KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

ExFmem
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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

Post by ExFmem »

Alf, RP ( -O- -O- bee-eaters are in everyone's TTs from Kalahari), Sis (I always try to photograph the dust storms when they arrive, but it's tricky sometimes :-) ), Klipspringer (I also like the Mousebird in the flowers - I haven't seen very many of them in KTP, and just this trip noticed how they hang from their tippy toes on limbs like clinging to a window ledge lol ), Pumbaa, and Flutts - thanks for the encouraging words. You're all such troopers ^Q^ ^Q^


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

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A few more sightings from our days at TweeR:


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Another lion with a quickly exiting audience

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Unlike yesterday, the Caracal was in hunting mode this morning. We didn't have a very good viewing spot this time, coming out of TweeR rather than the closer KK, but I did manage a couple pics:

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It ate the Sandgrouse hidden in a depression by the waterhole, so all we saw was the leftovers clinging to its face after it was done.


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We drove on up to Melkvlei and encountered this Brown Hyena with some nasty looking wounds on its throat.


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Another of the ubiquitous lions in that area this year:

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There was a pair of Rock Martins settled on the roof just outside the restaurant where we ate the last night:

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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

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Next stop - Kalahari Tented Camp


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We took a morning drive to KijKij before returning to pack up and drive to KTC. Around Rooiputs we had our second cheetah sighting.


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We also saw a lone cheetah up on the dune, but was in the grasses and was not able to be ID'd due to poor quality pics, so won't bother to post here.

On our drive up the Auob we had yet a third cheetah sighting of the morning.

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Don't want the lowly birds to feel left out here…

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In addition to our 3 cheetahs, we finally saw our first leopard of this trip (10 days in)

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We stayed in a DT2 this time instead of the Honeymoon Tent where we usually stay, and were perfectly happy with it.


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They did not disappoint... :-0


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

Post by Pumbaa »

WoW ExFmem,

you obviously got it all - Lion in the best light, Leopard and cheetahs, caracal and not to forget the birds especially the red necked falcon is making me :-0 and simply love the springboks in a row ^Q^


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

Post by Flutterby »

Wow, you had great sightings! :shock:

Amazing pics of the caracal and falcon! ^Q^ ^Q^


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

Post by Richprins »

What luck, Ex! ^Q^ ^Q^

I love the leopard in the tree and the falcon shots! [O]

Looks like a deceased ground squirrel...

Jackals mate for life, theoretically! 0/0


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

Post by Lisbeth »

Cheetahs x 3 and on top a leopard O\/ O\/

The jackals are so sweet 0/0

Great pics of the red-necked falcons ^Q^ ^Q^


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

Post by Mel »

I echo your sentiments about the "weird" sightings during the respective periods we visited the KTP :no:
Although, we did get to see lion cubs. Tiny ones at that. I think, you stayed too early at Kieliekrankie and they hadn't been introduced to the pride yet, but we (and a lot of other people) found them on the Lower Dune Road at Tierkop. I saw a lot of posts on the book of faces of them which showed that they must have been there over quite some time. And I think, that a second lioness of that particular pride had been pregnant too and brought her cubs to the pride after we had seen them.

But honestly, I think the caracal was much more spectacular than that. It's not often that one gets to see such a critter so often and even as confident and not shy of cars and people like that individual. :-0

Also, I'm very :-0 of your bee-eater sighting. I've been looking for them up and down whenever we went up north, but couldn't find any nesting there next to the road :O^


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

Post by ExFmem »

(Note:Just to clear up some confusion here, being the superb birder that I am, the "Have/Have Not" bird is a Lanner Falcon. It's the collage before that where the Red-necked Falcon is shown and titled as such.)

Pumbaa, Flutts, RP, Sis, and Mel - THANK YOU all. I enjoy reading all of your comments and observations. :ty: :ty:


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Re: KALAHARI CAPTURES - Sept./Oct. 2019

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Enjoying our first evening in the tented camp, we were relaxing with a glass of wine, watching the affectionate jackal couple. As the sun began to set, the jackals started peering into one of the nearby burrows, raising our curiosity.


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Suddenly, up popped the tiniest little pup we've ever seen!!


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It slowly ventured a bit further out of the hole, under mom and dad's watchful eyes, and TLC.


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The pup soon retreated back into the safety of its shelter, and we toasted this wonderful, and very unexpected sighting, from our front row seats.


The next day was very, very quiet with just a couple of shots of some gemsbok (there certainly seemed to be more gemsbok youngsters than we've seen before), a drinking ostrich, and misc. birds.


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