Katy on the Road

Happy New Year!!!!

2012-01-01T00:34:00.003+01:00

Have a wonderful year, many days spend outdoors (preferably in Africa) with loads of great sightings!

African Wildcat

2011-10-09T14:34:00.022+02:00

A real treat is seeing one of these wonderful little Cats in the wild...
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is THE place to find African Wildcats!
We had the most wonderful sightings during our various trips to this National Park.

Our first sightings all on one trip...

Pretty relaxed lying in a ditch right beside the road

The following year...

Two lovebirds....

We could not believe our eyes seeing this Wildcat Mum with two Kittens...

We spotted this Wildcat in the bushes close to the Cottages right in Twee Rivieren Rest Camp

Another "Cat-Trip"

She was "posing" for us on a Weavers Nest

A young Wildcat

And we have again been blessed with more AWC sighting on our most recent trip in November 2010...

In the dunes

One of the most beautiful Cats that we have seen...

It is always wonderful to see one of those elegant and graceful little hunters....

More info about the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica)

IVAD-International Vulture Awareness Day 03. September 2011

2011-09-02T18:19:00.017+02:00

It is always important to know some facts about such incredible birds like the Vultures, especially as it may help to tell people why it is good to try and save these beautiful birds.

Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergent evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains. New World Vultures are found in North and South America, Old World Vultures in Europe, Africa and Asia, meaning that between the two groups, Vultures are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture

Here are some interesting & amazing Information on Vultures

- The projectile vomit of a vulture, followed by the action of flying away, is its most common defensive tactic, against an adversary.
- Vultures can eat as well as digest meat, in any stage of decay. They can even endure diseases that would kill any other creature.
- Vultures do have the habit of building nests.
- Vultures can fly for hours at a stretch. Since they glide over thermal updrafts, grabbing a free lift, they do not get tired soon.
- Vultures have a very well developed and heightened sense of smell.
- In order to cool themselves as well as a measure of disinfecting their legs, vultures urinate.
- The urine of a vulture can kill any germ that it would have picked while walking through a cadaver.
- Since the head of a vulture is bald, bacteria find it difficult to stick to it. The ones that manage to do it are baked off by the vulture, using sunlight.
- In case a carcass has a very thick hide, which the vulture cannot open, it waits for a larger scavenger to eat first.
- Vultures usually have only one mate in a year.
- A female vulture lays eggs in a nest, made of sticks and leaves and built in trees and cliffs. The same nest might be used for a number of years.
- Vultures can completely eat the flesh of a small animal in less than half an hour.
- A group of vultures is known as a venue and when the group is seen in the air, circling together, it is called a kettle.
- Some of the vultures also eat bones, along with the flesh.
- Vultures have very sharp eyesight and on the open plains, they can spot a three-foot carcass even from four miles away.
- The turkey vulture is gentle and non-aggressive.
- Vultures circle in order to gain height as well as to search for food.
- Vultures have poor vision in the dark.
- Vultures have the same ancestor as storks.

Source: http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-vulture-1858.html

Here are some captures of Vultures taken during our trips to South Africa....

Last but not least a video that we have taken in Kruger, all different kinds of Vultures in action.
It was so great to see all the interaction between the different birds.

Don't let the Vultures disappear!!!!

Lizard, Snake, Frog & Co.

2011-08-27T16:39:00.072+02:00

This is going to be quite a long post about Lizard, Snake, Frog & Co.
Those beautiful and amazing creatures in the parks.....

Chameleons
We often saw Chameleons in Kruger. Unfortunately all too often as road kill, but whenever we see them alive on the road we stop to make crossing the road safe for them.

This little guy was fallen off a tree, a Crested Barbet was hunting him, we picked him up.
It was amazing how strong his feet were when grabbing the finger...

Really impressive are the crocs we spotted in Kruger.
Primeval creatures.

Probably we found the most Lizards in KTP....
Amazing how they survive in such a harsh environment.

We spotted this one at Cape Point.

And some colourful specimen in Augrabies...

I am very fond of the frogs that we met in Kruger, some of them hide inside the cupboards of the outdoor kitchen between the cups and plates.
Like this one that I wanted to safe, as soon as I tried to release him he jumped on my foot.

