A total bird count of 178 with a very impressive 144 photos (of different species)
The aim of this safari is not to tick species off, but instead the challenge is to try and get some decent photos of Kruger's birds, with the additional challenge of trying to better existing shots when better opportunities present themselves.
Northern Kruger is the real hotspot as this area has some special species not commonly seen in the rest of Kruger. We did very well with the Crested Guineafowl and Broad-billed Rollers, as well as getting to see the Trumpeter Hornbills again at the exact same nest site as last year ! We also added the rarely seen Crowned Hornbills to our photo list.
Kruger has such a diverse range of habitats which made the trip very enjoyable as we travelled from the North right down to the south over a period of 14 days. The trip was really relaxing, the binoculars and cameras were well used and our safari vehicle acted as the perfect mobile bird hide, this is the best way to get original and different shots of Kruger's birds. We saw a number of the same species as we did last year but they were all in different situations and circumstances which helps to keep the subject matter unique and fresh.
A number of migrants were already back, gearing up for the summer season in South Africa, Yellow Billed Kites, European Bee eaters, Cuckoos, Wahlberg's Eagles and a very rare sighting of a Grey Kestrel, normally only seen in Namibia.
The beautiful African Paradise Flycatchers seemed to be everywhere this year and we had a special sighting of a Black Heron and a Greater Honeyguide.
We did very well on the Owl front, notching up 4 different species (all during the day time)
Other highlights were getting to photograph both of the Helmet Shrikes and the Orange Breasted and Grey headed Bushshrikes.
The waterbirds were fantastic this year, Squacco Herons, Collared Pratincoles, Black Crake, African Jacana and many more. The visits to Lake panic Bird hide near Skukuza proved to be very productive - it is still one of the best places to see and photograph the Malachite Kingfisher !!
Sunbirds, Woodpeckers and the very active Weavers also added some great photo opportunities.
All in all it was a fantastically productive trip and really enjoyable to be able to go at a very different pace to the normal bigger mammal type photo safaris (of which we still got to see and photograph anyway)
Thanks very much to John for coming on the safari, it was a great pleasure to shoot alongside you !
Here are a few photos - enjoy !!!
Warmest regards
Stu
Arrow-marked Babbler - Bateleur Camp, Northern Kruger
Black-collared Barbet - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Crested Barbet - Bateleur Camp, Northern Kruger
White-fronted Bee-eater - Luvuvhu River Bridge, Northern Kruger
European Bee-eater - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Yellow-bellied Greenbul - Punda Maria Camp, Northern Kruger
Dark-capped Bulbul - Letaba Camp, Northern Kruger
Sombre Greenbul - Skukuza Nursery, Southern Kruger
Red-crested Korhaan (Male) - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Kori Bustard - Central Kruger
Great Spotted Cuckoo - Babalala Picnic site, Northern Kruger
Jacobin Cuckoo - Central Kruger
Cape Turtle Dove - Northern Kruger
Red-eyed Dove - Northern Kruger
Mourning Collared Dove - Bateleur Camp, Northern Kruger
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove - Northern Kruger
Laughing Dove - Northern Kruger
African Green Pigeon - Letaba Camp, Northern Kruger
Fork-tailed Drongo - Letaba Camp, Northern Kruger
Wahlberg’s Eagle - Northern Kruger
Grey Kestrel - Northern Kruger
Immature Brown Snake Eagle - Northern Kruger
Tawny Eagle - Northern Kruger
Immature Bateleur Eagle - Northern Kruger
Yellow Billed Kite - Southern Kruger
African Fish Eagle and moon - Northern Kruger
African Fish Eagle - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Martial Eagle - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Immature White Backed Vulture - Northern Kruger
Lappet-faced Vultures - Central Kruger
Spotted Flycatcher - Northern Kruger
African Paradise Flycatcher - Babalala Picnic Site, Northern Kruger
African Paradise Flycatcher (male) - Mopani Camp, Northern Kruger
Southern Black Flycatcher - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Ashy Flycatcher - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Greater Honeyguide - Southern Kruger
Double Banded Sandgrouse (male) - Northern Kruger
Swainson’s Spurfowl - Northern Kruger
