Kruger on The Singemonkey

September 28, 2025

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:55:30 +0000

This expression reminds me of someone. But I can’t quite think who.

September 26, 2025

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:16:42 +0000

A young and contemplative baboon.

September 22, 2025

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:22:51 +0000

It’s the pre-eclipse “blood moon” from whenever that was a couple weeks ago. I battled like hell with a tripod head that wouldn’t lock because I intended to shoot video. Anyway it was nice being out in that dark bushveld parking lot with hyenas and genets lurking in the shadows.

September 21, 2025

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 06:30:37 +0000

Blue-Eared Starling cooling off in Lower-Sabie.

September 20, 2025

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 16:04:44 +0000

Meerkats aren’t the only mongooses that meerkat. This slinky creature is the Yellow Mongoose.

September 18, 2025

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 08:14:27 +0000

The ever-charming plains zebra.

September 17, 2025

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 16:57:16 +0000

I’m coming to the end of another trip to Kruger. I normally post as I go but my interest in this platform is waning hard. But I’m definitely going to post a selection of my faves here for those who may enjoy them while I consider my next move with regard to sharing pictures.

September 06, 2024

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 20:30:34 +0000

Three days on the road and now we get to relax. We’re not going to be go-getters tomorrow. We had to go through the park pretty swiftly from Malelane Gate to Kruger Gate and, although we saw tons of great stuff, I only took a handful of pics.

A Steenbok is the most delightful little animal. And those terrapins are showing us the way - basking on top of a fully alive but very sleepy hippo.

December 29, 2022

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 13:27:06 +0000

Two cheetah brothers. In the second pic you can see the one brother calling the other down from his pedestal in his surprising cat-like high meow.

December 29, 2022

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 13:15:44 +0000

The sportiest and slinkiest. The African Cheetah. Two brothers using the way markers outside Orpen rest camp as viewpoints and scent marking them. Seeing cheetahs in Kruger is special. Seeing them clearly and close is magic.

March 02, 2021

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 14:53:06 +0000

I can’t remember if I posted one of these pics from Punda Maria restcamp in Kruger in Jan 2018. It’s far in the tropical North of the park. The waterhole you can watch from inside the camp is full of amazing visitors. Without having to be worried about gate-closing times, you can also catch them in the best evening light.

October 07, 2020

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:40:21 +0000

Birds of prey. Look at me getting ambitious with some amateurish cutting.

These were all filmed in Kruger years ago. Featured birds: African Fish Eagle, the fearsome and mighty Martial Eagle, the Giant Eagle Owl (now called Verreaux’s Eagle Owl), the Bateleur - the skymaster - and the… Wahlberg’s Eagle?

Fun fact: I know how to talk to Giant Eagle Owls. That Owl was responding to me talking to it.

October 05, 2020

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 13:46:12 +0000

Young lions being sweet. This is a bit unusual to see. 90% of the time lions do nothing at all. 8% of the time they’re terrifying murder-machines that set our ancient alert system on defcon GTFO. All their other behaviour fits in that last bit.

If this seems a weird environment for a wild lion outside India, this is what the bushveld looks like after heavy rains. Kruger is mostly described as, “savannah woodland,” with plenty of large trees. This was in December 2013.

October 03, 2020

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 12:48:28 +0000

Handsome boi. Wait for it…

I thought I’d lost these clips. One of those times where you see something spectacular between entering Kruger and getting to camp. This was on the way to Pretoriuskop from Numbi Gate, I think. 2014. Prolly should have cropped this for insta. Oh well.

October 02, 2020

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:25:15 +0000

This hefty chap standing guard as the herd comes down to the river. Shot this in Dec 2013. One day I’ll learn Da Vinci and make some small films from the footage I’ve shot in Kruger.

December 25, 2019

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 19:03:17 +0000

An old chap chewing on a grass stem.

December 25, 2019

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 09:02:38 +0000

After three days on the road it’s great to finally arrive at the best place on Earth.

