It's so dusty, the animals can't see...*

[Mel]

This guy wasn't invited to the party though and had to keep his distance.



Well, I've always wanted to see a porcupine, but certainly not just its quills sticking in a lion.

What I find strange is that even though he looks well fed, the skin on his belly is quite crinkled.
Can you imagine what he must look like when he's full of wildebeest or such?
That tummy certainly looks as if it could stretch for miles.

[Mel]

On our way back I saw quite a few dikkops resting in the shade but for some reason we stopped for exactly the right ones...
those with little chicks. What a cute fluff ball this one is.

[Mel]

Back in the camp we settled on the deck to see if something would be coming to the waterhole. At some point I turned around and saw a crow sitting at the open kitchen door. Now crows and open kitchens don't go well together as I have already mentioned earlier. So I sneaked over to see what the crow was up to. It was totally relaxed and I could have almost touched it. Since it was making its funny gargling noises I joined the conversation and we had quite a good time together.

[Mel]

Its mate was sitting in the tree next to the deck and doing the acrobatics Spots and I had learned to pay close attention to in order not to be subjected to flying bombs.



Whenever the crows had been sitting with us and started looking at their bottoms they would let go of some very unsavoury droppings and they would take a look again if everything was gone before putting their heads up in the air as if they were waiting for some applause for their great deed. At least that's how we interpreted their hilarious behaviour.

[Mel]

A bit later someone shy peaked through the dead tree that holds the floodlight for the waterhole.

[Mel]

There were several of them and it took them ages to get to the waterhole for some refreshment. Always checking out the people on their decks...



But they eventually made it.

[Mel]

Some oryx arrived at the scene as well... but, uhm, didn't really want to come forward?



I'm sure the one at the back pushed the other a bit and said: "You go first!"



Although that giraffe was preparing to sh***ing its pants too. Honestly

[Mel]

Last one of the day before the grande finale



Shame, the right oryx was a bit to fast to make this a perfectly symmetrical picture.

[Mel]

30 October - Urikaruus

The last full day started with a "BANG!" in the middle of the night. Kindly assisted by the howling of the jackals we woke up to a leopard at the waterhole at 2 in the morning. Not much of a photo, but still proof:



Having just awoke, my eyes didn't operate as well as they should and so I failed to notice the round thingies at the leopard's bottom... Also, he looked rather small and therefore I thought it was a female who had visited when in fact it was Dakotah who can't necessarily be described as small. Quite the opposite. We have seen him in the past - also in the middle of the night - when he had finished drinking and was passing by unit 1 before vanishing in the hills next to the cabin. I vividly remember then thinking that he was quite a beast.

[Mel]

The actual morning drive started latish since we were tired from the lack of sleep during the night... First waterhole down the road was Kamqua but no sign of the hyenas this time. Next stop was Rooibrak with nothing to be seen either. We had almost got going again, when I noticed something in a tree close to the waterhole. A martial eagle!



Owl check at Montrose again -



If she's back again next October, I shall name her, seeing that she has become an old acquaintance over the years.