Mission Impossible! An epic road trip in search of some of South Africa’s rarest mammals

[kittykat23uk]

It seems my complaint has now been referred to  the Office of the Consumer Protector (Western Cape). We will see how this develops. 

[Peter Connan]

I had fallen very far behind on this TR. You had some really amazing sightings! The babies, both porcupine and Meerkat are stunning. I especially love the photo of mom and baby looking at each other, and one of the fight scene photos as well.

 

And of course that Nightjar!

 

Really great photography.

 

I am just constantly left wondering why Mel is in the hospitality industry at all!

[lmonmm]

@kittykat23uk  Just went through these lovely pictures again (just love those meerkats). In #111 there is a picture of a zebra sniffing/checking out something. Curious..what was it? Just read an interesting article about how animals grieve....or scientists are trying to prove it....(on a personal note, I totally believe that animals grieve, but that's neither here nor there).....so I was curious to know what the zebra found so interesting. Looking forward to more pictures and info of course

 

[kittykat23uk]

@lmonmm thanks, the zebra was using a salt lick. 

[kittykat23uk]

This afforded a excellent opportunity to get some nice shots of Roan, including a tiny calf, Sable and Nyala as well as mum’s nemesis, the Buffalo!  Marrick also have some rather exotic colour morphs, Black Impala and Copper Springbok being amongst these. We sadly didn’t get to see the Black Wildebeest up close.

 

P9270072 Nyala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270097 Sable by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270132 Cape Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270141 Cape Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270144 Roan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270153 Roan baby by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270158 Roan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270178 Roan by Jo Dale, on Flickr
 

P9270185 Roan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

P9270231 Sable by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270210 Sable by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270251 Sable by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270273 Mum feeding the animals by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We had breakfast at 0930 and then Mum and I took a short walk around the property. We spotted Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Kalahari Scrub-robin, Fiscal Flycatcher, Southern Masked Weaver nest building and a Yellow Mongoose.

 

Later on we relaxed during the heat of the day and had a lovely lunch before I tried unsuccessfully to scan the rocks late afternoon for a couple of hours before dinner in the hope of seen a rabbit or sengi.

 

P9270972 Southern Masked Weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270968 Southern Masked Weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270985 Southern Masked Weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270852 Swallow-tailed Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270897 Swallow-tailed Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9270928 Kalahari Scrub-Robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271024 Fiscal Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271075 Meerkat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271107 locust by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Marrick had got a bit busy with the hunters, a party of birders from Lawson and another couple from the US, Susan and Glen. We were sat for dinner with the couple, and they indicated that they were expecting to do a night drive. However, this didn’t seem to have been arranged, so we offered to share our vehicle. This wasn’t entirely an altruistic gesture, as it meant that we’d be splitting the high cost of the night drive between four rather than two. Obviously the couple jumped at the chance. The downside to this arrangement was that there was only room for two people on the back of the truck so Sue and I took the back whilst Mum and Glen took the inside cabin.  

 

Our first sighting, other than springhares, was an African WIldcat. Then, the one I had been waiting for as we searched the Koppies again, Smith’s Red Rock Rabbit posing on a red rock! Yes!!

 

P9271119 Mountain Reedbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271123 African Wildcat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271134  Smith's Red Rock Rabbit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271130  Smith's Red Rock Rabbit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

But the sightings didn’t stop there! Susan and Glen had brought the good luck with them because we then saw a fairly distant Aardvark. We saw the Lawson’s vehicle some way away and Johnny tried to beckon them over to the aardvark we were watching - directing them with his torch. They failed to heed our directions before we lost sight of the aardvark, so we carried on. Black-backed Jackal, Fiery-necked and Rufous-cheeked Nightjars were also seen.

 

Then we rounded a corner and I exclaimed, “oh my God!” because right in front of us was a second Aardvark ! This guy was so close and super hairy! We got such a great view of this individual and watched it for quite some time. Marrick was delivering in spades tonight!

 

P9271144 Aardvark by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271145 Aardvark by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271147 Aardvark by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9271152 Rufous-cheeked Nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Then we had a tantalising glimpse of another distant Aardwolf running away. We might have given chase, were it not for the fact that we got distracted by a third Aardvark which crossed in front of the vehicle, heading in the opposite direction! What a night! We could hardly believe it was time to head back to base and our time at Marrick was almost over.

 

P9271135 Fiery-necked Nightjar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

Aardwolves

 

Aardwolf 11 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[Treepol]

@kittykat23uk Marrick really delivered for you - aardvarks and aardwolf. Looks like you had excellent roan sightings too.

[kittykat23uk]

16 minutes ago, Treepol said:

@kittykat23uk Marrick really delivered for you - aardvarks and aardwolf. Looks like you had excellent roan sightings too.

 

And Rock bunnies!

[janzin]

so glad you got the Red Rock Rabbit...and on a red rock! Not to mention multiple aardvarks, wow.

[Peter Connan]

Wow indeed!

[kittykat23uk]

28/09/17 Marrick to Augrabies Falls

 

This was another long day of travel. Before leaving Marrick I searched for the meerkats but they were not up before we had to leave. We said our goodbyes and headed on our way. Our first stop was Kamfers Dam to see the flocks of Lesser Flamingos. It seemed that the only place to view the lake was from a railway line so we clambered up onto the embankment to view. The flamingos were in good numbers, painting the edges of the lake a bright fuschia. They were a little distant to get any decent closeups, but it was a spectacular sight nonetheless.

 

P9281183 (2) Lesser Flamingos by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9281204 (2) Lesser Flamingos by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9281240 (2) Lesser Flamingos by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9281248 (2) Lesser Flamingos by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

P1019525 Lesser Flamingos by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We then headed on to Upington where we stopped to pick up the remaining paperwork that had been left at a rather swish-looking B&B. Its 523 Km from Marrick to Augrabies Falls so we didn’t arrive until 1630.

[Towlersonsafari]

Hurrah for Aardvarks and a rare push-me-pull you Aardwolf @kittykat23uk

[TonyQ]

You had some great sightings, aardvark, aardwolf and of course your rabbit! Your visit here certainly paid off.

[kittykat23uk]

Established in 1966, The Augrabies Falls National Park covers an area of 820 km² and stretches along the Orange River. The area is very arid. The waterfall is about 60 metres high and would probably be awe-inspiring when the river is in flood. There is a single big fall when not in flood and this is accessed by a number of boardwalks to different viewpoints. The gorge below the falls averages about 240 m deep and runs for 18 kilometres. The gorge provides an impressive example of erosion into a granitic basement.

The original Khoikhoi people named the waterfall Ankoerebis, meaning the "place of big noises". The Trekboers who later settled in the area derived the name Augrabies. The name is sometimes spelt Aughrabies. There are many deposits of alluvial diamonds along the Orange River and legend has it that the biggest cache of diamonds in the world lies in the swirl-hole eroded into the granite at the foot of the waterfall by the thundering waters.
 

After the usual Fawltyesque outbursts and general shenanigans, our guide got himself a room for the night and then we enquired with Reception about night drives. Sadly the guide was having a day off that night but we were able to book one for the following night. Then we got settled into our rooms.   

 

I went for a chilly swim in the small pool before settling down with a nice cold Hunters Gold to watch the birds around our chalet. Familiar Chats, Cape Robin-chat hopping about on the ground whilst in a grand tree, a Cardinal Woodpecker was seeking out some hidden treasures.

 

P9280004 Familiar Chat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280005 Familiar Chat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280017 Cape Robin-chat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280326 Eroded Granite Rock Formations by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280332 Eroded Granite Rock Formations by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280027 Cardinal Woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280031 Cardinal Woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Later on, Mum and I took a walk to the falls. These were unsurprisingly not in full flood, but one large fall was still quite a sight. Dassies entertained us along the way. A Dusky Sunbird perched up on a granite outcrop whilst I spotted a very distant Klipspringer hiding amongst the rocks.

 

P9280333 Camelthorn Tree on eroded granite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280339 Camelthorn Tree on eroded granite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280354 Augrabies Falls by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280355 Boardwalk around the falls by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280042 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280049 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280055 Dusky Sunbird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280056 Klipspringer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280061 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280074 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

One of the most stunning beasts that make the falls their home are the Augrabies Flat Lizard. The male lizards are bedecked in all the colours of the rainbow from a rich azure blue on the head, through turquoise and green, yellow arms fading to russet tones and greys further down the body and tail.  

