm
by Duke
I love Malelane too RP and don't mind the agricultural fields. The camp was quiet for a long weekend. Advantage of malelane is you get on to H3 before the B&D people and can stay out later on the H3. The Matjulu Bridge area has been very good to us at these times. The doggies were between Afsaal and Jock Camp.

Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:31 pm
by Duke
We entered at Phabeni gate at about 10.30am on 20 March. Our first sighting was impala but far for any pix. We stopped to see some Pied Kingfisher

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Sharifa spotted a Shikra in a tree O/\

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or did the Shikra spot her :-0

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The Carmine bee eaters were still around O\/

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It was good to be in Kruger.

Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:00 pm
by Duke
The Europeans are here O/\ O\/ O/\ O\/

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And another Intra African Visitor
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Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 7:42 pm
by Duke
We checked in at Malelane and the camp was rather quiet on the Thursday night (20 March). We were out at 5.30am on the Friday morning. There was only one option as far as drives go and that was the H3. Before the Renoster Pan turn we saw a lion and lioness walking on the road. We approached slowly but they headed for the grass.

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The H-2 was closed but these lads were on the entrance to that road

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Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 7:02 pm
by Duke
Thanks BB \O

We found a hyena Mom on the road and these little guys on the side :-)

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A Lifer O/\ O\/ , The Levaillant's Cuckoo was not sitting still but we got some photos.
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The Voortrekker Road was open so we decided to take it

Hyenas sniffing the grass
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Banded Mongoose O:V
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We had a break at Pretoriuskop and then took the H1-1 and H3 back to Malelane. Just south of Afsaal not far from whre we had seen the two lads in the morning there were about 10 cars parked off........

Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 4:16 pm
by Duke
So we approach the cars thinking it will be the two males but are pleasantly surprised O/\ O\/

They had made a kil and there was not much left of it when we got there but one or two were still busy with the scraps. Splendour in the Grass :-)

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We returned to Malelane. On the afternoon drive we had another awesome sighting not far from where the dogs were O** :-0 ;-)

What a day it was turning out to be. Kruger Magic.

Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 4:02 pm
by Duke
Well there was only one route to take for our afternoon drive, the H3 North :-0

Not far from where the wild dogs were, there were 3 cheetahs, far from the road, in the long grass.

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Just as we were about to move on, they got up and crossed the road O:V

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Lions, Wild Dogs and Cheetah all within about 3km of each other at different times of the day

Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:44 am
by Duke
We were out at first light again on our second morning. Itwas the H3 again. We were moving to Lower Sabie today so we thought we will just drive north and get to Skukuza, have a break and then work out a route to Lower Sabie to get there by 2.00PM. We did get a wonderful sighting on the H3 that held us up for 90 minutes O/\ O\/ but it is time for some birds again ^0^

Hey, we have our own rollers :-0

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Here you go Toks \O

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Woody

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Red Backed Shrike

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Bateleur

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Re: Splendour in the Grass

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:51 pm
by Duke
There is an easy way to see over the long grass as you will see after the next episode :-0

More Birds

Barn (European) Swallow
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Pied Kingfisher
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Martial Eagle
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Marabou Storks
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White Fronted Bee Eater
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Black Shouldered Kite
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Burchells Coucal
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Magpie Shrike
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Brown headed parrot
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Double Banded Sandgrouse
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