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Thank you, everyone! Glad you are not bored yet



Willem - don't underestimate the D7000. I took my star photos with the Canon 7D, and now shoot with a D3s and D7000 myself having gone over lock-stock-and-barrel to Nikon, and IMHO the D7000 has better high ISO performance than the 7D...obviously the D3s will now be my first choice for nocturnal photography, but I think the D7000 can rock it!

Thanks a lot, folks...shall we carry on?


Day 4 (part 2):Grootkolk to Union's End to Polentswa

So after we packed up all our stuff, we decided to head north and spend some time at Union's End before heading down to the Polentswa waterhole where we would meet our friends who were coming up from Urikaruus (it would take them a while).

I found out much later that one of my other acquaintances spent the entire morning with 2 beautiful male lions at Kousant and Polentswa and if I headed there immediately I could have joined him at that sighting... (well, you win some and lose some, eh? )

This Kori Bustard was pecking around at Geinab waterhole:



Some Red Hartebeests were playing around too...





Between Geinab and Union's End we came across a colony of Meerkats who were out foraging.







I loved watching their appointed sentry try to get a good vantage point to look out for danger. He first tried a low branch on a nearby camelthorn:



Pretty soon he upgraded to climing much higher in the tree - a much better vantage point I must say!





We sat for a while at Union's End, watching some laughing doves and namaqua sandgrouse come to drink, but little else. We headed down again and ended up at Polentswa without seeing much else as the heat was building up.

We parked under the large camelthorn and waited for our friends to arrive...



They arrived within 30minutes of us stopping there, so after quick greetings through the vehicle windows we were off as we had to get onto the Gharagab dune road ASAP...

Day 4 (part 3):Polentswa to Gharagab

We set off towards the north...

A herd of gemsbok watched us go by:



And we saw our first Kgalagadi Warthogs!



The meerkats near Geinab were still active...





We arrived at Union's End without much spectacular happening, and got onto the Gharagab dune road not that far past the waterhole. What a gorgeous stretch of road this is...taking you into the heart of unspoilt dune-veld...



What was that running away from us over a far dune?? Eland!



A goshawk was observing our every move as we slowly wound our way to Gharagab.



We arrived at Gharagab. It's really a haven for people looking for the tranquility of the Kalahari...with the huts overlooking and endless field of dunes and camelthorn trees.

This was the view from our hut over the waterhole:



We relaxed for the rest of the day...watching the sunset from the platform behind the chalets...



That night, after having a great braai under the stars, we noticed some movement by the waterhole...

Brown Hyena! Crappy photo but just as proof...



Even though the photo-opportunities weren't as great as on the first day, we still saw many cool things and a few "firsts" like warthogs, eland, meerkats, the brown hyena and the lanner falcon.

We slept like little babies...

Thank you Pumbaa, Micetta and Lion Queen...

Day 5 (part 1):Gharagab

Gharagab is such a great place for just 'chilling' . Relax and soak in the Kalahari.
This was my take on the sunrise this morning...





This is the view of the huts from the viewing platform behind the huts:




This jackal came closer to investigate us...



We made a nice breakfast and sat on our porches gazing over the dunes and the waterhole. By late morning this herd of Red Hartebeest who had been hanging back all morning felt the thirst and heat becoming too great and came for a drink.







Even the little ones had a drink...



And then something spooked them... and they took off...







It turned out to be nothing, and they were back for more water soon


A jackal also slaked his thirst...



There were some birds hanging around too. We saw a Lanner Falcon making a kill on a dove but it was way beyond the waterhole so no pictures to be made. This African Red-Eyed Bulbul came for a mugshot:



while a Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk watched from a nearby tree...



Later in the day another jackal came down for a drink. Loved the reflection here...



We spoke to someone while at Twee Rivieren who encountered 2 male lions here a few days earlier...we hoped they would show but so far, no luck...

...stay tuned...some sunset and starscape photos to come!

Glad to have some of my "long-lost" fellow travelers back on board

Day 5 (part 2):Gharagab

Here is the sunset from our 2nd day at Gharagab...



And - as promised - some more "starscapes"...





The effect of the floodlight on the waterhole was not ideal, but I wouldn't dare venture into the black Gharagab night in search of a different photo

Here is a shot of the Milky Way, processed so you can see how many stars and constellations the camera can capture that you don't see with the eye...



