Friday
After my September 2017 trip I was not sure when my next KNP trip would be, but I knew it would probably not be soon. It turned out to be sooner than I thought.
On a Tuesday morning I saw from the Rare Bird Report that there were pelicans at Sable dam. That made me sit up and take notice. Later that day Dinkybird reported a sighting of the Egyptian Vulture near Balule. I took more notice. Should I go? The earliest I would be able to get there would be Friday, and I know there would be every chance that neither of the birds would be there by the time I get there.
But someone commented – “Just imagine where you would be when you do not see the birds!”
How do you argue with that logic?
This was an out of budget trip, so I booked the cheapest accommodation available – Safari tent at Letaba. I booked on Wednesday, left on Friday, and returned on Saturday. 27 Hours from gate in to gate out!
I got up at the ridiculous hour of 02h00 and drove through the Phalaborwa gate at 08h45. The moon was a gorgeous companion on the drive.
Was my twitch successful? Well, that depends on your definition of success. And I once again confirmed that Old Murphy is an evil little man who hates me, but I also discovered he loves me just a little.
I won’t do a chronological account of my trip, but I will share some of the sightings of each day.
On arriving I drove to Sable Dam, then to Letaba via the H9, on to Balule via the H1-5, S91 to the S90 where the vulture was seen. I drove back to Letaba via the S89, H1-5 and S46.
I obviously drove to Sable dam first. No pelicans, but I did get a lifer in the form of a few Collared Pratincoles.
The area around Sable dam delivered a number of wonderful bird sightings – Green Wood Hoopoos, Francolins, Shrikes and rollers.
Someone told me about a large herd of buffaloes along the way. They were quite easy to find, and of course they had their normal passengers with them.
There were also raptors aplenty on my first day. I saw 2 Martial eagles, one right next to the road, and the other a little further away.
The Park was also full of Yellow-billed Kites. It had been raining in the morning, and the overcast skies did not support photography. At Nhlanganini dam I saw my first fish eagle.
I really love giraffes. They can look at you in the most astonished and inquisitive manner. On the Friday I encountered a couple of these tall ones.
Ellies are and will always be my favourite animal of all animals. On Saturday I only saw 2 hidden in the bushes, but I did have a couple of lovely sightings on the Friday. The first one I saw was shy and stayed hidden in the bushes. But there were 2 big fellas at the Bangu waterhole.
I took one of the loops off the S46 next to the Letaba river, and there was a small family of 3 on the other side of the river. They look so beautiful in the late afternoon sun.
My favourite ellie sighting however was just outside Olifants, just before you get to the lookout point. This is 100% my kind of roadblock!
This trip turned out to be a real extravaganza where birds were concerned. I don’t know if 86 species in 27 hours are a lot or not many (I was so focused on getting to the Egyptian Vulture site that I was not as focused on some of the smaller birds along the way as I normally am), but I loved the variety. 2 lifers and a number of new birds to my Kruger list made it a great trip.
I really wanted the Egyptian Vulture to be number 450 on my list, but the Pratincoles spoiled that party. He was also not going to be number 451 – that spot belonged to 2 Great Spotted Cuckoos I saw about halfway between Phalaborwa and Letaba.
I love swallows, especially when they sit down and pose for photos!
The Marico Flycatcher was another new one for my Kruger list.
The tree outside the Olifants shop was full of Marico Sunbirds. If only they realised they needed to keep still for just a few seconds so I could get some decent photos!
On the loop next to the Letaba River where I saw the ellies, I also came across a coucal and a green-backed heron.
2 animals that I came across on both days were steenbokkies and Red-chested Korhaans. I saw more Korhaans during this trip than all previous trips combined. The dry conditions made it easy to spot the cute little steenbokkies.
And of course, there is everyone favourite – the pretty impalas.
This little huddle was between Letaba and Olifants, one of the less than a handful sightings I had on that stretch of road.
I came across a couple of zebras near the spot where the Egyptian Vulture was seen. Two of them looked heavily pregnant, and I am sure the babies were born that week.
These two were on the S46 near Engelhard Dam.
One of the best parts of being in that part of Kruger is being able to stop on the Olifants river bridge and enjoy some of the best views. The vulture was not where it had been spotted the whole week, but I know it had been seen near the bridge previously, and I hoped I would find it there. I was not that lucky. I scoured the entire area with my binos for a long time. I desperately tried to turn a bathing juvenile Bataleur into the vulture, bit know.
