Wandering in the African Bush - Mopani Bush

Aubrey

Aubrey

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We spent a few days relaxing ....never did get to walking as there were lions about .... and they do have a nasty habit of eating the unwary ...unlike what Disney postulates. Below a few images of the bush ....starting to get very dry now so bush is turning brown. Summer is the rainy season and all will be green again.

This is sour veldt (pH is acidic) and no thorn trees. Classified as a Mopani Bushveldt.

Key this into Google earth .... S24 17.767 E27 54.312

Sunset in the African bush ....nice pink and purples with the dust in the air.

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African Rock Python ....about a 13 footer ...caught out sunning himself but moved away at great speed.

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Klipspringer ...small antelope the size of a medium dog. Jumps from rock to rock although it does walk on the ground. Can scale sheer cliffs like a mountain goat. Maximum range with a 300mm lense so sorry for quality.

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Kudu cow in later afternoon ..... camo works great ...... makes the best biltong.

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.....and more ......
 
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Taken about 12 minutes after sunrise in a valley ..... river bed. Fog coming off cold water .....

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The river runs down a valley so from the top of the cliffs .....

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And close up ....water is very clear.

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A white rhino family. Name comes from Afrikaans for the "wide" mouth and the English assumed White Rhino. They graze like cattle on grass. Bigger than the black rhino but not as bad tempered. Only animal that cannot swim....cannot raise it's head high enough when swimming so drowns. Mature male can weigh in at just over 2200 lbs. Cows about 1800 lbs. They have poor eye sight but accute hearing. Have been called fireman of the bush ...... will charge into a fire and proceed to trample the fire to pieces. Had it happen a few years ago on a hunt and scattered coals everywhere, that set the whole bush on fire. So after climbing down from the tree's, pulling the thorns out as we came down, we had to do some damage control for the best part of the night. Why the rhino's do this ... nobody can say! Their hide can be as thick as 2-3 inches in some places.

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The king of antelope ..... the kudu bull. Male is abour 350 lbs, female about 280 lbs. They are known fence jumpers and from a standing position can clear a 8ft fence in one bound. Females don't have horns. Males horns are curled and continue to grow in this spiral pattern. 1 to 1.5 full twists is a big bull.

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The undisputed king of the bush ....... this lion male is about 6-7 years old and in it's prime. Life expectancy of 10 years but some reach 12-14 years of age. Male abour 470 lbs, female about 350 lbs. Most hunting done by females though but males feed first. This black mane is a clear indication this one was brought in from the Kalahari. Bushveldt lions have yellow mane. Can charge at 50 mph.

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Undisputed best wildlife shots! I don't see many lions or rhinos on my trips :grumpy: That is awesome.
 
Man those pics are AWSOME yea im yelling lol..... Im with Tknife on this one... Do you need a permit to go to the bush???? Or do you just go camping out there???? Here if we are lucky we might see a lizard or squirl..... Maybe even a deer..... Our next bush bash would be in Africa.....


Sasha
 
Great thread!!! Your pics and commentary are wonderful. I could scroll through this all day!


Rick
 
Most parts of Africa are private land or nature reserves. You pay a day fee to enter nature reserves but in exchange, they park is managed, poaching is policed and fences are fixed. Walking where lions and leopers run free is not a good plan ....... they tend to chew on these slow moving prey and that hurts.

We plan to go to Botswana in July to Central Kalahari. Most beautiful lions and you camp wild ...... and don't run around after dark unless you want teeth marks in your backside ....if you make it ;-) Worst case is a few bits and pieces left to ID!!

Did have to add the knife picture just in case it was thought I don't have a knife or take it with ;-)

Trident by Macie Jay

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Fantastic pictures. Thanks for posting.

Was this an organized group trip or something you did on your own?
 
EmsRescueGuy said:
Fantastic pictures. Thanks for posting.

Was this an organized group trip or something you did on your own?
Click to expand...

Nature reserves allow you to drive your own vehicle about. This was a private reserve so they supplied a vehicle and a driver. Also a treat for my wife that has to put up with me! :rolleyes:

On the game reserves and wildlife photo's ..... time is the only factor. Patience as the game is there but to get close enough or with the sun just right is more luck than planning. The above lion just point blank refused to walk across shorter grass ;-) And then he dropped down and took a nap ...... as lions sleep 20 hours a day we decided to move on rather than wait!
 
Absolutely wonderful pictures! I would so love to see that part of the world someday. Thanks much for posting these.
 
Great pictures. Out of curiosity, what type of Camera & Lens combos are you using. I'm planning a trip to Alaska and would like to be able to take some decent picture while there. I'm thinking about a digital SLR with a 55-250mm zoom.
 
Africa...:thumbup: Great thread :)

Can you tell about the color of your blade? Something special about the heat treat?? Looks a bit unusual.
 
WOW, is the only word that comes to mind!!!!!!!!!!!!



Thanks so much for sharing those!!
 
Africa is an addiction, you can't go just once. as soon as we were back we were already planning a return lol.....your pics are great and have started the craving all over again!!!
 
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