We slept great, and even heard some lions VERY far off...

Thanks again for following along, folks

Day 6 (part 1):Gharagab to Nossob

We woke to the sound of lions roaring far off...up to now we had been in the Park for 6 days without seeing any lions... What a shambles...maybe today would bring some luck??

Sunrise was nice - I knew I would miss the solitude of this place...



We were packed and ready to go as soon as we were allowed to, and we tackled the dune road back to Lijersdraai to take us to the Nossob riverbed.

These are some of our guests on the road:







As we got to the Nossob, we saw a Cape Cobra slither across the road and into a shrub...



There was evidence of some sort of kill in the road...kind of fresh...I was guessing cheetah taking down a Kori Bustard.





We got to Nossob without much further excitement, and started to set up camp. This would be our first camping stay of the trip.

We found out from some neighbours that there was a pride of lions passed out under a tree at Marie-se-gat...so guess where we were headed for our afternoon drive???

I was quite agitated myself!! Ask my SO



At least it's better than going from Punda Maria to Skukuza



Thanks Tobie. We are also going back in November - when will you be there?



I did a lengthy explanation of how I capture these nocturnal images a few pages back in this thread, OWN

Carrying on...

Day 6 (part 2):Nossob

We headed straight to Marie-se-gat in the hope of at last ticking off some Kalahari lions.

There they were, 2 males lying under the big tree in the middle of the clearing some way from the road!



There was also a female in the shrubs a bit to the right of the tree.



We sat for about 15 minutes, and then one of the males got up! Judging by his bulging belly he had fed well during the day and was now thirsty, making his way down to the waterhole. There were quite a few cars parked around the sighting so I decided to stay where I was and use the good vantage point we had.



I just love these black-maned Kalahari lions!









When he slaked his thirst he was out of view behind the bushes in front of our car...but he looked up for this portrait...



He walked back and flopped down next to the female in the bushes...out of sight. The other male had also gone over to her by now so no lions were visible at this point, save a ridge of a belly among the bushes.

We decided to stick around a bit and see if they would become more active around sunset.

This drongo flocked around the waterhole a bit:





About 40 minutes later there were some springbok approaching from the right and some gemsbok from the left...all grazing and oblivious to what was lying in the shrubbery!

Check this out - we thought we might see a kill! Even though the lions were well fed, they are opportunists and would not pass on the opportunity of quick and easy prey walking past them...

First the springbok from the right came dangerously close...but the lions showed no reaction or interest.



Then the gemsbok came VERY close

You could see they probably smelled them and knew something was not quite right...

Moments after it had passed the lioness sat up...and fell down again...but these photos should show you how close the antelope came to stepping on a lion.





A couple of laughing doves were spectators to this debacle...



We turned around with just enough time to spare to make it back to camp...satisfied to have seen our first lions of the trip, but wishing it could have been more considering how close the antelopes came to stepping on some lion toe...

I did a quick scout to see how Nossob would treat my night-time photography endeavours, and only came away with one decent image. Most of you should know this tree

Thanks for your kind words Michael, Anna Catherine and Bushbuddies.

Tobie - that's a pity But you must enjoy your trip nonetheless!

You must enjoy your trip as well, Michael, especially the Wilderness Camps! I have to resort to booking in the main camps now that we have a bambino to lug along


Day 7 (part 1):Nossob to Polentswa

We woke early and were 2nd out of the gate heading north. We wanted to go and look for those male lions my friend had heard about.

Right out of the gate there were some battling springboks...





The weaker one took off, with the aggressor giving chase.

Only when they started running did we see the spectacular scene to the left of our spot...



Golden morning light of the pristine quality that can only be found in the Kalahari was kissing a forest of ancient Camelthorn trees and filtering through their rugged branches to dapple the herd of springboks in a glorious bath of gold!





This was one of my favourite moments of the trip - purely because of that "Kalahari Mood"!

We soaked up the scene some more and headed north!

Welcome aboard, Richard!

About time we continued, don't you think??


Day 7 (part 2):Nossob to Polentswa (and back)

So we pressed on. The rest of the road was quiet, obviously we had hoped for lions...although we found fresh tracks near Kwang and also between Kousant and Polentswa, but no sign of the kitties...

