hippo – Nature in Focus

A new discovery for us in Kruger was the hide at Lake Panic, near the Skukuza rest camp. The light wasn’t great when we were there which made bird photography quite tricky but I did manage to capture some of the other aquatic wildlife, like this cute baby hippo and his mother, feeding in the shallows.

Hippo surfacing

Mother and baby hippo

Have they gone?

Crocodile eye close-up

Some of the other inhabitants of Lake Panic were a bit more camera-shy, just peeking their eyes out of the water. More entertainment was provided at other waterholes we stopped at, with a yawning hippo seen from the Tshokwane-Satara road and foolhardy birds trying to use a hippo as a perch at Sunset Dam near Lower Sabie.

Heron on hippo

Hamerkop using hippo as perch

Hippo yawning

Afternoon drink at the waterhole — Family drink at the waterhole

We were very lucky with elephant sightings throughout our trip. I could have spent ages watching this group drinking and splashing about at the waterhole, but we did have to keep going to make Satara before the gates closed.

Time for a refreshing drink

Drinking with a trunk is a messy business

Lovely splash of cooling mud

Catching the hippo yawning at the waterhole was pretty cool, as was this mid-tree squabble between two Tawny eagles (I think?). Never did figure out what the issue was though.

Open wide

This is my tree!

Another ‘Big Five’ species we saw plenty of was buffalo, especially near Satara where the grass must be tasty. The late afternoon light was lovely to work with, as long as the animals were on the right side of the road. A Burchell’s coucal and a pair of male Waterbuck posed very cooperatively.

Bashful buffalo in the long grass

Loving the grass

Burchell’s coucal in gorgeous light

Beautifully posed waterbuck males

We made it the camp just in time for sunset.

Tag: hippo

Watery wildlife

Afternoon drive to Satara

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