Tag Archives: picnic spots

A memorable encounter with Sable Antelope

As mentioned in our previous post, the chief reason why Joubert and I decided to spend the first morning of our August trip to the Kruger National Park around Mlondozi Picnic Site was the recent sightings of a beautiful herd of sable antelope in that vicinity. Being one of our favourite antelope we couldn’t let the opportunity go by without going to see whether we can find the herd as well. Only on our second circuit around Muntshe Mountain and along the Mnondozi stream were we rewarded with the encounter we were hoping so dearly for. Without a doubt the best sighting I have had of Sable Antelope in over 30 years. As they crossed the road one-by-one we counted 25 individuals ranging from the magnificent bull to the long-eared calves.

Herd of Sable Antelope on the plains between Munstshe Mountain and the Mnondozi stream

Herd of Sable Antelope on the plains between Munstshe Mountain and the Mnondozi stream (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope calves

Sable Antelope bull (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope bull

Sable Antelope cow

Sable Antelope heifer (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope calf (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope heifer

Sable Antelope bull (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope bull

Sable Antelope females

Sable Antelope cow (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope heifer (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope calf (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope cow (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope cow

Herd of Sable Antelope on the plains between Munstshe Mountain and the Mnondozi stream

Herd of Sable Antelope on the plains between Munstshe Mountain and the Mnondozi stream (photo by Joubert)

On our way to the wilderness – day 2

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Joubert and I were the first people out the gate at Skukuza on our first morning in the Kruger National Park when we visited last week. In the week before our arrival other visitors were bragging on the Park’s social media pages with their sightings of a big herd of sable antelope north of Lower Sabie, and as these rare and beautiful antelope are a favourite of ours, our route for the morning took us along the Sabie River and then in the general direction of the Mlondozi Picnic Spot. Along the way we had the joyful encounter with the young elephant knight we showed you two days ago.

Hippos returning to the hippo pool in the early morning

Nyala calf

Friendly Nyala bull ( (photo by Joubert)

Serene spot along the Sabie

Baboons huddling together in the rays of early morning

Blue Wildebeest

Kudu cow

Swainson’s Spurfowl

Black-bellied Bustard (photo by Joubert)

Steenbok ram

Steenbok with Muntshe Mountain in the background

Secretary Bird

Lesser Striped Swallow – welcome sign that spring is around the corner!

Elephant youngster wielding his weapon of choice

Elephant matriarch with impressive tusks

Fever Tree

Tawny Eagle in flight

Curious Slender Mongoose peeping from within a thornbush

Huge herds of plains zebra congregating along the Mnondozi stream

By the time we reached Mlondozi, we hadn’t yet found the sables we came looking for. We were planning on having brunch at the picnic spot, but it was packed with other visitors and not a single table was available. We spent a few minutes enjoying the view, getting pictures of the birds and animals, and waiting for a table to clear, but eventually decided to rather move along.

Blue Waxbill (photo by Joubert)

Dark-capped Bulbul

Swainson’s Spurfowl

The view from Mlondozi Picnic Site

Elephant coming to drink from Mlondozi Dam

We decided to use the extra time we had available due to the postponed lunch to do another circuit around Muntshe Mountain, and how wonderfully that turned out! We found the sables, and had probably the best sighting of these magnificent antelope I had in 30+ years! More about that soon, I promise.

Plains Zebras

Southern Reedbuck ewe (photo by Joubert)

Sable Antelope bull

Extremely satisfied with our morning, we headed for Lower Sabie where, just before the camp, we had a quick sighting of a leopard and enjoyed the abundant life that always congregate at the causeway over the Sabie River.

Wire-tailed Swallow

Huge Nile Crocodile at the Lower Sabie causeway

In contrast to Mlondozi, the picnic site at Lower Sabie was deserted, and Joubert and I could lunch in peace surrounded only by birds and butterflies.

Common Purple Tips

Green-backed Camaroptera (photo by Joubert)

Rattling Cisticola

By the time we finished lunch it was still too early to head back to Skukuza, so we drove south in the direction of Crocodile Bridge for a few kilometers along the main road, returning along the gravel Mativuhlungu Loop to Lower Sabie. Stopping at the causeway over the river again we were rewarded with a clear, though distant, view of an African Fish Eagle swooping down to snatch a catfish from the water. We’ll share that full sequence of pictures with you another day this coming week.

