matnikstym

Here's my pics from Kruger, still working on Mala Mala pics. Need some help with the birds and what kind of cobra that was.
Thanks and hope you like them. Trip report coming soon.
Aloha,
Dennis
www.kodakgallery.com/dennisinzambia
click on the Kruger album

cooncat3

Dennis - these are so great. Can't wait to hear more - esp about the self drive part. Was it weird to not have a guide?

You have so many great photos but I love the secretary bird that is a bit side-wind blown. Thanks for getting these posted!

KayeN

Hi Dennis

Some great pictures - one of the Ground Hornbills especially! Still on my wish list of photos, plus a African Hoopoe. Raced through some of them now, shall have a better look later on!

Look forward to seeing the MM photos!

Kind regards

Kaye

CarlaM

I like! I like! You really saw alot of variety Dennis. Some beautiful birds too. The "smile" hyena is funny. The buffalo calf looks so soft and cute. The close up of the ground hornbill is cool. I didn't know that giraffes can have twins. Mahalo &lt

sniktawk

Firstly it is nice to see someone visiting the non-luxurious parts of Kruger. Just to be a little picky the Topi is most prpbably a Tssebe, I look forward to reading your report.

Lillipets

I love the pix- especially the baby giraffes and the "smily" hyena.
I'm seriously rethinking the driving thing now. Did you cook your own meals or did you stay at places that had restaurants. I'm eagerly awaiting the trip report. And like someone else asked...did you miss not having a guide to explain things?

thit_cho

Dennis, great photos (sorry, I can't help with any of your unidentified birds). Are you going to prepare a Kruger trip report -- it may be helpful since it seems that some are intimidated about self-driving safaris (which I have done four times -- Kruger, Etosha, Kgalagadi and Hluhluwe -- and which I enjoy as much, if not more, than my guided safaris).

Michael

Pula

These pix are so much fun! Those are some of the best African skies ever. As for the birds, I'd guess a darter (cormorant family at the very least) and a coucal (coppery-tailed?), having a rather bad day but those are guesses only. Someone else can set the record straight (napamatt's dog?).

Nyamera

Sniktawk, the Damaliscus lunatus lunatus needs just a short visit to a beauty parlour to look like a Damaliscus lunatus jimela. Dennis is an official topi representative and knows which animal is the most important and should come first.

The (?) bird looks like a darter. The mongoose looks like a dwarf mongoose. The twin giraffes look incredibly cute and the animals on that very smooth road look like they’re living dangerously. I love the relaxed monitor lizard. The scruffy white-chested bird looks like some kind of coucal, but I’m not a bird expert. The water lily and the bee are lovely and there’re some great hyena pictures. Thanks for sharing your pictures, Dennis!

atravelynn

Dennis,

The hyenas were out in full force for you! Such adorable lion cubs. What body of water was the elephant in? Where was the monitor laying, what was that green surface? Beautiful sky and sunrise/set photos. You caught my favorite African bird, the African Hoopoe. Wonderful Crested Barbet photo and the "tasty" bird shot--actually poor taste, but a fascinating photo nonetheless. Thanks for sharing your impressive array Kruger shots.

HariS

Nice pics, Dennis!!!

matnikstym

Thanks!
Lynn, the elephant was crossing the Shingwedzi River or some river around that camp, and the monitor lizard was chilling out on a bridge railing

mkhonzo

Dennis, you have some great pics there and some rare stuff too!!
1) suspect that you have a shot of a Steppe Eagle and not a Tawny, the mouth goes back beyond the eye.
2) Little Bee eater is in fact an Orange breasted bush shrike, tough guy to photograph, well done!
3) Darter, yes, because of the characteristic "kink" in the neck and straighter bill.
4) Pink and white flower = Impala Lily or Sabie Star.
5) You have YELLOW billed Ox peckers on the first set of Buff,, great, quite rare.
6) Burchals Coucal is the brown bird in the rain.
7) Banded Mongoose is the last guy and your earlier shots were of dwarf.

Nice stuff.

atravelynn

Tell me about the river activity in Kruger. Is there much wildlife action happening near the river(s)? Is it convenient to sit in a vehicle by the river?

Dana_M

Great photos Dennis. You saw such a wonderful variety of birds. And you got so many close ups. I loved all of the photos of the mother and their young. The lioness and her cubs, mom and twin giraffe photos, hyenas, and nursing baboons. Loved them all. Also loved the photo of the zebra drinking. Thanks for sharing.

twoteachers

You show a real artistic flair in these pics, and I really enjoyed them. I loved the closeups of the animals. Great birds and I love the lined up zebras--all were great!

I have two questions. I expected to see more of the brightly colored birds in Kenya but saw very few. Is that because we didn't sit still long enough, our location, our only having a 3 night safari, or that I am just that clueless?
The other question is that I enjoyed seeing more modest lodges, and I was wondering what kind of price range those lodges have, being a budget person.
Thanks.

matnikstym

Lynn-there weren't many rivers at this time of the year, and what water was left was mainly in pools. There is a river in back of Letaba Camp that seemed to be flowing. Yes, you can pull off the side of the loops and sit and watch for as long as you want, that's what we did for sundowners. As far as activity at the rivers, other than hippos, we saw more game away from the rivers. The lions and hyenas weren't near any water that we could see.
twoteachers-don't know what to tell you about the birds, the ones I saw were either in camp or along side of the road, we'd stop take their pic and they'd fly off...very cooperative birds in Kruger.
These weren't exactly lodges, but camps within Kruger National Park. Some camps hold up to 400 people, others less, but other than at 1 lion kill sighting I can't figure where the other 300+ people went during the day as we didn't run into a lot of traffic.
The price of the bungalows is around $70.00 U.S. per night for two. They also have camping "huts" and there are a few bush camps within the park. As you can see from my pictures, there were plenty of animals to see and at that price it can't be beat.

jjmb

Really enjoyed your pictures. Particularly enjoyed the lion cubs and hyena pup, as well as the birds, and the monitor chilling out on the railing. My last safari was June 2006, and I am pining away for the next! At least everyone's pictures and trip reports help me live vicariously!

By the way, towards the end, the nursing mother is a vervet monkey.

Thanks for sharing.

LyndaS

Great pictures, Dennis, loved those little lion cubs on the road, if I would have been there I would have been jumping out of the vehicle to cuddle them I am sure - SOOO cute!

Were they getting ready to go to Angola?

twoteachers

Thanks for the info.