Wild Adventure Chapter 6 Lions at Kij Kij

2016-04-24 | puppy1952

8 March

The advantage of staying in a bush camp on the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is that there are fewer people in camp and one really gets to commune with nature – it’s living on the edge as there is always a chance that a wild creature could wander past your caravan or tent. This is what the Frend-Leighs and Grum-Peighs love about Camp Rooiputs Number 2. It is also closer to the water holes so you get to them before the crowds from Twee Rivieren arrive. But Rooiputs has the added advantage of being close enough to Twee Rivieren so that when you need to replenish your stocks it’s a quick trip there and back. On this particular morning the friends decide to check out the Kij Kij Waterhole nice and early and then take the long dune road that connects to another road that takes you to TR. The plan is then to leave the park and shop at the Kgalagadi Lodge shop – and have breakfast at their restaurant. There is nothing as good as mixing a bit of rustic living with luxury now and then!

And they are well rewarded when they get to Kij Kij and find some frolicking lions.

Good Morning Kgalagadi

This is fun!

Come on let’s play!

Time to go!

The Dune Road is very long and bendy and can be boring but today a honey badger rushed over the road in front of them and they saw 19 Northern Black Korhaan

The best of the bunch

On the return journey the Grum-Peighs stop for every bird. Ho-Hum!

A lesser grey shrike

The ever-present tawny eagle

Southern Masked weaver and Lark-like Bunting

Male and female red-headed finch

Grey-backed sparrowlark

Male red-headed finch

Immature Pale Chanting Goshawk

Jackal

The highlight was seeing a cobra try to invade a sociable weaver nest.

In the evening the Frend-Leighs and Grum-Peighs had another delicious braai. There was no sign of stormy weather and the sunset was magnificent.

The Earl and The Friend bonding in front of the fire

Sunset

Camp Rooiputs Number 2 at night

Wild Adventure Chapter 5 After the Storm

2016-04-24 | puppy1952

After experiencing a fairly wild and stormy night with thunder and lightening interrupting their dreams and the caravan rocking like a row-boat on a rough sea the Grum-Peighs woke up and went out to assess the damage. Neither they nor the Frend-Leighs needed any major repairs. The rain had gone and the weather was calm so after a slightly later than usual start they set off on their morning drive.

First up was a beautiful Martial Eagle

Their breakfast stop was at Melkvlei. Lord Grum-Peigh loves to cook eggs and bacon on his special camping stove. Lady G-P makes sure he has the right pans and ingredients and is ready to follow his demanding instructions. The results are always delicious.

The animals were scarce as is often the case after a storm. They seem to move deeper into the bush and find water in puddles rather than trekking to the waterholes. So all they saw was the following.

This meerkat found a wonderful platform right outside the camp – a good vantage point to spot potential danger.

A tiny tortoise

And a giant one

Bokkies of course

Having a confrontation

Lanner Falcon

Camp Rooiputs

Wild Adventure Chapter 4 Cheetahs and Lions

2016-04-23 | puppy1952

“It can’t be time to get up yet,” complained Lord Grum-Peigh “It’s still dark!”

“It will be light soon and we need to get out before the Twee Rivieren Mob arrive – come on get up – here’s your coffee.” Her Ladyship packed the picnic basket and filled the flask while her grumbly husband reluctantly readied himself for departure.

The sunrise was just a stunning as last night’s sunset and they were on the road atn6:30 am on the dot. The campers from the other five sites were rushing off too. The Frend-Leighs always keen to be first at the waterhole to ensure good photographs were up ahead. As the Grum-Peighs followed slowly behind a fellow camper passed and waved to them to stop. “Your left front tyre looks a little soft,” he said.

And so they had to turn around and return to camp to check it out. The Earl who fusses about the small stuff was remarkably calm about this major disaster. He set straight to work. Getting the tyre off proved no easy task. The thingy that is used to loosen the bolts was faulty but the Earl made a plan and within 45 minutes the job was done.

Now when one travels in the extreme conditions of the Kgalagadi one would be foolish not to have a working spare so the Grum-Peighs decided to abandon their original plans and make their way to Twee Rivieren where there was a workshop to have the spare tyre repaired. And although it was a Sunday it was open.

After enjoying a cooked breakfast at the restaurant they took the long Mata Mata and Dune roads to get back to Rooiputs. “Hopefully we will see game on this route,” declare the Lord.

