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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Isimangaliso Wetlands Park

Yesterday I promised I'd post about the nature reserve Rina and I visited while on holiday in Zululand. Only fifteen minutes from our accommodation in Monzi, we drove off Friday to view game. I wanted to see birds, of course. And I did - more about them tomorrow!

As we drove along the dirt road, we spotted movement in the long grass: 
Waterbuck 
A few meters ahead, we stopped to watch a small herd of zebra crossing the road


A herd of wildebeest


Wildebeest are also known as gnus.  Click on the link to read interesting facts about this ubiquitous antelope of Africa.

A few zebra and a wildebeest forging ahead into the nearby scrub
A few kilometers further, we stopped to photograph a small herd of waterbuck


In the same patch of veld, were more zebras grazing. As we watched them, I noticed a smallish raptor in the foreground. 
I focused my camera and zoomed...
...in on a juvenile African Fish-Eagle
Once it looked up from its meal and I managed a decent photo


Driving along with the open plains on either side, we stopped to watch a giraffe...
..and two youngsters lying on the ground behind it
Close-up of one young giraffe. Isn't it sweet?


At a junction, we took a right turn and entered a bushier area.  Peering through the branches, we spotted several antelope. 
A small herd of Nyala females 
A solitary Nyala female



A few hundred meters further along the bush became even more overgrown. I drove the car over s slight rise, when Rina shouted that there was an animal in our path. It loped across the road, onto the verge where it stopped and looked back at us. 
A Nyala male 


Hereafter we turned the car around and drove the 20 km back to the gate. We spotted animals again (sometimes the same ones as we'd seen on the way in) and voted our trip to the Isimangaliso Wetland Park a great success. 

I'm linking my post today to Our World Tuesday here


9 comments:

  1. Love all the wildlife photos. The wildlife & birdlife are two things I really love about Africa. The baby giraffe is so cute. xx

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  2. Oh, what a wonderful trip, Jo!! I do love all of the animals that you were able to see -- particularly the baby giraffe!! How sweet indeed!! Thanks so much for sharing the fun and the beauty!! Hope you have a great week!!

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  3. HI Jo You both certainly sseemed to really enjoy going round this safarie park and you saw a lovely variety of animals and even the juv. fish Eagle.

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  4. Hello Jo, what a wonderful wildlife drive. The animals are all awesome. The baby giraffes are one of my favorites and I love the zebra. Have a happy day and week ahead!

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  5. wow on the fish eagle, he is beautiful. i would love to see the giraffe and wildebeest and zebra.. we just saw on TV an American woman was killed by a lion in one of the drive through parks. she had her window down.

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  6. Wow oh wow! How cool to actually see these animals in their own land rather than a zoo far far away.
    Take 25 to Hollister

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  7. I love seeing all the SA wildlife, but that sighting of the juvenile fisheagle is the best.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your feedback. Jo