This the second post describing our Shompole trip with CNP Safaris. The initial attraction on this trip was the photographic hides that Shompole Wilderness offers in the Shompole Conservancy. There are two hides, the Plain’s hide and the more recently completed Kichaka hide. The last post showed mammal images taken from the Kichaka hide which sited in a more intimate surrounding focused on smaller wildlife. This post shows mammal images taken from the Plain’s hide which attracts a more diverse variety of wildlife from its large surrounding plain.

“The photo is the hunt, it’s the instinct of hunting without the desire to kill. It’s the hunt of angels. You trail, you aim, you fire and — click! — instead of a killing the subject you make it everlasting.” ~ Chris Marker

The Plain’s hide is purposefully set in a quite different environment to the Kichaka hide. The former is placed in an extensive open plain. The treeline is about 100 metres from the waterhole to the west and north, and a well-wooded area is 30 metres to south-west and south. This means that during the day you can see the wildlife approaching the hide’s waterhole from quite a distance. If the wildlife approaches from the west the Shompole mountain makes an imposing scenic backdrop in the distance.

“Wildlife photography is more than just taking pictures. It is about connecting with nature and understanding the beauty of the natural world.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

At night the wildlife visitations are frequent and the animals seem to drink more deeply. Perhaps this is because the animals are more habituated to the older Plain’s hide and perhaps the more open surround provides greater protection because a threat can be sensed further away. There was a remarkable variety of animals and birds that came to drink at the waterhole and they came from all directions because of the openness of the surrounds.

In the dry season, when the wind blows the Plain’s hide can be very dusty. This can be an advantage as it creates a moody background and it can be a disadvantage because your camera kit gets very dusty. At night the lights, especially the backlight, can generate wonderfully moody scenes when the wildlife comes into drink and kicks up dust which swirls carried by a gentle nightly breeze.

The hides are sunk low in the ground to ensure photographers are at eye level to the birds and animals drinking at the waterhole. The hide has windows in front facing the waterhole and windows on each side to watch wildlife approaching or leaving the waterhole. The windows remain open while the hide is occupied.

This leopardess approached the waterhole from the northern side emerging from the distant treeline. Not one of the four of us or the Maasai guide in the hide heard her approach nor could we hear her drinking.

It was clear that this leopardess was aware of something in the hide but it did not deter her. The lights at the back and sides of the hide shine onto the animals so they cannot easily see into the hide. Electric fans create white noise to muffle the sounds of photographers moving around. Fresh water is replenished daily and is pumped four kilometres from the Ewaso Ng’iro river. The wildlife clearly prefers the fresh water.

Every animal that came to drink at night was on high alert and reacted to sounds that emanated from the surrounds. Their sensitivity was understandable because they could be seen from afar in the light around the hide.

Most of the nocturnal mammals came to drink singly with the exception of lions and Spotted hyaenas. On several occasions a lone Civet came to drink at the hide’s waterhole. Civets require access to fresh water daily, so they are generally found in habitats close to permanent water sources. They are nocturnal animals that often drink during the night while foraging.

Wild civets, particularly the African civet, prefer areas with dense vegetation and consistent access to water. They often sleep in thickets near water sources during the day. As a result the civets we saw usually approached from the closest treed area south west of the hide. After a few Civet visits we knew from which direction to expect them to approach. Having settled down to drink this civet had an unexpected visitor which caused dorsal crest to rise signalling alarm.

The next images show the civet was alarmed by two buffalo bulls that walked straight up to the waterhole and started to drink. Interestingly, the different species were tolerant and not aggressive towards each other. With the two species, buffalo and civet, the size difference dictated that there was no competition.

“The photographer can’t create a picture, he only can compose.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

A giraffe bull was picked up in the penumbra. He just waited patiently for his turn to drink. Most of the time only a lone giraffe bull would come to the waterhole to drink.

I always find it fascinating to watch how mammals interact especially around a waterhole at night, given the heightened predator risk. Once the civet left the waterhole the buffalo bull moved around the waterhole making room for the giraffe bull to come and drink.

We did not see a breeding herd of elephants come to drink at either waterhole but one or two elephant bulls came to drink during the day and we saw only a single bull at night. Elephants have excellent night vision, often superior to their daytime sight. Being cathemeral animals – active at irregular intervals throughout both the day and night – their vision adapts to the differing lighting conditions. They use a Tapetum Lucidum—a reflective layer of tissue behind the retina—to see clearly in the dark, though their range is generally limited to not more than 25 metres.

At night, elephant’s eyes are most sensitive to blue and violet light, meaning their eyes are fairly well equipped for travel or activity during the darkest hours of the night (Source: GlobalElephants.org). Because vision is not their strongest sense, elephants heavily rely on their exceptional sense of smell and hearing for navigation and safety, especially in the dark.

Giraffe bulls usually visited the waterhole singly during the night. Giraffe have incredibly sensitive hearing. A giraffe 12 metres away can hear the rustle of photographers clothes when the latter move in the hide which often disturbs them while they are drinking. Scientific studies have found that giraffe hearing frequency ranges from 16 Hz to 18,000 Hz. They are particularly adept at detecting infrasounds (sounds below 20 Hz), allowing them to hear long-distance communication and potential threats from afar. Giraffes have 25 centimetre long, funnel-shaped ears that condense sounds effectively. In addition, they can swivel their ears in different directions to determine the direction of the source of the sound. While quiet during the day, giraffes have been recorded making low-frequency “hums” at night to keep in touch with their herd.

“Through the lens, I enter a dialogue with the wild. Nature reveals its purest essence.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

A pride of six lions , two adult females and four adolescents, came to drink at the waterhole at least twice a night. In the middle of the night the pride drank quickly then moved off. When the pride returned to drink just before dawn they stayed in the trees in the south west of the hide probably waiting to see what potential prey would come to drink at dawn.

“My lens bridges the gap between human and wild. It allows me to speak nature’s language.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

A wary but thirsty Debussa waterbuck bull came to the waterhole to drink in the middle of the night. The backlights caughts some of the dust stirred up by his arrival.

A Black-backed jackal illuminated in the hide’s lights just beyond the waterhole. Even the jackals were dead quiet when they approached the waterhole at night.

Once the sun began to rise a group of Plains zebra approached the hide’s waterhole from the west. The boys and girls seemed to have a lot to say to each other early in the morning.

“A little bit of waiting is necessary to get to the sights we hope for.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

One of the mares was trying to avoid too much attention from two of the young stallions.

The zebra arrival is just what the lions had been waiting for but on this occasion there were lions to be seen.

The same pride of six lions visited the waterhole on the second night. They again drink quickly and moved off into the night.

We had many nocturnal visits from a pair of Bat-eared foxes. I assumed the Bat-eared foxes remained close to the waterhole at night because of the plethora of insects. Bat-eared foxes are specialised insectivores and insects (mainly harvester termites) comprise 80–90% of their diet. The remaining part of their diet is just about anything else they can find — fruits, berries, seeds, lizards, eggs, rodents, grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions, crickets, and even some species of fungi.

A small group of Spotted hyaenas came to drink on several occasions. They remained alert and tentative in the light but were clearly thirsty. We were hoping to see the elusive Striped hyaena, but no luck. During the four nights that we alternated with the other group of photographers none of us saw the Striped hyaena. This is one species we will have to return to photograph.

At night when the lights were turned on to illuminate mammals as they came to drink at the hide’s waterhole we could see many bats. The lights attracted many species of insects. The bats, which are echo-locating insectivores, had a nightly feast. I presumed the surface of the water, being a good reflector, helped their echo-location of prey. I do not know what species of bats we saw but they were insectivores rather than fruit bats. The area is known to host species like the Egyptian free-tailed bat.

