This is the fourth post from my trip to Etosha with CNP in May 2015.

“Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.”

 –Andrew Zimmern

Etosha is the one park where I have seen not only the most Giraffe but also the largest gatherings of Giraffe at any one time. There are nine sub species of Giraffe which are identified primarily by their coat pattern and geography. The Angolan Giraffe is found in Namibia but unfortunately is not found in Angola anymore (http://www.giraffeconservation.org).

A tower of Giraffe at the Chudob waterhole.

Bull Giraffe can be identified by their size and obvious male body parts but also by the hair which has been worn off the top of their ossicones, probably during fighting. Ossicones are derived from ossified cartilage unlike antlers which are derived from bone. Ossifications on the head of male giraffe add weight, which often increases with age enabling a bull to deliver heavier blows during sparring contests. In older males a second horn grows behind the main ossicone but never fully develops. As male giraffes age, they can develop up to three of large calcified protrusions, two in the rear of the skull and one in the forehead region.

When young Giraffe come down to drink there is likely to be some action. Their youthful exuberance usually overflows. It looks like this young Giraffe’s tongue got left behind in the turn.

Leaping for joy!

The legs of a adult giraffe can be two metres long but almost half of this is actually the foot. The joint that functions as a knee is anatomically equivalent to a wrist or ankle. The giraffe balances on the tips of its hooves, but to support its weight these hooves can be 30 centimetres across.

Part of the young Giraffe’s tap dance routine. The older Giraffe also feel the need to dance at times.

Although this young Giraffe is just having fun and frolicking, the adult Giraffe also thump their front hooves on the ground in what seems a sign of dominance, especially around other species.

Giraffes have incredible tongues. The tongue can be 45 to 50 centimetres long. As you can see it is prehensile and can rub an itchy nose. The Giraffe uses its prehensile tongue to strip leaves off tree branches. Their tongues seem to be able to cope with the thorns of Acacia trees. Giraffes are herbivores feeding mainly on the tops and sides of trees and work in a complementary way with other browsers such as Kudu.

Male Giraffes stay close to a female in estrus frequently smelling her urine with a typical flehmen response, where they curl up their upper lip to allow the scent to pass over the Jacobson’s organ in the roof of the mouth. You can see the male is much larger than the female.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

– Henry Miller 

Two young males tangling.

We watched sexual pairs doing their extended slow lover’s dance. We also watched young males sparring and testing themselves against each other.

There was much Giraffe activity around the Chudob waterhole. These two young males were sparring, nothing serious as they were not hitting each other hard.

The flexibility in the Giraffe’s neck is surprising. The Giraffe has the same number of vertebrae in its neck as a human, it is just that the vertebra are much longer.

The hair has been worn off the top of the ossicones on both of these young Giraffe indicating they are most likely males.

Being so tall, Giraffes cast wonderful reflections in the blue water of the Chudob waterhole.

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of

perception.”

― Aldous Huxley

A young Giraffe at full gallop and completely airborne.

Some black and white treatment emphasises the shape of the neck and head of these two sparring Giraffe.

“I soon realised that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.”

– Lillian Smith 

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the third post from my recent trip with CNP Safaris to Etosha. The first two posts were of our mammal sightings, so I thought it was time to show off some of the birds we were privileged to see in Etosha in mid-May.

“Those who dwell among the beauties, and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.”

 – Rachel Carson 

Plenty of Kori Bustards came down to drink at the Chudob waterhole. There were times when we would see six to eight Kori’s around the water’s edge. They take long deep draws of water and, if not disturbed, could spend quarter of an hour drinking .

Judging from  the difference in size this was a pair of Kori Bustards, the male being the larger of the two. Male Kori Bustards, which can be more than twice as heavy than the female and attempt to breed with as many females as possible. They take no part in the raising of the young. So although they looked to have bonded this was probably a fleeting affair.

Often the Lapwings will dive bomb the Kori’s near the water which normally solicits a feathered response. When excited or threatened their neck feathers standout making themselves look bigger.

There were two pairs of Blacksmith Lapwings which had taken up residence around the Chudob waterhole. Every now and then the four would involve themselves in mock aerial combat. After tiring of a particular mock combat session, one pair of Blacksmith Lapwings decided to give this Kori Bustard a “rev”.

As you can see the Blacksmith gets quite close and the Kori was not taking any chances. Adding to their combat arsenal, the Blacksmith Lapwings have distinct spurs on the wing elbows which could do some damage.

Late one morning, we decided to do a little birding and took the drive around Fischer’s Pan. Toward the end of the drive, in the open pan near Two Palms waterhole, we came across a Tawny Eagle which had seen something in a solitary tuft of grass. It walked all around the tuft and jumped on top of it but nothing came out, so it eventually flew off.

The backdrops for wildlife photography can be unique and spellbinding in Etosha, especially in winter when it is so dry and dusty.

This handsome male Bateleur Eagle flew down to the Chudob waterhole to drink. He came in so quickly that I did not manage to get a shot without clipping one of his wings. Once he had landed, he quickly walked down to the water and began to drink with large scoops. He did not stay long as there were quite a few animals wandering around him. Females are larger than males and it can take an adult Bateleur over three years to lose its overall brown plumage. The male has a thick black edge to the underside of its primary wing feathers which can be clearly seen from below.

Along the Fischer Pan drive there were many Lilac-breasted Rollers perched on the thorn trees watching and waiting for insects. These birds are irresistible for wildlife photographers because they are so beautifully coloured and fly off very quickly, giving you little sign that they are about to take off from their perch. They are so named because of the rolling aerial displays which are extremely quick and erratic. Needless to say I have no good images of Lilac-breasted Rollers rolling.

These Rollers are fast, so it is always a challenge to get a decent flying image of these avian aerial acrobats.

At the Chudob waterhole there is a pair of Little Grebes (Dabchicks) and one Red-billed Teal. They happily co-exist, constantly swimming around the waterhole in among drinking antelope, Hyaenas and Elephants.

Every now and then the Little Grebe pair will stop their constant search for food and start to clean and preen themselves at the water’s edge.

A small flock of Namaqua Sandgrouse came in for a quick drink. You can always hear them coming as they sound like squeaky rubber ducks. They are also very quick fliers. The UCT-Fitzpatrick website aptly describes them as “desert nomads extraordinaire”. These seed-eating birds fly into the waterholes between 8h00 and 9h00 in the morning, usually in flocks, which can number a couple of hundred. The large numbers help protect them from predators while they are drinking. 

It is always fun to try and capture the reflections of the animals in the water. Obviously, Giraffe provide some of the biggest reflections. The Blacksmith Lapwings were very active at both waterholes and are quite cheeky with the other birds and even animals.

Every now and then a number of Fork-tailed Drongos would swoop over the water to get a drink. The trick was to get them drinking in the reflection.

The solitary Red-billed Teal doing his thing at the Chudob waterhole.

  

A trio of Cape Shovellers swimming along the Klein Namutoni waterhole late in the afternoon.

This little Killitz Plover had found a termite nest and was having a feast. They can usually be found patrolling the edge of the waterholes.

This little Plovers feed on insects, earthworms, crustaceans, and molluscs.

There were great gatherings of Guineafowl around the Chudob waterhole. This is always an exciting time because we had, in the past, seen Martial Eagles, attack these flocks around water’s edge. The drama is extraordinary and thrilling to watch and hear. The Martial would normally perch in a tree about 150 metres away from the water and sit and watch and wait. Then all of a sudden it would take off and fly at speed in towards the waterhole about 10 metres above the ground in full attack mode. When this massive raptor flies passed you at speed it sounds like an aircraft. Unfortunately, we did not get to see the Martial applying its art- this time!!

Despite their looks, Guineafowl are intelligent. There are always sentries looking for danger. They move together to make it more bewildering for the attacker to single out an individual. Added to this they are quick of wing and foot.

It is not always easy to find a Guineafowl standing still and even more difficult to find one with a clear background.

This Glossy Ibis is a wader  and was very busy probing for food in the the soil at the  water’s edge. They eat insects, crustaceans, worms, molluscs, fish, frogs and small reptiles. 

The head, neck, back and underparts of an adult Glossy Ibis are a rich chestnut-brown. Their wings are black with a metallic green sheen. There is white stripe from the base of the bill to above the eye. The Glossy Ibis is more slender than the Hadeda Ibis and has a longer bill. It is also thankfully quieter!

Grey Louries are frequent visitors to the waterholes at Etosha. They tend to congregate in family groups of up to ten individuals and they make sure you know they are there with their characteristic “go-away” call. 

The Grey Lourie is usually found in savanna woodland. It is an awkward flier but extremely agile when clambering through the tops of trees. It has a distinctive loud alarm call “quare”, which many interpret as “go away”. The crest is raised when excited.

Gabar Goshawks patrol the waterholes for prey. They usually wait in the treeline surrounding the waterholes. These raptors seem to go for smaller birds such as Weavers and Quelea.

We were fortunate to find a melanistic Gabar Goshawk at the Chudob waterhole. The melanistic form has black plumage, with pale grey bars across flight feathers above, and white barring below. It has red legs scales which are flecked with black. We only saw the melanistic Gabar on one occasion, but it was a real treat.

In the centre of the Chudob waterhole was a clump of reeds. Often the Gabars would land in the reeds and wait and watch for their prey to arrive.

Juvenile Gabar Goshawks have various shades of brown plumage. Their upper parts are brown with pale streaked head, and pale edges on body feathers.  Their under parts are white, broadly streaked brown on chest, and barred brown on belly. Their cere and legs are more orange-red than the adult.

This is one mean raptor. It strikes from cover, but also searches for prey on the wing while flying very fast. It is also known to follow its prey into bushes, and like a typical Goshawk will clamber through the branches to get at its prey. They also rob the nests of birds breeding in colonies. The Gabar Goshawk feeds mainly on birds but will also take small mammals and reptiles when it can find them.

“If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”  

– Rainer Maria Rilke

Cape Turtle Doves are beautiful but common. Our key interest was to practice shooting these speedsters taking off once they had their drink of water.

There were times of the day when hundreds of Cape Turtle and Emerald Spotted Wood-doves would fly in for a drink.

The best way to consistently get good images of these Doves taking off was to watch and pick up their drinking patterns. Invariably, the Turtle Doves would have two long draws of water and look up each time to check the “coast was clear” and more often than not it would take off after the second long draw of water. Of course, the odd one would take five or six draws of water and you would take many images of static drinking Doves.

Last light in the afternoon at the Klein Namutoni waterhole. We would often see ducks swimming in a line. We saw Red-billed Teal, Cape Shovellers, Egyptian Geese and South African Shellducks. The next image is of three Cape Shovellers cruising along in the warm evening light.

Much to our surprise after an unproductive trip to Andoni Plains at the north-east side of Etosha,  on the most westerly side of Fischer Pan in what was the remaining water, we found a small flock of White-backed Pelicans. Shooting directly into the sun made a more interesting silhouette.

“Nature has introduced great variety into the landscape, but man has displayed a passion for simplifying it. Thus he undoes the built-in checks and balances by which nature holds the species within bounds.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

One of the best birding spots in Etosha is Fisher’s Pan. When the rains gather in the pan you can see Flamingos, Open-billed, Yellow-billed and Saddle-billed Storks, and Great Crested and Black-Necked Grebe can also be seen. After good rains during January and February, the 5 000 km² Etosha Pan fills with water and at times attracts vast flocks of Flamingoes.

There are many Yellow-billed Hornbills waiting to be photographed around Fischer’s Pan. I did not get to see the Monterio’s Hornbill this time trip.

We often see Greater Kestrels close to the road at Etosha. This individual was perched on top of a thorn bush in good light. Greater Kestrels are essentially an open-country species and they prefer desert to semi-desert conditions. They hunt from a high perch with a good view of the surrounding area. If nothing high is available then they will use termite mound or rocks to hunt from.

I managed to get a reasonable shot of the Greater Kestrel taking off. 

This was the only reasonable image I could get of a Pale Chanting Goshawk. It was perched in a bush at the side of the road. Usually they flew off just as you stopped and were trying to get your camera ready.

As you can see there is a wonderful variety of birds in Etosha even in winter. Etosha is home to 340 bird species, about a third of which are migratory. The avian residents of the park make up an eclectic mix that ranges from Flamingos to the colourful Lilac-breasted Roller and 35 species of Eagle. Bateleur, Tawny Eagle and Martial Eagle are common. A number of perch hunters such as Goshawks and Kestrels can be seen along the tree-lines and eight species of Owl can be spotted after sunset. The Vultures that visit Etosha include Lapped-faced, White-backed, Cape and Hooded Vultures and “Dr Death” the Marabou Storks.

“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on Earth. Once you have been here, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths?”

 – Brian Jackman

This map shows you the eastern part of Etosha in which we operated.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be,

Have fun,

Mike

 

This is the second post from my recent trip with CNP Safaris to Etosha in mid-May 2015.

Some might think it is boring to go to the same two waterholes day after day. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The two waterholes we frequented were within easy access of the Namutonicamp and Von Lindequist gate. Firstly, Klein Namutoni is an afternoon waterhole as the sun sets on your back in the afternoon and shines directly into your face in the early mornings. So not only does the light change considerably but so too does the passing parade. While there are some regulars, the congregations of game change during the day and from day to day. The waterhole is large and elliptical in shape and its surrounds are littered with white calcrete stones, which give it that characteristic Etosha look.

The Chudob waterhole has the parking area on its north and north-west side so you can photograph in the mornings and afternoons. Chudob is much smaller and circular and you are closer to the game. This waterhole is in a saucer shaped indentation which can provide some wonderful perspectives.

Some days are warm and sunny and the air is still. During these conditions the game is more active and often the animals venture right into the water to cool off. Other days when the wind is blowing, it usually cooler, and the game is uneasy and skittish as their hearing and smell senses are diminished by the wind.

“Extraordinary magic is woven through ordinary life. Look around!”
― Amy Leigh Mercree

Sometimes the regulars bring their young ones down to the water and that is usually the catalyst you need to get some fun shots.

There are distinct pairings of Zebra, even though there is a strict hierarchy in the family group. Certain individuals seem to be very fond of each other.

Warthogs usually come down to drink and wallow at the water’s edge either singly or as parents with their youngsters.

A Warthog male had a long drink to slake his thirst and then unabashed lay down to roll in the cool sand at the water’s edge. This particular fellow was quite confident and disregarded all the other animals which came down to drink. If there had been predators such as Hyaenas, I am sure he would have been less indulgent.

These characters can be very funny – difficult to photograph when you are laughing.

One of the special aspects about the waterholes in Etosha is that the game seems to mix it up. The herbivores tolerate each other around the water’s edge. I guess there is always safety in numbers and more eyes watching for predators lurking along the treeline. The Guineafowl are also good sentries.

Some of the Kudu families were quite big. They seemed to thrive on the thick bush and tree vegetation, being browsers. It is interesting to watch animals and birds drink. They usually have a pattern, say four long draws of water before they look up to check if all is still safe. Birds are the same, especially Doves. Watching for these patterns helps you anticipate the animal or bird’s next move.

The Kudu bulls were big but nothing like as big as the Eland. It is clear that the larger herbivores do not fuss about small predators such as the two Black-backed Jackal. All the animals wandering around the 100 metre clearing between the water and treeline are wary because of what can emerge from the trees.

Generally, the small Zebra herds were very orderly.

The Kudu families were also orderly but both Zebra and Kudu were skittish down at the water’s edge. It was that sudden dash out of the water we were waiting for.

  

Practicing for when he is big but much to learn!!

This Kudu female was spooked by something. Often it is just a Giraffe humping its hooves on the ground exerting its dominance around the waterhole. The waterhole rule seems to be that if you hear someone else running away from the water it is a good idea to start running away too.

This is what makes a ordinary waterhole a fascinating place to take photographs. One second a Kudu female can be quietly drinking and an alarm call or an unusual sound triggers the flight response and the the next second the same female spins around to bolt away from the water’s edge, splashing water everywhere.

“Bloodlines and last names didn’t make a man extraordinary — the extraordinary existed in what we did in life, not in who we were.”
― Courtney Alameda, Shutter

Some animals just walk away from the water once they have had their fill, others want to get away as quick as possible.

Heads down drinking but eyes wide open searching across the water to ensure all is safe and calm.

Mature Eland bulls have a tuft of curly hair on their foreheads. When they walk down to drink you can hear the distinctive clicking of their tendons. In the BMC Biology journal ( http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/6/47/abstract ) scientists  Bro-Jorgensen and Dabelsteen  showed that the loudness of the clicking sounds produced by walking eland bulls correlated to body size and signalled a bulls’ fighting potential. The sound is thought to be made as a tendon in the animals’ legs slips over one of the leg bones, and can be heard from hundreds of meters away. In this case, the tendon  behaves like a string being plucked, and the frequency of the sound from a string correlates negatively with both its length and diameter, so the sound signals the size and fighting fitness of the Eland bull.  The clicking tendons adds to the list of signals an Eland bull uses to indicate its status. Other signs such as the dewlap under their throats which indicates age, and the darkness of their hair which indicates levels of aggression. The characteristics help bulls establish mating rights among each other usually without actual fights.

This mature Kudu bull heard something he did not like while he was drinking. These are the moments we wait for as wildlife photographers. 

It is not only the youngsters which stir things up around the waterhole but dominant stallions and bulls do the same. This Zebra stallion was galloping around some of his mares twisting and turning in swirls of dust.

“We wait, starving for moments of high magic to inspire us, but life is full of common enchantment waiting for our alchemists eyes to notice.”
― Jacob Nordby

I have seen Eland bulls dig their horns into the dirt and the old Buffalo bulls called “Dagga boys” also do it coating their bosses with mud and vegetation. I have never before seen a Kudu bull dig his horns into the ground.

I could not resist this Kudu bull’s antics while trying to avoid being bitten by something. He was twisting and turning to try and get at the bitten spot. It is quite remarkable how supple these large browsers can be.

“Hope but never expect, look forward but never wait!!!”

 – Unknown

Impalas are  quick and agile antelope, which are  capable of jumping over three metres in the air performing displays called ‘pronking’. When startled, a whole herd will begin to pronk in order to confuse their predators and is also used to demonstrate the health and strength of the individual.

There must be some primal instinct in these Impala because they still watch the surface of the water as if looking for something like crocodiles lurking under the surface.

It is not often you will see all the Impala’s heads down drinking. they are usually very wary.

After a gestation period of seven months the female Impala will produce a single fawn. The female is capable of delaying the birth by an extra month if conditions are harsh. The fawn will often be isolated from the herd while the female is nursing it. Fawns are weaned at four to six months. They join a nursery group until they are old enough to join the adult herd. Matured males will be forced out of the herd and will go off to join bachelor groups.

Gemsbok can often be found in large groups as they are gregarious animals. Their social system tolerates non-territorial males among the females and young.  Males tend to be solitary and defend a territory but are known to spend a short period with a larger herd of females before moving off  on their own again.

Male dominance is hierarchy based on age and size.  Ritual displays usually replace actual contact, except between evenly matched individuals who may still fight to establish their rank. Gemsbok males often spar with their sharp, spear-like horns, but serious fights are rare.

Female Gemsbok horns are usually longer and thinner than the males!!!

You will not see an Impala knee deep in water but it is not uncommon for Springbok to walk right into the water to drink..

A small group of Springbok spooked by something down at the waterhole.

The next image shows fellow photographer Hennie Blignaut standing in front of one of CNP specialised photographic vehicles in the Namutoni camp car park. There are two photographic seats mounted in the back of the vehicle. These custom photographic chairs have an integrated camera support for heavy camera-lens combinations giving 360-degree horizontal movement. The camera support has a Wimberley Head which is a specialised tripod head for telephoto lenses. It is a gimbal-type design allowing you to 360 degree horizontal rotation and major vertical rotation of your lens around its centre of gravity. The customised seat is positioned in front of large goose-wing windows which lift out of the way to provide generous visual space for your camera.

“Nature is so powerful, so strong.Capturing its essence is not easy – your work becomes a dance with light and the weather. It takes you to a place within yourself”.

 – Annie Leibovitz

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the first post from my recent photographic workshop with CNPSafaris to Etosha. It was late mid-May and the weather was perfect. Cool in the mornings but hot during the day and warm in the evening. We hardly needed jerseys. Each morning we would get up at 5h00 and be having breakfast at 5h30 so that we could be at the Namutoni park entrance by opening time- 6h15. The trip was essentially a photographic workshop and was a great learning experience for me not the least of which was because of my software conversion from Capture NX to Adobe’s Lightroom. Nikon will no longer support Capture NX with new model upgrades so we will probably not be able to read the raw files from future generation Nikon cameras.

“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
― Oprah Winfrey

I have made the conversion and have not looked back. The images in this post are the my first batch from Lightroom.

Just after the Namutoni gate opened, we were travelling along the main road into the park when se saw this solitary young male Lion. It looked as if he had been feeding the night before. He was strolling along a path which ran parallel to the main tar road. It was still relatively dark. As always with wildlife you have to chose your moments. He was walking passed many bushes and branches but we managed to get a few clear foreground images even though the background was messy.

Once in the park we alternated between Klein Namutoni waterhole near the Namutoni camp and Chudob waterhole about 15kms to the south-west of the Namutoni camp. It was dry so there was not much point in wandering around as the game would concentrate around the waterholes. The bush away from the pans was thick making it difficult to see the game. We saw many Hyaenas around the Chudob waterhole. There must have been a den just inside the treeline on the west side of the waterhole. Each day the Hyaenas would come down to drink and bathe in ones and twos.

On those days when its was relatively still and hot, the Hyaenas would come down to drink and invariably sit down in the water.

There was always one individual who would like to get itself completely wet.

We never saw the whole clan come down to drink together. I am sure if there had been an injured Kudu or Zebra at the waterhole thing would have been quite different.

The Hyaenas seemed obvious of the animals around them when they were at the waterhole. The Kudu and Impala and some of the Zebra gave them plenty of room. The occasional  Zebra stallion would take the opportunity to chase a solitary Hyaena away from the waterhole.

This female Hyaena looked particularly pregnant and invariably came down to drink on her own.

On a different morning, at first light we arrived at the Klein Namutoni waterhole just as the sun was rising. We were looking directly into the sun watching the youngsters in the Lion pride cavorting in the dust.

  

We had seen the Lions on the road from Naumtoni camp towards Fischer’s pan the evening before and Johan anticipated that they would go down to Klein Namutoni waterhole.

Some exposure reduction, increased contrast and boosting of the white balance generated a dramatic effect.

The Lions had great fun for about 15 minutes and once the sun was up they wandered off to rest in the bush and we did not see them again.

“Here’s to freedom, cheers to art. Here’s to having an excellent adventure and may the stopping never start.”
― Jason Mraz

We got to see Cheetah and even a Leopard but from a distance and certainly nothing good enough to photograph. More active predators around the Chudob waterhole were the two Black-backed Jackal families. The one family comprised a mother and her two almost fully grown pups.

The one pup was extremely demanding but the mother was remarkably patient. The pup seemed to be licking her muzzle much in the same way that Wild dog pups do to get the adult to regurgitate food for them.

The Jackals caught the attention of a Giraffe who came down to see what was going on.

The second Black-backed Jackal family consisted of a pair with no pups. They were very playful and at times madly chasing each around. Normally you will hear Jackals before you see them but the two families we saw regularly around the Chudob waterhole were absolutely quiet.

The Jackals gave the Hyaenas plenty of room and seemed to operate at the treeline around 100 metres away from the waterhole.

Here are a few more images of the Hyaenas having their morning constitutional. In fact, the Hyaenas would come down to drink right through the day.

Although the Hyaenas seemed to be the top predator around the Chudob waterhole, they always gave way to the pachyderms.

       

I will publish separate posts on the many giraffes we saw around the waterholes, the herbivores, pachyderms and birds.

We had a great trip and a special thank you to Johan Greyling of CNPSafaris for teaching us so much both in-camera and about Lightroom. I shared the  experience with photographer Hennie Blignaut. He and I both learnt much from Johan, which laced with Hennie’s wonderful sense of humour was great fun.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

– Mark Twain

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike