Kruger Jan 2016: drought, duiker and dead hippos

[Tdgraves]

Day 6 Evening drive, Talamati, 22/1/16

 

These guys were quite tame around camp

 

 

It was another hot day, reaching 34 degrees. We planned a short loop near to camp.

 

 

There were a herd of elephant at the camp waterhole, so we watched them for a while

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first game outside of the camp was a rhino

 

 

We then found a striped kingfisher

 

 

Further up the road SANParks anti-poaching staff were out and about on foot, so we decided to double back on ourselves. We got to a bridge and there was a self-drive and a game vehicle parked, as a pack of wild dogs were resting in the river bed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other two vehicles soon left, so we had the sighting to ourselves. Some other dogs soon appeared, which lead to greeting mayhem. It was a bit difficult to photograph looking down onto them from the bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As it was cooling down, they soon set off up the road, luckily in the way we were pointing and towards camp. They soon met up with the rest of the pack, which precipitated more greetings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once they had greeted each other, they were off into the bush to hunt, in the general direction of camp and we went back to beat the gate deadline.

[TonyQ]

Wow - what a wonderful sighting of the Wild Dogs - they are beautifully marked, and your photosare superb

[Big_Dog]

You had a really fantastic trip it seems! Dogs, leopards, hyaenas, first cane rat and a croc grabbing an impala. The Kruger delievered!

[Marks]

I can see why the leopard sighting was the best! Although the dogs were certainly no slouch, either.

On this page, I enjoyed the shot of the two impala, as well as the cane rat.

Sorry to hear about the ransacking behavior of the vervet! Though the title of "primate supervisor" did make me smile, I can see how necessary that function is.

[Tdgraves]

I can see why the leopard sighting was the best! Although the dogs were certainly no slouch, either.On this page, I enjoyed the shot of the two impala, as well as the cane rat.Sorry to hear about the ransacking behavior of the vervet! Though the title of "primate supervisor" did make me smile, I can see how necessary that function is.

Yes, not a chimp in a fluorescent tabard with a clipboard!!

[Tdgraves]

Day 7 Morning drive, Talamati, 23/1/16

 

Today I had the 7D. Given that the dogs had been heading in the general direction of camp the night before, we thought we'd go back to where we last saw them on the off chance. We also didn't really want to drive too far, as we were changing camps later on.

 

 

The first sighting was a tawny eagle trying to wake up

 

 

Not very far down the road, exactly where we were hoping they would be, we found the dogs!

 

 

 

No sooner had we stopped, then they all activated as something on the right appeared interesting, was this going to be a brief sighting?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, most of their interest...

 

 

 

But whatever it was, they all just settled down again, on the other side of the road

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They hadn't settled for long and they were off - just leaving us the tracks

 

 

 

Another great sighting, all to ourselves! Next up, some dagga boys.....

 

 

And a woodland kingfisher

 

 

A new bird for us, a rattling cisticola

 

 

and a couple of large make eles, very close to the road....

 

 

When we got back to camp, there was a herd of buffalo at the waterhole

 

 

 

 

Time for breakfast and to pack up, no monkey-related chaos today. Well, that's not entirely true. I was getting breakfast ready in the kitchen and setting the table, which is on the stoop, just though the patio doors. After the previous days events, I was careful not to put any food out unattended. So there was cutlery, napkins and condiments. I went back to check on the bacon cooking when I heard a banging. When I went outside, I found the male vervet sat on the table, banging the marmalade jar onto the table, trying to work out how to get inside it

[PeterHG]

Incredible Wild Dog sightings again, @@Tdgraves, and a great series of photos! Yes, those Vervets... When we were staying in Marakele in 2014, we were very careful, too. However, when packing the car to leave, we left the door to the outside kitchen open for just a minute and one Vervet managed to get in, open the door to the fridge and made off with our last loaf of bread. Served us right of course...

[dlo]

@@Tdgraves

 

What a fantastic couple of days! Kruger has never been on my list but I think it is now a must go for me, this report along with a couple of others have totally convinced me. Really appreciate this report.

[egilio]

Fantastic dog sighting!

 

What made you decide the juvenile eagle was a crowned eagle and not a juvenile martial eagle? They can be tricky to distinguish, but the easiest thing is the tail, which extends far beyond the wings in the crowned eagle, but not much in the martial eagle. However, in your pictures the tail is obscured by the branch.

[Tdgraves]

@@egilio can I refer you to

http://safaritalk.net/topic/16171-tdgraves-big-year-2016/page-7

Post #127 onwards.....?

[Tdgraves]

Day 7 transfer to Satara, 23/1/16

 

Because it was a relatively short transfer with no picnic spots, we decided to go on the gravel road towards Orpen, where we could have a comfort break and then go along the H7 to Satara, hopefully arriving not long before we could check in. It was another hot day, reaching 36 degrees in the afternoon.

 

 

Game was very sparse on leaving camp, passing dry dams and waterholes and then into denser bush.

 

A close red-backed shrike

 

 

We had a cool drink and saw some of our countrymen (and women) tucking into a beer

 

On the main road, there was a bit more action, with a rhino, but quite far and a group of kudu who crossed the road in front of us

 

 

And then another new one for us a Coqui francolin

 

 

 

We got to Satara a bit early for check in, but they let us check in anyway, maybe because it was the weekend!

[Kitsafari]

i love how exuberant the dogs were in greeting each other and how perfectly well you conveyed it in your photos.

[Atravelynn]

i love how exuberant the dogs were in greeting each other and how perfectly well you conveyed it in your photos.

Right and the dagga boy cheek brush is much more subdued.

 

"banging the marmalade" sounds like a new band or a naughty euphemism. All part of the adventure.

[Tdgraves]

Day 7 Evening drive, Satara, 23/1/16

 

I thought we would do one of our tried an tested routes, north on the H1-3, across on the S90 to S41 and back via the S100. It was really striking here how dry everything was. These gravel roads usually have very poor visibility away from the road due to high green grass, not this time.....

 

 

Due to the lack of grass/cover, the drive was generally very quiet. There were a few pools of water

 

 

and the ubiquitous duiker

 

 

 

you can see how bare the ground was

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we got onto the S100 there was a traffic jam, which could only mean one thing - lions

 

 

including a very skinny sub-adult

 

 

 

 

Not much was happening and we had to get back before gate closing, so we left. A whole week before seeing the lions!

[Towlersonsafari]

I do like the Waterbuck portrait. My wife's favourite antelope.apparently it is so chunky

[Tdgraves]

I do like the Waterbuck portrait. My wife's favourite antelope.apparently it is so chunky

 

I will pass the compliments on the the OH....

[Atravelynn]

And I liked the magnificent ground hornbill.

 

Remind me, please, if I have forgotten. Have there been dead hippos yet?

[SafariChick]

@@Tdgraves just up to post 55 on page 3 and wow, what a drive! Beautiful leopard, then the owlet and then the fantastic dog sighting - super!!

[Peter Connan]

Great sightings and photos on this page. Especially the dogs of course, but also the buff in the water and the ground hornbill.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Peter Connan

[Tdgraves]

And I liked the magnificent ground hornbill.

 

Remind me, please, if I have forgotten. Have there been dead hippos yet?

@@Atravelynn have you not been paying attention? The vultures were gathered on top of a hippo carcass. There was also a hippo skeleton....

[Atravelynn]

Thank you for the dead hippo refresher. Right, it was with the cape vulture. Not much left of it.

[Geoff]

Interesting perspective on some of the wild dog pics.

 

Nice bit of planning to find them on the following day too.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Geoff

[Tdgraves]

Day 8, Morning drive, Satara 24/1/16

 

Given the lion sighting on the previous evening, we thought we would start the drive on the S100, which is our usual morning habit from Satara. I had the 5D.

 

 

It was not long before we met a few parked cars, which of course meant lions. In fact, when we first arrived from our position they were not visible, all being asleep, until one moved position. However, we waited our turn and soon after, three of the four cars moved off. The remaining car however did not move forward, presumably they were happy with their position, so I eased past them. Within a few minutes, this appeared to have been genius planning, as the whole pride got up (individually) and walked directly towards us in order to cross the road

 

I must apologise in advance as there are a lot of photos, it being a week before our first decent lion sighting....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And some from the back seat, with the added reach of the 7D....

 

 

 

 

 

What an amazing sighting, a pride of 10, including several sub-adults, who all walked towards us and posed beautifully. Easily our best Kruger lion sighting ever.

 

No much further down the road and there was a huge traffic jam, with vehicles stopped from both directions, including game drive vehicles from Singita. Another pride, but much further from the road and in dense bush. It was very hard to see and there would be no photographic opportunities, but given the fabulous sighting we had just had, we were not bothered. It caused mass consternation however, when I tried to manouevre though the parked cars to continue the drive. "But there are lions over there!" as if I hadn't seen them....We had made it most of the was past, when Chris noticed that one of them was white, so I stopped so that he could get a proof shot (he had to use manual focus) and we move on. Another first fro Kruger (and indeed anywhere) white lions!

 

 

To be continued.....

[Tdgraves]

Day 8 Morning drive continued

 

I was a bit worried about losing the photos, so I have split this drive in two!

We carried on to the S41. For quite a long way south, there were some fresh baby hippo tracks, but no adult tracks and no evidence of any hippo. We finally lost them after several kms.

 

 

 

We stopped at the picnic site for a rest

 

 

As we went back to the car a pair of yellow-billed kites flew over

 

 

 

We then decided to visit the Sweni hide, where we had never been before. It was very dry, with water only covering about 25% of the possible area. The hide was already occupied by a couple of professional photographers, who appeared to be filming the crocodiles remaining in the dam. Because of the drought, the water was quite far from the hide. There was a steady stream of buck coming to drink, including this impala who thought it was a bushbuck!

 

 

 

 

This monitor completely freaked out the impalas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just south of camp there was a traffic jam on a bridge, so we had no choice but to wait. When we could finally move across about 15 minutes later, there were three lions asleep on the river bed, far away from the road.

 

Once back in camp, the resident scops owl was actually in a photographic position for a change!

 

 

[xelas]

@@Tdgraves

 

The lion sighting was special, as are your photos!

There is a great remedy if one has a traffic-jam phobia: go to Kgalagadi (or Etosha) ! But you know that already .