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Thank you

We were moving to Nossob today and it was with apprehension that we packed. Nossob has been good and bad fr me in the past. I have never had the number of sightings on that side as I have on the Mata Mata Twee Rivieren side of the park. I March '11 when I did my solo trip I had that great lion kill sighting south of Polentswa and in December '10 we had some great images of Bateleurs from Cubitje Quap.

So to start the day a few sunrise images just after we left the Mata Mata gate.


_MG_9434 by cooper5022, on Flickr


_MG_9436 by cooper5022, on Flickr

First mammals of the morning were the local Giraffes.


_MG_9438 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Again we stopped to try and get closer image of the Ludwig's Bustard. I must say we saw quite a number of these birds.


CO9E0374 by cooper5022, on Flickr

In Dalkieth loop again the Tawneys pulled up the handbrake.


CO9E0387 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Coming around a bend in the road in Veertiende we were greeted by this predator. The light was just perfect.


CO9E0409 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We moved on, spots was calling .....tbc

Ok so here's a first for me. I am writing this trip report while on a plane which was diverted to East London en route to Port Elizabeth. Who knows how long we will sit here while we wait for the fog to lift in PE.

As we continued towards the waterhole in 14th, my brother in law now in the lead, a voice came over the walkie talkie "leopard ahead". OK, so was it a Cheetah or a Leopard. Leopard. We just missed the Leopard drinking but found her behind a dead tree.


CO9E0413 by cooper5022, on Flickr

It later turned out the the Leopard was indeed Miera. She slowly walked back towards the dune and into the long grass. Much to the frustration of the onlookers who were hoping for another visit to the waterhole.


CO9E0433 by cooper5022, on Flickr

At one point she walked up to a huge throne tree and jumped up into the slow branches. The next moment a Caracal dropped like a stone out of the tree and ran for its life

Miera came down the tree again and continued up the dune. She was heading for the distant dunes.

We needed to intercept her before the crossed the top dune road. We positioned ourselves a few hundred meters apart on the top road and scanned the area. Nothing. The vehicles started to depart and we were last to leave. I turned the car around and started off. When I looked back I saw her sitting on the dune watching us. Yes!


CO9E0441 by cooper5022, on Flickr

She made her way down the dune going from bush to bush and not very interested us.


CO9E0465 by cooper5022, on Flickr

A few head shots that helped with the id. She was small and elegant and a really beautiful Leopard.


CO9E0479 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E0486 by cooper5022, on Flickr

she eventually crossed the road behind us and disappeared into the grass.

...tbc

Thank you for turning the page P@m and Rookie.

After all the excitement with Miera, we stopped off briefly at 13nd Borehole in the hope of a Lanner kill, but our luck wasn't holding. We messed around with the smaller birds darting to the water and into the bushes again.


CO9E0489 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We moved on and saw the usual suspects until we headed up the hill near Urikaruus. There were two young Hyenas lying right next to the road. The light wasn't quite in our favor so I give you a B&W image as well which I prefer.


CO9E0499 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E0502 by cooper5022, on Flickr

The young one already had a piece of one ear missing and a hole in the other ear. Though neighborhood

On the downside of the hill past Urikaruus, this STBE.


CO9E0505 by cooper5022, on Flickr

After a quick stop at Kamqua we hit the dune road. At Moravet I spotted this Egret in the tree, and from Caracals TR I now know it is a Great Egret. A lifer for me


CO9E0528 by cooper5022, on Flickr

This juvenile PCG was perched right next to the road.


CO9E0533 by cooper5022, on Flickr

An then as on a previous visit we spotted large numbers of birds of prey in the sky feeding on flying termites. It was a real challenge to get them in focus an they didn't really come too close so these next few images a heavily cropped.


CO9E0557 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E0560 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Even the PCGs, Kori Bustards and BBJs were joining in the feast.


CO9E0595 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E0678 by cooper5022, on Flickr

On the rest of the dune road journey we only saw Gemsbok, Steenbok and a few Korhaan.....tbc

Thanks for turning the page P@m and Moose.

