This is another post showing some of the preparation for the Serengeti trip in March. The previous two posts focused on technique and the behavioural aspects of wildlife photography to capture the right moment and get  the right mix of focus and motion in the image. This post is about some experimentation using the editing programme, Lightroom to push the use of colour and its saturation, hue and luminosity, in order to emphasize the subject and change the visual mood of the image. Often the lighting conditions in the bush are not ideal but that is the only opportunity you have so you must make the best of it. This is where the preparation comes in with some advance testing of the editing variables to see what is possible. CNP safari guide and good friend Johan Greyling taught me Lightroom eight months ago and I am still getting to grips with the software which is incredibly powerful.  Here are a few examples of my playing with Lightroom. I hope you like them.

“The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.”

~Annie Leibovitz

This is of a group of Topi silhouetted, but instead of a simple silhouette the addition of a little colour gives it an added dimension.

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1/5000, f9, iso800, 600mm

The light in the Mara at the time we were shooting was not good. The colour of grass looked very saturated so I reduced the saturation in the green grass to emphasis this magnificent male lion.

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1/400, f9, iso2000, 400mm

The contrast of the red facial skin against the black feathers of the Southern Ground Hornbill is dramatic. By desaturating the background the subject  stands out more.

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1/2000, f7.1, iso500, 600mm

Hyaena snack! This was a curious young Topi. The calves have a gorgeous tan colouring which I wanted to show against a muted green grass background.

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1/800, f9, iso500, 600mm

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

~ Elliott Erwitt

Art in nature! This Grey Crowned Crane turned around to preen itself and I loved the shape of its neck, the golden crown and striking neck feathers.

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1/1250, f5, iso800, 600mm

That long neck provides the photographer with many opportunities to get some interesting poses.

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1/800, f5, iso800, 600mm

A very ordinary image with the subjects emphasised by desaturation of the colour in the foreground and background. There is no particular style here, I was just playing.

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1/2000, f14, iso1000, 600mm

It has been a revelation to me that altering the hue and saturation of the background can have a surprisingly positive effect on the image. This was a family of Elephants walking  down in the marsh area of the Masai Mara. There was still quite a lot of low lying mist at that time of the morning so some contrast was needed. 

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1/640, f13, iso640, 230mm

“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”

~ Ernest Haas

In colour, this male was majestic but I thought I would try to emphasise the character in his face –  and that stare.

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1/800, f7.1, iso640, 380mm

The evenings in the Mara can be sublimely beautiful. Those “Desert Dates” provide the unique character.

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1/500, f18, iso1000, 140mm

Southern Ground Hornbill in black and white. Interesting but the stunning red of the facial skin is lost. In black and white it is more about texture and form. It comes back to the same idea over and over, what are you trying to show in the image, colour or texture or shape or behaviour or just an interesting composition or a combination of those. You need it be conscious of what you are trying to say with your image.

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1/1600, f5.6, iso500, 600mm

This Bat-eared Fox climbed out of its burrow only to find there was pride of lions hunting warthog piglets close by. Needless to say it to not stay above ground long. Altering the saturation in the green grass improved the feel of the image significantly.

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1/800, f7.1, iso800, 600mm

Two Yellow-billed Oxpeckers sitting on the boss of a large Buffalo bull. The colour of the eyes and beaks of this “grooming service squad” stood out perfectly against a desaturated background.

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1/1000, f9, iso640, 400mm

“The pictures are there, and you just take them.”

~ Robert Capa

A Mara evening in black and white. This treatment shows off the trees which is interesting but the emotional element provided by the colour of the sunset altered the mood of the image.

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1/800, f25, iso1000, 140mm

The Secretary Bird is ideally suited to a little black and white treatment with its facial skin colours emphasised.

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1/3200, f14, iso800, 850mm

This was that large Buffalo bull which the Yellow-billed Oxpeckers (in the earlier photo) were sitting on.  He looked positively well fed and probably the fattest Buffalo I have ever seen. The darkish colour and texture of his hide stood out better in black and white.

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1/2000, f11, iso1600, 600mm

Giraffes on the horizon make a perfect silhouette.

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1/4000, f13, iso500, 600mm

Southern Ground Hornbill foraging in the grass for small rodents, reptiles and insects.You can see what a difference a high shutter speed makes!!

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1/4000, f7.1, iso500, 600mm

This was the “mummy’s boy” and his mother that I referred to in the “Lion Family Time” post. They made ideal subjects to emphasis their colour against a muted background.

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1/1250, f8, iso800, 600mm

Another silhouette, this time with Buffalo on the horizon. I thought I would alter the colour to make it look as if it was taken in the evening.

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1/8000, f8, iso800, 600mm

“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.”
~ Ansel Adams

This female Leopard had come down from the tree she was chased up by a pride of Lions. She emerged from the undergrowth and was desperately looking for her cub which had been killed by the Lions. I toned down the background to give it more of an undergrowth feel. It was a very sad but unique sighting. The lions killed the cub but did not eat it.

Photographic safari in Masai Mara,Kenya
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1/1/3200, f10, iso800, 600mm

Southern Ground Hornbill up close and personal, displaying that colourful yellowy-red facial skin, long eyelashes and huge watery eyes.

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1/1600, f9, iso500, 600mm

Particularly with small subjects, it is important to try to de-emphasis the background. This was one of a pair of Temmnick’s Coursers foraging out on the plain in the &Beyond conservancy.

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1/8000, f6.3, iso500, 600mm

The Grey Crowned Cranes provide photographers with wonderful poses. I am not sure what the character was doing but its partner was close by so maybe it was a ritual.

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1/8000, f6.3, iso500, 600mm

“Photography is an austere and blazing poetry of the real.”
~ Ansel Adams

This male had just marked his territory on the tree trunk.

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1/800, f18, iso800, 400mm

The coalition of two male Cheetahs climbed up the side of the Oloololo hills to get away from all the Lion activity on the plain. They found a spot which still gave them a good view of the action on the plain.

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1/4000, f9, iso640, 850mm

This large male lion was walking towards us and I wanted to emphasis him and subdue the background. Desaturation of the background only works in some images but it has its place is the editing tool kit.

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1/2500, f7.1, iso800, 600mm

A Spur-winged Lapwing digging around for insects in old elephant dug on the dirt road. Again I was surprised, with a little playing with the background colour it is possible to bring forward the subject in the image.

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1/800, f5.6, iso800, 600mm

“The important thing is, you have to have something important to say about the world.”
~ Paul Strand

The same Leopardess treed by the pride of lions. She was very upset watching her cub being mauled by a lioness.

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1/1/1250, f8, iso800, 600mm

A lone Impala ram standing on the horizon – perfect for a silhouette.

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1/6400, f13, iso1000, 850mm

This was one of a coalition of two Cheetah males which had been hunting down on the conservancy plain but the two of them decided there were just too many Lions for comfort and moved up onto higher ground where there was much longer grass. That flicking tail indicated how alert he was as there were a few Impala further along.

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1/3200, f11, iso1000, 850mm

This was a bedraggled young Hyaena. It was soaking wet, as was the grass. By desaturating the colour of the grass, the browns of the Hyaena were emphasised. 

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1/100, f5, iso800, 600mm

The same Secretary Bird as before, this time striding out looking for snakes, reptiles of insects to eat.

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1/4000, f14, iso800, 850mm

“The two most engaging powers of a photograph are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.”
~ William Thackeray

It was an overcast afternoon and the colours were very saturated. To emphasise this female Hyaena, who had just stolen a young hippo calf skull from a jackal and a few vultures, I needed to desaturate the background. This female must have carried this heavy skull and part of the spine in her mouth for about a kilometre without stopping. An incredibly powerful predator.

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1/1000, f14, iso2000, 600mm

A silhouette of a few Impala and a Thompson’s Gazelle in the late afternoon.

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1/2500, f5, iso800, 600mm

 A Scrub Hare having a good look around to see that no Jackal or Cheetah were close by. Again by just changing the colour of the background slightly, brought out the shape of the hare.

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1/2000, f10, iso800, 850mm

One of a coalition of two male Cheetahs resting in the shade.

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1/2000, f16, iso1600, 850mm

These Topi were attentively watching the Lion activity on the conservancy.

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1/250, f20, iso800, 400mm

This is the first time I have taken the time and effort to prepare for a major wildlife photographic trip. I have found it very useful and hopefully will be able to apply some of my preparation into producing more interesting and higher quality images. I am striving to bring more artistic intent into my images while still trying to capture that interesting behaviour in wildlife. The more photographers can show the fascinating and beautiful aspects of wildlife perhaps the more we will appreciate our wild friends and all try harder to protect them rather than abuse or consume them.

“Photography is a contest between a photographer and the presumptions of approximate and habitual seeing. The contest can be held anywhere …”
~ John Szarkowski

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

Have fun,

Mike

This is the last post from my recent trip to the Masai Mara with Lou Coetzer of CNP in January. To provide some variation I have converted a few images into black and white. Also by way of contrast I will let the images do the talking.

“The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness ”
― Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Silhouette

Family walk

Dotted plains

“Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.”
― Henri Cartier-Bresson

Sentry

Sentinels

“Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference”
― Robert Frank

Dispatched

Hoe hum!

Roland Ward would be impressed.

In all her finery

Dancing shadows

Pensive power

“Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites in our life, which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash.”

  -Louis Aragon

Majestic

Standing your ground

Team contemplation

Stay alert even if you are big!

“To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.”
― Henri Cartier-Bresson

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

Have fun,

Mike

The Masai Mara National Reserve covers some 1,510 square kilometres in south-west Kenya and is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife reserves. It is the northern-most section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, spanning 25,000 square kilometres across Tanzania and Kenya. It is bounded by the Serengeti National Park to the south, the Siria escarpment to the west, and Masai pastoral ranches to the north, east and west. Together with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, this reserve forms Africa’s most diverse and most spectacular eco-system.

The reserve  is named in honour of the Maasai people (the ancestral inhabitants of the area). They use the Maasia word “Maa” which means “spotted” to describe the pattern of scattered trees and scrub over vast tracts of savanna, which are often punctuated with cloud shadows.

“Hidden in the glorious wildness like unmined gold.”
― John Muir

The romance of the Mara lies in its ‘big skies’,  vast savanna plains, wildlife spectacles such as the annual wildebeest migration, associations with films like ‘Out of Africa’, an abundance of wildlife as far as the eye can see and the unmistakable roar of hot air balloons rising from the early morning mist on the plains.

One aspect of wildlife photography which CNP’s Lou Coetzer has impressed upon us is that we need to show  depth and versatility in our wildlife photography, so that when we compile a portfolio it shows the photographers skill, versatility and insight. So in that vein, moving away from the “big cats”,  this post shows you some of the wonderful vistas and scenes we immersed ourselves in.

On the afternoon of our arrival at Kitchwa Tembo, we were greeted by this pride of Lions lying very close to the airstrip.

I took the next image a few days later looking north  from the west bank of the Mara river from the” & Beyond” Conservancy quite close to where the Leopard cub was killed by the Lion pride. There was a reasonable flow of water in the river though it was not as strong as I expected after all the rain we had  each night. Needless to say the reptilian terror is ever present.

The light was challenging as, for the most part, it was heavily overcast. Every now and then the sun would break through the cloud cover illuminating the grasslands. Even when the syn was out, the moisture haze complicated the focusing. The next image is of a Lioness wandering  over the grasslands towards the Mara river with her cubs running three steps for her every one. The ubiquitous Topis were in the background.

There are numerous Topis on the grasslands. During daylight hours they are too alert and too fast for the Lions to catch and the adults are too big for the Cheetahs. At night the game changes. Often the Hyaenas catch the Topis asleep in the grass. This was a daylight silhouette of a few Topis. A black control point placed on the foreground helped to emphasis the silhouette.

One of the unique aspects about the Mara is its spotted plains. The Desert Dates and Boscia’s dot the plains. I asked our ranger Douglas why the trees were so scattered and not growing in groves and he told us that the Giraffe and other herbivores destroy almost all of the new saplings. The next image shows the scattered trees at last light looking west towards the Oloololo escarpment.

The “spotted plains” become more apparent in the evening light.

As a potential Cheetah hunt slowly dissipated in front of us, while the sun was setting over the Oloololo Hills, there was a minute to two when this Impala ram stood silhouetted in the fading light.  This is one of those magic moments which photographers love to capture and which, in hindsight, become strong emotional hooks. When I look at this image I am transported back to that moment.