 

P9280105 Augrabies Flat Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280131 Augrabies Flat Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280146 Augrabies Flat Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280170 Augrabies Flat Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We spotted a Goliath Heron flying over, before pondering whether an abandoned panama hat was evidence of our guide's ’s last disgruntled client.

 

P9280149 Goliath Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280166 a mystery.. by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The falls are lit up at night so we decided to scout out the best platform from which to take a photograph for later that evening. A Grey Mongoose was seen briefly. We then went to have dinner at 1930.

 

P9280186 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280193 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280209 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280225 Dassie aka Rock Hyrax on a big rock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We returned to the falls to take our night shots and spotted Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko running across the sand.

 

P9280363 Augrabies Falls at night by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9280235 Bibron's Thick-toed Gecko by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

29/09/17 Augrabies Falls Dassie Trail

 

Mum wanted to do some walking for a change so we decided to do the self-guided trail. Our own guide did no offer to join us, so we left on the hike on our own, armed with this pdf of the trail. The Sanparks website describes the Dassie Trail as being this 5km self-guided hiking trail that  leads you on a circular route starting at the Rest Camp, following along the gorge to Arrow Point, then heading out into the veld by the Potholes and Moonrock before heading back to the Rest Camp.

 

We started off well enough following the train markers, and ticking off the points of interest as we went along. A pair of amorous Chacma Baboons were not in the tour brochure but were entertaining nonetheless.  We started with some camelthorns, clinging awkwardly to the boulders, seemingly growing out of the rock itself. Then a patch of Phragmites, the common reed. Point 1 on the nature trail.

 

P9290339 Naughty Baboons by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290344 Naughty Baboons by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290364 Camelthorn by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290367 Camelthorn by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290368 Dassie Trail The Common Reed by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290369 Dassie Trail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290370 Dassie aka Rock Hyraxs on a cliff by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290372 Mum posing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290373 one of the streams on the Dassie trail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We stopped at the scenic Arrow Point to admire the views over the gorge. We had to scramble over several boulder fields across the gorges and over various streams. We didn’t see an awful lot of wildlife, a few birds like Pale-winged Starling, Crested Barbet, little else.

 

P9290374 Dassie Trail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290238 Pale-winged Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290296 Crested Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The geology was fascinating, potholes ground by swirling rocks carved out the granite, whilst elsewhere the granite has been folded and deformed under tremendous pressure.

 

P9290375 Eroded Granite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290376 Tree by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The Moon Rock is a huge exfoliation dome made of Augrabies Gneiss. Exfoliation domes are formed when the uniform composition of granite (before it turns into gneiss) is extremely resistant to weathering because water, needed for chemical weathering, cannot penetrate the granite easily. Moon Rock consists of two oblong, east-west aligned domes connected in the middle. The northern dome is larger and is approximately 700m long and 100m high. The current weathering process on Moon Rock is known as onionskin weathering: layers of rock, from as thin as a few centimeters to as thick as a meters, wear away. This happens in all rocks that are mineralogically and texturally uniform.

 

P9290378 Potholes by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290379 Eroded granite boulders by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290359 Dassie aka Rock Hyraxes by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290380 Deformed Granite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited July 5, 2018 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

P9290381 Moon rock by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290383 A-frame boulder formation by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The most characteristic plant in the park is the giant tree aloe (Aloidendron dichotomum) known locally as the quiver tree or kokerboom. It is perfectly adapted to the dry semi-desert rocky areas found in the Nama-Karoo, able to withstand the extreme temperatures and the infertile soil. This tree, which grows up to five metres high, gets its name from the fact that the Bushmen (San) used the soft branches to make quivers for their arrows. The eye-catching silhouette of the quiver tree is typical of this part of Northern Cape landscape. When the tree flowers in the winter flocks of birds are attracted to their copious nectar, and baboons can be seen tearing the flowers apart to get the sweet liquor.  

 

P9290381 Quiver Tree by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290386 Quiver Tree by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290384 Quiver Tree by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I think we must have gone a bit wrong somewhere as we clocked up over 8km. By this point we were getting very concerned, thinking we might have got turned around. We emerged onto the game road and started walking in the wrong direction, but a quick check on google maps set me right, the only issue was that the road crossed two deep fords. After cross-checking against the Dassie trail map I was able to get my bearings and worked out that we needed to go back over the rocks, across a stream a little bit away from the game road before rejoining it closer to the camp. With that sorted out it didn’t take us more than 20 minutes to get back.  

