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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)

13 June. Shingwedzi-Letaba, Kruger.

Southbound to Letaba, a pair of Side-striped Jackals the highlight, plus two separate Sharpe's Grysboks, one Steenbok and a number of Tsessebe, plus increasing numbers of Waterbuck and Blue Wildebeest waongst the more common mammals. Not bad for birds too, the first big flocks of Helmeted Guineafowl scurrying all over the place, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-larks in abundance, at least 25 Cinnamon-breasted Buntings in drier areas and, along watercourses, quite a few Goliath Herons and Green-backed Heron.

And then to Letaba, incorporated into my itinerary primarily as it is supposed to be one of the best camps in Kruger to find roosting bats. And so it turned out to be – even as I checked in at reception, and rejoiced at the final arrival of my baggage, the squeaking of roosting bats could be heard! Investigating a little, I soon found them – dozens squeezed under the eaves of the building. Would be back to investigate those shortly. With my bag arrived, so camping could finally commence. Put the tents up, then searched for bats with quite some success – first a group of quite exquisite Whalberg's Epauletted Fruit Bats roosting under a palm (or in reality could also be Whalberg's Epauletted Fruit Bats, indistinguishable without examination of dental patterns), then hundreds of Angolan Free-tailed Bats in large bat boxes dotted about on high poles, quite a pong from them! Back at the reception building, many of the bats were squashed into tiny cavities and gaps, not too easy to see - but though some also appeared to be Angolan Free-tailed Bats, some at least were Little Free-tailed Bats, perhaps even most. Did spend a while poking around a line of static safari tents in the campsite - managed not to upset any campers, but also failed to find any of the Banana Pipistrelles that sometimes roost under the window flaps of the tents, a few telltale droppings the only sign of their presence.

Also in the campsite, Bushbucks wandering around and, along the broad river that stretches in front of the restaurant area, many Hippos and Nile Crocodiles and numerous birds, including two dozen Marabou Storks, seven Woolly-necked Storks, two Saddle-billed Storks and about 30 Water Thick-knees.

For all the day's highlights, the bats and all, the ultimate pièce de résistance however was still to come - on an otherwise moderately quiet evening drive to the east of the camp, albeit punctuated first by a Brown-hooded Kingfisher and then by rather close encounters with stubborn Elephants, we were about to hit it big time. I confess to not actually spotting it, but a mini screech from within the car, 'stop, reverse' immediately got the adrenalin going. Backed up and there it was - as the last rays of the sun cast dappled shadows across boulders dropping off towards a sluggish river, a fine Leopard sauntering up onto the rocks to catch the dying sun, most magical. And so ended another fine day on Africa. Two Spotted Hyenas appeared on the night camera.
 
Bats ...
 

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14 June. Letaba-Satara, Kruger.

To the grasslands of Satara, a pleasant day in this most open area of Kruger National Park, big increases in the numbers of Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Impala etc, plus a number of Steenbok, the first Ostriches of the trip and abundant open country birds such as Kori Bustards, Red-crested Korhaans, and, in the skies, Black-shouldered Kites, Tawny Eagles, Martial Eagles and Bateleurs. A stop at a viewpoint added Grey-rumped Swallows, Pearl-breasted Swallows and Brown-throated Martins along a river, plus a selection of butterflies – Bushveld Purple Tips, several African Monarchs drifting about and, a rather impressive duo, both Blue Pansy and Yellow Pansy.

Equally pleasing were the butterflies at Satara camp - the discovery of a splendid flowering bush held the single best concentration of butterflies that I was to encounter on this trip. Many dozens of individuals, it was a sight to behold: along with numerous African Monarchs and Wandering Donkey Acraeas, Garden Acraeas and Small Orange Acraeas, some of the delights included Black-striped Hairtail, Grass Jewel Blue, Natal Spotted Blue, Sooty Blue, Common Zebra Blue, the exquisite Black Pie, the nice-named Striped Policeman and another Blue Pancy. A Squinting Bush Brown also seen on a track nearby. South Africans sure have good imagination when it comes to naming their butterflies!

The camp was also excellent for birds – an African Scops Owl roosting near the camp reception, numerous Little Swifts overhead and African Mourning Dove, Groundscraper Thrush, White-breasted Scub-Robin and Wattled Starlings all in the campsite, along with a change in the guard amongst the glossy starlings – gone the Greater Blue-eared Starlings of northern Kruger, now abundant Burchells Starlings and Cape Glossy Starlings!

In the Satara area, didn't see a hoped-for Cheetah or White Rhinocerous, though did encounter an anti-poacher operation underway, troops racing in, a helicopter zigzagging low over a specific area. Mammal highlights were limited to Black-backed Jackal and Spotted Hyena, plus a family of six Dwarf Mongoose, while the more notable birds included Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, Grey-headed Kingfisher and a female Small Buttonquail and six accompanying chicks.

Back in camp, as night fell added a few active Schlieffen's Bats, then an African Wild Cat ambling across an open lawn just after dark. Failed to find Honey Badger, Satara camp apparently good for this species, but a productive night drive did add two male Lions at very close quarters, an African Civet and a Large Spotted Genet, plus Scrub Hare, Springhare and Spotted Thick-knee. Highlight for me though was a Bronze-winged Courser standing in the middle of a track, my first ever in South Africa.
 
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Smaller ones of the day ...
 

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And some of the others ...
 

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15 June. Satara-Pretorius, Kruger.