In the Masai Mara Reserve down near the Mara river in the marshy area, where you can easily get stuck in the black cotton clay, we came upon this breeding herd of Elephants.  The adults were very protective around the calves. You can see the haze in the background.

One afternoon, we travelled south in the Masai Mara reserve looking for a new pride of Lions. We found them close to Figtree crossing on the Mara river and this was the scene looking south west from there. There is something very soothing for the soul when you look out over these vast natural places.

In the tree line along the river there is a good chance of seeing Leopard. They are elusive but they are there. This was the Leopardess who had lost her cub to the Lion pride when it was wandering through the trees on the edge of the grasslands.

The vast grass plains are ideal for Cheetah. They operate during the day to reduce conflict with other predators such as Lion and Hyaenas. There is plenty of room for these speedsters to open up and use their advantage to catch their prey. This was one of a coalition of two Cheetah males who were hunting on the conservancy.

Camouflage, vigilance and patience are  vital attributes in the open.

Later in the afternoon of the day we spent with the Cheetah males, for some inexplicable reason, they left the game filled grassland of the conservancy to move to higher ground closer to the Oloololo escarpment. The terrain was more difficult for them to hunt on, though the grass was longer allowing them to stalk closer to their prey. We could only assume there were too many Lions and Hyaenas on the conservancy at that time making it too risky for them to hunt in the open.

When the moisture haze allowed, the sun cast its spell and the light was captivating.

Hopefully I have given you a sense of scenery in which you can immerse your senses. All the images were taken in the Masai Mara Reserve and the adjacent “& Beyond” conservancy in front of the Kitchwa Tembo camp.

 “We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable we can never have enough of nature.”
― Henry David Thoreau

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

Have fun,

Mike

This is the fifth post from my trip with CNP to the Masai Mara in early January. The main purpose of the trip was to photographic wildlife and the “big cats” in particular. We were interested in seeing how good the photographic opportunities were outside the Wildebeest migration season. The first four posts were about predators and the “big cats” in particular. I intend posting four more series of photographs and stories from this trip. This post will show some of the birds we saw while following the “big cats”. The next post will show scenery and silhouettes. The second last post of the Mara 2015 trip will show a day in the life of two Cheetah males. The last post will show a variety of images in black and white.

 “Give me the storm and tempest of thought and action, rather than the dead calm of ignorance and faith! Banish me from Eden when you will; but first let me eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge!”
― Robert G. Ingersoll

East Africa is a birder’s paradise. The field guide ” Birds of East Africa” documents 1388 birds in the Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi area. Although the tented camp, Kitchwa Tembo , was situated in an indigenous forest but we did not try to photograph the birds in the forest because that was not our focus and the heavily overcast weather substantially reduced the available light in the forest.

The birds we saw but were not able to not photograph were the Black and White Casqued Hornbill feeding on the figs in the camp. There is a wonderful group of some 15 different beautifully coloured Barbets in this region but they eluded us. We saw a flock of Schalow’s Turacos cavorting in the fig tree above our breakfast table. There were lots of Common Bulbuls and White-backed Mousebirds in the camp. As you can hear I am angling toward a bird photography trip next to see the extra-ordinary variety of Shrikes, Weavers, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Sunbirds and Barbets to mention just a few. 

The birds we did photograph were those mainly in the open grasslands which we saw while looking for the “big cats”. There are many different types of herbivores in the open grasslands such as Eland, Zebra, Topi, Buffaloes, Giraffe, Waterbuck, Thompson and Grants Gazelle, Impala and of course, Elephant and Hippo. I did not see any of the Bohor’s Reedbuck this time. Where there are herbivores there are Oxpeckers. Unlike SA, where we mainly see Red-billed Oxpeckers, in the Mara you will find mostly Yellow-billed Oxpeckers. These health workers have plenty of clients to work on.

These two Yellow-billed Oxpeckers were sunning themselves on a large Buffalo’s boss.

Double click on the image with a blue border and you will be taken to the Xeno Canto website. Click on the right pointing triangle at the top left hand side of the list and you will hear that bird’s call. Hit the back arrow key on your browser to return to this post. 

One bird you will commonly see in the Mara is the Grey-crowned Crane. We never saw them in flocks, only in pairs which were widely scattered. They forage in the grasslands for insects and grass seeds. I never fail to marvel at the exquisite beauty of these birds. 

“Cranes are ubiquitous in the earliest legends of the world’s peoples, where they often figure as sentinels of heaven and omens of longevity and good fortune.”

That Golden Crest of specialised feathers is something exquisite!! Mother nature has an ability to put colours and textures together which work, and must be the envy of any fashion designer.

Grey-crowned Cranes are quite vocal with there distinctive croaking call. 

Black-headed Heron were ubiquitous in the Mara. There were many places in grasslands which had filled with rainwater. These provided the Herons with plenty of food from frogs to Terrapins. Once they see their prey, they can stand motionless for a long while watching and waiting for the prey to move closer. They then start to weave their head left and right in what looks like a hunting ritual.   The weaving of the head  from side to side to thought be assist the Heron more accurately estimate the position of the prey in the water, enabling it to compensate for refraction in the water. The Heron then uses its bill to spear its prey.

While we were looking around the marsh area in the Masai Mara reserve down near the Mara river, we came across two Lapwings which I had never seen before. The first was this Senegal Lapwing which never stopped for us to get a decent image of it. There was a small group of five or six.

The second new Lapwing, for me, was the Spur-winged Lapwing. This character was much more accommodating mainly because it was looking for insects in the old Elephant dung in the middle of the road.

This Spur-winged Lapwing paraded around in front of us for about five minutes.

“It is the soul that sees; the outward eyes
Present the object, but the Mind descries.
We see nothing till we truly understand it.”
― John Constable

While we were watching the Cheetah males, a pair of Temmnick’s Coursers ran in front of us. You don’t often seen them. I have only ever seen them before in Mashatu, Botswana. They were very busy scurrying around looking for insects in the grass.

The heavy duty clean up crew were coming in. This Lappet-faced Vulture banked sharply for a grand entrance to partake in cleaning up the remains of a Hippo calf.

The air space was getting busy as more Vultures arrived. A pair of Hooded Vultures coming in on finals.

The Hooded Vulture are much smaller than either the White-headed or the massive Lappet-faced Vulture. The Hooded Vulture tends to lurk around the periphery of a kill skirmishing for scraps rather than competing on the main carcass.

