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With so many of you who love and care for the KTP as we do, it would be great to see some of the rarer or more unusual sides exprienced in the park. I am sure that everyone has an image or 2 thats tells a storey ............ let see them.

I am new to posting in the forums, but have loved reading the various topics. I will start with 2 images:

Sitting on the deck of cottage number 4 at Kielie Kranke, we watch this storm approach from the south.........what an experience. This is a 8min exposure:



I have posted the full storey under the topic 'Lions of the Kalahari' ...... this images says it all:

As I said I am new to posting and the 2 images I posted are to big .......... not sure how to reduce the size. ...................

Nice photos!

But can you not post somewhat larger ones? Photobucket does allow for that....
I tried looking for the correct links, but you made your album private, so I can't grab the links.

Oh, I see you posted.
Upload a version of the photos that is 800 pixels to the longest side (higher will not work here), and grab the link of that one.
Like this:

Thanks DuQues !

Any guess which camp these guys come from ?

Baby badger - lion food

Shane

Fantastic pics!! Love the lightening shot from Kielikrankie and the story behind the lion vs badger....intense. Love your Nossob (?) Mongoose

A couple of different pics from our trips....



Dove-catching turtle at Craig Lockhart - Dec 2010



A very "brave" lizard!

Stunning and some very unusual photos all.................

Posted this in my trip report a couple of years ago but p'raps worth a second look.


Untitled by jansp, on Flickr

This was at Leeudril water hole.

Not the most pleasant pics, but quite stunning sightings.

Thanks guys for you contributions, some lovely images. Keep them coming .....

Here is a storey with images:

THE FATA MORGANA EFFECT

“CASTLES IN THE AIR”
Considering an early phrase “castles in the air’, describing imaginary constructions or more to the fact: pipe dreams and visions that will never come to fruition. These explanations can be used to describe this phrase quite accurately, but consider this: it may also be used to describe a actual rare, optical phenomenon, a Fata Morgana. A Fata Morgana is a superior mirage than those evident in that ‘distance pool of water’ on a hot tarred road or the illusions of water in the desert’.

A Fata Morgana can be best described as follows:
“A rare optical illusion resulting from a temperature inversion, where the interface between warm air over colder, dense air below acts as a mirror, to reflect surface features (producing upside-down, fairy-like, ever changing images of the topography below). The phenomenon was first described in English in 1818 in the translation of an Italian document that referred to such a mirage that had been witnessed between Calabria and Sicily in the strait of Messina. Fata Morgana was the Italian version of the name “Morgan le Fay”, the shape-shifting fairy that was half sister to King Arthur.” (see image and text by Adrian Brink in the kitchen of unit no. 4, Kielie Krankie, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park).

Associated images:
On the 7 January 2012 at around 06:40 from the Kij Gamies view site on the lower dune road, we had the privilege of witnessing the Fata Morgana phenomenon describe above. What first appeared to be mist turned out to be what seemed a wall above the dunes on the horizon. What made this even more spectacular was that it was continuous around the horizon in a full 360 degrees with a perfect flat top.
The first 3 images show the full reflection (Fata Morgana) of the topography below.





The remaining images show the slow disappearance of the phenomenon. During this time, when viewed with binoculars, it certainly does look like buildings (or “castles”) on the horizon.






The final image shows the break up as viewed towards the sun, hence the lack of detail in that reflection.


Next time you in the KTP, more specifically, the lower dune road where the dunes seem to be highest in the park and, thereby, allowing a 360 degrees view), look out for this phenomenon.

Now here is another way of looking at the Nossob flood light at night:

This is a 30 second exposure of the moths / insects attracted to the light.

Further to my first posting, this is was another storm passing by Kielie Krankie on the same evening at the image in the first post above. This was a 12-15min exposure hence the massive amount of light produced from the lightning at the centre of the thunderhead.



Thats enough images from me today. Lets see some more of yours .............

Shane, this some serious good stuff. More please

Thanks rooies appreciate that ........... would like more contributions from others as well. I am sure there are people out there with great stories and images ........

LETS SEE THEM !