Flavour of the month November 2013 - S99 Mahonie Loop

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Amoli
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Flavour of the month November 2013 - S99 Mahonie Loop

Post by Amoli »

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S99 - Mahonie Loop is a circle road around Punda Maria in the Northern Part of Kruger National Park.

Mahonie Loop has a length of 24.56 kilometres.
Travelling this route on several occasions during the day, either early morning, high noon or late afternoon, always produces interesting sightings.

• maxspeed: 40
• surface: gravel

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The surrounding sandveld has a diversity of vegetation that is reflected in the variety of avian attractions. One should give oneself plenty of time to cover the distance, and travel with windows down and stop frequently, particularly to listern for calls.

The Mahonie Loop is recorded as a good birding route.

The S99 loop has a variety of Antelopes especially the Sharpes’ Grysbok.

Several raptors nest nearby,
including Bateleur,
African Hawk-Eagle,
African Crowned Eagle and
Bat Hawk.

A Mahonie Loop summer special is the Pennant-winged Nightjar.

On a good day one could record birds such as the
White-breasted Cuckoo-shrike,
Arnot’s Chat,
Crowned Hornbill,
Grey-headed Kingfisher*,
Crested Guineafowl,
Gorgeous Bush-Shrike,
Grey-headed Parrot,
Eurasian Golden Oriole* (in summer),
Eastern Nicator*,
Stierling’s Wren-Warbler*,
Narina Trogon and
Dickinson’s Kestrel.

(parts taken from Kruger website)
Last edited by Amoli on Mon Nov 04, 2013 1:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S59

Post by Toko »

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Dewi
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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S59 Mahonie Loop

Post by Dewi »

Freat road choice Amoli. \O

Saw a juvenile Verreaux's Eagle in a tree with a Martial Eagle on this drive.

Not the best pic, but great to see.

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Dewi

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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S59 Mahonie Loop

Post by Duke »

A good road for some of the rarer animals/birds :-)

Sharpe's Grysbok

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A tree full of Trumpeter Tokos

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Amoli
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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S59 Mahonie Loop

Post by Amoli »

Duke, I loved by your Trumpeter Hornbills.. O/\ O/\

Some more sightings, A go-away bird late afternoon

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and duikers

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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S99 Mahonie Loop

Post by nan »

2008 - 2011

there is a lot of Buffaloes in this loop, one of my favorites O/\
I love the North
there is also a lot of Ellies... and not easy to let place, the road is narrow ;-)
and so many birds \O

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Image still sleeping

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Richprins
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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S99 Mahonie Loop

Post by Richprins »

^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^

That little dam is called "Maritubi". nana! Not on many maps, but almost always water! \O


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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S99 Mahonie Loop

Post by Duke »

Our only sighting of a Eurasian Hobby was on this road :-)

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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S99 Mahonie Loop

Post by RobertT »

Will be on this road just after x-mas again. O\/ O\/ Have had leopard on this road in 2008, but no pics.


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Re: Flavour of the month NOVEMBER 2013 - S99 Mahonie Loop

Post by Richprins »

I lost most of my Mahonie pics with my PC crash, Amoli! :-(

Will try to find some on tinypic! \O



Anyway, one of my first Yellow-billed oxpeckers:






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And surely an award-winning nyala! O\/ O/\ ^Q^ X#X \O





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