We only saw three Vultures close up and that was on the first day. The Hooded, White-headed and Lappet-faced Vultures flew in to pick at the remains of a Hippo calf close to the airstrip. It is only when you see them together do you get a real sense of relative size and their hierarchy at a kill. I was surprised how big the White-headed Vulture was which in turn was much bigger than a Hooded Vulture. The White-headed and Lappet-faced Vultures tucked into the remains while the Hooded Vulture remained on the fringes of the carcass.

“The concept of conservation is a far truer sign of civilisation than that spoilation of a continent which we once confused with progress.”

 – Peter Matthiessen

The open grasslands are paradise for the Larks, the most common of which are the Rufous-naped and Flappet Larks. The Rufous-naped Larks are ubiquitous and the males seem to love having their photograph taken. In the open grassland they either sit on top of a small bush or anthill and advertise their availability and prowness.

This Rufous-naped Lark must have been a male as he was displaying to all the passing females. We were also giving this casanova the attention he was seeking.

There is a wonderful variety of Hornbills in East Africa. We found the Southern Ground-hornbill in the Mara but the Abyssinian Ground-hornbill can be found in Uganda and north western Kenya. This solitary Southern Ground-hornbill was feeding on insects it was uncovering from old Elephant dung. The Abyssinian Ground-hornbill has a blue rather than red skin around its eye and throat.

The haze reduced the contrast allowing us to achieve reasonable detail in the dark tones. This Southern Ground-hornbill had a very successful feeding session thanks to the Elephants.

Another bird seen regularly foraging on the open grasslands is the Secretary Bird. It strides out across the grasslands looking for insects, rodents, frogs and small birds. These raptors are not big tasters. They grab their prey usually with their feet, stomp it into submission and swallow it whole, often still alive. The distance they can cover while striding can be quite remarkable.

Those long scaly legs protect them from snake bites. Their feet are clawed and have thick hard pads underneath. They use their feet to stomp on prey, often pounding it to death.

This is a small selection of the huge variety of avians which can be seen in the Mara. This reserve is a real Eden of wildlife.

“Soon the child’s eye is clouded over by ideas and opinions, preconceptions and abstractions. Simple free being becomes encrusted with the burdensome armour of the ego. Not until years later does an instinct come that a vital sense of mystery has been withdrawn. The sun glints through the pines, and the heart is pierced in a moment of beauty and strange pain, like a memory of paradise. After that day….we become seekers.”

 – Peter Matthiessen

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

Have fun,

Mike

This is my first post for 2015.

Happy New Year – I wish you a year filled with interesting people, unusual adventures, far away places and new insights.

“Life is a daring adventure, or nothing.”

 – Helen Keller

We stayed at Kitchwa Tembo tented camp. It is a wonderful tented camp, very comfortable with a view straight onto its Conservancy which is around 10 square kilometres at the north-east end of the Mara triangle. The beauty of the conservancy is that it is not part of the main park so we could drive off-road. This was important as we could get into position to minimise grass in front of the subject and to get the most favourable light direction, which was usually behind us.

“Masai Mara is probably the most famous of the reserves and is located in Kenya’s south western corner and boasts an astonishing amount of game. The national reserve is unfenced, with the Mara being bounded in the east by the Ngama Hills and in the west by the Oloololo Escarpment.

Gazelle, Wildebeest and Zebra graze in large numbers and attract many and varied predators.  The wide green-gold savannahs are spotted with thorn trees.”

After an easy flight from Nairobi to the Masai Mara we set off on our first bush drive the afternoon of our first day. We heard that “Scar” the male lion with a damaged right eye had killed a Hippo calf the day before on an open area close to the airstrip, so we travelled down to see what we could find. In no time at all we found a few Hyaenas and Vultures on the remains of the reported Hippo calf. We found three vultures picking at the bones. Each vulture was a different species, Lappet-faced, White-headed and Hooded. The next image is of a White-headed Vulture gliding in to feast on the Hippo calf.

The White-headed Vulture is large, not much smaller than the Lappet-faced, and is one of the more strikingly coloured of the three Vultures we saw that afternoon.

Vultures have amazing vision. Once they see other Vultures landing they know there is a kill or food of some sort which is worth investigating. Shortly after the arrival of the White-headed Vulture, the massive Lappet-facerd Vulture flew in. The Lappet-faced is usually the first to open a carcass, if it has not be already opened up by a predator.

The Lappet-faced is the second largest of the African Vultures after a Bearded Vulture. Lappet-faced Vultures are not common and classified as vulnerable.

“The earth has music for those who listen.”

 – George Santayana

It did not take long before the Black-backed Jackal saw the Vultures flying in and came over to see what was available. The next image shows the Lappet-faced Vulture dominating the Jackal. He went hungry that afternoon.

A pair of Hooded Vultures joined the party. Being such smaller than the Lappet-faced and White-headed Vultures they operated on the fringes of the carcass area minding not to get too close to the other Vultures. This Vulture is more of an opportunist when there are larger Vultures and predators feeding on the carcass, darting in to snatch scraps.

The Hyaenas never fail to miss an opportunity to feed. The Vultures and Jackal attracted the attention of two Hyaenas.

The Lions has not left much of the Hippo calf carcass. By the time we arrive there was just the skull and part of the spine left. One female Hyaena decided it was time to take the remains to a quieter place and proceeded to pick up the skull and part of the spine and run off with it.

It was amazing how far and fast the Hyaena ran with what looked to be a heavy mouthful.

This was another example of the strength and endurance of these top predators. The Hyaena was quite capable of eating the remaining bones.

A pair of Topis were watching the Hyaena with a keen eye. A Topi looks like Hartebeest and belong to the same family but are a different species.

Topis are very fast, so Lions and Hyaenas struggle to catch them during the day. They are most vulnerable at night when they sleep. Most Topis are attacked and killed by Hyaenas when they are asleep.

 ” There is something about safari life which makes you forget about all your sorrows and makes you feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne – bubbling over with heart-felt gratitude for being alive.”

 – Karen Blixen

We saw our first Lion pride within an hour of being on the Conservancy. This was part of the “Marsh ” pride. This pride comprises around 28 Lions and is ruled by a coalition of four large males, “Scar” and his three brothers. Half the pride and three males had crossed the Mara river into the Conservancy, the other half of the pride remained on the eastern side of the Mara river. The next image shows a few of the Lionesses with their cubs resting on a mound near the airstrip in the late afternoon.

This pride was operating in the Conservancy less than a kilometre in front of the camp. Needless to say that first night we went to sleep with a chorus of Hyaena “whoops” and Lion “roars” and the odd Hippo “grunts”.

The Lionesses were very alert and looked ready to hunt in daylight hours.

A typical scene, in the Mara area.

We got off to a good start on our first afternoon. The Mara was looking very green. In the Conservancy area the grass was not too long so we were excited about the potential photography in the days ahead. The Mara is full of animals at this time of the year but the Wildebeest migration is down in the south part of the Serengeti in preparation for the calving season in February and early March.

One of the reasons we undertook this trip was to see what the photography was like outside the Wildebeest migration. After the first afternoon it was looking good.

“When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.”

 – John Muir

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

Have fun,

Mike

There is one more group of images I wanted to show you from our trip with Lou and Veronica Coetzer of Coetzer Nature Photography to the Masai Mara in September.

“It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get”.

– Timothy Allen

We visited a Hyaena clan’s den late one afternoon . This male came into the den site, returning from what appeared to have been a scouting expedition.

In true Hyaena style everyone had to smell everyone’s crutch. I am really pleased that human beings just settle for a hello!!

Late the same afternoon after having watched this clan of Hyaenas at their den, close to the Mara river, for about an hour, we set off back to the camp. On the way Sammy, our guide, pointed out a pair of Bohor’s Reedbuck. They were hiding in the short grass and were so well camouflaged that without being shown where they were we would never have seen them. When threatened, they usually remain motionless or retreat slowly into cover. They only break cover once the threat is very close. Their alarm call is a shrill whistle. They only eat grass and live in groups of up to seven females and one male. This particular young female remained motionless.

The next image is of a few Waterbuck. Nothing special about the photographic quality of the image but I thought it was interesting to see the different markings in the East African Waterbuck. For a Southern African this was quite a novelty. Our Common Waterbuck looks like it has sat down on a toilet seat freshly painted with white paint. In  East Africa there are two types of Waterbuck, the common Waterbuck with the white ring on its rump and the Defassa Waterbuck, which has large white patches either side of its rump.

Other unique herbivores in the Mara are the Thompson’s and Grant’s Gazelle. The Thompson’s Gazelle superficially looks like a Springbok. Both have reddish brown backs and flanks and a dark brown side stripe. Their horns are a different shape and the Springbok’s face is white as is its throat. Both have a dark brown stripe down their cheek, from the eye to the mouth. The Thompson’s Gazelle has a much smaller mouth than a Wildebeest so can nibble at the smaller grass shoots left by the passing Wildebeest.

The Grant’s Gazelle has different colouring and is bigger than the Thompson’s Gazelle but is found in the same area. The Grant’s Gazelle has white on its rump which extends above the tail. It also does not have a dark brown side stripe but has a white stripe on the side of its face  from above the eye to the mouth.

The internet connection at our camp Kitchwa Tembo was down so on a number of days the group adjourned, around late morning, to Serena Lodge which was sited on top of a ridge in the Masai Mara overlooking the Mara River. The views were so good that I was more interested in scouting around the Lodge than getting on the internet. Out basking on the hot rocks around the lodge were these Red Headed Agamas -amazing colours.

The next four images are of Serena Lodge. The first was taken at the entrance looking through the reception area onto the viewing deck. The second image was taken looking east down between the rooms which were sited along a ridge with views north and south over the Mara.

The next image was taken from the viewing deck looking east along one row of rooms down onto the Mara and the river in the distance. The second image was taken from above the swimming pool looking north-east out down to the Mara river. As you can see the views from this lodge were forever.

Down below the lodge,  there are  numerous anthills scattered across the Mara. These anthills provide valuable elevation points enabling the animals to see some distance above the grass. These anthills were actively used by Topis to look out for Lions, Hyaenas and Cheetahs and by Cheetahs looking for the next meal.

We stayed at Kitchwa Tembo tented camp. It was situated in a riverine forest which gave it a lush, cool feel – superb. The last thing you want in the bush is a glitzy camp. This was perfect. The main dining and bar area were under thatch with low parapet walls which opened out onto lush lawns.

The lawn in front of the main dining and bar area stretched down to a swimming pool which overlooked the Mara. It was great to see people lying on their deck chairs watching Giraffe and Elephant directly in front of them on the Mara .

The low parapet walls in main dining and bar area allowed open views onto the lawn and invited in any passing breezes. The temperature was warm but not hot by South African standards.

We found three male Cheetahs in among the Inselbergs down near the Tanzanian border. It was hot and they were doing a lot of nothing. Every now and then one of the males would get up to have a look around and then flop back down to resume his dozing.

In a previous post, I had mentioned that the Elephant looked different in the Mara, somewhere between an Indian and a Southern African Elephant. The Giraffe were also different, specifically their markings were different. There are eight distinct Giraffe coat patterns, each found in a different geographic region.

One of the features of the trees, specifically the Desert Dates, scattered all over the Mara is that they have all been browsed to a similar height. Desert Dates are not umbrella trees but have been browsed into that shape.  The next image shows a Giraffe bending down to browse on low bushes because almost all of the trees have been eaten to the point where they are out of reach for all but the tallest Giraffe. Another place where you will see the underside of the trees have been browsed to a similar level is in Mana Pools in Zimbabwe.

We often saw Black-backed Jackal in the Mara despite them being diurnal. Mostly we saw them first thing in the morning or at dusk.  There are three types of Jackal in East Africa, the Golden, Side-striped and Black Backed. The Black-backed Jackal in the Mara was more slender and upright and had longer ears than we are used to seeing in Southern Africa.

Up on the slopes of the Oloololo Hills below were Denys was buried in ‘Out of Africa’ , we found these Oribis. The male was marking his territory with a scent gland positioned just below his eye, much like a Duiker or Klipspringer.

The Mara has many predators because there is so much food available. We were fortunate to see Lionesses with cubs and were able to spend quite some time on different occasions watching and photographing them.

On our last evening, we were out near Serena lodge and came across a mother with her new-born calf. I have never seen such a small Elephant calf. It could barely reach its mothers nipple.

One of the guys in our vehicle, Nic said he wanted to get some shots of Elephant because on his last trip to Tanzania he had not managed to get good ‘Elie’ shots. That afternoon we saw more Elephant than we had seen at any point on the trip. A small breeding herd came out of the riverine forest next to the Mara. Nic also got to see the new-born calf on the same afternoon. Needless to say he got good images.

