11 February
PM
We had an exciting drive today, as we saw 9 male Buffalos lying in the water at Gowrie Dam. The Terrapins were swimming around them removing their ticks and the Buffalos looked very content! We saw a Whalberg's Eagle in the branches of a dead tree as well as a Martial Eagle flying off from the ground. We then saw three of the Sandy Patch Lions, two females and a male, they were hunting Impalas and came quite close to our vehicle.
We saw a lot of antelope on this drive including, Impala, Kudu, Nyala and Waterbuck. We spotted a family of baboons foraging in the bushes and having a drink at the pan as well as some Zebra grazing on the open planes. A Hoopoe sat nearby the vehicle with his crest up looking very regal in the afternoon sun. We also saw a Step Buzzard, Hadeda, Plovers and Hornbill's. We headed back to camp stopping to stargaze on the way, a very interesting drive!

12 February
AM
We set out with our jerseys and jackets on this morning as the weather was cloudy and cool. We stopped to watch some Elephants having their breakfast of grass and leaves, among them was Tasker a huge old bull Elephant and another large Bull. We had a cup of coffee and a muffin to sustain us, and then carried on searching for animals. Luckily for us we saw two Wild Dogs hunting, they move very quickly through the bush and are hard to spot. They were hunting but with no success today.
We saw a variety of antelope such as Impala and Kudu's. We saw a herd of Wildebeest being groomed by Yellow Billed Oxpeckers; Vervet Monkeys were looking on from the tops of the trees. We heard the Rain Bird (Burchell's Coucal) calling from the bushes and saw a Grey Heron fishing at the dam. The Grey Louries were also very vocal this morning as they flew over us. Another great morning drive!

PM
A lovely clear evening greeted us this afternoon as well as a large bull Elephant walking on the road ahead of us! He was in Must but very relaxed feeding on Marulas as he walked. We then came upon a Buffalo kill; five Lions were feeding when we arrived.
We saw the morning's herd of Wildebeest grazing as well as the Impala. The Vervet Monkeys had left their treetops and were running through the grass and leaping into trees on the other side of the clearing. As we drove back to camp we spotted a white Tailed Mongoose on the road ahead of us.

13 February
AM
This morning was cloudy and drizzling, but we headed back to the Buffalo Kill where we found four female Lionesses still feeding. They had to work very hard to keep four hungry Hyenas off their kill, but Hyenas are very persistent! We watched them for a while and then moved off towards Drakensberg Drive to find a breeding herd of about thirty Elephant.

We watched the family of Black Backed Jackal at the landing strip as they searched for mice and insects, and saw a variety of antelope including, Impala, Nyala, Duiker and Steenbok. We also bumped into some Wildebeest grazing near the dam. A Slender Mongoose came to investigate us while we were stopped for morning tea but made a hasty retreat. We saw a family of Guinea Fowl (Helmeted), a Bush Shrike, Barbet and a Hammerkop. A Hooded Vulture watched us from a tree top and we saw a Step Buzzard hunting for small creatures in the grass. We drove back to camp with a Whalberg's Eagle soaring above us in the morning sun.

PM
We were all eager to go on our drive this afternoon, not only to see the animals but to escape the heat! We were all enjoying the breeze in the open vehicle but happily stopped on Chitwa Cutline to see a breeding herd of about thirty Elephants up close! We saw three female lion resting at Rhino Pan, they were very relaxed and we enjoyed watching them for a while. We spotted two leopards walking east from Vuyatela Camp the young male leopard, sticking close to his mother.
We saw a group of Hyena scavenging through for scraps in the bush as well as Jackal. The Atelope were very relaxed today so we managed to get a good look at Impala, Nyala, Duiker and Steenbok. We saw a small group of Giraffe elegantly browsing on the treetops as well as a couple of Crocodile lazing in the water at the dam.
We spotted many interesting birds on our drive including, Painted Snipe, Wood Sand Piper, the very beautiful Carmine Bee Eater, Three Banded Plover, African Jacana and Bearded Wood Pecker. There were many Raptors out and about including Bateleurs, Tawny Eagles, Brown Snake Eagle and an African Hawk Eagles.
We were surprised by the staff that served us sundowner drinks in the middle of the bush whilst a violinist played in the background. On our drive home we saw a Bushbaby, a very cute nocturnal animal as well as a Scrub Hare running along the road in front of the vehicle. Another lovely day in the bush!

14 February
AM
We set out early this morning and found a big group of Buffalo heading away from the dam after having a drink. And when we stopped for our morning drink a very large male rhino joined us at the waters edge! A herd of beautiful Kudu timidly approached the water as we watched. Duiker, Steenbok and Impalas also made an appearance during our drive as well as Zebras, Giraffe and Wildebeest, all of which were being dutifully groomed by Woodpeckers.
An African Fish Eagle called from trees along the dam as a Grey Heron searched the shore for food. Other birds that we saw on our drive were, Ground Hornbills, Cape Buntings, Paradise Whydah and Hoopoe.
Another lovely morning drive at Djuma Game Reserve! We headed back for our cooked breakfast that we all felt we had earned!

PM
We headed straight for Cheetah Plains this afternoon and found a large male Cheetah sauntering along marking his territory and having a drink at the pan. He walked right by the vehicle and was totally unaffected by our presence! We then drove towards the mountains enjoying a magnificent African sunset and stopped to watch a young male leopard peering out at us through the long grass. From there we headed to Buffelshoek and found two female lions and one young male making their way through the drainage line, they had just eaten and looked content with their rounded bellies. Nine male Buffalos were spotted drinking at Galago dam and the Elephants were everywhere eating the Marulas that are in season in this area.
We spotted quite a few antelope including Impala, Duiker, Waterbuck and Kudu. We saw a large herd of Wildebeest as well as Zebra. A slender mongoose slipped across the road ahead of us, trying to keep out of the way of the Tawny Eagle flying overhead. We saw a few other raptors like the White Backed Vulture, Step Buzzard and Kestrels. We also saw a large Bateleur eagle, Grey Heron, Starlings, Korhaan and Hoopoe. We headed home after a very successful day in the bush.

The Ranger's diary is updated weekly

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