Wrapping up the “Dads Trip to Mopani”

Middle-May presented an opportunity to visit one of my favourite corners of the Kruger National Park with three very good friends. We set off early on the Friday morning and returned the following Monday, having had a thoroughly enjoyable time exploring the wilds around Mopani Rest Camp. I’ve already shared with you some of what we saw – the exhilarating waterbuck fight, a towering elephant bull owning the road and the love of a mother hyena for her cubs – but of course in a paradise like Kruger there’s still much more to be seen, and shared!

When going to northern Kruger, apart from Impalas, there are three things you just KNOW you are going to see: Elephants, Buffaloes and Hippos!

Sleepy buffalo and red-billed oxpecker

Big old buffalo bull

Mad old buffalo bull

Buffalo cow without her horns

Buffalo Bull

Elephant in the rear-view mirror

Elephant along the stream

Elephant drinking from a reservoir

Unknown Kruger Tusker (2018/05/19)

Young elephant trying to figure out whether to fight or flee

Elephants drinking from a seasonal pan

Big old elephant bull

Hippo pod in the Pioneer Dam

Hippopotamus yawn

Among all the beautiful elephants we saw, our most prized sightings were of Masasana and Ndlovane, two of the big tuskers that call the Kruger National Park home.

Tusker Ndlovane (2018/05/18)

Tusker Masasana (2018/05/19)

Early on the Saturday morning we thought we were going to be extremely lucky and see a pride of Lions take down a Blue Wildebeest at Tinhongonyeni waterhole. A passing rain shower however dampened the lions’ appetites and they went off to search for a drier spot among the dense mopane trees close-by.

Lion pride in the rain at Tinhongonyeni

Apart from the lions there were several predators in evidence around Mopani on this visit, with Black-backed Jackals and Spotted Hyenas being especially common.

Black-backed Jackal

Nile Crocodile juvenile

Big Nile Crocodile male

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena cub

Large Spotted Genet captured on my camera-trap on the camp perimeter

Leopard captured on my camera-trap on the camp perimeter

And of course all those hungry meat-eater mouths rely on a steady supply of herbivores, which Mopani has no shortage of, especially around Tinhongonyeni and Mooiplaas Waterholes and in the marshland along the course of the Nshawu stream.

Blue Wildebeest

Giraffe calf

Giraffe hide

Sharpe’s Grysbok

Impala

Southern Reedbuck ram

Southern Reedbuck pair

Steenbok Ram

Tsessebe

Tsessebes

Waterbuck Bull

Waterbuck herd on the banks of the Pioneer Dam near Mopani

Plains Zebras

Kruger is always a paradise to birdwatchers, even now that most of the summer migrants have departed for warmer climes.

African Hawk Eagle

Black Crakes

Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark

Crested Barbet

Giant Kingfisher

Green-backed Heron

Ground Hornbill

Kittlitz’s Plover

Kori Bustard

Magpie Shrike

Martial Eagle

Namaqua Dove

Pied Kingfishers

African Pied Wagtail

Secretary Bird taking off

Tawny Eagle

Temminck’s Courser

White-backed Vulture in flight

Yellow-billed Hornbill

We always try to pay special attention to the interesting world of smaller creatures so often overlooked in a wild place like Kruger.

Giant / Wrestling Waterbug (Lethocerus niloticus)

Lucia Widow Dragonfly

Serrated Terrapin

Painted Lady

And then on the other side of the scale is the Park’s magnificent scenery!

Baobab with Buffalo Weaver nests

Baobab

Bushveld Candelabra Euphorbias on the hill at Shipandani

Shikumbu Hill near Phalaborwa Gate

Pan on the Shongololo Loop

Pioneer Dam near Mopani

Sunset over Pioneer Dam near Mopani, in the Kruger National Park

Sycomore Fig

The Kruger National Park is such a special place, and what a wonderful experience it was to share a piece of it with good friends!

Even hyenas need a loving family

23 Replies

These tender moments shared by a Spotted Hyena female and her two small cubs, seen on a recent weekend visit to the Mopani region of the Kruger National Park, is another one of the reasons why we keep going back to the Park as often as we can. It also made the four dads in the car really miss their own “cubs” back home…

Spotted Hyena female and two young cubs

Spotted hyena female and two young cubs

Spotted Hyena female and two young cubs

Elephants have right of way. Are you going to argue?

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Just after sunrise last Sunday, while driving in the Mopani area of the Kruger National Park, we encountered this enormous Elephant bull in musth staking his claim to the narrow road. He was on his way to Mooiplaas waterhole and did not have any intention of letting four humans in a tiny (by his standards) metal cocoon derail his plans. In the end he made us reverse for over a kilometer before veering off towards the water.

