Jump to content

A Safari of Returns (part 2): Mashatu, Tuli Block, September 2015


Tdgraves

Recommended Posts

This is the middle section of my recent trip report http://safaritalk.net/topic/15670-a-safari-of-returns-tswalu-and-welgevonden-south-africa-september-2015/, which had to be done separately, as it is in a different country.

 

As a recap our itinerary was:

 

3 nights Ditholo Wildlife Estate, Limpopo, RSA (our friends' lodge)
4 nights Tswalu Kalahari, RSA (31/8/15-4/9/15)
1 night Johannesburg
5 nights Mashatu tented camp, Tuli block, Botswana (5/9/15-10/9/15)
3 nights Makweti, Welgevonden, RSA (10/9/15-13/9/15)
1 night Johannesburg
We had only been to Mashatu a year earlier and we are not usually repeat offenders, but we had such a great time last time, that we had to return. You can read about the 2014 trip here: http://safaritalk.net/topic/13650-mashatu-madnesstuli-tastic-our-first-trip-to-botswana-august-sept-2014/
When we had been in Tswalu, we had seen a cold front approaching from the South and it had taken all four days to arrive. When we left on the Friday morning, there was thick cloud cover, which extended all the way up to Johannesburg. It rained heavily overnight and was raining heavily still as we set off up the N1 north. This continued for about an hour and a half of the journey, making it more tiring than it needed to be. We made good progress and arrived at about 2pm, as planned, despite the terrible condition of the last stretch of the road (potholes). Border formalities were a breeze. Again, we were unable to use the cable car to enter the reserve as the Limpopo had virtually no water in it whatsoever. The level being much lower than the previous year.
As we were a bit earlier than least year, there was time to go to camp and drop off our suitcases before the evening game drive. It was obvious en route that it had rained a lot here also, as there were many deep puddles. The guides had measured 52mm of rain overnight. Unfortunately, given the clay soil, this meant that game was not dependent upon waterholes, which did not bode well for our hide visits, the first of which was booked for the following morning :(
It was quite cool and very overcast. We were in a vehicle with an American couple, who we would share with for our entire stay. We collected another American couple during the drive who would be in another vehicle from the following morning. After being driven up from Sabi Sands, they were looking forward to a nice hot bath. I had to break it to them that there was only an outdoor shower, brrr.
gallery_37950_1446_8104346.jpg
We saw some birds, including some new species, but not great photos, given the light. However, our guide was going somewhere special, he knew something that we didn't - two male lions had taken down an eland.
gallery_37950_1446_14572508.jpg
gallery_37950_1446_12865884.jpg
gallery_37950_1446_158124.jpg
Given the overcast conditions, monochrome was best.
gallery_37950_1446_8977455.jpg
gallery_37950_1446_912348.jpg

gallery_37950_1446_3099683.jpg
gallery_37950_1446_5477896.jpg
gallery_37950_1446_11143289.jpg
Not a bad first drive!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 2 "morning drive" elephant hide visit, 6/9/15

 

Due to the standing water, we thought that our hide visit may be a bust, but what could we do? It turns out we were the only people booked and it was nice to catch up with the photographer/guide, Kyle.

 

It was still very overcast and was pretty quiet, even for birds, which were one of the highlights last year and one of the main reasons for our return. However, I got some one on one photography tuition and it was a peaceful morning, rather than bumping around on a land cruiser. However, we did see a new bird....no mammals though and definitely no elephants.

 

gallery_37950_1313_6106223.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_277911.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_10068616.jpg

 

a wood sandpiper (our new bird)

 

gallery_37950_1313_6049945.jpg

 

Meves's starling

 

gallery_37950_1313_2436127.jpg

 

laughing dove

 

gallery_37950_1313_713693.jpg

 

Turtle dove

 

gallery_37950_1313_8438288.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_3329630.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_9599683.jpg

 

guinea fowl

 

gallery_37950_1313_7403264.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_2300963.jpg

 

Southern grey-headed sparrow

 

gallery_37950_1313_9267069.jpg

 

Great sparrows and red-billed queleas

 

gallery_37950_1313_9289476.jpg

 

Red-billed oxpecker

 

gallery_37950_1446_9857096.jpg

 

Grey lourie

 

gallery_37950_1313_2772964.jpg

 

So, not the memory card bashing that we did last year, but what can you do? Certainly not feign illness, like our vehicle mates did, in order to move their visit forwards by a few days....

 

On the way back to camp, we did have a couple of nice sightings, firstly a brown snake eagle

 

gallery_37950_1313_1542821.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_4599910.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_5898317.jpg

 

And then an African harrier-hawk (gymnogene) which was getting harassed by a lilac-breasted roller

 

gallery_37950_1313_3610453.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_2913029.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_1134254.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_6740430.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_6740430.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_8233760.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_2383420.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_8827277.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_6705066.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_2885707.jpg

 

Not bad for a cloudy day!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tdgraves - Mashatu is at the top of our list for places to visit. I say that a lot each time I read a trip report about somewhere on Safaritalk but Mashatu was on our radar after we kept in touch with an American couple that we met in Mala Mala a few years ago and they were kind enough to share their photographs with us and the landscape alone looks like it is worth a visit.

 

Yours is another report that makes me want to appreciate birds more than I do and thank you for the roller/gymnogene sequence - amazing that something that small and pretty would get anywhere near something so fierce looking. Not bad for a cloudy day indeed.

 

I'm a sucker for lions though (I don't have a favorite but if forced I think I would pick them) and that first picture is great. Do you ever wonder to what extent they think and if so what they are thinking about?

 

Speaking of thinking...I'm thinking of warming up this pot of tea and hitting the biscuit tin as I've just seen a couple more Mashatu trip reports tagged below.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~ @@Tdgraves

 

Love, love, love your bird images above!

The Meves's starling is a first for me — never heard of iot.

Thank you!

Tom K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

@@deano said-

I'm a sucker for lions though (I don't have a favorite but if forced I think I would pick them) and that first picture is great. Do you ever wonder to what extent they think and if so what they are thinking about?

 

I strongly suspect they think about inviting us down from our vehicle for a charming cup of tea, in a very polite Leslie Phillips/George Sanders kind of voice

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Towlersonsafari - yes probably. And then the biggest male lion slaps you down with his paw while doing his best Sid James laugh!

 

Sorry to hijack the thread. Back to it please...or should I say "Carry On?" (sorry - couldn't resist).

Edited by deano
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And there was me thinking that they just wanted a cuddle.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 2 Evening drive 6/9/15

 

Now I am going to blame the horrible head cold that I currently have, however, the intervening 5 months may also have a significant part to play. The two couples mentioned above actually joined on this day. Yet another reason not to delay TRs! The couple we shared with on the first drive were also American and although they had travelled extensively, mainly on medical missions, this was their first trip to Africa. For the remainder of their trip, they would be on a private photographic safari, how to start off in style, eh?

 

It was still overcast when we left camp.

 

gallery_37950_1313_8600731.jpg

 

Sabota lark (new for us)

 

gallery_37950_1446_14287928.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_12117905.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_8823856.jpg

 

I think that RIchard had been in communication with the other vehicle (they have headsets, so you do not hear any chatter) as he told us that they had found a leopard. No sooner had he told us this, than we spotted him

 

gallery_37950_1446_1789305.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_13286104.jpg

 

He seemed quite shy (what a surprise) and when he slipped into the thick bush, we thought that we had had our sighting and as we descended into a dry river bed, we did not hold out much hope. But when the other vehicle left, he seemed to relax and settled down, in a spot where we could actually see him.

 

gallery_37950_1446_7071055.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_11663479.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_13310410.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_18167219.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_14321660.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_6704762.jpg

 

After a while, he decided to move off

 

gallery_37950_1446_15264807.jpg

 

and Richard decided to follow, onto some large river rocks. Unfortunately, this was the result....

