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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

South Africa 2017, On the Path of the Nocturnals. (1 Viewer)

And the Meerkats ...
 

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Some of the raptors of the day ...
 

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Another fine report - your spotter certainly holding up her end pretty well with Leopard and Honey Badger!

Cheers
Mike
 
17 June. Kgalagadi.

Long day, crossing from the Auob Valley to the Nossob Valley, then heading up to Nossob Camp before returning to Mata Mata. Both Red-crested Korhaan and several Northern Black Korhaans on the transit between valleys, as well as seven Burchell's Sandgrouse and a dead Spotted Eagle Owl, but the greater rewards were at a picnic stop at the beginning of the Nossob Valley, a nice selection of ultra-tame birds descending as soon as we were out of the car in the expectation of hand-outs – not only Sociable Weavers on mass, many even coming to the hand, but also several Yellow-billed Hornbills, a couple of Acacia Pied Barbets and even Kalahari Scrub Robins strutting out from nearby cover. Dozens of White-crowned Sparrow-Weavers and Cape Glossy Starlings too, plus quite a few Four-striped Mice gingerly sneaking in from scattered burrow.

An hour or so here, photographing the assorted attractions, plus keeping an eye on the sky for raptors from Tawny Eagles to Lanner Falcons, then onward to Nossob Camp. Failed to find a White-faced Scops Owl that I have seen here in the past, but did find a Pearl-spotted Owlet instead, couldn't complain too much. Also present, a bunch of highly photographic Yellow Mongooses and ever present Ground Squirrels.

Nothing of major note on the way back to Mata Mata, the highlights a particularly large Mole Snake, my first Red Hartebeests of the trip and no less than 30 Bat-eared Foxes. I did however manage to draw a complete blank on felines this day, quite an achievement in this cat-rich environment!
 
Titbit scavengers ...
 

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Some of the mammals of the day ...
 

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18 June. Kgalagadi.

Fantastic morning, Kgalagadi at its best – a Spotted Eagle Owl and Pale Chanting Goshawk having a showdown just after dawn, the two perched nose to nose hissing at each other for some five to ten minutes, the owl hunching down and raising its wings, the goshawk bobbing in return. Then, as the owl finally gave up and flew to another tree, then bumped down the sandy track a few hundred metres more to find two African Wild Cats playing around an old stump, chasing each other, rolling around in the grass, jumping up and down the stump.

And then things got even better! A mere kilometre or so further, a gasp as I looked right - sauntering across the hillside through acacias and open grass, a mean looking beastie long-haired and dark, no less than a Brown Hyena! Only my third ever, all in the Kgalagadi, this one was absolutely nonplussed by its admiring fans, on it walked, always parallel to the track, occasionally glancing our way, but seemingly intent on some distant destination. Gemsbok and Springbok eyed it with suspicion, I with pure admiration. Eventually our paths veered apart, onward we continued ...perhaps our luck could continue with a Cheetah I optimistically hoped. Not quite, did add a Leopard Tortoise, a couple of Steenbok and a range of birds, including 15 Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters all stuffed up against each other in a tight bundle, but not another feline of any sort.

Arrived at Twee Riverien early afternoon and set up camp, a usual assortment of birds waiting for snacks as usual. Realising I was running out of time for a Cheetah, set out pretty early for an afternoon/evening drive back up the Nossob Valley. Oodles of Kori Bustards and Ostriches, quite a number of Red Hartebeest, a party of Meerkats and both Slender Mongoose and Yellow Mongoose, but things didn't quite go according to plan – not only did we not find a Cheetah or indeed other cat, but we also destroyed one of our tyres and lost a wheel hub cover! Changed to the midget emergency wheel and limped back to camp, needless to say rather later than we should have, fortunately incurring no further problem. White-fronted Scops Owl calling somewhere in the darkness, still a very good day it had been.
 
Star of the Kgalagadi ...
 

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Showdown featuring a larger owl, next shot it smaller cousin ...
 

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Well just glancing at your report, sounds like you did a lot of similar places to me, cape town, de hoop, Marrick, Mokala , Augrabies falls, kgalagadi, although this time I didn't do Kruger. I will read your report in detail, I am still writing mine. All I can say though is never use Kalahari Safaris for a mammal focused trip like this ,they really let us down badly. I am already jealous of your brown hyena, we didn't see one on our tour.

Looking forward to reading this in detail! :)

Jo
 
19 June. Kgalagadi & Augrabies Falls.

Lions roaring in the pre-dawn, so started our last day in the Kgalagadi. No possibility to replace the tyre locally, the nearest option being Uppington, 250 km down the road. Debated the wisdom of heading back along the Nossob valley without a back-up tyre, the sandy tracks frequently strewn with acacia thorns. Still no Cheetah though, so we decided to take the risk – would just mean an expensive rescue if worst came to worst.

And what a good move it was, our final morning in the Kgalagadi proving most fine. As well as an impressive raptor haul, including six Secretary Birds, three Tawny Eagles, two Booted Eagles, a Bateleur, another Black-chested Snake-Eagle and three Lanner Falcons, mammals were also much in evidence – along with expected Gemsbok, Springbok and Blue Wildebeest, we encountered no less than 18 Black-backed Jackals, four Bat-eared Foxes, five Yellow Mongooses and eleven Meerkats.

Eventually, having ambled north for a couple of hours with the critical Cheetahs still remaining unseen, we decided it wise to begin our journey south, ensuring we'd get to Uppington for the tyre change in office hours. Greater Scimitarbill flitting between acacias, plenty more Kori Bustards, then midway back towards Twee Riverien, a movement towards the top of an adjacent ridge ...and there they were, just when we thought we were doomed in our quest, two most elegant Cheetahs walking up the slope, fantastic! Up the rocky slope they went, paused a while on rocks at the ridge top, then one stepped out of view, moments later the other. A classy way indeed to end our time in the Kgalagadi.

