Still on our 2nd day in the Kruger National Park and we continued seeing wildlife doing its thing in the savanna bushvelt (bushland).

Sorry I didn't post this blog sooner, but I thought there was a problem with  HF20 Update and the RC patch!

Check out this warthog:

He was quick to move off when he saw us! Stopping just for a second to look back, when he reached his mate! Then to get away from us, they quickly disappeared together into the long dry grass and bush.  

 

Warthogs are actually wild pigs and very shy animals. So I was lucky to get a couple of photos! 

I think warthogs are called warthogs because they are so ugly with those horny warts on its cheeks.  

The sharp narrow curved horns further down their faces are really enlarged eye-teeth. I must say, I won’t want a warthog to charge and gorge me with those scary horn-teeth, would you!! 

We had a fan & didn’t know it!

With our car and still looking around, we suddenly noticed a black bird was right there next our car, looking up at us. He certainly wasn’t shy! 

It was a Glossy Starling.

My photo doesn't show how beautiful his sheen is. The green sheen shimmers and shines beautifully in the sun as the bird moves back and forth, making it really fascinating to watch. 

They usually make nests in holes in tree trunks (sometimes previously made by woodpeckers) or in the hollows of large wooden fence posts. 

 

Our daughter told us Glossy starlings are seen everywhere in the park. And it’s common to see them begging from cars! The reason she knew so much about the park’s activities, was the fact she had previously lived close to the Orpen Gates of the Kruger park. 

Indeed he looked cheeky and persistent. He was hopping back and forth trying to get our attention, in his excited effort to get some handouts! 

What we were going to do about it?

In natural circumstances the starlings prefer fruit and insects, but in the park they got used to eating any crumbs thrown out the cars.  

It’s not good to feed wildlife food that isn’t their normal diet. It also encourages them to depend on humans, instead of foraging for themselves naturally.  

So we didn’t feed the starling. And even though the bird’s eye are yellow, you could almost see his cross `black looks’ he gave us for been so mean! 

After wondering along the road for a time, we came across some… 

Giraffe at a waterhole:

And there they stood majestically at a waterhole, in a wide open bare space. There were no other animals about, at the waterhole. The giraffes towering serene behaviour gave you the suspicion they had taken over the waterhole. 

See the sequence of their movement in these photos?

We stopped the car and watched the giraffe for quite a while. When they did move, they moved slowly with easy flowing grace. They are so tall, with their long legs and necks, you get the impression they are looking down their noses at you! 

 I sometimes wonder what they think of us people. “Oh look, those silly humans in their cars again. I wish they would buzz off and leave us in peace. Can’t they mind their own business?!” 

Next week’s travel blog:

Still more wild animals to see, on our second day out in the Kruger Park!