This post shows images from a Sunday morning visit to Marievale, a few kilometres north of Nigel. We arrived at Marievale at about 6h45. It is winter in SA at the moment and the Highveld winter mornings can be icey, and around Nigel and Marievale they can also be very misty. The first image was taken around 7h15 to give you an idea of how thick the mist was and how moody it made the atmostphere. Surprisingly, there was alot of bird activity despite the icey cold conditions.

The thick mist really filtered and diffused the light. We drove past an open grassland in the almost sepia colour light . The heavy dew and icicles weighed down the grass. The morning light just caught the icicles and cold dew drops making a beautiful lacy abstract.

It must have been around 8h30 when we came across five Greater Flamingoes feeding in a patch of water close to the road. The mist was still thick allowing a moody shot of them.

We visited all of our favourite little spots. On our way past Kingfisher hide we came across hundreds of coots congregating on mass for some reason. It was an unusual to see such a large group.

The mist was so thick it was difficult to get clarity but what was lost in definition was made up for in mood.

I am always intrigued by those long necks of the Flamingoes which help them find food in different depths of water and enable them to move their heads from side to side to facilitate their sieve feeding method. The flamingo stamps its webbed feet to stir up all sorts of food from the lake’s muddy bottom. It then sweeps its bill upside down through the water, filtering out food with its bristly tongue and special hair-like structures in its bill which act as a sieve or filter.The Greater Flamingo’s bill is shallow-keeled with a coarse filter to be able to strain out small invertebrates. The pinker Lesser Flamingo has a deeper-keeled bill with a fine filter to sieve out algae.

Flamingoes are normally very gregarious which made this lone group of five quite unusual. After about half an hour of watching them, this family group flew off probably to join another flock.

This image of a Black-headed Heron on the road in Marievale shows how thick the mist still was at 9h00 in the morning.

With the window open for my camera support, it was very fresh. Needless to say a supportive partner with a hot cup of coffee and a hot-cross bun was very welcome at this point.

There are many Stonechats at Marievale. This male was wet and cold but had a perfect photographic perch. He was all puffed up, ready to defend his territory and seemed to be coping with the cold.

The water was frigid but the birds trawled in the water regardless. Outwardly they seemed to be able to handle the cold just fine. One of the advantages of an early winter morning is that the atmostphere is usually very still, so the water surface is like a mirror. This just another one of those natural variations which makes such unexpected and interesting photographic opportunities. This young Black-winged Stilt was just such an opportunity.

This little Cape Wagtail also seemed to be almost oblivious to the cold water chirping away as it foraged along the water’s edge.

Hottentot Teal are one of the most beautiful duck in Southern Africa. We are fortunate to have numerous duck species all of which are so colourful. This pair of Hottentot Teal were mating. In his fervour, this male did seem to be half drowning his mate.

Shortly after they parted, the female washed herself – remember the water must have been icey cold. The colours of the female and the surrounding water matched perfectly.

After a bath and just before take-off this female Hottentot Teal flapped her wings  to remove the excess water and then proceeded to jet out of the water. They seem to jump and flap at the same time getting airborne very quickly.

This noisy little Three-banded Plover was right in front of us begging to be photographed – so I did.

I had heard that the African Snipe could  bend the lower and upper mandibles of its beak but had never seen it before. This African Snipe bent its top mandible upwards. By sequentially opening and closing their mandibles they are able to manoeuvre their food up their bill and into their mouth without opening the full length of the bill.

This particular African Snipe was resting in thick grass along the water’s edge. Until it moved to ruffle its feathers, we did not see it despite being right in front of us. The camoflauge is incredible.

As you can see the mist had cleared by now and it had turned into a stunning clear blue sky day on the Highveld. An extensive fire had burned through the grasslands and some of the reed beds in Marievale. We found many  Cape Longclaws rumaging through the burnt grass stalks for insects.

Another bird which seemed to be successfully feeding in the burnt grass areas in Marievale was this little Levaillants Cisticola.