Buffalo herd drinking from the Sabie River

Bateleur cleaning up roadkill

Dwarf Mongoose

Male Bennett’s Woodpecker

Hooded Vulture

Serrated Hinged Terrapin (photo by Joubert)

Fish Eagle with catfish prey

Just outside Lower Sabie, on the way to Skukuza, Sunset Dam is always a great place to stop and sit for a while, just soaking in the sights and sounds of the bush. On this occasion however the usual serenity of the place was shattered when a pair of teenage male baboons savagely attacked a much younger baboon at the water’s edge, seemingly intent on killing it. Baboons are always fascinating to watch, but I definitely have never experienced such a disturbing glimpse into their behaviour before. We’ll share some pictures from this harrowing sighting this coming Saturday, but please be warned!

Yellow-billed Storks at Sunset Dam

Baboon murder

It’s just a 45km drive, but with so much to see along the way it still took us 3 hours to get back to Skukuza and we made it back into camp with just a minute or two to spare before the gates closed. Our last sighting of the day was a pack of African Wild Dogs guarding the scraps of their kill against a bunch of vultures – what more could we ask for after such a wonderful day!?

Lionesses and cubs laying claim to a Sand Bank in the Sabie River

Giraffe drinking from the Sabie River

Wary family of giraffes

Spotted Hyena

Impala Lily

White-crowned Lapwing

A slice of the riverine forest along the Sabie River

Hamerkop at sunset

Hippo in the Sabie River (photo by Joubert)

African Wild Dog on the alert

Before ending off, I have to show you these photographs of a family of white rhinoceros we came across on day 2 of our trip to the wilderness. I won’t disclose when and where we saw them though so as not to tip off any poachers.

White Rhino cow and calf

White Rhino bull

Surprise Weekend at Marakele; Sunday 13 June 2021

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It was the morning after Marilize’s milestone birthday, which unfortunately coincided with South Africa experiencing a “third wave” of Covid-19 infections precluding any big commemoration with the extended family and friends. It was up to me and Joubert to make the event memorable, so we surprised Marilize with a weekend breakaway to Marakele National Park.

Having spent all day Saturday at our comfortable safari tent overlooking the dam at Tlopi Tented Camp, we decided to prolong our departure back home to Pretoria on Sunday by exploring the roads leading through the Marakele National Park before checking out. There were lots of animals and birds to be seen, but it is Marakele’s awe-inspiring scenery that steals the show every time!

Giraffe eyeing us from a lofty vantage point

Tlopi Tented Camp, Marakele National Park, June 2021, seen from Mbidi Loop

That’s Tlopi Tented Camp and the dam in front of it in the distance, with the Marakele National Park stretching as far as the eye can see

Marakele sunrise

Marakele scenery

White Rhinoceros (photo by Joubert)

Marakele scenery

Verreaux’s Eagle on the wing

Marakele scenery. with a beautiful cops of Wild Seringa’s at the foot of the Lenong mountain

Dassie (Rock Hyrax)

View from atop the Waterberg

Marakele scenery

Purple Roller (photo by Joubert)

Kudu cow (photo by Joubert)

Kudu cow

Kudu bull

Check-out time at Tlopi Tented Camp is at 10:00 in the morning. While I was packing the Duster, Joubert was keeping an eye out for thieving monkeys and getting some final photographs of life in and around Tlopi.

Bushbuck ewe wading into the dam at Tlopi

White-throated Robin-Chat

White-browed Scrub Robin

Arrow-marked Babbler (photo by Joubert)

It was time to head for the gate. Along the way we detoured to the Bolonoto Pan and the graves of the Coetzee family, but no matter how we tried we just couldn’t stretch our weekend any further. Around midday we handed back the key for Tlopi unit 10 to the friendly reception staff and said our goodbyes to Marakele National Park, till next time.

Speckled Sulphur Tip butterfly (photo by Joubert)

Speckled Sulphur Tip butterfly

Antlion trap with a caught beetle

Bolonoto Pan

Blacksmith Lapwing

Common Purple Tip butterfly

Scarlet Tip butterfly (female)

Impala ram (photo by Joubert)

Coetzee Family Cemetary

Crimson-breasted Shrike

Surprise Weekend at Marakele; Saturday 12 June 2021

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Round about 04:45am on Saturday, the territorial rasping of a leopard really close lured Joubert and me out of our cosy tent into the cold winter morning air at Tlopi Tented Camp. Try as we might using our spotlight and headlamps the big cat remained unseen, so we warmed ourselves with hot drinks, waiting for the first rays of sunshine to appear. It was the morning of Marilize’s milestone birthday, and unfortunately this coincided with South Africa experiencing a “third wave” of Covid-19 infections precluding any big commemoration with the extended family and friends. It was up to me and Joubert to make the event memorable, so we surprised Marilize with a weekend breakaway to Marakele National Park.

