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Our Mission and Values at GBT... Here at GBT we hope to foster an interest in all things birding, and in so doing, also create a deep and abiding respect for our natural environment. We do so without taking ourselves too serioulsy, but we do take the state of our environment very seriously. We share our knowledge and our passion for all things birding willingly and enthusiastically.

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#16 04-06-2012 22:28:20

Imax
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Randburg
Registered: 11-11-2008
Favourite Bird: Layard's Titbabbler

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

great start Katja.

I just love the new restaurant and the quality of food as probably the best in the whole park. We just found that if the manager is there the service is fast(ish) but if she is not there it can be come very slow to dead, especially over lunch time.


birding101

"There is a difference in merely getting a bird, and seeing it."
                                                A supremely bad idea, by Luke Dempsey.
 

#17 10-06-2012 13:50:57

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

IMAX the food was really good and the service too....
The menue improved very much and there is a nice variety available.


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 

#18 10-06-2012 13:54:52

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Added  06.10.2012 13:06:12:
01.05.

The first thing in the morning, when I enjoyed nice cup of coffee outside, was a group of 7 Marabou Storks in the Olifants River.

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We then had a visitor, a Grey Lourie was sitting on the wife of the pheasants (means wire of the fence LOL....) observing me.

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But we also enjoyed the other small visitors too…
This Squirrel had stolen some bread at the restaurant and was now happily munching his loot…

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Red-winged Starlings were feeding on some pods in a tree close by

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We then left for a drive, we took the S93 to Letaba.
A really wonderful drive along the river and through a stretch of lovely forest.

First sighting a baby Giraffe.

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Later a beautiful Impala ram

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And a little later a beautiful Waterbuck

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Von Weilligh’s Baobab

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Further along the way we spotted three Ground Hornbills….
So lovely!

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A Double-banded Plover

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And two Hadedas

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We had a nice lunch at the restaurant at Letaba and slowly made our way back to Olifants.
A sleepy Elli was having a drink.

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Back at the camp we observed a couple of Brown Headed Parrots close to our bungalow…..
Very hard to take a decent pic :-/

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Later that evening we enjoyed a sundowner overlooking the Olifants river.

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Sunset at Olifants Rest Camp, I think the light in the outdoor kitchens look sooo nice….

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Bush TV

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This was our last evening at Olifants, but we were so much looking forward to our next camp…
Sirheni!


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 

#19 10-06-2012 17:25:27

wildtuinman
Bird Sighting of the Year

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Vêr in die wêreld, Kitty
Registered: 15-08-2008
Favourite Bird: Pearl-Spotted Owlet

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Lovely photos Katja! Now I can't wait to get to Kruger!!

I am inquisitive about the wife of the pheasants on which the Go-away Bird sat. Is she involved in a polygamous relationship? lollol

 

#20 10-06-2012 17:34:26

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

@WTM
ROTFL....
I used a new program, it's called Dragon, you dictate the post and the programm writes, and then.... you see what happens *rolleyes*. It seems the two of us (means Dragon and me) need some more practice...


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 

#21 10-06-2012 20:12:21

Imax
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Randburg
Registered: 11-11-2008
Favourite Bird: Layard's Titbabbler

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

LMGA, Katja seem you have quite a beast to tame.

great photos,I am now just as keen as WTM to get there!


birding101

"There is a difference in merely getting a bird, and seeing it."
                                                A supremely bad idea, by Luke Dempsey.
 

#22 10-06-2012 23:04:03

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Imax wrote:

LMGA, Katja seem you have quite a beast to tame.

Yes, I guess so too,lol...
I had tears in my eyes http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/katydownunder/Smileys/c035.gif


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 

#23 11-06-2012 09:47:15

DotDaan
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Here and there
Registered: 11-11-2008
Favourite Bird: Martial Eagle

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Lovely photo's Katja big_smile

I think the Pale Winged Starlings are actually Red Winged Starlings. They look very similar but both enjoy different habitats.


I can levitate birds, but no one seems to care.
Website :www.vdberghimages.co.za
Facebook :www.facebook.com/vandenberghimages
 

#24 11-06-2012 10:07:29

wildtuinman
Bird Sighting of the Year

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Vêr in die wêreld, Kitty
Registered: 15-08-2008
Favourite Bird: Pearl-Spotted Owlet

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Very true indeed. Red-winged Starlings they are.

 

#25 17-06-2012 11:00:30

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Tahnx DD and WTM will correct that cool


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 

#26 17-06-2012 11:11:43

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

02.05.

Farewell Olifants…..
It was wonderful that we once more had the small visitor before we finally left.

One of the always so entertaining Squirrels

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And a beautiful Jameson’s ? Firefinch who did not do me a favour and stayed behind the fence all the time before flying off again…

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But then it was time to leave, as we had quite a long drive up to Sirheni and of course we were excited, as we never stayed there before.

