Super LEEDS: live from South Africa

[Kitsafari]

@@Super LEEDS,

 

Super Duper times...so glad you got the pics sorted and the Wild Dogs!

 

Like the idea of a hidden camera. We do that here in our own back yard to see what comes out at night....other than a sleepwalker over served with wine.

 

It's amarula and hot chocolate for me on those chilly SA mornings.

 

amarula and hot chocolate sounds heavenly. i've got to try that one day. @@graceland

[Kitsafari]

@@Super LEEDS very much enjoying your on-site reporting. I just hope that GW doesn't expect us to do it from now on, although a very good - and valid excuse - would be - there's no wifi!

 

is that really a tame African wildcat? she's adorable!

 

now i see the pix of your hard luggage - does it mean that you were driven from camp to camp and back to the airport? no flights involved?

[Super LEEDS]

 

African harrier hawk (old name: Gymnagen [sp.])

 

Said bye to all and Johan (passed on your message @@Jochen!)

 

Gymnogene

 

You really gave Johan a kick in the butt? Oh man, I'm so in trouble now.

 

 

He took off like a rhino! I'd watch out...

[Super LEEDS]

@@Super LEEDS

 

I know what you mean bout leaving the MOST EXCELLENT GUIDE and wondering, what is next?

 

Thanks, @@graceland.

 

I perhaps didn't make myself clear through trying not to be too rude but my point was we didn't get that 'feeling' with the guide before having Sam at Shindzela, where as soon as we switched to him for the last day, we could feel the electricity!

 

Guide and tracker at Tanda Tula have been SUPERB.

[Super LEEDS]

@@Super LEEDS very much enjoying your on-site reporting. I just hope that GW doesn't expect us to do it from now on, although a very good - and valid excuse - would be - there's no wifi!

 

is that really a tame African wildcat? she's adorable!

 

now i see the pix of your hard luggage - does it mean that you were driven from camp to camp and back to the airport? no flights involved?

 

Hey @@Kitsafari

 

Totally tame, we stroked him and he loved it!!

 

That's right, no flights, all road transfers, our last being to Johannesburg tomorrow to be fair, you'd only need flights from there to Kruger and back, the rest would be road transfers, that way you get free safaris along the way

Edited June 4, 2014 by Super LEEDS

[Super LEEDS]

I won't be updating again until back home now, want to enjoy my last full day here, annoying the camp wildlife and such! The last day never fails to deliver copious amounts of heartache.

 

Its worth waiting for in my opinion though, there's at least 2 pretty spectacular sightings (for us), I can't wait to relay. Oh and there's that elephant thing too.........

[Jochen]

 

He took off like a rhino! I'd watch out...

 

I'll bribe him with beers. We Belgians have won wars that way.

[Super LEEDS]

Here's a clip from the earlier lion sighting:

 

[graceland]

 

@@Super LEEDS

 

I know what you mean bout leaving the MOST EXCELLENT GUIDE and wondering, what is next?

 

Thanks, @@graceland.

 

I perhaps didn't make myself clear through trying not to be too rude but my point was we didn't get that 'feeling' with the guide before having Sam at Shindzela, where as soon as we switched to him for the last day, we could feel the electricity!

 

Guide and tracker at Tanda Tula have been SUPERB.

 

Understand, totally...we've had good guides and great guides." Electric" is always great I can tell by your writings and pics how it progressed to superb!

[Marks]

Thanks for sharing everything live and have a safe trip home. I'm looking forward to this moment you're teasing...

 

I liked seeing a stocked bush bar, too, but I didn't pick out any Amarula amongst the bottles...could it be that it was all packed up for sundowners? I think it may be time to open my last bottle.

[Super LEEDS]

Hey @@Marks, it was the Amarula is a refined creature, with a will and wont of its own, it was definitely sighted during sundowners though!

[SafariChick]

Wow, thanks for all the live reporting - I agree with @@Kitsafari that you're setting a new bar for the rest of us! I, like your wife, think the baby hyena adorable. And I am a huge Amarula fan myself - discovered it on my first safari and have had it for almost every sundowner since (well, it's only been two safaris though!) Hope you've had a great last day.

[Super LEEDS]

Unbelievable last day. How about 3 of the big 5 in one sighting?

[Sangeeta]

Good for you that you got those handsome dogs! A most excellent live report, SL, and you sound like you enjoyed it to the fullest. Though I agree with Kit and SafariChick that you're setting a bad precedent for Matt!

 

Bag size evidence is good

Edited June 4, 2014 by Sangeeta

[PT123]

@Super LEEDS

 

Great report - I look forward to the thrilling conclusion. Great luck seeing dogs - my first and only time was at Timbavati. It looks like you've had a splendid time.

[COSMIC RHINO]

impressed with the photos

 

buffalo taking care of business

 

you have had a good time and enjoyed yourself

 

never heard someone introducing their rifle with a name for it

 

do you have any thoughts of future travel kenya or cheaper sth african places as recommended before?

[Super LEEDS]

Not yet @@COSMIC RHINO, need to digest this fully and I'll keep you posted.

