Namibia photo safari day 15

Day 15

 Above: Our last day before heading towards the airport. A final stop at a game lodge was rather rewarding for the camera. A couple hippo’s having fun.

 Above: The red bishop was caught in flight.

 Above: Seems like the post it was sitting on was too hot for both feet.

Above: A nice bull as it started raining.

 Above: Some curious giraffe.

Above: Another buffalo close to the vehicle.

 Above: Some red hartebeest on the horizon. Soon after the picture was taken it started raining and we had to head back.

 Above: Just before arriving at base camp we sprung the red lechwe and common reedbuck.

Thank you for following our trip. I trust you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Day 14

We left the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and started heading East. In fact we kept on heading East for all along the Botswana border most of the day and ended up at the Molopo Game Reserve. The camping site was more than adequate for an overnight stay. Unfortunately the largest carnivores in the park are cheetah and brown hyena of which we saw none. During the afternoon we did not see a whole lot but according to the tracks there must be more animals than we saw.

 Above: In the Molopo Game Reserve we saw a number of familiar faces so in stead we took pictures of the road signs.

Above: Another interesting road sign.

 Above: The first time I had a camera handy when I saw a cuckoo.

Above: The first warthog we saw in a number of days. Almost felt like being at home.

Above: Tail up and away he goes!

Tomorrow is our last day on this wonderful safari. Please come back again to see the last few great moments of this safari.

Day 13

 Above: Still too early for the raptors to ride the heat waves properly. With the heat we experienced I’m sure they would have been able to fly to China before lunch was done.

 Above: This tortoise was chewing on something that looked like dirt.

 Above: Our first unicorn.

Above: A fantail squirrel posed for the picture. Possibly they get fed whenever they stand up like that.

Above: A family of lionesses with their young one being the laziest. She was yawning to the extent that I started yawning. This was about 5 yards from the truck. With such a large open mouth I was immediately inclined to think it was a young female cub.

 Above: Just more than a mile down the road we came across a female cheetah and her cub resting up in the shade of a camel thorn tree. They had just finished a meal of springbok rump and were in no hurry to go anywhere. Another female cub perhaps?

Above: Mother of the cub; an old battle horse judging by the torn ear and the scar on her right front flank. Hope she gives birth to many more cubs before she moves on to the proverbial happy hunting grounds. Again this was about 5 yards from the truck.

We are systematically working our way out of the park. Please join us again tomorrow for our final few hours in the park.

Day 11

Today we saw much of the same, hence the few pictures.

Above: Look at the horns on the cow on the right.

 Above: This springbok was too hot to move an inch.

 Above: Kalahari chicken on steroids.

Above: An inquisitive eagle.

Tomorrow is our last full day in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It was a great day for picture taking. Please revisit tomorrow!

Day 11

Above: It was so close. The truck just missed him!

Above: The gemsbok on the hillside had a peculiar crooked horn.

Above: The black korhaan. They were immensely vocal, possible due to a number of young ladies in the vicinity.

Above: Our unfenced, solitary camp for the night. Situated only about 54 km’s (about 32 miles) from our previous camp, it took the better part of almost 5 hours to get there due to the condition of the road. It was 4-wheel driving most of the way and we only got slightly stuck twice. What a drive. I slept with the cabin door open and at about 1:30 am my eye caught movement right outside the cabin area. I got up quickly and in the moonlight with the binocular saw the lioness walking to the water. In daylight I saw her tracks about 6 yards from where I was in bed. She must have thought I was old and tough meat. Well she was partly correct.

 Above: Sunset in the Kalahari Desert with some promising sign of rain.

Above: Earlier during the evening the camp manager called to come and see the brown hyena drinking at the waterhole at his house. I snuck up to about 10 yards from him and took a few pictures of him. The manager then went on to tell us that 3 days prior, this old boy walked right into a pride of lions. The lions took exception and managed to rough up the hyena to the extent that we could clearly see he was not doing well at all. Is another slow, painful death in the wild still better than a well-placed shot?

We are nearing the end of our Kgalagadi trip. Is there still something else to see? What a great next day

Day 10

Above: A view from one of the hides set up at the rest camps. Early morning and we were rewarded by a lioness and her male companion visiting the water hole. The previous evening we were roared out of our tents by a lion, not 40 yards from the fence. Nothing a Scotch on the rocks could not heal.

Above: When the lion and lioness left the water, most of the other game was eager not to be close to where the lions were. However, these two lovebirds were not interested in eating. Seen here must be the Fast Food Menu of the day!

Above: So many jackal and so no rifles. I still fell guilty not trying to eliminate at least one.

Above: Some unruly wildebeest came in for an early drink soon after the lions left.

Above: Last one to leave was in a hurry.