I found this little fellow in a toilet paper holder..

This well camouflaged one lived in one of the huts at Olifants.

And this one in the little pond at the Buffelsfontein Visitors Centre in the Western Cape.

To me the most impressive "Lizards" are the Water Monitors.
They are huge, have enormous claws and can run like hell....

Now back to the smaller Lizards of Kruger, not less beautiful than the ones in KTP...

Always a lovely sighting too, Tortoises and Terrapins...
Here a huge Tortoise in Addo.

Tortoise in Kruger

Terrapins in Kruger

And Tortoises in KTP

Last but not least the Snakes.
We are always happy to find one while driving through the parks.
A sighting that's not to be taken for granted.

Puffadders in Kruger

Our first ever Rock Python sighting.

And of course the Snake sightings in KTP, like these Cape Cobra sightings, including one Cobra raiding a Weavers Nest.

And not to forget the delicate Snakes that disappear as fast as they appear..

Now that I am at the end of this post I discovered that it is not just a quite long, but a very long post....
But it hopefully shows you the beauty of these animals and how much we appreciate the sightings.
They are amazing, so keep your eyes open and you are maybe lucky and find them.

World Rhino Day 22. September 2011

2011-08-25T09:32:00.011+02:00

Each and every day I am saddened, angry, furious and feeling so very helpless reading more news about Rhinos being poached in South Africa.

Unfortunately the bad news outweigh the good news.
Like this morning when yet another Rhino passed away, after poachers had haunted Aquila Private Nature Reserve early Saturday morning.

Many dedicated people tried their best to save the badly wounded Rhino, but this morning the Rhino lost the battle.

One of many Rhinos that already lost their lives this year.
A second of Aquilas Rhinos was darted by the poachers, but not hurt (physically, it most have been a trauma for the poor animal) and the people from Aquila arrived too late for a third Rhino, it was found dead and dehorned on the area.

It is unbelievable how brutally the poachers act to steal the horn.
They are using axes, machetes and chainsaws.

Leaving behind severely wounded, doomed, but often still living Rhinos.
There are several ideas how one can keep the poachers from killing the Rhinos for their horn, GPS transmitter transplanted into the horn, dehorning the Rhino before the poacher could do so, etc....

But it seems that there is nothing that can prevent the terrible slaughter.
In one case a already dehorned pregnant Rhino was killed in a private game reserve only to hack the remaining horn out of it's face.....
Please try to help to create awareness, try to help eliminating the demand for rhino horn.
Rhino horn is no medicine.

Increase the penalties for poaching.

Caused by myths and false believe he demand for rhino horn has created a very high value for horn. This makes slaughtering rhino a very financially attractive option for organized crime syndicates and their henchman.

Lots of people in Asian countries use it to benefit their sexual power and I am very disturbed and saddened that even (so called educated) people of the western world use powdered Rhino horn for the sake of beauty.......

But nobody benefits from Rhino horn, apart from ruthless rhino horn cartels filing their pockets with loads of money. Actually it’s only compacted hair (keratin) and has the same medicinal effect as your own fingernails or hair, none at all.

The death toll is already high and rising day by day.

Prior to 2008 a total of 12 rhinos were poached annually in South Africa. In 2009, 135 rhinos were killed, and in 2010, 333 rhinos were killed for their horns.

This year the numbers will be even higher, as the current number of poached Rhinos is 265 and as I said before, rising day by day…

Do not let the Rhino, these wonderful and majestic animals, disappear…

Take action....

Try to find an organisation that support the fight against Rhino poaching and support them in terms of money.

Like the Endangered Wildlife Trust or Sanwild to name but two....

Try to create awareness by organising events, showing pics, pass on informations about the huge and increasing problem of poaching or facts about these magnificent animals, the Rhinos.

People need to know that they are endangered due to the increasing demand of Rhino horn, people need to know that the numbers of poached animals are rising and people need to know how beautiful Rhinos are and that they are well worth the fight.

This was one of our first Rhino sightings in the wild, taken in Kruger National Park 2003 (scan form photo).
Since then we are in love with these animals...

Creepy-crawlies

2011-08-21T12:57:00.022+02:00

Well I have to admit that I am not too fond of creepy-crawlies, especially if they have 8 legs...
But browsing through my pics I suddenly found out, that despite my sentiments, I actually took quite a few pics of these interesting and really beautiful creatures.

Like in the Kalahari...

Where I came across an Armoured Ground Cricket for the first time in my life.

And watched this Mongoose that was as much interested in her as me...

During another stay we discovered these Caterpillars of the African Wild Silk Moth.
There were thousands and there were everywhere on the roads especially in the north of Nossob.
A week later we saw cocoons hanging in every tree like little lampions.

Then there are the Blister Beetles, shiny black (very fast moving) beetles...
They are pretty, but do not come too close, in stress they use a defensive secretion of a blistering agent.

Now let us have a look at the Millepedes or Shongololo.
There are quite impressive specimen in the Kalahari.
It is amazing to watch how they move all their "feet" like a wave.

I found this beautifully delicate and amazingly detailed insect (Ant Lion) clinging to the door of the hide in Nossob. Just look at the wings, the tiny hairs on the legs and the antennae.

But Kruger offered us creepy- crawlies as well....
Like this Golden Orb Spider. Beautifully coloured and with a net strong enough to even capture small birds. Although I think she prefers insects as food ;-)

Close to the entrance of the Skukuza nursery we found the biggest Grasshopper I have ever seen, this one here was about 8-9 cm long.

A Praying Mantis, in my opinion the most beautiful insect...
Stroll along the boardwalk of the Nursery Wetlands and you find loads of Insects there.

And yet another Armoured Ground Cricket just to show you the amazing details of their impressive "armour"...

I think this shows just how beautiful the allegedly icky creepy-crawlies are.
Have a closer look and appreciate the awesome diversity of nature.

Having a braai....

2011-06-25T23:26:00.003+02:00

Well we are travelling to South Africa twice a year.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is one of the National Parks we are especially fond of.
There are a couple of small Wilderness Camps which are unfenced.
It is not an unusual sight that a Hyena comes patrolling the huts and tents or Lions coming to the waterholes for a drink.
While there, life is simple.
We love to prepare toasted Sandwiches on a braai (the South African BBQ).
Imagine that, sitting outside in the dark by the fire,enjoying a toasted Bacon, Egg and Onion Sandwich. A glass of wine in the other hand and listening to Lions, Jackals and Hyenas in the distance.
Ultimate Luxury!!!

Our toasted Sandwiches..
We use fried eggs.
I then place aluminum foil on the grid, bake the bacon until it is really crispy, cut three large onions in rings and fry them on the foil, using the fat of the bacon, until they are really tender, season them with some freshly ground pepper. This all in combination with the eggs as the Sandwich filling and toasted on the braai is oh soooo lovely.....
Yum!

Morning Coffee

2011-06-11T20:11:00.012+02:00

Well there are lot of place where we had our early morning coffee while in one of the parks...
And we loved them all!

Like having a coffee ovelooking Gudzani Dam near Satara.

Having company in Kruger while having a coffee looking onto Mlondozi Dam...

....and while sipping a coffee at Mari se Draai/KTP

Magical moments like observing the sunrise over Sabie River...

or a sunrise at Kieliekrankie/KTP

Whether it's hot and humid like in Kruger in November......

.....or freezing cold like on a May morning at Kalahari Tented Camp

Well it seems no matter where or when, no matter in whose company, Birds,Lions,Giraffes, Impalas, Springbucks.....all of the places where we had coffee under African Skies is our favourite....

Birds

2011-04-30T12:54:00.011+02:00

I already loved the birds here in Germany very much, but seeing the wonderful birdlife in South Africa I can very well understand why birding is so popular in this country.

I was absolutely amazed the first time I saw one of those tiny Malachite Kingfisher.
Like this one here on the Shingwedzi Low Water Bridge.

Some people think that Vultures are ugly....
Something I really do not understand at all, look how majestic this Lappet Faced Vulture is that we saw in KTP!

Or have you ever had a closer look at the eyes of one of those wonderful Owls?!
So mysterious...

We always love to find of the many Burchells Coucals in Kruger.
They are pretty birds.

If you are crossing the weirs in Kruger, there is always a bird nearby, even if it is "just" a Three Banded Plover....

But our most favourite places by far, are the many lovely bird hides in Kruger.
Like Lake Panic so close to Skukuza one of the biggest and busiest camps, but so quiet and peaceful.

Goosebumps

2011-04-21T20:02:00.004+02:00

Well last November we had an unbelievable trip to KTP.
We stayed at Grootkolk Wilderness Camp for a couple of nights.
The day we arrived 5 lions were lying underneath the tree close to the waterhole.
I have to admit we never unpacked our car that quick before...
We stayed in the camp the afternoon, we had Lions right at the waterhole what else could we ask for ?!
And we got our reward one of the Lionesses left and returned a little while later with the most cutest cubs....

They played and stayed close to the waterhole the whole afternoon.
What a joy!
We checked the the waterhole from time to time and when night was falling the Lions were still there.
Later we went to bed.

Well at almost excatly 3 am we heard a kind of a metal clash.
At first I thought that Hyenas might have come up to the cabin and were now busy with the dustbin.
But then a noise started that we never ever heard before, but instantly we knew what was happening outside.

The Lions had made a kill.....
But they not only had made a kill they had done so right in front of our cabin.
The upper flap on the door was open and so I shone through the mesh to have a closer look what was happening outside.
5 Lions were lying on the other side of the little fence, close to our braai and devouring some kind of animal that was (when I first had a look at the scene) still kicking.
Adrenline levels inside the cabin were probably as high as outside....

As the Lions were lying really close to the fence it was hard to see without the fence reflecting the light of the torch.

So we tried to capture the whole scene with the camcorder.
It was plain unbelievable.

In the meantime we had discovered that it was an unfortunate Hartebeest that they had killed.
One of the females then grabbed the skull, still the spine was attached and carried it over to a small tree to the right of our cabin.
Now as she started to chew on the Hartebeest we had a really good view when kneeing on our beds.
Every now and then the others came to the front of the chalet where they had killed the animal to check for some bits and pieces that were still left.
So I was constant movement for us from the side where we could observe the Lioness to the side where we were able to see the other Lions...
A while after the Lioness started to chew she called the cubs.
We already heard them for quite a while, but were not able to see them in the darkness.
We could not believe our eyes. The cute little fluffy cubs we observed in the afternoon and which were still so small that we thought they only feed on mummy's milk, started chewing on the Hartebeest as well

Upon Dawn the Lions started to roar and a big male joined the show.
The appearance of the male caused some unrest in the rest of the pride.
Suddenly the Lions were everywhere.....
One of the Lionesses came to the site of the killing again, scratched for something on the ground and finally walked off with something that looked like a piece of leg....
And more roaring in the morning.....
Thank God there was everything in the cabin, toilet, fridge and we even had hot water for a coffee (we had prepared it the evening before as we planned to leave the camp early for a drive in the morning.....well little did we know...).

We loved to observe Mum, Auntie and the cubs.
The cabin was surrounded by Lions.
If you went to the toilet, looked out of the window, two amber coloured eyes looked up at you, washed you hands, looked out of the window, 4 amber coloured eyes looked up at you and if you had a shower you could clearly see the tree with the male Lion underneath.....

At one time during the night we wanted to rest a bit and sat on the beds. In that second a Lion ran past the cabin right behind our backs. It was amazing. You could really feel the power and weight of the body. The stamping of the feet went right down your spine into the stomach.....

I simply can not describe how I/we felt that night....
It was pure adrenaline.
We had goosebumps right from the beginning and very little sleep.

I can say we had the experience of a lifetime....

You need to turn up your volume while watching this video..
And it's bets to watch it in HD !

Why am I in love with Africa.....

2011-04-06T19:48:00.022+02:00

Well I think it's a combination of many different things.
The first time we touched African ground we instantly fell in love....

The vastness

Sounds, like the sound of an African Fish Eagle, Cicadas, Francolins, the snorting sound of Hippos....etc.

Or the sound of softly falling rain on thatched roofs...

Discovering the small wonders of nature... Like this nest with eggs of a Paradise Flycatcher.

Beautiful flowers..

Listening to waves crashing ashore....

The warmth of small gestures.

African sunsets....

Getting in touch with nature.

Meeting the most beautiful creatures eye to eye.

And those breathtaking sunrises.

This and so much more.....
Words just can not describe it.
Maybe this sums it up, being in Africa I simply feel at home!

Funny

2011-03-13T11:37:00.018+01:00

Have you ever travelled through one of the South/ Southern African parks, taking a pic only to discover later that the animal you photographed was making a face ?!
I think it actually happens quite often and I always enjoy them very much afterwards.
Here is just a small selection.

"Hey Baby ;-)" or something like "Here's looking at you, kid." (from Casablanca)

"Hey, could you please stop?!
I already told you don't walk that fast! Hey, hellllloooo, wait,WAIT...."

"Don't you just hate it when she does something like this?! This is so embarrassing....(*sigh*)"

"Hi,hi,hi...That was a good joke....Hilarious...."

"Did you say: Look this cute, little Owl?! Who is CUTE?! Who is LITTLE?!"

"OMG! That is so itchy...And I simply can't reach it..."

"What?! Insects?! I have to eat Insetcs?! No one told me that before!!!!"

"Listen! I was sitting here on my branch. Thinking about nothing and then you just came and started to take photos.... STOP IT!!!!!"

And here is a last one, but I could go on for quite a while....

Small Sightings

2011-02-23T21:19:00.009+01:00

I am always surprised experiencing people travelling through the wonderful South African National Parks, only searching for the "Big 5".
In my oppinion they completely miss the point.
These are the people telling, very disappointed, each and everybody after their return: "Well we travelled lots of kilometres and saw nothing.....
They simply missed out on the little wonders of nature.

An Agama on the road side....

A small Mouse...

A beautiful colourful bird....

A delicate Dragonfly or Butterfly...

And isn't this little Lizard just too cute?!

Keep your eyes open for the small sightings, the little wonders of nature and you will be rewarded with a wonderful and enjoyable time in the Parks....

Bum shot

2011-01-06T22:40:00.005+01:00

Imagine having a great sighting.
A beautiful animal,lovely light, a gorgeous setting and.....
... the animal is only kind enough to show you his/her backside!
I guess I am not the only photographer who is going insane seing something like this,lol.

This year while we travelled through KTP we were coming closer to one of the boreholes south of Kalahari Tented Camp.
It was already a bit late, so we thought that we might already have missed the interesting sightings.
We very slowly made our way towards the 14th borehole when we detected a movement in the riverbed.
At first we thought Oryx, but very soon we realised that these was the typical walk of cats.
And indeed 5 beautiful Lions were making their way to the waterhole.
So we stopped right at the hole and waited for them.
One by one they arrived to have a drink.
And of course the inevitable happened.
One started to drink only showing us his bum and all the others, as if by command, bend their heads down to have a drink as well.

And believe me they were very thirsty......

African Nights

2010-11-30T10:58:00.006+01:00

Well we just returned from a wonderful trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
The nights there are really special.
The nightsky is breathtaking,the clear air and silence seems to even enhance each and every sound that is heard,pure magic.
One evening we returned back to Urikaruus, only to discover that two big male Lions (that we already met earlier that day on the road) were lying in the riverbed right in front of the cabins.
We tiptoed into our home and enjoyed the view of those magnificent animals from our balcony while having a sundowner and dinner.
Later that evening one of the Lions got up, walked over to the waterhole, had a drink and started to roar with the second one joining this beautiul serenade..

He was only maybe 20 metres away from us (if at all),the sound went right down into your stomach and gives you goosebumps.

So turn up the volume,listen and enjoy!!
Best picture results in HD.....

Meerkats

2010-10-23T22:26:00.004+02:00

When visiting KTP Meerkat sightings are always very special.
During our latest two visits, we were blessed with Meerkat sightings.
Sometimes while we stopped to take some photos, other cars did not even bother to stop and have a closer look which I think is a real shame.
Meerkats are sometimes much more entertaining, than sleeping Lions that do not move for hours.
Whenever I see them digging up their food and what big holes they create doing so, I always think, well I don't want to have them as visitors in my garden,lol.
But they are amazing creatures.
Whoever has seen Meerkat Manor knows what I am talking about.

So here is a (very small) collection of those we have met.....

Eyes

2010-10-08T17:53:00.002+02:00

Kgalagadi NP, South Africa, November 2007
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

While travelling South African National Parks we had quite a few wonderful Lion sightings.
But our KTP trips were especially rewarding.

One afternoon we came across a wonderful Lion pride near Houmoed waterhole.
The whole group consisted of two males, three females and four cubs.
They had been at the waterhole for a drink before commencing their way back into the dunes.
One of the females walked excately into our direction.
She stopped very close to our car (nearly too close for comfort...).
Then she started to call for the cubs, who gladly obeyed and ran as fast as they could.
Just in the moment when the cubs started to suckle. She looked up and looked me straight into the eyes.
Remembering that moment, hear beautiful amber eyes and watching this photo I still got goosebumps.

Peter Hall, a South African we met three times during our travels through the Kalahari, witnessed the whole scene, and tried to put it in words.
He said:

A glance like this eats your heart out.

Food

2010-10-01T16:02:00.003+02:00

These are some of the things I love about travelling....
Experience new tastes and discover new food.

When we travelled to KTP for the first time we already new reports about the "famous" roosterkoek you are able to order at the reception of Nossob Restcamp.
Of course this was something we wanted to try.
So arriving at reception and checking in, we ordered two roosterkoek right away.
We were told that they are going to be delivered to our chalet after gate closing time.

So after a lovely sunset drive we waited with anticipation.
Someone knocked on our door and handed over a plastic bag with two, still hot, roosterkoek.
I just can not describe it.
The smell, the excitement, the joy to cut them in half and to finally be able to taste something we were looking forward to for quite a while...
We tried them with butter and salt and with cheese and apricot jam.

They were simple, but absolutely divine!

Sitting on your doorstep in the Kalahari, watching the evening sky, listening to Lions and Jackals in the distance, eating roosterkoek is, I think the ultimate luxury.

Patterns

2010-09-17T21:04:00.003+02:00

Kgalagadi NP, South Africa,November 2007
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

Before we left for KTP in 2007 we already heard about a Leopard Lady that was roaming the area near Twee Rivieren with her cub.
We were keeping our fingers crossed that we would be able to see her during our stay.
On our first evening we drove to Leeuwdril waterhole, just before we reached our destination we simply could not believe our eyes.
There she was, coming form our left side, stepping onto the road and very slowly crossed over to the other side.
What a beauty, we were stunned.
What impresses us as well, was the fact, that she was quite small.
This and the wonderful patterns of her fur make her nearly invisible, especially when resting in a tree.

The patterns of her fur merge with the patterns the sun paints on the tree trunk.
Nature is perfect.....

Tranquility

2010-09-04T14:06:00.003+02:00

Kruger National Park,South Africa,May 2009
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

Skukuza is one of the big camps in Kruger.

Early in the morning you hear the cars eager to be the first in the row when the gates are opened.
You hear the rattling wheels of suitcases on the way to the big tour busses. Talking, laughing and sometimes even shouting....
But even in this big camp you have got islands of tranquillity.

Just take you time to sit on one of the benches along the Sabie River and wait for the sunrise.
You will meet not too many other people, but those who are there have a smile on their faces, they give you a nod as greeting and all of them wait patiently.

You hear hundreds of birds in the reeds of the riverbank, Hippos returning back to the river after a nocturnal "walkabout", you hear the Francolins waking up, as well as the Baboons and sometimes you make out their silhouettes in the distance on top of the railway bridge.
If you are lucky, there is some mist on the river which makes the mood even more special.
You sit there in awe watching the sun rising bit by bit.
The colours in the sky change dramatically.
And you simply have no words for so much beauty……..

I even persuade myself, that the smiles on the people’s faces are even broader when leaving this wonderful haven of tranquillity.

IVAD 2010- International Vulture Awareness Day 4. September 2010

2010-08-29T22:30:00.004+02:00

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, November 2008
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

Vultures are critically endangered worldwide.
Due to poisoning, due to illegal use of the drug Diclofenac or they are killed to be used by traditional healer to prepare medicine.....
This all threatens these wonderful birds.

It's a matter close to my heart to bring this to the attention of the public.

To some they are "just" birds, for some not even the prettiest ones....
But have a closer look. They are gorgeous, powerful and a very important part of the ecosystem.

In India the drug Diclofenac is used to treat the livestock. Vultures eat the carcasses and are poisoned. The Vulture population is decreasing dramatically. There is a theory that due to the decline of the Vulture population, the population of feral dogs is increasing.
This may be of direct importance for the human population, as feral dogs often have rabies.
A simple thing would be to replace Diclofenac with a less harmful drug, which is unfortunately more expensive.
This is just one of many examples.

Birdlife about the use of Diclofenac
http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/asia_vulture_crisis/diclofenac.html

An article about the use of Vulture in traditional medicine
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article73739.ece

You are able to find many examples on the world wide web...

Please have a look at the IVAD Homepage:
http://www.vultureday.org/2010/index.php

Maybe you can be part of it as well.
The Vultures are important for all of us.

The skies would be very empty without these majestic birds.

Dust

2010-08-27T11:32:00.010+02:00

Kgalagadi NP, South Africa,November 2007
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

Well of course I had to think of the Kalahari hearing the word Dust.....
And this is what makes KTP so very special.
Some people can not imagine travelling through such a dry and harsh enviroment.
But it got it's own and very special beauty....

You have got different moods created by the dust in the air and on the roads.
The roads appear not from this world, so far away from so called "civilisation".
Then, driving the roads of the Kalahari you feel like exploring new grounds, especially in the most northern parts of the park.
Here you really can hear the silence.
I love that feeling, it is comfort food for our souls.....

You discover tracks on the roads of animals who past through, minutes, hours or even days ago.

You see Squirrels bathing in the cool sand under a tree

Meerkats digging for food

Birds having their nests right on the dusty ground

Even when animals fight, like a couple of Lions we observed at one of the boreholes, it looks completey different to fights you experiencing in the bush.

I think it is even more intense.

Sometimes I have the feeling all this dust sharpens our vision for the small beauties and we are able to enjoy a tiny blossom in the Kalahari in the middle of all that dust even more...

Urgency

2010-08-20T21:56:00.004+02:00

Kruger National Park,April/May 2008,South Africa
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

Just have a look at this pic ....
Aren't these Rhino calves just too cute for words ?!
Today I heard news about a Rhino calf that was found beside his/her dead mother.....

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Rhino-calf-found-with-dead-mom-20100820

What a sad story......
It makes me so very sad and very, very angry at the same time....

How can someone kill these beautiful and powerful animals just to use it's horn...?!

Why are humans not able to just appreciate the beauty of these gorgeous animals....

We are the ones that have to take care of the heritage of nature.
It is our duty to save these animals.
What a blessing to be able to see them in the wild.....

We just have to stop this with all our power, or else we are only able to see these beauties on pics taken in the past.....

Mother and Child

2010-08-06T21:06:00.003+02:00

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, November 2008
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

This was such a wonderful scene....
The small cub was coming over to his/her mum to "cuddle".
Isn't it amazing how big mums head appears in comparison to the little one?!

We stayed with them for a long while and were able to observe the interaction between mother and child.
But I think this pic perfectly captured the love and affection.......

Waiting

2010-08-01T10:20:00.003+02:00

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, November 2008
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

These Sparrows were waiting for some water at Houmoed Waterhole in Kalahari Transfrontier Park.
You can literally feel their thirst...

Another photo that I remember very well...

Again Taken in Kgalagadi. During our trip in November 2007 we saw many dead Elands.

A bad drought caused a migration from Botswana to the waterholes in the South African part of the Park. Many of the Elands died on the way to the water, many of them died after they had reached the waterholes.Some of them due to exhaustion and some of them as they gulped too much of the allegedly redemptive water.

