The Birds of Kruger (she said)
10 Jan 2012
Lake Panic
The untold story of birds at Kruger (posted a bit late …)
When two of us luck into Jessica Van Putten as a guide to Kruger National Park, we are delighted to learn of her passion for the birds of Kruger. Although we normally think of large beasts when we think of Africa, the assortment of birds we observe on our trip amazes us. We spot six different types of eagles and actually capture three of them in photos!
Kent and Jessica at Lake Panic
We stop at the bird blind at Lake Panic on our first afternoon in the park. This placid lake teems with birds along with the resident hippos and crocodiles. A whole colony of weaver birds gatheres grass and weaves their hanging nests in a large tree next to the water. Photographers sit quietly, waiting to capture their elusive subjects. It’s so good, we return shortly after dawn the following morning, making it the only place we visit twice in Kruger National Park. It has to be one of the most beautiful, peaceful spots in the entire world.
Over the next three days, Jessica points out and identifies a wide variety of birds. We even see one she had not seen before — it wasn’t even in any of the bird books Jessica brought with her! Here is a slide show with some of our better bird photos. Apologies in advance for any mis-identification of the birds. Please let us know if you know something we don’t!
