Looking out for Lion (2)

Last week on safari we looked everywhere, high and low, in the river beds, on the koppies, along the roads and tracks, at sunrise, midday and sunset, and we didn't find a single lion.........

And we weren't alone in the fruitless search. Anxious consultations with safari colleagues from other tour companies gave zero information - we were all searching and mostly unsuccessful.

A handful of lion had been seen, but all very early morning and fleetingly.

With the hot sun and long, long grass of late summer the lion were sleeping their days away, hidden from tourist eyes, deep in the thick bush.

Looking back over 11 years of photos taken on safari in mid to late summer, it is quite obvious that even if we did find those elusive lion, they were hard to see.  Unless we had incredible timing and actually found them while they were still on or next to the road.

So I thought that a good theme for this posting would be to show you what the majority of our lion sightings in the first 4 months of the year typically tend to be.

To start, here are the wonderful road/roadside sightings we can get, if incredibly lucky........

On patrol

Watching the vultures from the shade

Taking a break











We can also be very lucky if they are hanging out in an open area in the cool of an early morning or cloudy day, or close to a kill.........

 But much more frequently they are only partially visible through the thick bush:-

Or the fresh green grass of mid-summer:-

The river beds can also be a good place to look for lion - open, shady and cool sand.  But it's long distance viewing through binoculars or telephoto lenses..........

So, yes, it is challenging finding lion in summer, but even surrounded by grass and bushes, I can still occasionally capture a great shot!

Please note that:- 
1) some of these photos I've published previously on this blog,
2) they have all been taken in the months January through to mid-April from 2009 to 2019

An Incredible Kruger Summer

Young Hyena warming up in the early morning sunshine, & startled by a loud Hadeda Ibis.....

In the south, Kruger National Park is looking lush and green after 2+ months of heavy rain and intervals of scorching sunshine.

Previous summers have proved challenging when looking for the larger mammals in the thick bush, especially the "big 5", but this year we have had amazing safari after amazing safari........

It's been difficult to decide which of my many, many photos to publish in this post, so I hope you enjoy this selection of my favourites.

There were 2 large male lion keeping a close eye on their wildebeest kill, whilst trying to keep cool in the limited shade on a sizzlingly hot morning.....
 

Months can go between African Wild Dog sightings, and then suddenly we see them day after day for a week or so. I reckon that the thick bush of summer keeps them close to the open space of the roads, as they hunt by sight.....

Birding is always at it's best in summer, and in addition to all the migrants we had some great encounters with the raptors.

This pair of African Fish Eagles were performing their breathtaking courtship flight before taking a break in this tree.







I was so excited that my guests spotted this rare vulture in a roadside tree. It's an immature White-headed vulture. Not quite as handsome as the mature bird but still very good looking with that pink & blue face

White-backed Vulture

It took me a while to see what this African Jacana was focused on. A partly cloudy morning at the Lake Panic Bird Hide, and when the sun disappeared the Jacana would frantically forage around the lily pads only to return to this spot every time the sun reappeared. If you look carefully on the vegetation below it's breast you can see it's green/black marbled egg. The Jacana is about to shade the egg with it's body & wings !!

Plains Zebra

And of course, there's all the youngsters.....

Mid to late summer they are all getting bigger and more playful

Impala

A "creche" of impala

Savannah baboon

It was fascinating to see how fast wildebeest calves grow over the short wet season......



Early January, a distinctly pregnant wildebeest crossing to the greener grass..









3 weeks later and the very young calves have arrived and are out in the open..













Early March and the wildebeest calves have visible horns and darkened coats..









What safari to Kruger is complete (or blog posting) without a sighting of elephant?

 There's water everywhere at this time of the year, but elephants do like their drinking water to be clean.

This low-walled reservoir at the Waterkant waterhole is a favourite destination for the eles in the area.
 
As soon as the drink is done, the herd hustles off to the safety of the thick bush....

In addition to multiple breeding herds we also saw many solitary bull elephant......

out on the Eastern plains,

and diligently searching for fruit under stately Marula trees in the west.

We didn't see rhino on every safari, but the sightings we did have were excellent.

This male had been fighting with another one right in the middle of the road.....

Two old male African buffalo cooling off in the mid-day heat.









 The early morning game drives are a lot more pleasant (warmer) in summer, although most of my guests find it quite difficult to manage the 5am start :)  But this year they have definitely produced the predators we were seeking.

Other advantages of the early morning are seeing the sunrise over the river and baboons on the river road.

The Sabi River

I'm going out on safari again tomorrow, next weekend and mid-April. There may be more trips in between.

So the summer is not over yet, and I'm going to be seeing so much more. Just can't wait!

October to January, Dry Season to Wet Season - A dramatic contrast

Sunset over the Great Escarpment and the Valley of the Olifants

Since October I've been fortunate enough to have been back on safari to Kruger several times.

It's been a really good re-introduction to safari life and a great reminder of why I love this work so much.

Looking over my photos from the last 3 months I also realised how quickly and dramatically the bush changes from the scorched earth of spring and the drawn out end of the dry season, to the lush green vegetation that seems to appear so abruptly once the rains arrive.

This year, the rains delayed and delayed, but since arriving in late December, they have made up for lost time with endless grey, drizzly days interspersed by frequent deluges.

These photos are some of my favourites of the last 3 months and also show quite clearly the transition from dry to wet..........

Mid October


When we went out on our first afternoon game drive in the Balule, these lions were still chewing on a baby giraffe they had killed much earlier that day.










After dark the cubs were allowed onto the carcase, and once their bellies were full they thirstily gulped water from the nearby waterhole.














Other highlights from our October safari......

The rare Black Rhino - not much nourishing green in that mouthful

Displaying a little aggression on approaching the lodge waterhole

My best photo ever of a Steenbok

Black-backed Jackal

A stately Waterbuck

November

Pied Kingfisher

An amazingly close encounter with a Verreaux Eagle-Owl

Kruger does have some evergreen vegetation, trees that grow on the riverbanks or in wetter areas, giving these birds that lovely green backdrop.

By the end of the dry season one can see the river courses from quite a distance away, the only green visible in thousands of square kilometres.

 

Much to the relief of the browsers (giraffe, kudu etc.) Kruger's acacia trees start coming out in their spring leaf well before the rains arrive. 

For me it's always a slightly bizarre sight - dry, sun-bleached veld dotted with the vibrant spring green of the acacias.

A multitude of different animals at Transport Dam

By the end of November there had been a few days with scattered thunder showers - just enough to get a sprinkling of green grass in some areas, but the large waterholes were still the only places the wildlife could drink.  (there were also buffalo and rhino at this waterhole)

January

And after just a couple of weeks of rain...........

Lots of babies around by mid-summer

This bull elephant was enjoying the lush green grass around & under the bushes

After a night of exceptionally heavy rain, this leopard mother had just caught an impala and was watching her cub enjoy it's meal.