15 February
AM
We were in for a hot morning as we set out from the Lodge for our game drive this morning. The sky was clear blue with a few clouds dotted across it. We saw a female Leopard close to the Lodge this morning with her cub, we watched them as they relaxed in the shade. We saw a herd of Buffalo grazing near a waterhole, they were very curious and watched us intently as we watched them! We also bumped into a large breeding herd of Elephant they were making their way through the bushes toward the dam.
We spotted a Lilac Breasted Roller, Bee Eaters, Fork-Tailed Drongos and a Grey Heron. Kudu and Impala also made an appearance during our drive and we watched a herd of Wildebeest while we had our coffee and muffins.

PM
We were all well rested and excited to set out on our drive this evening. We left the Lodge at five, after tea and cake, and set off into the bush. We found a large male Elephant picking up the fruit from the Marula Tree. They love this area at this time of the year because Marula's are plentiful! We stopped to watch a family of Jackal foraging on the airstrip, they have a lot of character and we all enjoyed watching them interact with each other.
After our Sundowners we saw a few Nightjars on the road in front of our vehicle as well as Scrub Hares startled by the lights. The Hyenas that we saw earlier called in the distance as we made our way back to camp.

16 February
AM
This morning was clear as we headed out for our drive. We saw a large male Elephant in musk eating Maroulas, he paused briefly to watch us watching him, but soon returned to his fruit. A large herd of Wildebeest and Impala crossed the road ahead of us as we were on the way to the dam for coffee and muffins. A large Hippo snorted in the water, we watched him while we had our snacks. A Hammerkop was standing on one leg at the waters edge unaffected by the Hippo's huge yawn!
We saw some Giraffe browsing on the trees, with their long leathery tongues stripping the leaves and thorns from the branches. Waterbuck also graced us with their presence, the male was particularly spectacular with his curved, ridged horns. We spotted Lilac Breasted Rollers, Grey Louries, Fork Tailed Drongos, Franklin (Swansons and Natal) and a Brown Eagle. We made our way back to the Lodge, enjoying the morning air and the sights and sounds within the thick bush.

PM
We started our drive down Gowrie Main and saw three elegant Giraffe a few metres from our open vehicle, further down the road we saw a large Leopard Tortoise crossing the road. Four Rhino were spotted wallowing in a mud hole near Manyaleti. We watched a beautiful sunset as we watched the Rhino's and headed off further down the road bumping into an Elephant on the way.
We saw a Duiker and Impala as the light was fading and a genet streaked across the road ahead of us. We got a good look at a White-Tailed Mongoose sniffing through the grass. We saw Woodlands King Fisher, Grey Lourie, Shrikes, a Southern Black Tit and a Hammerkop. Dinner and drinks awaited us at the lodge so we watched the bright stars as we made our way slowly back to camp.

19 February
AM
This morning, we started drive, not sure where we were going to begin our search for game. We slowly made our way north, and eventually crossed over into Manyeleti. Near Ivory Route, we bumped into a trio of rhinos, who were grazing lazily in the distance. We had great visual of them through our binoculars, and watched until they eventually disappeared into the bush. We then made our way back to Vuyatela, where the cheetah mom and her three cubs had turned up on Quarantine. The three were on the move, not walking with too much purpose. The cubs would pounce on each other now and then, chasing each other about, while mom kept a watchful eye. The Skuthane lionesses were also located this morning, on the eastern side of Torchwood, near the Kruger boundary.

PM
The cheetah mom and her three cubs, were still milling about Vuyatela, this afternoon. While we were having our tea, on the deck, we could hear the impala making alarm calls, which caught our attention, and then the four cats came into view. The impala bolted off in every direction as we headed for the game drive vehicles to go and take a closer look. We caught up with the cats and followed them down to Gowrie Dam, where they decided to lie up on the dams wall. Later in the drive, we stopped at Treehouse Dam, to watch a group of gnarly, old daga boys, having a soak in the water. After dark, things were a bit quiet, but after returning to Vuyatela, the silence was short-lived. As we sat down to eat dinner, the male lion who had been roaring last night, had started his cat-calling once again. His roaring echoed through the bush, as he patrolled the area around Vuyatela. The sound provided a fitting soundtrack to our dinner under the stars.

20 February
AM
This morning, we didn't have to go far to catch up to the cheetah mom and her three cubs. We cam across them, lying up at Sydney's Dam. They were just becoming active, as they groomed themselves, and each other. Eventually, they meandered down to the dam for a drink, and then went up onto the dam wall, where they settled down again. We then headed into Manyeleti, where we stopped for coffee at S9 Dam. A pair of hippo were bobbing about in the water and weren't too concerned with us. Afterwards, as we drove about, we came across several daga boys, and ellie bulls, all trying too stay cool in the shade. The sun was blazing down at this point, making it very hot, despite the early hour. It was likely that most of the game would be heading for the shade, for the rest of the day.

PM
As soon as we left the lodge, this afternoon, we headed for Rhino Cutline, where a female leopard had been located. She was lying up in a marula tree, which made for a some great photos. It seemed like a nice cool, breezy spot, sheltered from the sun. It looked as though she was contemplating, becoming active, but was still enjoying her afternoon nap. Eventually, we left her to allow for some other vehicles to come and take a look. We then headed to Three in a Row Pan, near Bush Lodge, where an old daga boy was basking in the muddy water. A few oxpeckers were hopping about on his head and back, gobbling up any tasty critters that were on his tough hide. We also had some great giraffe and zebra sightings throughout the evening, until darkness fell.

The Ranger's diary is updated weekly

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