KTP 2024 - 27 Years Later...

[ExFmem]

Our first visit was back in 1998, 27 years ago, and it was love at first sight. That deep connection has only grown with every visit. Even though this trip was perhaps the slowest, sightings wise, we still thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance, the atmosphere, the serenity of its natural beauty, and the opportunity to unplug and totally disconnect from "civilization".






Since we were there about 4 1/2 weeks, our sightings did include some lovely encounters, so let's get started...

Our very first morning was COLD - 6 degrees C, and rainy. Br-r-r-r. Some of the animals didn't look too overjoyed about it either.

[ExFmem]

While the sightings were relatively few, we did have a a special encounter just north of Kij Kij.

[ExFmem]

The next day we moved to the Uri honeymoon tent for 2 nights. A curious sighting was this Martial Eagle eating a Kori Bustard. The pic is poor as it was so far away, but would the eagle have caught and killed the Kori, or did it more probably find it either hurt or already deceased?





We also visited the Uri overlook as there are sometimes plovers in the area. Sure enough, there was a family that had a small chick. (Come to think of it, I've never seen a giant chick.. .)














We did find a number of different animals with young ones this trip, which is always so heartwarming....

[harrys]

Wonderful start

[Lisbeth]

27 years is a lot of trips and you are still going back. Don't you want to try something new? Or are you going elsewhere during the rest of the year?

"Giant chick" made me think, but I have arrived at the same conclusion, that there aren't any

To be honest there are giant chicks when the cuckoo lays an egg in the nest of a small bird

[Richprins]

What a lovely beginning, Ex!

And congrats on such a long history with the Park!

Gorgeous photos as always, and a wide selection!

A leppie even!

Ja, that eagle on the Kori...shall I send it on to our bird expert for an opinion?

[nan]

thank you for one more TT of the Kgalagadi, who, like you said, is the most wonderful place

I love the baby Lapwing, I had few chicks too, many moons ago.
I too have a Kori Bustard eaten by a Tawny, in the road, so I think it was an "accident"

superb all

I'm waiting eagerly to see more

[ExFmem]

harrys - thanks for hopping aboard

"27 years is a lot of trips and you are still going back. Don't you want to try something new? Or are you going elsewhere during the rest of the year? "

Sis - having visited at least 24 other countries, including some in Africa, in my despicable serial killer bfly/insect collecting days , I can say the Kalahari is at the top of my list. My SO and I have travelled to a number of different areas of S.Africa over many years, which are exquisite, but the solitude of the KTP, combined with its wildlife, surpasses all the others by FAR. "Kalahari addicts" will understand its tug, pulling you back again and again.

RP- bird expert? I vote yes, would like to know if a ME can take down such big prey on its own. I may have another one for the expert this entry, maybe, maybe not.

nan-thanks so much. I have certainly enjoyed your many TTs over the years

[ExFmem]

I usually do nighttime macro photography at the Uri HM tent since it's enclosed, but it was too cold and windy this time, so it was a no-go. During the day I found this beauty on the wood enclosure:





A few misc. ones:






The "common" KTP game are still delightful to reconnect with each trip,


















as are the many bird species found there.

[ExFmem]

It seems this year some meerkats have chosen Mata Mata as their home, and they were as adorable as ever:


















There was also a Martial Eagle mom with her chick in a tree south of Mata Mata that was fun to watch for a peek of the growing little one.










One morning mom had returned from a successful hunting trip, and pulled off pieces of her catch (don't know what it was) to feed the chick.














One pic I took left me a bit baffled, as I don't think I had ever seen it before. I am well aware of nictitating membranes in bird's eyes as we all see them pretty regularly, but an eyelid that completely covers the eye, comes UP from the bottom of the eye, and is "feathered"? (It may well be common knowledge to most of you, but I had never even seen a picture of it before.)









I did some reading at home after the trip and found this info:

Since the eyelids of birds aren’t used in blinking we don’t get to see them very often.

In birds the eye is lubricated by the translucent nictitating membrane, sometimes called the third eyelid, that sweeps horizontally across the eye so their true eyelids usually remain open and unseen. When they’re sleeping the lower eyelid rises to cover the eye in most birds, with the exception of the horned owls whose upper eyelid is lowered.

Usually, when they’re performing activities that could potentially injure their eye, it’s their nictitating membrane that is temporarily closed but they’re capable of raising their lower eyelid instead. When that happens it can be disconcerting to the observer because it looks so unusual and we’re not used to seeing it.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/bl ... sons-hawk/