Early morning rain (10mm) means we are a little late in leaving camp at 6.20am. We are heading for the Biyamithi Weir (S114).
Crisp and fresh after the rain prospects are looking good but the clouds thicken and by the time we reach the weir it is dull and grey.
After an hour we head back up the river road (S23) and other than a well fed Martial Eagle there is not much to be seen.
Snorting impala often alert one to a possible cat but it is the start of the rutting season and it is the males sorting out the pecking order.
I suppose at this time of the year things are a bit quiet with the migratory birds having gone and no breeding calls. But I do hear a tardy Jacobin Cuckoo in camp. A most pleasant morning.
This afternoon we go to the Sand River (H1-2) which is flowing strongly but is nevertheless crystal clear. Then onto the beautiful Maroela Road (S83). Despite the abundance of impala and large trees in close on 60 years I have never seen a leopard along this road – a really strange anomaly.
I think that is the end of the rain as the evening sky clears. Everything is soaked, the wallows and pans are filled with water and the grass cover is good. A happy winter for the animals.