Nkurru cam update
Its been a while since the Nkurru cam been updated. We had quite a bit of rain over Christmas so the waterhole was not extensively busy. We had the odd visitor here and there. During the day there are quite an influx of general game or GG’s as we call them. Hopefully the the camera will last longer on its new spot in the waterhole.
We still get the old faith full elephant even with all the small pans of water in the bush. There must be something in the water at Nkurru that they like 
Guess what this is?
We did get some white rhino in the evenings as well !
One morning after breakfast a whole troop of baboons came in as well. Luckily they stayed clear of the lodge.
Well that was the story for this week at our waterhole.
Below is a few other images the cam picked up
Till next time
Warmest Regards
Grant
Nkurru cam – weekly update 9#
Well lets try again, the last update you guys got was on the technical issues due to lions and ellies not thinking much of the Cam. Lets hope this time it will last a bit longer
The following images were taken on the first night and morning at our waterhole. We will try different angles at the waterhole, but for now it is safe from the ellies….I hope.
I am sure you will agree that it is awesome to get close-up shots of the animals without them even knowing about it. It is quite funny to see the animals reaction on the light when it takes a photo. Some animals react and some just ignore it.
This buffalo was quite curious and really wanted to see what was going on, luckily the taste buds for cameras have not yet been developed in these bovines.
Hope you enjoyed the Nkurru cam update
Cheers
Grant
Nkurru Cam – Weekly Update #8
Hi everybody!
Due to some, umm…, technical delays the Nkurru Cam post was slightly delayed but finally got things sorted out… sort of!
Before we get there a few interesting images form the lodge. The first three pics were taken in Room 5. The guest went outside to look at and photograph the stars, which are completely amazing in winter and when he got back inside he saw this…
Yeah, that’s a Small Spotted Genet checking out the bathroom facilities in the room.
The little guy made straight for the door and, I am am happy to report, did not break anything! That is unlike the Vervet Monkey with who we have been at full-on war with over the last few weeks. Eish…
Other than that I am sure you would have read or heard about Nkurru Plains. This is our new project on the side which aims to open up the areas around the waterhole. This is not only a great thing for fire awareness but will allow you and your guests to see animals coming from much further away. It has been working amazingly well and the first of three phases have been completed. Check this out…
The area on the right of the waterhole used to be thick thick thick. Now, we have taken out all the sickle bush, other smaller shrubs and have been left with this. You can see all the way onto the firebreak and with a bit of help from the ellies we already have a few major game tracks running through Nkurru Plains. WIll keep you posted as things develop!
Right…
Back to Nkurru Cam and out technical difficulties.
Umm…
Have you heard the one about… Nah, can’t stall any longer…
This is the short version of the technical difficulties we had the last week…
The ellies ****** up our camera good and proper!! This is all I could find.
Man… and we had this one hidden deep in the dam wall with the hope that the ellies would not find it. Apparently an epic fail!
Not sure what the hell they did with the camera but it was in pieces all over the place and when I say pieces I mean pieces. This is all I could find quite a way form the waterhole.
The amazing thing, trying to take a glass half full attitude, is that the memory card was in this part of the camera and I was able to get all the images of it. Suffice to say there were a LOT of ellies on the card. So, I have created a time lapse video (a video of all the images taken by the camera, which shows the activity at the Nkurru Cam waterhole until it’s untimely demise but, and this keeps the theme of technical difficulties going, I cannot get it to upload to YouTube! Tried three different computers and it… just… won’t… work!
Going to keep on trying and will add it to this post as soon as it is done!
So, that brings Nkurru Cam to an end as we have now lost 4 cameras. The scores are:
- Lions – 1
- Elephants – 3
- Nkurru – 0
So… now what? Well, for now I will get some images up onto the site every week to keep you up to date as to what is happening at and around the lodge.
If you have any questiosn or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us at the lodge.
Warmest regards,
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam – Weekly Update #7
Hi everybody!
Winter has arrived in full force and it is cold in Madikwe. Really cold!!
