We start out on this chilly morning with James as our Guide and Dave on Camera.
And right away we have quite a few buffalo to view.
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| Huddling close together on this chilly misty morning |
Click below to view on YouTube
Sunrise Safari- April 26 Buffalos With James
The Buffalo's are all chewing their cud.
Buffalo's when needed can most at an astonishing speed. - especially if Lions are chasing them.
James is creeping slowly down the road hoping the Buffalo will shift their huge bodies just slightly so that he may pass. He does it!, Well done James!
Tingana is the dominant male Leopard in this area and the Anderson male will keep clear of Tingana's territory. Karula was on the Milk berry tree on previous drive.
James is driving very slowly attempting to see if the cubs might be near by
Karula's cubs will stay with her for some time. The male for approximately 18 months and if the other cub is confirmed as a female will remain for approximately 12-14 months as female's become independent earlier then males.
We stop and listen. Listening perhaps for that tiny squeak of Karula's cubs.
Click below to view on YouTube
James Stops as we listen for signs that the Cubs might be nearby
James thought he heard
something. No.. his ears are deceiving him.
Will drive around the block.. we don't want to be driving around making a lot of noise in the bush in case we give the cubs a
fright.
Chances are still at best 30% of the
cubs survival.They are threatened by other leopards or other major predators or mom might
have to struggle to feed them but it is certainly better odds now then when they were
born.
A leopard will change their den
site often.. not really a den anymore. she just stashes them in various spots while she hunts and then she will bring them to the kill. When they were new
born she moved the den sight every 2-3 days.
James is looking towards the day
when they can drive around in an electric vehicle that doesn't make any sound.
Stefan is with us today and doing a
BUSH WALK!! Their walk camera is back in action!
It is a lovely day for a walk.
LETS GO WALKIN!
Let's all say Good morning to Stefan
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| Stefan- Our Guide on this mornings bush walk |
Stefan has a rifle with
him (safety precautions only of course)
He is going to walk across Quarantine.
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| This field gets covered with Butterflies |
This field gets covered in
butterflies.
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| Jumping Spider Web |
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| Jumping Spider Web |
The jumping spider web. It is a purse type
nest. The spider hunts from the top of the nest.
We now see a Devil's Thorn flower
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| Devils' Thorn Bloom |
The devils thorn when crushed
gets very sticky and forms a type of soap.
Stefan is happy to be back on
camera. he usually does walk support instead of being on camera
Back with James
He has been slowly moving along
back and around , back and around.
No sign of the little cubs yet
but buffalo have come through the block so pretty sure the cubs and mom would
have moved off away from the buffs.
Nkahuma pride are on
buffelshoek. property to the north. we cant cross that border but animals of
course can. they are on a dam wall there.. only 4 are there. should be 5. Anyone's guess where #5 is.
Cloudy day is often quiet.
It is an excellent opportunity to spend time on foot so its great that Steph is out
doing a bush walk for us.
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| Young female Steenbok |
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| Steenbok |
Little female Steenbok looking
like we cant see her. She is chewing her cud which is a very efficient way of eating her grass.
Please click below to view on YouTube
Young Steenbok
Please click below to view on YouTube
Young Steenbok
We are back with Steph and he is in one of the 2 drainage lines.
A bearded Woodpeckers bashes his face against the tree to make sounds (sounds like a drum). He makes this sound as loud and as elaborate as he can to attract females
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| Bearded Woodpecker |
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| Bearded Woodpecker drumming away |
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| Bearded Woodpecker |
The bearded woodpeckers is the largest Woodpecker in this area. He is the only one who "drums" for the ladies.
James is driving along.
James has his coat on and
appears chilled (driving makes more wind as well)
Heading towards tree house dam.
Lets take a look at a Cape Glossy Starling
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| Cape Glossy Starling |
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| Cape Glossy Starling |
In the light its colour has purple and blue
and green feathers
Everyone want to see a couple of Terrapins?
