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Wednesday, 17 December 2014

December 17, 2014

The Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park is beautiful at the moment. So green that it looks unnatural!

The rivers do not have much water at the moment.
This vehicle is parked in the spot at the quarry where we saw 
Elephants drinking (photos posted on 18 May) 
There is also a video on YouTube of Elephants crossing at this same spot.  
 This is the link: Elephant Crossing
The same scene viewed from the look out point towards the quarry.
The  left side of the widest pool is where the vehicle pictured above was parked. 
The fact that the Elephants cross the river here is probably the reason it is so wide at this point 

Black Bellied Bustard
Poor bird, no wonder he looks so upset -  probably heard someone call him by name!

 African Jacana - always on the move before they sink

These ducks have me puzzled because they have all the markings of the 
White Faced Whistling Duck but without the white face??

 My first shot at a Goliath Heron. I am delighted!

Whatever flees from the Little Egret is quickly caught by the opportunistic Barbel that follow it.
Taken at ultra-zoom from the viewsite above the Hluhluwe River
This would have been a brilliant shot if the wind didn't blow the branch into the picture!!
The water is teeming with Barbel.

Natal Francolin feeding and having fun in a Rhino midden

What a sighting! 
This is an extremely green area just below Hilltop Camp
We had seen no Elephants all day and this one seemed to be waiting for us right next to the road.


No need to super-zoom for this one!

Smiling Crocodile lazing in the sun. I wonder where they go when all the rivers run dry?
This question made me search for an answer and led to this amazing National Geographic article.

I found it rather strange that we saw no Wildebeest today. 
Until I zoomed in on a dark patch on a hillside in the distance. Wildebeest with calves!