Category Archives: Memorable sightings

Summertide Diary: iSimangaliso Rhinos

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The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is home to healthy populations of both White and Black Rhinoceros, jealously guarded by the reserve’s rangers and routinely dehorned to deter poachers. Rhino populations all over our country are under severe threat and seeing these animals in the wild, even without their trademark horns, is an experience we’re very grateful for.

Being diurnal in habit and much less skittish, the White Rhino is the easier of the two African species to find while driving around iSimangaliso.

White Rhinos
White Rhino
White Rhino rubbing mud from its face
White Rhinos
Lazy White Rhinos
White Rhino

Black Rhinos are solitary, shy, more nocturnal and consequently seen less often than White Rhinos.

Black Rhino on the eastern shores of Lake St. Lucia
Black Rhinoceros (photo by Joubert)
Black Rhinoceros

This muddy signpost in the park was used by a muddy rhino as a rubbing post. Rolling in mud, leaving it to dry and then rubbing the caked mud off against a sturdy rock, tree or …signpost, is a way for the rhino to rid itself of external parasites like ticks.

Signpost re-modelled by a muddy rhinoceros

Summertide Diary: Rock Pool Wonderland

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For landlubbers like us gawking with open mouths at the colourful life in a rock pool at the sea shore is one of the highlights of a beach holiday. Many of the life forms are so unique and different from what we’re used to as to seem utterly alien. We were fortunate in that, during our time in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, we had a chance to visit Mission Rocks at low tide in the cool of the afternoon, allowing us to clamber over the rocks from one pool to the next to our heart’s content.

Mission Rocks
Mission Rocks
Mission Rocks
Mission Rocks
Rock pools at Mission Rocks
Mission Rocks
Heart-shaped rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Crab moving between rock pools at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Barred Flagtail in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Crab next to a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Crab at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Natal Rock Crab at Mission Rocks
Hermit Crab at Mission Rocks
Crab and little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Crabs and little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Crabs on the rocks at Mission Rocks
Crab in a pool at Mission Rocks
Barred Flagtail in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little Butterflyfish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Natal Rock Crab at Mission Rocks
Crab in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Crab on its way to a rock pool at Mission Rocks
Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks

 

Crowned Eagles

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We were about half-way through our visit to Cape Vidal in January 2021 when we found that a pair of Crowned Eagles were rearing a chick in a tall Casuarina tree right inside the camp and very near our cabin. The eagles were very careful not to attract attention to their nest and being known for attacking humans that venture too close to their nests we didn’t hang around there too often. We therefore got very few glimpses of the chick in its treetop fortress.

Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle in flight
Crowned Eagle nest
Crowned Eagle nest
Crowned Eagle nestling
Crowned Eagle

Considered Africa’s most powerful eagle, capable of preying even on mammals the size of bushbuck, the Crowned Eagle is a very large bird of prey – females, the larger of the sexes, weighs up to 5kg and has a wingspan of around 1.6m.  Crowned Eagles are forest birds, but have adapted to life in exotic plantations where there’s suitable prey available. Mammals – hyraxes, monkeys and antelope – make up the majority of their dietary intake and small pets regularly feature on the menu of Crowned Eagles living in or near urban areas that fall within their distribution range.

Crowned Eagles are monogamous and form lasting pair bonds, each pair defending a large tract of forest as their exclusive territory. Their large stick-platform nests are built by both partners on cliffs or at the top of tall forest trees. These nests are usually reused for consecutive years and are continuously added to, eventually becoming massive structures up to 3m tall. Clutches of two eggs are laid in the spring months and incubated over a seven week period, mostly be the female. Unless the first laid egg doesn’t hatch the older sibling will kill the younger soon after it hatches. While the male regularly brings food to the nest it never feeds the chick, this task is always performed by the female until the chick is about a month-and-a-half old, at which point it starts feeding itself on meals brought to it by the parent birds. The chick takes its first flight around four months after hatching and is finally chased from its parental territory when it is at least ten months old.