But the beautiful views made up for the disappointment of not seeing the vulture. And the next morning this bridge would deliver something special….
There were a couple of Goliath herons – one in the top of the tree and one taking a sun bath down below.
The Grey heron was also out and about, and there were a few waterbuck on either side of the bridge.
As always the Little Swifts were present in numbers, filling the air with their ell-like calls. And in the distance were a couple of Saddle-billed Storks.
To the west of the bridge two handsome kudus were browsing.
I saw quite a few kudus during the day, but this is is one of my favourite photos of the day.
The glossy Starlings were not scared at all, and would come up right to the car window.
Waterbuck are such handsome animals. They did not always pose for me though. They should be carefully walking away like this – I might see it as an invitation for some target shooting!
Another great aspect of this short little trip is that I was able to explore a few new roads – one of them being the S46. About 12kms from Letaba I saw a car pulled to the side of the road. I stopped and saw that they were looking at some vultures at a buffalo carcass. Even though it was too far from Olifants, hope springs eternal, and once again I investigated every inch of land and sky, hoping to see the Egyptian vulture. But I was right in thinking it is the wrong area – he was not there. The other vultures were putting on a show though. There were a few on the carcass and many more in the air.
It wasn’t long before a scavenger arrived. Strangely enough he did not hang around for long, and a few minutes later I saw him disappear in the reeds on the other side of the river.
More vultures were arriving –
I spent some time at the carcass, but eventually I had to leave.
I arrived at Letaba just before 18h00, and it looked as if there was a small queue to check in. While I waited for the queue to clear, I went for a walk. The camp was quiet, the only sounds coming from the staff in the Bush Kitchen, preparing for the dinner crowd. It was my first overnight stay at Letaba (I’ve only stopped twice before on my way to Olifants). Walking under those massive trees at dusk was such a stunning end to the day.
I came across a couple of Natal Spurfowl, and one was clearly enjoying its dust bath.
Check-in went so quickly, if you blinked twice you would have missed it!
One of the things I enjoyed about the Letaba camp is the presence of the little bushbuck family. It really added such a tranquil feel to the evening, and as they are one of my favourite antelopes, I reveled in being so close to them.
My Safari tent was right by the pool at the fence. It was incredibly hot – earlier the day the temperature gauge in the car indicated 38 degrees, and it felt as if the heat got stuck under the trees.
I had brought a chicken salad from home for supper, but it felt wrong to be in this wonderful place without a fire. So off to the shop I went and soon I had a cosy little fire going. Sprawled on the chair with a cold beer I stared into the flames, contemplating the unexpectedness of this little spur of the moment trip, the wonderful things I saw (and did not see), and the privilege of being in my favourite place. The flames were mesmerizing, and combined with the night sounds my mind was soon devoid of any thoughts whatsoever. I realised that if someone had to start counting backwards from 10 I would probably be hypnotised in seconds!
When the fire had burned itself out and there were only a few glowing coals left, I covered it and went to bed to sleep the sleep of the dead. Not even the very noisy bush babies could keep me awake, although they were the perfect alarm bell the next morning at 04h00!
Saturday
I got the gate opening times completely wrong, and will be eternally grateful to the screaming bushbabies who woke me up much earlier than what I had set my alarm for.
The plan for the day was to go a back to the carcass on the S49 (still looking for that elusive Egyptian Vulture but still doubting he would be this far from his normal area south of Olifants), then stick to the tar roads, checking in at the Olifants bridge, on to Satara and then exit the Park at Orpen. I wanted to stay forever, but as I would still have a long drive home, I wanted to leave the Park by 12h00.
I had only driven a few 100 meters when this guy greeted me. It was just such a pretty picture.
As with the Friday, the birds were everywhere. He little loop next to the river where I saw the ellies the previous day delivered a few birds. I think there are few things as pretty as an Lilac-breasted Roller in good light.
The morning was filled with birds of all shapes and sizes.
As was the case on Friday, I saw a couple of Red-chested Korhaans and steenbokkies. This Korhaan was extremely vocal.
Steenbokkies are just the cutest little things.
The White-backed vultures were still hanging out at the buffalo carcass.
