Leopard Hills, Sabi Sands, South Africa — October, 2015

[deano]

@@Tom Kellie - the buffalo boss sequence reminds me that every animal in the bush deserves our time and attention. Great detail in there and definitely something that I will study more the next time I am in the bush. I might also download the Gant and Brooks catalogues so that I might be appropriately dressed at the time.

 

The warthog sequence reminds me of the last time I was hungry in the bush on morning drives and I asked the chef to pack me a snack that I could nibble on (sorry warty).

 

kind regards

 

deano.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie Just because there are other wonderful TRs doesn't mean that each one is not appreciated! Every traveler has a different perspective and it's a joy to see them all. If I may offer up a hard-learned lesson, comparing ourselves to others is never a road to happiness.

 

You mentioned how difficult the uploads are for you, so that's quite understandable if you need a break. But please don't assume how much interest there is based on clicks because there will always be more viewers than clicks.

 

~ @@fictionauthor

 

Thank you very much for your wise words.

I'll complete this trip report as opportunity presents itself.

I have no plans to prepare another trip report.

Having written one about Kenya and another about South Africa, I've expressed what was inside.

It's been great fun doing so.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie I would like to echo @@fictionauthor in her comments.

 

I have enjoyed my trips to Africa taken via your reports - both the images and the writing have increased my understanding and have inspired me to commit to some efforts of my own. I can see how well read your reports are but also understand how sometimes the efforts spent producing them can feel under appreciated. This must be magnified given the challenges you face at times getting the reports out to the audience.

 

I have found the advice given by @@Game Warden to all new trip reporters very helpful - take it gently, break it into small chunks and don't try and finish it all at once if I can paraphrase.

 

I for one would be saddend if this was to be your final report (and I will confess to my guilty secret - I do not access the video segments as I find the still images much more fascinating in their detail and sense of a moment captured).

 

~ @@pomkiwi

 

I'm moved by your very kind words. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts in this trip report.

Circumstances have necessitated drawing out this trip report longer than I'd hoped. Internet access is problematic at best.

Having no background in economics or business management, I'm ill-equipped to perform a cost-benefit analysis.

Nonetheless, my overall sense is that in the two trip reports I've shown photos and provided comments which convey my feelings about being on safari.

After this trip report is completed I'll continue to post individual photos from time-to-time in the Photography section.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tdgraves it seems that @@Peter Connan has got in ahead of me but yes @@Tom Kellie is absolutely right about the golden-breasted bunting, I think you’ve been fooled by the fact that the bird is not in full sun if it was the breast would be much more obviously yellow in colour, but it is a golden yellow and can be quite dark. It may also be the case that it is a young bird or combination of these two factores. The cinnamon aside from being very cinnamon brown in colour does not have the white wing bars that the golden-breasted has and that the bird in the photos quite clearly has. Also this bird has a yellow chin which the golden-breasted has whereas the cinnamon has a black chin and two white stripes below the eye and it does not have a white collar. Although it has an extra white stripe on the cheek the white on the head of the cinnamon-breasted is less prominent than on the golden-breasted. It can only be a golden-breasted, the one other bird that is pretty similar is Cabani’s bunting but this species does not occur in South Africa and it does not have the white stripe on the cheek.

 

I suggest having a look at this website Stellenbosch Birds there are two photos of what are clearly the exact same pair of golden-breasted buntings in the first photo the breast of the male appears darker and orangeier than in the second photo where it is very bright yellow this is clearly an effect of the light. The sun is far stronger in the second picture making the breast appear less golden and a much brighter lemon yellow. In the next photo of a bird that is not in full sun at all the breast really appears quite dark orange, so the colour of the breast of these birds clearly varies a bit and how bright yellow it appears depends on whether the bird is in sun or in the shade.

 

~ @@inyathi

 

Thank you for this very helpful explanation.

I appreciate the URL link to Stellenbosch Birds.

Had I been a more skilled photographer with a larger lens, the bunting would have been clearer.

What was gratifying was that it was one of the very few times that a golden-breasted bunting image had appeared in Safaritalk.

It's especially pleasing to introduce a species to those who may not have previously been acquainted with it.

