Flutts, the Brat and Mommo in Natal (Part Two: iMfolozi) *

[Flutterby]

31 August 2014, iMfolozi

After leaving Mkuze we arrived at Hluhluwe's Memorial Gate at 8.00am.



Our first sighting was some buffs in the distance and then a herd of about 15 ellies!! Two of the Big 5 in 10 minutes!



On our way to Hilltop we saw nyala, zebra, 5 rhino, giraffe and impala but the weather was quite overcast and I couldn't get any nice pics. We found another herd of buffs just before Hilltop.



We popped into Hilltop to have a look...wow, what a difference from when I was last there!! This is how I remember it!



I also had to buy a toothbrush, as I'd realised at bedtime the night before that I'd forgotten to pack mine!!

This bushbuck in the camp gave us a funny grin!



We left Hilltop and headed towards iMfolozi and then got a message from Bushcraft that lions had killed a buff somewhere between Hilltop and Mpila!

Somewhere along the road...



A peaceful scene.



The sun was starting to peek from behind the clouds but the wind was still blowing and it was still cold...we'd had our jerseys on from the time we left JHB! This Yellow-billed Kite was also ruffled up against the unseasonably cold weather!



A zebra before entering iMfolozi.



I hadn't realised that a national road ran through the park...seems crazy!

[Dewi]

Great sightings and photos again Flutt's.

Love that river pic.

It's a Yellow-bellied Greenbul picking the Zebra's brains. Great pic.

[Flutterby]

31st August, iMfolozi

Just after crossing into iMfolozi under the bridge we came across a traffic jam...the lion kill that BC had told us about!







We could only see two lions but the buff was out in the open very close to the road.



The lions soon disappeared so we decided to move on!! Not bad for the morning....3 of the Big 5! We didn't see too much else on the rest of the drive to Mpila...apart from potholes! We got to camp too early to check in but we did all the paperwork and were very chuffed that we could use our Wild Cards for the conservation fee...didn't know they applied to KZN parks! We decided to head out the western gate of the camp for a short drive until we could get into our unit.

Just outside camp a JJ driver pointed this little critter out to us.



And a bit further on, a new species in iMfolozi??



We drove as far as point 28 without seeing anything except for 2 giraffe and then turned around and made our way back to camp. We arrived after the check-in time but our unit was still not ready!! We unpacked the car anyway and then sat on the verandah waiting to pack all our stuff into the fridge.

A White-browed Scrub-robin...we saw plenty of these on the lawn over the next 2 days.



Eventually the cleaning was done and we could settle in properly. We were in the 5-sleeper bungalows - no. 16. These units have a lounge, dining room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom and separate toilet, and are obviously much better value for money than what you get in Kruger! I had a giggle over the fact that the six-seater dining room set had had one chair removed so it would only seat 5 people!!

[Bushcraft]

I now understand your problems with waiting for your unit and the wood in the shop

I have never visited during the week or out of school holidays

Normally one can book in at Mpila at 12:30pm, not 2pm like Kruger, but this was a Sunday, so probably locals didn't depart when they should have. (I say local as the visitor base is very different to Kruger for example) and the shop was sold out after a fully booked weekend as I have always seen wood there over the weekend period

[Flutterby]

31st August, iMfolozi

We hadn't been in camp long when the questions started...."Are we ready to go out again?" But this time it was my dad and not the Brat asking! The Brat wanted to do the Sontuli loop, but my dad wanted to go back to see if the lions would reappear, so we decided to check out the lions first and then head back to Sontuli.

The lions were no-where to be seen but there were plenty of vultures around, although they never moved onto the kill.







We found it very strange that the lions had moved off when there was still so much meat left on the carcass, the vultures were staying away and there were no hyenas or jackals around either!

The only birds on the kill were some crows and a Tawny Eagle.







By now, the Brat was bored with the birds so we headed back towards camp to do the Sontuli loop.

A giraffe too close for my lens.



African Hoopoe



A well-horned rhino somewhere along the way.