When we were driving thought the thick misty toward Marievale, the thought crossed our minds that might turn into magnificently unsuccessful photographic morning. Quite the opposite happened. It was a  fascinating morning with many photographic opportunities which I did not expect. We got greater insight into a number of bird species and yet another reminder by mother nature that when we take the time to fit in with her rhythm then much will be revealed.

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
―     E.B. White,     

I hope you found the Sunday morning trip around Marievale interesting.

Have fun

Mike

This the fourth and last post from my recent trip to Etosha with CNP in late June 2013. This post shows images from our visit to Andoni Plain in the north-east section of Etosha. The Andoni Plain is immediately south of the  Nehale lya Mpingana Gate. A kilometre or so from the gate is the Andoni waterhole which was opened to the public in 2001.

Lou said this was the second time ever that he had seen a Giraffe on Andoni Plain. It did seem incongruent being a tree browser and there were no trees around for miles. The Giraffe’s size contrasted with the openness of the plains making an interesting, if lonely, image.

The next image is a panorama of the area around the Andoni waterhole. It was taken with the panorama function on my Samsung 3 Galaxy cellphone. It is mind-boggling to see the quality and functionality of  the cellphone cameras. The panorama gives a sense of how flat and open the Andoni Plain is.

It was interesting to see how patient the Zebra, Gemsbok and Wildebeeste were around the Andoni waterhole. All of these animals had a long walk across the plain to get to the waterhole. Each group waited until the group before them had drunk their fill

The Zebra clearly dominate the Wildebeeste and Gemsbok. The pecking order appeared to be Zebra, Gemsbok then Wildebeeste. Zebra were the populous species.

Once the Zebra had drunk their fill they seemed reinvigorated. Some individuals then started galloping around chasing each other. The next few images are of the Zebra mock fighting and trying to bite each other on the neck or legs. Most of the mock fighting seemed to be between stallions.  They also went for each other’s rump or legs. Attempting to prevent their legs being bitten they would twist and weave,  and got onto their knees to neck wrestle.

The next image was of one of those invigorated individuals encouraging his mates to play. We did not see any savage fights, mostly boisterous play.

It was very dry around the Andoni waterhole so all the Zebra activity kicked up a lot of dust. It was a fine white dust.

With so many animals milling around the waterhole it was difficult to get an action hot with a clean background. Zebra do provide many opportunities for wonderful action shots.

I thought it might be interesting to see where we stayed on our Etosha trip. We stayed at Mokati Lodge located immediately outside the Von Linquiste gate. The lodge was superb. Very spacious with beautiful gardens, comfortable rooms and excellent food and service. I would heartily recommend Mokati Lodge as a base from which to enter the park.

Just outside the reception area at Mokati Lodge was a bed of Red Hot Pokers, which attracted the Sunbirds and Wood-Hoopoes. On the first day, I had been chatting to Neal Cooper and he said he still wanted to get a decent image of a Scimitar-billed Wood-Hoopoe. I mentioned there might be a possibility with the Red-hot Pokers. Blow me down half an hour later ,when were getting ready to get onto the vehicles, there was this Scimitar-bill on the Red Hot Pokers. We all the shot.

This was only the second time I had seen a Scimitar- billed Wood-Hoopoe, the first time was at Ratelpan hide in the Kruger Park.

This Red-billed Hornbill was a friendly fellow coming over to greet us every lunchtime at Mokati Lodge. He would come and perch on the wooden railings next to our table. I really liked the translucence of his red bill illuminated by rear light.

In the gardens around Mokati Lodge there were a variety of birds, such as Cardinal Woodpeckers, Crimson-Breasted Shrikes, White-Crowned Shrikes, Black-backed Puffback Shrikes, Red-billed Hornbills, Fork-Tailed Drongos, White-bellied Sunbirds, Blue Waxbills and the ubiquitous Grey Louries. The next image was of one of the many White-crowned Shrikes around the lodge.

There was a very tame Crimson-Breasted Shrike around the lodge which came over to greet us every lunchtime.