We found this poor Eland the morning before this photo was taken. It obviously had died during the night, that morning there were a couple of Jackals fighting for their food. The next day we found these Vultures sitting underneath one of the rare trees waiting for their turn....

Silhouette

2010-07-21T08:32:00.003+02:00

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, November 2008
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

Well I always fall for Silhouettes, like for Sunsets and Sunrises.....
In fact the Silhouettes,Sunsets and Sunrises are inextricably linked with each other and therefore a cobination of my most favourite times in the African Wilderness.
I took that shot early morning near Nossob in KTP.
Getting up early there is not as hard as in the "civilisation", your rhythm of life is different when you are there.
The herd of Wildebeest was on the way to the next waterhole, when they had to cross the sandy road. It was such a peaceful and perfect moment. They were pretty relaxed and just stopped close to the car.
The light and mist in the air makes this capture for me...

Baobabs

2010-07-17T21:07:00.005+02:00

Kruger National Park , South Africa ,October/November 2006
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

I just love them, they are so much Africa to me, just like the Acacia Trees.

Seeing the first Baobabs in Kruger means, that we are entering one of our favourite parts in the Park,the North.

There are a lot of names for that special tree: dead-rat tree (from the appearance of the fruits), well I don't like that one.
Monkey-bread tree (the soft, dry fruit is edible) and the upside-down tree (the sparse branches resemble roots).

The latter is my favourite.
I just love the idea that the "roots" of that tree reach for the sky and keeping it over Africa.....
Seeing one of those giants always makes me wonder how long they are already here on this earth.

The sight of a Baobab makes me feel at home and bid me welcome.

Al Fresco

2010-07-03T21:02:00.003+02:00

Kruger National Park,South Africa,May 2009
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

I took this pic at Skukuza Rest Camp, overlooking the Sabie River and Sabie Railway Bridge is really a wonderful place to have a sundowner and something to eat.
But I love all different kinds of places in the National Parks to have dinner under an African sky.
As I said this place by the river in Skukuza, the lovely restaurant in Shingwedzi where you can sit right beside the floodlight fence, the Deck at Lower Sabie when a concert of Hippos accompanies your dinner, sitting outside your bungalow at Nossob (trying to defend your dinner against the Jackals that are roaming the camp), dinner in Grootkolk, Kalahari Tented Camp and Urikaruus with a view to the waterhole and the Barking Geckos as background symphony,and,and,and.....

You see my choice is as simple as that....
My favourite al fresco dining place is anywhere under the African Sky :-D

Earth

2010-06-26T14:09:00.003+02:00

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park,South Africa, May 2006
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

I love to drive the roads of the Kalahari, as all of them are gravel/sand roads.
To be able to see what passed through during the night, a couple of hours or just minutes ago, is very special.
You are able to " read the earth " (if the roads were tarred you wouldn't be able to do this) and believe me she has very much to tell........

Wind

2010-06-19T18:16:00.003+02:00

Kgalagadi NP, South Africa,November 2007
Originally uploaded by katydownunderThis shot was taken at Kwang Waterhole, north of Nossob.

We stopped to have a look what was happening at the waterhole.
It has been very hot the whole day.
We had just stopped when a heavy wind broke loose.
It was only seconds that we were surronded by masses of flying sand.
An extraordinary sight. The Kalahari really shows you how powerful nature is!
Thank God we had already stopped, it would have been impossible to drive on.

Fire

2010-06-12T22:19:00.002+02:00

At Punda Maria Rest Camp,Kruger National Park, South Africa, November 2005
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

More a flame than a fire.....
I just love this so very much. While staying at Punda Maria Rest Camp, the staff walks from hut to hut after sunset and lights the oil lamps.
Just a small gesture, but it makes me feel at home.....

Water

2010-06-05T08:22:00.002+02:00

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, November 2008
Originally uploaded by katydownunder

In that particular November the raining season started quite early.
We were on our way back from the boreholes to Urikaruus Wilderness Camp, when we stopped at a lookout point and saw this wall of water coming down.
Having the opportunity to see this in such a dry and harsh enviroment like the Kalahari is pure magic.......