We got back to camp just after 6pm and got the braai started, eager to see some action!! It wasn't long before we saw our first hyena lurking around someone else's braai. It was quite nippy so my dad and I kept warm around the fire while the Brat felt safer on the verandah.



We also saw what looked like a Cane Rat scuttling past but it was too quick to get a pic!

Chicken on the menu (especially for RP).



As soon as we finished braaing, the hyenas came to look for scraps.





Dinner was interrupted continuously by one of us jumping up to get another pic!



This one looked just like one of our dogs, waiting for some bones from the braai!



Eventually the hyenas disappeared and we made it to bed before the lights went off. The Brat then lay in bed shining the torch outside to see if anything else appeared, but eventually sleep took over.

[Flutterby]

1st September, iMfolozi, Empangeni & Richards Bay

We were up at 5 and stumbled around in the dark trying to get organised! There are little oil lamps in the bedrooms but they make more shadows than light! Anyway, after managing to shower in the dark, we were ready to leave at 6am. The plan today was to actually leave the game reserve for a few hours and take a drive to Empangeni. My parents lived there for a few years in the 60s and my brother and I were both born there, so my dad wanted to take us to see where we'd lived.

We headed towards Nyalazi Gate, and our first sighting was this very pale Grey Duiker.



There was a jeep jockey in front of us driving very slowly so we decided to pass them. At about point 9 we slowed down for a rhino right next to the road when the Brat shrieked "Wild Dog"!! There was one dog in the road ahead, and then another three appeared. Please excuse the pics, but it was still quite dark and I had to take them through the windscreen!







They ran into the bush and we tried to keep track of them, as the jeep jockey was behind us looking at the rhino. We waved them forward but sadly by the time they got to us the dogs had disappeared! We turned around and went back to see if we could spot them, and just then a hyena walked across the road in front of us and also disappeared! Thank goodness we had passed the JJ earlier on, otherwise we would never have seen the dogs!!

We carried on and found this wartie having a scratch.



We approached the site of the buff kill and saw a few cars...the lions were back!!



They were very alert, keeping an eye on all the birds, and every now and then charging at the crows who dared to come near the carcass!

[Flutterby]

1st September

There were two lionesses and 2 young males and they were not impressed with all the bird activity. One of the lionesses decided it was time to move the carcass, and started tugging it towards the bushes stopping every now and then for another bite.









Moving the buff on her own was quite a job but she eventually managed to drag it into the bushes and all we could see were the horns.





Even though the carcass was now well hidden, they still kept their eyes on those pesky crows!



One last look before disappearing into the bushes.



A Yellow-billed Kite wondering how to get at the carcass!



We then left the park and headed to Empangeni. My dad showed us the hospital where we were born, the houses we lived in and the school where my mother taught. We popped into the country club and by luck the manager had the phone numbers of some of my dad's old friends. Unfortunately they were all away with the exception of my brother's god-father who my dad had not seen in about 15 years. He was about to leave for St. Lucia but came past the club to say hello. We then left Empangeni but took a quick look at Richards Bay on the way back. At the jetty I spotted this tern (a Swift Tern, I think), so grabbed a couple of pics before heading back to the park.

[Flutterby]

1st September

We got back to the park and decided to head into the Hluhluwe section.

First up was this bird...another Yellow-billed Kite?



One of very few kudu sightings.



Not a great pic, but proof of another lifer...Yellow-throated Longclaw.



Common Fiscal...pecky branch!!



Not sure what this is...a Pipit maybe?



A bird we don't see too often - Black-bellied Bustard.



We decided to head back to Mpila and relax before our afternoon drive.

The buff carcass was in the same spot but no lions this time. These Wooly-necked storks were close by...the only storks we saw on our whole trip!



A Kurrichane Thrush in camp.

[Mel]

Yellow-billed kite And I'd settle for a rufous-naped lark for the LBJ.
But you know that there are people who are better at IDing than me.

[Flutterby]

I put it up on Birdlife SA's FB page, and everyone there says it's a Longbilled Lark.