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| Terrapins little heads popping up |
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| Terrapins |
Terrapins with James.
Terrapins can hold their breath for
long periods underwater but cannot breathe under water.
And now for everyone's bird list we have the Arrow Backed Babbler
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| Arrow Backed Babbler |
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| Arrow Backed Babbler |
Excellent camera work DAVE!
Grey Loerie birds are also called the Go Away Bird because their song sounds like it is saying Go Away! Go Away!
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| Grey Loerie |
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| Grey Loerie |
And we are back with Stefan.
And from out of the dead Buffalo Thorn is STEFAN
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| Stefan behind a dead Buffalo Thorn |
Now this is where it is getting very interesting. Stefan tells us he has come upon a "Crime Scene"
First clue he finds is a Tortoise scale.
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| Tortoise Scale |
The scale is actually its skin.
Next clue is a tiny shoulder blade
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| Tiny Shoulder Blade |
He is fetching the tortoise.
This Tortoise either succumbed to heat or
caught in a fire. Doesn't look scorched.
The mystery continues.....
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| It is dark inside |
its DARK inside
We can see spine inside.
Stefan can put his weight on the
shell and it takes an enormous amount of pressure
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| Shell can take an enormous amount of weight |
The Shell is made up of plates
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| Made up of plates |
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| Shell made up of plates |
This is a dead stump of a Zebra wood.
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| Zebra wood Stump |
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| Zebra Wood Stump |
This Zebra wood is so dense is doesn't float
in water. Looks black and white when shaved.
Chefs love to use this wood as
it makes a great flame to cook with.
Stefan saying flood and droughts
are in equilibrium. It weeds out the weak and the strong survive
He is expecting a reduction in
grass and herbivores.
The more rain, the thicker the
bush gets and animals disperse.. in a doubt, everything congregates in a
smaller area which allows the large areas to have time to recover.
Back to James
He is looking up and down the road
(showing road signs)
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| Good Morning Arathusa- Can we get an update please |
Good morning stations Arathusa. . asking for update
James sees tracks of a puff Adder
snake
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| Zig Zag tracks from a Puff adder Snake. |
James tells us the chance of being bitten by a
snake is less then being hit by lightning.
Animals out here are normally
very fast and can move quickly not to get bitten by a snake
Back to Stefan
He saw a slender mongoose but we missed
it
Stefan is helping Wiam climb the
termite mound with his camera to find the elusive slender mongoose
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| Working his way around the termite mound searching for the slender mongoose |
Stefan is sharing information on what gear he takes while doing a bush walk
#1 backpack
#2 first aid kit
#3 water
#4snacks
#5little bag of toys.. matches,
thread, needle, knife
#6binocular
#7belt.
#8 Hiking boots leather shoes because thorns don't go through them
He is explaining the "gators" (see pic below)
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| Wear Leather shoes so Thorns cannot penetrate |
 |
| Gators |
 |
| Gators |
He always wears Gators to prevent grass seeds
from getting inside his shoes which make it extremely uncomfortable.
The back pack changes with what the
purpose and length of the bush walk is.
Stefan is the only one of the team
carrying a rifle One needs to be certified in order to carry a firearm.
During a bush walk there are usually 3 people. A presenter, a cameraman and the third is someone walking as security,
Stefan is doing both presenting and security but he has Conner standing close by and
watching and listening for safety while Steph presents and Wiam films.
Stefan has been working 17 years in the bush. only used his rifle 3 times.
We don't carry darts or stun
guns. .If in a life threatening situation,
those things will not work.
The Rifle is part of his kit.
We see a large Gardenia Tree
 |
| Gardenia Tree with Triangular Branches |
The Gardenia tree has triangular branches
It has a white flower when pollinated
turns yellow. beautiful smell
This is the biggest one he has
seen in Djuma
And we have a Black Monkey Thorn Tree
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| Black Monkey Thorn Tree |
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| Black Monkey Thorn Tree |
The strong thorns on this tree stops browsers from
grabbing on and stripping its leaves off.
