Mongoose mania…Funny little characters…

Three mongooses were checking out the veranda and what treats we may be offering. As carnivores, they particularly enjoyed some rare leftover steak we cut into tiny pieces.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

“Don’t get too close to my baby.”

This is the first holiday in the past 13 months when we’ve continued to see lots of wildlife when the park is filled with tourists, often offering them food they like but shouldn’t eat.

When they are fed leftover human food, sweets, chips, and marshmallows, they tend to hang around those properties and stay far away from us. Alas, it’s been different this time. They keep coming and coming.

The bush is lush with greenery and vegetation, although, due to the late rainy season, without some of the important grasses, the wildlife need for nourishment. As a result, they may still be looking for pellets at the houses of those who freely offer them regularly.
“Umm…smells good here.”

Of course, it’s a concern to us when we leave Marloth Park in a little over six weeks. They’ll come here repeatedly looking for us and the nutritious treats we regularly offer; pellets, apples, carrots, and other appropriate fruits and vegetables they can easily digest.

It breaks my heart to think of how often, after we’ve left,  Little will climb the steps to the veranda, wondering where I am and why I don’t come outside to greet him.  

We don’t sit on the veranda as much as we used to since I need to keep my still painful legs up.  But from my vantage point from the sofa, I can see what’s going on in the garden, and I get up dozens of times a day to see who’s here. Getting up and down is good to avoid sitting too long in one position.

More and more mongooses climbed the steps to the veranda.

We’ll still dine on the veranda each evening with the yellow container of pellets ready to be tossed to whoever stops by while we eat.  We no longer do 1700 hours, 5:00 pm, “happy hour” since I’m not drinking wine anymore. And Tom doesn’t drink by himself.  

Watching the wildlife while we dine has continued to be a highlight of our day. There are often four or five species in the garden simultaneously, all clamoring from the pellets or whatever treats we may have to offer.

Yesterday was no exception. All-day, we experienced a steady flow of our wildlife friends from Frank and The Mrs. to bushbucks, duikers, kudus,  zebras, warthogs, and an array of birds.  

A mom protecting her offspring.

But, the highlight of our day was the band of mongoose, many of who were so excited for a treat that they, like Little, came up onto the veranda as shown in today’s photos.  

We couldn’t stop laughing as we watched their brazen behavior, literally at our feet, along with their playful antics as they mosied around the veranda with intense curiosity.

For the first time in almost two months, I was excited to be taking photos of these adorable little creatures and for a while, found myself back to my old self, wrapped up in nature and taking photos. What a good feeling!

Another mom looking out for her baby.  They stay very close to one another.

Right now, we have three wildebeests in the garden, two lounging for a possible nap. It appears to be one older male and two younger males. The older male may be the dad of one or both of them. 

Usually, Wildebeest Willie is the only wildebeest that visits our garden other than the occasional Dad & Son. Today’s visit of the three boys is a rare treat indeed,

Today, we’ll continue to lay low. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be leaving the house to drive to Nelspruit, where I’ll have the second after-surgery appointment with the surgeon.  

“We’re here.  What’s next?”

After the appointment, we’ll stop in Melalane, the halfway point, for a few items from the Click’s Pharmacy (that reminds me of Walgreen’s in the US) and grocery shopping at the Spar Market, which is bigger than our usual Spar in Komatipoort.

Once we return to the house, we’ll prepare the day’s post with updates on how I’m progressing after the surgery.

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 28, 2018:

A lizard-like gecko was found on the veranda. For more details, please click here.

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