In Search of Some Good "Spots"

[Flutterby]

Lovely kudu shots.

That ellie's tusk is huge!

[Richprins]

Big ellie that, Ratel!

Your first kudu is a very big bull, and the comparison pics regarding the horns are very good study material!

So no rhino?

[steamtrainfan]

Great Kudu shots and some huge horns around.

Talking about huge that ellie was also a BIG boy. I wonder how he lost his tusk?

[Ratel]

Friday 25th August - The conclusion

Another satisfying dinner completed at the Mugg & Bean Lower Sabie, we loaded onto the truck for the night drive. The weather sadly had turned cool and breezy. Not great conditions for nocturnal wildlife in our experience.

We were still keen to find a Serval, but tonight would not be the night. Many sightings were had, but mostly brief or distant as is our experience in windy conditions. The only worthy pic taken was these 4 Lions we found sleeping in a gully out of the wind. An unexpected surprise!

We still managed to accumulate a good species list for the night however:

Lion
Civet
Common Duiker
2 unidentified Owls
Elephant
Buffalo
Hippos grazing
Scrub Hare
Steenbok
Impala
BlueWildebeest

No Rhino though, so the Big Five day could not be completed. Not that we cared that much. It had been a great day with diverse sightings and experiences. As we crawled into bed I asked Lyca what she wanted to do tomorrow.

"I think i'd like to go back to Delaporte and try to see the Leopard"

And with that simple request Saturday the 26th of August 2017 would forever be remembered by us as Delaporte Day.

[Flutterby]

Lions do what lions do best!

Delaporte Day sounds good!!

[steamtrainfan]

Pity about the weather for the night drive.

Waiting in anticipation for the Delaporte Day episode.

[Richprins]

Nice to see hippo out at night, they are totally different!

Hey, Rattle, you going to put the ellie up on aat's thread?

viewtopic.php?f=243&t=503&start=2120

[Bushcraft]

That De Laporte leopard appears and disappears at the strangest times, but if lucky, it can be a great sighting

Those people who “camp” at lion sightings drive me nuts, especially when the lion are just sleeping.

The S21 can be a “long road” at times.

Not great weather for your night drive, but still a nice lion pride

De Laporte day

[Ratel]

Thanks everyone for continuing to follow along. And here we go...

Saturday 26th August - Delaporte Day!

We were getting good at the morning routine and again rolled up at the gate to exit Lower Sabie just as the queue was departing. In my original plan today was meant to be an exciting journey down the famous S28, but instead we were off to Skukuza and beyond to loiter at Delaporte Waterhole in hope of a five star sighting of the resident female Leopard. She had a kill in a tree there so we expected she wouldn't be going far. We had in our minds a stunning sequence of photos as she purposefully strode out of the bush and over to the waterhole - like a famous actress who knows full-well that all eyes are on her as she struts down the red carpet - then after a brief pause to scan the surrounds for danger crouched down by the water to drink. We knew she had drank at around 10am the previous day, so we intended to be there early enough to be able to secure a prime position and wait it out.

Today the various pull-outs and side roads were a no-go by request of Lyca, so we only stopped for a few notables by the roadside such as this Bushbuck.

1-IMG_8197_sml.jpg (163.58 KiB) Viewed 71 times

At the western junction of the H4-1 and S79 a Hyena trotted out of the grass and onto the road.

2-IMG_8202_sml.jpg (160.27 KiB) Viewed 71 times

We were really developing a soft-spot for these much maligned creatures, and followed at a safe distance in wonder of what kind of adventure it was going to or returning from.

3-IMG_8209_sml.jpg (106.19 KiB) Viewed 71 times

As if it read our minds and took offense at being thought of as anything like noble, it suddenly stopped and began licking a large urine patch on the road!

4-DSC07778edit_sml.jpg (171.23 KiB) Viewed 71 times

"Ooh that burns a little!"

5-DSC07785_sml.jpg (154.56 KiB) Viewed 71 times

Questioning our judgement we promptly started the car and moved on!

Next up was the obligatory Ellie roadblock

6-IMG_8224_sml.jpg (144.52 KiB) Viewed 71 times

I loved the way this mother shielded her little-un from our vehicle as they crossed.

7-IMG_8234_sml.jpg (143.84 KiB) Viewed 71 times

WIth little else of note on the H4-1 we were soon on the H1-1 and arriving at Delaporte. We first checked the koppie to the east for Leopards before proceeding to the bridge to inspect the kill. It was still in the tree but worryingly had been fed on heavily overnight and didn't appear to have too much meat left on it. Again there was no Leopard to be seen around the kill tree so we cleared the bridge and moved promptly to the carpark by the waterhole, where a number of cars were already in residence. After a short while a front row spot opened up and I moved the car into position. And so the wait began...

We had placed all our proverbial eggs in the Delaporte basket. Would this gamble pay off?

Would she show?

The Impala were clearly nervous, but was that just normal behaviour at this waterhole?

Was the kill finished and had she moved off to elsewhere in her territory?

So many questions cycled over and over through my mind as we waited in eager anticipation.

To be continued...

[Richprins]

As if it read our minds and took offense at being thought of as anything like noble, it suddenly stopped and began licking a large urine patch on the road! Ratel!

Ag, it's just nice to sit at a waterhole anyway!