Heartstring Moments - Springtime in the Kalahari 2018

[Lisbeth]

Fabulous as always

The meerkats are marvellous and the gemsbokkies sooo sweet

The tree, the sun and the springbok

Wonderful start to another of your poems

[Richprins]

Hahaha, Ex!

Very clever!

Those baby gemsbok betray the family resemblance to the sable antelope!

Naughty squirrels!

Grand scenery, and I like the poor meerkat parent!

[Flutterby]

Love all the littly ones!!

[Mel]

I'm only a tad jealous about the wonderful pix you got of the squirrel and meerkat youngsters you managed to get on photo…
We often saw them - but always far of in the riverbed or with lots of shrubs between them and us

And I'm not going to comment on your initial collage... the second time you got that honey badger with a little one.
So awesome! And so are mother lion and her little one

[Dindingwe]

Amazing sightings with all those youngsters ! I haven't choosen the right time to go there. I wouldn't have expected so many babies during the dry season...
The small meerkats are so cute ! and the baby lion too

[ExFmem]

I always enjoy your comments and appreciate you each taking the time to do so Pumbaa, Sis, RP, Flutts, Mel, and Dindingwe

Mel, not sure I've ever seen a HB with its young before, except for your fabulous sighting in your TT. I was SO wishing some of your HB mojo would rub off on me, and we were over the moon at finally seeing it ourselves. Yes, we lucked out with the meerkats and squirrels this trip, as they are SO often obscured by shrubs, distance, etc. That particular meerkat family seemed to have moved shortly after we first saw them, as we marked the spot and searched many times later to no avail. However, we did come across another family just north of KK later in the trip...

Dindingwe - for us, this time of year produces the best sightings, though we did see more than "usual" this year.

[ExFmem]

A subtle submissive signal sent his way…










Hey! Can we get some privacy here!?

[ExFmem]

Competition for mating rights/hierarchy in the group involves constant conflicts, and it was on full display this trip.













One morning as we sat admiring this pride of 3 females and one male lion, resting peacefully at the waterhole, the mood quickly changed.















We were thinking perhaps a leopard was approaching ???









The younger male decided to run rather than fight. The challenger, in hot pursuit, chased him up and over the dune…

[ExFmem]

We also witnessed the most intense springbok fight we have seen. It appears their horns got interlocked, and how one didn't end up with a broken neck, I don't know.
















In this struggle for dominance the stakes are very high - after all, "winner takes all"……THE FEMALES , and the chance to pass on his genes.

[Lisbeth]

Sis, you sure are mastering the art of photographing and not only. Your talents are many and it is such a pleasure to be presented with some of them