Leopard are definitely creatures of habit, hence the required research to maximise the chances. Thereafter it's luck, but you make your own luck by being in the correct area at the correct time
Browns in Kruger September 2019
Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
Plenty leopard this trip Alf, an average of around 3 per day
The traffic jams in the south are another level in holiday season
Two massive leopards Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
22nd Lower Sabie continued
We left the leopard chaos behind us and as we pulled into the next dirt loop just around the corner a male lion started to cross the river
The male turned diagonally north, so we ducked out the loop and drove further up the road, however stopped in seconds because a few lionesses had already crossed and they were hunting just down the bank from the road. Seconds later the male also pulled up and he seemed hyped up for a chow.
There was an impala herd just up ahead, but there was also thick bush between the lion and the impala so we drove up ahead of the herd, stopped and switched off. I made the mistake of not turning around quickly so Bushpig and I were looking diagonally towards the back of the car and the rest of the clan had to look back through the rear window and the canopy window so their view was limited, but another car had pulled in right behind us in seconds and then another arrived from the front.
I don’t have much patience, but when I’m holding an old Sigma lens up in the air and a camera squashed to my pip aiming at a row of bush through twigs, I don’t last long. I then tried the window, pool noodle thing, but the Ford Ranger has a rounded tapered type window so the noodle thing kept going skew, therefore it got tossed.
After 5 minutes we were all seriously distracted when suddenly impala snorted all over, so cameras went flying towards the bush, but a lioness burst from a completely different bush on the edge of the riverbank much closer to us than expected.
I swung the camera up frantically but found myself pushing the 150mm to 500mm lens through my pip as everything was too “zoomed in “ and then started shrieking at Bushpig, who had a point and shoot camera.
“THERE! Take pics!”
“What, where?”
The impala had scattered in all directions in seconds and the lioness had turned and charged off back down into the riverbed and through bush after a particular impala.
We sat in silence for a few seconds and then I said “We stuffed that one up!” and there were a few head nods.
The bank next to the road just ahead climbed for the next 100m odd meters and one couldn’t see down into the riverbed, so after some moving around trying to see them from different angles, we moved on.
The next 15 odd km produced all the normal ellies, giraffe, and warties, but just before the H12 Bridge a guy waved us down as we neared and then explained that he had just seen what he thinks is a leopard, move into a bush area.
The frantic reverse, forward mission started and Bushpig and I both spotted her for 2 seconds as she moved into a thick bush/tree stump area, so the “tiny” forward, reverse mission started and eventually we found spots through the twigs.
We left the leopard chaos behind us and as we pulled into the next dirt loop just around the corner a male lion started to cross the river
- 24.jpg (141.65 KiB) Viewed 310 times
The male turned diagonally north, so we ducked out the loop and drove further up the road, however stopped in seconds because a few lionesses had already crossed and they were hunting just down the bank from the road. Seconds later the male also pulled up and he seemed hyped up for a chow.
- 25.jpg (179.69 KiB) Viewed 310 times
- 26.jpg (186.99 KiB) Viewed 310 times
There was an impala herd just up ahead, but there was also thick bush between the lion and the impala so we drove up ahead of the herd, stopped and switched off. I made the mistake of not turning around quickly so Bushpig and I were looking diagonally towards the back of the car and the rest of the clan had to look back through the rear window and the canopy window so their view was limited, but another car had pulled in right behind us in seconds and then another arrived from the front.
I don’t have much patience, but when I’m holding an old Sigma lens up in the air and a camera squashed to my pip aiming at a row of bush through twigs, I don’t last long. I then tried the window, pool noodle thing, but the Ford Ranger has a rounded tapered type window so the noodle thing kept going skew, therefore it got tossed.
After 5 minutes we were all seriously distracted when suddenly impala snorted all over, so cameras went flying towards the bush, but a lioness burst from a completely different bush on the edge of the riverbank much closer to us than expected.
I swung the camera up frantically but found myself pushing the 150mm to 500mm lens through my pip as everything was too “zoomed in “ and then started shrieking at Bushpig, who had a point and shoot camera.
