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I just returned from another weekend in the WCNP...

Having the use of one of the private houses for the last 10 years along the lagoon I often get to drive along the roads at night when arriving late.
Ofcourse the viewing isnt anything like Kruger but I have compiled a rough list of animals I have seen this year excluding my visits to Postberg.

And I honestly thought I had seen all the large Mammals that occur there when on Friday night I noticed eyes in the road and saw 2 adult honey badgers moving quickly across the road. The sighting was 10 seconds but the feeling was like seeing a pangolin or aardvark - absolute elation!

Anyway my question is this...has any forumite ever seen honey badgers in WCNP????
... as they are definately not common and I dont know anyone else who has seen them there. From what I have researched (limited though) this is the first time I have heard of them being seen in the park.

Anyway out of interest this year the list is as follows:

Caracals: 16
Honey Badgers: 2
African Wild Cat (didnt look pure): 1
Bat Eared Fox: 13
Porcupine: 4
Cape Grysbok: 4
Steenbok every couple of visits. Kudu and Bontebok most visits and Hartebeest and Eland a couple of times each this year. If you drive towards Tsarbank the view over Postberg is great and I have seen many other species there including, Carcal stalking Bat-eared Fox, Springbok, Gemsbok, Black Wildebeest and one or two others.

The snake viewing has been good and the highlight was 3 different puff adders in one drive.

The Whale viewing was great a few weeks back.

Bird highlights have been Osprey, Klaas's Cuckoo, African Fish Eagle, Grey Winged Francolin (quite common), Black Harrier (common) and many others.

Spring/Summer is here, the evenings are warmer and the animals activity is always great in these conditions!
Its still the best time to visit the park now in my opinion so if you go enjoy it and hopefully you can get rewarded with the many specialities this unique park has to offer

Wow Honey Badgers in WCNP. What a sighting. I rank a good sighting as Caracel there.

Could you tell me which area is good for Bat eared fox

Regards

Hi Otterspotter!

The best place to see Bat-Eared foxes (in my opinion) is around the Postberg fence near Tsarbank.
Otherwise in Postberg itself I saw them every time I went in over the flower season in the open areas!
Good luck!

ps if your name is what it implies I need some help as ive hardly had any good otters sightings!

Hi O-dog
If you would like national parks to find otters you have two basic choices.
1) Cape Point
2) Storms River
The best place in Cape Point is at Venus Pools. June/July is best at sunrise. Be first at the gate. Park as close as to venus pools you can get and walk along the road towards venus pools keeping an eye out on the coast below. Otters often use the paths below you.
When you see them duck. Watch the wind direction. No wind or NW is better. I have managed to get to within a few metres of a pair there. They often swim through the venus pools

Storms River is good everywhere. Again try early morning with binocs and scan the rock pools looking for unusual movement. They are a bit more habituated here (if thats possible)

Otherwise Kommetjie is a good try in the early morning. Very habituated here, (one even climbed on someones surfboard). Arrive before sunrise!!
I havent tried there though

Most of these places you will have about a 1 in 3 chance of seeing them.

Breeding season is usually December. January is good for babies and mothers. Finding a inhabited holt is not so easy though....

Good luck
Regards

Ps : hoping African Geographic will publish my photo of two youngsters in the next few months. Keep an eye out for it

More caracals than anything else, I thought they were very difficult to see

Probably worst season of all, but I am going end december 2010 anyway

Hi Otterspotter thanx for this great info on this relatively difficult to see or at least have-good-sightings-of animal!
I am going to Storms River in a couple of weeks and will be scanning the rockpools very carefully! Great stuff!! Otherwise will try Cape Point soon!
Good luck in getting you image into Africa Geographic-will definitely keep an eye open!

Micetta: They do not always like cars obviously but I have come across a few relatively habituated individuals this year so heres my suggestion.
From the Whale lookout point towards KraalBaai and Tsarbank have a good look in the low lying areas between the dunes right next to the road.
Like most cats they dont seem to be to partial to being in the wind or breeze so you 'often' see them in the more protected areas. Any time of day is good if its cool otherwise late afternoon even with traffic around is OK.
Good luck

ps also posted some info on how to see them under the Caracal thread!

Thanks a lot o-dog!

Honey Badgers in WCNP, you where very lucky.

In about 10 visits I have never seen Honey Badger there, would have love to see them.

AWC and bat eared fox
should have

Thanks for sharing o-dog.

Really nice to know it is possible to see HB in WCNP.

Hey BB, Micetta, Dankbaar, Aussie Ranger only a pleasure

With my good viewing of dead animals in WCNP this weekend, I had the priveledge of seeing some great alive ones too.

The highlight was a a Honey Badger in the road for about a minute. Really feisty individual!!
My second sighting in the park ever!

To go with that I saw my 7th porcupine for the park of the year as well as my 2nd Genet there ever!

The snakes are around too and saw a mole snake, baby puff adder and a common egg eater

Caracals have been scarce in the last 2 months, but we have still had 12 sightings for the family in the park this year!! This is my biggest Caracal drought in 3 years and it hopefully means the next sighting will be a mom with babies

New additions in the last year for me in this park was a Cape Fox. BE foxes were abundant in the Postberg section again.

2011 list so far for WCNP roads and looking over into Postberg:

Honey Badger - 1
Cape Genet -1
Bat-eared Fox - +/- 6-10
Cape Fox - 1
Hare - 1
Caracal - 12
Porcupine - 7
Small Grey Mongoose - 4
Cape Fur seals - plenty
Southern Right Whales - 6
Eland - over 100
Bontebok - about 20-30
Red Hartebeest - handful
Kudu - about 30
Cape Mountain Zebra - about 15
Springbok - about 40
Cape Grysbok - 2
Duiker
Steenbok - 10-15
Gemsbok - 5
Black Wildebeest - about 30

Im missing African Wild Cat, Water Mongoose, Rock Hyrax, Bottle-nosed Dolphin and Striped Polecat this year from our life list for the park.

Mammals that have been supposedly recorded or expected that I have never seen in WCNP
Aardvark
Yellow Mongoose
Black Footed Cat
Chacma Baboon
Cape Clawless Otter

HB occur where humans are scarce. We have seen them in Namaqualand at night on the way to Kgalagadi.

I am sure they are around, but don't present themselves very often.

I've been a regular to the WCNP for a few years now and have had some great sightings. It really is a fabulous park.
Until the Sunday just past my best sighting was a really calm caracal that was just sunning him/herself. But on Sunday, when we were leaving the park a few kms south of the turn to the south gate we had two honey badgers run across the road about 50m in front of us. By the time we got to the spot they were walking through the grass and i only managed a quick few shots.
Here is some proof that they are about in the park.

Wow AstroMatt........awesome sighting!!!

Thanks...it came as quite a shock! Oddly enough it was probably a better sighting of them than i've had in KTP!