The modus operandi after an exciting morning’s photography was to retreat from the action to have a coffee break to catch up and chat. Lou converted the two  vehicles you see in the next image into photographic platforms, with highly versatile seats bolted onto the vehicle base. Each seat had a camera support which effectively acted like a tripod – ingenious. The goose-wing windows allowed excellent viewing space and ability to move our cameras.

Our two game guides and drivers in the Mara – Douglas and Sammy – were great guys, very affable and knowledgeable. A real asset to the team.

One of the key attractions of the trip were sightings of the Mara river crossing. We were on the west side of the river and the Wildebeest were coming from the east to cross the river. Time and time again, the tour vehicles on the east side of the river drove too close to the Wildebeest and cut off the crossing. The poor Wildebeest are terrified enough of the crossing without vehicles pushing them too. The next image is of three such tour vehicles, which drove too close to the herd and forced them away from the river’s edge. These ‘dedicated nature lovers’ then proceeded to drive right into the crossing point, where they stopped and chatted. The lack of understanding and respect for the animals was starkly apparent!!!!

Once it all comes together and the crossing starts it is dramatic and spectacular.

Thank you again to Lou and Veronica for a memorable trip. We got to see new things and capture some great images. That is a must do trip but beware it pushes up you standards. I now see sub-Saharan Africa as my playground.

“ Which of my photographs is my favourite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow“.

– Imogen Cunningham

Seek to understand nature, marvel at its interconnectedness and then let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

I have put together a collection of images which I thought you might find interesting as they show the dramas during and after the animals crossing the Mara river. All of these images were taken from Lou and Veronica’s specialized CNP photographic vehicles which were superb shooting platforms.

The migration takes place from east to west across the Mara river. This post highlights some of the dramas on the West side of the river. The Mara river appears to be gently snaking through the Masai Mara. This apparent gentleness masks a  fast flowing river full of crocodiles and Hippos. It is bordered by a thick groves of riverine trees on either bank, which hide a variety of predators from Lion to Leopard and Hyaenas. Crossing entry and exit points vary from flat sandy areas to treacherously steep alluvial banks and slippery rocky outcrops.

The river itself claims many victims. This young Zebra slipped off a rock ledge jutting into the  Mara river. It fell in right next to where a Wildebeest had drowned. After a few heart stopping moments, this young Zebra managed to scramble back onto the rock shelf unscathed. After this scare the Zebra backed away and we did not see them again that day.

Some young souls do not get to cross the river. A Leopard was taking no chances with this Wildebeest calf.

This lioness looked bored while waiting in the open for Wildebeest and Zebra to appear on the east side of the river . Presumably these predators can see, hear the herbivores coming and feel the vibrations of thousands of hooves through the ground. There are plenty of trees and Crotons alongside the river which provide good cover for an ambush.

 

The panic is clear to see. Once the crossing starts, the Wildebeest follow each other blindly through the dust and launch themselves into the boiling water.

The flowing river quickly drags them downstream. There were rapids just below where these Wildebeest were crossing – adding to the difficulty and danger of the crossing.

As the crossing builds, it becomes chaotic and the danger increases exponentially.

The crossing is not all panic and hard swimming. Some of the wildlife take it all ‘in their stride’, sunning themselves on the beach, while the Wildebeest summon up the courage to cross the river.

The fast flowing river can make the swim exhausting. Some Wildebeest get to solid ground under foot on the west side of the river but are so tired that they struggle to get out of the water. This is just what the massive crocodile basking itself on the river bank had been waiting for. He had obviously seen this situation many times before. It was incredible to watch this massive croc slowly swim, in plain sight, up to the Wildebeest. The Wildebeest must have seen the croc coming but it did not move.

During the drowning process, other Wildebeest swam very close to the victim and must have seen exactly what was happening.

There is high drama when these Wildebeest swim furiously to cross the river, all the while are being dragged downstream by the fast flowing river, knowing only too well what is lurking unseen in the water.

 

Once successfully across the river, the Wildebeest and Zebra face another challenge, getting passed the waiting and hungry predators.

We were  privileged to see a classic Lion ambush and kill. It took place on the West side about 100 metres from the river. It was late morning. We had already seen a Wildebeest crossing and were driving away to chat about what we had just seen up over a cup of coffee. We were driving parallel to the ‘single file’ column of Wildebeest and Zebra walking away from the river. Their coats were still glistening with water. Sammy, our guide, saw a Lioness close to the road lying in wait and intently watching the column of herbivores. We then saw a second Lioness lying in a clump of long Red Oat grass about 40 metres away.  The column of successful river crossers walked right between the two Lionesses, but could not see either. Once the lead animals had walked passed the Lionesses, the  Lioness closest to us burst from her lying position.

The line of Wildebeest panicked, focusing on the Lioness hurtling towards them. One Wildebeest did not even see the second Lioness break cover from the clump of grass behind it, and hit it with 120 kilograms of teeth and claws in the hind quarters. The other animals scattered and the second Lioness reinforced the attack on the collapsing Wildebeest. The images are not particularly sharp because of all of the dust on the scene.

The second Lioness held the Wildebeest down long enough for the first one to manoeuver the animal to get a choke hold.

The second Lioness did not do much after the Wildebeest was on the ground, not wanting to get in the way of flaying hooves. It was all over in a couple of minutes and the Mara returned to normal.

In the next image, this Wildebeest must have made it across the river but fell foul of a predator on the west side. We came upon two Hyaena around mid-morning. Both were feeding on parts of a Wildebeest. One Hyaena was progressively demolishing the Wildebeest head, skull and all. They really are waste disposal experts.

This Hyaena kept moving the head to keep it in the shade as the sun was rising. He was making good progress demolishing the head by the time we left.

One drowned Wildebeest was floating close to the river bank. The proximity of the carcass to the bank enabled this Water Monitor to get to it without having to swim the crocodile gauntlet.

On another occasion, while waiting for a crossing, we saw this massive crocodile downstream from us eating a Zebra’s head.

The same massive crocodile decided to swim upstream towards us. Just upstream of us, it climbed onto the bank to bask. The angle was not good but it gives an impression of the size of this predator with the Zebra’s head.

The grass is always greener on the other side. In fact, in the Mara it is green and gold. With the storm clouds building, the sound of distant thunder and the smell of rain on parched earth probably merge to become an intoxicating mix which drives the Wildebeest and Zebra to make such an epic crossing each year.

We did not see Leopard, unfortunately – perhaps another time! We often saw Jackals, the light-weight gang in the clean up squad. The Cheetah operated near the river on occasion, but we normally saw them out on the open plains where these speedsters have some room to move.

I hope you enjoyed the dramatic, and at times gruesome, images which portray  the story of the daily drama on the west side of the Mara river.

It’s  not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
Henry David  Thoreau

Seek to understand nature, marvel at its interconnectedness and then let it be.

Have fun

Mike

When showing wildlife images, I tend to focus on animals and birds which are wonderful, but the vistas across the Mara were spectacular and the quality of the light in the early mornings and storm cloud-filled afternoons were moody and compelling. In this post, I want to share some of the sights I was privileged to see.

Wonderful how completely everything in wild nature fits into us, as if truly part and parent of us.  The sun shines not on us, but in us.  The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. 

John Muir

We would leave Kitchwa Tembo tented camp around 6h30. It was still dark with the soft glow of the dawn beginning to appear over the Mara. There were two reasons for leaving early. The main one was to get through the Oloololo gate into the park as soon after it opened as possible and the second was to catch the sunrise. Sometimes, if it had been raining the night before, clouds would still be hanging heavy in the morning sky. The colours were soft, saturated pastel shades and the vistas were capitivatingly beautiful.

The Desert Date trees made excellent foreground subjects for our sunrise images. The colours in the sunrise heralded a warm sun drenched morning ahead.

As we were driving on the bumpy road out of the camp, it became a ritual to stop and try to capture the sublime atmosphere of the sunrise in an image and to take in the smells and freshness of the bush first thing in the morning. Each morning at sunrise we would see balloons preparing to or having just taken off. They wafted away on the early morning north-east to south-westerly breeze down along the Mara river and off towards the Tanzanian border. Some mornings there were as many as six balloons in the sky. In the early morning light, the valleys were still relatively dark so when the balloon pilot fired up the burners, the red flame illuminated the balloon.

Some mornings you could hear the burners flaming hot air into the balloon canopy down in the valley.

The stillness of the early mornings created a serene atmosphere, hiding the dramas on the plains the night before. In the next image, I could not hear these Elephants, even in the stillness of the soft morning pastel light. At times you felt you were bathing in these soft colours, and almost had to pinch yourself to be sure you were awake.

As the sun started to rise in the easterly sky, so the warm sunrise glow started to fade, by which time the balloons were busy climbing into the sky.

By around 9h00 the sky had cleared and the heat had burned off the last clouds.  The clarity of the air enabled us to see for kilometres. The plains host a vast number and variety of game, with the Wildebeest and Zebra all around at this time of the year. One aspect I loved was the ability to look out over the vistas uninterrupted for tens of kilometres. That feeling of big sky country was liberating. The idea that these animals have vast areas of land to themselves without human beings messing it up for them or crowding them out, felt very good.

The Mara river changed mood with the colour of the sky. Despite its mood, the river flowed at about five kilometres per hour adding to the difficulty of the crossing for herbivores, which are not built for swimming. The  river was bordered by riverine forest comprising Fig Trees, Fever Trees, Quinine Trees, Magic Guarris and clusters of Crotons (very different to those seen in Mashatu).

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For the most part, the Mara river had steep alluvial banks. There were many crossing points, some of which were flatter but of course they were also preferred by crocodiles and predators waiting on the West bank. Often the more popular crossing points had Hippo pools. Needless to say, the Wildebeest were easily spooked by the Hippos snorting but once the crossing started the Hippos knew to get out-of-the-way of all those paddling hooves.

The Mara river snakes through the spotted plains.

After crossing the Mara river, most of the Wildebeest and Zebra moved north to the foot of the Oloololo Escarpment where the grazing seemed to be particularly good. This next shot was taken just below where Denys in ‘Out of Africa’  was buried (after crashing his biplane) and where those two Lions lay on his grave looking out over the Mara.

The Mara plains rolled right up to the Oloololo Escarpment (part of the Great Rift Valley), which provided a picturesque backdrop. Many animals moved up the escarpment at night, perhaps for more protection, and then came back down onto the plains during the day.

It was good to see gravel only roads in the Mara Triangle. The main roads in the park were relatively good. In the high traffic areas, visitors were not allowed off-road but in the less travelled areas there were many tracks into the plains.

On our last day, Nic one of the photographers in our vehicle ,who heralded from London and who had not seen many Elephants on his last Tanzanian trip, was treated to a full showing. We came across a breeding herd of Elephant which had just emerged from the riverine forest. The Elephants in the Mara are nothing like as big as those in Etosha. The Elephant also have a different, more rounded shape to their head and their tusks are long and thin. It is almost as if these Mara Elephants were genetically half way between our southern African Elephants and Indian Elephants.

Border post, Masai Mara style!. These bollards served to demarcate the Kenyan-Tanzanian border in the Mara Triangle. This shot was taken looking south into the Serengeti.

One late afternoon right down at the Tanzanian border, a storm was brewing in the easterly sky. The sky darkened and big cumulonimbus clouds thrust their massive white plooms upwards. Down near the Tanzanian border you will find low flat-topped Inselbergs, volcanic remnants. These Inselbergs together with the Desert Dates and stormy skies made a distinctive background for this lone bull Elephant.

After watching our bull Elephant for quite a while it was getting late and we still had to travel about 40 kms back to the Oloololo gate in the north of the Mara Triangle. Inevitably, in the park when you are late and rushing for the gate, you either come across really unusual sightings or fantastic sunsets which you have to stop for. The stormy sky with the late afternoon golden light created a wonderful image.

Another shot taken when rushing back to the closing gate. These three Elephants were half silhouetted in that late afternoon light emphasising the golden Red Oat grass against a very dark storm filled sky.

Another evening, also on our way back to the closing gate, we had to stop for this sunset. The timing of sunsets coincided with the closing time of the park gate, which made choices very difficult. This shot was taken looking westerly toward the Oloololo Escarpment just after the sun had set. For twenty minutes after the sun has set, the evening sky is usually illuminated with gorgeous saturated  yellows, reds and blues.

I hope you have a sense of the scenery and vistas in the Masai Mara. The open expanses are deeply soul soothing!!

