South Africa 2017, On the Path of the Nocturnals. (2 Viewers)

Travelled on 9-28 June, so a bit slow getting this report done, but finally finished both text and images, so here we go...

This three-week trip was very much planned with mammals as the priority, the key targets being a select group of nocturnal mammals, headed by iconic species such as Aardvark, Aardwolf, Black-footed Cat and Greater Bushbaby.

In order to maximise mammalian diversity, my itinerary incorporated some of South Africa's top localities. In brief, the trip began with a week travelling the length of Kruger National Park, before I then crossed to the north-west of the country to spend a few days in the amazing Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. From here, I dropped south to Augrabies Falls and thereafter to the Kimberly area to sample the delights of the night on property of Marrick Safari, also visiting the excellent grasslands of Mokola National Park. Concluding the trip, I travelled down to Cape Province for some days at De Hoop National Park and the Cape Town area, a chance to add a number of marine species and Cape Clawless Otter.

Over the course of the trip, I saw 84 species of mammal, perhaps the most unexpected being a Cape Dune Mole-Rat feeding above ground at midday, a bonus indeed. Needless to say, visiting Southern Africa's most renowned wildlife localities, the trip was also productive in terms of birds and other wildlife, including Snouted Cobra, Puff Adder and Cape Rock Scorpion. In the Kruger area, I also took an interest in the relatively small number of butterflies that fly in the southern mid-winter, seeing a total of 34 species. Away from Kruger, subject to lower night temperatures, butterflies were largely absent.

Another great read/adventure coming up.

Martin Bell said:

Another great read/adventure coming up.

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Can't promise such, but a good trip it was - travelled with my intrepid 8 year-old travel companion, first time in sub-Saharan Africa for her, so particularly of interest for her.

Part One. Kruger National Park.

Hardly needs an introduction, 20,000 square kilometres of some of the best wildlife country in Africa. Started my trip in the far north, at Punda Maria and Parfuri, then worked southward, staying at Shingwedzi, Letaba and Satara. Wonderful wildlife everywhere.


9 June.

Mad dash across Amsterdam Schnipol airport, the late arrival of our first flight leaving only 20 minutes between the touchdown of the one plane and take off of the next. Miraculously we made the flight, predictably our baggage didn't. So started the trip to South Africa, arriving late evening without camping equipment, change of clothes, etc. Completed the relevant baggage forms, took on trust that they would deliver my bags to the depths of Kruger, then picked up a rental car and headed out into the night, destination Punda Maria, 650 km to the north.


10 June. Punda Maria, Kruger.

Snoozed a couple of hours at a petrol station midway, but otherwise made good time and was at Punda Maria gate at 7.00 a.m., the northern entrance to Kruger National Park. Red-winged Starlings my first birds of the trip, Cape Turtle Doves soon after, a couple of Red-billed Hornbills next. And so began the Kruger adventures, huge dollops of Elephant poo on the road, two of the mighty animals appearing barely five minutes into the national park. Abundant Impala and Nyala also along this first stretch, six Giraffe and a troop of Baboons too.

Base for the first two nights was Punda Maria rest camp, one of the smaller more intimate camps, perfect for explorations of the northern extremes of Kruger and fully loaded with Vervet Monkeys and wandering Bushbucks. Just before reaching the camp however, the first cats of the trip – in bushes 30-40 metres from the road, a rather amorous pair of Lions lurking, the content purring of the female a most magical sound. My smaller travelling companion was impressed – Lions within 20 minutes in entering Kruger!

In the camp itself, I immediately got distracted by a number of weird and wonderful butterflies that were on the wing. With it now the southern mid-winter, I had not really expected butterflies on this trip, but there were some real stunners out here, albeit ones that I initially had no idea what they were! Amongst the best, the appropriately-named Guineafowl, a large grey-brown butterfly with pale speckles, plus gaudy Small Orange Acraeas, the diminitive Common Zebra Blue and several and a Purple-brown Hairstreak. Also several noted Cambridge Vagrants and quite a few African Migrants, a species that would turn out to fairly common over the next days and even one or two later on in Kgalagadi. Perhaps stunner of the day however was a single Spotted Joker, quite a vivid butterfly indeed.

