Being back at Kirkmans is like putting on an old pair of 'vellies'. Seeing all the staff has been wonderful. It really is a special place. Game drives have been nothing less than spectacular with a guide from Phinda - Mark Deacon. We followed up on monkeys 'alarming' in the Msuthu River yesterday afternoon hoping to find a leopard, but instead saw a breeding herd of elephant - this little ele belongs to the matriarch. The guests were very excited to hear that one of the Charlston lionesses with her litter of 3 cubs had been found (see picture below). There is a good chance that it is the same lioness that attacked the male in the photographs "lion fight" at the beginning of this blog.

Little ele showing off - not quite sure what to do with its trunk!

Inquisitive little male cub exploring while mother sleeps.

 Sundowners out in the bush with a true African sunset - can you get better than sipping on a G&T, snacking on biltong and listening to the Afrrican sounds.

sip...sip  sigh...mmmmm!

Our drive this morning started with an incredible female leopard that I have not seen before at KK. She was relaxed and seemed to be on the scent of something - we watched her for about 30 minutes performing for us - climbing in, and around a Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana) and then sawwing* twice of us (see bottom of posting) up in the tree before she contiunued up onto Nipple Rock below camp where she sawwed another two times! This young female was more than likely coming into oestrus and hence her calling for a male! This has to be one my better leopard sightings that I have experienced!

New female leopard on rocks below Kirkman's Kamp

Nats & Mal just north of Boomer's Crossing

* sawwing or rasping is one of the sounds leopards make - it sounds like a long-toothed saw going through wood backwards and forwards. They do it as they mark territory or to attract the opposite sex.

A quieter day in the Kruger - but wonderful nevertheless! We saw loads of giraffe, elephant, large breeding herd of buffalo and the usual suspects. Nats spotted this beautiful little owlet below! Still no wild dogs and unfortunately no lions today, but the highlight being a youngish leopard cub of 8-9 months old.. sadly light and gate closure was an issue as well as beer bottles. It is great that there is a no tolerance for alchohol in the park for day visitors. Can you believe the beer cans and bottle in the photo's below! Disgusting! A private vehicle also killed a a duiker due to speeding just infront of us!!! What is the park coming to?

Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidium perlatum)

Young baboon with beer can!

Young leopard with beer bottle!

Our second day in Kruger started off with a wake-up at 5.00 am - it was extremely cold in an open vehicle on drive, but the beautiful sunrise made up for it! Our day's viewing was great yet again - even though no wild dogs were found - we saw a large breeding herd of buffalo, lots of elephants, some rhino, lots of giraffe, a big male lion in a separate sighting to the lioness below! We have seen some great birds - White-headed Vulture, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Baleleurs, Martial Eagle, Goshawks to name a few! That Sandgrouse could get on the list to draw?

Early morning in the Kruger! Wish you were here!

Double-banded Sandgrouse (Pterocles bicinctus)

African Black Crake chick (Amaurornis flavirostra)

Single lioness on Pride Rock

We are here! Back in the lowveld in the Kruger National Park, and it is fantastic! Skukuza is lovely staying in the rondavels. Our first game drive was super -  a wonderful sighting of two bull elephants and a fairly nervous male leopard on the low bridge across the Sabi River next to Skukuza... wham! How awesome! I am so happy to be back! We also saw beautiful birds and buffalo, crocodiles, kudu, the elusive impala and the rest...

Here are some of the beautiful photographs that Nats took on the way up the coast from East London to Durban in Wayne's little Cessna - how are those waterfalls straight into the sea. Truly beautiful. We saw lots of dolphins, but sadly no whales.. too early I presume. But soon!!

The Eastern Cape is so relaxed and the people wonderful. East London is great with its proximity to the Transkei and Wild Coast, in view of warmish oceans, tropical lush climate and good fishing - it definitely needs some time for exploration.

We had Crowned hornbills in the garden waking us by them tapping on the glass looking at their reflections. A wonderful alarm!

Our dogs have settled a fair bit with their 'grand parents' so  are hopefully ready for our departure, as tomorrow is clear skies for our flight up to Virginia Airport in Durban. It is a flight at 500 to 1000 feet along a breath taking coastline with waterfalls straight into the ocean, and always hopeful views of schools of dolphins and hopefully some whales. It is truly magnificent. Standby for some photo's!!!

We see Oli, Mich and Tyler tomorrow!!

One of my dreams would be to fly like an eagle - I think everyone in the car including Reggie and Rosy, the dogs are having this dream!!

African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)

Hooray! Our trip begins today - two of us, two big retrievers, camera, computers, portfolio prints and the normal incredible load of 'what to wear' sqeezing into a volkswagen station wagon for a 5 hour trip today - a night in Plett with my folks and then another 5-6 hours onto East London to stay with Natalie's tomorrow. We are going up to Durban in Wayne's little aircraft along the Transkei coast which is unbelievable in itself -  to our little God child, Tyler's christening and to see Oli and Michelle Sinclair. A great catch up!! Then it is off to the Kruger for a trip that I won in a photography competition and then to the incredible Kirkmans's Kamp for a treat - a 'remember when' when I was a game ranger there and to catch up with mates.. should be fantastic!

Below are some photographs of a lion fight which I took at Kirkman's Kamp that I won the Kruger trip with. Some of these have been in newspapers all over the world as well as HELLO! Magazine. For an insight into the events that took place have a look at Wildlife Pictures Online.

This is an amazing photograph taken by Hendri Venter of a African Barred Owlet (Glaucidium capense). This is my next challenge for drawing. All those feathers are definitely going to make it difficult. You can see more of his incredible photographs Avian and other on Digitalwild.

African Barred Owlet - Hendri Venter