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25 August 2023 - Ngwenya Lodge; Day 1

It's a week our family always looks forward to from packing to arrival at Ngwenya Lodge and our Unit (#358) overlooking the Crocodile River on the southern border of the famed Kruger National Park. We left Midrand around 6:30 and had a leisurely drive, stopping for breakfast on route and arrived at the lodge which is situated between Malelane and Crocodile Bridge Gates by 1pm.

It didnt take long to unpack and get sorted into our familiar 'home away from home' for the next week and enjoy a cold beer on the balcony and enjoy the view over the river and into the adjacent bush. The sights, sound and smell just drain any stress you may have right out of your body...

I always try and see if I can record 100 species in the Lodge grounds, so later in the afternoon we enjoyed a walk. There are a few small dams in the grounds and I quite liked this little group of Egyptian Geese ducklings as they huddled together - safety or keeping warm?

Egyptian Goose Ducklings (Alopochen aegyptiaca)

A female Collared Sunbird was pretty active at the Reception area

Female Collared Sunbird (Hedydipna collaris)

Down near the Restaurant, a male Spectacled Weaver was looking for crumbs on the floor before flying up and perching on the fence - it's a smart looking Weaver

Male Spectacled Weaver (Ploceus ocularis)

White-crowned Lapwing's distribution is moving south in the Park each year and for the first time, recorded them inside the Lodge grounds at one of the dams foraging under the large Fever Trees - love this charismatic Lapwing's, especially in the gorgeous golden hour light

White-crowned Lapwing (Vanellus albiceps)

Whilst enjoying the Lapwing's a Pied Kingfisher hunted from a low branch overhead

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)

Whilst an African Mourning Dove, another species whose distribution has expanded southward, was calling from another Fever Tree

African Mourning Dove (Streptopelia decipiens)

We headed back to our lodge for our first sundowners and to get the fire started, with my son picking up a Terrapin in the river below

Serrated Hinged Terrapin (Pelusios sinuatus)

As the sun set, the Bats started emerging from under the thatch of most of the Units which is when this female African Goshawk flew into the Fever Tree next to our Unit to work out a plan to catch some Bat take-away's. Luckily my camera was on-hand and although the light was gone, managed to get a few high ISO images before she departed