Above: Then we saw why the wildebeest was feeling uneasy. The lions returned for a second round of drinks.

Above: Springbok (and other animals) can and will go down on their front legs to reach the water.

 Above: A lone blue headed lizard soaking up the early morning sun.

 Above: The sociable weaver that is responsible for those huge nests. When fully erect it’s no taller than a Castle can.

 Above: The white faced owl was more than I could resist. I had to take his picture. He was trying harder to look at me than I was trying to focus on him.

We are still spending a couple nights in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park and have quite a bit to see. Read in tomorrow’s posting about the lioness walking past my unfenced hut, and the great stalk on a brown hyena.

Day 9

 Above: A Cape turtle dove awaiting daylight so he can find some food.

Above: The fence separating the camping area from the wilderness area. The wildebeest was rather intrigued by the spectator; or is it the other way round?

 Above: This fellow came walking down the road as if he did not even notice us. He walked right past my open window about 4 yards from the camera. What a great picture taking moment.

Above: Spending 3 – 4 hours driving where you may not get out of your vehicle, visiting a lone restroom facility is a highlight on the daily calender. However, nobody was feeling the urge to use the restroom. See the following picture also.

Above: She was one of three looking for a cool place and was of no mind to allow anyone to enter the facility.

Above: The ever present vulture. Perhaps he was waiting for someone to use the restroom?

Above: One of a number of Kori Bustad we came across. This is our largest flying bird and can weigh up to 50 lbs.

Who knows what tomorrow has in store for us? Please revisit and experience what we saw!

Day 8

Above: Still inside Namibia but on our way to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. The park is jointly run by South Africa and Botswana. Either way, you need to have your passport stamped if you wish to go to the Botswana side legally.

 Above: Entering back into South Africa directly into the park at the Mata Mata border post.

Above: One of the first animals we saw on the first game drive. There were at least 8 lions spread out over a couple acres resting up in whatever shade that was available. They were feeding on a giraffe close to a water hole and had to frequently visit the water hole. They were uncomfortably full and had turns according to seniority feeding again and again.

 Above: This lion was extremely thin. Obviously in ill health and way down the hirarchy it managed a few bites to eat. Is it OK to leave him to die a slow natural death, most likely being ripped apart by spotted hyenas, or can we euthanase him? I hope some bunny hugger reads this and responds.

Above: A very nervous secretary bird visited the water. If a lion was as close to me as it was to the bird, I would also be very nervous indeed.

 Above: The sick lion walked right from the water towards us (we were in the available shade) and lay down not 10 yards from our truck. I cannot publish some of the pictures I took of him as it somehow makes me feel uneasy to intrude on his bad luck.

 Above: This is not sunrise: this is a picture of the full moon rising over our enclosed camp.

Please return for some really great nature pictures over the next few days

Day 7

 Above: Sunrise from the camping venue. A sunrise like this never fails to impress.

Above: A yellow mongoose came running past my bed. Fortunately the camera was close at hand and even more fortunate, my bed was not on top of its burrow.

Above: In the remote and desolate areas you NEVER pass a stranded person. The owner of the vehicle has never had a flat with his truck so was not amused when the tire lever did not match the nuts on the wheel. From our toolbox we were able to find the correct size wrench to loosen the wheel nuts. Well, they mostly watched and seeing that the tracker was not there I had to assume responsibility for changing the wheel. Also, the jack the old man had was not in a working condition!

Above: Getting ready to remove the flat.

Above: Our vehicle.

Above: In the late afternoon we managed to sneak a game viewing session in the hope of seeing some newly introduced black rhino’s. Closest we came to seeing the rhino’s was some really old dung.

Tomorrow we head out for the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, jointly run by South Africa and Botswana, spanning both countries. Please revisit to see what we saw!

Day 6

 Above: Sunrise in the Namib desert. What a sight it was. The hot air balloon and the gemsbok in the center made it picture perfect. Of course I forgot to recharge the camera battery the night before so my pictures for the day were extremely limited. That was an important lesson learned.

Above: We had to be at the sand dunes early ensure it was not too hot before we reached the summit of the dune we were aiming to conquer. We decided to head for the one on the left. It was halfway up that I had to engage 4-wheel drive in my shoes.

Above: Just about there.

Above: Looking back at some of the really big dunes in the vicinity. Of course I was unhappy about us having to scale a mole hill when the big one was there to climb….. (Yeah right).

Above: Follow the tracks and off to the left. One of the team can be seen for scale. Majestic is all I can say.

Above: Just a panoramic view.

Above: The biggest dune in the area. Contrary to popular belief I was immensely pleased at not having to have seen the top of that dune.

Tomorrow we start our way to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. Only a couple more days to go before we start seeing wildlife in large quantities.