First light made an appearance around 06:20 and a stream of birds started arriving at the dam – first a few double-banded sandgrouse, then a hadeda and a pair of egyptian geese, waking up the arrow-marked babblers in the tree shading our tent. It was only at 08:10 that the sun first peaked over the cliffs of the Waterberg towering over Tlopi and started heating up the crisp air. Somewhere in between Marilize joined us on the deck of our safari tent.

One of the most active actors on the dam stage was a pied kingfisher that regularly made attempts at dive-bombing fish in the shallow water, and was very successful at it too, providing us excellent views and photographic opportunities from very early on in the day.

Pied Kingfisher diving into the water at Tlopi (photo by Joubert)

Pied Kingfisher diving into the water at Tlopi

Pied Kingfisher with its catch

Pied KIngfisher hovering above the dam at Tlopi

There appears to be a very healthy population of bushbuck in the thickets around Tlopi. They regularly ventured out into the open to drink and feed in and around the dam.

Bushbuck Ram just outside the entrance into Tlopi Tented Camp

Bushbuck ewe

Bushbuck ewe (photo by Joubert)

Bushbuck ewe wading into Tlopi’s dam to feed on water plants

Bushbuck ewe

Bushbuck ewe crossing the shallows of Tlopi’s dam

Bushbuck ewe and lamb

Throughout the day a family of tawny-flanked prinias put in regular appearances:

Tawny-flanked Prinia

Tawny-flanked Prinia (photo by Joubert)

Tawny-flanked Prinia

The vervet monkeys had us laughing. As soon as they spotted anything on our deck that appeared to be food they could steal – and seeing as we were celebrating a birthday it must have seemed like a feast to them – they’d arrive from all corners, including from across the dam, to come and try their luck, in vain.

Vervet monkey waiting for a gap at our tent in Tlopi Tented Camp

Vervet monkey jumping across the stream feeding into Tlopi’s dam

Vervet monkey waiting for a gap at our tent in Tlopi Tented Camp (photo by Joubert)

There truly is no need to venture out of Tlopi Tented Camp to go and look for Marakele’s wild inhabitants – there is a constant queue of animals and birds arriving at the dam in front of the camp, and around your tented accommodation, that would keep any nature lover enthralled all day long.

Reed Cormorant (photo by Joubert)

Hamerkop

Egyptian Geese (photo by Joubert)

Three-banded Plover

Emerald Spotted Wood Dove

Black Crake

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Dark-capped Bulbul

Bushveld Orange Tip butterfly

Egyptian Goose

Speckled Rock Skink

Cape Wagtail

Blue Waxbills

Yellow Pansy butterfly on dry rhino dung

Brown-veined White in what I think is an Albizia (False Thorn) bush

Cape White-eyes and Dark-capped Bulbuls sharing a drink

White-fronted Bee-eater in flight

Long-billed Crombec

Jameson’s Firefinch

Green-winged Pytilia taking refuge from the midday sun

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Black Stork (photo by Joubert)

Grey Go-Away Bird

Hamerkop

Common Dwarf Gecko

Yellow-fronted Canary

White-browed Scrub Robin

Natal Spurfowl

From about 14:00 in the afternoon, two herds of elephants made their way past the camp to the dam. They spent quite a while enjoying the water and the greenery around the dam, allowing us to take photographs of them to our hearts’ content. The little ones were especially endearing. Be sure to catch our next post to see what drama erupted next to the dam thanks to the elephants!

Big elephant bull in musth

Joubert eyeing a bull elephant at Tlopi Tented Camp in Marakele National Park

Elephants arriving at Tlopi’s dam

Elephant

Cute little elephant testing the air

Helping a reluctant friend cross the stream

Learning by imitating the grown-ups

Shaking off the dust from his ears (photo by Joubert)

This grass is so soft to lie on!