Elephant bull owning the road in Kruger National Park

Waterbuck Duel at Dusk

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While visiting the Mopani area of the Kruger National Park this past weekend, we (myself and three very good friends) came across these waterbuck bulls involved in a massive fight about a patch of the Nshawu Vlei (marsh) and the eligible cows that inhabit it. As is the case with several antelope species in the Park, their rutting season will be coming to an end soon and these bulls are quite desperate to sire their share of the calves that will be born towards the end of the year.

Dueling Waterbuck Bulls in the Nshawu Vlei (marsh) near Mopani in the Kruger National Park

Back from the bush, again

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Fresh back from a self-made long weekend in the Kruger National Park again. Lots more photos coming your way in the days to follow!

Sunset over Pioneer Dam

Cape White-eye

26 Replies

Zosterops virens

Cape White-eyes are familiar birds in many South African suburbs, where their confiding attitude and characteristic song make them a well-loved garden bird. They inhabit a wide variety of naturally woody habitats, from forests to mountain scrub, as well as plantations and orchards. They feed primarily on insects, but will include fruits, flowers and nectar in their diet.

Cape White-eyes are social little birds, weighing only about 11g and growing to 12cm in length and usually seen in pairs or small flocks. They breed throughout the year, though mostly in summer, with both pair mates constructing the small cup-shaped nest from fine materials and spider web, well hidden deep in the dense foliage of a tree or shrub. Clutches contain 2-4 eggs and are incubated by both parents for almost 2 weeks, with the chicks taking to the wing for the first time when they’re about 14 days old.

The Cape White-eye occurs widely over Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa (with the exception of the more arid parts of the Northern Cape, Free State and North West provinces), with a few scattered records from Botswana and Mozambique. The IUCN lists the Cape White-eye as being of least concern.

Cape White-eye

Cape White-eyes

Cape White-eye

Southern Boubou

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Laniarius ferrugineus

The shy Southern Boubou is heard far more often than it is seen and engages in a melodious duet that is often quite unique to the pair in note-combinations and pitch. They inhabit forests, thickets, dense coastal shrublands and riverine vegetation where they forage in the tangled undergrowth for insects, worms, snails, lizards, eggs, fruits, nectar and seeds. They have also adapted to well-planted gardens in some towns and cities. Adults grow to 22cm in length and weigh around 60g.

Southern Boubous are usually seen singly or in monogamous pairs that claim a small, lifelong territory for themselves. The females are responsible for building the shallow cup-shaped nest (using grass, twigs and roots) in a densely-leaved plant, but both parents take turns to incubate the clutch of 2 or 3 eggs for a little over two weeks and feeding the newly hatched chicks, which fledge at about 2 weeks old and stay with their parents for up to 3 months longer. Their breeding season spans spring and summer.

Apart from South Africa (where it is found from the Western Cape coast and adjacent interior, through the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal to Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and North West Province) the Southern Boubou occurs only in southern Mozambique, Swaziland and a small portion of Botswana and Zimbabwe along the course of the Limpopo River. It is considered to be of least concern by the IUCN.

Southern Boubou

Deadly battle between a Southern Boubou and a Boomslang

Southern Boubou

Cape Wagtail

17 Replies

Motacilla capensis

One of South Africa’s most familiar garden birds, the Cape Wagtail is usually seen in pairs of small family groups, and named for the family’s characteristic “pumping” of the tail while sitting or walking. They occupy any natural habitat that offers open ground near or adjacent to even the smallest water source (they love to bath) and have adapted superbly to farms, parks and gardens. Cape Wagtails feed primarily on insects and other invertebrates, as well as human scraps in urban settings. Adults are about 20cm long and weigh around 21g.

While there is a distinct peak in breeding attempts during spring and early summer, Cape Wagtails have been recorded as breeding throughout the year. Their nests are built in trees, bushes or earthen walls, and even in man-made structures, using a wide range of plant and other materials, Monogamous pairs stay together through several successive breeding seasons, raising clutches of 1-5 chicks that hatch after an incubation period of two weeks. The chicks leave the nest at around two weeks old but only become independent of their parents about 6 weeks later.

Cape Wagtails are patchily distributed from Kenya and Uganda to southern Africa. It occurs virtually all over South Africa and is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN, having recovered from a population decline following the introduction of domestic insecticides in the 1950’s and 60’s.

