Flock 2025 Thursday 6th - Home again.

 Home again.

We Landed at Gatwick at about 6.00 am, went through security, collected our luggage after quite a long wait and walked through customs, said goodbye to the boys, who were heading to the trains and found our bus stop. We collected the car, which we had to defrost and drove home, arriving around 10.

It had been a great trip, the cruise was similar to last time but also different, mainly because we had so much more time around Marion and Prince Edward Islands. The views were different as we didn’t actually stop, like last time, which meant things like the penguins weren’t as close and disappeared more quickly, although we did manage to see and identify the species easier, like Southern Rockhoppers. There were more British birders, some that we knew, so there was a bit more of a social atmosphere. 

The few days in Mkuze and Hluhluwe/Imfolozi were too short. We knew this would be but it was a really good introduction to,the two parks, both of which I would happily revisit, especially Hluhluwe. We did see our main targets of Wild Dog and Cheetah, as well as the Bushbabies so we were pleased with our time there. 

Wednesday 5th - Going home

 

A pre 5 get up, we loaded the car, said goodbye to the other group, and drove to the airport. No problems on the way, with a short stop for a group of Crowned Lapwing in a field from the road. We checked the car in, went to the check in desk to be told we were too early and to come back in an hour so we found somewhere to sit, had a drink and some kids ribs before returning, checking in our luggage, going through security with shoes and watch off. We boarded the short flight to joburg, collected our luggage, re checked in, went thru security, spent a bit of time shopping before our flight to Addis Abbaba. 

We sorted out most of the bird list after a chicken meal before landing in Addis. We walked to transit, where we had quite a long wait before our onward flight. I was asleep before take off and slept and dozed until breakfast, a large chunk of egg, a small sausage, a meat patty plus fruit juice, tea and bread. Then it was time to buckle up for landing.

Hluhluwe - Tuesday 4th

 

We made an early start to look for Wild Dog, we drove along the roads mentioned in the WhatsApp without much luck. We did find an eagle owl roosting on a branch and a short sighting of a Leopard in a dry pan which walked into the bush near the junction at 5. A Researcher drove past us with a radio tracker so we went to the junction, then turned round and caught up with researcher. She was happy for us to follow her as she was tracking the pack and soon one dog came onto the road and started running along it. We followed until it turned off into the bush, most of us getting reasonable photos except for me, I only managed one through the windscreen. 

We returned to camp for breakfast, to pack up and settle up our bills before heading out again. We decided to drive to the Mphala hide when news came of Cheetah on 24i so we returned to car, drove out and down to the road. Our first drive to junction 24 saw no sign but on return Jake spotted a head at the bottom of a bush, then found there were three cubs, all lounging around, sitting up, lying down and generally chilling. We watched until the mother got up and looked out, then slowly walked through to some bushes and out of sight. The cubs followed. We drove forward a bit, and just saw maybe a fifth one joining them. It was then time to head out. 

We stopped in Mpila for the loo and ice cream, then drove out to N2 and down to Dlinza and Sugarhill Manor. The house was open and empty when we arrived . A helpful young man managed to contact the host, Graham, who was playing golf and he returned, sorted out our rooms and gave us some welcome juice. He suggested a take away, but we couldn’t connect so went with Graham to order. It shut at 6 so went back to Mcdonalds and settled for a burger.

Some friends of Jake and Barny, turned up from Kruger, so we spent some time chatting before turning in ready for the drive back to the airport next morning.

Hluhuwe and Impholozi - Monday 3rd.

 Our usual early start with a walk round camp before a 7.00 breakfast. A quick pic of the Ladies Loo sign  before looking down the Umbhombe Forest Trail. We didn't have time to go very far so we went and had a look at the swimming pool and then we checked out some of the accommodation. I had stayed here in a Rondavel as a child and I was trying to see if I remembered anything. 

We checked in at the reception and paid our fees, had breakfast and then drove down to Imfolozi. There was a message on the news app about a Cheetah near the swamp by the gate but no sign when we got there. We spent a little while checking out the area and watching the monkeys, then asked at the Nyalazi Gate. They suggested we go to the Mpfala hide and then round the loop.  

There were various animals around and we saw Buffalo, Zebra, Impala, a very obliginG lark, Giraffe,  Warthog and Monitor Lizard. There were a few butterflies about, some of which I managed to photograph in the hope of identifying them later. 

The hide had the usual warnings and was built beside a waterfall looking down into the plunge pool. The falls were dry but the pool had some water in it. Talking to other visitors, this could be a good place for sightings of all sorts, but we didn't see a great deal. There was a colony of weavers in a tree and a very tame family of Mocking Cliff Chats hopped in and out of the hide, looking for spilt food.  

Headed back for a 3 hour ‘night’ (Sunset) drive at 5.00pm. Flash floods had made the Black River bridge impassable but it was clear by the time we returned.  On the drive back we stopped to look at a group of buffolo wallowing in a pool when I saw a rhino at the back of the group. Some nifty manoevering meant we could all see the rhino. Further along the track was another group of Gnu, a Wharthog and more rhino. It looked like a family group with a young animal, an adult plus three older animals. They decided to wander off and we slowly started driving towards Mpila. Around the bend we could see the group of three young males in the road. We waited for them to move off before driving slowly on but this time they seemed to think we were a threat and decided to charge at the car. Barnie did a quick accelerate and we were racing three rhino down the track, eventually out-running them. Further along we found some Warthogs wallowing in a muddy pool so we spent a little time watching them. We also saw more Zebra, a Spotted Flycatcher and a European Roller. 

We made it back to camp as the bridge was passable but lots of evedence that it had been flooded, with debris all along the edge of the bridge. As we drove back to camp we had Impala and some monkeys and there were Zebra wandering around the camp, looking like they were knocking at the door of one of the cottages. We got ready for the Sunset Drive and started out driving along a road to the east of the camp. The guide pointed out some monkeys on the side of the road, elephant and Rhino on the hillsides, Zebra and Kudu in the grass and a well spotted Bustard walking through the grass. He took us up a steep incline to the top of a hill and then scanned around the area. Lions had been reported but no sign when we got there. We drove on and did a short stretch of road before returning to the place the lions had been reported and there they were, three of them sprawled across the road and in a small pull in. We spent a bit of time admiring the lions and then drove on to Memorial Gate. There was a stop with drinks and as we were looking round the guide identified some odd sounds as Bushbabies. They were too far to find but nice to hear them. 

On the drive back, as it had got dark we were lucky to see a Spotted Eagle Owl and a Verraux's Eagle Owl as well as Thicknees and Nightjars on the road.

We got back and went straight for a meal in the restaurant before going back to house where we decided to have tea on the verandah. Strange noises in the trees to the right proved to be Bushbabies!! Thanks to the guide identifying the noise earlier. Using the thermal imagers, we found them in trees further along the line of cottages so we walked along to where we thought they were and found a small group of them  on the branches of a tree. We had some good views in the torchlight and thermals before they moved away, seeming to go back towards our cottage. We went back to the house and re found them in thermals but not really close. We finished our tea and went to bed.

Mkuze to Hluhluwe - Sunday 2nd

 

Another early start to drive to Kumasinga Hide. The bird life was active but not much game. We spent a bit of time seeing Neergaard's Sunbird and Green Bulbul. Some of the birds we saw, a Pygmy Kingfisher on the pond with Southern Masked Weaver, Common Bulbul, Fork-tailed Drongo, a pair of White-crestred Helmet Shrikes, Dusky Indigobird, Burchell's Coucal, Cardinal Woodpecker, Emerald Wood Dove, African Green Pigeon and limited views of Orange-breasted Bushshrike. Three-banded Plover pottered around the edge of the pond.

We went back to the chalet, packed up, loaded the car, checked out, had a burger breakfast and left at at 11.00 heading to Hlehluwe.

All went well to start with but when I turned on the Sat Nav it took us off the highway onto dirt tracks and we spent the next 6 hours or so wandering around on ever decreasing dirt roads. One turn had us heading down a rutted track where we stopped on the brink of a series of crevases. We did eventually make it back out to the main road again, but did a couple of U-turns as we didn't know if we were above or below the entrance gate. We then tried putting in the co-ordinates of the gate from the website which did get us to a signpost for the Nyalaza Gate, but even that wasn't where it said. We arrival at Nyalaza gate at 7.10! for what should have been an hour and half drive. Luckily they were expecting us as we had been in contact with the booking agent, so they booked us in and told us to drive straight to Hilltop. We settled in, went to dinner, which was nice before driving back to our cottage in the beginning of an amazing thunder storm. It crashed and clattered about in a crescendo of noise for ages. 

Saturday 1st

 

Our first morning and we were out just after 5. We drove to Kumasinga hide, stopping for some Lesser Striped Swallows which were collecting mud from the ground. We also saw a Leopard Tortoise and a Green-spotted Ground-dove, a couple of pigeons and an eagle. We got up close and personal with a Giraffe, stopped for an herd of Impala, a Violet-backed Starling, African Green Pigeon and and then parked up and went into the hide. The hide is quite large, with windows on three sides looking out over the pond and with three grid covered square holes looking down to the water. There was quite a lot of activity around the pond with Impala and Nyala browsing and drinking, accompanied by Red-billed Ox-peckers. There were several terrapins on the shore and a few floating around the hide. We had a troop of Vervet monkeys playing around the tree roots and feeding on the ground. There were some Golden-breasted Buntings in a bush 

We went back to reception to pay our fees and book a night drive. We bought game sausages for tonight plus cans of tomatoes and some pasta, large bottles of water, some biscuits etc. and then went for a very nice Breakfast burger at the Rhinodino. We drove to lookout hide, lake with hide, back for night drive.

Night drive, lots of nightjar, dikkops etc. Spotted Eagle owl, heard af scops owl, elephant

Back at 9.30

Pasta and sausage plus tea.

Late night.