The Lowvwld never disappoints . . . . . . !

During the last week I was up in the kruger National Park to take care of some business for 2 days. I didn't have to much time for site-seeing and once I was done I needed to press on back to Johannesburg and try make the Kruger gate by 18h00. I had around 100km to make in the 3 hours if I was to make it safetly. I eventually made it through at 17h20, and after 6 or 7 hours sitting in the car, I stopped on the Sabie river bridge just out side the Kruger Park to stretch my legs. This bridge is an awesome spot for birders and some of the larger animals can often be seen in or on the river banks. I grabbed my camera to see what I could get before I lost the early evening light and a few REALLY nice suprises. Immediately to the south of my possition there were Pied Kingfishers and a pair of Saddle Billed Storks. These were my targets, because, as common as they are in Africa, there are only around 100 Saddle Billed Storks in South Africa and a little over 60 with in the Kruger Park and only 22 known nesting couples. There is a running photographic competition that the Parks Board has initiated whereby any images taken of these birds can be sent in along with information about numbers seen, possible lare nests in the area and where the images where taken. These next images I have already sent to the Parks Board to hopefully help with their initiative on the conservation of these birds............................

....................then after afew shots of distant Elephants I walked across to the otherside of the bridge to see what was going to catch my eye. Looking into the distance to the north I brought my eye down with the flow of the river and caught some movement about 20 metres away..........................check this out for luck!!!!!

It's moments like these that make working in the African bush so appealing and fasinating to me and my colleagues. At first she hadn't noticed me, slowly making her way across the river towards the Kruger. I noticed another vehicle making their way to my position and I flagged them down to witness what I had. This must have grabbed her attention, 'cause when i looked back at her she was crouching down and looking in my direction only a matter of 20 mteres or so away. She then slinked off across the rocks and hid behind a small growth of reeds where we watched her for another 10-15 minutes before disapearing into a larger, thicker reed bed. If I had not decided to stop, or atleast check the otherside of the bridge she would have been lost to us with very little evidence that she was there.

I live an AWESOME life and proud to be able to share it with you!