“THERE! Take pics!”
“What, where?”
The impala had scattered in all directions in seconds and the lioness had turned and charged off back down into the riverbed and through bush after a particular impala.
We sat in silence for a few seconds and then I said “We stuffed that one up!” and there were a few head nods.
The bank next to the road just ahead climbed for the next 100m odd meters and one couldn’t see down into the riverbed, so after some moving around trying to see them from different angles, we moved on.
The next 15 odd km produced all the normal ellies, giraffe, and warties, but just before the H12 Bridge a guy waved us down as we neared and then explained that he had just seen what he thinks is a leopard, move into a bush area.
The frantic reverse, forward mission started and Bushpig and I both spotted her for 2 seconds as she moved into a thick bush/tree stump area, so the “tiny” forward, reverse mission started and eventually we found spots through the twigs.
- 27.jpg (141.81 KiB) Viewed 310 times
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Klipspringer
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Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
You have some expert spotters in your team 
and a crowd of tourists around the spotties
Can we see a bird for a change
and a crowd of tourists around the spotties
Can we see a bird for a change
Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
The leopard was restless because the spots kept moving, so I lined up again with the camera determined to stay focused on the spots and minutes later the leopard got up, so I fired away, but a darn mesh of twigs caused chaos and unfortunately there were twigs right in front of the leopards face and in seconds the leopard moved behind the log and deeper into the bush.
It was now around 10:30am and everybody was hungry, so we decided to head to the Golf club for toasted sarmies.
The rest of the drive to the club produced all the normal gang, including 2 nyala next to the road just past Lake Panic.
I was prepared with flip flops hidden under my car seat this trip, but still forgot to put them on and got sent back to the car by the Cow before the faulty aunty in charge got excited.
The golf club service and menu stock is always an issue in our experience and today was the same story, but we still prefer it as it’s generally much more peaceful and cheaper than Skukuza.
I decided to have a few beers while there as some world cup rugby was on and it was another 37 degree day, so I seriously lacked enthusiasm to drive back, but eventually we hit the road around midday.
We took the H1-2 back towards the H12 as the section of the H4-1 north of the H12 Bridge had been rather quiet.
All the normal suspects were around, but just before the H12 turn we found 3 cars stopped next to a termite mound, so slowly pulled up, however we couldn’t see anything and the occupants of the other cars seemed to just be waiting for something as nobody had a camera out.
Eventually a lady looked at us and said that they had seen a glimpse of a leopard, but it was hiding behind the termite mound now.
It was boiling, so we weren’t going to sit around and wait with the hope the leopard would reappear, so as the road angle turned slightly I moved further down the road from the mound with the hope that one could see a little behind the mound from a different angle and we found the leopard seconds after stopping 20m down the road, but it was another “leopard in thick bush”
- 28.jpg (125.87 KiB) Viewed 308 times
It was now around 10:30am and everybody was hungry, so we decided to head to the Golf club for toasted sarmies.
The rest of the drive to the club produced all the normal gang, including 2 nyala next to the road just past Lake Panic.
- 29.jpg (189.74 KiB) Viewed 308 times
I was prepared with flip flops hidden under my car seat this trip, but still forgot to put them on and got sent back to the car by the Cow before the faulty aunty in charge got excited.
The golf club service and menu stock is always an issue in our experience and today was the same story, but we still prefer it as it’s generally much more peaceful and cheaper than Skukuza.
I decided to have a few beers while there as some world cup rugby was on and it was another 37 degree day, so I seriously lacked enthusiasm to drive back, but eventually we hit the road around midday.
We took the H1-2 back towards the H12 as the section of the H4-1 north of the H12 Bridge had been rather quiet.
All the normal suspects were around, but just before the H12 turn we found 3 cars stopped next to a termite mound, so slowly pulled up, however we couldn’t see anything and the occupants of the other cars seemed to just be waiting for something as nobody had a camera out.
Eventually a lady looked at us and said that they had seen a glimpse of a leopard, but it was hiding behind the termite mound now.