Oryx/Gemsbok:



LBJ (a little help here? )



Polentswa was quiet, and we decided to hang around a bit at Kousant in hope of seeing those male lions...

The sandgrouse soon came to drink...









After a half-an-hour or so we decided to head back for some brunch and siesta.

These ostriches watched us pass...



Somewhere on the way back to Nossob we came across this irresponsible person with his daughter riding on the roof rack. To my shame I have to say I neglected to report this to the Nossob office upon our return to camp - maybe it was just too hot and my mind was wandering...only came across it now when processing the photos.

Thanks again folks!


Day 7 (part 3):Marie-se-gat and Cubitje Quap

So after our siesta time that afternoon, we decided to head around to Marie-se-gat again, and ended up driving the entire Marie-se-draai road.

There was a whitebacked vulture nest past the waterhole...



And this jackal was curious about our presence...



A lone kudu was standing where the lions were lying the previous afternoon:



It was quiet, so we headed back north and decided to see if we had better luck at Cubitje Quap. None. Nada. Deathly quiet. Still nice to be in the Kalahari on a late afternoon, rather than packing up at the office

On the way back to camp we came across a steenbok:





And this springbok right next to the road. I liked how the setting sun caught the dunes on the far side...



We got back to camp and proceeded to start with dinner.

Stay tuned for some shots of the Milky Way as seen from Nossob!

Thanks

As promised - some shots from my shooting that night. There aren't that many trees in the camp to use as foreground elements that are in ideal locations and far away from campsites etc.

I waited until the camp generator was down to reduce ambient light and be able to capture these:







The next morning we would have to leave to head on over to Mata-Mata...

Thank you so much everyone!



Thanks!

Since I realised how far behind with my TR's I am...and that I'm heading back to KTP in 2 weeks!

You are right - I think this was the same lion, even looks to have the same gait!

Day 8 (part 1):Nossob to Mata-Mata

We got up early and headed out to Marie-se-gat in search of some lions we heard roaring through the night.





There were lots of lion spoor around the parking area next to the waterhole, but no cats to be seen

This imbecile thought he could spot the lions by getting out of his car!



The usual doves were fluttering around the waterhole:



We hung around for a while, then drove back to Nossob to break up our campsite... ...knowing we would have to set it up again when we reached Mata-Mata!

On the way down to Dikbaardskolk, we came across a bunch of young Red Hartebeest play-fighting:





A quick body break was needed at Dikbaardskolk...with a visitor looking on!



The view at the top of the upper dune road was nostalgic to say the least...



We crossed the dunes without much to be seen. The road from Kamqua to Urikaruus was quiet...but a herd of Wildebeest were enjoying the mud at 13th Borehole!



"It's been a hard day's night, and I will lie down like a dog!"





We even spotted our first sighting on this trip of giraffa camelopardis!





Our last sighting before we reached Mata-Mata and started to set up camp was a herd of Gemsbok with a furious fight going on between 2 bulls!









...to be continued...

Thanks Willem!




Why, you flatter me LQ!




Thanks Jo...so we will meet each other again!


Day 8 (part 2):Mata-Mata afternoon drive

We set out for our afternoon drive, hoping for some excitement to end off the day...

First up: Mr Secretary



The road was relatively quiet, with a few Gemsbok lining the riverbed between Sitzas and Craig Lockheart.



We arrived at Craig Lockheart...and saw quite a few cars parked there. But there was nothing going on at the waterhole??

Then we looked up to the ridge of the far dune: LIONS
They were quite far, and there were cubs present too...





We waited a while to see if they would come down to drink, but eventually decided to head back so we can have a leisurely drive back to camp.

The setting sun painted the Kalahari in gold as is customary, and I tried to be creative with a few springboks...







A lone black-backed jackal was waiting for the fall of night, but having the best of both worlds by soaking up the setting sun...



As we crossed the last ridge at the curve of the Auob before you ascend to the Tented Camp turnoff, we came across a mini traffic jam. "Cheetahs!" they said, and pointed to the right down the dune. Apparently 2 male cheetahs had crossed the road and were now stalking some springboks down the dune.

These were the only shots I could manage. The light was gone and they were too far away...

