Kgalagadi Sept 2018: long drives and at long last a leopard!

[Tdgraves]

Day 4, transfer to Mata Mata, 18/9/18

 

Just outside of camp we found this snake, IDs would be appreciated.....

 

 

We decided to do the Marie se Gat loop on the way out of camp and found where most vehicles had been in the morning. There was a pride of lions on a buffalo carcass, who had long since moved off. We got a glimpse of a brown hyaena amongst the vultures, but it was on the far side of the river bed and the heat haze prevented any photos. We did see this guy though...

 

 

Our first lion of the trip. It got to 31 degrees and being the middle of the day, there was not much activity

 

 

 

 

 

The picnic sites always bring a few birds though

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We checked into camp with no issues. As it had been a long drive and we were changing camps again the next day, we elected not to do another drive, but took a dip in the pool (a first for Mata Mata) which was freezing  and I had a little bird walk around camp (while the OH tried to sleep off his migraine), which was a bit less productive than last time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our stoop

 

 

 

I was just settling down with a sundowner on the stoop when I heard a "psssst" coming from next door. The couple had seen me photographing the barbet outside of their room and had now spotted the pearl spotted owlet out there. It was very dark, but..

 

 

 

 

 

We had a long chat and they told me that due to some rain, the wildflowers had a second flush and so the route which we would use to get to Cape Town would have some flowers along the way. Excellent!

[Zim Girl]

Lovely pictures of the owls.

[Peter Connan]

Indeed, lovely photos of the owls.

I think the snake is a puff adder, but I'm not 100% sure. Buffalo carcass? In KTP?

[Tdgraves]

Sorry you are absolutely correct @Peter Connan -

wildebeest

[TonyQ]

Another vote for the owls! Great stuff.

[Tdgraves]

Day 5, morning drive, 19/9/18

 

We were second in the queue and despite the camp being full, it seemed as if not many were going to go out early. The couple in front of us had also just come from Nossob. They had spent 8 nights there and only seen the distant lion that we had seen on leaving yesterday. It was a bit warmer today at 9 degrees and I had the 7D. We saw them leave Craig Lockhart at speed and after checking the waterhole, crept up behind them to see what was so exciting. Well of course, exciting is a leopard. Up a tree!! No sooner had we stopped, than she decided to jump down - this was my first shot (I was worried that it could be the only one...)

 

 

She then crossed the road and had a bit of a patrol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She then crossed back over the road to the same tree

 

 

 

 

But not for long...

 

 

 

 

 

for some reason, the 7D couldn't cope with this shot, so one from the OH with the 5D

 

 

and she was off across the riverbed!! We were very excited and I think that this made up for the other couples lack of lion sightings, judging by the size of their grins! I've just looked at the EXIF data - the whole sighting was 6 minutes...

 

 

 

I can't remember how far south we got, but at some point we turned around to make it back to camp, as again we had to pack up and go. We then encountered a few more cars from the other direction....

 

 

there she was again!

 

 

 

 

 

She was making her way into the dune and kept disappearing into areas we could not see and then reappearing further away. The other vehicles were a bit perplexed at why we left the sighting I think!

 

 

Back to camp to pack up again.

[Tdgraves]

Day 5, transfer to Urikaruus, 19/9/18

 

It was a cold 21 degrees as we packed up and left south. We had breakfast at Kamqua. Just out of camp, we tried to catch sociable weavers as they left their nest - no mean feat....

 

 

 

 

 

Then we had a really good giraffe sighting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we carried on down south

 

 

 

 

 

 

a parked vehicle pointed out this pair of spotted eagle owls - I think we would have driven straight past otherwise...

 

 

 

 

this jackal was gnawing on a bone

 

 

 

we then saw another snake

 

 

 

who these guys kept their beady eyes on...

 

 

 

 

and then a honey badger!

 

 

 

and we got to Urikaruus just as it turned 2pm

[Pamshelton3932]

I’m really enjoying your report @Tdgraves.  Sometimes the wait for a sighting makes the reward even sweeter.  

[CDL111]

Nice sighting of the leopard followed by a enjoyable sequence of the giraffe.

[xelas]

That first leo shot is a stunner! All others are also great, but that one is the best, IMO.

 

The snake must be the puff adder. They are a nuisance in KTP.

[Peter Connan]

Lovely shots of the leopard and the Driedoring too! 

 

And a honey badger! Great sighting. The snake is a puff adder.

[Tdgraves]

57 minutes ago, Peter Connan said:

Lovely shots of the leopard and the Driedoring too! 

 

And a honey badger! Great sighting. The snake is a puff adder.

 

@Peter Connan That bush reminds me of tracking black rhino on foot 

[Tdgraves]

Day 5,  Evening drive, Urikaruus, 19/9/18

 

I was busy unpacking the food in the kitchen and vaguely heard a commotion. It finally entered my consciousness and I thought I should go and take a look. A pale chanting goshawk had taken a namaqua dove from the waterhole and was being pursued by a tawny eagle, other namaqua doves and a lanner falcon...

