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Kgalagadi Summer: Self-Drive and Self-Catering (!) in South Africa, January 2015


Tdgraves

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michael-ibk

You have every right to be proud - that Gabar Goshwak series is absolutely fantastic! Thanks for the honey badger, I like! Oh my, what big b ... uh ... you know. :)

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michael-ibk

I do apologize and promise to be a good boy from now on, will wash my mouth with soap and never again make pubescent allusions to testiculi egregii! Better? :)

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'I CAN SEE WHY PEOPLE LOVE THIS PLACE"

 

AND, now I can as well. Great report and pics, @@Tdgraves..

 

cheetahs, oryx, honey badgers, birds. all superb

 

Thanks!

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@Tdgraves: congrats to the BIF photos!

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Thanks @@graceland. Another new avatar?1

Yes, another leopard from the Mara..This one was patiently waiting, and posed a bit for us.

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You should feel proud of those goshawk in flight pictures...they are brilliant! Any one of the series would have been a highlight for a whole trip, but you managed to get several. My favorite would be the sixth in flight photo: crisp, colorful, and a distraction-free background.

 

The oryx are great, too.

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@@Tdgraves

 

Post #50 is one for the ages! Many stellar photos.

 

thanks @@Safaridude a huge compliment coming from you

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You should feel proud of those goshawk in flight pictures...they are brilliant! Any one of the series would have been a highlight for a whole trip, but you managed to get several. My favorite would be the sixth in flight photo: crisp, colorful, and a distraction-free background.

 

The oryx are great, too.

 

@@Marks my problem is choosing a favourtie, so I just post them all!! :D

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Day 3 Evening drive from Kieliekrankie

 

As we set off for our drive, we got the impression that the other guests were staying in to see what came to the waterhole or to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the dune camp. We drove the couple of kms at the end of the lower dune road to get to the Aoub valley. And what a short drive it turned out to be. No sooner had we decided to go north (right) on the river road, than I saw a head laying down. A cat, a spotty cat. We drove on. The initially one was in the shade and quite far from the road, but as we pulled up, there was another, literally right next to the road and we had the sighting to ourselves! Not only that, the there were two in the shade. So, I must apologise in advance for the number of photos, as it was our best sighting in terms of proximity.

 

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This close to the road one was constantly calling, for the whole time we were there. Although the other pair would answer, it was like it was calling for a lost mate/sibling/mother. Eventually another car arrived. They had seen the 3 cheetah in the morning and said that it was calling like that the whole morning and had actually left the other two and gone off in another direction. They were relieved to see that the three were reunited.

 

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One of the further away ones having a stretch

 

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We sat with them for over an hour and when it started to get cooler, they made a move

 

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The pair from the shade went right (and further away from the road) and the calling male went left, over the dune ridge. However, he shortly returned

 

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and went to join the others

 

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We decided to leave them to it and turned around to go the picnic site.

 

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As we descended the dune crest from the picnic site, the springbok herd, which were quite relaxed as we had passed the first time, were all intently looking in one direction - at the calling cheetah, walking straight towards them! He was heading for the waterhole, so we positioned ourselves opposite it. Unfortunately, it is one of the waterholes which is further away from the road

 

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As we parked opposite the waterhole a large bird took off from the tree, we hadn't even seen it. As we looked up, there was another one - any ideas what it is??

 

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So, the world's shortest game drive, approximately 500 metres on the main road. Not bad! Perhaps the other guests at camp had a great afternoon, but I think we were more lucky.....

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@Tdgraves:

Oh, dear .... Now I understand why we have had only few, far and away cheetah sightings ... because You have exhausted all of the others :wacko: !

Yet I am so glad you have posted so many of your photos; now they will merge with our other memories into proper Kgalagadi experience :) !

And after such exquisite photography, I need to go back to cull out our portfolio even more severely ... :(.

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Isn't it just the best place in the world to see cheetah! Great photos. Pen

Edited by penolva
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Fantastic. That's an exceptionally beautiful cheetah also.

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@Tdgraves:

Oh, dear .... Now I understand why we have had only few, far and away cheetah sightings ... because You have exhausted all of the others :wacko: !

Yet I am so glad you have posted so many of your photos; now they will merge with our other memories into proper Kgalagadi experience :) !

And after such exquisite photography, I need to go back to cull out our portfolio even more severely ... :(.

You can't blame me - were we even there at the same time @@xelas?

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Isn't it just the best place in the world to see cheetah! Great photos. Pen

Absolutely @@penolva. I've never been to the Masai Mara, where it seems there are a lot of cheetah, but here is very intimate when you do find them

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Fantastic. That's an exceptionally beautiful cheetah also.

Thanks @@Big_Dog. We think they were three young siblings

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@Tdgraves: nope, we were there last week of April. Yet next time we will go there about the same time, first 2 weeks of February :D .

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In case you didn't know what cheetah calls were like, I have uploaded some video. But be warned, my video skills are not up to my photography skills!! ;)

 

 

 

Edited by Tdgraves
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Well I am impressed! That purring noise between yelps? Did you use the 5D or the 7D? Pen

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Well I am impressed! That purring noise between yelps? Did you use the 5D or the 7D? Pen

@@penolva neither, I have a little Panasonic camcorder. It works better from a game vehicle as I can attach it to a grab rail, which stabilises it and also means no movement as I switch it off!!

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Excellent goshawk in flight pictures - and I really like the ostriches of different ages!

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Atravelynn

Your goshawk series has every flap of the wings! Wow! That makes up for your earlier frustrations with flying bird photos. You nailed this bif!

 

More great honey badger photos. He certainly is a boy honey badger.

 

Did you count the ostrich chicks? The adults seemed to be very neighborly. How close were they?

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Your goshawk series has every flap of the wings! Wow! That makes up for your earlier frustrations with flying bird photos. You nailed this bif!

 

More great honey badger photos. He certainly is a boy honey badger. INDEED

 

Did you count the ostrich chicks? The adults seemed to be very neighborly. How close were they?

Thanks @@Atravelynn the close up male ostrich were just by the road. The older chicks eating the road were about 20-30 metres and the little chicks further. No counting

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