Lady Grum-Peigh had an acute attack of FOMO (fear of missing out). “I bet the Leighs have found yesterday’s lions on a kill and that the cheetahs are mating or giving birth or something equally exciting.”she whined.
“No way,”comforted the Earl “we’re going to see good stuff.”

And he was right. “Look what we have here,”he said excitedly.

Tawny Eagle

A little later they found a male lion right next to the road

Then a little far off under a shady tree lay a cheetah with its kill. It was not worth taking a photograph though.

The Grum-Peighs are more interested in the birdlife and tend to stop too long to observe the winged creatures that others choose to ignore.

One of their favourites is the Namaqua Dove

Of course they also saw all the regular chaps. Gemsbok (Oryx) are very common in the park.

Meanwhile the Leighs had been wandering what happened to their friends. Had they missed them at a sighting? Had they carried on to the planned breakfast stop? But no they couldn’t find them anywhere. “They’re either behind or in front of us,” said Mr Frend-Leigh – don’t worry we’ll catch up with each other eventually.”

So when they finally did see each other back at camp they were shocked to hear that there had been a mishap. “We would have come back to help!” they declared.

“Then you would also have missed the excitement,” said Lady G-P

“Ha – we only got sleeping cats – nothing too thrilling!”

The two men got to work fixing the faulty thingy while the girls caught up with washing and then they all had a nap before going out for the afternoon drive.

It was 5 o’clock and still hot and they hoped to get the sleeping lions waking up. There was a little action but they were still pretty sleepy.

Then a police car stopped next to the G-Ps “Good afternoon, sir. How are you this afternoon?”

Lady G-P thought they were going to ask for their permit and started reaching for it. But no – “Ma’m about 3km further on, you will find a cheetah. He is on his own and has been there since 1 pm this afternoon.”

“Thank you so much officer. We will check it out!”

Just before they reached the 3km mark, Lady Peigh yelled, “I see him.”

It was overcast and a storm was threatening so the light was dim and if she hadn’t been looking intently she would probably have missed him. Then suddenly he disappeared. “Has he gone over the ridge?”

“No – there he is!” said Lord Peigh. “He’s lying down – how well he camouflages!”

They stayed with him until a car approached and then pointed him out to the occupant. It took quite a while before he could find him.

Back at the lion sighting very little was happening. Mr Leigh pointed out a striped kingfisher in a tree opposite and then they decided to make their way back before it got too late.

The Leighs pointed out the Vereaux’s Eagle-Owl and that was the last sighting of their day.

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Wild Adventure Chapter 2 Lion Cubs on the Dune

2016-04-22 | puppy1952

4 March

Lord Grum-Peigh woke up and went straight into panic mode. “We have to get out of here as soon as the gates open!” he stressed. “Otherwise we won’t find the Frend-Leighs and they won’t know they need to sign us in!”

“Relax,” cooed Lady Peigh “We’ll find them – and probably at a sighting!” But still he fussed and rushed her and to his extreme annoyance she deliberately took her time at the showers and laughed when he got upset.

But once they were on the road his mood improved and he was a tad less grumpy specially when he saw the familiar green of Mr Leigh’s Nissen Pathfinder. The Leighs were looking toward the top of a dune and Lord Peigh nearly fell out of the car window when he saw two young lion cubs relaxing there.

Do I have to wake up now?

I wonder what there is in those cans on wheels?

They sure look tasty

The Lord was now in a very good mood and made plans to meet the Leighs at TR, sort out the Rooiputs booking and then go for brekkie.

After watching the cubs for a bit Lord and Lady Peigh went in search of their mother. They met a man who said he’d driven up and down the road but there was no sign of her. The Earl, though, has a nose for these things and would not give up until his curiosity was satisfied.

The presence of a jackal can indicate lions in the vicinity as they like to scavenge off their kill!

His vigilance paid off because all of a sudden they caught sight of three lions walking away from them along the road.

One of the lions

All three of them

With this lovely sighting dancing in their heads the went back to report to the Leighs. Late all the business of booking in at the Botswana side of reception was completed. Then they all headed to The Kgalagadi Lodge a few kilometres outside the gate. It was almost lunchtime but they ordered breakfast – Mr Frend-Leigh asked the waiter, “Is one allowed to have beer with breakfast, here?” The waiter laughed and brought one for him and the Earl.