It was boiling, so we weren’t going to sit around and wait with the hope the leopard would reappear, so as the road angle turned slightly I moved further down the road from the mound with the hope that one could see a little behind the mound from a different angle and we found the leopard seconds after stopping 20m down the road, but it was another “leopard in thick bush”
- 30.jpg (150.78 KiB) Viewed 308 times
- 31.jpg (136.12 KiB) Viewed 308 times
Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
Minutes later the leopard got up and cruised off deeper into the bush and out of sight, so those waiting at the mound lost out.
We then ducked back across the H12 Bridge and down the H4-1 towards Lower Sabie. The Lubyelubye lions were lying in the riverbed still, but we just continued on as we had already seen them in the morning and fortunately “Sausage” had ducked so the bridge was clear, however we did stop again just outside Lower Sabie for a giraffe that RP has already named “monster”. Although the “growth” looked terrible, the giraffe was chowing and seemed fine.
We only got back into Lower Sabie after 1:30pm, so it had been a long day out for the Rats, therefore they ducked off to the pool for a swim and the Cow and I relaxed on chairs outside our EH hut, however the neighbours were also around with their terrorist boys, so I had to dive into my “biscuits” again to tune out.
Nobody seemed energetic for another drive, however at around 5pm we decided to cruise down to the Cow’s leopard spot 2km south of Lower Sabie to see if we could make it 3 days in a row.
Just outside Lower Sabie we stopped for some buff next to the road and a boon in the road.
We drove slowly up and down the area where the shy leopard had popped up twice before, but no leopard today, so I was about to head back to camp when Hawkeyes shouted “Honey Badger!” She also spotted the only badger we found during our last trip.
We sat watching this chap as long as we could before we had to head back for gate closing and the entire time he/she had its head in a hole, but we had a good laugh at the frantic digging antics.
We then ducked back across the H12 Bridge and down the H4-1 towards Lower Sabie. The Lubyelubye lions were lying in the riverbed still, but we just continued on as we had already seen them in the morning and fortunately “Sausage” had ducked so the bridge was clear, however we did stop again just outside Lower Sabie for a giraffe that RP has already named “monster”. Although the “growth” looked terrible, the giraffe was chowing and seemed fine.
- 32.jpg (137.54 KiB) Viewed 307 times
We only got back into Lower Sabie after 1:30pm, so it had been a long day out for the Rats, therefore they ducked off to the pool for a swim and the Cow and I relaxed on chairs outside our EH hut, however the neighbours were also around with their terrorist boys, so I had to dive into my “biscuits” again to tune out.
Nobody seemed energetic for another drive, however at around 5pm we decided to cruise down to the Cow’s leopard spot 2km south of Lower Sabie to see if we could make it 3 days in a row.
Just outside Lower Sabie we stopped for some buff next to the road and a boon in the road.
- 33.jpg (115.25 KiB) Viewed 307 times
- 34.jpg (152 KiB) Viewed 307 times
We drove slowly up and down the area where the shy leopard had popped up twice before, but no leopard today, so I was about to head back to camp when Hawkeyes shouted “Honey Badger!” She also spotted the only badger we found during our last trip.
We sat watching this chap as long as we could before we had to head back for gate closing and the entire time he/she had its head in a hole, but we had a good laugh at the frantic digging antics.
- 35.jpg (146.44 KiB) Viewed 307 times
Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
- 36.jpg (129.09 KiB) Viewed 306 times
The weather changed big time during the evening and a howling cold wind came through which was a relief from the heat and it also drowned out some of the neighbour noise.
To be continued
Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
Klipspringer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:59 pm You have some expert spotters in your team
and a crowd of tourists around the spotties
Can we see a bird for a change
We obviously see all the normal animals and birds, but if I put everything in a TT I will still be writing in 4 months time Based on this and limited timeframe due to work commitments, I post highlights only, but there will be a few birds, especially when cats aren't around
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Alf
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Re: Browns in Kruger September 2019
You just drive down the highway and all the cats just pops out all over the place 
Incredible luck
Incredible luck
Next trip to the bush??
Let me think......................
Let me think......................