Imfolozi dag 9: The wilderness aria
16 oktober 2018 - Imfolozi Game Reserve, Zuid-Afrika
Dinsdag 16-10-2018
Imfolozi dag 9: The wilderness aria
Dieren vandaag gezien / Animals spotted:
Kudu
Impala
Vervet monkey
Zebra
Giraffe
Brown snake eagle
Lions
Elephants
Buffalo
Blue wildebeest
White rhino
Black rhino
Genet
Nyala
Warthog
Nighjar
Red-billed firefinch
Blue waxbill
Black-backed puffback
Dark-capped bulbul
Yellow-billed kite
Today I had a rough start. I had sat my alarm for the wrong time and woke up 20 minutes later than normal. This made me stress. I still had to boil the water, have breakfast and getting ready. In the end most of it was ok but I forgot my cap.
We headed off to the wilderness aria. Normally you’re not allowed to com her. Our targets were CM19 (cheetah male) and Nkawu his collar has been at the same spot for more than 1,5 weeks sending the mortality signal.
The wilderness aria is more pure than the other parts in the park. De road is more tricky and there are no other people. It was an amazing drive. We had to cross a river, drive up some hills/mountains and saw some herds of animals like buffalo, impala, kudu, warthog and some zebra’s. The kudu’s were standing on the road. They were really big, impressive and when they look at you they look so proud, graceful and strong.
The views from this road are just stunning. And it is so quiet. Just pure nature and some weird Wildlife Act people (including myself).
After having morning tea without the coffee, I forgot to pack this after Ryan had taken it out to make some, we drove back to camp. On our way we met two bull elephants. They obviously tried to impress us but they did behave and walked away.
I was tiered this afternoon. I stayed in the big chair in the outdoor aria. After a while Ryan asked me if I could do him a favour. I had to cut some cotton cloth in squares. This is to put on the roof of his room because it is leaking. In the end I ended up on the roof with Ryan to patch up the leaks. I had to be careful because plates are very thin and you can only stand on the beams otherwise I could fall down. It was nice to help and do something different.
For our afternoon session I was scanning. There were not a lot of animals around so we drove to Mpila Hill to scan from here. I found some cheetahs but except for them there was not much around either. Which was weird because we should be able to hear …. collar. We drove down road a road close to camp. Here we found a black rhino bull. Ryan made a noise what made the rhino come closer. We were not allowed to move or make any sounds at all. They have terrible eyesight but that can hear very well. It came very close, I think about 3 meters from the car. Straight in front of me. He turned around and walked/ran away, but he came back. Ryan told him of a few times and after starting the car he took of and ran into the bush. Further down the road the Sontuli pride was resting. We stayed there for a while but not too long because the weather was changing. On our way back there were a lot of nightjars on the roads
After we arrived back in camp Ryan asked me what number/wild dog I had been scanning for whilst looking for Nkawu. It turned out to be that I had been scanning for the wrong dog. . I feel so bad about it. I scanned for Mkhovu. I know the names sound similar but I still feel guilty.
Imfolozi dag 9: The wilderness aria
Dieren vandaag gezien / Animals spotted:
Kudu
Impala
Vervet monkey
Zebra
Giraffe
Brown snake eagle
Lions
Elephants
Buffalo
Blue wildebeest
White rhino
Black rhino
Genet
Nyala
Warthog
Nighjar
Red-billed firefinch
Blue waxbill
Black-backed puffback
Dark-capped bulbul
Yellow-billed kite
Today I had a rough start. I had sat my alarm for the wrong time and woke up 20 minutes later than normal. This made me stress. I still had to boil the water, have breakfast and getting ready. In the end most of it was ok but I forgot my cap.
We headed off to the wilderness aria. Normally you’re not allowed to com her. Our targets were CM19 (cheetah male) and Nkawu his collar has been at the same spot for more than 1,5 weeks sending the mortality signal.
The wilderness aria is more pure than the other parts in the park. De road is more tricky and there are no other people. It was an amazing drive. We had to cross a river, drive up some hills/mountains and saw some herds of animals like buffalo, impala, kudu, warthog and some zebra’s. The kudu’s were standing on the road. They were really big, impressive and when they look at you they look so proud, graceful and strong.
The views from this road are just stunning. And it is so quiet. Just pure nature and some weird Wildlife Act people (including myself).
After having morning tea without the coffee, I forgot to pack this after Ryan had taken it out to make some, we drove back to camp. On our way we met two bull elephants. They obviously tried to impress us but they did behave and walked away.
I was tiered this afternoon. I stayed in the big chair in the outdoor aria. After a while Ryan asked me if I could do him a favour. I had to cut some cotton cloth in squares. This is to put on the roof of his room because it is leaking. In the end I ended up on the roof with Ryan to patch up the leaks. I had to be careful because plates are very thin and you can only stand on the beams otherwise I could fall down. It was nice to help and do something different.
For our afternoon session I was scanning. There were not a lot of animals around so we drove to Mpila Hill to scan from here. I found some cheetahs but except for them there was not much around either. Which was weird because we should be able to hear …. collar. We drove down road a road close to camp. Here we found a black rhino bull. Ryan made a noise what made the rhino come closer. We were not allowed to move or make any sounds at all. They have terrible eyesight but that can hear very well. It came very close, I think about 3 meters from the car. Straight in front of me. He turned around and walked/ran away, but he came back. Ryan told him of a few times and after starting the car he took of and ran into the bush. Further down the road the Sontuli pride was resting. We stayed there for a while but not too long because the weather was changing. On our way back there were a lot of nightjars on the roads
After we arrived back in camp Ryan asked me what number/wild dog I had been scanning for whilst looking for Nkawu. It turned out to be that I had been scanning for the wrong dog. . I feel so bad about it. I scanned for Mkhovu. I know the names sound similar but I still feel guilty.
