Untamed Land

Untamed Land
Untamed Land

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

South Africa, Deeper into Kruger

The African Open-billed Stork looks so drab it's almost funerial. The Asian Open-billed Stork is cheery by comparision, with it's brighter plummage.
This is one of the oddest raptors, a Secretary Bird pants in the heat. I was very thankful that our rental car had air conditioning.
Easily one of the highlights of the trip was being able to observe a mother Leopard with her cub resting in the grass.
Kruger has a wealth of raptors. This is a Wahlberg's Eagle.
Yellow-billed Kites were the most common raptors everywhere we went. This one perches on the rail of a bridge as it pauses in it's efforts to snatch swallows, and swifts nesting under the bridge.
We only saw one of these raptors, an African Little Sparrowhawk.
 This is a winter visitor to Africa. A European Roller.
A female Cardinal Woodpecker in a fig tree.
Ostriches are always a welcome sight.
Here are Spotted Hyenas that dug their den right under the road. This is a half-grown youngster.

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