Young elephant trying to chase away the birds at the water’s edge

Practicing her balance! (photo by Joubert)

Making a splash

Elephant cow that’s had enough to drink now

Arriving at the water’s edge

The second herd of elephants were much bigger than the first

Matriarch of her herd

Ears peaked in irritation (photo by Joubert)

Ears peaked in irritation

Ears peaked in irritation (photo by Joubert)

Taking that first step across the stream

Big Bull

Big Bull (photo by Joubert)

Tiny youngster crossing next to mom (photo by Joubert)

Tiny youngster crossing next to mom

At the end of a beautiful and happy day, with the sun setting to the west of Tlopi while the smoke from our evening braai (barbeque) wafted on the slight breeze, Joubert set up his camera for a few night shots after it went dark.

Sunset at Tlopi, with the smoke from our braai fire wafting over the dam

Sunset at Tlopi

Early evening at Tlopi (photo by Joubert)

The Milky Way above our tent (photo by Joubert)

To be continued…

Surprise Weekend at Marakele; Friday 11 June 2021

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This past weekend Marilize celebrated a milestone birthday, and unfortunately this coincided with South Africa experiencing a “third wave” of Covid-19 infections precluding any big commemoration with the extended family and friends. It was up to me and Joubert to make the event memorable, so we surprised Marilize with a weekend breakaway to Marakele National Park. We left Pretoria just after 1pm on Friday, routing through Bela-Bela (Warmbad) and Thabazimbi, and arrived at Marakele’s gate just before 4pm.

After performing all the requisite formalities, which these days include a questionnaire on the recent medical history of the entire family, we set off on the 17km drive to Tlopi Tented Camp in the golden glow of the bushveld sunset.

Marakele scenery, along the road from the gate to Tlopi

Natal Spurfowl hen

Natal Spurfowl chicks (photo by Joubert)

Natal Spurfowl chick

Scenery along the road from the gate to Tlopi Tented Camp in Marakele National Park

White Rhinos

Jameson’s Firefinch

Marakele scenery (photo by Joubert)

Marakele scenery

In our estimation Tlopi Tented Camp is Marakele’s most beautifully situated accommodation option, and we were very lucky to be allocated unit 10, “Loerie”, right at the far end of the camp. Tlopi looks out over a dam frequented by a large number of birds and mammals, and the mountains of the Waterberg beyond.

Tlopi Tented Camp, Marakele National Park, June 2021

Tent #10 (Loerie) at Tlopi Tented Camp, Marakele National Park, June 2021

The view from the deck of unit 10 (Loerie) at Tlopi Tented Camp

A view of the sunset from the deck of unit 10 (Loerie) at Tlopi Tented Camp (photo by Joubert)

A view of the sunset from the deck of unit 10 (Loerie) at Tlopi Tented Camp

To be continued…

Autumn Mountain Moments (part 2)

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We made it safely back to Pretoria and I think before anyone noticed we were missing. We enjoyed a glorious morning in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, bringing to a close a wonderful, if whistle-stop, visit to one of our favourite destinations.

Blesbok at sunrise

Skittish blesbok

Springbok at sunrise

Blesbok herd on the run at sunrise (photo by Joubert)

Big herd of blesbok at Golden Gate

Blesbok in the golden light of a Golden Gate sunrise

Plains Zebra on a hill at Golden Gate

Springbok in the Golden Gate landscape (photo by Joubert)

Springbok in the golden light of a Golden Gate sunrise

Sunrise scenery at Golden Gate

Joubert captued this spider sunning on a rock in the early morning

Sunrise scenery at Golden Gate

Bewildered Black Wildebeest (photo by Joubert)

Common Meadow White

Black Wildebeest dwarfed by the majestic landscape

Plains Zebra

Cisticola

Beautiful bloom

Golden Gate scenery

Herd of Black Wildebeest dwarfed by the majestic landscape

Plains Zebras and Red Hartbeest mixing on the slopes

Golden Gate scenery

Red-throated Wryneck

Red-throated Wryneck (photo by Joubert)

Autumn Mountain Moments (part 1)

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Pssst…

We sneaked out of Pretoria at five this morning and headed for a quick weekend breakaway at the beautiful Golden Gate Highlands National Park.