August 07, 2019

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 19:07:04 +0000

Mad kitter. I’ve shot a lot of wildlife footage over the years but I’ve never done anything with it. Maybe it’s time to actually cut some of it together - even though the gear I used is pretty primitive by todays standards.

January 11, 2019

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 08:15:31 +0000

Not my best pic from the trip. But you can’t beat this for excitement. We were given bad instructions on where to look for this leopard - so out of 35 mins we spent there we spent about 5 mins actually looking at the animals. But shortly after we did spot them, this little leopard kitten stuck up it’s little head and I grabbed a couple of pics.

This also shows you why people use such enormous lenses for wildlife photography. This was with a long lens (500mm) and a 1.4x extender. And this is still a crop of only probably 40% of the image area. On a phone this leopard cub would have only been a few pixels.

January 09, 2019

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 11:30:45 +0000

Crested Barbet. Not uncommon to see in Johannesburg gardens. I managed to photograph a few things that got close enough for my Pentax 67 film camera. I’ll have to wait and see whether any of them worked out. I might try it again though. It’s a lot of fun to use and the clatter of that enormous shutter is very satisfying.

January 09, 2019

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 11:27:38 +0000

It’s our last day in Kruger. So lucky to get to stay so long, and yet it seems to always be over so fast.

We saw this smart little Black-Backed Jackal yesterday. Just taking it easy in the twilight.

January 06, 2019

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 16:18:04 +0000

One more for today (had no signal this morning). We came across a hyena family - including the littlest hyena. Full of fun and playing with its siblings.

January 06, 2019

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 16:15:32 +0000

We finally saw a spotty cat. This was yesterday. Quite a scrum of cars. We saw one better today though that @withoutaleaf got some nice pics of.

January 06, 2019

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 16:09:53 +0000

The Nahpi Boulder in late afternoon with beautiful post-rain skies. In my head this kind of scene is as South African as it gets.

January 06, 2019

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 16:07:51 +0000

We were visited by this toad that came to eat our bugs.

January 03, 2019

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 08:32:01 +0000

We’re in Pretoriuskop after a bit of an exhausting day yesterday. Got up to go driving around at 4 AM and didn’t settled down in our new place here until 5 PM.

December 31, 2018

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 11:41:05 +0000

The first success of camp day. This Violet-Backed Starling appeared in the tree next to where I was sewing a button and @withoutaleaf was preparing breakfast. I’ve wanted to photograph one of these since forever. A jewel of the bushveld.

December 31, 2018

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 08:08:52 +0000

We’re taking a camp day today. No driving out. Just seeing what wildlife’s in Skukuza and the river and checking out some of the old exhibits.

December 31, 2018

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 08:05:49 +0000

We took it pretty easy yesterday after our early starts. We haven’t really had time to really just relax since we left Cape Town. Aparna spotted this orchid growing in one of the bushveld trees - which we thought was pretty amazing. And just right for my 1970s 105mm lens.

December 29, 2018

Sat, 29 Dec 2018 14:40:17 +0000

I hate to brag… actually I love to brag about stuff that’s inconsequential… but this was lion sighting 4 out of 8 so far since Wednesday. Four of those were today. First up was a set of heavy boys who were shaking up the morning bush with their calls.

Photographically speaking, not the best day. But I used some 19th Century style photo printing techniques to make the most of this. Only it’s a lot easier on digital where you don’t have to wave bits of card under enlargers for set numbers of carefully planned seconds.

December 29, 2018

Sat, 29 Dec 2018 14:31:37 +0000

The Sabie River just after daybreak.

December 28, 2018

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 12:28:36 +0000

“Hail the jewel at the heart of the lotus.” We saw a lot of amazing bird behaviors today. Dancing Mourning Doves. This African Jacana bowing to this water lily while its mate looked for twigs as presents. And rollers bobbing and squawking at each other. None of the pics I took of this extraordinary behavior were any good though. Naturally.

