Lower Sabie 25-26th April

Lower Sabie 25-26th April

Thursday, 25th April

We decide that it would be best for Callum’s sake to redo the Salietjie (S30) rather than the longer Nwatimhiri S21 road. So in heavily cloudy and misty conditions, we set out again across the river.

Little bits of interest pop up regularly, a jackal springing away through the long grass, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, kudu, nyala, duiker and others.

Readers must know that even though I do not photograph everything, just quietly creeping through this wonderland is fulfilment in itself.

Salietjie beginning to wear its winter clothes

The African bushveld has such an aura about it – no doubt knowing that something spectacular can pop up when least expected.

We stop at the little pond about halfway along the road and watch the birds flocking in for their morning drinks.

Emerald Spotted Wood-dove

A small group of Yellow-billed Oxpeckers arrive – something that would have been sensational but a few years ago.

A Bennet’s Woodpecker alights in a nearby bush.

Across the high level bridge and down the main H4-1 river road, we come across a couple of cars stopped for no apparent reason – until young Callum spots a lioness in the dense grass. Really this is a very alert little fellow.

We stop to watch a pair of Tawny Eagles feeding off a Francolin.

After a short break at Nkuhlu Picnic Site, we speed up to reach camp at about 10am – our usual four hour stint.

This afternoon Callum and I go out to Sunset Dam and enjoy the non-stop entertainment that this venue offers.

Grey Heron riding on a hippo’s back

The sky is very summery with thunderclouds to the west and as it darkens flashes of lightning can be seen with distant rolls of thunder. With floods in KZN and another cyclone in Mozambique – all at the end of April – then summer is not easily making way for our normal, dry winter.

Friday, 26th April

We are taking a little break to travel back to Johannesburg today, firstly to return Callum to Dave and Steph in Fourways and then secondly, to attend dear Aunty Toppies’s memorial tomorrow, Saturday.

Thereafter Renette will stay on with Cheryl and Basil Jones until Friday when she then flies back to Skukuza. I will be driving back to Lower Sabie on my own on Sunday morning so there is going to be a little break as far as the blog is concerned.