KRUGER NP 2007
Taken from the South Africa trip report

Day 16 / Jan 20 – Wakkerstroom to Kruger NP; Kruger NP, Malelane Gate to Crocodile Bridge to Lower Sabie

Due to the long drive that we had ahead of us to get to Kruger, we spent little time birding along the way other than necessary stops. A Black-backed Jackal was one of those stops, as was a pair of roadside foraging Red-winged Francolin. This gave us an opportunity to have our packed breakfast. On the outskirts of Chrissie a few Mallards were on a large pond and shortly after a pair of Secretarybirds were spotted in a field close to the road. We watched them for a while as they foraged. As we descended from the highlands the rolling grasslands were replaced by Pine and evergreen forests, courtesy of the paper industry, for as far as the eye could see. As we neared Kruger this monotonous faux-landscape was turned into the native lowveld.

By noon we had reached the flagship of South Africa’s parks and the anticipation of what was to come eagerly awaited us. At the Malelane Bridge we got looks at some of the big mammals, namely Elephants and Hippo’s along with a Nile Crocodile that we watched get out of the water and walk onto a small sand island. The stunning White-fronted Bee-eater was common as they flew sorties over the Crocodile River from the edge of the reed beds. Goliath Heron, Water Thick-knees, Green-backed Herons, Black Crake and an African Harrier Hawk were also sighted. Once we officially entered the park we were not allowed to get out of our vehicle, but that did not stop us from having great looks at groups of Giraffes, Impala’s, a few Warthogs, a large herd of Elephants that crossed the road in front of us including several very young ones and a pair of White-Rhinoceros. At one point near the Hippo pool we had 3 of the “Big 5” within view at once - Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo. The birding was also excellent with many new species seen including Cinnamon-breasted Buntings, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Red-billed Hornbill, Natal Francolins, Eurasian Hobby, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Grey Hornbill, Magpie Shrikes, Black Kite, Burchell’s Glossy Starlings, Golden Oriole, Marsh Sandpiper, Lappet-faced Vulture, Crested Barbet, Red-crested Korhaan, Double-banded Sandgrouse, European Roller, a Pearl-spotted Owlet sitting in perfect light besides the road, along with many Lilac-breasted Rollers. We caught sight of 3 Banded Mongoose crossing the road and had 2 snake species, a 7 foot Southern African Python on the sandy river bed and a baby (1 plus foot) Puff Adder near the Lower Sabie reception building.

Day 17 / Jan 21 – Kruger NP: AM Lower Sabie, H4-1, S28, Crocodile Bridge; PM H4-2 & H10, H1-3 Tshokwane to Satara

The night serenade consisted of hippos and hyenas, and at 4am we heard one of our tent neighbors panicking as her whiny southern twangy voice kept calling out “Hell-looo, hell-looo, I think there’s a hippo on my porch. Hell-looo, hell-looo”. I don’t know if she ever made it out her room. Quite hilarious really!!

The road system in the park was first class, with paved roads between the main sites and many high quality loop roads coming off of them. Maybe it was the time of the year, just after the end of the summer holidays, but it was awfully quiet with very few vehicles encountered and not many people at each of the camps we stayed at.

Errol joined us in the park and we split up into two vehicles. The camp gates opened at 4:30, three-quarters of an hour before sunrise, but just light enough to see Marabou storks roosting and hear what seemed to be one White-browed Scrub-Robin after another singing along H4-1. Natal Francolin’s preferred the roadside edges and were pretty common as were many Swainson’s; an Elephant was heard trumpeting and what must surely be one of the highlights of the trip. We encountered a lone Cape Hunting Dog trotting down the road and once it passed right by us we turned around and followed it, driving at 20kmp with it besides us for a good distance. This lean, slim and multi color-patched mammal was covering a great distance with amazing ease seemingly exhorting very little effort. We left it 10 minutes later and many kilometers south of where we first found it having experienced one of the wild kingdoms extraordinary encounters. We made it as far as Nkuhlu Picnic Site along the Sabie River before turning back to Lower Sabie. Crested Barbet’s, Orange-breasted Bush-shrike, Grey Go-away-bird, Southern Black Tit, Lesser Masked Weavers and Red-billed Buffalo Weavers were all seen, the later at their huge stick nests on a dead tree in a small lake with hippos in the water and croc’s basking on the banks as a herd of Impala’s came to drink. We encountered a Spotted Hyena, basically doing the same thing as the Hunting Dog, but without all the grace or speed. It was later seen at breakfast crossing between the deck and the Sabie River.

