Final Game Drive – Pretoriuskop To Malelane Gate

We got a pretty late start since the birds were so engaging at Pretoriuskop restcamp, but luckily we didn’t have far to go.  In a pinch, we could have simply exited at Numbi Gate and driven back to JNB at normal speed.  But I didn’t want to miss one last chance to see more birds and animals in Kruger so we took the scenic route!  In the map below, a red road is paved and a yellow road is a dirt road but well-maintained.  Our route is in blue.

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We saw lots of Fork-tailed Drongos but not close to each other.  They seem to be pretty territorial.

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There are also a lot of these “Jock of the Bushveld” plaques.

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I really wanted to get a decent shot of a Lilac-breasted Roller in flight.  I had to wait a bit but this little guy finally obliged!

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European Bee-eaters come here to escape the cold in Europe.

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Vervet monkeys are always amusing.

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Combining this with the map, you can see distances aren’t that great.

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G’waaaayyyyyyy!

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Greater Blue-eared Starling

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Weaver birds are also everywhere.

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This Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill was at a picnic spot.

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An elegant Pin-tailed Whydah.

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The quintessential African photo.

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Red-breasted Swallow

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Red-billed Ox-pecker, apparently near-sighted as he is pecking a giraffe!

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Jacobin Cuckoo

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