The Crimson breast feathers are the most glorious colour. I suspect a painter would find it very difficult to match the luminance and tone. I am still waiting to get a shot of the yellow morph. I have seen one at White River Country Club in Mpumalanga in South Africa but I did not have my camera with me at the time.

We had a wonderful six days in the east side of the Etosha National Park with Lou and Neal from Coetzer Nature Photography. Even though those five-star ratings were hard to come by, we were very privileged to be there. Those customised vehicles which Lou designed, massively enhance the ability and flexibility when shooting from a vehicle.

A big thank you again to Lou and Neal for an excellent week out in what is a unique bush and photographic environment.

“To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.”

Henri Cartier-Bresson –

I hope you enjoyed this trip around Andoni Plains – a unique photographic location.

Have fun

Mike

This is the third post from my recent trip to Etosha with CNP. Besides the two main waterholes which we visited regularly, we also went to Two Palms and wandered around Fisher’s Pan.

Fisher’s Pan is an extension of the main Etosha Pan.

“Etosha – the “Great White Place” – is the ghost of a lake that died 12 million years ago. It is 130km wide and 50km across, and for most of the year it is as dead as Mars. When it rains, life returns to Etosha, and for a few brief weeks it becomes a lake again, a magical place of shimmering reflections alive with flamingoes, pelicans and wading birds.”

Although the last time the entire pan was flooded was in 1978, we were privileged to go to places like this which are etched by history. It will still offer its beauty long after we are gone to those who take the time to be quiet and listen to its story.

We were privy to its story for a short six days. My interpretation of its story is told through images.

The next image of one of CNP’s customized photographic vehicles parked on the road across Fisher’s Pan.These vehicles made all of these images possible.

We watched the two Springbok in the next image with great interest for about an hour one afternoon. Apart from an interesting vista, the main interest lay in two Cheetah which were watching these Springbok. The Cheetah waited until the light started to fade before beginning their stalk. Every time the Springbok looked up the Cheetahs crouched low in the grass. The last part of the Cheetahs’ approach was a gap of about 100 metres with no grass covering which the Cheetah’s would have had to cross removing the element of surprise. Long before the Cheetahs could initiate an attack the Springbok had seen them – hunt over!!

We found the two Cheetah close to Two Palms waterhole where they must have come to drink earlier.

The two Cheetah appeared to be an adult female and an adolescent cub. The grass along the side of Fisher’s Pan was blonde and relatively long, long enough to mostly hide a Cheetah.

The colour of the grass was ideal for the Cheetah. As soon as it lowered its head you could not see it, even from the vehicle. From a distance it must be very difficult for likes of Springbok to see. This was ideal terrain for nature’s speedsters.

On the way to Two Palms waterhole we came across this Tawny Eagle reasonably close to the road. It was just surveying the scene and had a good visual across the pan.

After having found the two Cheetah’s at Fisher’s pan the one afternoon, we returned the next morning hoping to find them again and perhaps watch them hunt. Sadly, they had moved off and we did not see them again.

“Yet, like so much of wild Africa, in the first and last hours of daylight, Etosha softens to become a place of serene and unearthly beauty”.

It was a cool morning and on our travels we came across this Greater Kestrel. You can see it was puffed up because it quite cool. This character posed beautifully for us for about forty five minutes, then took off away from us – no shot!!

The same morning, we also came across  a pair of Hyaenas returning to their den from the pan.

The Hyaenas were just passing. There was no interaction for a special shot.

On the side of the road close to Fort Namutoni we saw this juvenile Pale Chanting Goshawk on top of a dead tree.

This Goshawk’s eyes were piercing. It was not long before it spotted something in the grass nearby and flew down to attack it.

There is a lot of game on the edge of the pan which makes waterholes like Two Palms and Okevi worthwhile visiting  – you might just get lucky. To remind you the park is huge – bigger than Switzerland -and the pan is surrounded with lots of mopane and acacia scrub, ideal for predators – avian and terrestrial!!

This is the second post from my trip with CNP in late June 2013. The last post showed images of wildlife around the Chudob waterhole some 11 kms from Fort Namutoni. This post shows images from wildlife around the Klein Namutoni waterhole. This waterhole is much closer to Fort Namutoni than Chudob and was the first waterhole we stopped at in the morning and last stop in the evening because it was the closest waterhole to the Von Lindequist Gate.

Lou said the water level in Klein Namutoni was the highest he had ever seen it. For obvious reasons, the game drank from the opposite side of the waterhole to us. So the photography comprised mammals on the far side and birds on the near side of the waterhole. The backgrounds were tricky as there was thick  bush quite close to the far side of the waterhole and the surrounds were littered with weathered broken white calcrete rocks. Early one afternoon we arrived at the waterhole to find a large flock of White-backed and a few Cape Vultures sitting along the edge of the waterhole. Some of the birds had already had a bath and some were lying and resting. All of the vultures had full crops indicating they had all fed well that day. The next shot is of a Cape Vulture resting – its crop full. Even when resting, the birds remain alert and this Cape Vulture was watching its kin thermalling above.

The White-backed and Cape Vultures intermingled, though the White-backed out numbered the Cape Vultures. In the next shot the White back is clearly visible. This bird was drying its wings after having recently bathed. It is only when these Vultures are on the ground do you realise how big they are.

There were plenty of Giraffe around the waterhole. This young male was clearly impressed with his ‘gal’.

One morning, when at Klein Namutoni, we got a message that a Lioness had been seen wandering  toward the Kalkheuwel waterhole so we went down to have a look and saw this lone Lioness walking, with purpose, down to the waterhole where a small herd of Zebra was drinking. The wind must have changed direction giving her presence away because the Zebra moved away from the far side of the waterhole before she got anywhere near them. Being compromised, this Lioness came down to drink but carried on watching the Zebra intently. She was clearly hunting, so the stop for a drink was short. Having sated her thirst she moved off in the direction of the Zebra. That was the last we saw of her.

The one thing which struck me about this Lioness was how big her paws were.

When it was quiet around the waterhole it was always fun to get practice on Turtle and Emerald-Spotted Wood Doves flying to and from the water’s edge for a drink. They are quick so I invariably missed them on the first day but by day three – success!

We all learnt a statutory lesson one afternoon at Klein Namutoni. It was very quiet and I just happened to be watching a small flock of Guineafowl which had come down to the water’s edge to drink – nothing special going on. Out of nowhere two Guineafowl started to fight – but really aggressively. Out of nothing came some fantastic photographic opportunities. It was all over in a couple of seconds – as you all know that is all it takes. The lesson learnt was that you have got to stay alert at all times – no one rings the bell!!!!

Neither Guineafowl seemed the worst for wear after the fight but superiority was re-established.

After Lou’s superb shot of a male South African Shellduck chasing a Guineafowl in flight, we were watching two pairs of Shellduck at the waterhole intently as there were plenty of Guineafowl coming out of the bush to drink. No luck probably because the Shellduck did not have young to protect.

There were other waterfowl at the waterhole. The most active of which were Cape Teal and the Little Grebes (Dabchicks). The light was good on the Teal in the afternoon but we could not get really close. Our duck species in southern Africa are simply beautiful.

The Little Grebes seemed to hang around the Teal in some type of mutually co-operative feeding arrangement.

The ubiquitous Giraffe – the next shot is of a youngster walking around the back of the waterhole. These Giraffe calves are highly energetic, can run really fast and are still nimble at this age.

We also saw plenty of Kudu come down to drink. You can see the backgrounds were tricky but the setting was full of character and mood.

Each morning we would go to Klein Namutoni waterhole first thing just to have a look. One morning at first light, we saw a small pack of Hyaenas at the far side of the waterhole. They seemed to have driven one individual into the water.

There was unease in the group and the matriarch seemed to have the hell in about something. The backlighting created the mood – we were facing east.

One Hyaena which had been standing in the water with its tail between its legs saw a gap and ran to escape. You can see how much bigger the matriarch was as she was off after the errant member of the group.