Following breakfast we headed south and at the intersection with S28 a group of 7 vehicles alerted us to our first cat sighting, a female Leopard in a tree. With the main trunk at 45 degrees she could never get completely settled and every few minutes she would move about hoping to find a more comfortable position to rest. For half an hour we watched this majestic beast in awe not believing our luck before continuing on our way. Meanwhile we could not get a hold of Errol by phone, and though they missed this cat they did have a thick-maned male Lion walking along the road besides them. Magpie Shrike’s were becoming a common sight; we found our first Lesser Grey Shrike and a few Bateleur could be seen cruising the skies. Before reaching the southeastern corner of the park we encountered a large herd of Cape Buffalos, scattered Burchell’s Zebra, a Bennett’s Woodpecker, Sabota’s Lark and Tawny Eagle while at a small pool of water along a relatively dry stream bed Open-billed Stork, Goliath Heron, Grey Heron and Green-backed Heron along with Black Crakes and Water Thick-knees.

It was a long drive after lunch from Crocodile Bridge to Satara, but we managed to find a number of goodies under the (most welcomed) cloudy skies. Saddle-billed Stork’s where in the same location as we briefly glimpsed them yesterday, but this time in full view; a Martial Eagle gave us an idea of its imposing power even if it was only perched; Southern Carmine Bee-eaters with their long tails and outrageous colors stood out; Brown Snake Snakes were becoming a common sight and Brown-headed Parrots made their first appearances.

We took a brief break from being in the vehicle when we alighted at Tshokwane Picnic Site where we found many African Mourning Doves, a few Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starlings along with Tree Squirrels and Chacma Baboons. Continuing, and before reaching the Baobab Tree, Senegal Lapwings were located besides the road and after checking out the unique tree, a small group of roosting Hooded Vultures were spotted as was a Black Stork. Nearing Satara another gathering of cars, this time only 2 or 3, could only mean there was another cat. There was one, but it was pretty much out of sight, and only at Barb’s insistence did we stay to confirm that what she was seeing was indeed a cat - a lioness we presumed ....we would never know for sure as we only saw a paw go up, an ear and a tail flick over the top of the grasses as it lay on its back under the shade of a palm.

The night drive was very successful with Black-backed Jackal, White-tailed Mongoose, an uncommon African Civet, 2 African Wild Cats including a small one hunkered down in the grass, seen very well. A number of Scrub Hare’s, the first of which I was reminded by our driver-guide that they do not have Rabbits here in this part of South Africa, and a Small-spotted Genet which most of us got looks at before it hid under a large shrub. A few Square-tailed Nightjars were spotlighted and a Small Buttonquail was found on the tarmac road, allowing us all the time we wanted to look down on it.

Day 18 / Jan 22 – Kruger NP: AM, S90; Satara Camp; S126 & S36; PM, H7 & S106; drive to Tracker’s Guest Farm

We left at 5am driving north of Satara in very similar habitat to yesterday, finding our first Purple Rollers, Chestnut-backed Sparrowlarks, Sedge Warbler, a male Montagu’s Harrier, a Jacobin Cuckoo and an amazing Secretarybird. Erol’s vehicle did locate a Kori Bustard along the same track later in the morning.

After breakfast at Satara a roosting African Scops Owl was quickly located in the car park thanks to one of the local guides and the extensive grounds held many African Green Pigeons feeding on figs; Brown-headed Parrots; and Chris and Barb tracked down Grey-headed Bush-shrike and Groundscraper Thrushes.

Our mid to late morning drive produced 4 or 5 solitary bull Elephants resting in the shade under large acacias; a few Giraffes including a youngster that we watched gallop to its mother; a large troop of Chacma Baboons including a baby riding upright on the back of her walking mother, and a distant Rhino that we thought we could catch up to, but it eluded us. By now the temperatures were rising fast and well into the low 90’s and one got the feeling that all activity was slowing down. We finally stumbled across 3 adult and a juvenile Southern Ground Hornbills as we came around a bend in the track. These large birds ignored us and kept on sweeping across the grassland occasionally being seen to flick an insect up and catch it in their bills. We got our best looks at Trumpeter Hornbill and many of the smaller Red-billed and Yellow-bills along with a few Grey’s. A pair of Levalliant’s Cuckoo’s posed long enough to see the difference between them and Jacobin Cuckoo. A Dark Chanting Goshawk was perched in a shaded part of a tree overlooking the landscape and a small kettle of vultures turned out to be a mixed group of White-headed and Hooded.

Having failed to find any cats we returned to Satara for lunch and to check on the sighting board. Lion and Cheetah were seen along the road to Orpen, so that worked out nicely as we were to rendezvous with Errol at the Orpen gate at 4pm. Alas the heat kept wildlife to a minimum with only a Black-backed Jackal mad enough to be wondering about in this conditions. Two new bird species were added, these being Jameson’s Firefinch and 5 beautiful Temminck’s Coursers.

One could spend an eternity in Kruger, with countless kilometers of roadways to explore, so it was sad that our stay was so short, though surely one of the highlights. It was a short drive once out of the park to the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, on the way out we dodged a tortoise, had a large snake cross in front of us and stopped for the mother of all kingfishers, a Giant.

Adrian Binns