When the exceptional becomes commonplace

There are not enough superlatives to describe today. Each morning we each wonder what the day will hold & what we will see, but today was unimaginably great.. 

We set off to try & track Tlangisa (female leopard whose name means "playful one") & her 2 cubs who had been seen adjacent a perimeter of the property near to the anti-poaching sector office. This is a section of the Sabi Sands that we had not yet frequented this trip. 

We found her and her cubs with her stashed impala kill high up in a Marula tree. This was under the unwavering scrutiny of 2 hyenas who were ready to pounce at any minute should any  part of the carcass fall to the ground.

The cubs, one male & one female are about 5 months old, & are just beginning to eat meat.

                 

Beautiful Tlangisa

                                           Female cub

                                          Male cub

                          Ever vigilant & hopeful hyenas

We then headed to another section of the reserve with open savanna grasslands. We were extremely fortunate to encounter secretary birds, which Omega informed us had not been seen here in 6 years! They were on Jason's bucket list.- Check in the box!

The Secretary bird rarely flies , but uses its wings to help it run at considerable speed.. Next we encountered a young male cheetah resting on a termite mound as a vantage point. 

Morning coffee was at a watering hole where we watched elephants, zebra & wildebeest come to drink.

               Very pregnant mare

As we headed back to camp, we came across yet another group of  rhino. (Their collective  noun is a "crash of rhinos:) Our sightings of this animal species have been exceptional.

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With today's incredible sightings & the work of our guide Omega & tracker Joel, Exceptional has truly become commonplace.