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I'm almost ready to leave on Monday... for 5 weeks

After "lost" one night in Phalaborwa (sorry for the local) :
KRUGER I COME and please animals, birds, yellow ribbons show you... I'm looking for all beast

Like Pumbaa I'll miss you...

Hi everybody... I'm at home
When I speak about leopard again croc... it was leopard against crocodile (oh English), this story is in one newspaper of Sanpark, I'll do a copy for you.
Thank you Restio, Kathy and Michele for posting sms and Anne-Catherine to give some news.
Well I have 11GB to sort... be a little bit patient, this year I have all "my" time...
I have a cheetah... in stone

First I would like to thank Kruger to exist.
Next time, if there is… wait and see, I will go before this high grasses, especially in the north.
I have spend 5 "short" weeks and I would like split these report in 13 places.

LETABA – 13/14/15.2.2008 – bungalow 40D

I "take the park" through Phalaborwa in the middle of the day... after recover my lost luggage, go shopping and do change. I take with me "only" the amount I use these last years…. for 2 weeks , and 5-6 days after I understand my mistake… so during some days I eat only "bred and cheese"… I have to keep zar for petrol ! (till end of February).

13.2 I turn immediately to the left side to test the gravel roads . In less than 2 km I have found 2 giraffes, 2 elephants, buffalos and antelopes. What a start. The weather was cloudy but hot (30°) like I love. I unpacked with pleasure my "treasury" with 2 antelopes lie down looking at me.








14.2 I stay in the room later than I hope… I have 24 hours travel, and a little bit tired… no problem : I have a lot of time ahead ( it was that I believed… and time go so fast). I visited elephant hall and learn a lot, buy rice to fill in beans bag (forgotten in Phalaborwa) and GO around Letaba till Olifants, along Letaba river I was blocked by a elephant bull for about 30 minutes and arrived from the rear a big herd with very young. What can I do ? I have to return in time… I decide to go through the herd… slowly… and at the next loop I take the wrong road… Luckily some people of SanPark was here with a lot of cars and ask me to go away (I don't know what was the matter) and give me the good direction. A lot of emotion for the first day.
















15.2 this morning I was earlier , going to Phalaborwa gate by the tar road with a stop at sable dam where a fish eagle don't want to fish and at Masorini. I've found "my" first lions.







Ruff (Reeve)

... à suivre...

SHINGWEDZI – 16/17/18.2.2008 - bungalow no 28A

16.2 After 3 nights at Letaba , it's time to go north, to Shingwedzi. I begin to "catch" Kruger time, sleeping between 8-9 PM, awake about 5-6 AM.
I take the tar road (H1-6) and S50 till Mopani with a stop at Shipandani and Pioneer. I inspect all the water hall, dam, lake and point of vue, cross the tropic of Capricorn. At Shingwedzi I continue with S50 till Kanniedood.
Twice I wait for a crossing tortoise, slowly crossing… but I know another thing much more slowly…

I have seen : elephants-baboons-a lot of marabouts and white storks-king fisher-lions-giraffes-tortoises-eagles.
I hate camomile tea (especially my stomac), but this tree is really wonderful
camomile
secretary bird and carmine bee eater
from pedestrian bridge

yellowbilled stork





tawny eagle
kingfisher
marabou+white stork+ egyptian goose

... à suivre...

Great pix, anne-marie, I especially like your fevertree. Is it on the S50? Your stork is a yellowbilled stork and your eagle sure looks like a tawny to me, really nice photo, too! Seems you had a very productive day with lots of variety!

Yes Arks, I think it was on the S50 (if I compare time between the pix...) but I can't remember exactly where

Yes Katy Shingwedzi is wonderful, and surrounded by a lot of interessants road, lake and dam, but also by a lot of elephants....
I saw 2x carmine bee eater with secretary bird

17.2
It was a quiet day. I went to Bateleur and return by S52 and S134/135 ,Shingwedzi loop and all the little loops, take S50 till the 6 water hall and return.
The storks, more than 100 (it's difficult to count moving birds) are still there.
The Burchell's coucal give me a lot of problems, waiting till he could go out of the bush… and return as fast I take the pix.

Burchell's coucal


bateleur eagle

great white egret

Great to see such nice bird pix, anne-marie! Your "cuckoo" is in fact a Burchell's coucal, and yes, it can be frustrating to try to get a clear photo And in your egret photo, I think you also have both an Egyptian goose and a blacksmith plover!

18.2
I decide to go to Babalala through the gravels roads where I cross a very big herd of buffalos , stretch my legs and return by the tar road. I've seen the first martial eagle.

martial eagle



white backed vulture



frog nest ?



This evening I went to a sunset drive… a very very good idea. We saw 2 leopards as the famous leopard against crocodile as mentioned in the "Kruger park times" of 12 march to 25 march 2008, several owls.
The leopard was on the left side of the pedestrian bridge and a herd of elephants on the right side… we forgotten the elephants...
Unfortunately we haven't any pictures of these story, it's was to dark and the spot light a little bit poor, but in my mind for a long time !

blacksmith plover

Ah ! sunset

the first leopard

giant eagle owl

and the second leopard...


What an evening...

PUNDA MARIA 19/20/21.2.08 safari tent no 7

19.2
Once again I packed all my "treasury" in the car and left Shingwedzi to Punda Maria on the tar road with a stop at babalala, and Dzundzwini loop. Along the tar road I saw a white headed vulture, an alone carcass, an european roller with a cricket or grasshopper, a very sick car and as normal a big herd of elephants. I saw the first baobab which are my prefered and this small antelope sharpe's grysbok crested francolin and babies, some ducks having a lot of fun during mam are standing in the near tree.

white headed vulture

alone carcass

european roller





sharpe's grysbok

crested francolin

ducks having a lot of fun

mam ?

The safari tent of Punda Maria are very nice, the best till now. Il love tent it seems to me more "safari"... just a little bit difficult to reach because of a lot of stairs...and my big age...

à suivre...

Bonjour Anne-Marie,
Seeing your picture of the car, I now understand what you meant with a sick car.
The bird, I think, is a european roller and the antelope is sharpe's grysbok (nice picture b.t.w.).
I never stayed the night at Punda Maria. Looks great to me in a safari tent. Maybe next time.
It's great reading your report.

More interesting sightings, anne-marie. Your francolin are crested francolin (Swainson's have red skin around the eye and on the neck). Your "mam" in the tree looks like an Egyptian goose, but your "ducks" in the water are something different and I'm not sure what. You might want to post in the general birds ID thread in the birds forum?

I also love the safari tents at Punda, but fortunately didn't have one with stairs, altho it did have a long walkway (#3). I agree that at my/our age, extra stairs can be tiring! But as you say, we survive! A small price to pay for the joys of the bush!

20.2

Early in the morning, I went to Pafuri through the gravel road and visit all the loops.



I have an appointment with Anne-Catherine and her children who are at Pafuri.

In one little loop, on S60 or S61 I was standing by the river , when I realize they are a lot of elephant's droppings and if only one come… so I decide to move… precisely when an abnormal one come ! I have to back up, ready to go and ready to have a picture, sorry only two… and I have to continue my way… exactely to escape.






I saw also several eagles on the road, the time to have a good position for picture only two of them stay in place.

booted eagle ?

I spend more than 1 hour at Pafuri picnic spot with the man and his wife who was there (sorry I don't remember the name). He shows me a lot of birds, only one pictures because of the trees, it was to dark.

redchested cuckoo ?


Then nyalas female and young come to have a drink, but only one female drunk and a little bit later nyala bull come also to drink. The man explain me they are afraid by the quiver water… seems to be crocodiles.






As I did't see Anne-Catherine coming, I went to Crooks Corner and return, Pafuri gate and nyalas road (S64).
And again an elephant on the road, this time I have to parley and he give me the way.



black eyed bulbul

the issue of the flood

... à suivre...

Thank you everybody, you are very kind

The "poor ellie" is maybe the one who was injured in another trip report (I don't remember which one ), losed the end of his hanging trunk...
It was few month ago...

If I remember right, somebody give books and binoculare to this man, Frank maybee...