South Africa’s Rare Mammals Naturetrek Tour Report 11 - 23 September 2017 Mountain Wheatear Gemsbok Fighting African Lion Southern White-faced owl Report & Images compiled by Marc Cronje Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report South Africa- The Cape & Kalahari Tour Participants: Gavin Sims and Marc Cronje (leaders) together with 10 Naturetrek clients Summary During the tour the temperature ranged from 5°C to 36°C. We recorded 57 mammal species, 185 species of birds and 13 species of reptiles. The species mentioned in the daily summaries are only some of those seen. A detailed list can be found at the end of the report. Day 1 Monday 11th September The group left London, en route to Johannesburg. Day 2 Tuesday 12th September Langberg, Kimberley. After a short flight from Johannesburg, clients Lois and Peter met with Gavin and Marc at Kimberley Airport and were slightly worried as they seemed to be the only Naturetrek clients on the flight; soon after meeting Gavin and Marc we learnt that the other eight clients had a flight delay and would be coming on a later flight in the afternoon. After a brief cool drink, we headed to Kamfer’s Dam just on the outskirts of Kimberley; here, we were treated to an amazing sighting of thousands upon thousands of Lesser and Greater Flamingos at the dam. The noise they make is almost deafening. Kamfer’s Dam supports a large diversity of water birds and is recognized as a Natural Heritage Site and an Important Bird Area. We headed off to Kimberley’s famous Big Hole to learn about the history of the area and its diamond-mining past. Birding highlights included Bradfield’s Swift, Alpine Swift, White-backed Mousebird and Rock Kestrel at the Big Hole. After lunch we checked in at our country guesthouse and managed to do a short walk after the long sit on the flight; it was also a relief to freshen up. Gavin and Marc then headed back to the airport to pick up the other eight Naturetrek clients for the tour who had been unfortunately delayed. Gavin and Marc were all ready and waiting for the other group members at Kimberley Airport after the delayed flight and wasted no time in getting on our way. We stopped at the multitude of Flamingos at Kamfer’s dam en route to the guesthouse. The guests were really tired after a long flight and delay and were happy to freshen up before dinner. Birding highlights included en route to the guesthouse included: Greater Kestrel, Red-headed Finches, Black-faced Waxbill and Kalahari Scrub Robin. Just before dinner the group got to meet each other, have a cold beer and share the interesting travel stories. A traditional South African dinner of Baboti was enjoyed by all, and after dinner we enjoyed the clear night sky and the constellations were pointed out to us by Gavin and Marc; we also managed to see some of the Buthidae Scorpion species in the area under the ultraviolet light. Mammal sightings for the day: 4 Day 3 Wednesday 13th September Langberg Guest Farm - Kimberley The morning began nice and early as we headed off to Mokala National Park. On arrival we were greeted by friendly staff and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters. Soon after entering the park, we came across a nice herd of African © Naturetrek October 17 1 Tour Report South Africa- The Cape & Kalahari Buffalo close to the road. Mokala National Park is involved in a breeding disease-free Buffalo, that is Buffalo free of Tuberculosis and Foot-and-mouth disease. The extreme variance in temperature between summer and winter in Mokala make it difficult for parasites to survive and the Buffalo stay in optimal condition; in other reserves like Kruger National Park this is not the case and the diseases break out from time to time. Other great sightings of Springbok, Roan, Tssessebe, Red Hartebeest and Gemsbok were enjoyed before our breakfast stop. Just before breakfast we were treated to a wonderful sighting of Black Harrier near the waterhole, and other birding highlights included: Namaqua Sandgrouse, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, South African Shelduck and Northern Black Korhaan. Breakfast was enjoyed overlooking the Riet River and we had good views of Vervet monkeys, Fairy Flycatcher and Karoo Thrush. After breakfast we enjoyed a drive through the park and got great views of the endangered antelope the park has to offer. At the bird hide we had Black-backed Jackal drinking water and had Green-winged Pytilia, Violet-eared Waxbill and Red-billed Firefinch all drinking water. Lunch was enjoyed and we saw Leopard Tortoise and Four- striped Mouse at the lunch stop. After lunch we took a drive back to the lodge and got a great sighting of Rufous-eared Warbler and Red Hartebeest on the way out of the park. An early dinner was enjoyed before heading out on a night drive to find some of the rare nocturnal mammals of the area. What an incredible night drive we experienced, with highlights being an Aardvark right at the start of the drive, followed by Bat-eared Fox, Spring Hare, African Wild Cat, Three-banded Courser and Barn Owl. What an incredible night drive and day! Mammal sightings for the day: 29 Day 4 Thursday 14th September Langberg Guest Farm - Kimberley We began with an early start as we headed for Mokala National Park once again. What a beautiful morning with a magic sunrise! While we watched the sunrise, we saw Black-headed Heron, South African Cliff Swallow and Red-billed Teal over the Riet River. Highlights in the park before breakfast included: Roan Antelope, Eland, Zebra, Gemsbok, Burchell’s Zebra, Meerkat and Yellow Mongoose. Birding highlights included Pygmy Falcon, Bokmakerie, Long-billed Pipit, Buffy Pipit, Sabota Lark and Fawn-coloured Lark. It was interesting to see Red- billed Oxpeckers on some of the game; these birds have a mutualistic relationship with the game and feed on the external parasites. The oxpeckers were previously wiped out in the area through the use of pesticides and the park re-introduced 19 birds in September 2012; now the birds are breeding successfully in the park. After breakfast and coffee, we headed for the bird hide and it seemed with the heat that everything was at the hide. We saw Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Zebra, Nyala, Warthog, Waterbuck, Tsessebe, Vervet Monkey and Black- backed Jackal. Birding highlights included: Black-faced Waxbill, Blue Waxbill, Black-throated Canary and a juvenile Gabar Goshawk catching a Red-billed Quelea in front of us. After lunch we went in search of the park’s Rhino; we had no luck but encountered a Secretarybird, which was a bonus. An early dinner was had at the lodge and then we headed for our second night drive to find the rare nocturnal mammals of the area. What a night drive we had, with all the special and rare nocturnal mammals making an appearance! This included Aardvark, Aardwolf, Hedgehog, African Wild Cat, Black-footed Cat and Bat-eared Fox. 2 © Naturetrek October 17 Tour Report South Africa- The Cape & Kalahari Mammal sightings for the day: 38 Day 5 Friday 15th September Augrabies Falls National Park We had a slightly later start today, and a nice farm breakfast before we moved on to Augrabies Falls from Kimberley. En route we stopped at various bridges crossing the Vaal and Orange Rivers. Birding highlights included: Red-knobbed Coot, Little Grebe, Southern Pochard, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Striated Heron and Lesser Swamp Warbler. We also saw Yellow Mongoose, Ground Squirrel, Sable, Steenbok and Chacma Baboon en route. We enjoyed lunch on a wine farm outside Upington, and enjoyed views of Red-faced Mousebird, Crested Barbet, Karoo Thrush, White-throated Canary and Cape Robin-Chat. We arrived at Augrabies just before sunset and were treated to truly African sunset. We also saw the Augrabies Flat Lizard and the Bibron’s Thick-toed Gecko at the falls. Dinner was enjoyed at the restaurant with the sound of the falls in the background. Mammal sightings for the day: 8 Day 6 Saturday 16th September Augrabies Falls National Park An early start was in order today as we headed into Augrabies National Park to enjoy the wonderful scenery and explore this magnificent park. Sunrise was spectacular, and the morning was a little chilly with the birds getting active a little later. We saw Giraffe, Gemsbok, Springbok, Kudu, Steenbok and Klipspringer before our coffee stop. Birding highlights included: Karoo Long-billed Lark, Cape Bunting, Mountain Wheatear and Fawn- coloured Lark. At our coffee stop, overlooking the Orange River Gorge, we were treated to a fly-over of the resident Verreaux’s Eagles, and also enjoyed watching a family of Cape Clawless Otters play in the river below. Other highlights included: Bradfield’s Swift, Peregrine Falcon, Fish Eagle and Goliath Heron. We saw both the Southern Rock Agama and Augrabies Flat Lizard while having breakfast. After brunch we had a short break before our afternoon drive in the park. Highlights from our afternoon drive included: Karoo Long-billed Lark, Burchell’s Coucal, Yellow Mongoose, and spectacular views over the Orange River Gorge from one of the granite domes in the Park. The night drive was a success with us seeing Small- spotted Genet, a Giraffe with a youngster, Cape Hare, Eland, Klipspringer Spotted Eagle-Owl and a pair of Black Duck. Mammal sightings for the day: 21 Day 7 Sunday 17th September Kalahari Lodge - Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park We began with a slightly later breakfast and then headed towards the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.