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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 16h

A pair of kori bustards, which generally stick to the ground but are apparently the heaviest creatures capable of flight #bird #koribustard #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

From the terrace of Lower Sabie's restaurant, we watched as a family of elephants crossed the Sabie river. (Note the crocodile in the upper right of the second photo!) #elephant #crocodile #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

We also saw steenbok a few times. Tiny little things, maybe two feet at the shoulder! #antelope #steenbok #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Wildebeest were another frequent sighting, often around impalas, zebras, or warthogs #wildebeest #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #safari

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

We saw Cape buffaloes nearly every day, sometimes unnervingly close to the car. (Fortunately, they were all quite unbothered by us passing through.) #buffalo #capebuffalo #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #safari

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

More birds on sticks: Arrow-marked babbler, African green pigeon. (We saw *so many* interesting birds!) #bird #pigeon #babbler #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

We saw so many of these lilac-breasted rollers perched by the side of the road that we joked they were actually bots with speed cameras #bird #roller #lilacbreastedroller #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #naturephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The stork was fishing in the same pond as a hamerkop, one of the birds we were most hoping to see in South Africa #bird #stork #woolyneckedstork #hamerkop #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Our eight-day visit surprisingly yielded only one lion encounter, but it was a great one: five lions walked right past the car, so close that we could have given each of them head scritches (but didn't), and then sat down in the road in front of us #lion #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The adult elephants were always unbothered around us -- good thing, as they were often very close to the car -- but the babies often liked to practice their scary looks #elephant #babyelephant #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

We saw elephants every day, individuals and in herds, some in the distance and others right up close, and they never became any less impressive #elephant #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This shot was from the wonderful ranger-guided morning bush walk we took from Berg-en-Dal rest camp. I think the impalas may have spotted us... :) #antelope #impala #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Many of the large ungulates we saw had oxpeckers hitching a ride and grooming their hosts #bird #oxpecker #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #naturephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

We were surprised to spot herons standing in the tops of trees and wandering through tall grass many yards from water #bird #heron #blackheadedheron #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography #safari

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

These southern ground hornbills are rare compared to their red- and yellow-billed cousins, and we were thrilled to see a small group of them walking next to the road. (The eyelashes!) #bird #hornbill #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The dead trees make great perches for vultures. Kruger has a variety of species; pictured here are white-headed and white-backed vultures. #bird #vulture #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #safari

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

We so enjoyed seeing the Lake Panic hippos that we returned first thing the next morning, and were rewarded with beautiful light and mist rising from the water #hippo #hippopotamus #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #sunrise

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Lake Panic has a popular bird hide, but on both our visits there the hippos were the stars of the show #hippo #hippopotamous #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We were fortunate to see several varieties of kingfishers, including a brown-hooded kingfisher right outside our patio, and a giant kingfisher at Lake Panic. #bird #kingfisher #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography #safari

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

We watched this pied kingfisher for a while at Biyamiti Weir. They hunt by hovering high in the air, then plunging straight down into the water. #bird #kingfisher #piedkingfisher #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

First leopard sighting! We actually saw more leopards than lions during our visit -- not what I would have anticipated #leopard #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Kristine is especially fond of warthogs, and we saw at least one each day. Hi, Pumbaa! #warthog #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The most notorious (but still cute) Kruger pest is the vervet monkey. I was lucky to grab this action sequence at the Tshokwane picnic site as one of them dashed past #monkey #vervetmonkey #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Cape starling and red-billed hornbill, two rest camp "pests" that would be remarkable sightings in nearly any other context #bird #hornbill #starling #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #wildlifephotography

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Kruger's landscapes were often quite beautiful on their own, especially around sunrise and sunset #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #landscapephotography #sunrise

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Sometimes the animals make absolutely no effort to get out of the roadway. Hey, jerks, we're trying to drive here! :) #southafrica #kruger #krugernationalpark #lion #baboon

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Final Cape Town sunset (Woodbridge Island), and sunrise view the next morning. Next stop: Kruger National Park! #southafrica #capetown #sunset #sunrise

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Intaka also has a number of resident African ibises, which we were able to observe from one of two bird hides. Truly impressive creatures! #bird #ibis #southafrica #capetown #intakaisland

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Lots of cormorants at Intaka, and more than one variety judging from eye color #bird #cormorant #southafrica #capetown #intakaisland

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

We also saw several red-knobbed coot chicks, which are quite strange looking! Like brightly colored scrub brushes with bald red heads. #bird #coot #redknobbedcoot #southafrica #capetown #intaka

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

We spent a productive afternoon at Intaka Island, one of several birding hotspots within Cape Town. Pictured are a southern masked weaver, a yellow-billed duck, and a cape bulbul #bird #weaver #duck #bulbul #southafrica #capetown #intakaisland

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Eric Stassen Photography @estassenphoto.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

There may be no more beautifully situated city on earth than Cape Town; the coastline south of downtown is particularly striking #southafrica #capetown #landscapephotography #chapmanspeakdrive

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