First Full Day At Kruger
My brother Xwinger texted me last week, “Thank you for finally getting into Kruger NP.” Maybe you feel the same way – how much longer can this trip go? Well we had three full days in Kruger and I don’t want you to miss a minute (or bird) of it.
Today was Day 14 of our trip and we rose early to wander the grounds of Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, our lodging for two nights. Josh quickly got on a Green Woodhoopoe, which was a striking bird with iridescent-green colors, orange bill, and long tail.
We encountered many new species of Starlings while in South Africa and Kruger in particular. Here’s a look up at a Cape Starling, also with an iridescent body, but blue.
Although we had seen it before, I got this shot of a Red-winged Starling with a big red seed in its bill.
The dining area at Berg-en-Dal was open-air, overlooking the Crocodile River, with a good bakery and plenty of hot coffee. After breakfast we loaded up in our Safari Vehicle and took off in search of more birds and wild animals. Shortly after leaving, our local guide David spotted some Southern Cordonbleu on the ground. What a wild color – I so wanted a better picture but it was not meant to be (I’d almost do another trip there just to see this bird again!)
Impala were the most numerous animals alongside the roads in Kruger – it quickly got to the point where we didn’t even bother slowing down when we approached another herd (usually 20-50) of them.
Kruger was the first place where we saw Burchell’s Zebra, a Near-Threatened species of Africa.
Elephants were spotted often on side of the road and yes, we did slow down for them (they do have the Right-of-Way). Here a mom encourages her baby up the slope toward the road.
Here are a couple more starlings – first, a Greater Blue-eared Starling and then a Burchell’s (same Burchell as the Zebra) Starling. Again, the iridescence of these starlings made their bodies shimmer with color.
The Magpie Shrike was a common bird seen (and heard) in Kruger, easily spotted because of its long tail.
What the Gray Go-Away-Bird lacked in color, it certainly made up in style. That long cowl always stood straight up (Brylcreem?).
Getting points for color and style, the White-fronted Bee-Eater couldn’t bee beat. The male on the right is a bit showier, but both are such sights to see!
The “Big Five” in Africa are the must-see animals: Elephant, Rhinoceros, Leopard, Lion, and Water Buffalo. Our local guide Edward shared with us that some tourists hire him for just one day and expect him to find all five (and get mad when he can’t). We did see all five over the four days were were there but we only had one look at a Leopard, and it was a good one. David was driving along when he suddenly pulled over behind a car and right next to this beautiful Leopard. What a magnificent animal!
While in South Africa we saw nine different species of eagle and we had the best looks at this Martial Eagle.
On the other hand we didn’t see many different species of woodpeckers while in South Africa but we did see a Bearded Woodpecker and a pair of Cardinal Woodpeckers while in Kruger.
While driving down the roads of Kruger we saw some mammals I was less familiar with like this Greater Kudu and a Waterbuck.
The Warthog must be one of the laziest animals I’ve ever seen – they are so lazy, instead of bending over to feed they kneel down to bring their muzzle close to the ground while eating.
Warthogs are also some of the ugliest and meanest-looking beasts around. Take a look at this mature male just looking for trouble!
More from Kruger next week, when we move to a new camp and see new birds.
CLICK HERE to see all the posts about our South Africa Bird Tour. Karen and I have had the opportunity to travel to many interesting places in search of birds. If you would like read about some of our other Bird Tours CLICK HERE.
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