Trailcam Safari

I've recently returned from taking a party of guests into 'Big 5' country for an African safari experience as well as some camera-trapping - obviously!
We had a great time. The lodge was wonderful, the game viewing was sublime and our guide knew just when to back away from boisterous elephants. There were plenty of 'aaah sweeeet' moments with baby animals and also a few heart-stopping minutes when a large bull elephant gate-crashed our sundowner drinks. But it is experiences like these that make for a great safari.

Here are a few photos to illustrate what I mean:

......and his Dad:

One of the many elephants that caused some discomfort on the back of the open game-viewing vehicle....

.......and some that didn't:

This cheetah sadly didn't stay for too long......

......but this young Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) did:

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CAMERA-TRAPPING?.. I hear you all ask.

 Sadly, the images weren't quite of the same quality. Nevertheless my camera-traps certainly attracted the interest of a few mammals:

A curious Kudu bull (Tragelaphus strepsiceros).......

....and an African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) giving my camera a sniff:

A Waterbuck cow (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) drinking at the lodge's waterhole....

.... a Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) that passed by during the early hours........

and a beast that was just too close:

Overall, I think my guests had a wonderful safari that they will never forget. I, too, had  memorable trip - but for other reasons. That will be the subject of another post!

New Ticks and Old Friends

I've enjoyed watching birds for as long as I can remember but have never considered myself a real 'birder'. I guess one of the reasons for this is that I've never been good at keeping lists of birds that I've seen. So I've surprised myself by becoming a bit obsessed with getting camera-trap images of species that I've never captured before.

I've recently spent some time in great wildlife areas of South Africa and have picked up some new 'ticks' as well as recording images of old friends.

A Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo). These little carnivores are pretty common in the northern parts of South Africa, but since I live in the southern parts, I don't see them often. I'd set up the camera here to attempt to photograph a large python that apparently lived in the hole behind the mongoose. I had no luck with the python but was happy to get some images of these little guys. Mongoose are not averse to attacking snakes but I guess a python is way out of the Banded Mongoose league.

A cropped image of another mongoose, but I'm embarrassed to say I'm not sure whether its a Large Grey Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) or a Slender Mongoose (Galerella sanguinea). They are both  slender with a black tipped tail and if I had a good sense of scale it should be easy - since the former is much larger. However I'd guess its a Slender even though my references suggest that this species has a 'bushy' tail.

A Mountain Reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula). Also, not a rare buck but one that doesn't live near me.

Elephants are difficult to miss but I've never actually got a camera-trap photo of a youngster like this.

Ant then a few shots of mammals that I've often encountered:

A Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas). I doubt there is anything wrong with his leg. I think I just caught him in mid-stride. I think these guys are pretty cool but then I'm not a stock farmer. They are responsible for massive stock losses and are the subject of some intense debate and research at the moment.

A Kudu cow (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). They always look so gentle - I'm amazed they survive against all Africa's large predators.

This Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis), also known locally as a Ratel, appears to have caught something. The preceeding five photos on the camera showed him dashing around in a cloud of dust.