An auspicious start to a long awaited drive, everything
happened on Nkorho yesterday afternoon.
Rumour had it that drives were a little slower than usual and a little harder to come by the more sought after game.
Yesterday was then an anomaly because right out of the driveway we first had three bull elephants on the open area, grazing while slowly walking across the savannah.
Just east of the open area elephants abounded everywhere we looked with small breeding herds and bulls all about.
While we sat with a small group of eles, Bernhard drove across Kaalkol and discovered at first, another large pachyderm closely related to zebras which we were very excited to see and thus responded but unfortunately before we could get there the behemoth had run off into dense brush.
The reason for his fast extrication was initially unclear, but then Bernhard announced the presence of Thandi (female leopard) on the edge of the open area.
By the time we arrived she was sitting in some long grass, amicably looking around. Soon after, she stood up and started walking westward down a road behind the camp, occasionally territorial calling as she went.
After a good hour of following her we opted to leave and have a belated sundowner on game lodge airstrip.
Nocturnal wildlife sighted on the way home thereafter included a large-spotted genet, scops owl, a lesser bush-baby which hopped across the road right in front of us and for Bernhard, another leopard. This time a young male named Wabayiza!
This morning Thandi was seen walking down Gowrie Main, Tingana was on Triple M north but then headed westward and was lost by guides while stalking impala.
Of the birds, the scops owl calling in a marula tree was the highlight and was followed closely by a purple roller.
There was also a hippo in kudu corner dam, and a lot of vultures and bateleurs in dead trees scattered about the Kruger boundary. What had drawn them we do not know. Maybe Thandi had a kill in the area?
Rumour had it that drives were a little slower than usual and a little harder to come by the more sought after game.
Yesterday was then an anomaly because right out of the driveway we first had three bull elephants on the open area, grazing while slowly walking across the savannah.
Just east of the open area elephants abounded everywhere we looked with small breeding herds and bulls all about.
While we sat with a small group of eles, Bernhard drove across Kaalkol and discovered at first, another large pachyderm closely related to zebras which we were very excited to see and thus responded but unfortunately before we could get there the behemoth had run off into dense brush.
The reason for his fast extrication was initially unclear, but then Bernhard announced the presence of Thandi (female leopard) on the edge of the open area.
By the time we arrived she was sitting in some long grass, amicably looking around. Soon after, she stood up and started walking westward down a road behind the camp, occasionally territorial calling as she went.
After a good hour of following her we opted to leave and have a belated sundowner on game lodge airstrip.
Nocturnal wildlife sighted on the way home thereafter included a large-spotted genet, scops owl, a lesser bush-baby which hopped across the road right in front of us and for Bernhard, another leopard. This time a young male named Wabayiza!
This morning Thandi was seen walking down Gowrie Main, Tingana was on Triple M north but then headed westward and was lost by guides while stalking impala.
Of the birds, the scops owl calling in a marula tree was the highlight and was followed closely by a purple roller.
There was also a hippo in kudu corner dam, and a lot of vultures and bateleurs in dead trees scattered about the Kruger boundary. What had drawn them we do not know. Maybe Thandi had a kill in the area?
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