Kgalagadi (2) Birds

Being interested in birds, makes the Kgalagadi experience a lot more exciting...

It seems that a lot of visitors do not know that stopping to watch these birds, can make the whole Kgalagadi experience much more interesting than just looking for animals.

By keeping an eye on this vulture, I was lucky and prepared to capture it when it decided it was time to take off.  From the time we saw it near a waterhole to the time it set off was about one hour...

The Pygmy Falcon, being about 18 cm in length, can easily being missed while driving and looking for animals. This morning we were fortunate to spot about three of them at two different locations, actually hunting. Sitting on the branches, looking for prey, and then suddenly taking off.  The car must be parked in such a way that one can manouver the camera into the air, and then one must be prepared to predict and wait for it to take off if you are keen to capture a "bird in flight" picture. On this occasion this picture was my best - I should go back to the Kgalagadi and try again next time!

One of the favourites for the keen photographers in the park, is the Lanner Falcon - they hunt from perches like these, other birds like doves, etc especially at waterholes. To catch these birds in action can be a fulltime affair because of their speed!

I worked a bit on the background of this picture to remove a manmade structure for pumping water to a waterhole in the park

This White-faced Scops Owl is a local resident of the Mata-Mata Campsite, which we found one evening when entering camp and seeing other people's interested in a tree!

...and just after stopping at our own campsite, my attention was directed to an unfamiliar sound in the tree above our campsite - just in time to capture this little Pearl Spotted Owl, also a local resident of the camp. It about 10-14cm in size.

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Kgalagadi (4) Cheetas

Cheetas normally have to hunt every day. Big Springbuck groups are usually ideal for their daily needs

This happy Springbuck made it thus far without being eaten! This beautiful species is also the inspiration to the name  of South Africa's national Rugby Team, named the Springbucks...

When springbuck (plus a Red hartebeest) get a sniff of a predator, they get easily spooked and start running for their lives.

On our drives through the park, we usually have a good look at these antelopes, because they are always on the lookout for possible danger, and one can be able to predict the vicinity of a predator just by watching their behaviour. That, together with taking note of the wind direction, bushes ideal for ambushes etc, binoculars in hand, can make a memorable story of suspence and excitement in trying to locate a possible scene of a cheeta hunt.

It is possible that when you get an idea that you may be on to something, such a scene can take up your whole day as you sit in anticipation on whether the cheetas are going to strike successfully, or whether the springbuck are going to sniff them out before they strike, or even outrun them when they start chasing.  As a photographer your dream is to catch a cheeta chase and catch on camera, thus trying to predict where what is going to happen, and trying to manouver your vehicle in such a position as to be in the perfect spot for when it happens if it happens! If it was all that easy, then one would have seen a lot of pictures with this sort of action!

 So, after about eleven days in the park, we was unfortunate to miss this chasing and catching episode, but about fifteen minutes after the episode, we could still get some pictures of the cheeta- activity around this unfortunate springbuck.

After this mother and her three young ones filled up their bellies at the scene of the catch, she decided that it was time to move the carcass to the shade.

It was so beautiful to read her actions! First deciding on what tree, she then started to drag the remains in the specific direction of a certain tree, the cubs following her...

 After a about 50 meters of the 70 to go, she let the cubs take over and do the rest of the dragging - clearly still teaching them how things are done in cheetaworld.

Typically after an incident like this, the jackals (about ten of them on this occasion) go for the scraps etc. that are left behind the dragged carcass.  They fight their fiercest fights with each other, trying to get hold of as much as they can.

While the cheetas are resting under the tree, they are still eating what they can from the carcass, with the jackals now starting to pester them and trying to steal from the carcass - there is not a lot of love lost between cheetas and jackals!

Every now and then one of the cheetas are trying to get hold of a pestering jackal -

After two hours watching these cheetas  from a distance of about a hundred meters, we were alone. All other vehicles disappeared after the first excitement. Remember that one are not allowed to leave your vehicle in the park, except at certain designated spots. Our patience paid off when they decided that they had enough, got up, leaving the carcass now to the jackals, and started walking away in a direction that made it possible to take some pictures of them

They were covered with grass from the shady area underneath the tree.

We got our cheeta episode for this time round in the Kgalagadi - we were satisfied and contempt that we witnessed another wonderful and unique sighting - the reason why our next visit to the Kgalagadi is booked already!
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Kgalagadi (3) Predators!

