Sanparks on The Singemonkey

September 22, 2021

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:59:07 +0000

I found a few pics on cards from our 2019/2020 trip to Kruger. That was summer and the impalas were giving birth to huge numbers of lambs - most of which are destined to be dinner rather than grown up impalas. But they are delightful little creatures.

September 15, 2021

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 20:06:33 +0000

A first for me: the eerie Bathawk (if I’m not mistaken). I WAS MISTAKEN. It’s apparently a brown morph Honey Buzzard. Well there you go… Who knows what circumstances in its youth led to an ordinary hawk leading a double life fighting crime in this frightening guise?

We’re home after the usual exhausting trip across the country - notwithstanding a wonderful time in Jozi with @sophdex, @ezlemoen, some lovely parents, and many cats and dogs. It took all of one minute in Observatory during which we were both inside for some rando to try steal the lens which this picture was taken with out of the car. He was most offended that I was suggesting that his reaching into the car, opening a bag, and trying to secret the lens under his arm implied that he might have been attempting to steal it. The nerve of me to suggest such a thing! I think he actually believed himself too.

September 12, 2021

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:52:32 +0000

I decided I preferred this Blue Eared Starling pic.

September 12, 2021

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:47:59 +0000

Another very common bird in The Kruger National Park: The Yellow-Billed Hornbill. And again, although they’re everywhere, they’re always fun. So full of arch, suspicious character and long glides just at windscreen level.

September 12, 2021

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:41:17 +0000

Would you believe that this creature is one of the most common birds in the Kruger National Park? They’re even common in Johannesburg gardens. They’re still stunning birds, no matter how ubiquitous - and cheeky - they are.

September 12, 2021

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 18:36:42 +0000

We primates distrust each other for very good reason.

September 11, 2021

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 14:13:22 +0000

Speaking of animals that often wish us ill, this has been the very last thing quite a few people ever saw.

September 11, 2021

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 14:08:48 +0000

There’s a non-zero chance that this is the same Cape Buffalo that I photographed chasing off that leopard at this same waterhole the other day. Impervious to leopards though they be, the boldest African lions can lay them low. As I understand it, the usually-complacent male lions are the ones that hunt buffalo - since it requires all of their massive strength to kill one of these aggressive bovine behemoths.

September 09, 2021

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 18:24:38 +0000

I don’t think this works great as an Insta pic, but it’s the kind of photo I’ll enjoy having hanging somewhere to remind me of this place when I’m not here. And bushbuck. Because I love bushbuck.

September 09, 2021

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 18:15:02 +0000

Not every leopard just walks right up to your car.

December 25, 2020

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 11:56:36 +0000

I also brought my little Fuji XE1. We arrived at the park pretty late and got to see the Karoo turn gold in the evening light. Course with the Fuji there’s no autofocus and no image stabilisation. So I felt I was pretty lucky to get anything close to sharp pics as these were all handheld grab shots.

December 26, 2019

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 16:04:00 +0000

A waterbuck bull. It has big horns and a ring around its butt. What’s not to like?

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.

December 27, 2018

Thu, 27 Dec 2018 08:37:34 +0000

It’s hot in the Kruger Park. Yesterday was 42 degrees. Today is predicted for 44 (as usual, I have no idea what that is in loony units - join civilization and go metric). Everything we saw on our drive from Malalane to Skukuza was moving slow in the boil. Birds were panting in the trees. If anyone can say what this dark brown eagle is, I’d appreciate it. Brown eagles are my Waterloo.

December 26, 2018

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

About to sign in to the best place on Earth.

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.

September 08, 2017

Fri, 08 Sep 2017 18:43:49 +0000