After a welcome stop at Dikbaardskolk picnic spot we continued north. By now it was seriously hot, but we did see a duel between two Gemsbok.


CO9E0687 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We made it to Nossob without any real car stopping action. We checked in, unpacked the car and plugged the freezer into the mains. We were in one of the top 2 bed bungalows. I forget the numbers, but the ones without the windows in the bedrooms. We were in for a 3 hot nights. The boys made a line for the swimming pool and our plan was to only set out North again at around 15:00.

Time eventually came and we headed north. I really wanted to spend some time at Cubitje Quap but not before exploring a bit further North. I think it was Songodin and family who stopped us and told us about 2 lions 30km north. Well my brother in law wanted to see the lions so we headed off.

The only thing that made us stop was this mom and young one.


CO9E0704 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We eventually made it to the lions, who were lying next to the road and under a bush. The two lions were fast asleep and wasting our time.

We decided to leave and spend the rest of the afternoon at Cubitje Quap where we saw the usual suspects come and go. Here is a pic of a Whydah and some Quelias.


CO9E0714 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E0727 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We eventually had to leave, but not before getting a last shot in of a PCG.


CO9E0728 by cooper5022, on Flickr

tbc........

After a very hot sleepless night we were up and ready to leave by 04:45. We drove down to the gate and walked to the hide for a look see. Nothing but the electronic sound of the local Drongos filling the air. We left to pick up our permit and heard from a fellow traveller that they had seen a mother Cheetah and 4 cubs in Marie se Draai the previous evening. So our minds were made up for us. South first and then North. Everyone else was heading North to find two prides of lions seen the previous morning. In all our stays at Nossob we had only seen a pair of Cheetahs once so Cheetah cubs would be really special.

We drove off and looked everywhere. We did Marie se Draai once and again...nothing! O Well!. Time was running out and the decision was to head North. As we exited Marie se Draai onto the road leading to Nossob an adult Cheetah crossed the road 50m in front of us. And then 4 cubs followed her. WoW!. They walked slowly behind a fallen tree next to the road, smelling every little twig and rock. I was positioning myself with great light from behind to get a few shots as the cubs came out from behind the tree when the last one jumped on the log and looked back towards where they just came from. Yes! This was a shot I had framed in my mind on many occasions.


CO9E0739-1 by cooper5022, on Flickr

The cub didn't hang around and quickly jumped off and walked off in the direction where mom was clearly in hunting mode.


CO9E0764-2 by cooper5022, on Flickr

One of the cubs decided to stick around briefly and give us a once over. Its clearly had a big meal not to long ago.


CO9E0776-4 by cooper5022, on Flickr
This little guy was calling to the others as it had fallen behind.


CO9E0779-5 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Mom still looking for a kill.


CO9E0781-6 by cooper5022, on Flickr

And the last one before they disappeared of the whole family.


CO9E0808-7 by cooper5022, on Flickr

A GREAT start to the day. Even if we saw nothing else all day I wouldn't mind ....tbc

I am really pleased that the images and report is followed and that it is enjoyed by like-minded nature junkies Thank you for taking the time to read the report and also to comment. The time between trips is always to long and each trip is planned to be slightly longer.

After the great Cheetah sighting we drove back to Nossob for a quick pitstop and headed out again...North. We planned to go as far as Polentswa today.

At Cubitje Quap we watched the doves, expecting the Lanners. The only other visitor to the oasis was this Wildebeest.


CO9E0835-8 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Further on we stopped for this family of Ground Squirrels.


CO9E0857-9 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Also the ever present symbol of the Kalahari.


CO9E0865-10 by cooper5022, on Flickr

The first of a few nice images of the Red Hartbeest of the Norther parts of the park.


CO9E0866-11 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We also passed through a large herd of Gemsbok including a nursery.


CO9E0870-12 by cooper5022, on Flickr

And some adults.


CO9E0875-13 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We eventually arrived at Polentswa, parked under the tree closest to the water hole and tried to position the car so that we could see past the huge branches placed there. a bit of an overkill if you ask me. A large herd of Hartebeest arrived and this one seemed to be the leader.


CO9E0881-14 by cooper5022, on Flickr

I will leave the mammals here of for now and pick up the next episode with some bird images from Polentswa....tbc

Aha!. Thanks for turning the page GavinW, Tobieo and naomi c. Lets get on with it. With nowhere to go we decided to chill and watch the the comings and goings at Polentswa waterhole. A huge flock of birds, mostly red-billed Quellias were exploding from the waterhole at the slightest sign of danger.


CO9E0891-16 by cooper5022, on Flickr

The majority of them flew up into the big Thorn tree.


CO9E0909-17 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Eventually some excitement as a juvenile Bateleur came swooping down for a drink.


CO9E0915-21 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E0919-22 by cooper5022, on Flickr

The landing was less than perfect with peddles flying everywhere.


CO9E0932-24 by cooper5022, on Flickr

It was aiming to drink from the closest puddle to us when a herd of Red Hartebeest turned up and the Bateleur moved further away.


CO9E0979-25 by cooper5022, on Flickr

There was a creche of young who really didn't know what to do and were continually harassed by the older members. They did get some time to jump and play.


CO9E0985-26 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E0987-27 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We eventually decided on a plan for the afternoon, a slow drive back to Nossob, A swim and then Marie se draai....tbc

Great, lets continue. On the way back to Nossob for an afternoon swim we saw this Booted Eagle faaaaar off in the distance.


CO9E1003-28 by cooper5022, on Flickr

and a Black Chested Snake Eagle a bit closer.


CO9E1011-29 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Back in Nossob around 13:00 and M went for swim. Flashing my own pasty marsh mellow physique was not on the cards today.. . Besides it was much cooler in my car (Landy has proper aircon Tobieo). I can't remember what we had for lunch, but it would probably have been eggs, bacon/sausages/patties or something wholesome. So everyone having been fed, this that wanted to swam and by 15:00 we were ready to leave again. This time Marie se Draai.

Here is my co-pilot, best mate and overall entertainment center M


_MG_9504-30 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Marie se Draai delivered its fair share of STBE sightings and we spent some time watching a pair hunt insects and then carrying them back to their nest on the verge of the road in a sand bank.


CO9E1031-31 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E1036-32 by cooper5022, on Flickr

(Apologies, the images converted very grainy)

Another one of my trip favorites is this juvenile PCG on an interesting perch.


CO9E1059-33 by cooper5022, on Flickr

When I took this next shot, I couldn't help but wonder which was older. The tree or the Agama.


CO9E1067-34 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Marie se gat delivered these two locals. Gemsbok.


CO9E1070-35 by cooper5022, on Flickr

and this Mc Studly Wildebeest.


CO9E1076-36 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We had done the loop a number of times and we headed back to Nossob to spend a bit of time in the hide where we saw this Heron which looked out of place.


CO9E1083-37 by cooper5022, on Flickr

A herd of Springbok were making their way to the waterhole. The light was great so here are two images to end off the day.


CO9E1091-38 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E1094-39 by cooper5022, on Flickr

please don't mess around tobieo, I have a nice episode to come

Great job all in turning the page in 24 hours.

At were sat in the hide at 04:40, car parked at the gate for a quick getaway. The waterhole was quiet and we eventually walked out to pick up the permit. So permit in hand we set off in search of the cheetahs of yesterday. We stopped briefly at Rooikop..nothing and into MArie se Draai...nothing. Slowing we cruised on when close to the waterhole M shouted "Brown Hyena" And there it was, walking briskly towards the waterhole. It was still sunrise and the light was a challenge to get the ISO as low as possible and be able to shoot the movement.



The Brownie headed for the waterhole and took a long drink. All the time the two of us were trying to get a shot or two.



The Brownie then took off down the riverbed. I was steering with my knees, handholding the 500mm and shooting through the open window. I would only find out later that I actually got a nice shot or two.



It eventually disappeared from sight. Awesome!. We continued on and turned around a bit further. We continued on again past the waterhole when I pulled up as I thought I saw something on our hit list. Yes!!



Further shots were made difficult as the Badger was dogging on between bushed and tall grass. It was moving really fast.

So following the same strategy as yesterday we headed north. Just past Nossob we found this lone baby Springbok.



We decided to stop and spend some time at Cubitje Quap trying to shoot a few Sand Grouse. A BBJ came in to drink first. It looked as if he had had a looooong thirsty night.





The Sand Grouse started to arrive in numbers.







I'll leave you here for a while and wait for the next page turn.....tbc

Thanks for sticking around and a special thanks to naomi c for the 3 posts to get the page turned.

Trying to shoot the Sandgrouse at Cubitje Quap provided a lot of entertainment and the time sped by. We eventually decided to drive further north. This proved to be a very quiet session, but we did see..



Someone told us about a pride of lions further North which we eventually found. They were however very far away and in the shade. We saw at least one male and 5 females. We marked the spot and continued north with no luck. It was very hot and the animals were all hiding, so we turned around and headed back to Cubitje Quap for a stake out session at the waterhole.

When we got close to the waterhole, we spotted 2 Bateleurs drinking. We slowed down and crept forward. The one bird was a coward and flew off, while the other was more interested in what was in the sky.




It was watching a Secretary bird which landed close by.



The Bateleur decided it was time to get a drink.





As the Secretary bird came closer, Bateleur now standing with its feet in the water decided it was time to get out.



It was keeping a close eye on the Secratery bird who was making its way to the water.



The pressure became to much and the Bateleur flew off, leaving us with clipped wings and images to delete. The Secretary bird eventually got it's drink.



While we were sat there waiting for the next bit of action M decided he wanted to call home and we got to try out the Sat phone. Everything was great at home with SO and we got to give a brief rundown of some of the sightings. It was now getting late when a BBJ came for a drink. Th eight was just awesome.





We had to leave now to make it back in time, but not before having to stop for a Marial Eagle in a tree next to the road. The light was all wrong. but you get the idea.



So an interesting day all round....tbc

We had spent our last night in Nossob so with mixed fleeings we left to do Marie se Draai. We split up, I did Marie se draai from the one side and my brother in law started from the other end. We saw nothing! We crossed once, turned around and crossed again looking everywhere. Nothing! We eventually met up and said goodbye to Marie se Draai. We were eventually passed by a car who pulled us over. It was Cobus Saayman..we had missed the leopard in Marie se draai with minutes. He had taken a few 100 pics. AAAAAARRRRRGGHHHH!. A matter of minutes

So after having built a bridge and gotten one it we moved on, seeing 2 beautiful Tawneys in a low tree.


CO9E1795 by cooper5022, on Flickr

I was sitting in my own world, scanning the slowly passing landscape when a familiar image of a Honey Badger was staring at me from the very of the road. In a flash it was trotting off...gone.....no pic.

What was happing today The next moment there was a ball off dust in the road ahead. The dust devils turned out to be 2 BBJs and a Cape Cobra. We stopped a long way off not to interfere with the action, but the BBJs jumped onto the verge and trotted off into the distance leaving the Cobra to assess the new potential predators...us. We moved closer and took a few pics.


CO9E1808 by cooper5022, on Flickr

At Cheleka under the tree in the circular road lay 2 lions. A large male and a female, which we presumed were a mating pair.


CO9E1809 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E1823 by cooper5022, on Flickr


CO9E1838 by cooper5022, on Flickr

The day was looking up. At Dikbaardskolk we were surprised to see a Wooley necked Stork flying by.


CO9E1842 by cooper5022, on Flickr

At the picnic site we had a quick bite to eat and then had to say goodbye as our paths split for the least 2 nights. They were going to TR and then Kieliekrankie and we had 2 nights at Urikaruus.


_MG_9606 by cooper5022, on Flickr

I was eager to get onto the dune road while we still had some decent light so said goodbye for now, hoping to meet up agin in the next 2 days.......tbc

Thank you diligent page turners.

