=D> Cheetah cubs! =D> Cheetah cubs! =D> Cheetah cubs!

Hills, I am thoroughly enjoying the details of your trip and love, love love the cheetah photos. How lucky you were to see those little guys.

Poor Nyala with the deformed horn

Keep it coming! &lt

Hills,
Great trip report. Can't wait for the rest. And the photos are fantastic. All of them, but especially those cheetah cubs. Just amazing!! I want to go to Phinda right now.

Great photos! Wow nice Fish Eagle & Cormorant photos.

-Granny Joan

Thanks!

I've got the Vlei ones up now. Hoping to get the Singita photos up tonight.

http://www.pbase.com/hills27/phinda_vlei

And then I'll get back to the trip report.

Your report continues to sizzle! You were even lucky with the birding. I'll be checking out the photos in the next day or two.

Now I just need a birder to go through my photos and tell me what I saw. I had such great intentions of writing everything down. Ha ha!

More outstanding photos Hills. The lighting is really good! Those cheetahs are just too adorable, you are so

The male lions are majestic and your very last photo... he looks so content!

Napamatt is very good with the bird identifications.

And still more to come!!!!

Just looked at new batch of photos and viewed a couple in original mode on my Mac's big display .... Wow can see every detail up close.

Makes me miss Africa. I love the cats, elephants and ALL the creatures of Africa.

-Granny Joan

Maybe the Nyala doesn't even know he has a deformed horn.

Your photos could be a guide on the stages of life for the cheetah. 6 weeks, 12 weeks, motherhood, adults. Those cubs were adorable.

You had some excellent elephant action too. Lions in nice lighting, even the one at night.

I can see why you and your mom used 32GB based on just what you saw at Phinda!

Loving the report and the photos. Birds bathing look like Bulbul's but not sure.
The Broadbill, was that a Broafbilled Roller?
Love the cheetah cubs!
Cant wait for Singita.

They said an African Broadbill, and I just checked my "Star Birds of Phinda" brochure and it says the same. Latin name - smithornis capensis.

Here's a photo of one: http://www.birdholidays.co.uk/Nam-SA...JPG0166_RJ.gif.

Not exactly exciting, huh?

Okay, African Broadbill it is. According to Newmans, it is an uncommon resident, with a southern africa distribution that takes in the Delta, NE Mozambique, and the entire coast from Mozambique to south of Durban. I don't remember seeing it on any check lists in the Delta and so it has not really entered my consciousness. It should not be that hard a bird to see, I'm sure the guy with 800+ in Southern Africa considers it a nemesis bird right now.

=D> Keep it coming Hills!!!!

Hills....where did you go????

Hills,

Greatly enjoying your report and hope you'll pick it up again. The photos of Phinda brought back all sorts of great memories--it's fun to recognize some of the landscapes.

CW

Sorry guys, I've been working 18 hours a day for the last few weeks, so the trip report went out the window for awhile. But I'm hoping things will calm down this week, and I can sit down with a mug of hot chocolate with amarula and finish it.

Hills27: Did you ever finish this report? If you have, would you mind posting the link....thanks; I am enjoying re-reading what you have so far..

I need to get off my butt and finish it. Thanks for calling to to the table and motivating me!

Yes, please tell us more!

Moira