Etosha
National Park is about 4 hours drive from Palmwag and we were not in any real
hurry.
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| Kudu buck |
The drive
begins, obviously, in the Palmwag Conservancy and heads towards the hills,
ultimately cutting through a Mountain Pass [Groot Berg?] at an elevation of
about 1500 metres. We were on the look-out for Hartman’s Mountain Zebra for
when the hills ran out so did their habitat and we would not see them again. At
the pass we stopped for pics of the view and with a binocular scan we found a
[very] distant herd of about a dozen animals. Round a bend or two we ran into a
small herd of Greater Kudu. These are truly beautiful antelope and we almost
felt guilty for eating Kudu steak the night before. There was a male with a few
female and a calf as well.
Some good
new birds were scored enroute; Southern white-crowned Shrike, Crimson breasted
Bush-shrike. And some good repeats; Marico Flycatcher, Tawny, Booted and
Verreaux’s Eagles, Bare necked Babbler, European Bee-eater to name a few.
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| BIRD OF THE DAY!! - Crimson breasted Shrike [V.Lee] |
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| BIRD OF THE DAY!! - Crimson breasted Shrike [V.Lee] |
Post drive
and picnic lunch we arrived in Etosha and soon, with windows down or up
depending on their specifics we were ready for ‘safari’!
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| first Common Zebras |
Black faced
Impala and Common Zebras were new; in the company of Springbok and Oryx
[Gemsbok], Giraffe and a single Kudu.
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| Black faced Impalas - sub spp of more wide spread form |
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| Crowned Lapwing |
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| Namaqua Sandgrouse |
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| Namaqua Sandgrouse |
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| Kori Bustards |
Four Kori
Bustards were found but they were soon eclipsed by our first lion sightings.
Two females lounging; one under a culvert and the other nearby.
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| Our first Lion |
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| And our second - seeking shade under a culvert |
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| close-up on the killing bits |
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| Lion - vehicle proximity |
Not long
after lion glory we checked into our accommodation nearby the waterhole at
Okaukuejo. It was a pretty classic African scene – Zebras, Giraffe, Springbok,
Black faced Impala plus some decent birds.
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| The Waterhole at Okaukuejo |
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| Helmeted Guinea fowl |
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| Kori Bustards |
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| Common Zebras |
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| Okaukuejo Waterhole at dusk |
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| Black Rhinos |
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| Black rhinos |
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| Okaukuejo flood lit waterhole with a three rhino view |
Our pre
dinner drink and bird call was interrupted by news that Black Rhino had arrived
at the waterhole so we did a quickstep back to the waterhole and witnessed a
couple of rhino in and around. By the time we went to bed some four rhinos had
been seen.
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| Add caption |
Great day!!
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