The dune road presented most of the usual suspects i.e. Gemsbok, some Hartebeest etc. I pulled into the slip road leading to Morevet and spotted Vulture. New experiment. I hooked my camera window bracket onto th window and secured my camera all while driving very slowly. The vulture was coming up on my right and started to its take-off run. The light was terrible, but I got some interesting images.


CO9E1869 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Successful experiment

Back on the dune road this Korhaan.


_MG_9628 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We popped in at Urikaruus and got ourselves settled. A small herd of Wildebeest came for a midday drink.


CO9E1890 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We left soon after and sat at Dalkeith for a while watching this Tawney have a drink.


CO9E1961 by cooper5022, on Flickr

I think this images says it all. Every bit of shade is precious in the Kalahari.


CO9E1894 by cooper5022, on Flickr

Somewhere along the road we saw this show-off Hoepoo.


CO9E1942 by cooper5022, on Flickr

All the way up to Craig Lockhart to shoot this juvenile.


CO9E1915 by cooper5022, on Flickr

On the way back to Urikaruus, someone told us about 3 lions on the ascent of the dune road. Off we went, and spotted these two guys.


CO9E2014 by cooper5022, on Flickr

We did see the lions, but they had no intentions of going anywhere.


CO9E2019 by cooper5022, on Flickr

The sun was setting and we were given some beautiful light to end the day.


_MG_9654 by cooper5022, on Flickr


_MG_9650 by cooper5022, on Flickr


_MG_9637 by cooper5022, on Flickr

tbc.....

We had a heck of a night with huge thunderstorms around the whole night and a 2 o'clock visit by the local leopard. It let rip with an almighty growl underneath the unit next to us. Everyone was up and torches light beams were cutting the night to try and find the golden one. We missed seeing it but heard later that it went under the camp attendants hut. Staying in Urikaruus has huge advantages, sleep was not one of them. Everytime you roll over, you can't help put take a peak at the lit waterhole. So by the time were allowed to leave we were already wide awake. The morning was lit beautifully with magnificent colors. We decided to make a quick run to the lions of the previous day hoping to find them. We did find awesome scenery



A double rainbow greeted us. So where was the pot of gold?







No lions, no animals, no nothing. We drove over the hill, past the Urikaruus turnoff and just past the Urikaruus waterhole we were greeted by 7 Hyenas on a Wildebeest carcass. BINGO!.



These two youngsters also got a little bite.



We stayed with them for a while and then headed off in search of new sightings......tbc

Thank you for turning the page team.

As we were running a bit low on diesel we decided to head for Mata Mata for a refuel. We tried to get there in good time, but kept on being distracted by,



And then then old bad mouth was right next to the road roaring his head-off. Probably looking for the ladies







And then we drove into a small roadblock all thanks to the mom and her 4 young Cheetah cubs.







As the Cheetahs were moving in hunting mode, they scared a AWC



......we were still not finished with the Cheetahs.....

Thanks for the page turn.

When we left off last time we were still with momma cheetah and 4 cubs. Mom was in hunting mode, unsurprising as she has 4 other mouths to feed.



The cubs always following 50m or so behind mom and seem to know when to stop and lie low.







We eventually left the Cheetah family and made our way to Mata Mata to fill up. On the way we saw other family unit of Cheetahs with Mom and 3 cubs. Too far away for dent pics. When we arrived at Mata Mata we were informed that they were running low on diesel and could only give me 10 liters????? What not again. Story of my life in the park. Always a diesel issue at one of the camps. I managed to get 20 liters and hoped it would last until I get to TR in 2 days.

Back on the road we drove all the way to Dertiende Boorgat where we saw this.



Two adult females, one sub adult female and 3 very young cubs. They were deep in the undergrowth and we only had fleeting viewings of the cubs. We had apparently also just missed a kill by the females on a 10 minute old Wildebeest. Bummer. The one female got up and went to answers natures call. Poor thing had been in a huge scrap a few weeks before.



We decided to head back to Urikaruus and to return later...........tbc