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.
A waterbuck bull. It has big horns and a ring around its butt. What’s not to like?
An old chap chewing on a grass stem.
After three days on the road it’s great to finally arrive at the best place on Earth.
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. ...
About to sign in to the best place on Earth.
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.
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.
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.
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.