Of all the camps we'd stayed in so far Shimuwini was the most isolated but that wasn't a problem, we'd stocked up with food and drink at the Spar in Phalaborwa and I was hoping to have some down time just hanging around the camp, maybe sitting in the hide or just watching from our chalet. I had no intention of driving beyond the length of our private approach road. It was also a time to catch up and review some of the photographs I'd taken so far. I thought Claire might like to unwrap her sunbed and take in a few rays, maybe we'd have a swim in the small swimming pool.
One thing certainly wasn't an issue. Waking up! No need for an alarm clock in KNP! In every place we'd stayed so far we had been woken to the sound of the Natal Spurfowl.
Believe me they can make quite a racket!
Here in Shimuwini we had additional sounds and they went on all night.
Hippos seem to spend much of the day asleep and are active at night, this one was returning to deeper water first thing in the morning. That's not to say they are quiet during the day though, the silence of the bush is often punctuated by a Hippo altercation with one of it's own!
Anyway, on our first morning our neighbours asked had we been aware of the Elephant wandering around the camp! We hadn't but we were later told the elephant had visited the night before we arrived too, it had simply walked through the electrified fence, destroying a section in the process . The Elephant was showing signs of aggression too it seemed. One thing was certain though, it had enjoyed a swim in the pool, no wonder the bottom was covered in sand! Anyway, come dawn it had vanished, thankfully.
Claire came out in the car with me to check out our loop road. She spotted some Dwarf Mongoose which were backlit by the rising sun.
We bumped in to our neighbours who asked 'Did you see the Leopard ?"
No we hadn't, despite driving around at 5-10 kph. I really wanted a Leopard now and it seemed there was an excellent possibility that tales of a local Leopard were true.
We drove on but found nothing of note.
Yes, you soon forget the thrill of seeing something for the first time, even if just a few days have elapsed.
OK , maybe we got better views of the Fish Eagle than we'd had previously.
Complacency is dangerous though. I spotted a pair of Natal Spurfowl wandering slowly across the road and just ignored them until I suddenly realised there not Spurfowl but Sandgrouse.
The first I'd seen too,
Hopefully I'd get another opportunity because by the time I had realised what I was looking at the Sandgrouse were disappearing in to the bush.
Another car approached from the opposite direction.
"Anything about?" I asked.
"Yes, we have just had a fabulous sighting of Leopard" came back the reply. Grrrr, I was so envious. Anyway, armed with instructions on where to find it off we went but alas our luck was out.
We returned to camp.
I spent the rest of the day in the camp taking stock of what was about.
Not too much of great interest it seemed to be honest.
Well nothing I hadn't seen elsewhere anyway.
You can always hope to get an action shot though.
However, that wasn't to be.
I couldn't wait for the sun to start cooling down, I knew where I wanted to be.
Out looking for the Leopard!
Claire declined to join me, can't blame her, I spent another 90 minutes driving around at a snail's pace only to draw another blank.
Ah well, always tomorrow!!
I wasn't too disappointed, put in the hours and you will hopefully get the rewards.
it was beer time again and time to light the Braii.
One of the nice things about Shimuwini is that it seems such a sociable place.I think perhaps most folk who choose to stay there seem to do so just to stay put.It is out on a limb really, if you intend driving to places there are other camps that are better located, Shimuwini could be one of the worst perhaps, anyway I talked to quite a few of our neighbouring residents both outside their chalets and in the gathering place...the bird hide so it was nice to have a social aspect to the camp too. Most were quite content to just chill.
TBC
One thing certainly wasn't an issue. Waking up! No need for an alarm clock in KNP! In every place we'd stayed so far we had been woken to the sound of the Natal Spurfowl.
Believe me they can make quite a racket!
Here in Shimuwini we had additional sounds and they went on all night.
Hippos seem to spend much of the day asleep and are active at night, this one was returning to deeper water first thing in the morning. That's not to say they are quiet during the day though, the silence of the bush is often punctuated by a Hippo altercation with one of it's own!
Anyway, on our first morning our neighbours asked had we been aware of the Elephant wandering around the camp! We hadn't but we were later told the elephant had visited the night before we arrived too, it had simply walked through the electrified fence, destroying a section in the process . The Elephant was showing signs of aggression too it seemed. One thing was certain though, it had enjoyed a swim in the pool, no wonder the bottom was covered in sand! Anyway, come dawn it had vanished, thankfully.
Claire came out in the car with me to check out our loop road. She spotted some Dwarf Mongoose which were backlit by the rising sun.
We bumped in to our neighbours who asked 'Did you see the Leopard ?"
No we hadn't, despite driving around at 5-10 kph. I really wanted a Leopard now and it seemed there was an excellent possibility that tales of a local Leopard were true.
We drove on but found nothing of note.
Yes, you soon forget the thrill of seeing something for the first time, even if just a few days have elapsed.
OK , maybe we got better views of the Fish Eagle than we'd had previously.
Complacency is dangerous though. I spotted a pair of Natal Spurfowl wandering slowly across the road and just ignored them until I suddenly realised there not Spurfowl but Sandgrouse.
The first I'd seen too,
Hopefully I'd get another opportunity because by the time I had realised what I was looking at the Sandgrouse were disappearing in to the bush.
Another car approached from the opposite direction.
"Anything about?" I asked.
"Yes, we have just had a fabulous sighting of Leopard" came back the reply. Grrrr, I was so envious. Anyway, armed with instructions on where to find it off we went but alas our luck was out.
We returned to camp.
I spent the rest of the day in the camp taking stock of what was about.
Not too much of great interest it seemed to be honest.
Well nothing I hadn't seen elsewhere anyway.
You can always hope to get an action shot though.
However, that wasn't to be.
I couldn't wait for the sun to start cooling down, I knew where I wanted to be.
Out looking for the Leopard!
Claire declined to join me, can't blame her, I spent another 90 minutes driving around at a snail's pace only to draw another blank.
Ah well, always tomorrow!!
I wasn't too disappointed, put in the hours and you will hopefully get the rewards.
it was beer time again and time to light the Braii.
One of the nice things about Shimuwini is that it seems such a sociable place.I think perhaps most folk who choose to stay there seem to do so just to stay put.It is out on a limb really, if you intend driving to places there are other camps that are better located, Shimuwini could be one of the worst perhaps, anyway I talked to quite a few of our neighbouring residents both outside their chalets and in the gathering place...the bird hide so it was nice to have a social aspect to the camp too. Most were quite content to just chill.
TBC
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