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Hi Pumbaa,
I am pleased that you have pleasant memories. I do hope that you visit Addo soon again.
The game viewing has taken on a new dimension with the addition of the Southern Section

Addo on a Rainy Day.

During the month of Dec 2010 Addo had a few rainy days. I decided to go out to Addo on one of these rainy days to experience a day in the rain at Addo.
It had been raining most of the night and early in the morning I drove out to Addo and when I got to the Matyholweni Gate it was still raining softly.

I found this snail crossing the tarred road. (I wonder how long it took to cross the road?)




I drove a short way into the Park and found these European Swallows sitting on the edge of the road




This one had perched itself on a stone.




This is the Lesser Striped Swallow

Later the morning the rain stopped and the sun was shining for a short while when I came across this little pool of water next to the road on Harvey's Loop. I decided to stop and watch all the activity going on at this little pool.
There were these Pearlbreasted Swallows collecting mud to build their nests.




If you look carefully you can see fresh Buffalo spoor in the mud

This Cape Glossy Starling was collecting termites that were in abundance all over the road
It was coming and going, I am sure it had a nest of chicks close by that it was feeding




It has a beak full of termites




This Hoopoe was busy probing for insects with its long beak







All of this was taking place within 10 meters of my vehicle

It rained softly most of the day and on my way out of the Park in the afternoon I found all these European Swallows on the Spekboom road













I enjoyed my day in the rain in the Park.
It was a different experience and I will do it again.

A rainy day in Addo is full of birds - or so it seems.
Thanks for sharing this experience with us, Ronnie.
I'm definitely looking forward to a follow-up of this episode!

Missed out on the hartebeest episode.

Is it common for hartebeests in Addo to walk solo or are they usually found in herds?
Pretty cool he is anyway with you driving next to him. Doesn't seem to have bothered him
the least. Had a good giggle about the toilet thing.

Hi LS,
Red Hartebeest are animals which form herds of 10-30 animals or in some cases up to a few hundred. Old males are solitary or form small male herds. Other herds consist of females, and young with a male as leader.

On my visit to Addo Park on a Rainy Day I also encountered this elephant male next to the road
You can clearly see how wet he is from the rain

It was on a hot summers day that I found this breeding herd of elephants rushing to the Marion Baree waterhole for a drink

Great comparison between a rainy and a hot day in Addo! Amazing how much the colour of an ellie skin changes when wet.

Hi LS,
Animals like elephant, buffalo,rhino and warthog that like to have mud baths take on the color of the soil of their last mud bath.
I took these pics last week when I was at Addo and here you can see this big male elephant is very light in color from his last bath but then changes to a reddish color as he sprays himself with reddish muddy water











The young ones having fun in the mud

Great ellies of all colorations! Thanks Ronnie

Thanks Ronnie,

I love your Addo ellies

How strange and what a pity that I did not see your thread Ronnie, before going to Addo in Jan. (12th-14th).

I loved Addo and the elephants. Actually we were not supposed to visit Addo, but I could not leave South Africa without having seen elephants and we sure saw quite a lot....and buffalos too, hartebeests, zebras, tortoises, dung beetles and warthogs etc.

This is a pic from Harpoor, where we saw a herd of some 70 ellies and this fantastic bull


And I just want to show you this big old fellow too