Had planned to camp at Punda Maria, but given our tent was still sitting in Amsterdam, we upgraded our booking to a chalet, something my little travelling companion quite rejoiced! Yellow-billed Hornbills, Crested Barbet, Greater Blue-eared Starlings all in the camp, Bateleur flying overhead. Pleasantly warm as we headed off for our first exploration of the surrounding area, including a slow circuit of the Mahonie Loop. Among the highlights, a family of Dwarf Mongooses residing in a termite mount, the pair of Lions again and a bunch of Crested Guineafowls complete with punk hair-dos.

The real delights, however, were to come just after dark – adjacent to the chalet, big gazing eyes peering out of the bushes, slow lumbering bodies, chunky little fingers. And the owners, two superb Greater Bushbabies! Target number one of the trip at a range of just a metre or so, splendid!

More good stuff with an organised night drive – no other tourists, so personalised service and a pretty good driver/guide too. Almost immediately encountered a Large-spotted Genet, then an African Civet. Next up, the two Lions again. Added a few Scrub Hares and Spinghares, then an intriguing mongoose – moderately large, distinctly pale tail, Meller's Mongoose seemed the best fit. Common Duiker and Sharpe's Grysbok also seen relatively fleetingly, two Spotted Hyenas rather more prolonged at they lolloped along the road for quite some way. Not bad bird selection too, a couple of Spotted Thick-knees early on, several Fiery-necked Nightjars and, a bit of a surprise, a Small Buttonquail crouching on the track in the vehicle's lights.

Ready to sleep at the end of the night drive, not a bad first day!

Target number one, right by our chalet!

Unexpected delights, butterflies ...

Punks composite, Lions and Little Ones

Haven’t been around much lately but looking forward to reading this. Hope you get Aardvark, something I really want to see.

Love, love, love the bushbaby!

Jeff hopkins said:

Love, love, love the bushbaby!

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So did I :t:

Tree Sparrow said:

Haven’t been around much lately but looking forward to reading this.

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Many thanks, you have been missed ...do come back.

11 June. Pafuri, Kruger.

Travelled to the extreme north of Kruger this day, the meeting points of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Leaving Punda Maria at sunrise, a Verreaux's Eagle Owl was among the first birds of the day, a fine specimen atop a dead tree in the half light, other birds including a good mix of francolins (Crested Francolin, Natal Francolin and Swainson's Spurfowl), numerous Magpie Shrikes and my only Dickinson's Kestrel of the trip. Other ever present Elephants, few mammals were noted on route however, a Slender Mongoose about best.

Destination one, the bridge over the Pafuri River – Wire-tailed Swallows on the bridge itself, Green-backed Herons, Hammerkop, Woolly-necked Storks, White-crowned Plovers and Water Thick-knees along the river, a splendid Gymnogene on a fallen tree at the water's edge, Nile Crocodiles and Monitor Lizards on sandbanks, plenty to see. Also an Ovambo Sparrowhawk and a Shikra, and in the skies above at least 80 Little Swifts, six Alpine Swifts and 15 African Palm Swifts. No spinetails of any description however. And then there were the Elephants, a massive family group appearing and having a wail of a time, first bathing, then sending clouds of dust into the sky as they took an extended dust bath.

Following the river to the east, there seemed less game than on previous visits, perhaps too dry and better conditions further south – Impala, Nyala and Warthog as common as ever, but Giraffe, Zebra, Waterbuck, Buffalo, Kudu and Blue Wildebeest all appeared in pretty low numbers. Good for birds though - Green Wood-Hoopoe, oodles of Yellow-billed, Red-billed and Grey Hornbills, Lilac-breasted Rollers, Eastern Bearded Scrub Robins, Red-billed Buffalo-Weavers and Red-billed Oxpeckers among the many. At Crooks Corner, with the day's temperatures rising nicely, White-backed Vultures were rising on thermals over the expansive sands extending into neighbouring Mozambique, plenty of White-fronted Bee-eaters hawking too.

With the warmth, so too were butterflies appearing – a most impressive Green-banded Swallowtail on a track near Crook's Corner, then a profusion of whites just beyond. Unfortunately in an area that you are not permitted to exit the car, photographing these was problematic, but the majority appeared to be African Veined Whites, Brown Veined Whites and Common Dotted Borders. Far better was at the Pafuri picnic site - to the accompaniment of grunting Hippos and Vervet Monkeys running amok, here I could explore to my heart's content. The fringes of the picnic area excellent for butterflies – mostly whites of assorted types, predominant were African Veined Whites and African Small Whites, but also Brown Veined Whites and Common Dotted Border. Also found Autumn Leaf Vagrant, the attractive African Wood White, Common Grass Yellow and White-banded Swift (a skipper). Pretty good for birds too, with Southern Black Tit, Arrow-marked Babblers, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Southern Black Flycatcher, Chinspot Batis and White-crested Helmet-Shrike all noted.

