We’ve watched the sun set for the ninth and final time over the Shingwedzi River on this visit to the Kruger National Park. Of course there’s many, many photos from this wonderful place that we’ll be sharing with you in weeks to come!
In case you were wondering how Joubert’s photo turned out:
Tomorrow we’ll be heading home via Phalaborwa Gate for a quick two-day “lay-over” in Pretoria before heading to our next winter holiday destination.
Grey, Red-billed and Yellow-billed Hornbills visit us at our campsite here in Shingwedzi in the Kruger National Park around lunchtime every day, amusing us with their bold yet unsuccessful attempts to pilfer food from our plates…
I had trouble deciding whether to show you the beautiful lions we saw today near Babalala Picnic Spot, or the beautiful leopard we saw within a stone’s throw from Punda Maria Rest Camp. So, I will show you both!
Three bull elephants sharing an afternoon drink at their local watering hole (a pool in the Shingwedzi River)
Elephants gathering in their numbers along the dwindling waterholes of the drying Mphongolo River
(You can click on the image for an enlarged view)
The last photo taken today – sunset over the dry bed of the Shingwedzi River.
(You can click on the photo for a bigger view)
Follow the leader!
These two gentlemen and their entourage greeted us at the gate as we were leaving Shingwedzi for our afternoon drive today,
Lovely warm weather here at Shingwedzi today, and lots of time to visit all the waterholes in the surrounding area – this one being Red Rocks to the south-west of the camp.
It’s 21:30 and I am sitting next to the fence at Shingwedzi Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park, listening to the sounds of lions, at least one leopard, hippos, zebras, impalas baboons and elephants breaking the silence of the night while Marilize and Joubert are already sound asleep in the tent behind me. Today is the first day of our long awaited winter visit to Shingwedzi, and we’ll try to do a daily update when cellular signal allows.
The Southern Double-collared Sunbird occurs only in South Africa (all provinces excluding Gauteng, the Free State and North West) and marginally into Swaziland and southern Namibia. They inhabit coastal and arid scrublands, fynbos, woodland, plantations and temperate forests and are usually seen singly, in pairs or family groups. They feed on nectar, fruit and small invertebrates. Adults are about 12cm long and weigh approximately 8g.
The peak breeding season for the Southern Double-collared Sunbird stretches from mid-winter to spring, though there are records from the rest of the year as well. Their nests are oval-shaped balls of grass, other soft plant materials and spiderweb built by the female without any assistance from the male. Clutches contain 1-3 eggs and are also incubated solely by the female over a 2-week period, but both parents feed the chicks which leave the nest by the time they are 3 weeks old. The youngsters become independent about a month after leaving the nest.
The IUCN regards the Southern Double-collared Sunbird as being of least concern.
DeWetsWild