Table for One - my first solo safari

[Dewi]

Hey Sis!



A very peculiar Tawny

This is a juvenile tawny in it's first moult. The fresh tawny coloured feathers around the head look very different to the pale, washed out feathering on the body.

[nan]

No wathogs in KTP

yes there is

Cheetahs and Cheetahs and Cheetahs.... and those I saw earlier in the year

and Egyptian Geese
and Miera, for long time I didn't see this Leopardess
and Falcon, and Buzzard

I don't know why I enumerate all that... I love all of them

love the Doves

[Lisbeth]

Sorry, there are warthogs in KTP and Nan had one in her TT

[Flutterby]

Love the pic of the Tawny and great cheetah sighting!! Do you think those people were lying to you about just watching gemsbok or had they not seen the cheetah?

[Mel]

Quite exciting days with Miera - even if only briefly -, the hyena AND of course the Top Cat Gang
Especially when you found them all for yourself the next morning You certainly hang around to get
them from all sides

The lanner... grossssss But I love that special tawny! Only saw two in that kind of plumage so far.

[Pumbaa]

What an incredible cheetah sighting, ExFmem,

and even so close plus leopard and so many different raptors

[ExFmem]

Alf - Thanks, they're very handsome fellows - sort of like you.

Dewi - thanks for the comments

Sis - thanks for the sweet comments, and for changing from Top Hat, to Top Cat Gang. I only realized this entry when I was IDing these fellas that I got it wrong all along. Will have to edit prev. entries.

nan - yep, we share the same love (I think there's a French term for that)

Flutts - the "gemsbok lookers" were in the AM, and the cheetah/gemsbok takedown was in the PM of the same day, but both had 5 - 6 cars pulled over when I passed

Pumbaa - thank you for taking the time to comment - always appreciated

Mel - Yep, I tried to get both sides of each cheetah, as well as their faces, to aid in my ID attempts….the frustration w/ same gave me an idea…

[ExFmem]

Which side of a cheetah has the most spots? THE OUTSIDE!

Therein lies the problem. But this subject is no joking matter! Cheetahs have WAY too many spots. Far more than they need, and definitely more than their fair share. Pure greed. There are only so many spots available in the Universe to decorate animal pelts. The cheetah adorners have a virtual monopoly. Give it a rest.

It's not just a matter of avarice, but also Style. Other than first graders, nerds, Barney Fife, and Minnie Mouse, no one wears polka dot apparel anymore. And spotted animal prints are totally outdated and campy unless you are a hooker, a cougar, a film noir vamp, or Richard Simmons.

Sometimes when it comes to fashion, less is more. This is one of those times.

Trying to align cheetah spots is far more difficult than it needs to be. This is a problem in desperate need of a solution, so here's mine:

Make the next batch of cheetahs with fewer spots, Say, four - total. They don't have to all be on the same side. I'm flexible. You can strew them about willy-nilly. It would make identifications so much faster, to state the obvious.



With all the spots left over, not hoarded by the greedy Cheetah Decorator Cartels, there would be plenty to share. Perhaps, for example, with elephants. Not only would the cheetahs be easier to identify, but so would the Big Tuskers. A win-win situation.



If anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears.

Okay, on to a few bugs. Auchterlonie picnic site has some beautiful Yellow Cat-whisker wild flowers that teeny tiny flies are attracted to, so I spent some time with them.







Bubble blower





TweeRiv. also produced a few misc. insects -

Thread-waisted Wasp



Fruit Fly (?)



My favorite ant - the Balbyter (common name)



Some kind of fly (no, that's not its common name, nor its scientific one)

[Lisbeth]

Comments on the spots: Mel will certainly agree, to a certain extent

The insects are absolutely ....... Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

[Mel]

ExFmem... Spot on! I'm totally with you Would make my life so easy if the cheetahs had less spots. But then again... they do not look that pretty anymore if they have to give up most of their spots

Your macro photography is brilliant as usual! One might even consider to take up "insecting" when looking at your photos. The creepies look rather pretty the way you put them on display.