Back at camp :Lady Peigh went for a swim and the Earl had a nap and then when he woke up they went for a swim together before going out for an afternoon drive

Brant’s whistling rat

Ground Scraper Thrush

Secretary Bird

Scaly-feathered finch

Southern Masked Weaver

Leopard Tortoise

The creatures have right of way at all times. This male ostrich finds something tasty on the gravel road.

Because His Lordship was a too tired to do a braai Her Ladyship cooked chicken casserole on her caravan gas stove for supper. It was a perfect evening but they were woken at 2am by heavy rainfall!

A Wild Adventure – Chapter 1 Off to the Kgalagadi

2016-04-21 | puppy1952

A wild adventure with Lord and Lady Grum-Peigh and Mr and Mrs Frend-Leigh is based on a true story. Names have been changed to poorly disguise the true identities of the guilty.

Chapter 1-

“When are the children coming to stay,” asked the First Earl of Struisbaai of his wife after a particularly busy few months of organising building plans and other business matters.

“In just over a fortnight,”said Lady Grum -Peigh.

“Well I feel like getting away somewhere,”said the Lord – “Try and book something.”

So she tried but nothing seemed to work out quite right. Addo was booked up and the only camping available at Kgalagadi was at Twee Rivieren. So she tentatively suggested – “We did have a loose arrangement to join the Frend-Leighs at Kgalagadi if we got the chance – If we leave straight away we could fit in 10 days or so and share their campsites. The only problem is we can’t contact them as there are no internet or cell coms where they are at present.”

“Good idea,” said The Lord ” If they can’t have us we’ll just spend a few days at Twee Rivieren then come home.” And two days later the caravan was packed and sorted for a long trip to the semi-desert. The first night was spent at Molopo Lodge and then the next day (3 March) they were able to enter the park by 8:00 am. They booked two nights at Twee Rivieren where they set up camp and then set off to find their friends.

Luckily Lady Grump-Leigh had their itinerary. They would be making their way from Mata Mata to Rooiputs that day. The latter is just 30 km from Twee Rivieren and so getting there would not take long. “I predict that they will be there around 11ish,” said her Ladyship who knew that Mr Frend-Leigh would make no unnecessary stops along the way. And sure enough they were just about to pin a note to a tree on their allotted campsite when along they came.

“We thought you wouldn’t come!” cried Mrs Frend-Leigh in surprise.

“Sorry we didn’t let you know but we decided at the last minute that we could fit and few days in! We’ll stay at Twee for two nights then come and join you here.”

Rooiputs is rustic, unfenced camp the Botswana side of the park and booking in had to take place at Twee Rivieren. Lady Grum-Peigh duly went to book in but the official on teh Botswana side said they would have to get Mrs Frend-Leigh to check them in personally so it was just as well that they’d booked two nights at Twee Rivieren.

The Grum-Peighs were delighted to be back in the wild and spent the rest of the day enjoying the park.

Wattled Starlings at Samevloeing

The beautiful Namaqua dove eyeing them from a thorny tree

It’s called the Green Kalahari for although there’s little rain when it comes the grass grows and the flowers bloom – Here is a Red Hartebeest enjoying the bounty

The Grum-Peighs were pleased to see large herds of healthy Springbok. Fodder for the lions! It was hot and they wisely found a shady spot to escape the burning sun

Why when there are plenty of waterholes do the creatures drink from puddles in the road? It must contains salts that they crave. Those white specks are butterflies!

The Grum-Peighs found them all over the park in huge numbers

So delicate and pretty

A southern black korhaan had a lot to say!

ADDO ELEPHANT PARK

2016-04-12 | puppy1952

Homestead B&B and Caravan Park is just a few minutes away from the Addo Elephant Park entrance gate. The site provides excellent shade and the ablutions and facilities are adequate and clean. We paid R200 per night. If you can’t get into the Addo Rest Camp this is an excellent alternative. They also have Bed and Breakfast facilities. I forgot to take photographs but rest assured it is great!
We set off for a game drive at about 3:30. What a great afternoon we had. The weather was stunning – clear skies and quite hot. It was great to see plenty of the game grazing on the hillsides and in the veld. There is no shortage of warthogs, red hartebeest, kudu and zebra. And it’s certainly the place to go if you want to see elephants.

The buffalo are fat and healthy and the favourite food of the lions

We found that most of the animals were in the South of the park and that the elephants had spread out and could be seen at most of the waterholes. In the heat of the day they were enjoying themselves in the red muddy holes along with their little friends the warthogs who seem so tiny when seen right next to these gentle giants.