Klein Namutoni had plenty of water which attracted may birds and there was a continuous stream of game coming out of the bush from all directions to drink. We did not see any kills close to or around the waterhole but there was one bout of aggression between the Hyaenas and another between the Guineafowl. Different actors, same plot and same stage.

As Duncan Blackburn often said -“A quiet photographic day around the waterhole always beats a good day at the office.”

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” 

                                                                 Ansel Adams

Have fun

Mike

Hi bushlovers!!

I and a group of five other photographers were fortunate enough to spend six days in Etosha with Lou Coetzer and Neal Cooper of CoetzerNaturePhotography (CNP) in mid-June. We stayed around the Namutoni area frequenting three main public waterholes – Klein Namutoni, Chudob and Kalkheuwel.

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We also visited an area off the main pan called Fisher’s pan and Andoni flats. Each place offered quite different scenes, backgrounds and most of the time different sightings.

One of the unique aspects of the trip with CNP is their game vehicles which have been custom fitted with specialized rotating photographic chairs with fully adjustable camera supports. The vehicles are brilliant with wide goose-winged windows which are lifted out of the way when we arrive at our photographic site.

In this post I will give you a selection of images from Etosha’s Chudob waterhole.

This Martial Eagle seems to have become a CNP favourite with some photographers on CNP’s trips having got brilliant images of him having caught Guineafowl – Les Penfold’s image was particularly good.

A tell-tale sign that the raptor is about to take off is when it first defecates (lightens the load), looks around and often, but not always, ruffles its feathers, probably to realign them. Sure enough this Martial did just that. Seconds after his ruffling he took off.

This Martial was a massive specimen and his outstretched wings show how big he was. The size of his legs and talons must make any Guineafowl shiver.

This Martial attacked the flocks of Guineafowl on several occasions but was never successful while we were watching. On one sortie he did hit a Guineafowl as it was taking off but he dropped it in his steep banked turn. The Black-backed Jackals must have seen this all before and quickly rushed in to grab the pickings.

It is quite something to see up to a hundred, or so, Guineafowl come down to Chudob waterhole to drink. They had to cross an open patch of ground probably 50 metres wide which was perfect for the Martial who on a few occasions came on a high-speed, low pass  across the open patch  to  attack the Guineafowl. The Guineafowl flock was skittish for obvious reasons and at times would scatter, either all running together or flying in mass panic.

Another impressive and unusual sight at Chudob waterhole was a melanistic Gabar Goshawk.

This little Gabar was aggressive and a successful hunter attacking the Village Weavers and Red-billed Quelea when they left the refuge of the reeds in the centre of the waterhole and flew to the water’s edge to drink and bathe.

There were also numerous mammal species which came down to drink from Springbok to Gemsbok, Eland, Kudu, Impala, Warthog, Elephant and plenty of Giraffe. We also saw Hyaenas and Jackal around the waterhole, but no cats.

The Gemsbok were skittish but once they were are the water’s edge one or two would walk right into the water to drink.

We were visited by two big bull Elephants one afternoon just as things were getting very quiet around the waterhole. The one bull was particularly large. Etosha is known to have some of the largest Elephants in the world.

The bigger bull of the two decided to get into the water to cool off properly. The water was deep enough for him to fully submerge himself, which he clearly enjoyed.

In the Elephant world there seems to be nothing better than drinking your bath water, especially if you live in a desert. Needless to say everything moved away from the waterhole when the big boys arrived.

Each day we would see a pair of Jackals hanging around the periphery of the waterhole’s open area hoping to get lucky.

We did not see them feeding but they looked healthy enough. The Jackals did not try to attack the Kori Bustards when they came down to the water’s edge to drink. Sometimes the Koris stand and drink. Other times they kneel down to drink with their legs out in front of them, much like a stork when resting. I was amazed to see how camouflaged the Kori’s were when they lie down among the rocks near the waterhole. Their wing and back feathers blend in perfectly with their surroundings.

We were also visited ,every time we stopped at Chudob, by a very inquisitive Groundscrapper Thrush.

On many occasions the Giraffe came out of the trees in groups from behind the waterhole and always made an impressive entrance.

