9 November 2018
I only woke up at quarter to six this morning and hopped up to go to the showers. Our little camp was still very quiet when I returned although The Earl had risen and gone to the ablutions too. I called to Pat who sleepily replied that she was awake but not dressed! I put on the kettle and soon we were all enjoying coffee and rusks.
We decided not to go to the waterhole this morning. I thought this to be a bad move as I was sure we’d see more there than on a game drive – but I was proved wrong! Today we had the most awesome day as my photos will demonstrate
We visited several waterholes and each one had something special to amuse us.
Of course we stopped for birds along the way. Our national bird the blue crane and national animal, the springbok appeared in the same frame!
We also saw Norther Black korhaan for the first time this trip. A major tick was the red breasted swallow, which The Earl spotted.
Imagine our delight when we pulled into our breakfast stop – Springfontein Waterhole and saw a honeymoon couple right out in the open. When lions are in love they spend all day together and mate ever 10 to 15 minutes! We spent over an hour with these two love lions while enjoying our breakfast and coffee.
While watching herds and herds of zebra and other grazers at Salvador I spotted a huge male lion making his way toward the smorgasbord. As they became aware of his approach the animals stood to attention and only relaxed marginally when he flopped down under a shady tree.
On our way back to camp we came across cheetah! Cheetah are not seen very often in Etosha so we were thrilled to see three on a kill. They were behind a thorn bush so photography was tricky.
After supper we sat at the waterhole for an hour or two. Rhino and elephant came down to drink. No flash photography is allowed from the hide but I got one or two of the rhino before it became too dark.