“Wilderness is a necessity … They will see what I meant in time.

There must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls. Food and drink is not all. There is the spiritual. In some it is only a germ, of course, but the germ will grow.” “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

“How hard to realize that every camp of men or beast has this glorious starry firmament for a roof. In such places, standing alone on the mountaintop, it is easy to realize that whatever special nests we make — leaves and moss like the marmots and the birds, or tents or piled stone — we all dwell in a house of one room — the world with the firmament for its roof — and are sailing the celestial spaces without leaving track.”

“The mountains are fountains of men as well as of rivers, of glaciers, of fertile soil. The great poets, philosophers, prophets, able men whose thoughts and deeds have moved the world, have come down from the mountains — mountain-dwellers who have grown strong there with the forest trees in Nature’s work-shops.

– John Muir

Founder, The Sierra Club 

I hope you enjoyed the journey from sunrise to sunset in the Masai Mara.

Look, listen, enjoy, marvel and let it be.

Have fun

Mike

I had to get one post in showing some of the birds in the Mara. The Mara offers exceptional sightings of raptors. The main reason being that there is so much food available on the plains. Watching a raptor hunt is as fascinating and spellbinding as any big cat hunt. In fact, raptors do a whole lot more, during the day, than big cats.

The first afternoon we went to the southern part of the Masai Mara Triangle down close to Fig Tree bend in the Mara river. We had stopped to watch the Wildebeest massing on the opposite side of the river, and out of nowhere this male Secretary bird dropped in, landing  close to the vehicle. It promptly started foraging. The amazing thing about birds is that time and time again you can struggle to get a decent shot of a particular bird, then when you least expect it, one arrives and poses perfectly. The long tail on a Secretary bird seems to be a sign of a male where the female has a shorter tail not much longer than its wing feathers. These raptors are voracious eaters, happy gulping down a live baby francolin without a blink.

On the third morning, we were driving onto the Mara when we came across this pair of Grey Crowned Cranes. This was the only pair we saw but what a treat. They are stunningly beautiful and ornate birds.  These Grey Crowned Cranes were foraging in the water-logged gullies alongside the road. They normally feed on insects, frogs and the like. The male is slightly bigger than the female and it appeared to have a red marking just below its crown which the female did not have. The Grey Crowned Crane has a hind toe which allows it to roost in trees. Other cranes lack the hind toe and so cannot roost in trees.

After a hectic Wildebeest crossing down at Fig Tree bend, we retreated up the hill to have a coffee break under one of the statuesque Desert Dates. It was not long before these Superb Starlings flew into the tree above us. They really are superb, even more colourful than our Glossy Starlings. In North Kenya ,you can find the even more colourful Golden Breasted Starlings which are dressed in yellows, blues and greens and in West Africa you will find the Emerald Starling.

In the next image, this male Ostrich was full of testosterone. The red colour of his face, neck and legs advertises his sexual status and readiness to mate. Thankfully, the redness in our faces does not give us away beyond the rouge of embarrassment. We saw quite a few Ostriches on the Mara, with the girls out numbering the boys..

I have been trying to get a shot of a Long Crested Eagle for some time. One afternoon early in the trip, as we were driving back towards camp, there one was just waiting to be photographed. The light was not ideal, having washed out skies, but he was an impressive specimen. His colouring and fierce yellow eyes give him the appearance of a Brown Snake Eagle, but for the long crest.

Eagles don’t flock, you have to find them one at a time.

Ross Perot

One morning between nine and ten just after we had been watching a mating pairs of Lions who were resting after a hectic night, we began to head back to the main road. Just as we were doing so this juvenile Black Shouldered Kite flew to within 30 metres of us and started to hover. It must have hovered for a couple of minutes in front of us.  I had my focusing point dead on its head. It was remarkably still while it was hovering. I never realised they could be that stable in the hover. I suggest this is a juvenile because its eye is not ruby-red and its breast feathers are mottled and not pure white.

We used to have Tawny Eagles at school at Falcon College. They are impressive raptors which come in a variety of colour morphs from pale blonde to Tawny to dark brown. This particular female flew up to a branch alongside her nest in a Desert Date tree, which was close to the an Inselberg down near the Tanzanian border. We were looking for a coalition of three male Cheetahs when we found this female Tawny. The light direction was tricky but the pose was iconic American!!!

We saw many vultures in the Mara. This particular White Backed Vulture was lying flat on the ground sunning itself. Interestingly, we did not see many vultures thermalling. When I asked the reason, I was told it was because there was so much food they just needed to sit in a tree and watch the goings on around them and they would see a potential meal.

When ever you see  a group of vultures waiting around, either the predator is still around or they are waiting for the butcher, the Lappet-faced Vulture. to open up the carcass. The Lappet-face is a massive bird with a wingspan fo around 2.6 metres similar to that of a Martial Eagle, but both pale against the Wandering Albatross’s wingspan do 3.6 metres.

Close to the Tanzanian border, waiting for some action from the coalition of three male Cheetahs lying in the shade of a Desert Date, we watched the impressive hunting prowess of this Fiscal Shrike. Time and time again, it flew down from its perch in the adjacent tree and nailed an insect in the grass.

One afternoon not far from the camp we went down to watch the antics at a Hyaena den. On the way, we came upon this Sooty Chat. He hung around for a short while, but was scared off by the activity of the Jackals and Thompson’s Gazelle running all around us.

At first glance this looks just like a Brown Snake Eagle but the white bars on its tail feathers indicate it is a Southern Banded Snake Eagle. The Mara revealed many different raptors.  Amazingly, we were not especially looking for raptors but were lucky enough to see quite a variety of them.

Another afternoon on our way back to camp, we were treated to a good sighting of this Augur Buzzard. I haven’t seen one since a child in Zimbabwe.

This young Bateleur Eagle must have just bathed in a nearby pool of water and flown up into this dead tree to dry itself. It spread its wings in a pose I have seen a Fish Eagle adopt on the  Chobe River when it was drying its wings.

These were just a few of the birds, mostly raptors, which we saw on our travels around the Mara. The best time to see birds in the Mara is around the end of the year, or so I am told. Around the Kitchwa Tembo tented camp there were Ross’s Turacos and Double-toothed Barbets. I did not see either but we had little time in the camp. The birds in Kenya are fascinating and many of which are very different to our southern African friends.