09 January 2024 - Mabula; Day 3
Only the boys opted for this morning's drive and were entertained with these two Dung Beetle's trying to roll a dung ball uphill.
There are three types of Dung Beetle; Rollers who roll dung into round balls which is used as a food source or breeding chamber; Tunneler's who bury their dung wherever they find it and Dwellers who neither roll nor burrow, but just live in the dung. The nocturnal African Dung Beetle is one of the few known invertebrates that navigate and orient themselves using the Milky Way
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| Dung Beetle (Scarabaeus satyrus) - The Roller |
This morning's mission was to try find the Ele's, but a migrant Red-backed Shrike warranted a stop
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| Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) |
Listening to the chatter on the radio's we got an idea of where the Ele's were and headed in that direction. A calling Woodland Kingfisher caught our attention
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| Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis) |
We made it to where the Ele's were, but they were hidden in thick habitat (amazing that such a large mammal can remain out of sight, when it is so close) - although we could hear them. A Yellow-billed Hornbill peered out from behind a tree trunk
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| Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) |
Unfortunately, we didnt have the luxury of time to wait for the Ele's as we were all departing after breakfast. Heading back to the lodge, we found this cool Wahlberg's Eagle
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| Wahlberg's Eagle (Hieraaetus wahlbergi) |
At the lodge we had breakfast, cleaned up and packed the car and said our goodbyes after an enjoyable and relaxing weekend. On the way out we stopped at reception to pay the levy and photograph a pair of Violet-backed Starlings in the car park
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| Male Violet-backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) |
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| Female Violet-backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) |
A slow drive out of the reserve and once back on tar, it was the road back home reminiscing about the great Dec/Jan holiday (coast and bush) we had all enjoyed
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