Tag : Robin’s Camp
Black and white, elephants…
Big Toms look-out at Robins Camp, Hwange National Park, allows nature lovers to get very up close and personal with wild animals. The viewing platform, built directly over the pan is accessed by a series of steep steps.
When the first elephant strolled up, I noticed we were hardly above his eye-level! We arrived in the mid-morning and spent much of the day sitting watching the various animals drinking there.
Elephants are such good subjects for black and white photography.
This family group posed nicely for us:
Birdlife, Robins Camp…
The bird-life around Robins Camp was very good although I didn’t manage to photograph most of them. Usually I stalk birds, crawling in the grass, but with lions and buffalo wandering about freely I had to stalk them from the car! We used to get these (below) when we lived on the Insiza river, another early morning wake up call I miss desperately.
This hornbill plain refused to cooperate. He sat on that branch with his back to us for ages!
Another bird we both saw and heard on the Insiza – sounds like a bouncing ball! They seem to be such poor flyers – a coucal doesn’t land, it crash-lands!
I cant identify this raptor:
He had his eye on this crowd of birds. We waited around for ages to see if he would swoop down on them, but he didn’t oblige!
I snapped this pic (below) in between photographing ellies! Those brilliant colours sure distract me!
This bird was watching the main road in from Sinamatella:
I think this one, (below) is the same bird, but with a nest.
I took this pic at crocodile pools in the Robins Camp part of the Hwange National Park. Its amazing how they happily move about with HUGE crocs sunning themselves nearby
We saw a fair number of vultures in the park, which is a good sign. These were eating the carcass of a dead baby hippo. Excuse the photo, I couldnt get close, I was worried a lion maybe lurking in the bushes! Its amazing how camouflage a lion is. We noticed an elephant flapping its ears and walking sort of funny – zoomed in with the lens and oops – a lion, just lying in the grass!
We saw a fair number of guinea-fowl at Robin’s, but not as many as at RHA mine. They are not easy to photograph, they dont keep still and are always moving away from me – nothing worse than the butt end of a bird!
And last, one of my favourite birds, the hoopoe. I have better pics, taken in my garden, where I can stalk them to my hearts content, but I wanted to post the pics I got in Hwange National Park!
Tree at Big Toms…
Big Toms is a waterhole/pan in the Robins Camp area of Hwange National Park. At this time of the year, the water hole is supplemented by water pumped by a trusty old Lister engine! We sat for most of the morning taking photos and this tree offers a magic back drop for various animals:Elephant and zebra…
Zebra
Kudu.
Big Toms is named for a hunter called Tom Saddler.
Petrified forest…
Ive always laughed at the term “petrified” in this context! We drove right through the petrified forest on the way to Robins Camp, Hwange National Park. Huge chunks of stone lie about all over, these right next to the road:
They have been used cleverly in the picnic site for tables and chairs.
This is the water hole at Deteema picnic site very near to the petrified forest, surrounded by huge (living) trees.
This tree doesnt seem to be THAT large…I took one step to my right and took this photo:
The car was hidden behind it!
Kudu…
Are one of my favourite antelope. We didn’t see any bulls with trophy sized horns, around the Robins Camp area of Hwange National Park, but as we drove closer to main camp, we saw a few.Kudu always seem so wary, hate to be out of the thick mopane brush cover. They sneaked down to the water, keeping a wary look out, turning and running away several times.
Those horns!
Finally they drank: