South Africa - Day 12 Satara to Sukuza

This morning we embark on our last "move" of the trip. Satara is small and kind of quiet (although still really easy to get lost here), our destination Sukuza is like a major city in comparison. We honestly spend so little time in the camps I hardly noticed the difference. I didn't even see the restaurant which over looks the river of death in the daytime. It also has a luxury hotel on the train bridge over the river -- didn't see that either. This day is about the Road from Satara to Sakuza. Again for the most part I was the eBird scribe.

Here is the day's route

Today Vince was driving the van with the luggage and scouting ahead for us, so Andrew was the guy.

Again we'll start with the Animals

Giraffe

Kudu

Sleeping Lions

Slender Mongoose

Waterbuck

Common Zebra

At one point Andrew stopped the vehicle and jumped out. You are not supposed to do that, so I'm a getting a little concerned when he pops back in the driver's seat, leans over and shows me this beautiful delicate flower.

Elephant Whiskers

Such a charming little flower - looks like this when it is still on the plant. Beauty EVERYWHERE!

We stopped for breakfast at a place that had birds & creatures all over the joint. I just loved this sign.

On to the birds:

Pied Kingfisher

African Gray Hornbill

Barn Swallow - different from ours that have a rusty breast

Black Stork

Black-crowned Tchagra

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Brown Snake Eagle

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Egyptian Goose

Kori Bustard -- the largest bird that can fly

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Pied Kingfisher

Black Stork

A little Giraffe information from Andrew

Vervet Monkey and baby

Kudu

African Jacana, Gray Heron, Savanna Elephant

Gray Heron, Savanna Elephant

African Buffalo

Crocodile

Vince's Elephant -- I'm assuming now, but when we arrived here, Vince had already been there scouting and told us that he had been charged by a young male elephant a few moments before. Andrew had coached him to drive toward a charging elephant and Vince remembered, but he was parked at the end of a pond and the elephant was coming at him from the pond. Now that's a quandary -- from what I remember, he quickly reversed and then started moving forward once he had some space and it worked. Andrew asked him if he needed to change his shorts -- but Vince was ok. Excitement!

Rock Monitor

This spot had my favorite Duck of the trip -- very odd but incredibly beautiful!

Knob-billed Duck

African Green Pigeon

Bateleur

Black Kite

Black-headed Heron - Gray Heron (back)

Blacksmith Lapwing

Blue Waxbill (Southern Cordonbleu)

Brubru

Burchell's Starling

Cape Crombec

Chinspot Batis

Dark Chanting-Goshawk

Forked-tailed Drongo

Giant Kingfisher

Gray Heron

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Green-winged Pytilia

Hamerkop - close to and below the road, so odd angles to photograph an odd bird

Photo Credit - Helen Mako

Hooded Vulture

Lappet-faced Vulture

Levaillant's Cuckoo

Lilac-breasted Roller

Little Egret

Pearl Spotted Owlet

Pied Wagtail

Red-backed Shrike

Red-faced Cisticola

Long-tailed (Reed) Cormorant

Southern Boubou

Southern Masked Weaver with nests

Spotted Flycatcher

White-backed Vulture with Starling

Striated Heron

Tawny Eagle

Terrestrial Brownbul

Thick-billed Weaver

Wahlberg Eagle

Water Thick-knee

White Helmutshrike

White-breasted Sunbird

White-crowned Lapwing

White-fronted Bee-eater

White-headed Vulture

Yellow-breasted Apalis

A long day by the time we checked it and got a little nap it was time for dinner by the river (that we couldn't see because it was dark) Here is the team at dinner (again thanks to Helen Mako)

It's (American) Diamond Dave & Helen Mako, (Welsh) Banana Dave, Vince, Me - across the table from back - Andrew, Jim, Aussie Dave & Mary sharing wine & repast.