Day 4
Various locations near Satara Camp with a dusk drive.
Hot with high temperatures to 38.
Left camp at 5am - now it was all action so standby - I'll tr not to just reproduce a list but it was a bit like here,there and everywhere!
Orange breasted and Grey-headed Bush Shrikes,were heard but not seen, a Giant Kingfisher and Elephants! Love those Ellies! More pictures. Bateleur now I was seeking to see these paddling like my friend did the year before (in August) where Dad was with juv and they were cooling off in the water. No such luck just tightrope walking Bateleurs! Lappet-faced Vultures, there were many other birds - Cardinal Woodpecker, Scimitarbills, Green Woodhoopoe and Burchell's Starling. We discovered a Giraffe that had been killed by Lions a few days before and there were 15 White-backed and a couple of Cape Vultures feeding whilst others were waiting in nearby trees. I think we were all a little sorry for the Giraffe as we had really fallen under their elegant spell.
Mosque Swallows were feeding on insects nearby.
Red-crested Korhaan,(I wonder if I have mentioned Korhaans before...should have) Crowned Lapwings,Hammerkop (extraordinary bird!)Arrow-marked babler, And Wahlbergs Eagle, our first since the first on the first day!
Warthogs, Zebras and Kudu's. Then at a dam - Judzani, there were many Hippos and Crocodiles in and beside the river with baboons feeding away from the trouble! Wood Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilts, Egyptian and Spur-winged geese, African Jacanas, Three banded Plovers, Black Crake and Saddlebilled Stork. then at last a Kori Bustard whish shimmed down to the water for a drink.
I think it was here that we saw some tourists - South Africans - who were outside their car! Standing around and having a better look! A couple of "warden" came by and they were soon packed into their car and off they went!
Might have been interesting if a croc or two had decide they might have Homo sapiens for breakfast!
We went down to a river crossing nearby and in the water were about a dozen Hippos in the deeper water. Three threatening looking Buffalos watched us as we drove past complete with Redbilled Oxpeckers hitching a lift! A group of Waterbuck followedby many small groups of SB.
We also saw another Bateleur and another Martial Eagle. Great!
Then it was on to the N'wanetsi picnic site, where we enjoyed Bacon,eggs and mushroom - much better to eat later!
Nearby we walked up a hill andoverlooked the river where Grey Herons and Saddle-billed Storks stood in the only remaining pool of water nearby in bushes we watched a Mocking Cliff Chat as it flicked about.
During breakfast also saw Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Blackbacked Puffback, White-bellied Sunbird and an Acacia Pied Barbet.
Banded Mongoose were scampering about.
As we left a Booted eagle flew past!
We then were on our retrn towards Satara camp again as the day grew hot!
Besides a pool 9 Lions were resting in the shade but there was little else about! Black-breasted Snake Eagle Ostrich, Little Swifts, LB and P Rollers, and a couple of Warthogs that were thinking of a lift from us they were that close! We were back in the camp by 10am.
Walking around the camp about an hour later we saw Maurico Sunbirds, a Black-headed Orioleas well as Grey-headed and Orange-breasted Bush Shrikes. What will remain with me all my days was the Giant Kingfisher perched over a large pond attempting to eat a baby Terrapin!
Jan, Mike and I went for another walk after some housekeeping (washing!) and spent time attempting to potograph the Dragonflies and damselflies that were abundant -I managed to get a couple of decent shots! I think we wer on our way to the shops for wine and /or beer or probably both!
Little Sparrowhawk was seen over camp.
There was a keen sense of anticipation as we ate supper before the night drive.A briefdrive in one direction from camp and we were looking at 3 Lionesses and 2 well grown cubs were....you guessed resting!
Then we turned around and speed off in the other direction......clearly the driver knew where he was going and for what!
An Elephant, Grey Duiker, SB, Wildebeest and a Porcupine! These were followed by Scrub Hare and 2 white Rhino's rumbled away into the bush.A male lion was lying in our road and as we approached he strolled off to the left as our spotlights were swept around another 10 Lions were seen to the right of the road! We turned around further past and this time saw a Black-backed Jackal close to the big cats- that was a surprise! However one of the young male lions decided enough was enough and chased it off! We then did a slight detour seeing Common Genet, Zebras and a cat our driver called as Cheetah. We all agreed that that was not a Cheetah and decided it was probably a Serval!