The Stalk:


The Chase:


The Disappointment:


We were glad to have seen our first Kgalagadi cheetah hunt...and the next one can only be closer and in better light! (Always look on the bright side of your life...pa-dum, pa-dum-pa-dum-di-dum )

We got back to camp and proceeded to make a nice dinner: Biltong Potjie (a secret recipe of the friends of ours who were journeying with us...yummy!)

Little did we know that tomorrow would be an AMAZING day...

Thanks folks! The suspense won't last too long...


Day 9 (part 1):Mata-Mata to 13th Borehole and back

We got up early and made sure we were first out of the gate. Right before the Kalahari Tented Camp turnoff we saw a mini traffic jam - the folks who slept in KTC were obviously up early as well - with good reason...LIONS!! - 2 males on patrol.

We found out later that these 2 had spent the night among the huts in KTC and roared the residents awake frequently.

The older male was definitely "Old Badmouth" (we named him after our last trip), regent king of these parts for a while now (notice his busted jaw, many of you would know him). The younger one was presumably his protege who would take over the pride from him as the old man was looking a bit thinner than last time...





Old Badmouth walked up the dune and started scent-marking a bush...









Now, after this both lions disappeared over the ridge. Most of the tourists who had been watching them started their vehicles and pushed further south along the Auob, figuring they were gone.

I had observed the general direction they were going in, and looking back I realised that the road leading up the dune we were on turned perpendicular to their general direction at the crest of the dune as it lead back to Mata-Mata. We reversed and parked at a spot I had picked out. It wasn't 2 minutes until we spotted them coming along the ridge just out of sight of the piece of road everyone had watched them from! Trying to think like your subject and predict its behaviour goes a long way towards enjoyable game-viewing and successful photography...(that one's free! ).

We were alone with them now, though a couple of other folks would eventually join behind us.







The younger one was always a few steps behind, shadowing his mentor...



Old Badmouth then veered to the left and came directly towards our vehicle!



He actually rubbed against our vehicle at the back, scent-marking it and then proceeded to the other side of the road.



The younger one walked by in front of our vehicle...



I was so excited with this sighting that I buggered up more photos than I got right ("cut off" the tails etc when composing! )...

They both then lied down on the opposite side of the road for a while.



Eventually, after a bit of grooming they got up and proceeded down this dune, up the opposite ridge and eventually out of sight...





... now if you think this was all I was referring to when I said this was an "amazing" day, you are mistaken...watch this space!

Thanks a lot for following along, everyone!!



Haven't packed a thing!! Just a hectic week so far...

Better get to it tomorrow!!


Day 9 (part 2):Mata-Mata to 13th Borehole and back

We pushed on from the lions and were cruising along nicely, enjoying the crisp winter morning air of the Kgalagadi when all of a sudden I slammed on the brakes...there was something lying in the shade on the side of the road!



Cheetah!! A collared female...



After enjoying the shade for a few minutes, she sat up...



Her hunched form suggested she was aware of the springboks grazing just a bit further down the river...were we going to see a hunt??

We were so enthralled with her that we nearly missed this little detail in the grass behind her:



A large-ish cub!

Mom now seemed to notice us for the first time...did I mention we were ALONE at this sighting up to now??



At that point the first vehicle arrived behind us. We inched forward to try and give them a better view without sacrificing ours...and then I noticed a 2nd cub on the ridge behind them a few meters to the south!



This little one was thoroughly enjoying the winter morning sun in the cool breeze.

We thought this might be Elena and her male cubs Simon and Garfunkle...though later 'inspection' of the photos revealed that the cubs must've been female...which would make this Lizette and her 2 female cubs (at the time of June 2010 if I am not mistaken??).

The cub that was lying in the grass got up and joined mum in the shade for some loving affection:







Then they "slinked" away together, ever mindful of the springboks down-river...







Just as it looked like they were beginning to contemplate a hunt, they stalked up the calcrete ridge, and lay down at the top together...



This prompted cub #2 further down to change position. She sat up...(got to love that blue Kalahari sky for these photos, with the hint of clouds! )



She got up and also 'stalked' along the ridge...and my camera fired away relentlessly!







She reached her mom and sibling, and then plonked down beside them...



There they lay for another 20-30 minutes or so. We watched and hoped they would get up and do something else. Eventually we got famished (we left without eating something that morning). We decided to quickly head back to camp, grab a bite, and head back out here to see if they would do something throughout the morning...

What a morning!!