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It’s not just flowers that signal spring. Johan van der Walt from Safari Link and Wildlife South Africa ® tells us what to look out for in game reserves like the Kruger Park.

Birds: Migrating birds return from the northern hemisphere. Look for yellow-billed kite and Wahlberg’s eagle in the Kruger and surrounds. Wahlberg’s eagles go to North Africa for winter and often return to the same nest site every year. Many birds are preparing to breed in September and the males don their breeding plumage. In the North West and the Kalahari, look out for the bright red flash of a crimson-breasted shrike in the veld.

Trees: The common wild pear with its beautiful white flowers is one of the first trees to blossom in spring, in the central and northern parts of South Africa. Another tree in early bloom is the sjambok pod in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with its bright yellow flowers. Trees that start to bloom later in September in the Kruger Park and surrounds include the sausage tree (large, dark-red flowers), tree wisteria (purple flowers) and eastern rhigozum (striking yellow flowers). In the North West and the Kalahari, camel thorn trees will be in bloom – their flowers look like tiny yellow balls.

Wildlife: The rains haven’t come by September and the veld is sparse. Water is also scarce so waterholes are good spots to wait for a variety of mammal species to come quench their thirst. If you’re in the North West or the Kalahari, look out for brown hyena cubs. They’re born from August to November, and the adults will be on the move, scavenging to feed their young.