Shamwari Safari (1) Birds and Beasts

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When: February 2024 Weather: Cold, Cool and Hot….12 to 33C

Nikon P900, Sony A7II (70to400mm G lens) Leica Q3, Leica M11 50 F1.4

Not having been back to Africa for a few years, when i got an invitation to Port Elizabeth and a safari in the Eastern Cape at Shamwari private game reserve, it was in invitation I couldn’t refuse. Having done safaris in the last 6 months or so to Borneo in the Kinabatangan river area, the Amazon near Manaus and a tiger safari in Kabini, India, this was the last in our safari series and it would prove to be arguably the best of all….this is the first of 4 blog posts on our visit there…

From Joburg, it was a 1.5 hour flight to Port Elizabeth airport where we were picked up for the short hour long drive to Shamwari private game reserve where we stayed at the fabulous Long Lee Manor, a beautifully restored old house that would not have been expected in the wild….

View of Long Lee Manor from the approach road

We had 3 hour safaris at 6am and 4pm everyday of our stay and we were plied with so much food that we never seemed to stop eating! The morning safaris were pretty cold and we needed the blankets and ponchos provided.

on our first safari we got up close and personal with this tusker who came real close….
a giraffe watching over shamwari
bird watching was very much a part of the safari…here a handsome ant-eating chat
3 banded plover
crowned lapwings
the cape wagtail was everywhere on the premises in Long Lee Manor….
dark capped bulbul with yellow vent..similar to the yellow vented bulbul we see in Asia which doesn't have the balck head
cape starling in stunning blue plumage
this is the scenic Bushman’s River which runs through the property…and where we saw a few things
The ubiquitous Springboks
and when we got a call that the cheetahs had been sighted, we headed over…
not one, but two cheetahs
they were languid and placid
a waterbuck with the target on its rump
a herd of impala…
European roller…not quite as stunning as the Indian roller we had seen a few weeks ago in Kabini, India
and as the daylight faded, we found a mother lion with three cubs in almost pitch darkness!
and as night set in, the giraffes still provided photo opportunities
the next morning, we found a pair of lionesses sunning themselves in the dawn light
beautiful lioness
the male lion was seen in another field a few hundred meteres away….he roared to let the world know he was there
Pied crows overhead
Blesbuck crossing the plain
brown hooded king fisher
Neddicky
streak headed seedeater
black backed jackal
white throated swallow uin flight
helmeted guinea fowl
the charming bokmakerie
the delightlful speckled mousebird
and the equally charming red faced mousebird
southern grey headed sparrow
ant-eating chat in flight
back in the lodge for breakfast at 930, this is the view over the little pond
where a grey heron at the back is fronted by shelducks and a solitary blacksmith lapwing
black shouldered kite
another 4pm safari……….Sombre greenbul
pearl breasted swallow
the elephants were plentiful and came real close
another pachyderm….
greater doubled collared sunbird…stunning
as the light faded, its distinct call led us to the star bird…a pair of wrynecks!
and as dusk descended on us, our guide pointed at two shadows on the horizon…..it’s the endangered black rhinoceros! typified by 2 humps on the back rather than the 3 of the white rhino

So the end of the first three safaris…we’d seen so much and eaten too much!

One thought on “Shamwari Safari (1) Birds and Beasts”

  1. fabulous Ron, we will also go to S. Africa in June! your photos are amazing and are making me super excited for our trip! cheers Pam

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