Cheetah tracking expeditions; Lagoon's Pride; Sweating it out in the heat of October....... A Kwando Safari. October 2017

[madaboutcheetah]

Dear All,

 

Happy Diwali ........ First of all, back home after another amazing trip to the Kwando concession.  A million laughs, the joys of cheetah tracking through the heat of suicide month, what more can one ask for ....... Many many Thanks to Spencer and Mr.Moe for another magical safari up and down the Kwando  Concession.

 

Many highlights which include the new very young Cheetah coalition trying to take a strangle hold of the neighbourhood, the dominant Lagoon Super Pride, Incredible Carmine colony, Bumping into a Cheetah mum and cubs who had never been seen before or who in turn had possibly never seen a vehicle before  , stumbling into random Lions trying to make their way from the migratory corridor from Namibia, not to forget bumping into a curious Aardwolf while cheetah tracking, massive Elephant herds........ but, start with the first few photos from my final morning 

Edited October 18, 2017 by madaboutcheetah

[marg]

@madaboutcheetah...welcome home! .... looking forward to your report and photos.

[madaboutcheetah]

Before I dive into the rest of the report......... A bit of this and that~ It's no secret that the Botswana visa is a gigantic goose chase with a lot of heart burn right until the final days prior to each trip.  Miraculously, our visas were issued in a record 5 days this time with nothing to sweat about.  I would love to assume that the Visa process is easier ........ but, alas it might have just been a fluke!    

 

The arrival hall in Maun, where there is just one visa officer to process and stamp at immigration now has a bunch of questions to ask each tourist (one of which is to name one of the camps you visit) ....... It baffled me, that the majority of visitors were fumbling around to find their itineraries with absolutely no clue as to where they were headed to - and hence, the queue just got longer and dreadfully time consuming.

 

Anyways, I digress .......... Onto some more pictures.  The Lagoon Super Pride number 20 including the 4 young cubs.  Some of the Sub-adults males will be due to be kicked out by the coalition males (Old Gunn and Sebastian) ......... 7 Sub-adult males in all will likely form a mighty Magnificent 7 and be a lethal combination wherever they head to......... 

[SafariChick]

Happy Diwali @madaboutcheetah - looking forward to another great Kwando report from you! 

[AKR1]

Brilliant start, Hari. Glad the visa issues are being sorted out in a timely manner now. As a Botswana ambassador in India you should be granted the equivalent of a US green card. Which Bot Safari was this for you - no. 20? 

 

And Happy Diwali to you and yours! Understand firecrackers are banned in Delhi this year. 

 

[modleski]

I totally can't wait for your report. Since we just went there is June and had the most fantastic experience ever, we feel a proprietary interest in Kwando LOL. Dying to see your beautiful pictures (and terribly envious about cheetah cubs which are the number one sighting on my list--now that I've seen the wild dogs).

[Kitsafari]

I was wondering whenyou would return to kwando and now youve gone and returned.

 

Looking forward to more excellent pics and exciting news on the new cheetah domination!

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @marg @SafariChick @AKR1 @Kitsafari @modleski

 

@AKR1 - Almost there.... You were very close  and fireworks - yes, here in the South a 10PM cut off ....  @modleski - Cheetah cubs and mum totally bolted when we found them.  No pictures as I wasn't ready for them ...... 

[madaboutcheetah]

Next bunch of photos .........

[CDL111]

Nice start to Kwando, superb fish eagle. Waiting patiently for more.

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Next batch of images....

[madaboutcheetah]

Lagoon's Pride and Joy!!!! ........ 

[madaboutcheetah]

My final morning of the safari actually started off with a Mothusi Sighting (ex-Kwando guide) who now runs his logistics business.  He was hauling in fuel for camp from Maun and what a delight that was!  After reminiscing old times for a few minutes........ he pointed out at dust in the distance and hoped it might be Lion Vs Buffalo ......... Alas, not to be.  Just Buffalo moving through  

Edited October 20, 2017 by madaboutcheetah

[madaboutcheetah]

Next segment from the Lebala end ...........  A male Leopard on my first game drive (not sure what he was checking out in the dried up Marsh) ......... He eventually lay down flat into the grass and we left once the light went flat.

[madaboutcheetah]

The new "boys in town" .........  Have they done enough to take over this prime territory? They move about all the time scent marking and it's usually a task to track them down every day ..... They even move as much as 7KMS on a full belly.

 

About mid year 2016, a female cheetah and these two boys moved into Lagoon from possibly Muvumbi Valley ...... Once they split off, the boys stayed behind and have been seen by themselves and are able to hunt successfully.  One morning after a long tracking mission, found them feeding on a warthog.

 

One wonders if they are the sons of the "boys of Lagoon" ...... who knows??? Maybe?  These guys should be approx a bit over two years in age - the end of the mighty boys came about in April 2016.... So, Maybe????

 

They've possibly made this territory their own - because the big single male, "Johnny Walker" is mostly based in Selinda these days.

Edited October 20, 2017 by madaboutcheetah

[Alexander33]

Lovely photos, as always. The lion shots are (almost) as compelling as those of the cheetahs. 

[SafariChick]

@madaboutcheetah these photos are all terrific, as usual, but I especially love that first and last shot of the cheetahs in post # 15 - I love the way the cheetah on the viewer's right is looking so intently at his brother. They seem very intimate and I feel like these photos really show the closeness of their relationship.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @CDL111 @SafariChick and @Alexander33

 

@SafariChick - yes, they are very close.  Even when one moves off a few meters the other one starts calling out.  

[TonyQ]

Superb photos and beautiful light. The cheetah photos are very special. 

[serendipityntravel]

Lovely photos, and beautifully captured.  Enjoyed looking at them.

[madaboutcheetah]

@TonyQ and @serendipityntravel - Much too kind! Thank You!!!

 

The most recent summer months saw a lot of rainfall in the concession after a couple of years of severe drought ...... Hence a few large pans still hold some water late into the dry season.  Here's some Zebra herds visiting both Norman's Pan in the Lebala end of the concession; and the Iconic Zebra Pan up at Lagoon.

 

A few hazy days as seen in these photos ........ 

[madaboutcheetah]

Flash Back Winter 2016 ........ Jane and her cubs at Lechwe Island, Lebala.

[madaboutcheetah]

That brings me to Leopard #2 at Lebala ........ One of Jane's Sons (now independent) at Twin Pools near the Selinda boundary.

 

Bate one of the guides found Jane with her new Litter of cubs around the boundary ...... alas, no luck when we tried to find them the following game drive.

[serendipityntravel]

Love the leopard shots!

[madaboutcheetah]

Into the Pride .............