Bombarded by beetles, mobbed by monkeys and the case of the secret squirrels- just another jolly time in the kruger November 2022

[Towlersonsafari]

and on one of the water crossings a very confiding Giant Kingfisher that took no notice of us whatsoever and then a Speke's hinged tortoise we had to escort across the road

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We had 2 views of Woolly necked storks

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We inturrupted the red billed Oxpecker general meeting, and saw european bee eaters for the first time on this trip- we tried to detect a Norfolk accent

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And near Satara, 2 fine sightings, by the side of the road 3 sleepy wild dogs

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we left the sihting when it got a bit busy, and  our next sighting were young hyenas! They often den using culverts under the road and these were quite lively-apologies for the number of pictures

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some more

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and finally a butterfly! i think this is a White Barred Telchinia (Telchinia encedon encedon)

[Atravelynn]

Lively hyena pups--nothing better.  Thank you for playing crossing guard for the tortoise.

[michael-ibk]

Jolly jolly indeed, great sightings so far. Love the Jackal and Hyena pups!

[Towlersonsafari]

Thank you @Atravelynn-i will always remember the first time we saw a tortoise in the wild- and this one was not very big at all and the hyena and jackal pubs were great fun @michael-ibk

[Galago]

Gorgeous hyena pups - so young! And the tortoise is a new one for me, although I always like the name 'hinged' tortoise because it rather implies that 'unhinged' tortoises are also to be found. 

[TonyQ]

I am another fan of hyena pups - lovely animals. I always enjoy watching them.

Excellent photos 

[Towlersonsafari]

Ta very much @Galago and @TonyQ -i am now imagining what unhinged tortoises might do- perhaps climb trees and drop on unsuspecting tourists/ i also realise my keyboard keeps missing letters out!  £ very good thins happened on the day we got to Satara.A guide showed us a painted snipe through his telescope at the Tshokwane picnic site-a first for us- we were introduced to Jales thee- a type of toasted sarnie-and my brother texted to tell me Enland had beaten India in the T20 wordcup in what he described as the best display o batting in a run chase he has ever seen. The Indian team clearly need some experience playing in the Vitality Blast!!! (I still have not seen it-but i have been working from home today and England beating Pakistan on that pitch-just wow!

 

[Galago]

Actually, I believe unhinged tortoises climb into safari vehicles. But very slowly, of course.

 

Painted snipe - now there's a nice bird, most handsome.

[Towlersonsafari]

Although we had stayed at Satara last time we ad forgotten how big it was-the second bigest camp- and how small the accomadation was. We were joined on 2 nighs  by the Camp wildcat- very annoyed we were Veggies. I think we would probably stay at Oliphants next time. Whenever you read about satara ou are told how reat it is or predators, in particular the S100. So o course eerytime we wen on ta road we saw no predators of any kind! In act the next day- wen we went up the H1-4, along the S89 a bit then back down the S39, was probably the quietest day of the whole trip.There had been a storm the nigt before, and is was dull and grey and wet. Still a quiet day in the Kruger is still a day in the kruger. it was also te first time we heard Woodland kinishers call,- from then on they were a constant presence.the S39 was an interestin road-mopane shrus buzzing with cicadas and patches riverine forest .Here are some glum lookin wildlife, to match the weather!

[Towlersonsafari]

We did come across a rather nice Kudu, and a very young vervet monkey

[Galago]

Oh, that baby vervet! 

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it was very unsteady on its feet-it cannot have bee very old at all

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later on the weather improved and we managed a brief view of a pride of 8 lions- 2 adult lionesses and 6 cubs, and a fine Zebra herd in evening liht, we also saw a grey headed bushshrike and another Saddle billed stork amongst others

[Towlersonsafari]

The next day we again went North along the H1-4 then S90 and down the the most interesting road-coming ack along the 100- where we did see honey badgers briefly We had a chance to watch  baboons forage in the grassland, turning over branches and stones looking for insects.We also went over  causeways with water- always worth pausing at. Alost at every patch of water  thrrrroughout the trip we saw Egyptian geese.We also saw another Saddle billed stork

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We liked these posing girafes, and came across a herd of elephants where one seemed to have the tip missing from its trunk- it was slightly awkward when drinking but seemed to cope ok.We did see, along the s100, this rather manificent elephant who nonetheless was very relaxed

[Towlersonsafari]

when  we got back whilst Jane was starting lunch I went to get something from the car- as I opened the door all of a sudden several monkeys appeared from nowhere and as I shut the door I felt a tug on my ankle-whirling round in what must have been the very epitome of ninja like skill-well if an old arthritic clumsy  oaf could ever be so described-the monkey now behind me then did the same thing! I was torn between laughing and being a tad agrieved-hey did not seem to take my hissing and clapping as the dangerous warning of impending doom that it surely was- then i noticed a large stick by the side of the cottage- as soon as I picked it up, they vanished, they must have known of my skill with the quaterstaff leaned at the little John school of forest crafts and wearing tights. In fact we saw this happen to a aldy who was only taking photos of them-and a couple we were chatting to said they now always took catapults, but that they were terrible shots and the monkies soon got to realise that did seem that at Satara the monkeys had upped their game

[Towlersonsafari]

That afternoon we went along the S36 and back along the H7. We found some very interesting rass that I managed to get in sharp foccus I think you will agree.I really like the way the light hits them.there are just not enough pictures of grass in my view.