For the identification of insects and other fauna and flora of South Africa.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Pilansberg National Park - Part 1

We have a small game reserve near us which is only one and a half hours drive away, so I can leave at 4am and get there when the gates open at 5:30.
On this particular day, the first thing I saw was very fresh elephant dung but could not find the elephant. It is amazing how such a huge (5-6 ton) animal can just melt into the bush and you cannot find them.
Coming around a corner, I meet this White rhino standing looking at me, and I wait for him to amble across the road.
Because of the recent rain, the bush is very green with enough food for all the various kinds of animals found there.
I head down to this lookout point which is built by a dam and love the reflection of the trees in the water. I sit there a while drinking my coffee which I have brought with me in a flask and enjoy the sound of the birds in the trees.
I hear the roar of a lion nearby and quickly get into my car to see if I can find him, but alas, there is only his footprints in the sand.
A Glossy Starling sits in a nearby tree looking for food.....
....and this baboon sits on a hill acting as the lookout.
and Blue Wildebeest. Becuase the park is enclosed with a fence, the game wardens put these salt licks out for them in various places. Young wildebeest are brown when born and don't look anything like their parents yet. They can run as fast as the adults 20 minutes after birth.
The Redwing Starling has a mouth full of berries which he takes to a nearby pole to eat.
There are lots of herds of zebra........