“In every moment nature is conspiring to expand my perceptions.” ~ Robbie George

We did not see nightjars during the night. Most nightjars rely on their large eyes to locate and capture moths and beetles when it is getting dark. Night-time conditions can prove challenging. So nightjars are most active just after dusk and just before dawn, when there is sufficient light. They only forage deep into the night when the sky is cloudless and the moon is bright.

The backlighting provides some wonderful photographic opportunities and the occasional buffalo bull posed beautifully for some unusual images.

A strip of backlights was sunk into the ground about 15 metres behind the edge of the water hole. The light created some fascinating images especially with the reflection on the mirror-like surface of the water when there is no wind. They were particularly effective with larger species like buffalo and giraffe.

Giraffe have a tendency to flick their heads once they have finished drinking water. The shower of water spilling out of their mouths creates some intriguing images, especially when back lit at night. The head flick is not just a quirky habit — it’s pure evolutionary engineering.

“Colour is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive.” ~ Elliott Erwitt

A giraffe’s neck contains a specialised valve system that protects its brain from sudden blood-pressure changes. When it lifts its head after drinking, that valve needs to reopen fast. The head flick helps “reset” the blood flow. The Rete Mirabele (“wonderful net”) in giraffes is a complex, specialised network of arteries and veins in the upper neck that acts as a vital blood pressure regulation system and prevents too great a backflow of blood to the brain and protects against sudden blood pressure changes when a giraffe lowers its head to drink or lifts it quickly. When bending down this mechanism reduces the pressure of the blood at the base of the brain to about 120/80 compared with the normal 260/160.

During our second night at the Plain’s hide the small pride of lions returned at dawn for another drink and to see what was on the the morning’s waterhole menu.

There was nothing of consequence for the lions on the morning menu except many Helmeted guineafowl so the lions chased the guineafowl around for a while then started to play with each other.

“Every sunrise is a masterpiece painted by nature, waiting to be captured” ~ Biju Karakkonam

A pair of Warthogs came to drink. Initially, the female was affectionate with the male but later there seemed to be a minor family warthog confrontation.

A Warthog boar cooling down in the heat of the late afternoon. Boars are often found alone. He was enjoying a little spar treatment from a small flock of Yellow-billed oxpeckers. The species of oxpecker is larger than its Red-billed cousin and its bill has a bright yellow base and red tip. It also has paler plumage on the back between its folded wings compared to its Red-billed cousin. Red-billed and Yellow-billed oxpeckers possess specialised beak morphologies which dictate distinct feeding behaviours and preferences, reducing direct competition allowing them to coexist. The Yellow-billed oxpecker has a thicker, broader, and stronger beak and so uses “plucking” and “hammering” techniques to remove larger parasites which are usually found on larger hosts such as buffalo and giraffes. This boar was getting special treatment.

Young Yellow baboons know to cling tightly to their mothers when their they come to the waterhole to drink. The action can start in a split second so a tight grip of the parent’s hair is vital. I cannot imagine how sore that must be for the mother.

Early in the morning the Yellow baboons descended from their arboreal bedrooms and came to the waterhole to drink. Baboons en mass were never quiet. There are always youngsters playing or adults chastising teenagers with lots of screaming and dashing around.

After two or three nights with minimal sleep in the hide the fear of missing out (FOMO) abated and the photographers would take in turns to sleep for an hour or two. The on-guard photographers would then quietly wake the sleepers if something interesting was approaching the waterhole.

“I am always looking for new ways to capture the beauty of the natural world. I want my photographs to inspire people to appreciate nature and take action to protect it.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

Once dawn arrived and the sun started to rise we were greeted by numerous birds coming to drink. They were accompanied by diurnal animals such as baboons, waterhog and zebra.

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” ~ Anonymous

We usually stayed in the hide until around 10h00. After a 15 minute drive from the hide to the Ewaso Ni’gro river, we crossed the rapidly flowing river in an aluminium “tinny” and then walked back to camp along a sand path for a few hundred metres through a well-wooded section along the river bank to find a wonderful breakfast ready for us.

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

Have fun, Mike