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{tr: They have arrived and now he is going to have a castle and watch the impalas. Fish Eagle calling at Malelane}

Wish I was there ...

MMS just in from WTM!

@Pardus: We are definitly lucky that he spared us the sight of his face in that lovely photo.

This morning at 06:50 as we left for work it was still dark outside. I immediately thought of WTM that was already out and about in the park and sent him a quick SMS.

His reply (OK, I've translated it):

Also had a chat with him .. he was busy watching "Dagha Boy" in the riverbed from his accomodation ... 2 Sunbirds and something else .. can't remember

Aha, I’ve sent him an SMS around 15:10 to tell him to put down his beer and write a report. Seems it worked.

Sounds like his having a great time

this came in 11:22am, but I was unfortunately busy with retail therapy.....WTM asks where he is again...can someone please tell him

He is at Gezantfombi Dam on the H4-2. Can we have a silver collection on the Forum to buy WTM a map please?

this came in with the caption "go bokke go", anyone who guesses where WTM is and what he is doing, may reward themselves with a nice, ice cold beer

Have they changed the S100 into a railtrack?

Morning people.

Had a very nice relaxing time in the Park. Sightings were very scarce but nevertheless the company was brilliant and a bad day in the Park is always way better then a good one in Gauteng.

More later...

Ok peeps, let me quickly let you in on the lack of sightings I had.

Highlight of Thursday:

scops@afsaal. It took some looking, the lil bugger, but I did find it. You can't hide from W™ too long. There was also the sighting of a puffadder enroute to Biyamithi from Afsaal.

Other then that a single white rhino and buggerall else.

Night@Biyamithi was disturbed by tape recordings from Stephen's office of lion. Did also hear scops owl, fiery-necked nightjar, barn owl and 2 pearlies. Lovely.

Friday hightlights included:

Single rhino@lookout on Biyamithi private road. A breeding herd of eles 1km from the croc bridge camp gate and a imminent lion take out of a giraffe at the same spot. The oke is injured(knee looks busted) and by the look on his face he knows that the end is near, so keep an eye out for a lion frenzy one of these days. He roamed the same area of about 50m2 the 2 days we saw him.

Daniel wasn't present@hippo pools but we did get info from the guide present there that the biggest croc he has seen in his life. And he had seen a few, I am sure. So we went looking for it. True as Bob there it was!! A monster mense! That thing is huge. He could write a book. If he was any bigger he wouldnt have fit in its own skin.

Truely a magnificent reptile!

Sunset drive: Zebs, more camelhorses(was here that I decided to stuff the elepahnt culling support and vent my grief on the camelhorse culling initiative). About a hundred bushbabies, a coyote(bb jackal) acording to a yankee.

to be continued...

Saturday

large spotted genet, hyaena on previous sunset drive's cheetah kill, trumpetting ele, more rhino(cull the stuff please) and a pearlie.

Oops: Thursday highlights left out: juv. Gymnogene hunting.

Saturday highlights:

view from our chalet: Daghaboy in croc river, bushbuck, vervets, lil bee-eater.

More ele's...

to be continued...

Geez F.E.W. Cut me some slack will you?

Saturday continues...

More eles. Stopped@LS for a drink. Hippos and crocs were aplenty. Tried to spot the reported "LIT" with kill, but as we all know by now its just a bush urban legend.

All the way to Skukuza stuffall animals except for a giraffe. But they were as common as rhino by now.

The weather on Sat was cold, windy and miserable.

Skukuza - watched the rugby. What a hopeless game. After the game we decided to go to the riverfront and a hippo amused us close up with a stumble as he entered the water and crashing with a murderous thump.

He actually stood there for a good few minutes to get his bearings together before moving off.

Hit the sacks early and during the night heard hyeanas, lions and a cat like growl which must have been a wildcat in the camp.

Got up at my usual hour of 3am and took a stroll to the riverfront. Sat there in the dark and listened to something eating its way thru some flora. Heard the lions again... The bats kept flying overhead and the snorting hippo announced the break of day. I got back into bed @ around 5am and woke up again @ 6:30 to take a final drive. Drove towards Maroela loop where people saw a leopard with 2 small cubs the day before. No such luck for me, but I can recommend this loop as I have seen leopard on it before.

Needless to say I saw more giraffe. Our final drive took us to Pkop where we had lunch and out we went @ Numbi for the drive back to PTA.

Thats that in a nutshell. But I would like to thank the eggwhites phoning me up every 5secs on Fri night. Your day will come.

Zebra and me saw this giraffe last week Wednesday on the S25, just before the bridge over the Biyamiti River. Well I believe it is the same giraffe…badly injured knee on hide leg?
Shame, it seemed to be in a lot of pain. I wonder how that happened? Although, as I have said a 1000 times, people speed on that road…might have been hit by a vehicle