Last of the rains in Northern Botswana; More cheetah tracking tales with Spencer and Mr.Moe, AT's "Special" Cheetah ........ Photographic report Little Kwara and Lagoon ... April, 2018

[madaboutcheetah]

Dear all,

 

Here's the first instalment of photos from my recent visit to Botswana.  Great time as always........ Thanks to Spencer and Mr.Moe my guides at Lagoon camp. Also thanks to  AT my tracker at Little Kwara.  A fabulous time in both camps - amidst very challenging game viewing conditions this time of the year with the tall grass....... Tracking seemed incredibly challenging too with the vegetation.

 

However we still had some good sightings given the incredible concessions ........ 

 

Fabulous time at LK with Charles in Charge of camp.  Also, to Onte, Pro and Lets at Lagoon.  Great times as always!!! Reality bites for  now ...... 

 

Here's the pack of 8 from Kwara to start the report.

[michael-ibk]

Great Dog pics, Hari, and good to see you back at Kwara after quite some time now!

[Hads]

Great pics mate - The dog in pic # 7 on your first post has beautiful markings.

[madaboutcheetah]

In this segment, a Cheetah the guides at Kwara call "special" - a single male often seen in the concession.  Here he is, pretending to be a Leopard .......... 

 

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks @michael-ibk and @Hads 

 

 

[Marks]

Love the dog chewing on a branch!

[Game Warden]

12 hours ago, madaboutcheetah said:

Here's the pack of 8 from Kwara to start the report.

 

Bringing Botswana alive for me here in Portugal...

 

Great start MAC, just lack the smells and sounds to make it really real...

 

Matt

[pault]

Brilliant start Hari. Love the dogs.

[Kitsafari]

love the dogs too, Hari! and those of the cheetah on the branch. 

 

[Peter Connan]

Yes, very dense grass and bush there now! We travelled through the same area, and saw virtually nothing, so your guides did very well, as did you with the photography, as always!

 

Thank you.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @Marks @Game Warden @Kitsafari @Peter Connan @pault

 

Next instalment also from Kwara ..............  One with the Cowboy himself behind the wheel "Hobbs" At a "Special" sighting
 

[madaboutcheetah]

This instalment from Lagoon in the glorious Kwando concession .......

 

Quote of the safari was from Mr.Moe, 'The man of few words' - "Safari days are like Football matches, you win some days; you lose some days" ...........  Indeed, How true!!!   

 

Hippo Fight at "Steve's Pan" .........  

 

[offshorebirder]

Among the other good stuff - really good flight shot of a Wattled Crane.

[madaboutcheetah]

The Cheetah brothers who took over the territory after the reign of the mighty "Boys of Lagoon" are now firmly in control of this land and are now expert "Ostrich Killers" - Saw them feeding on Ostrich twice in 3 days (one a double kill) ...... They also exhibited behaviour very uncommon for cheetah; they continued to feed on the carcass into the next day and only vacated the carcass when completed.

 

Here they are at their absolute best! 

 

It surely wasn't easy tracking them - we lost them eventually unable to follow tracks through primarily grass.  We did try going from termite mound to high log - but, eventually had to throw our hands up in frustration ......... Marching on they possibly had to go on their patrol round their territory! 

Edited April 20, 2018 by madaboutcheetah

[AKR1]

Hari

 

Fantastic report as usual. You always manage to nail it. Seeing the Cowboy brought back wonderful memories. Take me with you next time

 

Thanks for sharing. 

Edited April 21, 2018 by AKR1
Typos

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks @offshorebirder and @AKR1

 

@AKR1  - Anytime! 

[madaboutcheetah]

More from Lagoon ........ 

 

The Bonga Pride who were so very dominant during the dry season of 2017 are now pushed really down to the South Side of the concession by new intruding males late in the dry season ...........  Lucky to get one sighting of the young males from the Bonga Pride who I suppose will make kings someplace in Northern Botswana.  Found them not far from Steve's pan trying to see them at least one time! It was almost 10am before we could find them - so, like Lions do ........ you know the rest! 

[pault]

This is excellent Hari! Beautiful to see. 

[Zubbie15]

Lovely photos, as usual.  I never would have thought that ostrich would be on a cheetah’s menu, very interesting to see.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @pault and @Zubbie15 - Much appreciated!

 

More from Lagoon .... 

[madaboutcheetah]

One final post to finish up the Dog Pack of 8 from Kwara.  This would be my only sighting of the dogs on the trip ........... I had some bizarre bad luck strike me at Lagoon with the dogs (they kept running and running away from me round and round the airstrip and we tracked them across some of their recent den sites) .... Alas, I suppose the Alpha female is due soon for another Lagoon pack den!  Oh well ...... one of them days!!! 

[CDL111]

Enjoying your report as usual, good decision to go to LK to see the dogs!  

[Game Warden]

On 21/04/2018 at 11:52 AM, Zubbie15 said:

I never would have thought that ostrich would be on a cheetah’s menu, very interesting to see.

 

Every day on Safaritalk is an education. Thanks @madaboutcheetah.

 

Matt

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks so much @Game Warden and @CDL111

 

Here's the last of the posts from Little Kwara .......... 

[Marks]

On 4/20/2018 at 1:19 PM, madaboutcheetah said:

The Cheetah brothers who took over the territory after the reign of the mighty "Boys of Lagoon" are now firmly in control of this land and are now expert "Ostrich Killers" - Saw them feeding on Ostrich twice in 3 days (one a double kill) ...... They also exhibited behaviour very uncommon for cheetah; they continued to feed on the carcass

 

 

Did they continue feeding in one long session or return to the kill? Either way that's quite interesting!