 

Just as well because we were both ready for breakfast, it being around 0945. Back around the chalet we were visited by a hungry Common Scimitarbill, which rather successfully wheedled out various grubs from the tree bark, whilst Cape Glossy Starlings foraged on the ground.Yellow Mongooses, always on the lookout for scraps and Cape Ground Squirrels frequented the chalet grounds whilst Ashy Tits flitted through the trees. I spent a while chasing after a Cape Grey Mongoose that was doing the rounds.

 

P9290398 Common Scimitarbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290402 Common Scimitarbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290454 Common Scimitarbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290468 Cape Glossy Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290477. Cape Glossy Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290509 Yellow Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290518. Cape Ground Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290520. Cape Ground Squirrel by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290588 Ashy Tit by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

[kittykat23uk]

We took a drive from 3pm to 5.30pm but I believe we only visited the main viewpoints and as a result saw very little game.   We did get a nice view of the gorge from Ararat, and a very distant African Fish Eagle was perched down in the gorge. A pair of Verreaux Eagles soared in and landed on the other side of the gorge to sunbathe, their wings spread wide, soaking up the late afternoon sun.

 

P9290385 View from Ararat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290388 View from Ararat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290391 View from Ararat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290664. Cape Grey (Small Grey) Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290393 Viewpoint by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290394 Viewpoint by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290402 Some kind of Aloe? by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290703 African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290750 Verreaux's (Black) Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290771 Augrabies Flat Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290837 Black-headed Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290849 Yellow Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A group of vervet monkeys came to drink from one of the ponds.

 

P9290944 Vervet Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290948 Vervet Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290955 Vervet Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9290998 Vervet Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9291014 Vervet Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

After an early dinner we took a night drive with the camp, from 1900 to 2130. With me spotlighting in the back we saw a good selection, but because I was spotlighting I did not manage to get any decent photographs! The selection included several more Smith’s Red Rock Rabbits, African Wildcat, Spring Hare, Bat-eared Fox and Gemsbok.

[kittykat23uk]

30/09/2017 Kalahari Trails Meerkat Sanctuary

 

We had breakfast and a final look at the falls.

 

P1019675 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P1019644 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P1019642 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9291031 Pririt Batis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9300408 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9300411 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301048 Quiver Trees by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301051 Dassies aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301057 Dassies aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301060 Dassies aka Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301053 Quiver Trees by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P1019692 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

This was another long travel day as we drove first to Upington to meet our new guide, and send the old one on his way. We then carried on in a little Suzuki Jimny, with a trailer on the back for our luggage, towards the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. I immediately felt a tremendous relief as our new guide seemed far more amiable with a “can-do” attitude. On our way we saw Lilac-breasted Roller, and a White-backed Vulture.

 

P9301071 adj Lilac-breasted Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301079 White-backed Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We overnighted outside the park at Kalahari Trails Meerkat Sanctuary. This sanctuary lies just 35km before the Park entrance at Twee Rivieren and provides a home for meerkats that have been confiscated for cruelty, orphans and unwanted pets – which, now rehabilitated, have formed their own family group. As we were getting settled into our rooms, we were visited by some of the residents who proved to be very entertaining.

 

A walk around the grounds produced Black-chested Prinia, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill and Brubru.    

 

P9301087 Meerkats by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

20170930_152119 Mum stroking a meerkat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301097 Black-chested Prinia by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301119 Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301128 Yellow-billed Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301135 Yellow-billed Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301140 Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301151 Lizard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301158 Brubru by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P9301167 Brubru by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We were treated to a tasty Braai, thanks to our new guide before we embarked on a night drive on the property. These are organised by the sanctuary. The spotlights are not hand held, but mounted on the vehicle, not the best set-up. Despite this we saw a Barn Owl, Cape Fox, Spring Hares, Bat-eared fox, Porcupine and Black-backed Jackal. The guide stopped at one point and appeared to be searching intently for something that he was unable to relocate, this turned out to be a mammal that was much sought-after by myself, a Zorilla! Alas, it eluded us this time.  

