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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 3637960" data-attributes="member: 12449">13 June. Shingwedzi-Letaba, Kruger.Southbound to Letaba, a pair of Side-striped Jackals the highlight, plus two separate Sharpe's Grysboks, one Steenbok and a number of Tsessebe, plus increasing numbers of Waterbuck and Blue Wildebeest waongst the more common mammals. Not bad for birds too, the first big flocks of Helmeted Guineafowl scurrying all over the place, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-larks in abundance, at least 25 Cinnamon-breasted Buntings in drier areas and, along watercourses, quite a few Goliath Herons and Green-backed Heron. And then to Letaba, incorporated into my itinerary primarily as it is supposed to be one of the best camps in Kruger to find roosting bats. And so it turned out to be – even as I checked in at reception, and rejoiced at the final arrival of my baggage, the squeaking of roosting bats could be heard! Investigating a little, I soon found them – dozens squeezed under the eaves of the building. Would be back to investigate those shortly. With my bag arrived, so camping could finally commence. Put the tents up, then searched for bats with quite some success – first a group of quite exquisite Whalberg's Epauletted Fruit Bats roosting under a palm (or in reality could also be Whalberg's Epauletted Fruit Bats, indistinguishable without examination of dental patterns), then hundreds of Angolan Free-tailed Bats in large bat boxes dotted about on high poles, quite a pong from them! Back at the reception building, many of the bats were squashed into tiny cavities and gaps, not too easy to see - but though some also appeared to be Angolan Free-tailed Bats, some at least were Little Free-tailed Bats, perhaps even most. Did spend a while poking around a line of static safari tents in the campsite - managed not to upset any campers, but also failed to find any of the Banana Pipistrelles that sometimes roost under the window flaps of the tents, a few telltale droppings the only sign of their presence.Also in the campsite, Bushbucks wandering around and, along the broad river that stretches in front of the restaurant area, many Hippos and Nile Crocodiles and numerous birds, including two dozen Marabou Storks, seven Woolly-necked Storks, two Saddle-billed Storks and about 30 Water Thick-knees.For all the day's highlights, the bats and all, the ultimate pièce de résistance however was still to come - on an otherwise moderately quiet evening drive to the east of the camp, albeit punctuated first by a Brown-hooded Kingfisher and then by rather close encounters with stubborn Elephants, we were about to hit it big time. I confess to not actually spotting it, but a mini screech from within the car, 'stop, reverse' immediately got the adrenalin going. Backed up and there it was - as the last rays of the sun cast dappled shadows across boulders dropping off towards a sluggish river, a fine Leopard sauntering up onto the rocks to catch the dying sun, most magical. And so ended another fine day on Africa. Two Spotted Hyenas appeared on the night camera.</blockquote>

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