Final day in Kruger, winding south towards Skukuza. A heavily misted morning, a male Lion most evocative as it sauntered out of grasses hidden in the fog. Two Black-backed Jackals a little further, narrowly missed a Leopard that had crossed the track just before we rounded a corner. Bright sun soon broke through, an African Green Pigeon and a Bearded Woodpecker amongst the birds seen. On we continued, an abundance of typical Kruger mammals, but the only new species for the trip was a Banded Mongoose trotting along mid-afternoon. Did however find another group of Whalberg's Epauletted Fruit Bats, this time roosting under the eaves of the camp shop at Skukuza, plus two young Spotted Hyenas sleeping in the shade of a trackside tree.

Departed Kruger late afternoon via Pretoriuskop, then zipped north-west to squeeze in a quick visit to the grasslands at Dullstroom just before dusk to add Grey Rhebok and Blesbok, three individuals and a herd of about 35 respectively. It was then time for the long trek westwards, an all-night drive of 1350 km to the opposite side of the country and the fantastic Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a chilly minus 7 C in the final approaches, a number of Cape Hares and Bat-eared Foxes encountered in the last few dozen kilometres.

So, next up, the magical Kgalagadi ...
 
Love to see a Leopard................although I love birds first and foremost, but a Leopard is the animal I would love to see most of all.
 
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The Camel Spider / Solifuge, known locally as a 'Red Roman', do in fact have a good bite on them according to people we met, we had a big one in our room.



A
 
No Dogs Jos?

Can't believe you didn't see Rhino, presumably seasonal, we had 20 odd almost every day in the Southern part of the park? We didn't see Leopard or Side-striped Jackal.

Assume you saw Black-throated Wattle-eye on a previous triop?

Really want to get back to Africa.


A
 
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Great report, Jos, with many good photos! Just returned from week in the Kruger myself and your story takes me back straight away. How special to do all this with your 8-year old companion. It must have been an amazing experience for her.
 
Part Two. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park & Augrabies Falls.

Another world from Kruger, rolling red dunes of the Kalahari punctuated by the shallow valleys of the Auob and Nossob, slithers of grassland and acacia savannah supporting abundant life, both birds and mammalian. An amazing area, renowned for felines in particular, this slab of land protruding up between Namibia and Botswana is truly one of the gems in South Africa's rich crown of wildlife localities.


16 June. Kgalagadi.

Sun rising over the dunes, still a considerable chill to the air, so began the slow meander up the Auob Valley towards the destination for the coming night, Mata Mata Camp. With pink eyelids blinking, a pair of Verreaux's Eagle Owls adorned the top of an acacia, then as we crossed a section of dunes at the outset, two Northern Black Korhaans, a party of White-backed Mousebirds, several Southern Anteating Chats and a number of Fawn-coloured Larks. Four-striped Grass Mice super abundant, many dozens feeding aside the track, a few Brant's Whistling Rats too, chunky things that live in colonies, whistling from burrow entrances. Then a shout from my smaller travelling companion 'What that's running through the grass?' What was that indeed? Only a stonking Honey Badger! Zigzagging about in the sunlight, this was a critter on a mission, seemingly trying to catch the Four-striped Grass Mice. Better still, it had attracted a pair of attendant Pale Chanting Goshawks – as the Honey Badger went from bush to bush, so the Pale Chanting Goshawks kept following to watch for mice disturbed by the Honey Badger. A successful strategy it appeared, in not many minutes the hawks had swooped down on several mice, devouring them pretty quickly.

From the dunes, on into the Auob Valley, open parched grassland and dotted acacias, plenty of Gemsbok, Springbok and Blue Wildebeest. Ostriches plodding about in quite some abundance, Kori Bustards too. No shortage of smaller birds too, Marico and Chat Flycatchers commonplace, a few Pale Flycatchers also, Kalahari Scrub Robins strutting across from acacia scrub, quite a number of vivid Crimson-breasted Shrikes. Particularly around waterholes, flocks of sparrows, weavers and finches too, these including Cape Sparrows, Southern Grey-headed Sparrows, White-browed Sparrow-Weavers, Red-billed Queleas, Scaly-feathered Finches and Yellow Canaries. Naturally, also plenty of that classic bird of the Kalahari, the Sociable Weaver, along with their massive nests that were literally forcing trees to collapse. Smaller numbers of Violet-eared Waxbills and Red-headed Finches too.

And with this mass of small birds and rodents, so too raptors to prey upon them, several Gabar Goshawks at the waterholes, four Pygmy Falcons, four Red-necked Falcons, both Rock and Greater Kestrels, an absolute minimum of 40 Pale Chanting Goshawks and a range of other raptors, including both Secretary Birds and Black Harrier. In all fifteen species of raptor this day.

Venturing further up the valley, the temperature now rising towards a pleasant 20 C, encountered three Lions resting under a stunted acacia, one male and two females, then our first Meerkats of the trip, eight standing alert in classic pose. Also Giraffes nearby and at least 80 Namaqua Sandgrouses dropping in to drink at a waterhole, two Burchell's Sandgrouses tagging along too.

All in all a very pleasant day and it was quite late in the day that we finally reached the campsite. Shoved the tents up, immediately attracting the attention of Ground Squirrels, Yellow-billed Hornbills and Cape Glossy Starlings, all trying to scrounge titbits, then had a quick look round for roosting owls to no avail, about the best birds in the camp being Crimson-breasted Shrikes, Long-billed Crombec and Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler. A couple of Yellow Mongoose also sauntered by.

Had hoped to find Brown Hyena at dusk, but neither an evening drive nor scanning from the camp after dark managed this, we did however notch up an impressive 19 Bat-eared Foxes taking in the evening sunshine, plus six Black-backed Jackals. A pleasing first day in the Kalahari
 
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Kgalagadi little stuff, the first being chomped by a Pale Chanting Goshawk
 

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