 |
| We spotted two rangers on the road with rifles. We wondered what that was about. Any comments? |
Yesterday was quite a day! With many holidaymakers leaving on Sunday due to the end of the school holiday, the wildlife came out from hiding in the parklands.
 |
| This morning’s 17 kudus in the garden. See the above video for details. |
Not only did we have visitors from early morning well into the evening, at dusk last night spotted three giraffes in the side yard after hearing the sounds of branches breaking as they made their way through the bush. When we saw the giraffes’ heads through the dense bush, we took off on foot to check it out.
 |
| The kudu standing at the edge of the veranda is the same female that constantly licks my foot when she approaches. I can identify her with a bit of oval notch in her right ear. |
We found what appeared to be a mom, dad, and one youngster, most likely around eight or nine months old. We followed them through the neighbor’s garden (no one was there) and out to the parklands, where we stopped to take photos while they were grazing.
 |
| Wildebeest Willie and friends stopped by again last night. |
The parents didn’t look happy to see us, although we were back by at least 10 meters, so we backed off further, giving them even more space. It was getting late, and visibility was poor from such a distance as we stayed out of sight as much as possible, taking the few photos as shown here today.
 |
| Although not all shown in this photo, we had six bushbucks in the garden for the first time. |
Soon, we were back on the veranda, ready for the evening’s activities, all of which couldn’t have been more pleasing. They came and came and came, one species after another, often sharing the space with several other species, seem to all be getting along.
 |
| Last night, we saw giraffes coming through the parklands next to us. On foot, we rushed to see them up close to take photos. But, dad wasn’t too happy with us with his young calf nearby. We carefully backed away. |
When pellets are offered, it’s not unusual to see some head-butting among the same species, let alone among two or more species. Overall, the most aggression we’ve seen is in warthogs amongst themselves. After all, they are “pigs,” right?
 |
| This may have been the young giraffe’s mom who hovered nearby. |
Yesterday afternoon, we embarked on our usual drive in the park. Although not affected by the number of tourists in Marloth Park, we saw the most striking scenes to date on the Crocodile River, photos of which will follow over the next few days.
 |
| We knew better than to get too close. |
Was all of this “safari luck” or simply a case of the fact that there were fewer people in the park, resulting in more and more wildlife coming out of hiding to wander from bush house to bush house? We can’t help but assume it was due to fewer cars and fewer people disturbing the peaceful flow of life in the bush.
 |
| It was nearly dark when they visited. |
The quiet has resumed. We don’t hear cars passing on the road very often. The tar road is quiet and unencumbered and, fewer animals will be killed by speeding motorists. How long this quiet lasts is unpredictable. More tourists will be arriving over this next month for the summer school holidays in Europe and other parts of the world.
 |
| The young giraffe was preoccupied munching on leaves in the bush. |
But, for now, we’re reveling in the serenity precipitating the return of the wildlife to our garden. It couldn’t be more heavenly. Even the birds seem happier, singing their tunes and dining on seeds from our birdfeeder.
For today? We may stay put and catch up on some much-needed research to begin filling gaps in our itinerary over the next few years. There’s never a time to sit back, knowing everything we need to plan is in place.
 |
| A young zebra in the garden of a house on the river road. |
Weather permitting, tomorrow, we’ll head to Kruger for the day. If so, we’ll post a notice as to when we expect to have the day’s post uploaded unless I get ambitious enough today to work on tomorrow’s post this afternoon.
 |
| This must have been the above baby’s mom resting nearby. |
Of course, that’s subject to how many delightful distractions present themselves throughout the day. We’ll play it by ear, as they say.
Have a pleasant day filled with beautiful surprises.
Photo from one year ago today, July 17, 2017:
 |
| Surprisingly, there are some birds in the desert during the scorching summer months in Nevada78. For more photos, please click here. |