Gladstone Dam

Jackal Buzzard

Sandman Butterfly

Geranium Bronze butterfly

Eland hiding in the shade of an overhang

White-necked Raven

Dolerite Dyke

Jackal Buzzards

Cape Wagtails

Golden Gate scenery

View from our cottage at Glen Reenen in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Pied Starling and chick

Inquisitive Cape Weaver

Pied Starling chick (photo by Joubert)

Crystal clear water of the Little Caledon

Crested Barbet

Red River Lilies

Golden Gate scenery

Crystal clear water of the Little Caledon

Brandwag Buttress

Little Caledon River

Eland

Plains Zebra

Shy Black-backed Jackal

African Monarch

Mushroom Rocks

Golden Gate sunset

Black-backed Jackal

Summertide Diary: Exploring iSimangaliso (part three)

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19 January 2021

The Grassland Loop is the first turnoff from the main tarred road you reach after leaving Cape Vidal. And because we just love taking the backroads while exploring South Africa’s wild places that is invariably the route we opt for – it criss-crosses a variety of habitats (from forest to grassland to swamp) and skirts the shores of Lake Bhangazi, which always has something interesting to see.

Hippo walking back to Lake Bhangazi

African Green Pigeon

Buffalo bull (photo by Joubert)

Buffalo bull

Long-crested Eagle

This morning we were particularly lucky with what we found on the Grassland Loop – a pack of four Spotted Hyenas who showed just a mild interest in a few Plains Zebras and Blue Wildebeest grazing nearby.

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena (photo by Joubert)

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena (photo by Joubert)

The Grassland Loop completed and now heading to our breakfast spot, an extended family of Crested Guineafowl crossed our path – not something we get to see often and very excited at the pictures we got of them.

Crested Guineafowl family

Crested Guineafowl chicks

Joubert’s picture of a baby Crested Guineafowl taking off quite strongly!

Crested Guineafowl

Crested Guineafowl family

Passing through a forested patch we were entertained by a troop of Vervet Monkeys and, while watching them, a few other denizens of the forest also came into view.

Trumpeter Hornbill

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Grooming Vervet Monkeys

Alarmed Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Eastern Coastal Skink

Unidentified bloom

We needed to stock up on our fresh food and drinking water supply today, so headed south to Bhangazi Gate and the holiday town of Saint Lucia.

Kudu

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Blue Pansy

Tassel-berry

Rufous-naped Lark and Black-collared Barbet

Impala ewe

Right at the Bhangazi Gate the Crocodile Centre is always a worthwhile place to stop and learn more about the Nile Crocodile – a key component of the ecosystem of Lake St. Lucia. The centre houses some really impressive specimens, many of them rescued from poachers’ traps or after becoming problematic in nearby communities, and their progeny are then released back into the wild. Furthermore there are two other species of crocodiles from equatorial Africa and American alligators on show, and a myriad of other animals and birds have also made themselves at home at the centre.

Little Warthogs

Little Warthog

Elegant Grasshopper

Nile Crocodile

Nile Crocodile (photo by Joubert)

Nile Crocodile

White-eared Barbet

Red-capped Robin Chat

Dwarf Crocodile (photo by Joubert)

Nile Crocodile (photo by Joubert)

Dwarf Crocodile

Slender-snouted Crocodile

Alligator

Nile Crocodile

Black-bellied Starling

Yellow Weaver

After a relaxed hour or so at the Crocodile Centre we tackled the 4km round trip hike from the parking area at Sugarloaf to the mouth of Lake St. Lucia. While the distance isn’t daunting at all the heat and humidity and trudging through the hot, deep sand proved more of a challenge than we anticipated, and the sight of a huge Nile Crocodile basking on a sandbank was all the convincing we needed not to dare cool our feet in the water. In the end the beautiful scenes we enjoyed more than made up for the heat-stroke risk though.

Tailor Ant nest

Osprey in flight

White-fronted Plover

St. Lucia mouth

The mouth of Lake St. Lucia, with the Umfolozi River coming in from the front and the lake from the right, with the ocean to the left of the image

Common Whimbrel

Little Terns congregating on a sandbank

Little Terns in flight

Fish Eagle in flight

Nile Crocodile at the mouth of Lake St. Lucia

Interesting plantlife on the beach at St. Lucia

Cocktail Ant nest

Our shopping completed we headed back to Cape Vidal. In the midday heat there wasn’t much to be seen along the way. Only mad dogs and Englishmen… and the de Wets… venture out in the midday sun. An outing to the beach was on the cards for the afternoon. Yellow-billed Kites flying overhead regularly swooped down to catch an unwary crab, but they knew better than to trifle with the bluebottles drifting in the waves.