With Gratitude,

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie I have to admit that I am way behind with reading trip reports and hope to catch up over the weekend. However, just seeing some of the comments on this page alone, I would like to say something that I have always said so at the risk of repeating myself … ALL trip reports and photos have value and are interesting. I hate the thought that anyone, new or old, experienced or on their first safari, would feel that their offering is less than someone else's. That is my opinion and despite the fact that I haven't read all the current ones, I will get there eventually.

 

~ @@twaffle

 

Thank you so much for visiting this trip report.

I've been hoping that circumstances will be such that you'll be able to enjoy another safari in the foreseeable future.

Everyone would enjoy your insightful commentary as well as your exceptional images.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Thanks for this visual treat across few of the areas I've never been to but do hope to cover one day. And please do keep them coming. I like the way you take viewer through not just the wild life but the happenings, the creatures both small and big, flowers and camp, food and drinks. Though I am not particularly fond of food in beautifully laid plates and artistically prepared, I can appreciate the same in images :-))

 

 

~ @@bushbaby

 

As it is, I tend to photograph most meals, regardless of presentation.

On long-haul aircraft flights, I squirm around in my seat, seeking the best camera angle for each meal.

I'll definitely complete this trip report, which will include a number of photos.

Thank you for your friendly comments!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie - the buffalo boss sequence reminds me that every animal in the bush deserves our time and attention. Great detail in there and definitely something that I will study more the next time I am in the bush. I might also download the Gant and Brooks catalogues so that I might be appropriately dressed at the time.

 

The warthog sequence reminds me of the last time I was hungry in the bush on morning drives and I asked the chef to pack me a snack that I could nibble on (sorry warty).

 

~ @@deano

 

Ha! The well-dressed safarian!

I seldom, if ever notice what others are wearing as that's not the type of subject which is on my mind.

My own style has remain tried-and-true for five decades, therefore it's also worn on safari, with the addition of a safari vest.

The clothing tends to breathe well, thus is comfortable in higher temperatures and humidity.

The poor warthogs! They inspire thoughts of food in predators and humans alike.

Thank you for your comments.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

From the forest into the quiet gloaming,

The gentle nyala gracefully stride.

One wonders where it is they might be roaming,

When near they make no effort to hide.

In the Gloaming

Pedestrian

Enchanted Look

On the Hoof

Who's the Stranger?

Cometh the Nyala

[TonyQ]

@@Tom Kellie

What beautiful animals - I have never seen one! They are very graceful looking creatures.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie

What beautiful animals - I have never seen one! They are very graceful looking creatures.

 

 

~ @@TonyQ

 

That's very kind of you to say that.

Thank you!

For you, a few more lovely nyala from that brief encounter.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Nyala are a South African highlight,

With gentle mien and stripes of chalk.

As these two entered the growing twilight,

We watched without any need of talk.

Sound Waves

Female Nyala with Stripes

Untainted

Horns In Development

They Don't Come Any Finer

Not in Any Hurry

Seeking Enlightenment

The Forest Pair

Walkabout Completed

[deano]

@@Tom Kellie - The nyala sequence is particularly nice and I agree that they are a South Africa highlight. We were lucky to get within 3 feet of a male once at a fenced reserve and my wife still didn't spot him. Beautiful coat pattern and color - a sort of cross between a kudu and a bushbuck.

 

The one thing that never fails to amaze me on any trip to Africa is the sheer diversity of antelope species and their coats and patterns. Something for every occasion.

 

kind regards

 

deano.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie - The nyala sequence is particularly nice and I agree that they are a South Africa highlight. We were lucky to get within 3 feet of a male once at a fenced reserve and my wife still didn't spot him. Beautiful coat pattern and color - a sort of cross between a kudu and a bushbuck.

 

The one thing that never fails to amaze me on any trip to Africa is the sheer diversity of antelope species and their coats and patterns. Something for every occasion.

 

~ @@deano

 

As recently as August, 2011, yours truly knew absolutely nothing about African antelope species.

That's a shameful admission, but it's the plain truth. I'd never harbored any latent interest in African wildlife, hence was wholly unacquainted with their diversity.