 

 

I didn't have time to change any settings, so the photos are just proof shots really

 

 

 

 

 

After unpacking, we went on a short drive south. It was only 21 degrees and quite windy, so it was a quiet drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

back to camp for a braai

[Marks]

I've been saving this reply for a few days!

 

Very sorry to hear about your cat. That's a constant worry of mine when we go away and have to leave our pets, as well.

 

Beautiful photos, particularly of the owlet and jackals in action. I also really liked the drinking bateleur.

 

On 1/3/2019 at 7:09 AM, Tdgraves said:

 

I didn't have time to change any settings, so the photos are just proof shots really

 

 

This is how I approach most of my photos!

[Ritsgaai]

I really like the giraffe sequence. The colors are just beautiful. The giraffes seem to blend in perfectly against the background.

[Peter Connan]

Lovely shots of the meerkat @Tdgraves. Is that last shot a Scimitarbill?

[Kitsafari]

so sorry to hear about your cat. I understand well the pain and the loss. 

Love all the shots of the jackals. 

 

 

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @Marks @Ritsgaai @Peter Connan and @Kitsafari

 

yes it it is a scimitarbill Peter

 

we are hoping to get a kitten in the spring....

[Tdgraves]

Day 6,  Morning drive, Urikaruus, 20/9/18

 

Although it was a bit less cold this morning, at 6 degrees, it didn't warm up like usual and was only 13 degrees when we got back to camp. The reason, a cold front, brrrr. I had the 5D today and after a quick trip to the Urikaruus waterhole (nobody home) we went south and encountered no other vehicles until the very end of our drive. Unfortunately, we didn't encounter much game either, but had some springbok in nice light...

 

 

 

 

 

 

We managed to see bee-eaters keeping warm for the first time (although on the wrong side of the road for the light)

 

 

 

a Gabar goshawk

 

 

And then we found a meerkat colony, right next to the road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the bee-eaters gave us another chance

 

 

 

 

By the entrance to camp

 

 

We had got back to camp early as we had to pack up again to leave and were merrily unpacking the car, when the camp attendant told us that there was a lion outside room 4 (we were room 1). Oh dear. We had not spotted it at all and it just goes to show what can happen in wilderness camps. So we abandoned the unpacking and went up and over the boardwalk to room 4, where two guys with Nikons and long lenses on tripods had obviously been there a while....

 

 

It was really cold as the wind blew past the raised balcony and I had left my hat and gloves in the car. He sat for a while and we had a chat with the owners of the room, bemoaning the SANParks reservation system. They couldn't believe we were in camp for just one night, but my philosophy was one night in a wilderness camp was better than none...he then decided to move on....

 

 

 

and left over the dunes

 

Now back to the packing. I hurriedly made a packed breakfast and we vacated, only about 20 minutes after we should have done, which was not bad, all things considered! I don't even think the camp attendant minded, as he was proud that we had a good lion sighting.

[Ritsgaai]

Excellent lion and meerkat sightings. I suppose it is funny to mention  lion and meerkat in the same sentence  but both are very special! Cute little babies. 

[Tom Kellie]

 

~ @Tdgraves

 

As I'm not an African resident, it's not my place to disagree with any identification from our esteemed friend @Peter Connan.

 

However, were I to ask my students to identify the above snake species on a final examination, I'd hope that they would provide this tentative identification:

 

•  Dipsina multimaculata,  “Dwarf Beaked Snake”

 

It's a superb image. Thank you for posting it.

 

Tom K.

[CDL111]

Never seen baby meerkat before, thank you. With regards to the lion in camp, it’s a reminder to us all to be aware at all times.

[Galana]

A great report and good read. Sorry about the loss of your  kitty.

I came to check your snake(s) at the suggestion of @Peter Connanand had saved my response to the end of the entertaining read to find @Tom Kellie beaten me to it. Definitely #1 is Dwarf Beaked Snake and I am not  a student of Tom's but think I passed. Your photo throws a false illusion of size. These guys are quite small (40cm-15 inches) and slender in appearance. The second snake has all the hallmarks of a Puff Adder with that thick body but I cannot see the head. Have you a blow up to show us all?

[Tdgraves]

@Galana glad that you have found it

 

this is the best angle I have of the head of the second snake

 

 

I think that you and @Peter Connan are right about this one...

[Tom Kellie]

3 hours ago, Galana said:

I came to check your snake(s) at the suggestion of @Peter Connanand had saved my response to the end of the entertaining read to find @Tom Kellie beaten me to it. Definitely #1 is Dwarf Beaked Snake and I am not  a student of Tom's but think I passed. Your photo throws a false illusion of size. These guys are quite small (40cm-15 inches) and slender in appearance. 

 

~ @Galana

 

My apologies for posting a tentative snake species identification upon first seeing the image.

 

I should have waited for a more certain identification from one who knows better.

 

Not only did you pass, but you've taught the instructor! Many thanks!

 

Tom K.