 

P9301170 Barn Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

01/10/17 Kalahari Trails to Twee Rivieren

 

We were supposed to have a morning walk with the meerkats, but we’d already spent the afternoon enjoying their company and we were keen to get to the Kgalagadi so we headed off at 0730. We arrived at Twee Rivieren but we were too early to check in. So after deflating the tyres for the drive ahead we went for a game drive straight away, beginning on the Twee Riv to Nossob road. We felt really grateful to have someone who clearly knew how to drive on the sandy roads, even if our transport was a little cramped.

 

PA010417 Gemsbok (Oryx) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Straight out of the gate a large herd of gemsbok started to stampede.

 

PA011225 Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The reason for their consternation soon became apparent when we discovered two young lion brothers resting up, mum was delighted, her first lions! What a treat! One of the boys got up and made his way towards his brother, before settling down in the shade of an acacia tree.

 

PA011266 African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011279 African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011301 African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011332 African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011350 Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Making our way along the Nossob river bed, we encountered further Gemsbok and Blue Wildebeest, as well as numerous Southern Pale Chanting Goshawks. Kori Bustard and more Ostriches strutted their stuff. A Cape Cobra was our next sighting, conspicuous with its bright yellow scales.

 

PA011392 Blue Wildebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011396  Blue Wildebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011403  Blue Wildebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011426 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011485 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011497 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011502 Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011518 Kori Bustard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011551 Springbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011563 Cape Cobra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011608 Cape Cobra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

Then we encountered a coalition of five male lions, resting up in the shade between Rooiputs and Kijkij. Unfortunately most were quite well obscured by the vegetation and long grass of the dunes.

 

PA011638 African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011643 African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011660 African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A more interesting sighting, behaviourally speaking was a young pale chanting goshawk tentatively hunting a mole snake. We enjoyed seeing who might get the upper hand as the hawk swooped down upon the snake which in turn would rear up aggressively, deterring the would-be attack. Eventually this inexperienced hawk seemed to give up.

 

PA011698ADJ Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011701-1 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011697-3 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011705-2 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011708 adj Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

A Black-shouldered Kite surveyed it’s domain from atop a bush as we passed by. Then we came across a beautiful Black-backed Jackal at the picnic site whilst stopping for a comfort break, seemingly very common in this part of the park. Also at the picnic site were ground agamas and striped grass mice. Also present, fork-tailed drongo and Namaqua Sandgrouse.

 

PA011796 Black-shouldered Kite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011810 Black-Backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011819 Black-Backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011885 Ground Agama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011896 Ground Agama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011902. Black-Backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011911. Black-Backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011938. Black-Backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011939 Black-Backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011943 Striped Mouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011944 Striped Mouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011945 Striped Mouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011946 Striped Mouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011961 Ground Agama by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011971 Fork-tailed Drongo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011982. Namaqua Sandgrouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA011989. Namaqua Sandgrouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010419 Museum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

We crossed the dunes down to the Mata Mata to Twee Rivieren road, a good choice, first spotting  a mole snake crossing the road, then a picturesque sighting of a steenbok nestled in the lee of a dune. We even encountered a bonafide unicorn!

 

PA011996 Mole Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010421 Bees? by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA010423 Museum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012028 Steenbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012034 Unicorn! (Gemsbok) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

Edited July 11, 2018 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

The sighting of the day was yet to come when we got word of a cheetah in a tree. As we arrived on scene we struggled to see the cat initially, but we persevered and were soon able to pick out some bits of spotty coat. But this was no cheetah as this cat seemed well at home up the tree. It was the beautiful leopard Mofhenyi, one of Miera's grown up cubs. She is approx 16 months old.

 

We waited in anticipation of a better view, and she, being the starlet that she is, obliged us when she got up and positioned herself in a better spot for us. We snapped away as she posed really nicely between around 1318 an 1330 in one of the big trees between Montrose and Batulama before settling down with her back to us and at that point we moved on. I don’t think we could have asked for a better sighting, and Mum was absolutely delighted!

 

PA012094 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012105 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012156 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012169 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012196 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012242 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012268 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012281 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012314 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012318 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

PA012329 Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited February 10, 2018 by kittykat23uk

[mapumbo]

3 snakes in one day...that's more than we have seen in multiple safaris put together.

I hope your new guide makes up for what you had to put up with so far.