 

gallery_37950_1446_3108127.jpg

 

Ooops! He was able to move it off of the rocks back onto the riverbed and the tracker collected up all of the broken parts :(

 

They radioed back to camp for a replacement vehicle and as we settled down to wait, a herd of elephant came down to give us some entertainment.

 

gallery_37950_1446_1996027.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_15987048.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_7687341.jpg

 

I was engrossed in the elephant "fight" but when Richard said "he's going up", I immediately turned, to see this....

 

gallery_37950_1446_15982760.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_12324353.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_14011136.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_9826307.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_11394845.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_12427298.jpg

 

Not the clearest shots in the world, but beggars can't be choosers. He then settled down again.

 

gallery_37950_1446_8570372.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_1941329.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_10336910.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_8432481.jpg

 

Wow! He didn't sit for long, but we were not bored waiting for the new vehicle! We all moved over into the new wheels and away we went again!

 

gallery_37950_1446_3113981.jpg

 

From the direction we were travelling, I knew where we were going, but I did not ruin the surprise for the new guests. The lions were still on the kill, but it is amazing how much they had eaten in 24 hours. Again it was very cloudy and getting dark.

 

gallery_37950_1446_2405307.jpg

 

Scavengers were gathering

 

gallery_37950_1446_16314090.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_7661213.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_15031793.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_6654735.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_9900476.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_15265850.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_14080872.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_4335698.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_7042343.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_2669751.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_8091602.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_3273379.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_6682788.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_9991490.jpg

 

So we had after-sundowners! On the way back to camp we saw an African wild cat (too fast for a photo) and a spring hare :)

 

Not a bad first drive for the new guests.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not bad at all!

Waiting for the new vehicle gave you great views of the leopard (he looks a powerful animal) and of the elephants. Lovely sighting a photos.

 

Then the lions on the kill - I really like (in particular) the pictures with the jackals waiting....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

Now look here @@Tdgraves we decide to go to the Kruger and then you post splendid photo's of Mashatu and it reminds us how much we enjoyed our time there! really enjoying your trip report!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now look here @@Tdgraves we decide to go to the Kruger and then you post splendid photo's of Mashatu and it reminds us how much we enjoyed our time there! really enjoying your trip report!

@@Towlersonsafari wait until you see my Kruger TR.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tdgraves. Beautiful lion and leopard pictures! Very special, indeed. Sorry that the hide visit was not the great success you remembered from your first visit.

 

You did come away with some very interesting bird pictures though. Thanks for posting and looking forward to the rest of your trip report.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent photos, especially elephant and leopard. Very interested in this particular camp, if you can provide any info about how far you booked in advance, rates/deals, etc, as I see it comprised the longest stop on your itinerary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Marks we stayed at the tented camp which is smaller, more rustic and also cheaper! The original reason for this choice was the lack of children and wifi! The main camp is very plush with large rooms and space for more guests. This year it is $375 pppn, it was 350 last year. It is charged in US$ as it is Botswana. I did not get any deal, but for the first half of the year they do 4 nights for the price of 3. I think it is the best value safari lodge we have ever been to. I guess the reason for the 5 night stay was that it was so good last year, we wanted to fit in another hide visit and we were only able to get 4 nights in Tswalu. We booked in Feb/March and space was no issue. It is the only place we have been to in Botswana (can't afford the delta just yet), so I have nothing to compare to, but they are really friendly and laid back and it feels like an extended family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now look here @@Tdgraves we decide to go to the Kruger and then you post splendid photo's of Mashatu and it reminds us how much we enjoyed our time there! really enjoying your trip report!

Ps. I thought you were driving through the Kruger to get to Mashatu?? @@Towlersonsafari.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not bad at all! Epic leopard shots, and that's a very bold roller mobbing the snake eagle!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~ @@Tdgraves

 

Your on-the-spot conversion of a mechanical problem into a fine leopard photography moment is impressive!

Either that lion was immense or the jackal was tiny, or both.