It forces them to pick at the leaves gently. Great defense mechanism
Back with James
And James has located some Green Pigeons.
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| Green Pigeon |
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| Green Pigeon |
Looking at some super close up shots of Fruit Chafers
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| Fruit Chafers |
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| Fruit Chafers |
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| Fruit Chafers |
The Fruit chafer bugs live on the poison apple .
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| Poison Apple Fruit- Ripe |
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| Poison Apple Fruit- unripened |
The poison Apple is not a friendly plant. The berries contain high levels of poison
Tap Tap on a stump
Stefan is tapping on the stump
and it causes the termites to emit a low rumble like a drumming sound. They are working hard excavating their tunnels.
Elephants have excavated part of
the drainage line to find the subterranean water
it lies on top of the clay
 |
| Elephants have excavated areas to get at water which lies beneath |
We are back to James and he is
going lickety quick ( my terminology)
Poor James says he is struggling to find us interesting things to
see. He says it appears to be a blank canvas but he is going to scour the land for us.
James had the desire to stick a yellow flower up his nose.
 |
| James with a flower stuck up his nose |
James with flower stuck up his nose
Smells like citrus
He is stiff today after playing
touch rugby yesterday
James Shouts! "GOOD GRIEF DAVE IT'S AN IMPALA!
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| Impala |
 |
| Impala |
James is heading East to Cheetah Plains
for a quick look.
He must be very careful when
approaching a pan because you never know whats in that pan. Buffalo resting and
can be problematic and elephants as well.
This one looks like it is dry so
we can see the activity. he is still wary.. his gut feeling is making him feel
that something dangerous might be here.
Has heightened awareness and is approaching extremely carefully and
slowly.
Come and have a look over here.
 |
| Little bits of mud that were flung here by an Elephant |
We see dark pieces of mud flung out of the pan from
elephants.
Fresh track of cape buffalo...
quite fresh. they pose a significant risk
to humans while on foot so he must be very careful.
I am sure Conner is watching
closely and listening as well.
Stefan is talking about the 2 rivers here.The Sand river and Sabi
river.. 40 km south of where we are now is Sabi. The Sand river is smaller but more active. It has networks of seeps like springs which
move into the drainage line providing water for many animals.
Elephant track
3 prominent claw tracks. Aardvark
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| Aardvark Tracks |
Aardvark have powerful claws to dig for
termites. Their holes are which hyenas further
excavate to make their homes. Aardvarks are nocturnal
Back with James who shows us a Potato Bush
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| Potato Bush |
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| Potato Bush with James |
James is really stiff from
Rugby. Poor guy
The Morning Glory
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| The Morning Glory. Probably one of the last blooms this season. |
One of the last
blooms this season
Dark purple stripes are landing
strips for insects to come to pollinate the plant.
James is still looking for some zizzy frooze berries or something like that to give Dave for Breakfast.
Buffalo Thorn fruit James calls
zizzy froose (phonetically)
Fig Tree and one of the few here.
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| Fig Tree |
3 in a row pan which is Quarantines (Male Leopard) favourite hang out
We are back with Stefan because James is experiencing Gremlins(Signal Difficulty)
Because we switched back to Stefan so quickly, we caught him with a mouthful of white berries.
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| White Berry Bush |
 |
| White Berry Bush |
There is a squirrel alarm calling so Stefan
is moving closer to possibly see what he is alarm calling about.
He notices that elephants moved into this grove
and trampled every tree
 | |
| Elephants have trampled many of the younger trees |
Back to James at 3 in a row pan
James is checking the quality of
mud, lol
He is being facetious.
This is a pumped pan. on the
site of a previous natural pan.
 |
| Merulla tree |
This Merulla tree is Quarantines
favourite tree (male leopard)
Almost at Cheetah plains.
