Tag Archives: Safari

Week 37 … #42 High/Low Key … Scar Nose

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Common Zebra, Lewa Wildlife Conservation, Kenya

I thought a zebra was a zebra was a zebra.  But on our safari this past February, I learned that Kenya has two types of zebras … the Common Zebra and the Grevy’s Zebra.  Both are endangered species and most of the world’s population is in Kenya.  Their populations have drastically gone down in places like Kenya due to poaching and loss of habitat.  Each zebra’s pattern is unique, like fingerprints.  No two are alike.  We came upon this mixed herd of Commons and Grevy’s one morning and they all took a moment to check us out.  Once deciding we were no threat, they went back to their grazing.  I thought this guy looking at us would be a good illustration for the theme “High/Low Contrast”.

Captured with Nikon 810, 150-600mm lens at 240mm, f/8.  Cropped, converted to B&W, and edited in Lightroom.

 

Week 34 … #26 Loneliness … Nature at it’s Harshest

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Cape Buffalo, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

On one of our evening drives in Kenya looking for wildlife, we came upon this old Cape Buffalo, lying in the open, alone.  He looked tired and lethargic and took no heed of our jeep as we pulled near … just calmly chewing his cud and watching us unalarmed.  No other buffalo was around which seemed unusual, since they tend to stay in herds.   Our Masai Mara guide explained to us that old bulls, like him, have been kicked out of the herd by younger, more virile males and lead a solitary existence.  Unfortunately, without the  protection of a herd, old bulls commonly fall prey to lions.  I wonder if this ended up being his fate.

Week 32 … #28 Wild Card … A Momentary Pose

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Fiscal Shrike in Tanzania Bush

There were so many beautiful birds we spotted on our recent Africa trip and … so many that I didn’t capture on camera.  The ones I was able to capture, were not always photo sharp, to my dismay.  But still, they provide wonderful memories.  I so love birds and hope to get better at capturing their distinct beauty.

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?”
Nature historian David Attenborough

Week 31 … #21 The Wild Side

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Lioness, Ngala Wildlife Preserve, South Africa

Battle scars.

This lioness from the Birmingham pride had just risen from her suckling cubs when I noticed the wound on her nose, probably caused from a scrap with another lion.   It’s a wild wild world they live in with no guarantees that they will see tomorrow.

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Week 30 … #14 Humor …McDonalds!

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Impalas, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

One wildlife animal that was plentiful on the Kenya plains were Impalas.  We saw so many, we began calling them “McDonalds” due to their rear-end markings that looked like the McDonald’s logo.  And secondly, because they are the fast food item for lions, leopards and cheetahs.  So it became a standard joke every time we saw an impala herd we spoke out “Oh look, there’s some more McDonalds!”

Most baby impalas are born mid-day as this is the safest time to give birth since most of their enemies are resting.  Unfortunately, half of newborns are killed by predators within the first few weeks of life.  A fascinating fact that our guide shared was that impala mothers can delay giving birth for up to a month if weather conditions are harsh, such as during the wet season.  But upon looking up this fact, it is more a myth than reality.  It is  believed that to cope with poor conditions, impalas may choose to abandon or abort their young rather than risk their own lives to look after a lamb whose likelihood of survival is marginal at best.  A sad reality on the plains of Africa.

 

 

Week 26 … #51 Rule of Odds … Towering Above the Plains

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Reticulated Giraffe at Water Hole, Lewa Wilderness Conservancy, Kenya

Before our safari, I was unaware that there were different varieties of giraffes.  To me, they were all the same …  beautiful, long-necked creatures.  As I was searching for an image for this week’s ‘Rule of Odds’ (where an image is more appealing when there is an odd number of subjects), I thought this image of a mother, daughter and baby were a good example versus had it only been mother and baby.  These are Reticulated Giraffes with their striking and crisp geometric patches, with males being darker as they age.

Below, although a nice image, I find not as interesting as the one above.  But it does provide an example of the difference in giraffes.  These are Masai Giraffe, whose irregular brown patches are on a yellow-buff background whereas the Reticulated Giraffes’ pattern is much more crisp.  Just another little interesting fact I learned from our wonderful guides in Kenya.

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Week 25 … #11 Golden Ratio … A Spotted Beauty

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Cheetah in the Masai Mara, South Western Kenya

We saw a number of these beautiful cats during our visit to Africa.  The Cheetah, the world’s fastest land mammal, stalks its prey alone, getting as close as possible before attacking with a burst of speed, eventually tripping its prey and seizing it quickly by the throat in a suffocating grip.  They immediately try to drag the carcass into cover to avoid scavenging hyenas, lions or jackals who will steal it from the cheetah.  An interesting fact I was unaware of is that the cheetah’s tail terminates with a series of black rings and a white tip and that the tail rings are as unique as human fingerprints!

I used this image for Week 25’s Golden Ratio category which placed the cheetah’s head in the exact location of the beginning of the Fibonacci Spiral with the four squares.  I actually use the Fibonacci Spiral frequently in the crop guide overlay in Lightroom.  It is always helpful but sometimes I just go with my gut!

Week 24 … #24 Wild Card … Taking Flight

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Vultures in Serengeti Sunrise, Tanzania.

When on safari, one doesn’t consider African vultures worthy of photographing when there are more beautiful creatures to capture.  But one early morning at our mobile campsite on the Serengeti, there were a number sitting up in the trees, resting before the day began.  They were a beautiful sight against the sunrise.  I learned to appreciate these barbaric looking birds for their importance on the plains of Africa.  Their ability to fly over 60 miles a day patrolling the plains plays a vital role in keeping the wild areas free of disease and rotting carcasses.  They are incredibly efficient scavengers, leaving just bones, providing yet another meal for their competitors – the jackals, hyenas and feral dogs who will remove any remaining evidence of death.

 

Week 23 … #46 Fear … Circle of Life

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Cape Buffalo and lionesses battle over calf, Masai Mara, Kenya.

Cape Buffalo are fiercely protective of their young — and of each other — despite the fact that they have few predators.  Also known as Black Death, the Cape Buffalo can be extremely dangerous, and have a tendency to attack humans.  They are to be feared!!  It is said Cape Buffalos have killed more big game hunters than any other animal in Africa.  But then, I have little sympathy for big game hunters!

We came upon this scene of a young buffalo mother trying to protect her several day old injured calf.  She was alone which probably meant she had been there for a while as the herd had moved on without her.  Buffalo herds are very protective of each other and stick close together, even engaging in mobbing behavior when fighting off predators.  In this case, it would appear that the herd was aware of the futility of saving this baby calf and moved on without her.

The scene was filled with a dozen or so hyenas, two lionesses and a jackal, all surrounding the mother and the calf, waiting for her to walk away.  Each time that she attempted to leave the calf, the lions or the hyenas would approach the calf, biting at it or trying to drag it off.  The calf would cry out, she would run back and chase off the predators.  At one point, the lions attacked the hyenas, pushing them back, but overtime, they inched their way closer.  We must have watched this scene for over an hour with the mother torn between staying with her calf or leaving.

We decided to pull out of the area and find a spot for our mid-morning coffee and breakfast, a nice perk to early morning game drives.

IMG_0898When we returned to the site an hour later, the mother’s struggle to stay or leave still continued as the predators attempted to take the calf.  After another forty minutes watching this scene, the mother ultimately, but hesitantly, continued walking away from the calf as he no longer cried out when the lions were upon him.  She had made her decision to leave.

And so did we.

It’s a sad scene for any animal being attacked or killed but in this wild African kingdom, I came to accept the fact that one animal’s death may mean the survival of another.  Birth, survival and death … in its most raw form in Africa.