An Accidental Addo TT

[PJL]

Marvelous!

The buffalo looks a bit skinny, Peej?

I like the locusts...maybe they are still "hoppers"?

Yep the buffs aren't in great condition at the moment as it's been drought conditions for a long time.
The locusts are still nymphs so they can't fly yet... hopping locusts

Melvin does not have to sniff, he will just follow Gibson

Nice army of Locusts

Haha... Melvin was leading the way this time

Melvin and Gibson are really good-looking boys...and as you say...so well groomed!!

Interesting pic of the locusts!

Thanks Flutts

Did Duffy get some jewellery for Christmas? Aka a collar?

The locust shot is very special! Are they poisonous? Their colour at least suggests that they might be

Spot on Mel... new necklace just before Christmas. Dawn is left without a collar still. One of the three young males from Josie's last litter has also just been collared
And yes the locusts are poisonous - there have even been human fatalities from ingesting them
In swarms they can be very destructive as not much predates on them

[PJL]

Once back at camp we had a small lunch braai and enjoyed seeing herds of elephant outside the grandparent's chalet



We popped in for a very quick afternoon drive round some loops close to camp but there wasn't much happening so we had an excellent early meal at the Cattle Baron before setting off on a night drive.

I've been on a couple of night drives at Addo before and generally we hadn't seen much, but you can never tell what might be around. Photography is a real mission as you're reliant on others (normally the guide) holding a spotlight in the right place whilst attempting to take pics... they normally come out quite a mess and/or the animal runs away before you can focus, but I figured I would give it a go if we saw anything decent.

We did mention to the guide that we had seen the bat-eared fox den up on Gorah Loop but he had intentions of heading down towards Hapoor so we just went with the flow. The vehicle was packed full and even had some completely new visitors who got very excited with some early sightings of kudu and elephant

We stopped briefly at Rooidam but everything was quiet. Just as we set off again a hyena appeared



After checking us out for a bit it walked right towards us and continued on its way







By this stage the light was really fading fast, so I was lucky to manage a couple of pics of a puff adder just up the road who was enjoying the warmth of the sand road





We spotted a few duiker as we continued down to Hapoor, but each time they darted away very quickly. Hapoor itself was deserted but in the distance in the open areas we saw a few springhares which are always fun to see.

The tar road back from Hapoor was very unproductive, and only as we approached Nzipondo Loop did we get lucky again with a bat-eared fox who rather quickly ran away

Nzipondo Loop turned out to be a really great last section of the drive as we were first treated to a couple of black-backed jackal pups, then a fiery-necked nightjar, and nearer the end of the loop a unicorn

But the best part was in the middle of the loop where we (well actually it was H and Granny) spotted some mysterious eyes that would be a complete first for us... There was some initial confusion from within the game drive vehicle with some people thinking it was an owl, others saying it was a serval, before I managed to get something of it in my viewfinder and it was clearly a black-footed cat



It stayed in the light for just a few seconds, so I didn't end up managing to focus on it quite right... but still a proof shot

We were all thrilled to end off the day with such a fantastic array of sightings on the night drive. But the black-footed cat was seriously special and potentially a once-in-a-lifetime sighting

Our final day in the park dawned bright and clear. The kids wanted to check out Gorah Loop again and fortunately the bat-eared foxes were out again





We had a great time watching the youngsters with their boundless energy... the poor parents looked exhausted

https://youtu.be/WPaP3Xhmkzo


TBC

[Lisbeth]

Lucky again with the batties Those cubs are so full of energy

A black-footed cat That's a rare sighting How far away were you?

Even the snake looks green in the second shot

[Pumbaa]

Incredible sighting of the black-footed cat, PJL,

and still amazing lion shots - Great that you had such a luck with them and even so close

Love also the ellie and bufallo shots

[Richprins]

You really are a lucky fellow, Peej!

I still can't get over the grand old-style cable fences there!

That boy looks a bit skinny...you must say if you need food money?

My favourite is the snake!

[Mel]

A black-footed cat goes



What a super rare sighting!!! Now you must have (almost) seen it all in Addo. Incredible!

Love those BEFs too

[Flutterby]

The black-footed cat must be a once-in-a-lifetime sighting!!

[PJL]

Lucky again with the batties Those cubs are so full of energy

A black-footed cat That's a rare sighting How far away were you?

Even the snake looks green in the second shot

I think we were about 50 to 100m away from the cat... it's rather hard to tell at night time

Incredible sighting of the black-footed cat, PJL,

and still amazing lion shots - Great that you had such a luck with them and even so close

Love also the ellie and bufallo shots

Thank you Pumbaa, we had a lot of luck that day

You really are a lucky fellow, Peej!

I still can't get over the grand old-style cable fences there!

That boy looks a bit skinny...you must say if you need food money?

My favourite is the snake!

Food would be good RP... Western Union??
He's at that age where his body seems to be growing at different rates
The fences are a mix of tram lines, poles and cable-car type cabling... first to really keep the ellies in the park

A black-footed cat goes



What a super rare sighting!!! Now you must have (almost) seen it all in Addo. Incredible!

Love those BEFs too

Thanks Mel, yes we probably have seen almost everything you could possibly find in the park... just porcupine, genet, honey badger & striped polecat to go I think

The black-footed cat must be a once-in-a-lifetime sighting!!

I think so Flutts!
Although I know that they do get seen from time to time on the plains up by Gorah Camp. A friend of mine is the FGSA assessor around here, and when he takes guides on foot as part of their assessments they sometimes startle one out a hole up there

[PJL]

After enjoying the BEF pups antics we found Gorah loop rather quiet until the way back down when we came across a healthy looking jackal



The meerkat pups were back out in the same place, but we found interesting birds in the area including a Denhams Bustard, Amur Falcon and White Storks







We popped up to Zuurkop to enjoy the fantastic views and then trundled down to Hapoor where it was very quiet. On the way back we pulled in at Rooidam and our luck continued with a hyena in the water







They always seem to have a check under the water to see if they left any snacks there that they forgot about





After the bath we were able to follow it for quite a while - rather than going to the den area close to the dam that we know about it headed further along and crossed the road in front of us before disappearing








After packing up the trailer we enjoyed a leisurely drive south through the park before returning home. There were plenty of regulars around, but I only got my camera out for something of a surprise at Hapoor - another bat-eared fox! This time right in the middle of the day (and looking a bit mangey to be honest). Still a nice way to end off the trip




Thanks to those of you who followed along and/or commented... hope you enjoyed what we thought was quite a vast array of sightings for just a few days in the park

[Lisbeth]

Lovely birds

Another BEF

You almost always have great sightings in Addo, but this time was extra brilliant Thanks a lot for sharing Makes me want to go back