Spent a while back at the Pafuri Bridge, lots more Elephant action, then began to head back towards Punda Maria, one Red-crested Korhaan and eight Small Buttonquails on route, so too a pair of Dark-backed Jackal and, more impressive, a mean looking Snouted Cobra at the road's edge.

No sign of our promised luggage, just an obscure message in German (!) that it was somewhere and might arrive next day. Called and told them I was leaving Punda Maria next day, heading to a new camp further south ...no problem they said, the bags would be waiting for me there. Another night in the chalet, hardly a hardship. Lion and African Civet on the nightdrive, another African Civet sauntering around in front of my night camera, so ended the second day in Africa.

A few of the butterflies of this day...

Lumbering giants at shower time and thieves ...

Snouted Cobra, I think ...

12 June. Punda Maria-Shingwedzi, Kruger.

Plan over the next days was to begin the slow transit south through Kruger, the first section being the 80 km to Shingwezi. Initally through kilometres of mopani forest, mammals were decidedly thin on the ground, occasional Impala, an odd Elephant here and there. Bar the abundant Yellow-billed and Red-billed Hornbills, not particularly rich in birds either. At the Babalala picnic site however, with Martial Eagle and Bateleur overhead and Wire-tailed Swallows and Magpie Shrikes all around, we then veered west onto the Mphongole River loop – this was superb, a long dusty track following the periodic river for many kilometres, isolated deep pools chock a block with wallowing Hippos, a few Woolly-necked Storks alongside and not a small number of Nile Crocodiles. Even more impressive, a 100 or so Elephants and a massive herd of Buffalo straddling the track, the bushes full of them, an absolute minimum of 350 slowly plodding along. Good for birds too – one Cape Parrot, four Brown-headed Parrots, six Little Bee-eaters sitting peas in a pod, 20 Yellow-billed Oxpeckers on the Buffalo, my only Crowned Hornbill of the trip, two African Paradise Flycatchers, plenty more too.

And then we got to Shingwedzi, early afternoon and pretty hot. News on my baggage – it was in camp reception! Except it wasn't – KLM had messed up and tagged bags incorrectly, what was waiting for me was an enormous bag that I could barely lift and that certainly didn't belong to me!Ah well, so the courier returned and retrieved the bag, mine I was promised would appear perhaps next day! Booked a rather nice chalet again, this holiday becoming somewhat more luxurious than I had planned! Some rather attractive butterflies nearby - Veined Oranges, plus African Migrants.

Off for an afternoon drive, almost immediately finding a really weird mini-beast aside the track – saw one some years back in Swaziland, but got far better photographs of this one, an arthropod that looks every bit a cross between a spider and a scorpion, it was in fact a African Camel Spider. Supposedly totally harmless, I have to confess I definitely stayed well clear of its pincers when it became to threaten me whilst I crouched to take a few pictures! Took the track to Kanniedood Dam, a very productive route though mature riverine woodland and past many pools - numerous Elephants along this way, quite a number blocking the track on many occasions, some rather nervy moments as we tried to sneak by, one or two of the Elephants none too impressed by this, mock charges, trumpeting and ear wagging order of the day.

Coming to drink, Baboons and Vervet Monkeys, Giraffe, Kudu and Nyala, Waterbucks, a single Bushbuck, lots of Impala, my first Tsessebe of the trip and more. Lots of birds too, not least Woolly-necked Stork and Saddle-billed Stork, Pied Kingfishers and White-fronted Bee-eaters. Stubborn Elephant on the track made me late for returning to camp, got there just as the gates were closing, no problem. No night safari this night, but four Acacia Tree Rats in the camp at night, one in the rafters of our chalet. Small Spotted Genet in front of my night camera.

Super Mini-Beast!

Main butterfly of the day...

And some of the mammals ...

A South African safari, Stratford Style!

Always enjoy your trip reports tremendously. I think it's a combination of your immense success and storytelling skill.