Though occurring widely over Africa’s forested areas, the IUCN lists the Crowned Eagle as being near-threatened, siting a decreasing population of no more than 50,000 mature individuals caused by habitat destruction and persecution by humans. In South Africa they’re found from the Garden Route, through the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, to the escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, the Soutpansberg  range and the Pafuri region of the Kruger National Park.

Immature Crowned Eagle
Immature Crowned eagle
Distant view of a Crowned Eagle in the forest
Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle (captive)

Summertide Diary: Spying on the neighbours at Cape Vidal

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A few years ago we purchased a very simple trail camera to take along on our visits to South Africa’s wild places, reason being that we were interested to know and see what wildlife roamed around after the humans went to bed. During our week at Cape Vidal in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park a dripping geyser overflow that created a small puddle in hardened mud and a pie-dish beneath an outside tap were the perfect locations to set up our little “camera trap” and spy on the wild neighbours that roam the camp by day and night. The camera worked overtime and took thousands of photos, and with great excitement we’d download these on a daily basis to see what came to visit while we were either away or asleep.

Vervet Monkey sneaking a drink beneath the geyser overflow

As was to be expected a wide variety of birds were drawn to the artificial “waterholes” around our cabin. What made us really excited was the very many shots the camera got of usually very shy and retiring forest birds we would otherwise have broken our necks trying to sneak even a single photograph of.

Bearded Scrub-Robin
Dark-backed Weavers and a Grey-headed Sparrow
Dark-capped Bulbul
Green Twinspot
Green Twinspot
Green Twinspot
Grey-headed Sparrow
Grey-tit Flycatcher and Olive Sunbird, with Samango Monkeys in the background
Grey Waxbill – the only appearance by this species on thousands of photos taken by the camera trap during our week at Cape Vidal
Livingstone’s Turacos
Livingstone’s Turacos
Livingstone’s Turacos
Livingstone’s Turacos
Livingstone’s Turacos
Livingstone’s Turaco
Olive Sunbird
Olive Sunbird
Pink-throated and Green Twinspots
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chat
Red-capped Robin Chats
Tambourine Dove
Tambourine Dove
Tambourine Dove
White-eared Barbet
Yellow-bellied Greenbuls
Yellow-bellied Greenbuls
Yellow-fronted Canary, with a bushbuck in the background

By day the biggest mammals that roamed around the camp at Cape Vidal was the Bushbucks. Male and female, young and old, they all put in an appearance.

Very old Bushbuck ewe
Bushbuck ewe
Bushbuck ram
Bushbuck ram
Very old Bushbuck ewe
Bushbuck ram
Young Bushbuck
Young Bushbuck ram
Bushbuck ram and ewe
Bushbuck ewe

By far the species featured most often in the photos taken by the trailcam was the Samango Monkeys, and some of the things they got up to when they thought there weren’t any humans around to see was most amusing.

Samango Monkey
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkeys with a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkey with a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkey with a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkey with a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkeys with a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkeys with a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkey with a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkeys with abushbuck in the background
Samango Monkeys and a bushbuck in the background
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkeys
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkey
Samango Monkey mom and baby
Samango Monkey mom and baby
Samango Monkey mom and baby
Samango Monkey mom and baby
Samango Monkey mom and baby

Nighttime brought a shift in the animals coming to prowl around our accommodations – the bushbuck were still around and genets aren’t really threatening, but I wouldn’t want to encounter the bushpigs or hyenas in the dark!

