randombirder

Apparently an annual catholic event where worshippers from the area come to enjoy an evening of worship, wine, and hip swinging happened to be on the night we had planned for our early start. The music blared into the night but thankfully it still gave us enough time to rest well before the 5am alarm call. Trees Too Lodge  is conveniently located in proximity of the Crocodile Bridge Gate which in our opinion is the finest of the access points we'd visited in the park. Once through the gate, it is all to play for. The only time we had entered the gate at the 5.30am opening time to chance upon some early foraging mammals. It was a truly stunning morning. We wanted to re-trace our steps from the day before taking the S28 north. The lions were still in situ but we didn't linger too long in the area and continued heading north.  Birds were more of a feature this morning more than mammals. This brown snake eagle posed beautifully for us. Whilst common in the park, lilac-breasted r...

After checking out of Sunbird Lodge, we set off towards Phalaborwa and began the long, stop-start drive in the direction of Hazyview.  These drives are really about the moments along the way, every animal sighting a small joy, regardless of the species. Although the park is rich in wildlife, there are stretches when sightings are few and far between, which somehow makes each encounter feel all the more special. Heading along the Phalaborwa road toward Letaba, it was generally quiet, until this happened. A beautiful lioness emerged from the leftside of the road. I slammed on the brakes and for the next few minutes with no one else around, we were absolutely beguiled by this beautiful animal. Into the road it continued unperturbed by a couple of other vehicles that eventually arrived on the scene. We continued to move further into the park stopping first at the Letaba rest camp. More roadworthy animals. This young male elephant evidently had a good time at a waterhole. More crossing...