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Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2024 4:20 pm
by GavinW
Thanks for all the feedback everyone
We really appreciate it
Tuesday 31 October 2023
We left Mata Mata at 6am and headed south, travelling slowly, as we do.
By the time we got to the end of the 13th borehole loop at just after 8am all we had seen along the way was a lone White backed Vulture
And a really nice herd of Wildebeest
We were starting to think that today was to be our first “cat free” day of the trip
Well we were wrong
In the riverbed just before the hill up to Urikaruus we spotted Corrine
She was on a mission, and obviously hungry. (We had heard that she had made a kill the previous day, only to have it taken away by hyenas)
Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2024 4:24 pm
by GavinW
Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2024 4:27 pm
by GavinW
We watched her for a long while as she stalked some springbok further up the riverbed
Being interrupted at times by an irritating passing herd of wildebeest
Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2024 4:30 pm
by GavinW
After a while instead of just us on our own with the cheetah, we had a quite a few other vehicles at the sighting.
Luckily they were all respectful, and we all could watch her at our leisure
We were at the sighting for a good few hours, hoping that our patience would pay off
We have yet to see a successful cheetah hunt actually happen, and today we didn’t either
She ran too soon and the springboks had enough time to make an escape
Great to watch anyway
Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2024 12:36 pm
by Lisbeth
That was a great encounter with Corinne. In the first pics, it looks as if she is waiting for the bus

Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2024 6:03 pm
by Richprins
What a lovely experience, Gavin!
A beautiful cat.
Interesting the burning there in the desert!

Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2024 9:08 am
by GavinW
Richprins wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 6:03 pm
Interesting the burning there in the desert!
The burnt trees on the Auob side are the result of lightning strikes about a year ago
Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2024 11:12 am
by Richprins
Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2024 4:40 pm
by GavinW
After the cheetah sighting we decided to return to camp.
A well concealed African wild cat near Craig Lockhart was the only sighting of note. It was so well hidden that no workable photos are available
Back at camp by just after lunch, it was time to relax and slowly start packing up for tomorrow’s drive to Nossob
Camp life at Mata Mata isn’t restricted to furry suricates, but also to the less cute, scaly creatures of the Kgalagadi, like this monitor lizard in the drain near the ablution blocks
We spent the rest of the day in camp doing admin stuff
Re: A Cat a Day, almost every day: Kgalagadi Oct/Nov 2023
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2024 5:52 pm
by GavinW
Wednesday 1 November 2023
4.30am alarm clock. AGAIN no ways
Today we really battled to get out of bed, but we did, and we eventually were ready to hit the road at a very late 7.30m (remember the gates open at 5.30 in November)
Soon after leaving camp we spotted this White Backed Vulture soaking up the early morning sunlight
Just past Craig Lockhart, our wild cat from the previous afternoon was a little more accommodating, and we got a few pics (and our cat of the day)
Before we got to the picnic spot for coffee at Kamqua
This bee eater stopped for long enough for me to get a proof pic
And Debbie spotted this Vereaux Eagle owl trying very hard to nap