That also means that the Nkurru waterhole is getting busier and busier and we are getting a lot of action at the lodge! The female lioness with her two youngsters are still hanging around. the two Kgala males pop in every now and then and the amount of of elephants would have you thinking you are in the Chobe!
The cats have somehow been avoiding our camera traps but we see them, and their tracks, at the water every couple of days. We have also had quite a few rhino sightings, including both black and white rhino, so all in all the game viewing is amazing!
Here are a few of the images from the last week.
A Spotted Hyena peaking in. These guys have been incredibly vocal around the lodge during the last few weeks but they still stay pretty much out of sight.
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Civet? Genet? Either way, he is hanging around and making more and more appearances.
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Guinea Fowl? All day, the whole day!
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Since opening up Nkurru Plains (on the side of the water hole) we have been getting a lot more Kudu at the water.
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Not too often, but these guys do pop in every know and then.
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Ellies. Lots and lots of ellies! Yesterday we counted just over 50 at one time. I reckon Nkurru plains has also made a difference.
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Cute little guy smiling for the camera.
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Then, there are two more images that I did not really want to have to show…
This is an elephant trunk trying to pull the camera from it’s hiding place in the thickets.
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This is the camera being unceremoniously ripped from the thickets.
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Yeah, the ellies have claimed another camera trap scalp! 
We did not see it happen but found the camera the next morning, not completely smashed to bits, but just enough to classify it as ‘broken’. Man, I cannot even post an image of it as it is, apart from being hellishly expensive, very frustrating. If you feel the need to see the camera we have it at the lodge!
So, with one camera left we are doing whatever we can do hide the camera enough to be out-of-elephant-sight but still in a position to give us some nice images!
Will be back with more next week.
As always, we look forward to hearing from you.
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam 2.0 – Weekly Update #6
Hi,
After a few weeks off Nkurru Cam is back online!
Adele and I have been away on leave but now that we are back Nkurru Cam is working as hard as ever. The waterhole has been pretty busy but the animals, the one we want to see on the camera, seem to be steering clear of Nkurru Cam’s range.
One evening we had lion tracks right in front of the camera but no images?!
Anyway, here goes with a quick video of some of the clips we got and then some images as well.
Nkurru plains is starting to take shape (behind the zebbies) so the general game at the Nkurru waterhole has been awesome!
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Lots and lots of ellies as the water sources out in the bush are drying up fast!
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The wildebeest staring at an ellie approaching the waterhole through Nkurru plains.
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Like I said, lots and lots of ellies as the water sources out in the bush are drying up fast!
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The old boy is still hanging around!
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This guy is also a regular at the waterhole, even though he does not stand still all that much.
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So far lions and elles have had a go at Nkurru Cam. Is this guy also thinking about it??
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And lastly…
(Wild) dogs at the waterhole!
Nah, they were just helping dad collect the memory cards!
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Yes, I know that the dates are all wrong but, as we have found out, the dates resets everytime the battery are removed or are even bumped. Mental made, so hopefully from next time the dates will be correct again!
Will be back with more from Nkurru Cam next week.
Before I say goodbye a quick image from Tlou Dam that you all might enjoy. This time of year the stars are truly breathtaking so I decided to head out there early this morning. This was one of the resulting images.
For those of you who need to know, photographically, how this image was taken check it out on the Photo-Africa blog by clicking here. Also, you can check out the latest Weekly Chat I do on Photo-Africa by clicking on the image below.
Until next time!
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam 2.0 – Weekly Update #5
Hi everybody,
Since last week’s update the weather has not changed much and we have had a lot of cold, rain, miserable weather.
That being said, the clouds did disappear every now and then leaving us with beautiful blue skies and some amazing game viewing. The waterhole has also had it’s fair share of activity with a LOT of elephants stopping in for a drink and to smash up another one of our cameras!
