We just got back from my most favorite place on earth, the Kalahari! The trip went fine. We drove a short 6 hours to the border post of Botswana, Martin's Drift. After a short two second interview we were through and on our way to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. Six more hours. We stayed at our favorite hotel for the night and headed to Khutse the following morning before first light. We arrived at the front gate four hours later. Another one and a half hours of driving sand track and we were at our designated camp sight, Molose one. We have stayed here before and we know the routine well. The water hole is within walking distance from the camp site and it is the only water hole for more than fifty square kilometers. Massive Kudu like the one above are common in this area. They stay close to the water hole and feed mainly on tree leaves. It is a favorite meal for the big cats that live in the area.
Sand Grouse flock to the water hole every day at about nine in the morning. They arrive by the thousands.
Following them are the raptors. Eagles and Hawks. The raptors swoop in from above and below to take their share of the days bounty. It is amazing to watch them attack and kill in mid air.
Sparrow Hawks, Bateleur Eagles, and various other species attack again and again. They know the San Grouse have to have water every day. It is a matter of numbers. The vast amount of birds confuses the raptors and they miss their targets more often than not.
This Sparrow Hawks looks for small sparrows. It doesn't even try to tackle the larger Sand Grouse.
This Bateleur Eagle takes a drink break after missing several birds.
This juvenile raptor was trying his luck as well.
These Wildebeest are being very cautious while they drink. Lions, Leopards and Cheetahs feed on them whenever they can catch one. Just a small bird landing near them is enough to send them stampeding off in every direction. The big draw here are the lions. The are almost always present and always hungry. The lions are what we came so far to photograph.
This young male is a survivor. He now has his own pride of four lionesses. The scare across his nose is proof he is willing to fight if need be to preserve his pride and his status in that pride.
These lionesses were just cubs when we last photographed them in 2009. They have survived and now have their own pride. They may be young, but they are in magnificent condition. (Look for the last post on Khutse to see them drinking with their mother.)
You can see their bellies are swollen from their last kill. One young lioness came into heat while we were there. She would throw herself at the male trying to get his attention and make him breed with her. She would growl, rub her rear on him and lay down in front of him. ( Reminds me of my ex wife before we got married.) He showed no interest and would just walk away. ( Wish I would have as well.) This lead to a great frustration that played out in our camp site at 3 A.M. one morning. We had to evacuate to the car for protection. They were growling and chasing each other around the site. We didn't want to become victims of a domestic dispute.
Here she is showing her frustration at not being able to seduce the male.
Lions roar often. It is a form of communication to their pride as well as others in the area. If you listen as often as we do you can distinguish the roars. You know when they are playing, fighting, warning off rivals or just having fun. A lions roar close up can be felt in your chest. It is so powerful in vibrates right inside your chest cavity. To have this happen at night is a frightening experience if you aren't expecting it.
It isn't all rough stuff. There is time for play and time to just snooze in the sun after a long cold night. The temperature was in the 30's F during the night, and didn't get into the 60's F until late afternoon. The tent was a cold place to sleep and the shower was even colder.
Lions love to play. They play with each other and any object. If that object happens to be your tent you are in big trouble.
I drove from the Southern Kalahari straight to my home in one shot. It took 16 hours and I haven't recovered yet. I am going to get some sleep. I hope you enjoy the photos half as much as I enjoyed taking them. Have a great week. Next stop Alaska. I'll write more when I get back. All the best.
