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This is my 1st trip report so I trust that everything's according to the rules (read the rules w.r.t. posting photo's). We are not that familiar with many birds, so please correct me on those that i've mis-identified.

We left home very early on 27 September and got to the Malelane gate at 05h00 - way too early I thought but soon more vehicles arrived. At 06h00 when we entered the park there were quite a number of cars at the gate - indeed glad that we were first in the queue. It was a cool morning and the next day, Sunday, was particularly cold. We did not take enough warm clothes as the previous week was v-e-r-y hot.

The first thing we noticed was how dry the park was. On the S114 we saw this Red-crested korhaan:


and then this Rhino:


We stopped at Afsaal for coffee but had to wait a while as they were just opening up. From here we went to Skukuza via Renosterkoppies - some Zebra and Blue wildebeest were wondering around. Took a quick pit stop at Skukuza and also checked the sightings board before heading to Lower Sabie.

On the H4-1, a Lioness was resting in the tall grass next to the Sabie river. I could not see any cubs or the rest of her pride. Have a look at this Video (sorry for the shaking as the video cam's LCD broke earlier this morning )



Saw this Fish Eagle from the bridge on the H12:


Along the H4-1 a small herd of Elephant grazing next to the road and then a first for us - an African Harrier Hawk/Gymnogene. Now I'm not sure what the correct name is as my 2 books use different names:




Accross the Sabie river 3 sightings of Lion - two of these sightings were just males. We had to use Bino's to get a proper view as it was quite far - the male and female is shown at the end of the previous video clip.

Checked in at Lower Sabie and got 2 'brand new' perimeter bungalow's on the Sabie river. After unpacking we headed South on the H4-2, found a Leguan crossing the road and then a group of Vervet monkeys. The one mother was clinging on to a very small baby - it was quite cool at this stage.


Close to the Ntandanyathi hide we saw a dead Rhino calf with lots of vultures and a lone Hyaena. Not sure why there were no Lion in sight. A ranger at Lower Sabie reckon it was about 3 years old and at that stage they weren't sure as to the cause of its death. They reckoned it could have been killed by a bull that wanted to mate with its mother.

Hi Johan,
Very nice that you started your trip report.
Beautiful photo's, especially the rhino and the korhaan.
The official name now is African Harrier Hawk. But I can't get used to this name, so I like Gymnogene better.
Looking forward to the next episode.

I am still not satisfied with the image quality of the video clip but thought I'll share it with you in the meantime.

28 September 2008 : Lower Sabie to Berg-en-Dal
We got up early and found a Baboon troop patrolling the lawn and turning dustbins upside down. They were soon followed by a SANParks worker chasing them away. My daughter went on a morning walk with Martie and Irving. It was a cool morning, overcast and there was a very slight drizzle from time to time. Found this moth on the front porch:



Left camp at gate opening and headed South on the S28 looking for Cheetah but unfortunately did not see them. At the dead Rhino site there were still no Lion to be seen. Then we went North on the H10 and at the Muntshe waterhole saw a car parked. Took the bino's and after a lot of searching saw what they were looking at: Lions (1 male, 3 females and 2 cubs). They were quite far in and there was no opportunities for any decent photo's.

Back at Lower Sabie, my daughter was very exited about the bush walk - they got close to some Rhinos. On the way to Berg-en-Dal via the tar road we saw general game as well as Buffalo and Ellies in the Sabie river.



View across the Sabie river - look at the barren ground in the foreground:


At Berg-en-Dal we got a 6 sleeper bungalow on the perimeter but unfortunately did not see any game at the fence. It was still overcast when we took the S110. A first for us was a Grey-headed Bush-shrike (Spookvoël) – no pic though.

On the S118 the veld was burnt. This is not a great photo but I would like to know if this is a Wahlberg's Eagle?


We watched a smouldering log


when SO shouted: Wild Dog!!! The relaxed mood in the car changed instantly as 5 adults and 3 pups came running towards us. I had to turn the car around, as they ran past us into the veld. At first we thought they disappeared but we drove on slowly scanning the bush (or what was left of it) when they re-appeared!! We followed them for 20 minutes – the 1st 15 minutes we were the only car. Photo opportunities were difficult as it still was overcast and late in the afternoon. They also did not stand still for more than a couple of seconds at most. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic experience!!

Wild Dogs - shaky at first due to faulty Video Cam LCD









So off we went to camp only to find this a few kilometres down the road:


The evening we took the spotlight down to the dam at the restaurant. Saw Waterbuck, Egyptian Geese and a Vervet Monkey sleeping in a tree. Then we heard a Leopard growling in the distance (to the East of the dam) – amazing sound! Well, if we can’t see them then I guess the next best thing is to hear that very distinct sound (3 times)

This was our last day of this short visit and it turned out being a birding day. The sun was out and the cool weather of the previous two days a thing of the past. We were up early and was the 6th car at the gate.

On the S110 there were some Ellies in the distance and then at the Giraffe carcass of the previous day we found a lonely Hyaena and a couple of vultures. We watched them for a while in the early morning light before heading North.


Then a few Bateleur's (the adults were not positioned well for photo's) including this juvenile:


On the S32 this Giant eagle owl was barely visible on its nest:


and further down the road this Tawny Eagle


At Afsaal we had breakfast and coffee. Also got two bags of ice for the cooler box as it was going to be a hot day. The H3 to Skukuza delivered general game. We went to the two low water bridges North of Skukuza to look for that elusive Leopard. Instead we found these guys baking in the sun:




On the way to Phabeni we made a quick stop at Lake Panic. The sun was a bit harsh for good photo’s but despite this I took a few shots:

Terrapin


Pied Kingfisher with lunch


Goliath Heron


African Darter


The S1 to the Phabeni gate did not deliver much – must be due to the heat. Well, another great trip has come to an end – glad I could share this with you. The end.

Yvonne,

What would you like to see?
You can also have a look here - i've got one on page 12 as well:
http://www.sanparks.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=902&start=180

Definately a more lively one:

Can you believe that we've had more Wild dog than Cheetah sightings? I'm not complaining but it would be nice to see some Cheetah's now. Glad you enjoyed the report.