P1090230 P1090227

We left via the South Gate and then had a long drive back to camp but it was worth it. On the way we found a number of delightful birds.

The common but very pretty Cape Glossy Starling

Always friendly – the African Pipit

The red-faced mousebird seldom sits still long enough for a photoshoot so I was delighted to get a reasonable shot of him

And he obliged to pose with his cousin the speckled mousebird

The Southern Boubou tends to hide but he was quite conspicuous on this day

Not just a pretty face but pretty feathers too has the emerald-spotted wood-dove

A Bird of Prey that has me foxed

The evening was warm enough to sit outdoors without a jacket and we enjoyed a braai of ostrich steak and sausage.

We were up before six the next morning and in at the gate by 7. Unfortunately when you are a day visitor you may only enter at 7 so miss the early 6 o’clock opening to the game area.

It is definitely better to stay in the park as you can then easily go back to your camp for a break in the middle of a hot day. We took our breakfast break at Jack’s Picnic Site which is named after Jack the Black Rhino who was one of the first to be brought to Addo. He was kept in the enclosure which is now the picnic site. It has a security gate and well looked after, clean ablutions. The picnic areas are also secluded and shady.

Muesli and Yogurt followed by crackers and olive paste with a cup of coffee at Jack’s

Cape Robin-chat came to check us out but did not like our food.

The bokmakierie is a common resident in the park and showed himself to us quite a few times.

Such a pretty bird

Plenty of these guys in the park

And aren’t the zebra gorgeous

At lunch time we went to the Cattle Baron in the Rest Camp The food was good. I had a chicken salad with a generous amount of grilled chicken strips, greens, tomato and avo and Earl had seared chicken and Camembert with a salad which was delicious. Cost – Around R190 altogether including a glass of wine and 2 beers.

You may alight from your vehicle at certain viewpoints

But entirely at your own risk!

The warthogs are so amusing

A nice muddy bath will do the trick

And even the Dung Beetles are fascinating

Elephants love the glorious mud

The babies are adorable and so well cared for by the moms, aunts and sisters

Before lunch we came upon a traffic jam and were told that there was a lion under a tree – I managed to glimpse it but encouraged Earl to move on and come back later as all it was going to do was sleep for a few hours and it was not worth fighting for a good viewing spot.

When we returned at about 4ish we saw elephants at the nearby waterhole and quite a few cars were parked watching them. Suddenly Earl called – “There’s the lion,” and toward the elephants a lion stealthily crept.

Lions will not drink at the waterhole alongside ellies as they’re afraid of them – for good reason. She soon dropped down behind a bush and then we spotted two others. The elephants were well aware of them and some decided to leave but two remained for ages. One of the younger lions quickly came down and took a few sips and then ran off as fast as she could. We thought she might grab an unsuspecting warthog but he saw in in time and ran for his little life.

The warthog is unaware of the pending danger

But she justs wants a drink

She is the only one of the lions brave enough to sneak a sip or two while the giants ignore her.

Only when they leave do the others come down to drink

This one was the last to arrive from the opposite direction and she was wearing a collar

We left the park at about 5 and it was a short drive to camp. The evening was even hotter than the previous night so we once again sat outdoors in shorts and t-shirt. Quite a difference from our evenings at Warmwaterberg and Buffalo Bay!

We packed up to leave early this morning with the intention of a stop-over at George or Gouritz but we decided in the end to press on and arrived home at half past three. It was a good week away!

A Cape Bird Club Outing to False Bay Ecology Park

2016-02-10 | puppy1952

Although I arrange the outings programme for The Cape Bird Club, living in Struisbaai prevents me from attending most of them. Circumstances brought me to Cape Town for a few days which became extended for another week so I was delighted to be able to attend February’s weekday outing led by my friend, Heather.

How lovely that the sun was shining and the wind not blowing too strongly. We had a group of about 12 – four in each car.

A Perfect Day for Birding

False Bay Ecology Park consists of a number of ponds which boast a variety of birdlife and at this time of the year it is good for waders. These birds are difficult to identify specially when they’re far away and there is no telescope available. However, our leader was amazing and with lots of discussion with other good birders and referring to the field guide we managed to agree on what they were. We were delighted to find greenshank, curlew, ruff, little stint, three banded plover and Kitlitz plover. Here are two of them.