 

Do I feel this can replace Kenya? At the start, it was a firm no. Now.... food for thought but still on the no side, only just. Probably means I'll check pricing for Kenya and then reject it based on that again.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Super LEEDS

[Super LEEDS]

Sat in the airport awaiting the boarding call

 

Few bottles of Amarula already checked through to Leeds

[COSMIC RHINO]

@@Super LEEDS can you get it asily at home ?

 

yess it is cheaper duty free , but I don't really drink that much and don't like the idea of having it break on me.

[Super LEEDS]

A live trip report or LTR as the professionals call it, should only be attempted when time allows.

 

An LTR does not take priority over game drives, bush walks, meals, harassing of resident wildlife and showers. It does however take precedence over midday naps.

[Super LEEDS]

No idea @@COSMIC RHINO, not a drinker either. It's only 17% and we'll probably never open it. We don't get sun in England never mind a sunset!

 

Reminds me, need to stock the freezer with ice....

[COSMIC RHINO]

some places leave the Amarula in the fridge to keep it cold

[Super LEEDS]

Here's the vid of the dog chase - there was laughter when we stopped due to the way the dog on the left just plopped down into the water, not sure if this is obvious in the clip:

 

http://youtu.be/XBmkDl5Nq5k

[Super LEEDS]

What a wake-up call

 

Monday 2nd June

 

Woke at 4.10am to the sound of a low, deep, almost purr of a noise. Concluded it was lion or leopard and that it was really close to our tent. Woke the wife and I soon made out the noise of bones being broken so the cat was on a kill and having gotten up and opened the side window flaps, I could hear it was right outside our tent but behind a bush and a bit lower towards the dry river bank. Waving my torch around, I couldn't see any eye-shine but could hear how close this was happening.

 

After around 45 minutes of trying to get a look, I heard another faint noise from the far bank and shining my torch out the front of the of the tent, 4 green eyes were starring back at me and I made out a huge male and a lioness making there way over to the kill. I tried photography through the mesh whilst zoomed in and holding the torch:

 

 

The male flopped down in the middle of the crossing but the lioness mae her way to the kill. Since there was no riot, it had to be another lion and not a leopard. When the male finally came over, there was a massive fight and things really heated up, but again behind the bush so I couldn't see any of it. when things settled down, I heard the rustling of the grass and bushes right text to the tent (where the nyala were) and shining my light, a smaller male had made its way there but was spooked quickly with the torchlight and ran off towards the next tent somewhere.

 

The racket and feasting continued and I lost track of time when my alarm went off at 5.30am - this poxy camp starts their game drives at 6.30am, if the guests even bother to turn up, but that's another story - at which point it occurred to me that they would be bring the tea tray round soon and people would be up and about. Thinking they would already know about the lions in camp, I just made sure by using the radio provided in each tent to speak with the main building and advised them to watch out as there are lions here. I didn't quite feel the guy on the other end (Dan, another host) believed me and probably thought, 'stupid tourists'. 6am cam and Civilised gave his "morning, morning" approaching our tent. I called out, "Civilised, NGALA!!". Again, not sure he heard or believed me...... then came a low growl and a series of roars as he approached. The lions were not happy!!

 

Small audio clip

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&v=kRoXil02gwc

 

He backed off and told us not to come out of the tent

 

Eventually the lions walked off, the single male went left and the the pair went right as we watched them from our deck!!

 

Sweet.

 

My theory was: the smaller male made a kill of some kind right below our tent, the 2 lovers turned up with the larger male showing his dominance and giving the smaller one a beating, when he retreated to the side of our tent. The mating couple backed off slightly with the other being able to finish off what was left. They all then retreated after threatening the rangers.

 

To jump a little forward, we walked along the river after breakfast to check out the site and fold only 2 rows of teeth of what was though to be one of the nyala from camp - the guts were laid out a short distance away - and the tracks corroborated my theory

 

 

Needless to say, we tracked lions all over Timbavati, covering large distances but were unfortunate in them moving over to an area we can not drive in. Was really impressed with the effort and level of tracking displayed. All rangers/trackers of all camps seemed to be working together and coordinating their movements which increased the efficiency of their work. Camps involved were Tanda Tula (us), Umlani and King's Camp - these 3 seem to work together the most.

 

Stopped for hot chocolate at a dam with a grey heron. Drove on the tar road - boundary between Timbavati and Klaserie - and came across a small herd of elephants crossing from K to T. Civilised also stopped to pick up an empty beer can.

 

 

 

Breakfast is served outside if the weather allows. This morning there was scrambled/fried egg, toast, spicy minced beef and sausages, as well as the boring stuff like yoghurt and bran flakes.

 

We walked up the river to camp and stopped to check out rhino and porcupine activity as well as see how elephants dig water holes before getting to our kill site. Lunch was built around a nice, light chicken salad.

 

 

 

During the time between lunch and the pm drive, we just hung out on the deck on the bend of the river watching the camp nyala cross to the other side. Was quite funny as they were walking so slowly and it mimicked them crossing a roasting Sahara desert.