December 28, 2018

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 12:21:18 +0000

A damp vulture. You probably can’t see on instagram, but the heat finally broke this morning and the rain came down. From 30C at dawn it’s now a comfy 23C with the delicious sizzle of rain with occasional thunder.

December 28, 2018

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 12:16:11 +0000

We got up at 4 this morning to go look for these lions in the hopes that they’d be doing something in la crepescule du matin. Well, at least they weren’t hiding under a bush.

December 27, 2018

Thu, 27 Dec 2018 15:06:22 +0000

The car thermometer peaked at 48C this afternoon. So the lions we saw were asleep under a bush. But at Lake Panic, this killer was undeterred. We probably have little furry ancestors that hung from the jaws of this Squaco Heron’s dinosaur ancestors like this doomed frog.

December 26, 2018

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 13:55:21 +0000

About to sign in to the best place on Earth.

October 11, 2018

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 15:02:07 +0000

#tbt to when we drove past this tall kitty strolling down the road.

January 08, 2018

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 13:32:17 +0000

White Fronted Bee Eater at Pafuri picnic area in the extreme North of the park. It’s our last day 😢 We saw a leopard in the dark just after leaving camp at 4:30am. And, later, very sad scenes of and impala ewe and two lambs stuck up to their necks in a pool of mud.

January 07, 2018

Sun, 07 Jan 2018 21:27:25 +0000

The vigilant herd matriarch. Elephant cows spend much of their time away from the large and unpredictable bulls. They form herds to raise their offspring led by these tough-as-nails older females that are ever watchful and have no patience for bullshit.

January 07, 2018

Sun, 07 Jan 2018 21:20:01 +0000

The smallest elephant in Kruger. This wee elephant is about the size of a dog. There was an incident this evening - where a teenage elephant pushed this baby over. The herd matriarch was pissed to say the least - screaming in anger. The whole herd rushed to see that the baby was ok. When it was back on its feet, a sibling or cousin not all that much bigger walked with its trunk draped over the little one to reassure it. Elephants are no gentle giants. But they look after their little ones.

January 06, 2018

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 19:18:00 +0000

The fancy roller. We thought for a hot second it was a Racket-Tailed Roller - which would have knocked my socks off (had I been wearing socks). But it’s the very common - but still lovely - Lilac Breasted Roller.

January 06, 2018

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 19:13:03 +0000

“It’s an animal that looks like a dude!

January 06, 2018

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 19:09:31 +0000

Sundown Impala battles.

January 05, 2018

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 18:35:41 +0000

The proof! @withoutaleaf risks lion attacks at the Tropic of Capricorn.

January 05, 2018

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 18:33:01 +0000

We’re in the tropics!

January 05, 2018

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 18:30:09 +0000

After a long day of driving we have reached Shingwedzi. Tomorrow we go further North to our final goal.

January 04, 2018

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 10:04:14 +0000

@withoutaleaf is taking no chances in getting that perfect Woodland Kingfisher pic. They’ve defied her for too long. Now she’s staking out the branch on which they do their thing with her book and her script supervisor’s chair.

January 03, 2018

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 16:54:09 +0000

Orpen rest camp no.2 looking back the other way to where we were staying.

January 03, 2018

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 16:51:12 +0000

Orpen rest camp no.1. It’s quite tiny. About 8 double cottages, no restaurant, and just this one strip of lawn and trees facing onto the fence. Still a delightful place to put your feet up to the sound of thunder and even more thunderous frogs.

January 02, 2018

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 13:57:32 +0000

A tough old boy we got to see doing his thing this morning. I’m pretty sure all of us have some kind of species memory for when we were very much on these guys’ menu. There’s an eerie feeling when you see them up close. And they feature often in my nightmares.

December 31, 2017

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 14:45:55 +0000

Had a brief drive just now and saw some more wild dogs. But the highlight for me was when @withoutaleaf spotted this little African Barred Owlet having a sleepy afternoon almost hidden in a tree. It’s only about the size of a dove.

