Once again we had a beautiful warm sunny day today. To us, from the cold and wet Western Cape, it felt like summer. At 4 pm it was 30 degrees C and even after the sun had set we sat outdoors without jackets.
Our morning drive started at 8:15 and we were back at camp by 11:15.
Just outside camp on the H13-1 we saw quite a few female kudu and continued to see lots of kudu in large groups for the rest of the day.

The H13-1 was quite active with birds but we heard more than we could see and when we did see them they refused to settle quietly for a photo. I was, however, delighted to see a flock of white-crested helmet shrikes and one obliged by sitting still for a few seconds.


Everybody who follows my travel blogs knows I love giraffe. Today. several came out to say howdy.




At 9:20 we turned onto the Ndzuondzwini Loop. Soon we found a huge herd of kudu and impala and in the distance some waterbuck too. We sat and watched them drinking and browsing and grazing. Sometimes they would all stop and stand perfectly still all looking in the same direction. We think they were aware of a predator in the area. They could certainly sense something. After a while they relaxed and continued with their breakfast and entertained us with their activities.




While we watched the buck interacting we were unaware that a bull elephant had appeared on the scene. I happened to look to the left and there he was.


Eventually all the kudu and impala left the scene and disappeared into the bush. The elephant soon lumbered off too so we moved on but stopped when we spotted an interesting bird.

We continued to see the usual suspects – more giraffe, zebra and birds who refused to pose, before returning to camp. Cathy and Alec had also gone for a short drive and were back at the same time. The Earl cooked us some lovely scrambled eggs for breakfast and we only went out again at 3:30 pm.
These are the highlights of the afternoon drive.



Baobab trees lose their leaves in winter but Spring is just around the corner and so some are beginning to wake up for the summer.




The sun was just going down when we arrived back at camp and as we parked I noticed two men staring up into the tree under which the Gecko is set up. I asked what they’d seen and they said it could be a Gabar Goshawk. I could only locate it after a few minutes of their careful direction. “Perhaps it’s a Shikra,” I suggested and we checked my Roberts App. Indeed it was and they were delighted. Well, so was I! A shikra in my tree!

It was my turn to do dinner tonight so I brought out my trusty Remoska pot and made a chicken casserole with lots of veggies.
Wonderful photos as usual 🙂 🙂
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A good day out: you do it the best way for a long-term stay – out in the mornings and evenings. This isn’t tiring and there are usually plenty of birds especially to see around the rest camps.
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Camp birding is great Anne. Yes – we don’t rush to be first out the gate anymore.
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A very productive day!
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Only in Kruger 🙂
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I love your pictures of the giraffes – they really look as if they were in conversation with you (and each other 😉). And how beautiful is that African sunset … great photo!
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Thanks wetanddusty – It is something like a spiritual experience when giraffe are so close.
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