There were times when the wind died down offering perfect reflections of the animals in the water. The wind had just started to blow when I shot this reflection of Giraffe who were milling around the water’s edge.

We saw many Impala around the waterhole and they would often line up along the water’s edge to drink making an interesting shot. Needless to say they are wide-eyed and fully on alert while drinking. The males were in full rutting mode so did not give the females much peace and their rutting bark was heard often.

We are very privileged in southern Africa to have vast spaces where wildlife can thrive, even if they are protected places. These images  are testament to that privilege.

I hope your enjoyed the first of four posts on my trip to Etosha in Namibia.

“The variety of life in nature can be compared to a vast library of unread books, and the plundering of nature is comparable to the random discarding of whole volumes without having opened them, and learned from them. Our critical dependence on the great variety of nature for the progress we have already made has been amply documented. Indifference to the loss of species is, in effect, indifference to the future, and therefore a shameful carelessness about our children.”

Peter Matthiessen

Have fun

Mike

This is a small selection of the birds we saw on our recent trip to Mashatu in early June 2013.

One of the most amazing things about bird photography is you can spend hours trying to get a decent or interesting shot of a particular bird and then all of a sudden one of the species, which has been so elusive and furtive, just sits in front of you and displays as if you are not even there. Nature really does reveal itself at its own time. Normally is takes patience to get a  reasonably clean shot of a hornbill let alone it doing something unusual.

The next image is of a Yellow-billed Hornbill displaying to his female. This pair called to each other, they were about half a metre apart, and the male displayed to the female over and over.

There are many sightings of these birds in Mashatu but you have to pick your spots. Clean backgrounds which are those far enough behind the subject to give a properly blurred background. This Red-billed Hornbill must have sat for a few seconds and then it was gone.  You have got to know what you are looking for and recognize it when it comes along.

The Roller, is an old faithful when photographing. It is always difficult to get that perfect flying shot and as you can see it still eludes me. Nevertheless, its blaze of colour always impresses me. Those blues are exquisite.

I have put this shot of a Purple Roller in this sequence because they are not common. The light was not good but the innate colour and majesty of this bird shines through the dusk.

You will not see the nightjar in winter in Mashatu as they have all moved north for better pickings. You are likely to see a Spotted Eagle Owl though. They are common and active at dusk. This shot was taken with a spotlight as my light source and a cooler white balance. Those orange eyes, the ears and the black sideburns are a give away.

It must have been about 09h00 when we saw this Pearl-spotted Owl. He looked around at us from near the top of the tree and within seconds was gone – some are models and some are not.

In winter you are likely to see the Goshawks in the glades of trees, their ideal environs. This Little Sparrowhawk was lurking in the upper branches looking for a meal. Again these visitors do not stay on parade for more than a few seconds. Seeing is one thing, photographing is another!!!!!

Mashatu is Dark-Chanting Goshawk territory. It was mid-afternoon when we saw the individual in the next image. He had a good vantage point and was happy just to scan the area. It had its back to the sun, so when it flew off its head and face were in deep shade cast by its open wings – no shot!

This Grey Heron was perched high up in a dead tree above the Majali River. The late afternoon sunlight on it was perfect. A common subject in an unusual place is always worth a shot.

I took this shot from the other side of the river of this female Saddle-billed Stork. I am not sure why the Herons and Storks were perched up on top of trees that afternoon. Perhaps there was a predator we did not see.

The Carmine Bee-eaters had already migrated north. They are intra-African migrants. The amount of insects decreases in winter so they move north to better feeding areas.  There was a colony of White-fronted Bee-eaters nesting on an east facing bank of the Majali River.

There is always a lot of activity in the colony giving many opportunities to capture a few decent shots of flying Bee-eaters. It is not that easy as they do not have a predictable flight pattern.

Around the Lodge we saw Black-backed Puffed-backed Shrikes and this female Chin Spotted Batis. They seldom sit on an open perch so I had to settle for the cluttered background. It does show that these small flycatchers  stay in the central part of the bushes and trees rather than the periphery.