As prevouisly said, Lion and Cheeta are high on the satisfaction list while visiting the Kgalagadi...

Lions are very active at night. We usually catch them early in the mornings, winding down from their nightly activities, drinking water, and then......sleeping! Lots of visitors gets only this! Sleeping lions, occasionaly roling over, lifting their heads, roling over, and lying around the whole day!

But then you get lucky and find them while still a bit active early mornings!

The camera then works overtime in an effort to snap a unique picture of a lion doing something more than sleeping or strolling!

These majestic animals do not know anything about fear! I think that is why we humans can't get enough of them. They just own the space they are living in! Every animal, - and human - respect them as they control the atmosphere for kilometres around them!

Highly attentive to make sure he knows who or what we are on arriving at the scene

A Close-up of what we assume the dominant male and his brother, cleaning each other and showing some affection early in the morning.

What a moment! Standing 10 meters from us, roaring his heart out! And his brother, walking the other way behind our vehicle, and about 20 meters from us, also roaring, answering each other! Shall we call it "Stereo Roaring!" What an experience!

A last look in the direction in which his tribe mate disappeared - although they do not see each other any more, we can be assured that they know exactly about each other's whereabouts. Just one roar and they can start communicate over a distance of  kilometres!

 While walking off to get some sleep, still telling the world and whoever wants to listen that the king of this area is now officially here!

  This same male was sleeping the whole day since 7:00, and then came down for a drink at around 17:00. He returned to his sleeping place, went on sleeping. Being full in the belly, he would be interested in hunting again in about three day's time!

The early morning scene of another tribe...on another morning in the Kgalagadi..

Having heard them roar early in the morning, driving to go and have a look - an antelope on a hill gave us a clue of where to look - and there a whole pride of two males and two lionesses was coming out of the night into the early morning, satisfied with themselves after a successful hunt somewhere the night before.

 

 

After drinking and reuniting with one lioness and two cubs, the pride rested for the rest of the day on a sand dune not far from the water hole.

 

We were satisfied that we saw our lions!

 

Now, where would the cheetas be?

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (1)

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) is one of South Africa's Arid Parks, sharing with Botswana this big area for wildlife. My wife and I love to visit this place for its animal life, unfenced camps on the Botswana side, the relatively few visitors and therefore fewer traffic than for instance the other popular Kruger National Park.

 

 

For us it means a travel from Cape Town of about 1200km to get to the park, which we did for the sixth time during the past four years. Add to that the same distance back, plus at least 1000km driving in the park itself, which then amounts to about 20 000km's in the past four years.

In this place we really get to forget a bit of our day to day work and pressures of being always available on phones etc, and just to switch off and concentrate on looking for the way nature presents itself in a harsh but beautiful manner.

We usually get up very early and make sure we leave the camp at the time the gates open, and we stay on the roads or at water holes for the rest of the day, meaning about eleven hours per day in the car, until we get back to camp just before closing.

Being a hobbyist photographer, I am keen to find whatever is interesting and to try and capture that interesting animal, bird, or insect in the best possible way...

I actually prefer some action, and try to get a technically correct picture, whilst always open to learn from others on the best or better way to do it.

My wife Elaine enjoy planning the day in the car with al the foodstuff, and then to be the spotter of animals. I am driving, camera next to me on the passenger seat, and she sits at the back on the same side as me - thus being able to enjoy the same sightings as me, and being next to the cooler box on the other side of the seat.

We love to try and find the predators. Lions and cheetas are high on our list - while we try to read the language of the other animals, usually good indicators of whether the big guys are in the vicinity or not.

While being on the lookout for the adrenaline stuff, every other photo opportunity are taken!

It can sometimes take more than a day or two to get to a really exciting sighting - driving up and down, or sitting next to a water hole, waiting for nature to show us something, and also trying to read nature with our limited knowledge and experience of how this lovely place presents itself.

...until suddenly we get paid for our patience and perseverance with a sighting of lions, cubs, or cheetas chasing or eating! Usually lions roar through the night or early mornings, while we are still in camp. Part of the fun is then to try and locate the direction of the roaring sounds, and then driving in that direction, hoping to find the lions on their way or near a water hole, coming in to drink, after a night of hunting etc.

To be continued....