Cats Can Fly *

[Sharifa]

Thank you Dewi, Heksie, nan, Mel and Lisbeth

We drove on to Mata Mata and at the Camp we saw these yellow mongooses







In September 1990, 18 giraffe from Etosha National Park were relocated to the KTP and kept in a boma in the Mata Mata area for eight years. The three bulls and five cows were released into the Park in 1998. Since then the population has been supplemented by an addition of two sub-adult bulls from Vaalbos National Park in July 2003. They too were originally from Etosha. They have adapted very well to the Kalahari habitat and feed mainly on the Arcacia species, such as the Black Thorn and Grey Camelthorn. This is a success story as we had 17 vist us at the Urikaruus waterhole and saw a large group also as far south as Rooibrak.







A Cape Fox near Rooibrak

[Sharifa]

Thank you Mel, nan, Dewi, Heksie, Lisbeth, pooky, Wanda, mposthumus, Richprins and Bushcraft

@ pooky - lucky for us the temperature went up to about 25 during the day

@ Dewi - that is a good idea. Love to see lions yawning pics too

I am currently reading "Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens" and can well relate to your TT and beautiful pictures

Thanks for sharing Sharifa

They are an amazing couple

@ RP - you are welcome

[Sharifa]

01-08-2013

We still had a night at Urikaruus and we decided to drive south today. The gate times now changed and we could leave Camp at 7am instead of 7.30am. The temperature again started out at 0° C and peaked at 25° C. later in the afternoon.

The day started with gemsbok at sunrise which was only at 7.29 am.


Springbok jousting


Giraffe




At Houmoed, we saw this male lion sleeping on the top of the dune. He was all cuddled up, trying very hard to keep warm.







A crimson-breasted Shrike. Saw a few of these as well but just not possible to get a photo easily.



Our afternoon drive was to Dalkeith Waterhole and we were rewarded with a Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, not too many of them around this trip.


and a pygmy Falcon


That evening we were visited by none other than Charlie Fax

[Flutterby]

Just read this TT from the beginning...what amazing sightings and pics!! Seleka is beautiful. How do you know that particular fox is Charlie Fax?

[Mel]

Charlie Fax is the resident cape fox at Uri, Flutts. Someone gave her the name Charlie,
I think, it was one of the camp assistants and by a typo it became Fax instead of Fox. -O

[Sharifa]

Thank you Mel, nan, Dewi, Lisbeth, Richprins, Bushcraft, pooky and Flutterby

02-08-2013


We were on to the next stop in our iternery, three nights in Nossob. The temperature started out at -2° C brrr and peaked at 24° C.
First up two Gabar Goshawks


Just before Kamqua we saw a young male lion.



At Rooibrak a hyena and her cub were on the run







Slender mongoose warming up and getting ready to start the day




The dune road was quiet and just before Eland Waterhole as I was getting bored and sleepy. Suddenly I wide awake! We spotted a honey badger in a tree. He was very agile and very fast. He was in the tree when we saw him and climbed down before we could settle down to get good photos. He was trying to raid a sociable weavers nest with a Pale Chanting Goshawk waiting for titbits.







Then on to the Nossob side.
We missed a leopard by a few minutes at Cheleka Waterhole and instead we got ostrich, gemsbok and wildebeest -O

[Sharifa]

03-08-2013.

For some reason I thought the temperature would be warmer on the Nossob side but it started off at -2° and reached a high of 25°. This morning we drove down to Cheleka Waterhole and as we scanned the area we saw a honey badger on the dune with a jackal in tow.





and also a Pale Chanting Goshawk waiting on the tree. Like I said they must improve their strategy


the honey badger had a youngster to feed as well



Back at Camp we found a White-faced Scops Owl in one of the trees. Unfortunately there was an idiot trying to shake him out of the tree so that he could get an action shot. Grrrrr





The afternoon drive took us to Marie se Gat and on the return drive, a mating pair of lions.







A common fiscal shrike. Most birds in the arid central and north- western regions have white eyebrows.


A spotted flycatcher


A glossy Starling

[Dewi]

Wow, Honey Badger and a youngster.

Love the Owl pics.

Agree that the Fiscals there look quite different to the ones further South.

The "Flycatcher" pic is a Familiar Chat. (No streaks on the breast/flanks and rufous behind/under the eye and on the wing & flanks).

[Sharifa]

04-08-2013

We went south in the morning and another Martial Eagle





At Rooikop our first Gymnogene sighting in the KTP





There were two juveniles but one flew away. The rest of the morning was very quiet.

That afternoon we decided to drive north and as we approached Kwang we saw lion cubs heading from the waterhole across the road - seems we had just missed the
action







they settled down amongst the shrubs and then we could pick up two male lions too







TBC...........

[Sharifa]

One of the Males decided it is time for a drink and slowly made his way to the waterhole









A car was between us and the waterhole and I told the driver to move. He said we in the best spot, and alerted me to the cubs looking at the male



and said that the pride will be coming on to the road. Slowly they started emerging . There were 3 males, 4 females and 4 cubs

A word about the cubs. We saw 4 very tiny cubs in November last year between Kwang and Bedinkt. They were in the open and on their own while the parents were 7 km away at Kwang waterhole and we wondered if they would survive. Seems like they are the same cubs and doing very well . Below a photo from November last year