I just returned to the Saudi desert after a two week vacation back home in South Africa.

My 1st week was spend next to the dry/wet Limpopo river in the Makuleke concession of the Kruger Park.

Makuleke is situated basically from where you enter the Pafuri gate as the western boundary going east to Crooks Corner border of South Africa, Zimbabawe and Mozambique and the Levuvhu river in the south as a rough indication.

I joined the Ecotraining team for a week of birding were about 20 bird nuts wanted to learn, see and hear all what Makuleke is all about.

The area in South Africa has a very rich bird population even with the drought that limited us a bit with the water bird species.

Highlights in the mammal sightings for me was finding black backed jackal (not often seen in the Kruger) African wild cat, Eland ( 1st time I find them in the Park) and then the Wilddogs swimming across the Levuvhu river while at Lanner Gorge.

Reptile highlight definately the Black Mamba that the Meve's starlings were harassing but was chilled out enough to give me a photo or 3...

The visit to Crooks Corner was amazing walking in a dry Limpopo river bed.

Walking among the Fever Tree forests mixed with riverine forests was magical.

I am still working through the photos in between catching up with work here in the desert and will share some photos shortly.

Lemon-breasted Canary



Female Redbacked Shrike



Emerald spotted wood dove



Mosque Swallows




Meve's Starling



The magnificent and magical Fever Tree forests...

The zebra is about 200 meters away from me when i took the photo.

View from out Sunset stop.



The diversity is absolutely amazing.

From the road looking North towards the Limpopo river you have grassveld savana, palm savana, fever tree forest inter mixed with riverine forests.

Each has its own bit of magic and bird species...

If you turn 180 degrees you will find the ridges with the Mopane right next to the road



We saw and heard Firery-necked Nightjars and Square-tailed Nightjars on the way back to camp.

Scops owls and Pear Spotted Owlets often sang around the camp at night.

Photos from the 1st morning drive.

My apologies if the photos are not super sharp as the early morning sun and the thick riverine bush created quite a challenge but I think you will get the idea...





Luckily I got a bit closer to the orial and I still think its an African Orial



The Gorgeous Bush shrike's call could be heard everyday during the course but I did manage two quick sightings on the 1st morning that got me super stoked even if the photos are not the best...







Pair of African Spoonbills migrating to Zimbabwe

The Black-chested Snake Eagle was another new species for me

Blue Waxbill's



1st time I get photos of a male and femal Chinspot Batis



The area where we stopped for coffee and rusks is called Makwadi Pan I believe.

I can only imagine the area in a wet rainy season and the abundance of water birds one could find here but during our week it was bone dry as it was for most of the past summer







Some of the riverine brush and trees

A few photos of the Ecotraining camp









Neat tented camp with no power except when the generator is started during the morning to pump water.

The ladies in the kitchen did a super job making basic but great tasting food.

One of the biggest + points is that the area has not yet been invaded by cell phone signals.

The location under the bug Nyala berry trees are perfect.

White - bellied Sunbird female





Violet-backed Starling



Scaly-throated Honeyguide



Diderick Cuckoo



Purple Indigobird



Temninck's Courser



African Pitpit

My 1st Southern Carmine Bee-eater



A very special bird for me...

Grey-headed Kingfisher another 1st



Spotted Flycatcher




Thats it for now... Will edit once I get a chance this coming week...

What a nice show to wake up to.Thanks !!

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
What a nice show to wake up to.Thanks !!

Thank you mete!

Great photos. South Africa is so much more than hunting.

Wonderful pictures! Badger Matt is right.
Much more than hunting in South Africa. When my wife and I go there we hunt for one week and explore for 6 weeks. Brian

PS. Thanks for the excellent descriptions and clear geographical locations. We have never been up that way. Brian

I will add more photos the weekend as I will be editing tomorrow.

Glad you guys are enjoying the photos

The afternoon drive was to the Levuvu river a new destination for me.

I just love African rivers as each are magical and has their own personality.

Red billed buffalo weaver



Cape Buffalo herd

One of the magnificent baobab trees of the Levuvhu





White-Crowned Lapwing

Have a look at the spurs on the wings



Southern Carmin bee eater



White fronted bee eater







Broad billed roller

Sun set at the Levubu River







An absolute magical African sunset

The next morning was the long awaited walk into the Fever tree and Limpopo Riverine Forests

Photos can not come close to the magic of the sun rise in the forests but hopefully you get the idea ...

