Flavour of the Month May 2015, S137 and S130 Gomondwane Loop

[nan]

the Guinea Fowl need more than hairdresser ... even ambulance will be too late

[Richprins]

Excellent, Amoli!


Right near the southern end, well, about 5km from it there is a huge hyena den which seems to get reused every couple of years? This from 2012, I think:



Around the corner we arrived at the hyena den Scipio had been babbling about all day...by now his estimate of the number of hyena using the place had risen from 30 to about 85...

At least there was one!







Notice how fancy the car is...door handles and everything!


(Even a place to put your toom! )



Then a cub pitched up..or rather emerged...I must say there were a lot of holes!






The light was a bit dark...or else I had my camera on the wrong setting or something? However the sun was enjoying this last opportunity of searing the bits of my skin and retina that it had missed earlier in the day!


The cub was very irritating, and apparently determined to dig some rotten meat from between the teeth of the female...poor form, even for hyenas...but who am I to judge? (It got Scipio into a fit of retching, though, which was funny to watch! )







RP: "So, where are the other 73 hyenas?"

Scipio: "They'll be here! "

RP: "You have some carrot stuck on your lip! -O "


But indeed, it came to pass shortly. Little squeaks of joy from the leachmobile, now parked behind us, alerted us to more arriving:













And more accross the road:












And pretty soon it was wall-to-wall hyena, in an orgy of licking each other's private parts and yelping greetings:











A bit like Phalaborwa on a busy night...






Then this youngster became inquisitive:










These females were truly massive!A bit like Phalaborwa on a busy night...
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At last it was time to say goodbye!

Notice how skinny Scipio's arms are!








The background is on a TR here: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=1126&start=80

[Alf]

Almost like a pool party. They just needed the pool

[nan]

never noticed

[Flutterby]

Great lion sighting Amoli...awesome to find them yourself. And 5 starlings together...very lucky!

Notice how fancy the car is...door handles and everything!


(Even a place to put your toom! )

What's a toom? Doesn't you car have door handles?

[Amoli]

Think this was his first trip in a 'good' car.... you remember the golden goose

No place for the tooms, or mirrors for a good brush down...

[Richprins]

From a 2013 aat report:

Let’s start with the story and we like to share all we experienced with you on november 21st of 2012.

Driving the Gomondwane loop we were just talking about all the gooddies we have seen here, Leopards, Black Rhino, Lions, Hyena Den, White Rhino, Tusker etc etc…. and almost at the end of the loop we just were saying “no specials this time” till …………..

We almost passed this Impala, laying down and something in my mind said “There is something” with her…. Stopped the car , reverse mode and back to this lady Impala.

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At that very moment no one else around and then both of us looking what was going to happen
The Impala on her feet and speachless we were looking at her…….

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Just speachless and looking at this special moment…. Never seen before with our own eyes and so close (about 15 meters)

Next moment the mother turned her head to her baby, like checking everything was ok and was going well

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What a moment… watching this new baby entering the wild world
Since we were the only ones we decided to name “our child” Gomondwane, hoping he/she will have a wonderful time in Kruger.

The Impala mother was going to lay down again to complete the birth of her child…
And there she/he is , first picture of the new born.

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First contact… checking… licking
So far the mother made no noise / sound at all… all in silence

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Then mother Impala started to eat the “left-overs”

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Just a few seconds later the baby tried to stand up … not easy

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I think no words needed for this moment…

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While mother was cleaning the place the baby tried and tried … finally getting on his / her feet… and all within 15 minutes.

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As a good mother she helped her child to find the right place to drink

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Exactly 20 minutes after giving birth the baby was on his/her feet and drinking… amazing !

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Proud mother licking her baby while the little one was tumbling , trying to walk… stand up, tumbling again…

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“our” Gomondwane more steady on his/her feet and mother still licking, making contact… private moments for mother and child…. And we still speachless… what a privilege to see this happen.

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Expressing a proud mother and a baby facing the world….

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Thanks Mom and Gomondwane…. Have a good life

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Born november 21st 2012 at 08:40
Address: Gomondwane loop

https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... =46&t=1591

[Richprins]

Some pics from JustN@ture 2014:

on the way to Dukes we had these sightings.


White-backed Vulture



Saw this unusual sight of a tree growing in a dead tree . At dukes waterhole there were warthogs, giraffe, wildebeest, ellies and zebra a nice variety of animals

https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... =46&t=3704

[Richprins]

From a 2014 Pumbaa report:

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=3940&start=10

It took not long until we finally turned into the S137 and already during the whole drive on the S28 hundreds of red-backed shrikes were busy that morning and finally Timon could also take a decent picture of same as the earlier ones he took either came out blurred on only showed a branch without any bird on it......





Due to the decorative mask around his eyes this bird from now onwards got the nickname “Zorro” from us.



It took not long until the first warthogs showed up as always on this road,



one of the many swaison francolins was calling its lung out of same



and also one of the many koris we already could admire in that area of the park presented itself at least it’s head as also here the grass was extreme high.

A seldom bird for us is the black shouldered kite although funny that when we do see same in Kruger then on that road.



Soon we arrived at Duke’s waterhole and also here the lapped-faced vultures



and the white-backed vultures were celebrating a congress in the dead trees.



Wildebeests could be seen a bit farer away from the road and one of the highlight was this sunbathing water monitor which looked so picturesque on the small branch across a small pond



and we spotted also a couple of white storks out of which this one was tagged.



Although it was one of the days were this area of the park was extreme quiet we nevertheless enjoyed do drive these roads again and we also could finally capture one of the many grey hornbills.

[Richprins]

From a 2014 Heksie report:
https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... &start=150

And then when I got the S137 turn-off I was in two minds, must I check out Dukes’ waterhole or go straight with the S28? Eish, what now? So I went straight and not even a kilometre when I found this in the road…



I sat there a few minutes and he didn’t move at all so I knew that nature is making the choice for me, I turned around and then turned into the S137. After a few metres a heard a CLI-CLANG and stopped, did I just drive over a piece of metal? I drove on and a bit further on my tyre started screeching, I stopped, reversed and heard something shoot out, happy with that I moved on. When I rounded the bend towards the Dukes’ turnoff I got the biggest fright ever I saw this…









I was alone with her and only about 4 metres away from her, unfortunately the only thing I saw was her licking herself then she stood up and jumped off the signpost. She walked deeper into the bushes and at least one car saw her disappearing into the bushes... What a great sighting this just was! My smile was from ear to ear and the day just couldn’t get better, so I pushed on towards the S130. I got a lifer as well…
A squacco Heron



And a lappet-faced vulture