Some birds pose beautifully for you. This female White-browed Sparrow-Weaver did just that on top of a Shepherd bush early one morning. You can see she is puffed out, a sign it was chilly that morning.

Newmans indicates that the Black Stork is an uncommon resident. This was the third time I had seen a Black Stork. The other two times were in the Kruger Park. There was a small flock of these birds  foraging around pools of water in Mashatu’s rivers. I never realised how beautiful they were. In full sun they have that iridescent green sheen on the neck and head against their bright red beak and eye-ring.

There is a lot of thornveld in Mashatu and as such you are bound to see a Crimson Breasted Shrike hopping on the ground below the thorn bushes and trees. They have a distinctive call which is often the first sign they are close by. The character in the next image was intent on eating a corn cricket it had managed to kill.

A new sighting for me was Three-banded Plover chick. The next image was taken in poor light but I thought it was an interesting record. I never realised that the chicks hid under the parent’s wing when there was danger. This is similar to the African Jacana. This Plover does not lift the chicks under its wing up and run to safety like the male African Jacana, probably because the parent is so small. We saw Three-banded Plover chicks on two separate occasions in two different places. Like Jacanas the chicks are born precocial, meaning they are born with feathers, and are almost immediately mobile and able to start feeding themselves.

We saw fish eagles and heard Meyers Parrots all over but did not get good sightings. White  backed Vultures were roosting in a massive tree alongside the river. Unusually, we did not see a Martial or Tawny Eagle. We did not see any Temnick Coursers or Korhaans during our last visit but we did see plenty of Kori Bustards. There were many more, too many to mention here.

The birders and photographers of you will love Mashatu – it will keep you occupied for hours each day.

I hope you enjoyed this small selection of birds in this post. Mashatu offers a wonderful variety of birdlife, wildlife and vistas.

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair”

Khalil Gibran

Have fun

Mike

This is the third post from our recent trip to Mashatu in early June. I thought it would be worthwhile showing different scenes in Mashatu to give you an idea of the variety of vistas.

Each morning, around 06h30 after a cup of coffee and a rusk, we climbed on the game vehicle and headed out into the reserve. The first image is of a sun rising. It was just after 07h00 and was cold. You definitely need warm clothing when on the back of the vehicle so the cold air chills your face only. A blanket is welcome and a necessity for the girls.

As we are driving out I am always filled with excitement and anticipation of new and unexpected sightings. For me it is not about the ‘big five’ but about the intricately woven diversity of nature.  Each drive reveals a little more of that intricacy. Mashatu has this diversity in  abundance. One morning, we  travelled parallel to a large herd of Elephants for about ten minutes before they crossed in front of us just as we were cresting the hill. The view was superb.

Despite the size of the herd, probably around 60 , they moved very quietly thought the bush. The herd moved surprisingly fast but this was possibly because they could, it was very cool that morning.

One of the bulls was staying at the back of the herd keeping an eye on us.

The next image is also early in the morning when the sun’s light was still diffused. We disturbed a pair of Saddle-billed Storks.

In early winter, the Mopani leaves start to change colour adding to the visual warmth of the early morning light. This Eland  was browsing when it heard something which caught its attention.

The next image shows how dry the grass was in Mashatu. While this heralds tough times for the grazers, the browsers are fine and there is obviously enough seed on the ground to attract flocks of Red-billed Quelea.

It is such fun driving along the river bed. The perspectives are great and the sense of anticipation about seeing a predator or unusual sight at a pool of water around the corner is palpable, holding your attention.

Pools of water remain in the  some bends of the Majali river. A small herd of Elephants drink peacefully in the cool morning sun. It is great to see so much water is still around mid-way through winter.

Some river beds are very rocky while others are filled with fine stones and yet others have fine sand. The Elephants love the sand as they throw vast quantities of it over their wet bodies. Elephants also dig in the sand to drink the water filtered through it rather than the stagnant water in some of the remaining pools.