Common Greenshank behind, Ruff in front.

These little stints were taken by me on another occasion

Swallows are often found near water, as are brown throated martins. We found Barn Swallows and Martins but the white-throated and striped swallows were conspicuous by their absence.

Barn Swallows

Every pond was great to see and we spent three happy hours exploring and admiring the birdlife. We got a list of 57 species and hereunder are photos of just a few.

Moorhen

Black-winged Stilt

The African Jacana shouldn’t be here but he hasn’t read the field guide.

Shelducks are infrequent visitors to FBEP – Heather’s way of remembering which one is the female? The female wears white face powder.

The graceful pelican

A zitting cisticola

FBEP is famous for its greater flamingos (in front) so but today some Lesser Flamingos (behind) joined them

Lesser flamingos have maroon bills with a black tip – juveniles have a dark bill with black tip

A flamboyance of Lesser Flamingos

Spur-winged Geese

Black-shouldered Kite

This Kittlitz Plover tried to attract us away from its chick.

The chick sat dead still and was beautifully camouflaged – we had a peep then left them in peace.

One can also find bokkies in the park – this is a grysbok

It was great meeting new people and catching up with members I know. We all had a jolly good time.

Our leader on the left

Pelicans and all at False Bay Ecology Park

2015-12-19 | puppy1952

I’ve missed my Happy Place not having had a visit there for months so Early and I took a drive there on Thursday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day but there was a bit of a South Easterly wind blowing.

As we expected the flamingos were out if full force, scattered across the first two pans.

It’s the best place to find Greater Flamingos

Most of them were in deeper water upending like ducks.

A flamingo impersonating a dabbling duck

There were a few fraternising with geese and ducks on the shore

Of course the Red-knobbed coots were everywhere

One of the many black-winged stilts wading in the shallows

The one at the back is a juvenile

Cape Teal gathered in large numbers

quack quack quack with a feather on his back

Not always seen so commonly is the White-faced duck

Pelican Island

A Flotilla of Pellies

Gliding gracefully across the pond

A real poser is the black-headed heron

The light on the glossy ibises didn’t make photographing them easy!

The highlight of the day was an African Snipe but he the reeds were either in front of his face or he turned his back to us – these were the best I could get!

First he looked one way

And then the other

I think this is my best side?

We know a place where nine times out of ten we find the spotted eagle-owls. Today we found mother, father and the baby who is quite big now. Photography was not good.

The best I could get of the youngster – look carefully and you will see mom in the shade behind him.

Among many others we also had good sightings of purple swamphen, grey and purple heron but they didn’t pose for long enough.

So with a contented feeling we made our way home but I’m sure it won’t be the last visit we make to False Bay Ecology Park while we are here for the holidays.

#NaBloPoMo 21 – A Wet Day in Addo

2015-11-21 | puppy1952

NaBloPoMo

Who would believe that we would have rain in Addo Elephant Park in November! It was so hot on our arrival day but now it is cold and wet! But this has not dampened our enjoyment of being in the bush. We are not diehards but we certainly make a plan to make things more comfortable. Thank Goodness I thought to pack some warm clothes.

It rained throughout last night and was still raining this morning so we stayed in bed a little later – no point rushing out in the cool of the day as the whole day would be cool! It let up enough to make a hearty breakfast and while Earl was preparing he had a demanding visitor.

This cheeky fork-tailed drongo asked to share our breakfast

It seems that butter is a delicacy enjoyed both by the drongo and the weavers. Before Earl could stop the drongo he’d taken off with the butter from the egg pan!

After rescuing our breakfast from the birds we sat down to eat and then set off to explore. It rained on and off the entire day!

Mr Kudu was the first to greet us

We saw elephants frequently and I will just show a few of the special ones here

King of the road was this bull leisurely strolling towards us and not given a damn about the cars. This is taken through the windscreen

Don’t worry he was really friendly

He could have put his trunk right through the window but he was more interested in eating his lunch

He uses his trunk with such skill

Of course the warthogs have the run of the park and we saw plenty of them.

We also got up close and personal with red hartebeest and zebra.

The babies are adorable

In spite of the rain the plains were full of game

The zebra were in playful mood

And quite affectionate toward each other

The birding was most rewarding – they did not seem to mind the rain.

The steppe buzzards posed beautifully

On all kinds of perches

Glossy starlings made many appearances

Two beautiful spotted thick-knees

An orange throated longclaw posed like a model

Of course he is a handsome chap!

A red-necked spurfowl showed off her chicks

The hyperactive stonechat was hard to get but finally he sat still and obliged me with a half decent photograph

The resident Jackal Buzzard shows he’s just as handsome as the visiting steppe buzzard

We exited the south gate and went to the little village of Colchester just outside the park to do a bit of shopping and had lunch at Taste of Africa – a chicken salad that lacked imagination!

We arrived back at camp at 4 o’clock. We had every intention of doing a braai for supper as the rain had stopped but by 5 it was raining again so we opted for dinner at the restaurant. Our venison hotpot was served with mash, butternut and spinach and was to die for!

Early looking surprised at the excellent food

We’re having trouble with our portable wireless devise so might not be able to do a blog post tomorrow but hopefully I’ll be able to use my phone or Earl’s tablet as a hotspot – depends on how much data is left!

But now I will be going to sleep with the sound of rain on canvas – I do so love my offroad caravan!

#NaBloPoMo 20 – Lions and more@ Addo

2015-11-20 | puppy1952

NaBloPoMo

It was the call of the fiery-necked nightjar calling loudly that woke me at a rude hour this morning. I lay listening to The Good Lord Deliver Us over and over again before reluctantly climbing out of bed and heading to the showers. Good thing too – because it was already light and gate opening was at 5:30. We made it to the gate by 5:45.

The weather was somewhat cooler but still warm enough for shorts and t-shirt but I took along a jersey for when the windows were open. Our first bird of the morning was this summer visitor from Eastern Europe

Although the steppe buzzards breeds in Eastern Europe they migrate to Southern Africa in summer arriving in October and leaving in April

Another non-breeding summer migrant is the barn swallow

These birds start arriving in September and the last ones leave in April

An intra-African migrant Lesser Striped swallow greeted us early this morning.

Lesser Striped Swallow – present in South Africa from July to March

The Southern Masked weaver is a common resident in South Africa and is not too shy to pose for a portrait. They can become quite tame and frequent campsites in the hope that they pick up a snack or two from the friendly humans.

How those vicious thorns don’t stab them I do not know.

As we drive around the reserve we frequently hear – Willie – come out and fight – scared. Or that is what the field guides tell us the Sombre bulbul is saying. But I think it sounds more like. Look out – you can’t find me – whaaaaa. But today we did find him – right out in the open too.

Another one who calls out loudly and likes to hide is the very pretty little Diderick Cuckoo. Today Earl found him trying to camouflage in the foliage.

The male cuckoo is very good looking – but he and his wife don’t raise their own chicks. The female chooses a variety of hosts including the southern masked weaver, red bishop, Cape sparrow and Cape wagtail. She lays up to 20 eggs per season so that’s a lot of surrogate mothers she has to find!

It is important to get out into the park early if you want to see predators. Lions are lazy and sleep in a shady spot most of the day. Today we found two large males at Carol’s Rest and they were just lying there – awake and just staring into the distance.

Lions Rule

Red Hartebeest, zebra and kudu were waiting, dead still, over the road on the hillside, very aware of the enemy and too scared to come down to drink.

We parked off, had breakfast and drank our coffee while we waited to see if anything would happen. Warthogs have to be the bravest and cheekiest of animals. The appeared from the other side of the waterhole so did not consult with the herbivores on the hillside. They boldly approached their kings and I wondered how the conversation went.

Please, Your Majesty, may I go down to drink?

Now let me think – I’ll check with my brother

NO! Get out of here or we’ll have you for breakfast!

The cheek of those subjects!

You would think the others would learn from the warties – but no – all of a sudden a herd of donkeys in prison clothes came racing across the road – then stood dead still in front of their sovereign.

We’re just out of jail and very thirsty – May we have a drink please sire?

Oh sure – if you want to be steak!

So they turned tail and headed back to the hill.

They have to leave some time – we’ll just have to wait!

We watched these antics for over an hour and then decided to head back to camp.

We were thrilled to find two meerkats – but only one photograph is worth posting.

Life is good in Addo Elephant Park

Jackals are usually on a mission but this one must have had a tough night as he is settling for a nap

I’m watching you – please leave me in peace.

Back at camp we decided to follow the jackals example and have a nap before going out in search of more game later in the afternoon.

It was 3 pm when we set off again and I have to eat my words about summer reaching the Eastern Cape ahead of us. A cold front sneaked up, strong winds blew and the heavens clouded over. It is calmer as I type but freezing cold! It will probably rain in the night.

Anyway this did not dampen our spirits and we had an enjoyable game drive. Surprisingly there we saw no elephants until the very end.

It was great to see a black-shouldered kite

A greater double-collared sunbird posed and sang for us.

And finally at Hapoor we found a small herd of elephants

We decided to do a small potjie over the fire for tonight’s dinner

And just to make our day a bushbuck came to visit

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 22

2015-07-14 | puppy1952

23 June 2015

I am late for school – again. I rush into the building and race toward where I think my classroom is but I can’t seem to find it. I panic – the girls will be fretting, wondering where I am. They won’t know what to do. Some will be crying – I dash across courtyard after courtyard searching for a familiar room but mine does not appear and there’s a lion roaring really close by. He’s getting closer – I must find my classroom!

A distant voice yells, “Lion! Lion! Get up there’s a lion outside.”

I wake up – it is just the same recurring dream – I am at Gharagab and finally a lion has come calling.

It is 5:15 and it is Earl who alerts me to the lion’s roar. We listen but it does not come again. We check the water hole – no sign of them. Earl gets dressed and sits at the glass door, while I snuggle under the blankets a little longer. When it’s light I get up too. The Schoffls have heard them too and Erich says he heard the first roars far off at 3 earlier this morning. While Earlybird is packing Dawid comes to show him the spoor of two lions going past our cabin – so they were here!

At 7:30 on the dot Earlybird has us in the car and off in search of the cats. We find spoor on the road and just near Dankbaar water hole, Eagle-eye Wendy calls, “what’s that?” and there in the grass sit two beautiful young black-maned lions.

We are delighted that the lions are still in the area and that we found them!

Eagle Eye Wendy spots something again. “Are those ant hills or animals?” she says.

We scan with our binos and at first see nothing then they materialize – 7 very cute suricate a but quite a distance away. How did she spot them!

We are delighted with this lovely sighting and continue to enjoy the steenbok that appear quite often, red hartebeest in playful mood and gemsbok getting their morning exercise by racing across the veld.

It’s a long trip over the desert dunes and much like a rollers coaster ride. We are delighted by the Disco 4’s performance.

We stop at all the waterholes but apart from some bird activity there is little to see.

At Nossob we have brunch at the picnic site.

Upon arrival at Bitterpan we see another CA Land Rover. Another couple arrive just after us – Dave and Jeanette from Hogsback. The land rover owner introduces himself as Lee and we chat for a whole. Later his wife Shannon joins us. The six of us braai together but Dave and Jeanette decide to do their own.

We have a delightful evening.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Saffies and Aussies on Safari – Day 18

2015-07-12 | puppy1952

Friday 19 June Cheetah Day

I wake at quarter to six and get up at quarter past – it is freezing! I wrap myself in a rug and go to the loo. My ablutions are quick and I get dressed under the blankets! Today I don a pair of thermal tights under my jeans. I can’t feel the ends of my fingers even though I wrap them in a warm pair of gloves. Packing up is painful and takes twice as long as with warm hands!

The temperature registers at -2 in the car and goes down to -3. Thank Goodness for an effective air-con in the car as soon we warm up.

There are a few exciting spots the first being two African Wild Cats darting across the veld. Unfortunately the light is wrong and they are too quick for a photograph. But still it is a great sighting.

At 13^th water hole we meet a couple we’d met the day before – George and Venetia. They say they’ve seen the cubs but they have now gone over the ridge – clearly following their mothers who must be ahead of them. We chat for a while then both cars move on. We find them stopped up ahead of us and as we draw nearer see what they have seen – three cheetahs moving swiftly through the bush high up on the ridge.

One of the cheetahs moving stealthily through the bush

We guess they are on their way to Urikaruus water hole so hurry along to wait for them. After 20 minutes, Earlybird says – they’re not coming let’s go but then a land rover ahead of us turns around. His mate has gone up to the viewpoint and has radioed him that the cheetahs are coming. So we turn around too and – there they are – coming right for us!

He is centimeters from my eyeballs

And touches the car as he passes by my door

He makes his way across the road passing right next to the passenger side of the car

We’ve been looking at a steenbok at the waterhole while we are waiting and the cheetahs spot her too. The one gives chase and she scoots off into the trees – we think the cheetah will return with breakfast for the others but she comes back empty handed.