 

PM drive: we got giraffe, massive herds of impala (having only seen small groups up until today), a band of dwarf mongoose crossing the road, large millipede crossing too, a crash of 5 white rhino, ran into the huge herd of buffalo again, at sundowners we got the best of the day (after the Amarula and sausages on sticks) with a large herd of elephants coming to the dam to drink. A couple even started to wallow at the side of the dam which looked like great fun. They had a tiny baby with them that still hadn't mastered its trunk and was forced to kneel down to drink. Wife said it was cute......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lone elephant suddenly came over the horizon and made its way to the herd who accepted him at first but when it was time to leave the older females stood up to him and made it clear he couldn't join them. Looked like a bull that my have recently been kicked out of his family and he was keen to join another.

 

We saw a black-backed jackal with the spotlight as well as several waterbuck which we hadn't see yet.

 

In camp, walking to our tent before dinner, we had a good sighting of a small owl [Civilised said it was a Barred Owl] and a scrub hare. On the way back, Civilised said we had hyaena tracks on the path and looking closely, they were on top of our very own footprints meaning s/he had walked the path literally a minute or so after we had made it to our tent to drop some stuff off. He then quickly found the spotted hyaena right next to tent 6.

 

 

 

Since I'm now writing this at home, I've forgotten some of the meals so just trust dinner was another grand affair with some grand fayre. I think it was brai - beef minute steaks, chicken and fish.

 

We heard lions calling quite close to camp this night, from as soon as our drive ended, right through dinner and during the night.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Super LEEDS

[Super LEEDS]

Tues 3rd June

 

No fireworks this morning unfortunately.

 

AM drive: straight to the hyaena den as the pups had been in hiding since our first sighting and they were not allowed out to play again this morning but there were around 10 fully grown spotted hyaena around the converted termite mound getting ready to have a wander.

 

We picked up leopard tracks all over the place and spent a long time tracking and trying to find my favourite of all African cats without much luck.

 

It was a very quite morning so we stopped for morning tea overlooking a herd of 30+ elephants scattered around the river bed below us. This was a great sighting as again there was lots going on including digging for water and around 5 little ones all doing their thing. They were completely relaxed for some time until 1 young bull got wind of us - came in our direction with his trunk in the air - and then they all moved off very quickly, but only a short distance.

 

 

Things picked-up after this....

 

Civilised and Jack decided to make one last sweep for the male leopard they were tracking earlier and there he was, right in the middle of the road!! Its all about luck out here.

 

 

He was on the hunt and came close to a duiker and then a steinbok was merely a split second away from being a meal before it saw the leopard and sprang away. We were so close to witnessing a kill!! The cat was barely 6 feet away.

 

After this came a rather special moment: the leopard picked-up on something else and lead us straight to a white rhino!! We were so caught up in keeping in contact with the cat, we didn't see this large male rhino. Since rhino was a little too much to swallow, the leopard just disappeared so we sat with the rhino who we thought we'd disturbed as he made off in the other direction only to realise was chasing the leopard and allowed us to keep following him!

 

Leopard brings us to rhino, who takes us back to leopard.

 

 

How the leopard escaped the rhino's attention was pure genius. It just sat there, in long grass as the rhino walked past. I took this photo to try capture a special moment - can you see them both?

 

 

We spent more time with the leopard before moving on. Did I mention they have a rule that only 2 vehicles can be around a sighting? The others need to go on "standby" in the order in which they request to be there. You get around 5-15 minutes but since we were first there and all alone we had around 30 minutes with him, all alone, judging from the times on my pics.

 

 

Time for breakfast and then a walk back to camp where we saw warthog, female bateleur eagle and quite a few creepy crawlies like large garden and golden orb spiders as well as a praying mantis. Wife didn't say they were cute for some reason.........

 

 

We had a family of vervets at our shower today, trying to drink from the leaky head. There was mother and 2 youngsters so you can guess what the wife said. They kept her company as she had a bath

 

 

Kingfishers in camp again.

 

 

Pm drive: greater kudu (all kudu spotted has been greater), mingled with another large herd (possibly same as this morning), baboons in the distance.

 

 

Whilst with the eles, one bull got a little too close and then this happened - you could feel the energy/tension in the car when he turned round, my camera is fully zoomed out so he got pretty close:

 

http://youtu.be/BfSWFwdsjK8

 

Came across fresh rhino tracks and dung at a midden so knew he was in the area. The direction he went in was difficult terrain so Jack got out and tracked on foot whilst we tried to get to the other side of the dense bush. Had great fun trying to get up the bank on the other side of the river, reversing, revving a lot, almost making it.... smoke but no bushfire so we made the decision to get out on foot and try find him. Jack had spotted him and lead us to a large male, in the fading light. He knew we were there and kept an eye on us but remained pretty calm, perhaps he wasn't entirely sure what we were.

 

 

White rhino on foot, wow!!

 

Nothing in camp this evening and nothing calling except some hyaena in the early hours.

 

What a day.