The drive up to Sirheni was quiet, but we saw a couple of Bee- Eaters.

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And huge herds of Zebras
They were even friendly enough to stand still for a photo, lol…

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A couple of times we saw Chameleons on the road, so we had to stop quite often to make sure that they safely reached the other side of the road.

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We arrived at Sirheni around 2pm and after a friendly welcome moved into our home for the next three nights, Cottage #1.

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The view from the stoep
Unfortunately without water.

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We decided that we rather stay in camp after the long drive and took a walk along the fence.

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The view to the dam from cottage #15

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Reception

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The communal freezer

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When we arrived back to our cottage we had a visitor at the fence, who was not at all amused when Edith lit the braai….

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Elli at the fence

He then turned around and left the riverbed

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Later we sat outside, listening to a Giant Eagle Owl in the distance, enjoying the quietness of this camp…..


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 

#27 17-06-2012 17:49:27

Muis
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : West Coast - South Africa
Registered: 05-07-2008
Favourite Bird:

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Always great reading your reports Katja. cool ...sounding like an awesome holiday!

 

#28 18-06-2012 08:34:27

wildtuinman
Bird Sighting of the Year

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Vêr in die wêreld, Kitty
Registered: 15-08-2008
Favourite Bird: Pearl-Spotted Owlet

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Lovely stuff, Katja. You are making these last 18 days' pure torture! lollol

 

#29 24-06-2012 10:53:22

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

Thank you Muis and sorry WTM...*whistle*


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 

#30 24-06-2012 11:09:11

Katja Soehngen
Member

(Hover for details)
Location:  : Cologne,Germany
Registered: 19-05-2008
Favourite Bird: Eastern Whipbird

Re: Kruger 2012- On the road again.....

03.05.

We heard yesterday, that there is a pride of Lions in the area and that there had been sightings of Cheetahs at Babalala, so the decision was easy.
We took a drive up there before heading for Shingwedzi later in the morning for breakfast.
First sighting was a Pearl Spotted Owl, not really happy that we stopped to take some photos.

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Coming closer to the waterhole we were stopped by a beautiful big herd of Buffalos.

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Oh I just love those tiny calves…

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We stopped for nearly 45 minutes and watched them crossing the gravel road…
Then we decided it was time to leave, we had just reached the tar road again, when we observed that some Zebras and Wildebeest were crossing the road.
But wait, not only Zebras and Wildebeest, but ROANS too…
We were excited our first sighting of these Antelopes ever….

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So we turned around as they were obviously on the way to the waterhole…
We drove past the Picnic Spot to the waterhole and waited....
Then all of a sudden a SANPARKS vehicle was swiftly approaching the waterhole, they stopped and one of the guys jumped off the car with a spade in his hand running over to the waterhole to switch on a generator....
We simply could not believe our eyes, here were our first Roans ever, they were heading for the waterhole and now something like this happens yikesmad

Well the Roans then ignored the waterhole and did not come for a drink, but they did not run away either. So we still had a nice sighting.....

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We were still following them, when I detected a movement in the bushes…
A Side Striped Jackal, wow another first for us.
He looked up, turned around and was gone in seconds, so only a bumshot of him rolllol

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But the Roans were still there…

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Then they disappeared into the thick bush and we decided that it was time to leave..

Roans

We did not drive too long when I discovered something running around near the main road…
I shouted Honey Badger and stopped, but as usual he was on a mission and running further and further away from the road ( I have to mention another first in Kruger for us…)

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Honey Badger

A couple of kilometres on, we had to stop again.
Another Roan was lying underneath a little tree and resting.

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Later a beautiful Magpie Shrike
I love to hear them "sing"

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Coming closer to Shingwedzi we met some Ellis.
And on one occasion had a good laugh.
This Elli was on the way to the entrance of the Mphongolo Loop, we he discovered something lying on the ground. He stopped he was obviously curious, what that might be.
He reached out with his trunk to grab it, he lifted it up, watched it, discovered that is was nothing to eat, threw it away and the Speed Limit sign landed with a bang. lol

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At Shingwedzi we visited the Low Water Bridge, only to discover that there was nearly no water and therefore no birds, Crocs etc….
So we had a nice breakfast at the restaurant before heading back to Sirheni.

After such an eventful morning we once again decide to stay in camp in the afternoon.
So we took another walk through the camp.

Golden Orb

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Brown-hooded Kingfisher

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Coming closer to the den there were plenty of Waterbucks

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Well, then I knew why lol

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More of those really impressive males…

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Of course some Ellis

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And the always so entertaining Francolins

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Close to our cottage a couple of Buffalos were resting in the shade

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In the evening we sat outside, a Giant Eagle Owl was calling in the distance and the Geckos were feeding on the months and insects near the lamp.

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What a wonderful and eventful day….


“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.”
Douglas Adams  (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)
 


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