Despite the heat and an drought we still found a few mud holes



Centipedes are all over the place one of the African Civet's snacks

Strangler fig growing on a Sausage tree

Inside the forests you find these openings

Lala Palm Savanna

Back into the thick stuff









Beautiful flower of the devil thorn...



Despite the heat and drought new life is still all around



One of a few Golden Orb Spiders I have seen

The afternoon we drove to Crooks Corner...

Now this is super special as we can get out of the vehicles and walk around due to being in the Makuleke concession.

This meant we could go and walk in the dry Limpopo river bed with nothing between us and Mozambique and Zimbabwe but dry sand...

The drive went as follows

Zebra carcass with white backed vulture on the ground as well as a bunch in the surrounding trees





Finally I see my 1st Eland in the Kruger...



I however still need to see all 4 of the spiral horns in one day... (bushbuck did not read the script)

At some stage we stopped as the Meve's Starlings were going ballistic Johna stopped the vehicle. Walked a bit closer looked through the Bino's and called us to come have a look...



Relaxed in the tree not at all disturbed by the Meve's starlings is a huge Black Mamba





Absolutely amazing animal...

To give you an idea how Crooks Corner looked like







However there were some sections still with water with the hippo and crocodiles in attendance...

The next morning we did another walk in the Fever Tree forsest...

We left camp just as soon as it was light enough.

On the edge of the grass savanna we found this buffalo herd.

I have seen the broken horn cow on numerous occations...







As can be clearly seen the buffalo's condition was not looking good

For the afternoon session I decided I would want to walk again into the Fever Trees.

Most of the guys tought I was nuts as it was 15:00 and the temprature hovering at 36C with a high humidity.

But I wanted to go experience a late afternoon in the Fever trees and Riverine thickets.

Johna was lead and Varun was back up with me and another birder walking as the rest depart into the open game viewers.

As we walked into the lala palm savanna a little gem sat looking at us...





The little red-billed Firefinch is really one of the lowveld's flying gems...

Moving into the Fever trees we had a black headed oriole come and have a look at us or did we look at him...



Little striped skink enjoying the afternoon sun despite the heat...



On one of the trails we found a tree where elephant rubbed againts with mud stuck to the tree easily 1,9m high. Intrestingly also found a tick stuck in the mud...

As we moved into the thicker stuff we could hear the Trumpeter Hornbills and walked into the direction. The next moment an owl flew from one tree to the next just in front of us and we stalked closer...

Wow, a big Verreaux's Eagle-owl sat in the open looking down at us...



I was again amazed at the amount of movement they have in their necks...





We stood there for probably 5 min admiring this big owl untill he decided to move to the next tree...

We were still standing at the same spot discussing the owl when a bird swooped into a tree right next to the tree where the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl just vacated...

Three steps forward and two to the left and WOW!!! :big_eyes:

There is a European Honey Buzzard!!!





A summer visitor from Europe!

I was all smiles how cool is that having seen two such magnificent birds basically standing in the same spot!!!

Walking futher into the thickets we found a nest that Jonhna suspects might have been a African Crown Eagle nest.

As the sun started moving towards the horizon the late afternoon sunlight started filtering through...

This is what I wanted to see, this is what I want wanted to experience!!!

A huge old sycamore in between the fever trees



And then so typical of an African sun set time has caught up with us was time to walk with some speed back to camp before its dark and we might walk into one of the hairy and scary creatures of the night...

But not before I got a last photo...



It was a warm afternoon but once we reached the forest and thickets one could feel the difference in temprature.

Another day in Africa and I was smiling....

The next morning we were ready to depart from camp early as our destination would be Lanner Gorge on the Levuvhu river thats the border between Kruger in the south and Makuleke in the north.

Lanner Gorge has been carved out by the Levuvhu river the last 2 million years and at some places the gorge is 150m deep give or take a few meters.

We just moved onto the Pafuri main road when Duncan stopped hearing a Stripped Kingfisher call.

While looking for the kingfisher we heard a different call and Duncan became excited.

The next moment not one but two Racket-tailed Roller flew overhead while calling... :big_eyes:



Then the other...



They are common birds moving north to Tanzania but in South Africa they are only find in the Makuleke concession with an estimated 10-20 breeding pairs...