Crested Francolin (male) - Northern Kruger
Natal Spurfowl (male) - Bateleur Camp, Northern Kruger
Common Ostrich chick - Northern Kruger
Crested Guineafowl - Punda Maria Camp, Northern Kruger
Helmeted Guineafowl - Northern Kruger
African Hoopoe inspecting a potential nest site - Northern Kruger
African Hoopoe - Northern Kruger
Green Wood-Hoopoe feeding behaviour before nesting - Northern Kruger
Green Wood-Hoopoe - Northern Kruger
Southern Ground Hornbill (adult Male) - Northern Kruger
Southern Ground Hornbill (juvenile) with skink - Northern Kruger
Trumpeter Hornbill at nest site - Pafuri, Northern Kruger
Trumpeter Hornbill at nest site, Male is passing an Nyala Tree berry to the female inside the nest cavity - Pafuri, Northern Kruger
Crowned Hornbill - Northern Kruger
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill - Bateleur Camp, Northern Kruger
Southern Red-billed Hornbill - Bateleur Camp, Northern Kruger
African Grey Hornbill displaying (male) - Northern Kruger
African Grey Hornbill (female) - Northern Kruger
Giant Kingfisher (male) - Luvuvhu River, Northern Kruger
Brown-hooded Kingfisher displaying - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Pied Kingfisher (male) Northern Kruger
Pied Kingfisher (male) with fish - Shingwedzi River, Northern Kruger
Malachite Kingfisher - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
Purple-crested Turaco - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Purple-crested Turaco in flight - Northern Kruger
Grey Go-away-bird - Northern Kruger
Black-headed Oriole - Northern Kruger
Verreaux’s Eagle-owl - Pafuri, Northern Kruger
African Scops Owl - Northern Kruger
African Barred Owlet - Northern Kruger
Pearl-spotted Owlet - Central Kruger
Red-billed Oxpecker - Northern Kruger
Yellow-billed Oxpecker - Northern Kruger
Brown-headed Parrot feeding on the flowers of a Baobab tree - Northern Kruger
White-browed Robin-chat - Northern Kruger
Bearded Scrub Robin at Pafuri Picnic site - Northern Kruger
White-throated Robin-Chat - Lower Sabie Camp, Southern Kruger
White-browed Scrub Robin - Skukuza Golf Course, Southern Kruger
Mocking Cliff Chat (Male) - Mlondozi Picnic Site, Southern Kruger
Lilac-breasted Roller - Central Kruger
Purple Roller - Central Kruger
Broad-billed Roller - Northern Kruger
Broad-billed Rollers displaying - Northern Kruger
Brubru - Northern Kruger
Chinspot Batis (male) - Babalala Picnic site Northern Kruger
Black-backed Puffback (female) - Letaba Camp Northern Kruger
Black-backed Puffback (male) - Letaba Camp Northern Kruger
Black-crowned Tchagra - Northern Kruger
Orange-breasted Bushshrike (Immature) - Bateleur Camp Northern Kruger
Orange-breasted Bushrike - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Grey-headed Bushshrike - Northern Kruger
Burchell’s Coucal - Northern Kruger
Magpie Shrike - Babalala Picnic site Northern Kruger
White-crested Helmet-shrike - Northern Kruger
Retz’s Helmet-shrike - Pafuri Picnic site Northern Kruger
Blue Waxbill - Northern Kruger
Red-billed Firefinch (male) - Northern Kruger
Red-billed Quelea (non-breeding) - Northern Kruger
Green-winged Pytilia (female) - Northern Kruger
African Yellow White-eye - Luvhuvhu River Bridge Northern Kruger
Cape White-eye - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Rattling Cisticola - Northern Kruger
Golden-breasted Bunting - Northern Kruger
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting - Northern Kruger
Tawny-flanked Prinia - Northern Kruger
Sabota Lark - Northern Kruger
Southern Black Tit with insect - Northern Kruger
Southern Grey-headed Sparrow - Northern Kruger
Jameson's Firefinch - Shingwedzi River, Northern Kruger
Yellow-breasted Apalis (male) making use of an abandoned Red-headed Weavers nest - Letaba, Northern Kruger
Bronze Mannikin - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Yellow-fronted Canary - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Speckled Mousebird - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Greater Blue-eared Starling with elephant dung used as nesting material - Northern Kruger
Meves’s Starling - Nyala drive, Northern Kruger
Violet-backed Starling (male) - Shingwedzi river, Northern Kruger
Red-winged Starling (male) - Letaba Camp Northern Kruger
White-bellied Sunbird (male) - Northern Kruger
Marico Sunbird (male) - Skukuza Camp, Southern Kruger
Rock Martin - Luvuvhu River Bridge, Northern Kruger
Wire-tailed Swallow - Luvuvhu River bridge, Northern Kruger
Lesser Striped Swallow (male) - Northern Kruger
Kurrichane Thrush - Letaba Camp, Northern Kruger
