The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers

[Flutterby]

Glad to hear there is some water around.

[aat]

Hi Pumbaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!! welcome back and ready for the results of your studies

I hope you met some tuskers too next to the big cats...

Just bought a ticket for the drives so ...

[Pumbaa]

Thanks so much Harrys, PRWIN, Lisbeth, Toko, Alf, Flutterby, Puff Addy, Richprins and Aat for you patience

I guess it is no better way to start with this travel tale when the old one just ended....so here we go

[Pumbaa]

Friday, 12. February, 2016 – Malelane Gate – Berg en Dal

After a really uneventful flight on which we even could sleep a couple of hours, a smooth drive with some stops at Milly’s, the Spar at Malelane and at the fruit stands we finally stood again on the bridge crossing the Crocodile river and it was nearly as every year. At least almost as we were in fact more than shocked to see already this area so dry with nearly no grass left – We were already prepared to see a not that green and lush Kruger as we are used to see normally in February but what we saw in nearly each area of Kruger was simply shockingly!

At least it is a bit quietened to know that it meanwhile rained heavily in most of the Kruger areas and that more rain is on the way at least to fill up all the empty dams which was also a very depressing sighting and that also the grass started to grow and the leaves sprouted again as in most of the areas no grass was left and the bushes were nearly bare.

The Crocodile river, however, was still flowing and consequently when the rest of the park is dry at such rivers or water points a lot of animals could be watched and so it was already when we not even entered the park but were still standing and watching from the bridge. A most wanted bird immediately caught my eye – an open billed stork – with a sun bathing crocodile in the background.



During the couple of wet last years we always missed these storks which seemed to be a more regular sighting in the drier years as I can remember that during our first years when we started to visit Kruger it was far drier than the past years and then this bird came across regularly. At that stage I could not know how often we will see that stork during that trip.....Also never saw that much hippos outside the water grazing also during the hottest time of the day and some of them in fact did look extreme skinny



but I could already tick my first lifer as right where we stood a lesser jacana was searching for food in the river. I really love its footprints which it left in the sand under the water.



A white egret was also on hunting mode



and in a confluence from a feeder river a bit farer away we could see a grey, a goliath heron, a white egret and a cormorant.



We already noticed the activities of a couple of pied kingfishers in flight and finally one of them landed extreme close to where we stood on the bridge.



After a year of absence in Kruger it is always such a pleasure to watch all the animals from the bridge and we could not take our eyes from the Lesser Jacana



or the grazing hippo. We were so excited to be back that we could have stayed on that bridge for the rest of the day only to watch around and soak everything in



and although we were already on the go we could not move as everything had to be observed carefully and what it better than only one pied kingfisher, yes two

[Pumbaa]

and the more you look around the more could be seen. A bushbuck mom paid a visit with her youngster



and also a troop of noisy baboons strolled along in the riverbed.



Finally we were about to leave when we noticed a green backed heron landed on a rock below in the river



and also the lesser jacana changed its position



but finally it was now our turn to enter the park and although it was already Friday late afternoon the office at the gate was empty and so checking in could be done extreme quickly and the magic turnpike opened and will only close after another 16 days.

As it was already a bit late for a longer afternoon drive and we were in fact far too tired for that we made it extreme slowly straight to Berg en Dal, our first camp and we in fact got more and more shocked about the state of the park at that point that we thought that we entered somewhere in the region of Olifants and we have never been to the park in winter and only know the park lush and green.



On our way to the camp we could capture an European roller which by far occurred extreme rare this year only on our last two days in Shingwedzi when it started to rain a bit more they came across more often.



This was unfortunately the one and only sighting of a klipspringer we had this year although we nearly watched on top of each koppie which came across,



our very first rhino this year and same was fortunate to get hold of one of the very rare mud holes which was still left. Surely same did not move over the day and must have left only unwillingly the precious mud.



In fact it was extreme quiet that afternoon but I must say that we never had that luck on those arrival days with sightings. At least lots of water dikkops somewhere appeared extreme close and Timon got a couple of nice close ups – Love those green eyes!



Finally we were desperately happy to pass the camp gate as we in fact had enough from travelling that day. Gladly checking in was also be done fast and also the renewal of the wild card took not that long and I was still enjoying the cool air condition in the reception and with the key to bungalow No. 29 I was about to leave same when suddenly a power breakdown took place and everything went dark and quiet.

We experienced this already during our last year’s stay at Berg en Dal and at least on the power side everything remained unaffected over the year. It was still light enough to move into our bungalow with all our just bought grocery, luggage and cameras and whilst we were busy in packing everything away and sort our luggage for our Kruger stay the power came back only to breakdown a couple of minutes later but when it started to get dark and we also started our braai everything gladly worked again properly besides our refrigerator which obviously suffered under the breakdown and started to make strange noise.

Needless to say that we enjoyed out very first braai back in Kruger tremendously but the long travel day and even the night before in the airplane took its toll and we went to bird extreme early.

[Toko]

I love these birds

The Jacana is a juv. African Jacana, Lesser would have a reddish rufous crown

[Alf]

Lovely start.

[Pumbaa]

I love these birds

The Jacana is a juv. African Jacana, Lesser would have a reddish rufous crown

But same was far too huge for an African jacana so I got a bit overenthusiastic here

[Richprins]

Yay! Straight on to the next trip!

I wonder if the oxpeckers are eating ticks on the hippo? I know they do pick at the wounds for food!

Bad to see the water hyacinth there (Sylvinia). They are a real pest in the rivers!

Great pics and patience again!

[Flutterby]

A lovely start Pumbaa.

It's very clever to keep your last TT going until the next trip starts!!