December 31, 2017

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 07:47:57 +0000

In case y’all are sick of birds, here are some of the painted wolves we saw a half hour ago. Always worth getting through the huge clusters of cars to see them behave just like dogs do. They’re so vulnerable to diseases from domestic dogs that it’s a special privilege to see these rare hunters.

December 31, 2017

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 04:44:09 +0000

Pre-dawn on the Sabie River is when the night wails of the bushbaby mix with the victory cry of the fish eagle.

December 30, 2017

Sat, 30 Dec 2017 20:03:05 +0000

Posting one extra from yesterday to remark on the magic of flying ants. Walking by the riverside here in Skukuza, they rise in great cones of insects - perfectly silent. Not the slightest sound. They fly towards the brilliant summer moon in their hundreds like grey fairies in the dusk. This phenomenon is impossible to photograph and would be a challenge to film.

This is a Woodland Kingfisher, BTW. Its call is the sound of the summer.

December 30, 2017

Sat, 30 Dec 2017 19:53:30 +0000

I didn’t take too many pics today. And if birds aren’t your thing, you’re bang out of luck 😂. This is the Carmine Bee-Eater - one of the only bee-eaters, in my experience, that won’t wing it at the first sign of a camera.

December 30, 2017

Sat, 30 Dec 2017 06:53:51 +0000

A Lesser-Striped Swallow does a little yoga to get going.

December 29, 2017

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 16:13:22 +0000

One of the most striking Plains Zebras I’ve ever seen. Usually they’re more white than black. But not this guy we saw this afternoon.

December 29, 2017

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 15:42:17 +0000

Did you know we have absolutely beautiful pigeons in South Africa? If all you know are “sky rats,” your impressions may be softened by meeting the African Green Pigeon - a beautiful wood Pigeon very fond of wild figs.

December 29, 2017

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 14:45:58 +0000

Just them bushveld trees and the sun going down. Living in Africa - classic edition.

December 29, 2017

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 14:40:31 +0000

So my project this year is to capture something of the feel of Kruger rest camps. I’ve started slow, as usual. I missed doing anything to show off Berg en Dal at all (although it has its own wonderful charm). But here’s Crocodile Bridge. The camp is just this small circle of rondawels (colonial versions of traditional houses among some South African tribes) and a very open campsite. The small size and this leafy greenness are what really struck me. It’s a lush feast for drought-tired eyes.

December 29, 2017

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 09:02:06 +0000

Dear @sanparks … why aren’t these available for sale? We would buy the heck out of these.

December 28, 2017

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 19:24:45 +0000

Who cares about a big old lion lyin’ about in the veldt when you can return to camp to find that a busy raiding party of banded mongooses has brought their little cubs to work with them? .

December 28, 2017

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 18:52:00 +0000

Narcissus. Herons sometimes feature in Buddhist iconography representing the Buddha mind of stillness with great alertness. This Little Egret knows it’s a great way to fill the belly.

December 28, 2017

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 15:25:00 +0000

You may find a hint that these little binoculars are getting on in years. But they’re still absolutely brilliant - literally.

December 27, 2017

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 16:24:15 +0000

“The cult members wear coal-black cloaks and bloody red masks. They strike with great curved daggers.” The Ground Hornbill is the largest and most powerful hornbill - about the size of a turkey. Despite their name, they can fly - an awesome sight. They make short work of reptiles and small mammals.

December 27, 2017

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 16:11:49 +0000

“Would madam prefer that in black?” Black Stork at river level.

December 27, 2017

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 16:07:23 +0000

Formal portrait of three warthog siblings.

December 27, 2017

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 15:59:38 +0000

That feel when you’re only little and everything’s exciting. This little hyena was having such a good time by the pool with aunties and uncles.

December 27, 2017

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 15:53:52 +0000

A rather silly looking hyena having a frolic in a pool near their den. We found them while lost and running on fumes. The antics of this pack made it all worth while.

December 26, 2017

Tue, 26 Dec 2017 12:47:11 +0000

Pretty in powder blue. A European Roller. First day in Kruger and we see a Black Rhino (!) and 4 young cheetahs.