Saddle-billed Stork (female) - Northern Kruger
Saddle-billed Stork (male) with Platanna (African Clawed frog) - Tshokwane, Central Kruger
Yellow Billed Stork - Sunset Dam, Southern Kruger
Blacksmith Lapwing - Northern Kruger
White-crowned Lapwing - Sunset Dam, Southern Kruger
Three-banded Plover - Northern Kruger
Collared Pratincole - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Common Greenshank - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Wood Sandpiper - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Common Sandpiper - Mazithi Dam, Central Kruger
Little Stint - Mazithi Dam, Central Kruger
Ruff - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Black Crake - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
African Jacana - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
Black Heron - Pioneer Dam, Northern Kruger
Squacco Heron - Northern Kruger
Grey Heron (adult) - Kumana Dam, Central Kruger
Green-backed Heron - Northern Kruger
Great Egret - Northern Kruger
Little Egret - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Western Cattle Egret in breeding plumage - Southern Kruger
Hammerkop - Sabie River, Southern Kruger
Hadeda Ibis - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Water Thick-knee - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
African Spoonbill - Sunset Dam, Southern Kruger
African Pied Wagtail - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
White-faced Whistling Ducks - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Spur-winged Goose & Little Egret - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Egyptian Goose - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
Spectacled Weaver - Southern Kruger
Southern Masked Weaver - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
Lesser Masked Weaver - Lake Panic Bird Hide, Southern Kruger
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver with nesting material - Sunset Dam, Southern Kruger
Cardinal Woodpecker (male) - Letaba River, Northern Kruger
Golden-tailed Woodpecker - Letaba Camp, Northern Kruger
Bennett’s Woodpecker (male) - Northern Kruger
Bennett’s Woodpecker (female) - Northern Kruger
Of course birds were not the only animals seen on the safari !! we did take time to photograph some of the other species found in the park. Some highlights included seeing the Leopard Tortoises coming out in big numbers, this usually happens around this time of year to coincide with the first rains, we passed 11 on our way to Northern Kruger on the very first day !!
The Sharpe's Grysbok are rarely seen, but Northern Kruger is a good place to hope to see them, we notched up 5 sightings of this small and elusive antelope.
We watched Lions lying in wait at a pool of water in the Shingwedzi River, but the Impala were too quick for them on this occasion.
Northern Kruger is well know for its large herds of elephants and particularly its big tuskers of which we saw many.
We had an amazingly close sighting of the largest African Rock Python I have seen in the wild, a huge monster in excess of 5 meters, who moved slowly through the undergrowth, a real treat to see.
On our very last day we were treated to a sighting of a pack of Cape Hunting Dogs, right in the middle of the road between the bird hide and Skukuza main camp.
My personal favourite though was getting to see the three Leopards we had seen playing in the Nwatimhiri River on the August trip, this time the mum and two sub adult cubs were close to the road resting up in a tree, what beautiful cats !!
Leopard Tortoise - Northern Kruger
Water Monitor Lizard - Northern Kruger
Nyala Antelope (female) - Northern Kruger
A shy Sharpe's Grysbok - Northern Kruger
Lioness watching Impala approach - Shingwedzi River, Northern Kruger
The unsuccessful charge ! - Northern Kruger
Vervet Monkey - Northern Kruger
Tree Squirrel - Northern Kruger
Male Elephants enjoying a swim - Shingwedzi River, Northern Kruger
Hippos in the Letaba River - Northern Kruger
Elephant herd in the Letaba River - Northern Kruger
Large Crocodile - Luvuvhu River, Northern Kruger
Baby Elephant sheltering - Shingwedzi, Northern Kruger
Moth - Northern Kruger
The 5m + African Rock Python - Northern Kruger
Hippo with Baby - Shingwedzi River, Northern Kruger
A rare and special sighting of African Wilddogs - Southern Kruger
A sub-adult male Lion - Shingwedzi, Northern Kruger
The sub-adult Male Leopard near the Sabie River - Southern Kruger
Brother and sister resting in a tree alongside the Sabie River - Southern Kruger
