Birding krugerpark (1 Viewer)

Helen O said:

Sbririguda, I may see you in the park, I'll be there again from 25 April until 10 May! Self drive is really fantastic, as you can drive as much or as little as you wish to, and can stay at a waterhole all day if you choose!

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Nice, before I leave I'll send you a pm so maybe we will meet there!
I will prepare a trip schedule soon

Sal said:

I'm not sure how long you will be in the park or where you are staying so I cant really tell you which areas are worth visiting, but feel free to ask more specific questions.

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Thank you very much for your answer. I have 2 weeks from May 11 to May 26 but I will need 2 days for the flight and transfer from Italy to SA. So let me say about 11 or maybe 12 full days in the park.

Sbiriguda said:

Nice, before I leave I'll send you a pm so maybe we will meet there!
I will prepare a trip schedule soon

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Oh no! That's the day I return to the UK, however, if you need any tips, I'm happy to help :t:

Sbiriguda said:

Thank you very much for your answer. I have 2 weeks from May 11 to May 26 but I will need 2 days for the flight and transfer from Italy to SA. So let me say about 11 or maybe 12 full days in the park.

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OK so when you have booked and have a specific itinerary, I can maybe help with some suggestions. If you have not yet booked, you'd better get on to that as much of the park is booked up a year in advance!

I am always lucky with Ground Hornbill sightings, everytime I see a good number of them. Also see the Kori and Black Bellied bustards too, as well as vultures in good numbers.

Helen O said:

I am always lucky with Ground Hornbill sightings, everytime I see a good number of them. Also see the Kori and Black Bellied bustards too, as well as vultures in good numbers.

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Yes indeed - there should be plenty of vulture sightings. Its great that you see Southern Ground Hornbills; I love them and have also been lucky with sightings. Mabula Ground Hornbill project is always happy for information on sightings. They are the people who are trying to hatch the second eggs from wild nests and raise the chicks to go back into the wild because the survival of the species is severely threatened by loss of habitat. Hope you will post here when you come back fro m your trip, would love to know what you saw . . .

May trip schedule

Fri 10 night --> Flight
Sat 11 morning --> from Johannesburg Tambo via N12 highway
Sat 11 Night --> arrival at Kruger
Sun 12 all day --> Berg en Dal
Mon 13 all day --> Berg en Dal
Tue 14 all day --> Lower Sabie
Wed 15 all day --> Lower Sabie
Thu 16 all day --> Lower Sabie
Fri 17 all day --> Skukuka
Sat 18 all day --> Skukuka
Sun 19 all day --> Skukuka
Mon 20 all day --> Satara
Tue 21 all day --> Satara
Wed 22 all day --> Satara
Thu 23 all day --> Satara
Fri 24 all day --> Panorama Route
Fri 24 night Graskop - Blyde Canyon Forever Resort
Sat 25 Flight

I am considering to change the schedule so that I can spend some days also in Olifants or Letaba or Tamboti. Perhaps it would be nice also to replace 1 or 2 nights in Skukuza with Pretoriuskop which is probably less crowded

