I am awake before the alarm this morning and up by 5 am.  The showers are cold again and as this morning is a little chillier than yesterday I am somewhat pissed off!  But one should not complain as the cooler morning is a relief after the extreme heat we have been experiencing  The only way to keep cool is to languish in the pool in the afternoons and then to wrap a soaking wet sarong around oneself.

We decide to go South today and stop off at Casper se Draai.  FIrst up is a little steenbok

There is not too much happening but we enjoy watching the birds at the waterhole.  A shikra and a Gabar make an appearance.  There is also a tawny, first in the tree and then walking through the scrub.   At a distance we see a black bird. Jim thinks it might be a black sparrow hawk but I am sure it is a melanistic Gabar.  After checking the book we both concur.  It’s just a pity we can’t get good photographs as we are facing the rising sun.  We enjoy watching the wildebeest and gemsbok compete for watering rights and a couple of female kudu make a brief appearance but decide not to risk a drink with the other buck.

On our way back to Nossob we find some interesting birds

Plentiful in the park are the Red Hartebeest

We decide to go North again to see what we can find.  We become separated from Maureen and Jim who took a longer route back to Nossob.  When they get there Jim is not keen to take the north road so stays in camp while Maureen comes in search of us.  Meanwhile I am convinced they’ve found the ultimate sighting while Earl and I languish at Kang waterhole watching very little!  When Maureen arrives Earl suggests I get into her car while he returns to camp to fix the solar panel.  M and I enjoy a couple of hours of female bonding but do not see very much in the way of game!

Back at camp we have lunch, have a swim and a nap before going out again at 4:30.   Earl and I are ahead this time and when we reach Cubitje Quap water hole we find three Bateleurs – Male, Female and juvenile.   The female flies away but we get good photos of the male and juvenile.

Jim and Maureen arrive soon after they have all flow away.  We carry on to Kwang and find a lappet-faced vulture and more bateleurs at the waterhole.  We also observe the springbuck butting heads and there are gemsbok drinking and grazing too.  A lanner entertains us by swooping down for a drink and we manage to get good photographs.  We stay a while observing the activity and hoping for lion but today proves to be the quietest sighting wise this trip.

Earl and I do a braai for supper.  We enjoy Earl’s famous chicken wing starter when the wind gets up to gale force and we have to run around rescuing things blowing about. We manage to finish braaing but we have to move the table to a more sheltered spot and we all get a little more crunch in our food than we bargained for.  Earl and I have to take our sidewall down as it might rip in the wind.  We decide to leave the washing up till tomorrow and Maureen stacks everything into a tub and hides it in her caravan.  We stow everything we can inside the caravans and then retire to bed, using the porta potty for the first time as we don’t want to head to the ablutions in the storm.  We climb into bed and listen to wind how while the caravan rock dangerously.  We hope it is strong enough to withstand the blast and the pelting rain.  It doesn’t last long and before long we are asleep.  I wake in the night to the sound of rain but it is not enough to make a dent in the drought they are experiencing in the Kgalagadi right now.  It is supposed to be the rainy season but not enough has fallen and it is very dry and the animals in this area are pretty scarce having migrated to greener climes.