Bushbuck ram outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushbuck ram outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpig outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpigs outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpigs outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpigs outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpig outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpig outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpig outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpig outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpig outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpig outside our cabin in the dark of night
Bushpigs outside our cabin in the dark of night
Large-spotted Genet outside our cabin in the dark of night
Large-spotted Genet outside our cabin in the dark of night
Spotted Hyena outside our cabin in the dark of night
Spotted Hyena outside our cabin in the dark of night

 

Summertide Diary: Butterfly Bonanza (and a few other insects too)

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When we first walked to the KuMfazana hide on our recent visit to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, we didn’t quite find what we expected. Normally, if the pans in front of the hide holds water, there are hippos and crocodiles and a myriad of water-dependent birds to keep visitors entertained for hours. This time however it was the walkway through the swamp forest to the hide that held us enthralled for hours, and not because of some “hairy and scary” creatures either…

We dubbed this stretch of the walkway to the hide at kuMfazana “Butterfly Glen”

It was thanks to the sheer numbers and diversity of butterflies to be seen along this short walk that we visited kuMfazana almost daily for the week that we were at Cape Vidal in January 2021. Last time I saw anything like it was during a solitary autumn visit to the Kruger National Park in 2019. iSimangaliso’s rich plantlife and habitats supports an extraordinary list of butterfly species, each seemingly more beautiful than the one you’ve seen just before. Other spots in the Park, most notably at Cape Vidal and Mission Rocks, also contributed to the bounty but none so richly as kuMfazana. I really hope this gallery gives you an idea of what we experienced that week.

Green-banded Swallowtail butterflies
Green-banded Swallowtail butterflies
Novice butterflies
Novice butterfly
Natal Tree Nymph butterfly
Small Orange Tip
Small Orange Tip butterfly
African Monarch
African Monarch
African Common White
African Migrant
African Monarchs mating
African Monarch
Female Mocker Swallowtail mimicking the Layman butterfly
Variable Diadem
Female Mocker Swallowtail mimicking the Layman butterfly
False Dotted Border
Common Bush Browns in flight
Blue Pansy
Wanderer butterfly
Female Mocker Swallowtail mimicking the Novice butterfly
Natal Acraea
Female Mocker Swallowtail mimicking the Friar butterfly
Female Mocker Swallowtaill mimicking the Friar butterfly
Forest Leopard butterfly
Forest Leopard butterfly
False Dotted Border
African Migrant
African Migrant
Chief butterfly
Wanderer butterfly
Novice butterfly
Chief butterfly
Novice butterfly
Common Diadem (female) mimicking African Monarch
Green-banded Swallowtail
Natal Blue butterfly
Forest Leopard butterfly
Streaked Sailer butterfly
An unidentified member of the Tip-family of butterflies
Novice butterflies
Citrus Swallowtail
Streaked Sailer
Streaked Sailer
A Flying Handkerchief – the male Mocker Swallowtail
Streaked Sailer
Spotted Hairtail
African Wood White
Novice butterflies (photo by Joubert)
Novice butterflies (photo by Joubert)
African Monarch
Citrus Swallowtail
False Swift butterfly
A Flying Handkerchief – the male Mocker Swallowtail
Boisduval’s Tree Nymph (female)
Boisduval’s Tree Nymph (female)
Boisduval’s Tree Nymph (male)
Natal Tree Nymph
Natal Tree Nymph
Golden Piper butterfly
Small-striped Swallowtail
Small-striped Swallowtail (photo by Joubert)
Common Bush Brown
Novice (Amauris ochlea)

While not nearly as conspicuous as their butterfly cousins there also was a few eye-catching moths to be found.

Sundowner Moth
Unidentified moth species
Unidentified caterpillar, probably of a moth species
Unidentified caterpillar, probably of a moth species

The diversity of dragonflies on the eastern shores of Lake St. Lucia almost matches that of the butterflies, and I was frustrated at not being able to identify the species most of them belonged to. Realising how little I actually know about these often seen insects I’m determined to remedy that as soon as possible.

Dragonfly (photo by Joubert)
Dragonfly
Common Tigertail dragonfly
Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Inspector Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Dragonfly (photo by Joubert)
Dragonfly

Insects of all kinds thrive in iSimangaliso’s sub-tropical climate. Regrettably that includes mosquitoes…

Wasp of the genus Stizus
Carpenter Bee Robber Fly
Dung Beetle with his bounty
Dung Beetle
Adult Antlion
Unidentified Flightless Wasp
Elegant Grasshopper
Elegant Grasshopper

When we saw a spider-hunting wasp dragging a paralysed sac spider to its nest I must admit to getting a large dose of pleasure from the hapless spider’s predicament. Sac spiders are among the most venomous spiders in South Africa and responsible for most of the serious spider bites suffered in our country. They deliver a nasty bite of cytotoxic venom and the bite-site is prone to secondary infection. The reason for my schadenfreude? A sac spider bit a then infant Joubert resulting in a visit to the emergency room late night on a New Years eve a few years ago…

Wasp with Sac Spider prey
Wasp and Sac Spider prey

 

Ghost Crabs

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Subfamily Ocypodinae

The beach at Cape Vidal is alive with Ghost Crabs, a good indication as to the health of the intertidal ecosystem thanks to minimal human impact on this stretch of coast.

Ghost Crabs on the beach at Cape Vidal
Ghost Crabs at Cape Vidal
Ghost Crabs

Ghost Crabs are omnivorous scavengers, living on any carrion, debris, and even small living creatures up to the size of turtle hatchlings that gets washed onto the beach.

Ghost Crab with a piece of seaweed
Ghost Crab with a piece of seaweed
Ghost Crab with a piece of seaweed

Being semi-terrestrial and living in burrows they dig for themselves in moist sand, Ghost Crabs can breathe oxygen from the air through their gills, provided they can keep them wet which requires the crabs to scuttle into the waves every so often. However, they can’t stay in the water too long or they’ll drown.

Ghost Crab outside its hole
Ghost Crab going into its hole
Ghost Crab tunnel – note the crab’s tracks leading to and from the hole
Ghost Crab on the beach at Cape Vidal
Ghost Crabs
Ghost Crab scavenging at the water’s edge

This necessity for the Ghost Crabs to go into the water at regular intervals had us quite amused during our recent visit to Cape Vidal in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The crabs would run towards the approaching wave, stand their ground, get pounded, and then re-appear when the wave retreats, still standing in the same spot. Not once did we see one of the crabs loose its footing and get tossed around by the wave action!

Daredevil Surfing Ghost Crab
Ghost Crab engulfed by the wave (spot the eyes?)
Ghost Crab emerging above the retreating wave
Ghost Crab in the surf
Ghost Crab in the surf
Ghost Crab in the surf
Ghost Crab in the surf
Ghost Crabs in the surf at Cape Vidal
Ghost Crab in the surf at Cape Vidal
Ghost Crab in the surf at Cape Vidal

 

Summertide Diary: Departing Mountain Zebra

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3 January 2021

Today we had to leave Mountain Zebra National Park early, for we had a long way to get back home to Pretoria and had to beat the government-imposed curfew at that. It may have been only 12km from the camp to the gate, but still there was loads to see!

Yellow Mongoose
Buffalo bull
African buffalo

Very near the gate there’s a nice waterhole where even this early in the morning a procession of game was already congregating. The serenity of the scene was shattered when a mountain zebra love triangle got out of hand, but calm soon settled again.

Mountain Zebras congregating at a waterhole
Two Mountain Zebra stallions chasing a mare
Two Mountain Zebra stallions chasing a mare
The winner takes it all!
Cape Mountain Zebra and Eland congregating at a waterhole
Cape Mountain Zebra and Eland congregating at a waterhole

During our time in Mountain Zebra National Park we were very lucky to come across a Black Rhinoceros cow and calf. For their protection I won’t be able to share where or when it was that we saw them, but being able to see more of these magnificent creatures was a privilege we were very grateful for.

Black Rhinos at Mountain Zebra National Park
Black Rhinos at Mountain Zebra National Park

And with that our summertide ramble came to a halt, if temporarily, as I had important start-of-the-year work to attend to back in Pretoria. As it would be some weeks still before the schools were due to reopen we did have another reservation in the offing, but with South Africa in the midst of a serious second wave of COVID-19 infections we weren’t at all certain that we would be able to take it up…

We posted a special feature about Mountain Zebra National Park following a previous visit, if you’d like to learn more about this special destination.

Map of Mountain Zebra National Park from the SANParks website (https://www.sanparks.org/images/parks/mountain_zebra/mznp-map.jpg)

 

Summertide Diary: Exploring Mountain Zebra (part two)

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2 January 2021

When dawn found the Mountain Zebra National Park under heavy skies this morning we were already underway along the Kranskop Loop.

Black-backed Jackal
The view westwards from the western leg of the Kranskop Loop
Grey Rhebok
The view eastwards (towards the camp) from the western leg of the Kranskop Loop

When we arrived at the start of Rooiplaat Loop we found a male lion lying there, flat on its right-side. We sat there as the minutes passed, studying it through cameras and binoculars and finally coming to the sad conclusion that this lion was dead – there wasn’t even a twitch of an ear or any movement of its stomach to indicate a breath being taken. Disheartened, I started the car to drive off.

King Roy, fast asleep

The sound of the Duster’s engine had a miraculous effect. The lion lifted his head, sleepily. He rested his head on his paws for a while, then gave a mighty yawn before getting up, stretching his legs and then lying down again to look at us in irritation. He is magnificent, known as Roy, and despite his advanced age one of the ruling coalition of lion males here at Mountain Zebra National Park, along with Nomad whom we saw at a distance the day before .

King Roy, awoken
King Roy, in repose
King Roy, yawning
Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park
King Roy, contemplative
Male lion at Mountain Zebra National Park

When the next vehicle arrived at the lion sighting we moved of so that those visitors too could have a private audience with The King. The skies have cleared and it’s turning into a glorious day. On our way back to camp we passed Roy again, and he was fast asleep again.

Springbok dot the Rooiplaat Plateau
Young Springbok
Black Harrier
Black-shouldered Kite
Mountain Wheatear
Red Hartebeest trio
Eland cow
Red-billed Quelea
Blue Cranes in flight
Meerkat
River crossing in Mountain Zebra National Park
South African Shelduck
Southern Rock Agama
Steppe Buzzard
King Roy, asleep again…

With it being our last afternoon at Mountain Zebra we opted to visit all our favourite spots along the Ubejane and Rooiplaat Loops and the Link road between them again. There’s just something so indescribably peaceful about driving around wild Africa as dusk approaches.

Young Springbok rams testing their strength (photo by Joubert)
Blue Crane
Cape Mountain Zebra
Thirsty Secretarybird
Mountain Zebras
Cape Longclaw
Kopieva
Springbok on the wide open plains of the Mountain Zebra National Park

We posted a special feature about Mountain Zebra National Park following a previous visit, if you’d like to learn more about this special destination.

Map of Mountain Zebra National Park from the SANParks website (https://www.sanparks.org/images/parks/mountain_zebra/mznp-map.jpg)

Summertide Diary: Bat-eared Fox puppies

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Our new year got off to a great start when we encountered this lovely family of Bat-eared Foxes along the Link Road in the Mountain Zebra National Park on the 1st of January. At the den there were three very lively puppies and four adults who did everything they could to get the pups to hide away from the enamoured humans, without much success!

Bat-eared Fox pups (photo by Joubert)
Bat-eared Fox family (photo by Joubert)
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups (photo by Joubert)
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox family (photo by Joubert)
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups (photo by Joubert)
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups (photo by Joubert)
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox family
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups
Bat-eared Fox pups

Summertide Diary: Exploring Mountain Zebra (part one)

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1 January 2021

As soon as the gates opened on New Year’s Day we headed for the Rooiplaat Loop, the sightings board at reception having indicated that Lions and Cheetahs were seen there the previous day. And we did not wait long – right where the road skirts the Park’s boundary fence we came across a big male lion, known as Nomad, patrolling his territory.

We supposed that it was the proximity of the big predator that made these Black Wildebeest so jittery!

Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)
Black Wildebeest
Black Wildebeest
Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)
Black Wildebeest
Black Wildebeest
Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)
Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)
Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

It’s early morning in the Mountain Zebra National Park and there’s so much to be seen!

Kopieva bloom
Blesbok ewes and lambs
Blesbok lamb
Blesbok ewe and lamb
Grey-winged Francolin
Windpump along a stream in the Mountain Zebra National Park
Red-billed Teal
Wide open spaces in the Mountain Zebra National Park
Cape Sparrow (male)
Jackal Buzzard
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Scaly-feathered Finch
African Pipit

It was on the link road between Rooiplaat and Ubejane Loops that we happened upon these cute little Bat-eared Fox pups and their elders. More photos of them tomorrow!

Bat-eared Fox pups

Along the main road, between the two junctions with the Ubejane Loop, we saw this pair of unusually tolerant Secretarybirds – they’re normally quite nervous and move away from the road the moment a vehicle approaches, so this was a great opportunity to watch them in action.

Secretarybird (photo by Joubert)
Secretarybird
Secretarybird
Secretarybird
Wind-blown Secretarybird
Secretarybird
Secretarybirds

At the southern junction of Ubejane Loop with the main road there’s a small earth dam filled with rainwater. By the time we arrived there at mid-morning Cape Mountain Zebra families were arriving from all corners, along with some other wildlife, to slake their thirst and it was wonderful to watch their social interactions before heading back to camp.

Cape Mountain Zebras
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape Mountain Zebras
Red Hartebeest
Cape Mountain Zebras
Cape Mountain Zebras
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Cape Mountain Zebras

Back at camp there was time to kill either side of lunchtime, and thankfully there’s very much of interest around the accommodation and camping area.

Vervet Monkey
Cross-berry
White-browed Sparrow Weaver
Red-eyed Bulbul
Four-striped Grass Mouse
Western Rock Skink
Cardinal Woodpecker
Laughing Dove
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Neddicky
Familiar Chat
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Red-headed Finches
Imposing Sweet Thorn thorns
Seeroogblom
Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler
Black-throated Canary
Snake Aloe
Southern Rock Agama
Vygie
African Grass Blue butterfly
Gazania
Pied Starling
Bar-throated Apalis
Neddicky
Sweet Thorn tree
Southern Rock Agama
White-necked Ravens that caught a Red-winged Starling chick
White-necked Raven that caught a Red-winged Starling chick
Grey-headed Sparrow
Familiar Chat
Red-eyed Bulbul
Neddicky
Southern Masked Weaver
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Cape White-eye
Karoo Scrub Robin

Our route for the afternoon would first take us into the mountains along the Kranskop Loop before taking another jaunt around the Rooiplaat Loop.

Doornhoek Guest House overlooks the Doornhoek Dam and is a national monument
Highveld Cabbage Tree
Rocky outcrop
South African Shelduck
Hyrax
Southern Rock Agama
Amazing scenery along the Kranskop Loop
Amazing scenery along the Kranskop Loop
Black Harrier
Scale-feathered Finch
Namaqua Dove
Red-billed Quelea
Rock Monitor
Black-backed Jackal
Eland
Gemsbok
Wide open spaces at Mountain Zebra National Park
Steppe Buzzard
The Rest Camp at Mountain Zebra National Park blends in beautifully with the surroundings

A real highlight of our afternoon drive was an encounter with a group of three Cheetahs – one adult and two youngsters – on the Rooiplaat Plateau, just half-an-hour before we had to be back in camp.

Cheetah
Cheetah
Cheetah
Cheetah (photo by Joubert)
Cheetah

 

We posted a special feature about Mountain Zebra National Park following a previous visit, if you’d like to learn more about this special destination.

Map of Mountain Zebra National Park from the SANParks website (https://www.sanparks.org/images/parks/mountain_zebra/mznp-map.jpg)