After two full days at Twee Rivieren during which we travelled to and from Melkvlei each day, we made our way up to Mata Mata where we were to spend 5 nights. The first part of the trip, which was on the road away from the Auob river, was pretty uneventful. As the road joined the riverbed things started to happen. Two giraffe were “necking” quite close to us. In order to assert their dominance over one another, male giraffes engage in a form of combat known as necking. Standing alongside one another with legs spread to form a more stable base, they take it in turns swinging their necks around in an attempt to strike the opponent with the top of their head.
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)“necking”.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape Province, South Africa
Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z lens. Beanbag supported.
ISO 800. 1/2500sec @ f/4.5. Exposure set manually.
We spent quite a while with them as they continued with this necking, although they did not seem to be too aggressive. It rather looked like mating behaviour. They were both males. Doing some further research, it would appear that males do in fact engage in a “mating” behaviour with one another.
There were again quite a number of Black-winged kites, although it seemed mostly to be juveniles. In my opinion the juveniles have a much more interesting plumage than the adults. However, the adults have the stricking dark red eyes. Here are two images of the juveniles which show off the breast and wing colouring.
Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) juv.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II with Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM lens and RF 1.4x extender.
ISO 800. 1/4000 sec. @ f/5.6. Exposure set manually. Beanbag supported.
Canon EOS R3 with Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and Canon EF III 1.4x extender. Beanbag supported.
ISO 800. 1/2500 sec. @ f/5.6. Exposure set manually.
Much later we came across a Black-chested Snake Eagle in flight. I managed to get a number of images whilst was it was flying relatively close to the vehicle.
Black-chested Snake Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis).
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II with Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens and Canon RF extender 1.4x. Handheld.
ISO 800. 1/4000 sec. @ 5.6. Exposure set manually.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II with Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens and Canon RF extender 1.4x. Handheld.
ISO 800. 1/2000 sec. @ 5.6. Exposure set manually.
It then moved much further away and started to patrol the top of the dune beside the road. The bird then hovered over some bushes…
Both Images. Canon EOS R5 Mark II with Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens and Canon RF extender 1.4x. Handheld.
ISO 800. 1/3200 sec. @ 5.6. Exposure set manually.
It then settled on a bush. Given the distance, I changed my rig to the EF 600mm with 1.4x extender attached to an R3 body. It was very windy which assisted the bird in hovering, but when it settled it was moving quite a bit and its feathers were ruffled.
Canon EOS R3 with Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM Lens and Canon EF III extender 1.4x. Beanbag supported.
ISO 800. 1/3200 sec. @ 5.6. Exposure set manually.
After perching for some time, rather wobbly because of the wind, we were treated to a good take-off, followed by some more hovering. It then flew off to the other side of the road, ending a very good aerial display.
All the above images. Canon EOS R3 with Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM Lens and Canon EF III extender 1.4x. Handheld. (Except where eagle has settled.)
ISO 800. 1/3200 sec. @ 5.6. Exposure set manually.
We had had a very good morning. The light by this time was well past its best. There was also not much more to see – until we got to the end of the loop at Fourteenth Borehole. There we found a Martial Eagle sitting in a position in a tree that made photography difficult. It just sat and hardly moved despite the strong wind. This was to become a standard feature over the next few days. Fortunately something did happen on our last full day at Mata Mata. Much more about that in part four (coming soon!). But this is what it looked like each day as we passed this particular tree.