Yellow-billed Kite

Ghost Crabs on the beach at Cape Vidal

Bluebottle – note the stinging tentacle lying to the right

Yellow-billed Kite

Walking back to our cabin there was an enormous commotion in the tree-tops owing to screeching Vervet Monkeys and alarm-calling Hadedas. Looking up, we’re just in time to see a Crowned Eagle flying off with a large prize in its talons and an empty hadeda nest… We then noticed another Crowned Eagle surveying the area from high in a Cassuarina-tree and watched it until it flew off in the direction of the cabins. More about them tomorrow…

Crowned Eagle

Crowned Eagle in flight

Map of the eastern shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (from https://isimangaliso.com/)

Summertide Diary: Exploring iSimangaliso (part one)

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17 January 2021

It’s a cloudy start to the day at Cape Vidal and the route for our morning drive takes us along the Grassland Loop and then to the viewpoint at Catalina Bay on the shores of Lake St. Lucia. Recent rains have swelled the lake to proportions I don’t think we’ve seen on any of our numerous previous visits to the area.

Little Bee-eater

Youngish Waterbuck bull

Cheeky Kudu calf

Catalina Bay, Lake St. Lucia

Adult Antlion

We’re slowly making our way to the picnic site at Mission Rocks for breakfast.

Waterbuck with oddly shaped horns

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Dominant male Vervet Monkey

On arrival at Mission Rocks we delay our breakfast of coffee-and-rusks just a little to first walk down to the rocky beach and look out over the ocean. But its windy and drizzly so we don’t stay at the seaside too long before going to hide in the forest, where the picnic tables are also frequented by some colourful birds with the same aching for something to eat that we had.

Spotted Hyena track at Mission Rocks

Mission Rocks

Common Whimbrel

Large crab of unknown species at Mission Rocks

Natal Rock Crab

Red-capped Robin Chat

African Pygmy Kingfisher

Driving further south the sun finally puts in appearance and the bush becomes alive as birds and animals come out of hiding.

Barn Swallows

Rufous-winged Cisticola

Warthog

Vervet Monkey

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

We turn for camp at Amazibu Pan, where the hippos are kept from their sleep by a raucous assortment of birdlife.

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Spur-winged Goose (photo by Joubert)

Spur-winged Goose

White-faced Whistling Duck

Hippos lazing at Amazibu Pan

Heading back to Cape Vidal there’s three short loop roads that offer an alternative to the busier tarred main road, and each of them offers a glimpse into a different ecosystem. The first of these is the Vlei Loop that passes several open pans where animals congregate to drink.

Dung Beetle with his bounty

Herd of buffaloes

Steppe Buzzard

Water Thick-knee (photo by Joubert)

The Forest Loop passes the kuMfazana Hide, where we discover a butterfly paradise – more about that tomorrow!

Eastern Coastal Skink

Novice butterfly

Common Tigertail Dragonfly

Unidentified moth species

A turnoff from the Dune Loop leads to the Kwasheleni Tower – a new facility opened after our previous visit to iSimangaliso that we were very curious to see – but a sour old buffalo bull tried his best to keep us from reaching it.

Wild Date Palms

Water Monitor lizard

Buffalo road block

Our patience paid off when the buffalo eventually relented and we could reach the viewing tower without further hindrance (unless you see the climbing up the dune and then the tower as an obstacle). The views afforded over Lake St. Lucia and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park from up the top of the tower was amazing.

Kwasheleni Tower

Kwasheleni Tower and view

The view southwards from the Kwasheleni Tower

Arriving back at Cape Vidal around the same time the clouds did, we nevertheless didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to explore the rock pools at low tide.

Cape Vidal beach

Rock pools at Cape Vidal

Intertidal rock pools at Cape Vidal

Little fish in an intertidal rock pool at Cape Vidal

Having lunch on the deck of our log cabin we were visited by a variety of the local wildlife.

Greying old bushbuck ewe

Black-bellied Starling

African Monarch

We didn’t take a very long afternoon drive, just a two-hour excursion along the Grassland and Dune Loops and back to camp.

Shy European Honey Buzzard

European Roller

Warthog

Two of the “Big Five” in the same frame

Brown Snake Eagle (photo by Joubert)

Fan-tailed Widowbird

African Pygmy Kingfisher

Wasp of the genus Stizus

Map of the eastern shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (from https://isimangaliso.com/)

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 on the beach at Cape Vidal

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

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!