Exited the national park, made good time to Upington and changed the tyre, then headed west to stay the night at Augrabies Falls, arriving early evening. Spectacular landscapes of massive granite boulders and impressive gorge, the Orange River plunging over a precipitous drop. Abundant Rock Hyrax taking in the evening sunshine, Vervet Monkeys bouncing around the campsite and chalets adjacent. As dusk fell, large numbers of Alpine Swifts and Rock Martins over the gorge, then a surprise African Wild Cat found by spotlight just after dark. Thought I'd try to catch the cat on my night camera, succeeded in capturing a Small-spotted Genet!
 
20 June. Augrabies Falls.

Dawn at Augrabies, acacias and scrub around the campsite and chalets, Cape Robin Chats and Karoo Thrushes fairly tame, flocks of Southern Masked Weavers, Acacia Pied Barbets, Bokmakierie and Chestnut-vented Tit-Babblers, pretty good birding overall. Didn't take long to find the specials of the area either, four Orange River White-eyes flitting down onto a barbecue grill to peck at fat remnants, very nice birds indeed.

Not wishing to spend too long at this destination, my main aim was to find Hartmann's Mountain Zebra and Klipspringer, both species usually fairly easy here. Headed out across the rocky landscapes to the west, occasional tracks leading back to the Orange River Gorge. Mountain Wheatears, Pale-winged Starlings, Dusky Sunbirds, Red-faced and White-backed Mousebirds on route out, a few Large-billed Larks too, plus three most impressive Ludwig's Bustards in a small grassy gulley. In slightly more open areas, a scatter of large mammals - 16 Giraffe, 22 Eland, five Gemsbok, about 30 Springbok and six Kudu, but scanning rocky outcrops, not a sign of Mountain Zebra or Klipspringer. As often the case though, just as I gave up and began to return, so I did bump into one of the targets – a pair of Klipspingers complete with youngster on boulders right adjacent to the track. And with that back to the chalet area, a quick look at the Orange River again, Rock Hyraxes out bathing in the sun, Pied Kingfisher along the river and both Cape Wagtail and African Pied Wagtail on the rocks, one Pririt Batis moving through acacias.

Packed and departed, a Yellow Mongoose and a couple of Ground Squirrels the final mammals, flocks of Sociable Weavers the finale birds. Ahead lay a journey of about 550 km, fairly uneventful and marked by just a couple of Small Grey Mongooses dashing across the road.

Destination however was the property of Marrick Safari, a locality that I had high hopes once night fell.
 
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Augrabies ...
 

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We obviously didn't explore enough of this park. You saw loads of mammals there whilst we saw hardly any. Although we spent the whole of our morning walking the Dassie trail. We did see Smith's red rock rabbits on a night drive there. But I am guessing you got those at Marrick?

I assume you also saw the stunning Augrabies flat lizard?
 
20-21 June. Marrick & Mokola.

With nocturnal mammals the key targets of this trip to South Africa, the lands of Marrick Safari truly had the potential to amaze – in the hours of darkness on these expansive grasslands just south of Kimberly, a mouthwatering array of critters were possible, top amongst them the iconic duo of Aardvark and Aardwolf and, at one of the only reliable localities for the species, the diminutive Black-footed Cat. The basic plan was simple - safaris on two consecutive nights, these organised by Marrick Safari, then the intervening day exploring the nearby Mokola National Park, a true gem of a place with superb grasslands supporting a very good selection of large mammals.


Night One.

So it was, with a dash of anticipation that we arrived late afternoon and settled into a chalet to await darkness. A Cape Serotine fluttered around at dusk and then the lights of my safari vehicle arrived, an open top 4x4 with driver and a dedicated spotter equipped with powerful spotlight.

A clear night, no wind, temperatures were already nudging down towards zero, it was certainly darn cold atop that open-top. Off we went, bumped down the track, almost immediately encountering two Smith's Red Rock Rabbits on a rocky outcrop, a good start. Dozens of Springhares hopping all over the place as we reached the more open grasslands, scattered eyes of Impala catching the light too.

Taking one track after another, we slowly quartered the Marrick property, the spotter pretty good I have to say, but also explaining that calm conditions were rarely the best for finding mammals, a light wind usually helping so he said. An hour did pass, an African Wild Cat had ambled along, so too Black-backed Jackal and a couple of Cape Hares. No sign of any of the main targets though, nor strangely any of the several gerbil species or other small rodents that are supposed to be common.

Wrapped up in a blanket, I still was slowly turning into a block of ice, my smaller companion soon understanding the interior of the cab was a far preferable location! Steenbok and then Common Duiker zipped off from rank grass, a little later a moment of excitement as a young Cape Porcupine came shuffling along, snuffling around in a dusty patch of dirt.

The two-hour mark came and went, a quartet of Bat-eared Foxes appeared, plus endless Springhares. I however was not only beginning to fear a complete blank on the special ones, but I was also freezing half to death! But then, just as I was actually thinking it would be quite nice to get back to my comfy chalet, a raised whisper from the spotter shot warmth through my veins … the immortal word 'Aardvark'. And there it was, an absolute cracker of an animal, an Aardvark at close quarters, superb. No thoughts of the cold anymore, this was a species I had long dreamt of seeing. And most cooperative it was, trotting along in the short turf, long piggy nose and big ears, a really great animal.

As it finally wandered off, on we continued. Didn't find Aardwolf or Black-footed Cat, did see a Spotted Eagle Owl in an acacia tree. Back at the chalet, it took a good hour to defrost, I would be better prepared for the following night!
 
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