It seems the hyena from the day before went to fetch some friends to share in the feast. There were four of them, The one managed to open a hole on the buffalo’s back. At one stage he was halfway in the carcass, and then pulled something out that he quickly gobbled up.
As always, the Olifants river bridge is a compulsory stopping place. I did spend time there again in the hope of finding the vulture, but he was not there. As there was nothing left of the carcass on the S90 where he had been earlier that week, I decided not to waste time driving there again. So as far as the Vulture was concerned, this twitch would be unsuccessful. Oh well, next time. But as I approached the bridge I noticed people looking at something next to the bridge. That is when I realised that maybe Murphy loves me a little. My timing was perfect because for less than 1 and a half minutes from when I took the first photo until he disappeared, this is what I saw –
I could not believe that I was in the right place at the right time for a change. I was thrilled!
About halfway between Olifants and Satara I saw 3 cars parked next to the road. I was still approaching when it became obvious what they were looking at. A big male lion was completely out in the open just a few meters from the road.
You can see from his face and lip that he has been through some tough experiences.
His partner was lying on the other side of the road. One of his canines was also broken, and he must also have been in the wars. I’m not sure I like him licking his lips while looking at me. I edited these photos while watching the movie “The Ghost and the Darkness” – also not the best idea.
This lion sighting was very “unusual” for my people – it is very rare for me to have a lion sighting where they are this visible. I had 2 more lion sightings before I reached Satara, and these were more like the sightings I am used to –
The 3rd lion I saw was apparently eating a porcupine, but he moved behind the bus moments after I got there, so I was not able to get any better photos. But I did not complain about my 3 lion sightings in the space of +- 20km!
Another sighting that had me squealing with delight was an African Hawk Eagle. I had not seen one since about April 2012, so it was almost like a lifer all over again. I actually saw the immature bird before I saw the adult, but I was only able to confirm the ID when I got home. So it was the adult that caused the real excitement.
And the immature bird I saw a little earlier.
At the 3rd lion sighting there were 3 White-headed vultures close by, I assume they were waiting for the porcupine left overs.
At Nsemani dam there were a couple of hippos. One big one was having a bit of a body break. It would not be a good idea to stand close to them when they relieve themselves – stuff were flying everywhere!
But I experienced another highlight – close by was a mom and a very young baby. This was by far one of the cutest things I have seen in a while! He then snuggled with mom a little.
I saw 3 species of Mongoose during this trip. On the Friday I saw a dwarf mongoose troop near Sable Dam, and on Saturday a couple on the Rabelais loop.
On the way to Orpen I scanned some trees looking for birds when I heard a rustle down the embankment next to the car. They were hidden between the trees, but I spotted the banded mongoose troop. I had to wonder what they were thinking looking at me like that.
The slender mongoose sighting was also the first time I saw a kill in Kruger. He was running around a clump of grass, diving in every now and then. And then in a flash he made off with his kill.
I stopped at the obbejaankrans lookout point. I could see some ellie legs sticking out beneath the low-hanging branches of a tree. I heard the Red-chested cuckoo calling in the distance. It was beautiful.
There were 2 Yellow-billed Hornbills that were completely happy to have their pictures taken. I just love the haughty expressions on their faces! This one was right next to car. He was completely comfortable with the people around him, and even when I got close, he did not fly away. Its partner was in a tree a few meters away. This one was equally relaxed with the people around.
On the Rabalais loop I also came across a Red-billed hornbill. It had the same attitude as the others, and also looked down his nose at me.
On reaching Orpen, I had to take my own Webcam photo!
I made a short stop in Orpen Camp before heading home. This agama was obviously devastated to see me leave!
Almost exactly 27 hours since I entered at the Phalaborwa Gate, I drove through the Orpen Gate.
It was a very short visit, but it was exceptional, as always. I did not see the Egyptian Vulture, but I got two lifers, a number of new birds for my Kruger list, and I saw some long lost bird friends. I saw 4 of the big 5 – only the Grey Rocks remained hidden.
I experienced the tranquillity of Kruger for one more time, and I feel truly blessed that I was able to visit our wonderful Park three times in 2017.
As was the case after my September visit, I still don’t quite know when I will be able to visit My Park again. But I am thinking September / October, and am looking at accommodation options that will fit my university fee budget a little better.
But until that time, I have my wonderful memories to keep the longing at bay.
And that, as they say, is a wrap!