OK, sounds great. I suggest you end at least one of your days at Berg-en-Dal by visiting the local waterhole - Matjulu. Because there is generally water there, you will get birds like the White-fronted Bee-eaters, Golden-breasted Buntings, Glossy Starlings , Yellow-fronted Canaries, variious Weavers and so on both at the water and in the bushes around the area. On the other evening, i suggest you get back to camp a little early and use the rest of the daylight to take a walk along the perimeter path from your hut round to the dam. You should see all sorts of birds in the bush along here - maybe various bush-shrikes,the black- headed Oriole, Green-backed Cameroptera, Kingfishers, Southern Black Tit, Puffback,,thrushes, varoius robin-chats and robins . . . . You could drive up to Pretoriuskop on one of the days you stay at Berg-enDal. if you do, visit Transport dam which is often quite rewarding. (This is where we saw the Juv. Egyptian Vulture which spent time in Kruger last year!) . Just remember that there is a 40kmph speed limit on dirt roads and a 50 kmph limit on tar roads. These are policed so give yourself plenty of time to get back to Berg-en-Dal camp in the afternoon. They are very strict about gate closing times. Also remember to be considerate around elephants and keep a good distance from them. They don't like the noise of diesel vehicles so if you have one, this is particularly important. You may see other people going right up to them but don't be tempted to copy this rather stupid behaviour. If a large bull walks towards you down the road, reverse gently and keep well ahead until he turns off. (One of the reasons why you need to give yourself plenty of time to get back to camp!) I may be telling you things you know already , if so I apologise, but not sure if you've been there before . . . . if you want to go up to Oliphants, I suggest taking a night off Skukuza and a night off Satara. Skukuza may be crowded but there are great birds around there, both in camp and also at the Lake Panic Bird Hide (water birds such as ducks and herons, jacanas, Water Thickknees, weavers, kingfishers and so on which you should certainly visit. Technically they only allow a certain number of vehicles in at a time, but this is not policed so it can get a bit overcrowded. Try and get there early in the morning, its only about 5km from Skukuza. Also from Skukuza there are lovely drives along the Sabie river,good place to find owls. OK I'm stopping here; tell me if this is the sort of thing you want or if you know all this already!

Thank you very much, very helpful hints

I am staying 6 nights at my fave camp - Satara, I am always lucky with predator sightings, because of the wide open spaces. I know this is a bird form, but you just can't beat seeing these close up :t:

May I ask which gear setup should be used for this kind of trip? Right now I have:
Nikon D3100
Nikkor Zoom Lens 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Auto Focus-S
Canon Powershot sx60 HS
Binocular
Some people told me for big animals I would need at least 100-400m lenses while for birding 150-600mm. Since 150-600mm are very expensive I could rent them or buy them second hand and then resell them after the trip. Which gear would you suggest, especially about lenses? Maybe you can give here just some hints and then if necessary I will open a separate discussion in another section

If you go to Olifants, I suggest you book on a morning walk along the river if its available. This is the best chance you will have of seeing a Pel's Fishing Owl.

Regarding photography I think you would do best to ask in the photography thread as I am not very knowledgeable. It is good to have the 600mm lens for birds, especially if you want to pick up the detail on the more distant ones.but I have managed some pleasing pics with my 70 - 300mm of both birds and mammals. The Canon Powershot is a useful one to take for landscapes and scenery and quick pics if you have a large lens on your other camera. if you have a bean-bag or something more sophisticated for your car window it would be good. I also use a monopod as its so much faster and easier to use than a tripod and I can even use it in the car when not extended.

Don't forget hat, sunglasses, sunblock, malaria medication!

Note - you are not permitted to get out of your car to take photographs or to see something more clearly. (except at picnic sites, camps and designated view-sites.) People get quite angry when this happens because if an animal attacks a human it often has to be shot. It also spoils the sighting for others. You will probably have your photograph taken and it will be submitted to the park authorities if you do this so I'm just giving you a heads-up! They will give you a set of park rules at the gate when you book in.

I have 3 other questions...
1) does it make sense to use also a monopod or only beanie bag since the camera can be used only from inside the car based on the park rules?
2) is it useful to buy an external microphone to record sounds?
3) some people say the best way to take pictures is to find a waterhole and simply wait there all day long for things to happen. Is this the right approach? I am talking both about birding and other taking pictures to other types of animals

Sbiriguda said:

I have 3 other questions...
1) does it make sense to use also a monopod or only beanie bag since the camera can be used only from inside the car based on the park rules?
2) is it useful to buy an external microphone to record sounds?
3) some people say the best way to take pictures is to find a waterhole and simply wait there all day long for things to happen. Is this the right approach? I am talking both about birding and other taking pictures to other types of animals

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1. Just use a beanie bag or similar resting on the window. Remember, it is forbidden to exit your vehicle unless at a designated location.
3. The one thing that does occur often, is the wind will be picked up on your sound recording quite often. It can get quite windy!
3. I do this often, as I drive myself, I am at liberty to drive and stop whereever and when I want. Some of the water holes are fantastic, and to stop for a couple of hours and just take in the sounds is wonderful. I have a few favourites. One of the very best to see animals really close up, is Transport Dam, close to Skukuza, and for getting excellent close up shots of crocodiles, spend some time at Sunset Dam, just outside of Lower Sabie camp. Take a look at my photos from last several visits. https://www.facebook.com/helens.photos.37

3. All about chance, one day the water hole will be really good, another it will be bad and you'll miss stuff on the roads, there is no right or wrong answer to this.

andyadcock said:

3. All about chance, one day the water hole will be really good, another it will be bad and you'll miss stuff on the roads, there is no right or wrong answer to this.

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Agree, however, in my many visits, I have always, without exception had good sightings of elephants and other animals at the larger waterholes. If one stays long enough, over a period of hours, there is every good chance animals arrive to water. That said, if one is only there for a 3 or 4 days, I can understand some wanting to maximise their driving. Stay longer and become familiar with certain areas is usually successful for me, as well as familiarising oneself with lion prides, and their territories, cheetah etc. Near Satara, there are 2 brothers (cheetah), and they are seen regularly in a particular area. In Nov, hanging out in that area, I saw them twice. Work hard and one is usually rewarded. I'll let you know next month after my upcoming visit! :t:

Helen O said:

Agree, however, in my many visits, I have always, without exception had good sightings of elephants and other animals at the larger waterholes. If one stays long enough, over a period of hours, there is every good chance animals arrive to water. That said, if one is only there for a 3 or 4 days, I can understand some wanting to maximise their driving. Stay longer and become familiar with certain areas is usually successful for me, as well as familiarising oneself with lion prides, and their territories, cheetah etc. Near Satara, there are 2 brothers (cheetah), and they are seen regularly in a particular area. In Nov, hanging out in that area, I saw them twice. Work hard and one is usually rewarded. I'll let you know next month after my upcoming visit! :t:

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Cheetahs are one thing but it's hard to miss Elephants in Kruger, they actually became an inconvenince for us, there are now so many! We were actually told that Elephants are now so numerous in Kruger, that they are degrading habitat for other species.

In the Southern half of the park, we spent so much time, waiting at safe diastance, for Elephants to pass, that is really became a nuisance, magnificent as they are. By driving around, we saw Cheetah twice, Lions a few times, Cape Dog twice and tons of Rhino.

The most dramatic visit we had to a water hole was when a Croc grabbed an unfortunate Egyption Goose, you could hear the bones crunching from 50m!!

andyadcock said:

3. All about chance, one day the water hole will be really good, another it will be bad and you'll miss stuff on the roads, there is no right or wrong answer to this.

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Thank you all for your answers
My plan is to spend some days driving on roads "randomly" and some days spending almost one day or at least half day close to waterholes
I also have to listen what my best half suggests, I am a patient man and I can wait hours and hours in the same place, not sure my wife can do the same...

Sbiriguda said:

Thank you all for your answers
My plan is to spend some days driving on roads "randomly" and some days spending almost one day or at least half day close to waterholes
I also have to listen what my best half suggests, I am a patient man and I can wait hours and hours in the same place, not sure my wife can do the same...

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We took a flask and made coffeee to take out with us every day, every small comfort helps.

Can I offer a small bit of advice for safely watching Elephants. Position your car, so that you can get away quickly if needed, without having to do a panicked reverse. We saw some real idiots and if an animal gets agitated, you may want to retreat a little and it's best not done backwards! Often, the parking areas at the water holes, mean that watching is done with the exit behind you, try and face the exit.