Back to Stefan with a most beautiful Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly.
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| Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly |
 |
| Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly |
It is roosting as it spreads its
wings in the morning sunlight
GORGEOUS butterfly.
Stefan said this drainage line
has been a delight to walk down today.
and Back to James since the Gremlins have been scared off.
We see warthogs grazing.
 |
| Warthog |
 |
| Warthog |
The Warthogs look browner because the
mud they roll in here is slightly browner on the plains.
James went to look at Tree house Dam for the warthog that was severely injured.. sighted at a previous drive but he
was unable to locate it.
James has been reading about
white black backed jackals. it completely dominates the side striped jackal
even though it is smaller.
James realizes he is on a road
which is basically dissolving and is not on a road. lol
The Burchells starling
 |
| Burchells Starling |
 |
| Burchells Starling |
Wide open plains with James
 |
| Wide open Plains with James |
Pretty pink and yellow hibiscus
with James
 |
| Pink and Yellow Hibiscus |
A very large herd of buffs with James - a vast herd of about 250
we know buffs carry bovine TB
and it might knock off a year or two if they are compromised and it could take
hold.
Rebecca from final control has
named the little baby buff Falcor.
Same little guy we saw on a most
recent drive that had just been born. So nice to see mom and baby made it back
to the herd.
Back with Stefan
He has left the drainage line because
it was getting too thick and they wanted to head out into a more open area.
Talking about the soil types in the Sabi sands.. 2 types of soil
very well drained sandy type on the crest and clay areas near the drainage lines.
Purple Birds Brandy Flower..
Staph loves to eat them and they smell fantastic
 |
| Purple Birds Brandy Flower |
He has relaxed his vigilance
since being in the more dense area. Here
there is a bit of space to play with. not to say you wont get yourself into a
pickle but can see a bit further.
He remembers being a very young
guide .. had been working about a year. and he saw a snake. just the tail end. and he stopped just next
to the end of the snake and he started to turn and he realized the head was
right beside his foot.
IT WAS THIS FAR AWAY.
 |
| The snake was THIS far away |
He even
loaded his rifle. The snake retracted his head raised
his head about a foot off the ground and moved off into a termite mound. It was a BLACK MAMBA.
Rarely see a snake while on walk
in the bush.
Stefan says Thank you to Wiam and himself and all of the
people who made this bush walk
possible.
and bids us goodbye for now.
Back to James
 |
| Impala |
 |
| Impala |
 |
| Impala |
Notice the thick neck . rut is
high.
And that concludes this drive.
A few misc notes below for updates.
2 of the male cheetahs from Cheetah Plains were
sighted heading into Kruger earlier
4 Birmingham boys are well and
are on Nkorho
Shadow was sighted at Nkorho April 25
Anderson Male Leopard lying underneath a tree where his kill was stored.
Shadow was sighted at Nkorho April 25
Anderson Male Leopard lying underneath a tree where his kill was stored.
2 Styx Female lioness's seen at a plan close by in Nkorho
No sign of their youngsters.
****************************************************************
1st of may for sunset drive will
be 30 minutes earlier -because it gets dark earlier at night
and sunrise drive will remain
the same.
****************************************************************
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Please feel free to subscribe to my You Tube Channel (Safari Chey) where all my videos and occasionally some extras will be posted that are not included on my blog
Don't forget you can watch the drives each and every day on WILD SAFARI LIVE
09:30 AM- 12:30 PM ET and 12:00 AM- 03:00AM ET
AND
Don't forget to stay watching when the Sunset drive is over because our Guides and many other staff members will be LIVE from their Camp. An unedited 10 minute Chit Chat and you can send questions in.
THIS IS AWESOME!!
AND
Don't forget to stay watching when the Sunset drive is over because our Guides and many other staff members will be LIVE from their Camp. An unedited 10 minute Chit Chat and you can send questions in.
THIS IS AWESOME!!
Until the next drive..... Bye!
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