There was so much to see and document while in Kruger Park. We weren't able to capture all the creatures we came across... several only came out at nightfall. A few more odds and sods decided to grace us with their presence before we left. There were two encounters with lone Spotted Hyenas. Our first morning out in the bush gave us the most memorable view, as a large one sauntered down the track toward us, with not a care in the world. We had no idea they were so large!
Warthogs were oddly the most difficult animals to capture. I guess their skittish nature ought to be expected, since they are prey for so many other park residents. Our typical sighting consisted of a distant view of animals running away, with their tails raised as they vanished into the bushveldt. We counted ourselves lucky to spot these two, drinking in the shade on a hot day in the bush.
Birds were not absent from view during our sojourn... they were just incredibly difficult to photograph with an unaided i phone. There was plenty of unstructured time between morning and evening game drives. More often than not, you could find me in the library/lounge, poring over books on South African birds. Thankfully the lodge had an impressive two volume, large format encyclopedia of South African birds. We saw three species of Hornbill, and captured images (poor ones) of the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, and the Southern Ground Hornbill
We only wish the ground hornbill had been closer. They are huge birds, with black plumage, and bare red carbuncular facial skin.
Most of the really colourful birds we saw (Lilac Breasted Roller, Purple Roller, and a few Bee Eaters), were too fast for our poor photographic skills to capture. We did manage to snap a shot of brilliant turquoise flashing through the trees. It was a Woodland Kingfisher,and it absolutely glowed in the late afternoon sun.
Our three night stay came to a close, leaving us with hundreds more images and videos of what we saw. By noon on the 27th, we were flying south to Cape Town.
