This post is a quick look back through some of the wonderful photographic opportunities I have been privileged to have in 2015. I hope you enjoy the images.

“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”

~ Moslih Eddin Saadi

Avocet taking off in Marievale Bird Sanctuary in late December.

Sunset over the Zambezi near Kalizo in the Caprivi Strip in October.

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

~ Samuel Johnson

The sandbanks in the Zambezi river opposite the Kalizo Lodge in the Caprivi Strip in Namibia in October. This was early in the morning looking east.

A look west at the iconic trio of Jackalberry trees on Sedudu island in the Chobe river bathed in soft warm African sunset colours.

A small family of Elephants crossing the Chobe river from Botswana to Namibia as the sun was setting.

“When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in.”

~ D. H. Lawrence

One of the 5000 plus Carmine Bee-eaters in the colony just upriver from the Kalizo Lodge along the Zambezi river in Namibia.

A young bull Elephant walking along the sandy river bank having just crossed the Chobe river.

A small herd of young Sable antelope had come down to Elephant Valley just upstream from Chobe Game Lodge along the Chobe river.

I think Sable are perhaps the most majestic looking antelope we have in southern Africa.

A pair of Skimmers in an aerial courtship display above the Chobe river in October.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” 

~ Jawaharial Nehru

It is not often you get a Fish Eagle flying directly towards you. A unique opportunity along the Chobe river in October.

One of the four surviving cubs in the Cheetah family in Mashatu in September.

A pensive look from one of the Cheetah cubs in September in Mashatu.

Daily, the Elephant herds would come down to the river to feed and drink having been in the higher areas at night in September in Mashatu.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” 

~ Lao Tzu

One of two young male Lions which had returned to Mashatu sometime after having been chased out by two male lions that had crossed from Zimbabwe.

We got to meet film maker Kim Wolhuter in front of a Spotted Hyaena den with many cubs playing at its entrance in Mashatu in September.

A white Lion in the Timbavati Reserve in South Africa in June

A lone Cheetah female drinking from the river early one icy winter morning just in front of Walker’s River Lodge in the Timbavati in June.

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” 

~ Benjamin Disraeli

A winter sunset over one of the small dams in the Timbavati in June.

One of two large adult male Lions we came across in the Timbavati early one morning in June.

Golden ivory in Etosha in May.

Two young male Giraffe in a tangle in Etosha in May.

Blacksmith Lapwing dive bombing a Kori Bustard at Chudob waterhole in Etosha in May.

Two Spotted Hyaena having a bath in the icy water at Chudob waterhole in May.

Two young male Lions playing at dawn in the dust at Klein Namutoni waterhole in Etosha.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” 

~ Seneca

Predators’ dawn dance in May in Etosha.

A Martial Eagle protecting the Guinea Fowl it had just killed in Mashatu in April.

A male Swainson’s Spurfowl declaring his territorial rights first thing in the morning in Mashatu in April.

My brother Jerry holding the moon in the palm of his hand as the night sets in over Mashatu in March.

A trio of Blue Waxbills drinking from a natural bird bath at Rock Camp in Mashatu in March.

One of the four young Cheetah cubs tucking into an Impala which its mother had killed in Mashatu in March.

Two of the Cheetah cubs having fun and chasing each other in Mashatu in March.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”

~ Saint Augustine

A young female leopard stopped for a few minutes in her wanderings along the river late one afternoon in Mashatu in March.

We followed this adult female Leopard as she walked along the Majale river for about an hour in Mashatu in March.

A male Cheetah on an outlook mound looking down over the Masai Mara plains in January.

The spotted plains that are the Masai Mara at sunset in January.

This young Lion was walking away from the rest of the pride with this Leopard cub which the adult females had just killed in the Kitchwa Tembo Conservancy in the Masai Mara.

After her cub had been killed and the Lion pride had moved away, this Leopardess cautiously came down from the safety of a high tree to look for her cub in the Kitchwa Tembo Conservancy in the Masai Mara in January.

“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” 

~ Chief Seattle

One of the four males which ruled the Marsh Pride in the Masai Mara.

Incredible strength of this female Hyaena in the Masai Mara as she carried away the skull and part of the spine of a young Hippo killed by Lions the night before.

This female cub wanted her share of this live Warthog piglet and was hanging on tenaciously in the Masai Mara in January.

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.”

~ Mark Jenkins

The wonderful experiences in 2015 have only stirred greater excitement in me to travel more, marvel at our natural world  and take bigger strides in my quest for wildlife images that have greater impact and show what a wonderful interconnected world we live in.

I wish you an inspired 2016 where your journey and experiences turn out to be far better than you plan for.

Have fun,

Mike

This is a message of cheer and goodwill to wish you and your family a wonderful time together over this festive season filled with fun, laughter and merriment .

A special thanks goes to those many dedicated, extremely hardworking people, many of which put their lives on the line, who put so much effort into protecting our wildlife.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

~David Attenborough

My wish for 2016 is that more people come to realise that we are part of this whole and it is not there purely for our capture and consumption.

Here’s wishing that 2016 turns our to be way better than you plan for!!

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun

Mike

This is the last post from our Chobe-Zambezi trip in October.This post shows the scenes you are likely to see while travelling along the Chobe river between Kasane and Serondela’s picnic spot.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”

~ Pat Conroy 

A pair of young Lechwe sparing early in the morning on Sedudu island, which is the main island just up river from Kasane.

A pair of Skimmers in full flight above their breeding island

Fish take-aways down next to Elephant Valley.

Elephant bull wading across a channel in the Chobe river with Chobe Savanna Lodge in the background.

“I soon realized 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

A pair of Carmines were hawking insects from this dead branch. They were flirting with danger! They could quite easily get tangled in the discarded fishermen’s netting caught on the branch, probably swept down during the June high water period.

Purple Heron on a reed island just up river from the rapids which are just downstream from the western side of Kasane.

Sand embankment ideal for nesting Pied Kingfishers. This embankment is under water when the river is at its highest in June.

A view from our boat looking up river toward Chobe Game Lodge.

Elephant crossing at dusk. No passport required for this family who crossed from Botswana to Namibia.

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

~ Henry Miller

Just past Pygmy Geese bend we got to a Jackalberry grove next to Baboon bend.

A Hippo surfacing in liquid gold at dusk.

A fisherman’s viewpoint.

Skimmer aerial displays

“…few can sojourn long within the unspoilt wilderness of a game sanctuary, surrounded on all sides by its confiding animals, without absorbing its atmosphere; the Spirit of the Wild is quick to assert supremacy, and no man of any sensibility can resist her.”

~ James Stevenson-Hamilton (first warden of South Africa’s Sabi Nature Reserve)

Elephants and Impala herds grazing on the floodplain.

A flock of Glossy Ibis flying home in formation at dusk.

The three Jackalberry trees at the river entrance to the Chobe National Park  at around 18h30.

The sun was fading behind a bank of cloud casting  glorious splays of colour in the sky which were reflected on the water.

“One cannot resist the lure of Africa.”

~ Rudyard Kipling

On our way up river to Serondela picnic site with Botswana on our left and Namibia on our right.

Not much vegetation but some wonderful perches and good perspectives if the game were to come over the ridge.

Down near Serondela, beautiful tree-lined riverbanks teeming with birds.

Three Elephant mothers having just crossed the Chobe river with their youngsters.

A middle aged Elephant bull wandering along the sandy river bank having just crossed the river.

“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, 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? Could it be because Africa is the place of all our beginnings, the cradle of mankind, where our species first stood upright on the savannahs of long ago?”

~Brian Jackman

A Buffalo herd on the Namibian side of the river.

Co-existence down at Puku Flats

A herd of Elephant cooling off one afternoon when it was over 40 degrees centigrade.

A wave farewell as the Elephant family disappeared over the sand ridge after crossing the river.

We had a fun-filled nine days. It was really hot, especially at Kalizo Lodge. I don’t think the temperature dropped below 40 degrees centigrade on any of the days. October is know as the “suicide ” month because it can be exceptionally hot but that is Africa!!

“When you’ve acquired a taste for dust,
The scent of our first rain,
You’re hooked for life on Africa
And you’ll not be right again
Till you can watch the setting moon
And hear the jackals bark
And know that they’re around you,
Waiting in the dark.

When you long to see the elephants.
Or to hear the coucal’s song,
When the moonrise sets your blood on fire,
You’ve been away too long
It’s time to cut the traces loose
And let your heart go free
Beyond that far horizon,
Where your spirit yearns to be.

Africa is waiting – come!
Since you’ve touched the open sky
And learned to love the rustling grass,
The wild fish-eagles cry.
You’ll always hunger for the bush,
For the lion’s rasping roar,
To camp at last beneath the stars
And to be at peace once more.”
~ C. EMILY-DIBB

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This post shows some of the scenes we were privileged to be immersed in during our trip to Kalizo – what a wonderful experience. It was hot, really hot, but well worthwhile. The photography was brilliant.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

~David Attenborough

On our first morning the sky was cloudy at around 6h00. In that heat it was not long before the clouds were burnt off.

As it was cloudy we decided to explore up river passed the Carmines. There were many inlets along the river and they were teeming with life. We came across this flock of White-faced Whistling Ducks – I love the sound they make and I think they have one of the iconic African bird calls, next to Fish Eagle’s, Scops Owls and Fiery-necked Nightjars.

On our way back from venturing up river we drifted passed this “makoro harbour”. Judging from the well worn path up the bank there must have been a village beyond the embankment. The makoros were not tied but just pulled up the sand bank. The villagers must know there is very little change in the river level at this time of the year.

One of the the many beautiful features of this part of the river are its sandbanks with their graduated colouring. There are times of the day when the colours are very moody.

“Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.”
~ Terry Tempest Williams

One hazy morning, as we were trying to photograph Skimmers, we saw this young Namibian family on route up river in their makoro. For any of you who have been in a canoe you know the kind of balance you need to keep it stable. I am sure the same applies to a makoro.  Life is simple but real for these people. The reality is emphasised by the infant in the centre of the makoro. How many city dwellers would take their one year old out in a small-draft dug-out tree trunk in a river full of crocodiles without an engine or life jacket!!!! The youngsters were using the eddy current to pole their way up river. The Zambezi seems to flow at a lazy three to four kilometres per hour along this section. 

The smiles on their faces reflected their inquisitiveness and happiness in the moment.

One evening on the way back from the Carmines we stopped to try and get some images of the Skimmers at sunset. While waiting I took this sunset image looking upstream to the west with an abandoned makoro in the foreground.

The Carmines nesting along the bank above the Zambezi river.

Another late afternoon, while waiting for some Skimmer action. The clouds were building for rain that night making the scene irresistible.

“No sun outlasts its sunset, but it will rise again and bring the dawn.”
~ Maya Angelou

We decided to have a look down river on one of the mornings. We were looking for Skimmers. On our way we saw this couple having breakfast on the beach with their guide – what an amazing holiday by boat – glorious freedom!!!!!

Further down river we found our Skimmers.

Around mid-morning it was getting hot but the air was still allowing the river to reflect the building clouds.

The sun was still relatively high in the sky this particular evening but the clouds had built up, darkening the scene. It is hard to describe the changing colours and moods in a place like this. Most of the time you just want to be quiet and take photographs.

  

A typical African sunset, rich in those red earthy colours.

“… and in her starry shade
Of dim and solitary loveliness,
I learn’d the language of another world.”
~ Lord Byron

Early one morning around 6h00 looking at east at the sunrise, there were the remnants of the storm the evening before. It was still warm but the colours had come alive heralding a new day full of promise.

Our Carmines never let us down – the only limitation was our photographic skills.

On our last evening, at the sand bank opposite the lodge, the sun was setting and in doing so painting our world with these soft, rich pastels colours.

We spent a brief three days at Kalizo Lodge along the Zambezi river – too short. The fishermen at the lodge seemed to really enjoy themselves judging by the noise they made. There were quite a few photographers and birders enjoying the Carmines. I have seen the Zambezi river from Victoria Falls right the way down to Kanyemba on the Zimbabwe side but this part of the Zambezi was quite different showing that the Zambezi river has many characters. This was one of benign beauty with glorious secrets tucked away for those were were prepared to look for them. In conversation with the lodge owners it was clear that there is much more to explore in this area such as three pans which I gather teem with birds, so we will be back.

“Our challenge isn’t so much to teach children about the natural world, but to find ways to nurture and sustain the instinctive connections they already carry.”
~ Terry Krautwurst

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be,

Have fun,

Mike

This is the seventh post from my recent trip with CNP Safaris to northern Botswana. At least once each year, I make my pilgrimage to the Chobe river which is a photographer’s paradise and playground. On this particular Chobe trip we added on three days at Kalizo. It is in Namibia about 20 kilometres from Katimo Mulilo in the Caprivi Strip.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

~Wayne Gretzky

Kalizo Lodge is known for its exceptional bird life being located on the banks of the Zambezi river. There are numerous inlets along the river and three pans close to the Lodge. We did not go to the pans because we only found out about them on the last of our three days at the lodge. Our focus this trip was on Carmine Bee-eaters and African Skimmers.

This post offers a selection of images taken of the Carmine Bee-eaters. Earlier, I published a separate post focusing exclusively on African Skimmers.

There are nine types of Bee-eaters found in southern Africa. Some are resident like the Swallow-tailed, Little Bee-eater and White-fronted Bee-eater and others are summer visitors such as the Carmine, European, Blue Cheeked and Olive Bee-eaters. I have yet to see a rare vagrant like the White-throated Bee-eater and have not seen a Bohm’s Bee-eater which is found north of the Zambezi river in Zambia and Mozambique.

There are two types of Carmine Bee-eaters, the Northern and Southern species. Both are equally beautiful, both have the gorgeous carmine colouring but the colour combinations on their heads are different.

Within a few hundred metres up river of Kalizo Lodge are three Southern Carmine Bee-eater colonies or three parts of one big colony, I am not sure which.

I do not know how many Carmines were nesting there but thousands, five thousand – perhaps more. It is nigh impossible to count them because there is a constant flux of birds flying in and out of the colony breeding area. There are two colonies on top of the embankment a short distance away from the Zambezi river and the third in the river bank directly above the river.

The Southern Carmines are inter-African migrants which come down to southern Africa in summer to breed and are also attracted by the increase in the insect population. I had never been to Kalizo in October and the daytime temperatures were above 40 degrees centigrade. The Carmines were nesting in the sand so you can imagine that the surface of the embankment was like an oven for those birds and they needed to cool off which they did in the Zambezi river.

The Carmines would fly out thirty metres or so over the water and dive in head first. It was a shallow dive almost belly flopping.

This all took place in a split second after which the Carmine powered itself out of the water. There was a distinct  skill acquired to photographing these speedsters.

Unfortunately almost all of the birds dived some distance from us and the few that did dive close to us were so fast that we invariably missed them.

“Not all who wander are lost”.

~ J. R. R. Tolkien

The Northern and Southern Carmine Bee-eater populations are separate and do not overlap. The Northern Carmines breed in the savanna woodlands just south of the Sahara while the Southern Carmines breed in open dry country in interior southern Africa. 

The colours of these Carmines are just exquisite. They have carmine upper parts and belly, an azure rump and under tail coverts. On the upper wing, the visible part of the tertial flight feathers is green-blue, and the primaries and secondaries area brownish-carmine-red combination with a black trailing edge. The underwing-coverts are cinnamon-buff and also have a black trailing edge.
The tail is carmine with longer central streamers.

What I found surprising is that there were enough insects in the area to feed all the Carmines in the three colonies. At Kalizo, the Carmines hawk flying insects, everything from wasps to bees and dragonflies.

The Southern Carmine is the largest of the southern African Bee-eaters, with a length of approximately 25 cm excluding the 12 cm tail streamers. The evolutionary purpose of tail streamers is thought to be for increased aerodynamic and flight performance, rather than for mating display. 

I had been hankering for over 50 years to see a Carmine colony again. When I was 11, long-standing family friend Mike Condy’s father John Condy took a couple of us youngsters to see a Carmine colony outside Beatrice, south of Harare in Zimbabwe. I was so beguiled by the colour, noise and activity that I wanted to see this spectacle again. Fifty years later I got the opportunity and it was every bit as beguiling half a century later – same species, different place, different colony.

Carmines hunt from perches, chasing and catching flying prey in mid-air before to returning to the perch where the insect is beaten and swallowed. They are also known to perch on mammals and even some large birds too. I have seen a wonderful image of two Carmines perched on a Kori Bustard’s back as it was walking through the grass.

This was a narrow view of one of the colonies nesting in an open field. It was extremely hot so other than bathing in the Zambezi I presume the Carmines sit in the adjacent trees and bushes to catch any passing breeze.

These birds seem to be able to tolerate extreme heat, though even they start panting after a while.

“You are the sky, everything else is just the weather.”

~Pema Chodron

Like all other Bee-eaters, the Carmine has a de-curved bill, allowing unobstructed sight of its prey until the point of capture.

This male Carmine had just brought back a meal for his partner who was busy digging their nest. They dig with their bills and scrape the sand out behind them with their small feet.

Our Kalizo routine was that we would go and photograph the Carmines early in the morning and later in the afternoon. We would spend about two hours at each visit. During each visit  Yellow-billed Kites would patrol the colony regularly looking for an opportunity to raid. We only saw the “Yellow-bill” catch one Carmine. When a raptor approaches, the colony explodes into the air in a blur of colour and noise making it very difficult for the raptor, usually a Yellow-billed kite,  to focus in on one individual.

“To see ten thousand animals untamed and not branded with the symbols of human commerce is like scaling an unconquered mountain for the first time, or like finding a forest without roads or footpaths, or the blemish of an axe.”

~ Mark Twain

Marabou Storks, Water Monitors and snakes are also the Carmines’ natural predators. The Carmines have no defense against either aggressive predator. As is normally the case, humans are the Carmines’ main threat. There is even a guard at the colonies  who has a lookout tower to watch the goings on and chase off potential human raiders. The nests on top of the embankment have a much longer tunnel, probably to make it more difficult for predators to get at the eggs and chicks. Presumably there is also a more constant and cooler temperature much deeper in the sand.

Carmines are gregarious and breed in communal areas, forming colonies. The same area is used annually, although new tunnels are dug each year. The nest is either in the face of the bank of the river or on top of the embankment. Colonies of bee-eaters may consist of only a few nesting burrows, though it is more likely that the colony will consist of hundreds, and even thousands, of nesting tunnels. 

These Carmines have their beaks open as they are panting because it was extremely hot, over 40 degrees centigrade, and the nests on top of the embankment had the disadvantage of the surface sand acting as an oven from mid-morning until late afternoon.

The Northern Carmine Bee-eater looks very similar to its southern cousin from its lower neck to tip of its tail. Both have a black bill and black eye mask. Both have a greenish blue head and but the Northern Carmine has greenish-blue throat feathers whereas the southern Carmine has carmine coloured throat feathers.

“Colours are the smiles of nature.”

~ Leigh Hunt

Once they catch their prey they invariably land and beat it on the ground or branch to kill it and then rub it against a rough surface to remove the sting. They have rudimentary feet and short legs so cannot use their legs and feet as a raptor would.

Carmines  have pointed wings enabling speed and long tail feathers with one long streamer feather extending from the centre of the tail. This bird is fast and a highly agile flier, necessary skills to hawk flying insects.

These Carmines appear to love playing with the wind, gliding and managing to hover into the wind with open wings.

It was fun to watch these Carmines as there are many squabbles with neighbours especially when they return to their nests after the colony was disturbed by a predator. Location was important because it was where they were building their temporary home to raise their young.

There is little or no sexual dimorphism except the males are slightly bigger.

The Southern Carmine Bee-eater forages in effortless sailing direct flight, circling at times. They can soar and use thermals just like falcons.

” In nature’s infinite book of secrecy.

A little I can read.”

~ William Shakespeare

The tunnels are located very close together. The tunnel in the side of the embankment is slightly inclined to prevent water from entering.  

The ever-present Yellow-billed Kite having regular sorties through the colony. It is remarkable how agile these Kites are but nine times out of ten the Carmines were faster.

This was the embankment leading down to the Zambezi river. The Carmines were constantly flying in and out. It was never quiet and still, the colony was in constant flux. When the Yellow-bill flew passed you would see an explosion of colour from the bank.

You can just see the tails of a few of the Carmines which were busy digging out their tunnels.

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
~Albert Einstein

The nest is excavated by both sexes, and consists of a one to three metres long tunnel, ending in an unlined nest chamber. The nesting chamber is separated from the tunnel by a small lip, preventing the eggs from rolling out (http://www.wilkinsonsworld.com/southern-carmine-bee-eater/). The Carmines lay one to six eggs, which are incubated by both sexes, for 11-13 days.

The better perspective was looking down on the Carmines as they flew along the embankment. We were very fortunate one morning to have quite strong wind blowing directly up the river. This slowed up the Carmines in flight in one direction making the photography  much easier.

The experience of seeing and hearing the Carmines after over 50 years was every bit as fun and exciting as when I was a child bedazzled by thousands of these flying jewels. I am definitely going back. I also want to see the pans which are supposed to be teeming with bird life and we did not get to see the Ospreys just up river!!!

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
~Maya Angelou

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the sixth post from our recent trip to the Chobe river with CNP Safaris.

“Omnia vivunt, omnia inter se conexa
Everything is alive; everything is interconnected.”
–  Cicero

A small group of Waterbuck had been left behind on one island in the Chobe river. The rest of the herd had crossed the channel leaving these three to look anxiously after them. The channel was about thirty metres wide. These stragglers were very wary and kept looking at the water knowing only too well what was lurking beneath its surface.

On our first evening as we were making our way out of the park and in the rapidly fading light when we came across this pride of Lions. Most of them were youngsters and they were accompanied by two or three lionesses but no adult males that we saw.

These Lions had come down to the river to drink and were probably hanging around knowing that other animals would do the same, so it was just a matter of waiting. The darker it got, the greater their advantage because of their excellent night vision.

Down at Elephant Valley, we found this lone Black-backed Jackal scouting the area and getting chased off by some Sable Antelope for his efforts.

This Black-backed Jackal was persistent if nothing else, but his scavenging did not yield any results while we were watching it.

“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

~Aldo Leopold

These Giraffe were on the eastern Botswana bank of the Chobe river.  The shadows falling behind them indicated that it was the afternoon. They are normally very cautious when going down to drink because they have to spread their forelegs to be able to reach the water even with their long necks. Once their front legs are spreadeagled they are very vulnerable. They were even more cautious because of this spot. Not only did they have to watch for crocodiles but the thickets behind them were good ambush spots.

We found this young crocodile sunning itself on a the grass-lined bank down at Pygmy Geese corner.

Also down at Pygmy Geese corner, we found a small group of old “dagga boys”, old Buffalo bulls which had separated from the herd. This character was enjoying is afternoon salad with a Cattle Egret and African Jacana for company. They were benefiting from all the insects he disturbed as he browsed the salad bar.

“Life just seems so full of connections.  Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life.  We only see flat surfaces.”
~ Colin Neenan

 

We saw quite a few Giraffe next to the river. When a Giraffe is finished drinking, we often wait a fraction because as it lifts its head it usually flicks water from its mouth creating a distinctive arc – that is the shot. This character was not a particularly masterful “flicker”.

It is very seldom you will see a Leopard along the Chobe river. This was my third time in seven years. On this particular occasion it was late afternoon when this Leopard came down to the river to drink.

This solitary female Leopard jumped onto a large weathered Jackalberry fallen tree trunk. It was a perfect posing position but the light was almost gone.

“As the natural world grows smaller, so too does its intensity and the size of the window through which it may be viewed.”
~Fennel Hudson

The Nikon D810 does an admirable job of capturing a reasonable image of the subject even in low light. We could not manoeuvre into a better position to improve the perspective as there were quite a few boats with the same idea.

Another afternoon down at Pygmy Geese bend, we found the same group of Buffalo bulls grazing on the grass and aquatic vegetation next to the river. This old “dagga boy” seemed to be unfazed by the young crocodile sunning itself on a small grassed island next to him. Neither creature seemed too concerned about the other. The young crocodile had its mouth open to thermo-regulate and the Buffalo was quite content to munch away at the vegetation while standing in the cool water.

“When we try to pick anything out by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”
~ John Muir

One afternoon while we were editing our images back at the lodge. Fellow photographer, Louis called us to come a see a rock python which had caught and killed a stray cat. This was the second time this had happened in ten days, according to the lodge staff. There were quite a few stray cats around the lodge and they could often be seen wandering around in the stream below the walkway between the hospitality area and the rooms. What I find incredible is that this python had been clandestine and fast enough to ambush a young cat.

A family of Kudu down near Elephant Valley drinking from the river. The bank was quite steep at this spot so I was surprised the Kudu drank from here as it was a ideal ambush spot for a crocodile. Thankfully the Kudu sated their thirst and moved on unharmed.

Down river just above the rapids, we found this Cattle Egret on an ideal perch  to hawk insects.

This Hippo was showing us that we were in his space and that we should move on.

The “yawn warn” worked, he got peace and we moved on.

“We are members of a vast cosmic orchestra, in which each living instrument is essential to the complimentary and harmonious playing of the whole.”
~ J. Allen Boone

The Baboon troop leader having a finger lunch.

We saw our lone “Leopardess” again two mornings later around 8h30 in more or less the same spot down near Puku Flats. It was a fleeting glimpse and she melted away into the undergrowth.

This male Baboon was getting sleepy in the afternoon sun and yawned showing off his massive canines and a few other things!!.

“At the deepest level of ecological awareness you are talking about spiritual awareness.  Spiritual awareness is an understanding of being imbedded in a larger whole, a cosmic whole,  of belonging to the universe.”
~ Fritjof Capra

You can see this youngster’s mother was also quite snoozy in the hot afternoon sun, but her baby was bright eyed, bushy tailed and looking very serious.

A young mother was taking no chances crossing a small channel, which had a little water in it. They know what lurks beneath the water surface.

Upstream at Elephant Valley, this Kudu bull was very interested in a Kudu female who was trying to have a drink of water in peace while keeping a look out for crocodiles.

“The only good cage is an empty cage.”
― Lawrence Anthony, The Elephant Whisperer

Quite human-like, except for the Elephant dung bit!

While its mother was drinking, this youngster was using her as a “Jungle Jim”.

“The deeper we look into nature, the more we recognize that it is full of life, and the more profoundly we know that all life is a secret and that we are united with all life that is in nature.  Man can no longer live his life for himself alone.  We realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all this life.  From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe.”
~  Albert Schweitzer

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike