The Big Cat Diary and a Couple of Lifers

[nan]

adorable little Ellies
Hippo in a puddle... enought to share with a Buffalo
Turaco
Like the Batis too

[Richprins]

Excellent, Pumbaa!

I think that undiscovered windmill is James?

It is often inoperative!

Ja, those purple-crested never sit still!


Skinny buffalo...

[Toko]

The Puff-back Shrike is one of the most elegant birds in white and black, and it poses for you

I love these tiny elephants drinking

[Mel]

The baby ellies are really cute and they seem to have grasped the function of their trunks already as well.

Turaco! Very good find.

And the buff / wattled lapwing (?) pic had me in stitches. Looks like the buff is not happy to share the water with the birdie.

[Puff Addy]

The Puff-back Shrike is one of the most elegant birds in white and black, and it poses for you

Yes, it is indeed a Black-backed Puffback and not a batis.

[Flutterby]

Nice to see a Turaco. Lovely ellies pics.

[Pumbaa]

Thanks so much Lisbeth, nan, Richprins, Toko, Mel, Puff Addy and Flutterby for your comments, compliments and for the correct id

[Pumbaa]

As it was still extreme hot we decided to pay our favourite waterhole in that area another visit as normally at that late time of the day there is lot to see and so in fact it was as uncountable rhinos and buffaloes and a group of warthogs who just arrived were sharing the one remaining mud puddle



or came to take a mouthful



and we even had to position our cameras to the waterhole as all of them came to quench their thirst.



Also the precious mud hole was much sought-after and same was already so occupied that the newcomers had to wait



until some of the ones who already stayed already longer in the puddle were willing to leave.



Besides the sporadically occurring white fronted bee eaters and a single red-billed quelea the bird life was a bit quiet compared to the previous years.



We stayed as long as gate closing time allowed but for sure could have stay there still a bit longer





as it was simply amazing to just sit, watch and click.

[Pumbaa]

A lot of cars had piled up meanwhile and also stayed until it was time to leave.





Whilst returning to camp we lit our braai and whilst we had another delicious dinner we were very thankful about that extreme successful first full day not knowing at that stage that the following days will turn out either equally successful or ever more successful. Because of the nearly sleepless two previous nights we greatly fall immediately into a deep sleep the minute our heads touched the pillows and only woke up when the alarm clock started to ring.

Sunday, 14.02.2016 – Berg en Dal – Crocodile Bridge

Driven roads: S110 – H3 – S118 – S119 – S25 – H4-2 – S28

Far too soon for our liking we had to move to our second camp and after the revitalizing brewing hot coffee we packed everything together and drove into the direction of Matjulu and already had to say good bye to this famous spot. In the hilly area we spotted a group of kudus



had to stop for this breathtaking sunrise



and were still shocked about the omnipresent drought nearly everywhere where you watched.





As already expected the waterhole itself was orphaned and so we did not stay that long and decided to drive today not via Steilberg to also inspect the other part of the S110 as well.

An extreme noisy troop of baboons came across out of which two huge males were chasing each other for quite a long time whereas others were busy with themselves



or simply groomed away.



to be continued...

[Toko]

I like the warthog family uplined.

This bee-eater is doing some stretching or sports