Cape Wagtails

Cape Wagtail

Cape wagtail

Cape Wagtail

Cape Wagtail nest

Cape Wagtail

Cape Wagtail welcoming us to our chalet (photo by Joubert)

Cape Wagtail

Cape Wagtails

Cape Wagtail

Mokala Scenery

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We’ve already shown you so many of the animals and birds that call Mokala home that you must by now be convinced of the fact that this National Park is one of South Africa’s conservation gems. That sensational faunal diversity however would not have existed had it not been for the wide range of vegetation, habitats and landscapes that Mokala comprises, and now in this final post about our April 2018 visit it is fitting that we showcase that aspect.

Umbrella Thorn

Camel Thorn tree with sociable weaver nest

Shepherd’s Tree

Red hartebeest in the wide open spaces

Riet River overlooked by the accommodation units at Lilydale

Stofdam

Rugged hills dot the plains in Mokala

Mokala sunset

Mokala sunrise

Gemsbok on Mokala’s open plains

Mokala’s clear, unpolluted skies make for wonderful photos of the nightsky

Hardy beauty

Vleitulp

Scenery at Mokala National Park, April 2018

Springbok and eland at Mokala National Park, April 2018

Scenery at Mokala National Park, April 2018

One of our highlights from this trip was having a front row seat to one of the most awe-inspiring experiences one could hope to have in Africa: a powerful thunderstorm rolling over the parched plains, smelling the red dust rise into the air as big drops of cool rainwater smacks into the dry soil. Soul stirring stuff.

Thunderstorm rolling over Mokala

Clearing skies after the storm

Looming thunderstorm rolling over Mokala

And finally a few shots of our favourite place to stay while visiting Mokala: the rustic Haak-en-Steek Cottage.

Signpost for Haak-en-Steek

8 Years old: April 2018. Opening the gate at Haak-en-Steek Cottage in Mokala National Park

Haak-en-Steek Cottage, Mokala NP, April 2018

Haak-en-Steek Cottage

If you’d like to learn more about Mokala National Park, why not have a read through the detailed post we did about the Park in 2016.

A rich assortment of animals at Mokala

32 Replies

Just as with the birds we showed you 2 days ago, Mokala National Park has an incredible variety of four and six legged creatures on show.

The large mammals are the easiest to see and photograph. During our 4 day visit in April 2018 we recorded over 750 different sightings of 30 different kinds of mammals!

The white rhino is the biggest of the animals in Mokala. Here they are shy and elusive and we were very happy to see a few of these endangered creatures.

White rhino cow and calf

Rhino pair in Mokala National Park

White rhino cow with almost fully grown calf

Impressive white rhino bull

Angry white rhino cow defending her calf

Remember those mud-loving buffaloes we showed you a few days ago? Well that wasn’t our only encounter with Mokala’s growing population of African buffalo and we were very fortunate to come across several more herds and a few loners while exploring the Park.

Muddy old Dagga Boy

Big buffalo bull slaking his thirst

We’ve no clue what this buffalo cow tried to tell us.

Buffalo bull soaking in the first rays of the sun

Mokala’s giraffes are shown off to great effect in the open landscape dotted with their favourite Camel Thorn and Umbrella Thorn trees.

Giraffes in Mokala National Park

Close-up of a stately giraffe bull

Giraffe family in Mokala National Park

Giraffe in Mokala National Park

Young giraffe in Mokala National Park

Mokala is certainly one of the reserves with the greatest variety of antelope in South Africa, many of which are rare in other national parks. Amongst others we managed to see black and blue wildebeest, blesbok, eland, gemsbok, grey duiker, impala, kudu, mountain reedbuck, red hartebeest, steenbok, waterbuck, tsessebe, sable and roan antelope.

Black wildebeest

Blue wildebeest

Eland

Gemsbok

Gemsbok at Mokala National Park, April 2018

Gemsbok

Impala

Kudu

Red Hartebeest

Roan antelope

Sable antelope

Steenbok

Tsessebe

Waterbuck

Not forgetting that we’ve already shown you loads of photos of Mokala’s springbok and plains zebras.

Springbok rams contesting a territory in Mokala National Park

Pale-rumped Plains Zebra in Mokala National Park

Mokala also has a wide variety of smaller mammals that are easier to overlook; Baboons and vervet monkeys, ground squirrels, warthogs, meerkats and yellow mongooses all crossed our path from time to time.

Baboon sharing a hill with a gemsbok

Southern African Ground Squirrel

Meerkat

Vervet monkeys

Warthog

Yellow mongooses

Mokala’s insects, amphibians and reptiles make you work harder for sightings of them, but for those who go to the effort there’s an astonishing variety of less conspicuous creatures waiting to entertain and enthrall!