Yeah, we lost another one of our cameras to a young male elephant who thought it would be a good idea to swing it around, chew it and then drop it on the floor. Check out the end of the following video clip to see the culprit in action as he tries to kick the camera off the post where it was positioned. After the video check out the last image from our destroyed Nkurru Cam!
Here are a few pics from the week and yes. I know the dates are wrong!! We changed the batteries on some of the cameras and forgot to update the dates but rest assured, these are all images from the last week!
As I said, we have had a LOT of ellies!
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This was special. The Matusi female killed a young zebra next to the waterhole. Yeah, the guests saw it happen. They dragged it up against the reedbed fence and stayed around for two days. Awesome sighting of here and her two youngsters. This was them popping in for a drink in between their feeding sessions.
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The two young cubs provided plenty of entertainment as some of the guest viewed from the deck and other from the game viewer.
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They came back again some time during the night for another drink.
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The ellies also only kept on popping in all night long.
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This old boy is becoming a real regular. We should name him and considering his size I reckon we call him ‘Sir’!
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Right. So this is the view from the camera that got destroyed. I was hoping to get our Civet, or any other spotted cat, but no luck. This is one of the last pics the camera got while still positioned on the post just to the left of the waterhole.
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This is a shof of the inside of an elephant’s mouth. No, for real. if you watched the video you will have seen the ellie kicking at the post where the camera was set up. From there he swung it around, chewed on it (this image) and then dropped it back on the floor.
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And this is the last picture that specific camera will ever take. The ellie must have dropped it on the floor after chewing on it and, even covered with ellie snot, snapped one last image of the guilty animal waling away.
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Oh dear…
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So after a pretty decent week at the waterhole, and one camera less, that’s it for the week. Eish, if things keep going like this we are going to have to chat to Bushnell about sponsoring us some more cameras to keep things going! Anybody at Bushnell reading this? Hello? Anybody? 
Oh yeah, before we wrap it up for this week. We have started ‘Operation Nkurru Plains’. This is very exciting and something I think will make a huge difference to the game viewing at the waterhole. The short version is that we will, as a part of our fire break, open up the areas to the sides of the waterhole. Exciting stuff and images to follow soon!
Until next time.
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam 2.0 – Weekly Update #4
Hi,
The weather in Madikwe has been, well, miserable!
We have rainy, overcast days for the last week so the sightings at the waterhole has been very quiet. That being said, our standards might be a bit high as we still got buffalo, ellies and general game on a regular basis but just not as often as we are used to.
Here is a short video clip of some of the ‘action’ at the waterhole during the last week.
Apart from a LOT of buffalo images, here are some of the other pics we got during the week.
Thsi is the kind of weather we had pretty much all week long.
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Another buffalo image as the old boy walk past.
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I like that this guys is hanging around. Let’s hope he stays!
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The sighting out in the park has also been pretty quiet but the sightings we have been getting has been absolute quality! To check out a few images I got during a leopard sighting a day or so ago click here.
Until next week!
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam 2.0 – Weekly Update #3
Hi,
It’s been a pretty good week at the Nkurru waterhole with lots of ellies, buffalo and cats.
Let’s kick it off with a small collection of video clips which includes Impala, Brown Hyena, Ellies and a Civet! Yeah, it seems we have a resident African Civet living around the waterhole as he has put in a number of appearances on our Bushnell Camera Traps.
We have been playing with video on at least one of the cameras but still always keep one of the cameras on normal image mode. Here are a few of the images from the last week.
This guy is becoming a regular at the waterhole. So much so that we could almost give him a name!
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Standing at full attention for his picture to be taken.
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Nice looking boy.
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With the puddles starting to dry up the ellies are using the waterhole more and more.
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You might recognize these guys. No? Last time we saw them one of them had our camera in his mouth!
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We are going to be trying something new this week and if it comes off we gonna have some absolute killer shots coming up!! Make sure to check back for next week’s update.
Until next time.
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam 2.0 – Weekly Update #2
Hi,
Welcome to the second week of Nkurru Cam 2.0.
During the last week we have been playing with the video function on our Bushnell Camera Traps with some great results.
We are still waiting for a confirmed leopard image or video but it’s just a matter of time! The compilation of clips below starts off with a Banded Mongoose manhandling the camera and also includes buffalo, giraffe and hyena!
Here are a few of the stills we got this week.
We are getting literally thousands of buffalo images as these old boys visit every day.
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Running from who know what.
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Even with all the water around the ellies have been arriving in huge numbers.
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Any guesses as to what this is?
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Check back next week for more!
Until next time.
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam 2.0 – Something New
Hi,
Thought you might enjoy the first test drive of video shot by Nkurru Cam. Yeah, the following clips were shot by our handy little Bushnell Camera Traps!
Had to drop the quality slightly due to slow internet connection, something I hope to have sorted out in the next month or so, but you’ll get the idea!
Whole different angle on things! Now just to get that leopard at the waterhole!
Check back on Thursday for the weekly Nkurru Cam update!
Until next time.
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam 2.0 – Weekly Update #1
Hi,
So here we go.
It’s been just over a month since the lion chewed on the first Nkurru Cam. What? A lion ate you camera? Yeah, and you can check it out here.
Since then we have been lucky enough to acquire not one, not two but three new Bushnell Nkurru Cams! Yip, three times the fun so let’s hope the lion’s keep their filthy paws of our cameras! The previous Nkurru Cam lasted just over a month so let’s hope these ones last a bit longer!
There has been a lot of rain in Madikwe so the last week has been pretty quiet but last night things picked up again.
With that, here goes with the latest from Nkurru Cam 2.0!
We have had a lot of Impala hanging around. During one afternoon we ended up with about 950 images like this!
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Youngster coming to have a drink close to the camera.
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This Spotted Eagle Owl is a regular at the lodge but this is his first appearance on Nkurru Cam.
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The low angle of the camera makes for some amazing images of the animals drinking.
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Another first timer no Nkurru Cam.
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These guys must have a den somewhere close as there were a lot of images of them when we collected the memory cards this morning.
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Not that’s a big buff! This is the first time in more than a week that we have had the dagga boys at the water so good to know they are back.
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Awesome images all round and with winter approaching we are going to have some absolutely amazing images to share.
Now, since the first day we put Nkurru Cam out at the water one of the goals was always to get images of a leopard. We have above average leopard activity around the waterhole so it’s bound to happen soon.
Or has it already?
This is an image we got last night. Whatever it was, it was close to the camera. Very close.
Check out the shape of the head, the hair above the eyes and the markings around the neck area.
Is this our first leopard image??
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Will be trying again this week so make sure to stay tuned for more from Nkurru Cam 2.0.
Until next time.
Gerry van der Walt
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Nkurru Cam – Weekly Update #3
Hi,
Welcome to the third weekly Nkurru Cam update!
Last week Nkurru Cam caught a bunch of Vervet Monkeys raiding a Spurfowl nest and photographed a lioness with cubs at the lodge waterhole. Yeah, pretty cool stuff but this last few days have made all of that look pretty tame. Boring actually.
So, what could have happened this week that beats that? Well, apart from all the buffalo, hyenas and general game we had lions. Lots and lots of lions.
You see, I think that my childish fascination with the Bushnell camera trip has turned to obsession and based on the feedback from shareholders and guests who visit Nkurru I am not alone. Come one, how can you not enjoy it? Photography, wildlife, technology. It rocks!
That being said, I am bleak. Very very bleak!
After all the great things Nkurru Cam photographed this last month something happened a few days ago that, apart from having us completely in hysterics while it happened, got me pissed off at a pair of male lions. Seriously pissed off but let’s not jump the gun.
Before we discuss these delinquent, aberrant, antisocial, felonious felines let’s start with some Nkurru Cam images from the last few days.
Follow along, this one makes for an interesting ride!
We get a lot of these. Stunning little Blue Waxbills at the water’s edge.
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This one is more about the photography. I am quite chuffed with what the Bushnell Camera Trap can do with birds in flight.
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Zebra having a late afternoon drink.
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Don’t what spooked him but I reckon that’s called ‘haulin ass’!
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This is what these Bushnell Camera traps are all about. Getting close. Really close.
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This is the same youngster that we photographed last week. Great to know they are hanging around the area.
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Mom having another drink. And all of this with no guests in the lodge!
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Nervous of the water.
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Now let’s try snarling at the water!
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The lioness with both her youngsters.
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The hyena activity at Nkurru is unreal! Both spotted and brown.
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This Dikkop must now be one of the most photographed birds in Madikwe. Thanks to Nkurru Cam.
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This old boy and his mates come down to the water every evening.
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Walking past to watering hole. Eventually we figured out there was a zebra kill close by and that’s why these guys were patrolling yup and down the watterhole.
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This brown hyena also a regular visitor. These Bushnell camera traps is perfect for research and nocturnal species.
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This is the last image we got of the brown hyena before he knocked the camera over.
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This is, I think, the brown hyena knocking the camera. I had it tied to a large rock so no damage but now the camera was pointing at the sky.
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Interesting low angle shot of the spotted hyena as the return from feeding on the zerba kill close by. I was pretty chuffed the upturned camera picked anything up. But there was more to come.
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Early the next morning this young lion stopped in for a drink of water right next to our camera.
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Look at his face. Rememeber his face. Yes, he is one of the delinquent, aberrant, antisocial, felonious felines I mentioned earlier.
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Having a drink and probably planning his evil plans for later that day.
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This is one of the last images taken by Nkuru Cam. Ever.
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What? The last image?
Yeah, I ‘m afraid so and with that we have arrived at the discussion of the delinquent, aberrant, antisocial, felonious felines.
So, after posing for his early morning mug shot the young male lion returned for a drink of water later that day. Eating zebra is thirsty work. The great thing is that we were all on the deck at the lodge getting ready for game drive.
At this point I was stoked as the two large cats were drinking right next to Nkurru Cam. Think of the pics we are getting! As a good friend of mine says “Gerry, get your tuxedo ready. National Geographic will be phoning shortly!”
The nice thing about Nkurru Cam is that we can strap it up anywhere and over the last few weeks I have found some awesome spots. The one I had now, shown above, was my favorite and produced some amazing water level pics of animals drinking. I mean, the close up of the lion drinking would have been perfect!!
Would have been?
Yeah, unfortunately.
Out of nowhere the darker male looked up.
Snarled at the camera.
Leaned forward.
And then…
Yeah, that’s the *&@#& lion running away with Nkurru Cam!!!
We sat watching, in complete disbelief, as the large cat ripped the camera of the large rock it was tied to and walk away with. We hurled all kinds of abuse, and some very colorful language, at him but he could not care less. He simply strolled away to a shady tree and proceeded to chew on the camera strap.
Right, still time to same the camera!
I jumped in the game viewer with a few of the kids and we raced around to the waterhole to see of we could save the camera!
As we got there the younger brother stolled towards his brother who was laying in the shade of a tree just to the left of the frame.
I decided to push the vehicle’s nose into the big cat to try and push him off of our camera.
It worked!! But then the blonde guy, mister mug shot from earlier on, ran towards the camera, grabbed it and dashed off into a thicket.
Now what?
At this point I was not quite sure what to do, probably visible on my face above, and as I heard a sickening crack I took a quite moment to myself as I paid my last respects to Nkurru Cam. Surely we will never see it again.
When we got back from game drive that evening the delinquent, aberrant, antisocial, felonious felines were still sleeping around the waterhole but there was no sign of the camera.
So, first thing the next morning I decided to go and check things out and I walked into the thickets were I heard the lion chewing on our camera trap. I did not have much hope but as I crawled udner another thorn tree… there it was!!!
Initially the camera looked in pretty decent shape and I had fleeting fantasies of strapping it up around the waterhole that evening but, after picking it up I saw that it’s not gonna happen!
This is what I found…
Not too bad.
Umm, still ok-ish!?
Umm, ouch?
Yeah, ouch!!!!
Right through the batteries as well!! Two of them were torn to shreds.
Nkurru Cam – a shadow of it’s former self.
So you see why I’m bleak?
Of all the animals out in the bush I was worried that an elephant might bump it or step on it. Never in a million years would I have guessed a lion will eat our camera!!!
Did I get the images of the camera? Eish, not yet.
This is the 16 GB SD card that was in the camera when the lions snacked on it. On my computer I could get the card reader to recognize the card but I could not get any images of it. I am off to Johannesburg in just over a week and I will most definitely be looking for some sort of specialist to see if we cannot get the last images of the lions of the card. There has gotta be some great shots on there!
I will also be looking for a new Nkurru Cam as it is just to nice a piece of equipment to not have at the lodge! Simon, I’ll be coming to see you as well with the chewed up camera and memory card!
So, depending on how things go I will be posting a few wildlife images on the site when I do the monthly newsletter next week and hopefully, if things work out, I’ll be bringing a new Nkurru Cam with me when I return to Madikwe around 25 March! Anybody from Bushnell wanting to sponsor a new camera or two to the lodge?
Eish, these bloody lions!!
Untill next time!
Gerry van der Walt
Nkurru Cam – Weekly Update #2
Hi,
Our Bushnell camera trap, or Nkurru Cam, has been working over time and we keep on getting some amazing images from the lodge waterhole!
It is amazing what happens out there when no one is looking. In a 24 hour period we counted more than 15 bird species around the water’s edge.
But wait there’s more…
Thieving monkeys, a buffalo close up and the first cats on Nkurru Cam!
I could post hundreds of images but had to narrow it down a bit so with that, here goes with the images from the last few days.
This Natal Spurfowl’s nest was right next to the deck.
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Our idea was to photograph the chicks as the hatched but nature can be cruel at times and things did not work out that way. When we checked the next day it was empty.
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The cuprit! A young Vervet Monkey discovers the nest.
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He wasted no time and started feeding on the eight eggs.
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One of the older monkeys also stopping in for his part of spoils. After they finished all the eggs they promptly got up and left the scene of the crime.
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The Spurfowl came back three times during the day, walked around the area and left. Very sad to see but nature can be cruel sometimes.
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Yes please! The first cat on Nkurru Cam! But it gets better…
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One and a half lions!
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And then there were two. Great to see mom and her twho youngsters at the waterhole. Hope they don’t go too far!
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Old Buffalo coming in for an early evening drink.
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Jackal making a cautions approach to the waterhole.
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Time for your close up?
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It’s been a good week and even after two weeks we have a few hot spots where the camera seems to be picking up most of the activity.
Make sure to check back every week for the latest image from the Nkurru waterhole!
Until next time.
Gerry van der Walt
Nkurru Cam – Weekly Update #1
Hi!
This is now officially the first of our weekly Nkurru Cam posts.
The idea is simple. We place our portable camera trap around the waterhole to photograph whatever comes along, choose a few of the highlights and every Thursday post them on the Nkurru site. Easy as that!
All the images are completely untouched and exactly as captured by the Bushnell camera.
So with that here goes with images from the last week!
Female Kudu not quite sure about this new gadget at the water.
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Close. Very close!
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A Wildebeest contemplating life in Madikwe.
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Dazzle of Zebra having an early morning drink.
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Warthog getting just close enough for the camera to pick it up.
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Don’t know what this was but I am sure it was a leopard!! Had to be!!
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This Brown Hyena was quite the attention seeker – he posed for some great shots!
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Hope you enjoy.
There are a number of other images ranging from Doves and Lapwings to moths and lots of Zebra, which all get saved on the office PC, but we will only be posting around 10 images each month. Also, when you visit the lodge you will see that, when you return from game drive, all the images from the previous evening will be playing on a digital photo frame next to the front door. Lots of fun!
Until next time!
Gerry van der Walt