Your camera's color and lighting settings are nothing less than exemplary.

I love your images, which have a look to which I'm drawn.

Many thanks for all of these!

Tom K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a fine leopard. Quite a heavy weight. Really enjoying your trip report. Thanks ? @@Tdgraves

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

We was @@Tdgraves we have just finalised plans don't want to clog up your report so will post elsewhere!

Edited by Towlersonsafari
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tdgraves thanks for another Mashatu TR. That LBR was certainly brave to harass the gymnogene.

 

Great photos of the lion with eland kill. I see you were guided by Richard once again, how is he doing - I hope that he and his family are keeping well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tdgraves thanks for another Mashatu TR. That LBR was certainly brave to harass the gymnogene.

 

Great photos of the lion with eland kill. I see you were guided by Richard once again, how is he doing - I hope that he and his family are keeping well.

 

@@Treepol we specifically asked to have Richard as our guide, as he was so good. He is well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 3 Morning drive, 7/9/15

 

Our first proper morning drive and Richard was aiming for the cheetah family that we had seen last year as the last time that they were seen, they were very close to the border of the reserve and he was worried that they would leave. This meant a bit of a drive.

 

gallery_37950_1446_4954423.jpg

 

Was saw some new birds on the way

 

gallery_37950_1313_9450482.jpg

 

Common scimitarbill

 

gallery_37950_1446_7969383.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_5607460.jpg

 

Three-banded courser

 

And we heard ground hornbills, but they would have to wait, because here were the cheetah

 

gallery_37950_1446_7819268.jpg

 

The mother and 4 cubs (who we had seen last year with 5) were all settled down, so I got the video camera out. No sooner had we settled in, than three males arrived and caused chaos. They attacked the mother and a couple of the cubs, who looked really shocked. Richard thought that they were trying to drive off the cubs so that she would be receptive to mating.....

 

gallery_37950_1446_11867577.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_4728572.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_2504920.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_21459507.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_10715629.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_2668823.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_1268611.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_2014245.jpg

 

 

gallery_37950_1446_3625803.jpg

 

The three males sniffing her urine

 

gallery_37950_1446_748397.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_20055255.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_8685288.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_14611905.jpg

 

As the sun came out, the mother gathered up the cubs and moved off

 

gallery_37950_1446_7286406.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_6597308.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_2664384.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_20322299.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_3986382.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_16478181.jpg

 

And then they crossed the boundary of the reserve. Wow! Worth the drive, as they were not to be seen again for the rest of our trip. So now we could go back and find the ground hornbills.

 

gallery_37950_1313_10675684.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_3331893.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_3699936.jpg

 

I was watching the ground hornbill making progress left to right and had set up the video camera, mainly to see if I could catch them calling, when something was flushed out of the bushes....an African wildcat! Unfortunately, as I didn't have the camera in my hand, this was the best I could manage. The video also didn't catch it, although it does show a rather shocked hornbill (but I bet the AWC was more shocked!!)

 

gallery_37950_1446_1358596.jpg

 

It was time for a coffee break, but this steenbok did not want to move from its' territory

 

gallery_37950_1446_11793983.jpg

 

We were off again, and as you can see from the photos, the cold front seemed to have moved on.

 

gallery_37950_1446_10611184.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_708176.jpg

 

I also had a go and doing some motion blur effects (something that is surprisingly hard to practice, given the lack of opportunity)

 

gallery_37950_1446_6082450.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_6184323.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_11034676.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_9592034.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_1846589.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1446_2176836.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_11738420.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_3008249.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_14066451.jpg

 

gallery_37950_1313_2409587.jpg

 

Zitting cisticola (new)

 

Back for breakfast and a debrief

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, what a sighting - Cheetah mayhem! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

How many cheetahs in one view? Splendid sighting indeed!

Edited by Towlersonsafari
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@@Tdgraves - great cat sightings! Lovely photos in challenging conditions - thank you. Is there arecord for the number of cheetah in a single sighting ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy