The plan for the morning was to drive to the Biyamiti Weir. A few kilometers from Skukuza a large buffalo herd was next to the road.
It was very overcast again, and the animals were still hiding. I spotted a few zebras and impalas along the way as well as a Tawny Eagle on early morning patrol. Then the sun came up. It left me speechless.
The light looked great on this elephant.
I saw a flash of yellow. A Black-headed Oriole landed in the tree.
At the turn off to the S112 I found an Amur Falcon.
A little further along the road I heard the call of the Woodland Kingfisher and saw him call from the top of a dead branch.
An Giant Snail crossed the road at his own pace.
Another little one crossed the road a little quicker.
And then another of those heart melting sightings. 
The little one was obviously very hungry, and was not happy when his mom re-positioned.
When mom settled down he was content again.
I loved the mom’s face.
A cute little tortoise was in the road. I saw a lot of these little ones during the trip.
Instead of going to the Biyamiti Weir via the Biyamiti Loop, I decided to go via Afsaal and the H2-2. I stopped for a quick body break at Afsaal. The place felt very creepy with no-one there. On the H2-2 I saw a Magpie Shrike.
I really love the flowers of the Sickle Bush.
There were some Amur Falcons and a Black-winged Kite in a dead tree.
As I turned onto the S114, a Double-banded Sangrouse was waiting for me.
I just loved how green the Park looked – it was like a sea of green.
A little further down the road there was a trio of elephants. One of them crossed the road.
Eventually I arrived at the Weir – by now so familiar.
I will always love the eye-level view of the wildlife and birds that visit the weir.
I noticed something in the water coming my way.
The weather was looking worse and worse, so I did not stay as long as I would have liked. But even the short time I spent there was superb.
The thunder and lightning were getting closer as I drove along the Biyamiti Loop. I thought this Brown Snake Eagle was sitting in a precarious position with lightning around.
I was quite surprised to see a pair of Wattled Lapwings, not a bird I’ve seen Kruger often.
The rain really started coming down just as I reached the tar road. It was quite spectacular to drive in the Park in such heavy rain. I stopped at Kwaggapan for a while to just enjoy the thunderstorm.
Just before I reached the H1-1 I saw a Tawny Eagle sitting in the grass under a tree. It looked as if he was just finishing off a snack.
Just before Skukuza there was another little tortoise in the road.
It was still raining pretty hard. I went back to my tent where I updated my bird list for the day while I waited for the rain to subside.
Once the rain stopped, I was in my car an off to Lake Panic for a quick visit before I visited the baby shrikes again.
After the morning’s rain Lake Panic was very quiet. The little Malachite Kingfisher that had been speeding up and down the previous days finally stopped where I could photograph him.
There wasn’t much else happening, so I decided it was a good time to go and visit the Shrikes. On the walkway back to the car I heard a Camaroptera calling in the trees above me, and while trying to spot this tiny little bird a Terrestrial Brownbull appeared. These guys are normally found scratching around in the shadows of the thickets, so I was really happy to have this one a little more visible.
Just before I reached the tar road a little antelope crossed the road in front of me. It was my first Bushbuck of the trip. As I reached the tar road I saw some Marabou Storks flying overhead.
Just after turning left onto the H41 at the T-junction, I found more Bushbuck. These 2 looked so lovely surrounded by tall, lush grass.
A tiny Chinspot Batis looked down on this lovely scene.
On the way to the baby Shrikes I saw a Yellow-billed Kite and a Reed Cormorant.
When I arrived at the Shrike nest I immediately noticed something different – there were only 2 babies on the nest.
It wasn’t difficult to find the other 2 – I just had to follow the sound of the noise. I realised that 2 of the little birds had fledged! I was so delighted to be able to see this. They were sitting in a nearby tree.
I felt strangely “proud” of these little ones. I’d only “known” them for a couple of days, but already loved them. One of the adults arrived, and as usual the little mouths opened in expectation. Fledglings or not, they were still demanding little babies!
The 2 little birds on the nest were not neglected and were soon joined by an adult.
They seemed quite content. That is until they saw movement of another adult nearby. Then BAM, the little moths opened in unison in expectation of food.
It was my last full day in the Park so I spent some time with them.
On the way back to Skukuza I saw a shape at the side of the road that did not quite look like vegetation. It was another Red-crested Korhaan.
At another spot There were 2 Tawny Eagles and an immature Bateleur on either side of the road. I also came across a small herd of Nyalas.
I went to see if the hyenas from the previous morning were out and about, but they were nowhere to be seen. I did however see a pretty Little Bee-eater.
There were also a few Helmeted Guineafowl.
One the way back to Skukuza I noticed a little black shape at the side of the road.
In typical fashion he disappeared into the grass quite quickly. He had a little friend on a termite mound on the other side of the road.
I saw a few Kudus during the trip but the vegetation made them tricky to photograph. I was therefore quite happy to find this one in the open.
There was a bit of action at the 4-way stop outside Skukuza. First a small flock of White-crested Helmet-shrikes. I just love these little guys and I am always happy when I get to see them.
There were also a few Nyalas.
I relaxed at my tent for a while before my afternoon drive. But the birds did not allow me to sit still for too long. The braai clean-up crew was very busy.
I liked this little House Sparrow.
A cute little Tree Squirrel was also sniffing about.
There was also a White-throated Robin-chat, a Collared Sunbird as well as a White-bellied Sunbird. A Terrestrial Brownbull was skulking around beneath the bushes.
This White-browed Robin-chat gave me a bit of a run-around but I eventually got one photo.
A violet-backed Starling was perched in a bush and I saw the first and only White-fronted Bee-eaters of the trip.
For my afternoon drive I decided to drive to the H12 and back. A stunning Fish Eagle was sitting on a tree just past the T-junction.
A big Kudu bull was grazing.
It was an afternoon for birds. There was a pretty European Roller.
I found a Jacobin Cuckoo and a Brown-hooded Kingfisher.
When i reached the bridge I heard a bird squeaking. After scanning with the binoculars I finally saw the noisy one. A Brown-headed parrot.
A Pied Kingfisher was sitting on the railing.
I saw this Vervet Monkey stare up into the trees.
I stopped in one of the little loops. A Striated Heron was flying along the river.
At the spot where I had found the Fish Eagle earlier a little Diederik Cuckoo was now flitting about.
I made a quick stop at the low water bridge but there was nothing to see. On the way back I saw the cutest little family. And more babies.
The adults ran across the road but the little ones seemed nervous. They would run to the middle of the road, stop, then run back.
Mom would run to them, obviously in an attempt to get them to follow her, but they were too nervous.
She eventually got tired of their stubbornness, picked one up by the scruff of the neck and with speed that surprised me, dashed off with him while the other one followed.
I did not get the dash on film, but it was the cutest thing I had seen all day. There was an OSV and another car at the sighting and we all drove off smiling and “ooh-ing” and “aaaawww-ing”.
I came across the troop of baboons again. This one looked like he was trying to convince the rest where they had to go for supper.
The babies were also very cute.
Other youngsters were still wrestling.
This little one had found something to snack on and was running on 3 legs.
During the past 2 days I had probably spent more time with baboons than in all my previous trips combined. It was an interesting, and not unpleasant “new” experience!
While I was at one of the many wonderful sightings during the day, I happened to look into the bush when I saw something truly exciting.
There was a second rhino a little further back. They moved off quite quickly. I can’t say I love the de-horning. But if it helps keep them safe, then it is probably a good thing.
At camp I started packing some of the stuff I would not need that night. For a few moments I thought this guy was coming to lend a hand. But he just gave me a look before wandering off.
I had a last little braai. As it was my last night in the Park there was no way I was not going to go for a walk.
This Wolf Spider looked a little pregnant.
A Huntsman Spider was eyeing me from a wall.
The communal kitchen areas and bathrooms are great places for finding bugs. I found a millipede and a large Mantid.
I added another new spider to my list – a Pajama Spider. It is a really cute spider with an equally cute name!
It was a night for spiders and my sightings continued with this Long-legged Sac Spider.
I had to say goodbye to the little Reed Frogs. I also found what looked like a Spittle Bug.
A new frog for my list came in the shape of this Tropical/Muller’s Platanna.
I ended my walk with an Common African Mole Cricket that I found in another bathroom.
And that was the end of my last walk of this trip. As I snuggled in my sleeping bag that night I contemplated the things I had seen during the trip so far. And fell asleep with a smile on my face.