A number of safaris later, that's changed, yet I continue to add to my understanding as well as refine what I'd read or heard before.

While I have no favorite, as such, nyala are consistently appealing to me...as are kudu.

Quieter, more discreet antelope species strike a chord in my heart.

Thank you for visiting and commenting!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

OK, so I'm a fan of large trees,

Their stately heights I see and admire,

Spotting a great tree is sure to please,

Of their plain beauty I never tire.

Nothing Like a Large Tree

[Tom Kellie]

Between a termite mound and a jackalberry,

A female Greater Kudu walks alone.

Will she travel, will she study, will she marry?

Perhaps settling down she wants to postpone.

Female Kudu Have Their Own Charm

Understated Vigilance

Between a Jackalberry and a Termite Mound

Materialize

Spring Foliage and Female Kudu

[Tom Kellie]

With Anthony on Kenya game drives,

His ‘leopard eyes’ produced many a spot,

While my own ‘kudu eye’ often thrives,

Whether there is much daylight left or not.

Female Tragelaphus strepsiceros

Steep Slope

Small Mouthful

Glossy Mane

A Little of This, A Little of That

An Old Termite Mound in Shadow

Perpetual Favorite

[Tom Kellie]

Into Noah's Ark they walked, two-by-two,

The animal species related by blood.

In that biblical time how did kudu,

Fare away from home, during months of the Flood?

Female Greater Kudu Pair

Sabi Sands Princesses

Evening Encounter

Eight Legs

Dark Pate

Companionable

[Tom Kellie]

“You won't see many giraffe there”,

I was informed before I arrived.

Yet tall giraffe were everywhere,

I wondered how so many survived.

Amongst Small Trees

All Neck

Adult Giraffe with Oxpeckers

Elongated Form

[Tom Kellie]

When passing Keekorok Lodge years ago,

I saw a baby giraffe a ways off from the track,

During that game drive I didn't yet know,

That baby giraffes' moms guard against any attack.

 

 

[attachment=42188:Watching Her Baby.JPG]

 

Watching Her Baby

 

[attachment=42192:Her Baby.JPG]

 

Her Baby

 

[attachment=42193:A Bashful Glance.JPG]

 

A Bashful Glance

 

[attachment=42194:Shall I Cross.JPG]

 

Shall I Cross?

 

[attachment=42195:Wherever I Go, So Go the Oxpeckers.JPG]

 

Wherever I Go, So Go the Oxpeckers

 

[attachment=42196:Evening Nursing Time.JPG]

 

Evening Nursing Time

 

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

Not every moment involves watching game,

Driving through wooded landscapes in green.

During such times I'm so glad that I came,

Leopard Hills is such a lovely scene.

A Leopard Hills Track in Spring

Of an Early Spring Evening

Tree Over a Track

[Tom Kellie]

Hippo pools are a constant, it seems,

Scattered here and there in varied terrain.

While they are seldom the ‘stuff of dreams’,

All things considered, I'm glad they remain.

Hippos with Sun-bleached Tree Remains

Helmeted Guineafowl By a Hippo Pool

Forested Shoreline

Trees and Stones Above the Hippo Pool

[Tom Kellie]

What better place to curl up and rest,

A grassy mound with a panoramic view.

This female grey duiker showed it best,

By checking us out while hiding herself, too.

Grey Duiker Atop a Mound

Resting Grey Duiker

[Tom Kellie]

This is what we've come for,

This is why we're here.

We don't know what's in store,

Or what it might be.

Spring Foliage Above a Termite Mound

Ranger at Work

Tracking

Go-away-bird Atop a Tree

[elefromoz]

@@Tom Kellie, enjoyed the "tree and track" scenes in #572, so pretty, if I could, I would enjoy walking along that sandy, winding, undulating track under those beautiful trees ( too bad about the Leopards). I too am a tree lover.

[Tom Kellie]

Ulusaba Lodge sits on a ridge up high,

With sweeping views every which way,

It's round turrets like a castle in the sky,

Perhaps I'll stop by one fine day.

Virgin Resorts Ulusaba Game Lodge

Xanadu