Last Week At Satara

We start packing on Sunday for an early departure for Letaba on Monday 28th, where we spend the last 10 days of our holiday, before taking the caravan to storage in Nelspruit and heading home. We will be arriving in CT on 11 September.

Ann, Carole, Louise, Terrance and young Luke arrived on Monday 21st to spend 10 days at Satara, great to see all of them again.

We have had great sightings of Lion and Cheetah, the Leopard and Dogs are still evading us.

Crocs at Nkaya Pan

Baby Baboon suckling

We saw this elephant on the S36. This must be one of Krugers new big Tuskers recently indentified.

This is the best shot we have had of the Illusive Leopard

Buffs at Girvana

Cheetah on the move north of Satara H1-4

Louise, Luke, Ann, Terrence, Lettie and Carole.

 enjoying a Fry-Up at Timbavati.

2 Cheetah hunting on the H6 Nwanetsi Tar

Wildebeest at Girvana which is drying up fast

Cheetah at Girvana

It was to windy to go out this morning, Friday 18 Aug. so we stayed in camp and did maintenance,  knocked in the pegs that had come loose.

At about 3 we decide to take a drive to Girvana again. on arrival we found 5 cheetah crossing the road we watched and photographed until they disappeared.

We took up our favorite spot at the waterhole to wait and see, not expecting the cheetah to come back.
We heard Impala giving the alarm call in the distance thinking that they had spotted the Cheetah.
We then saw vultures starting to circle and picked up the cheetah feeding on a Impala.

We were alone at the waterhole and watched for at least a half an hour before the vultures harassed the Cheetah into leaving the kill, they headed strait to us and started drinking water, Buffalo arrived and chased the Cheetah.

watch the video

  

First Sighting

Feeding on the Impala

Buffalo arrive at Girvana

Elephant arrive

More Lion

It does not seem to matter what road we take or what direction we go we always seem to find Lion.

Completely opposite to last year when the Lion were always on the other road to what we took.

The cold front has come through, it is very windy here today, Friday. Still warm, night time temperature about 14 C and day 24 C

A video of Lion hunting Zebra at the waterhole.

We went directly at 06:30 to Girvana waterhole, Lettie had just started making coffee when these 2 Lions arrived at the waterhole, we watched them patrol the area then move off, only to return awile later.

The Lions are lying in the background, uninterested.

watch the Blacksmith Lapwing harassing the Baboon. 

There was a whole troop of baboon in the tree, the lion is looking at them, they were barking loudly at the Lion

Tori this is the broccoli tree!

Lion at the Girvana sign

White Lion

We left early today, 16th, and followed the S90 to the S41.

At the Gudzani East waterhole we found a pride of Lion around the waterhole.

Girvana waterhole Saddle bill fishing for frogs

 Zebra at Girvana

Hyaena at a den just outside Satara

Zebra accumulating at the waterhole unaware that a Lion is hiding in the long grass.

You can just see the Lion in the grass at the waterhole

Chaos as the Lion charges 

You can see the Lion in the center

Lion on the heals of a Zebra, Zebra kicking.
enlarge to see the action. I had the camera on rapid shoot, this is the best shot I got.

Lion chasing Zebra increasing distance and getting away.

lions returning after the chase

Our white Lion making an appearance

He is my Brother, walking together, a clear indication of the colour variation.

  Moved between our car and the road.

Enlarge to spot the Lion in the grass on the other side of the trough

Our site at Satara

Honey Badger early this morning raiding the tents.