Although the rivers in Mashatu are not flowing, there are pools of water which attract game and birds. The debris carried by the flooding rivers earlier this year was still piled up high on the banks and wrapped around sentinel trees in the river bed. It is hard to believe that so much water flows down these apparently dry river beds at certain times of the year.

Two girls peering around an acacia bush. Kudu can stand very still which can make them difficult to spot from a distance. Kudu, being browsers, do not have the problems at this time of the year. Grazers such as Impala start resorting to nibbling at Mopani leaves for sustenance in the dry season.

This is the kind of surprise you may see when driving along a river bed.

At sunset we usually stop for sundowners. It is a time to chat about sightings from earlier that afternoon. Usually about half an hour after the sun sets, the colours in the sky become deeply saturated. A great time for silhouettes. My brother Jerry picked up a pair of Wildebeeste horns and put them on his head.

For a short while, the evening sky  has both saturated reds, yellows and deep blues and the first stars are visible. This is a shot of my daughter Lauren holding a star in one of her hands. This is always a fun photographic time.

On the last day of our trip we ventured down to Solomon’s Wall. It is still in the Mashatu Game Reserve but about an hour’s drive from the Lodge. Solomon’s Wall is a sheer basalt dyke, 30 metres high, which once formed a natural dam across the Motloutse river. Over time this intrusion weathered and was eventually breached by one of the occasional floods. Botswana’s first alluvial diamonds were found in the sands upstream in the Motloutse river.

Two years ago, we visited Solomon’s wall and could drive right up to the wall with not a drop of water in sight. This time there was a large pool of water blocking the normal river crossing point. Just to remind you not to fool around in the water, there was also a large ‘flat dog’, sunning itself on the sand bank in the warm winter sun.

area.

Not far from Solomon’s Wall is ‘Rhodes Baobab’ growing on top of a large basalt outcrop. The rugged basalt hills make a dramatic backdrop. The next shot was taken to a give a sense of the size of the igneous intrusions.

On top of one massive basalt outcrop is what is referred to as ‘Rhodes Baobab”. The top of this massive tree has broken off but its large branches still direct one’s view to the massive vista below it.

It is blissfully quiet up on top of this basalt ridge. The view is vast, looking over rigged terrain to the north , Mapungubwe (a sacred hill) to the west and along the ridge towards  to the east is Venetia.

It is worth staying on the outcrop until it is starting to get dark. ‘Rhodes Baobab’ provides a stunning silhouette subject. It is normally the sound of Hyaena’s whooping in the valley below which urges visitors to get down the outcrop and back onto the vehicle. Apart from which it is tricky getting down in the semi-dark especially with treasured camera kit.

Hopefully, I have given you an impression that Mashatu, apart from its wonderful diversity of wildlife, offers eye catching vistas which will soothe any soul. Each season gives the area a very different feel. In winter, wonderful sunsets blaze the dusty evening sky. In summer, massive cumulonimbus clouds provide a dramatic setting for equally impressive but different sunsets.

The next post will be of a selection of bird images from the same early June Mashatu trip. In winter, all the migrant eagles, cuckoos and carmine bee-eaters have moved north but an impressive selection of birds remain.

I hope you enjoyed the vistas and that they tickle your interest in Mashatu.

Nature teaches more than she preaches. There are no sermons in stones. It is easier to get a spark out of a stone than a moral.

John Burroughs

Have fun

Mike

This is the second post from my trip to Mashatu in early June. There is such a diversity of wildlife in Mashatu it is difficult to decide on a theme for the next post. The last post was Mashatu’s Lions and Leopards and this one is of Hyaenas and Jackals, of which there are many.

Every night you hear the Hyaenas whooping. It is a hideous sound but you really get the sense you are deep in wild Africa.

Late one morning, we came across this bone-crusher queen. This Hyaena was steadily break pieces off this old Elephant thigh bone. We could hear the crushing and crunching of the bone. I can only assume there must have been some marrow still in that bone for this lone Hyaena to be gnawing on the it so intently.

We saw two Hyaena dens in this Mashatu trip. One seemed to be the matriarch’s bedroom and at first glance so did the other. It was only after watching her for a while did we hear muffled sounds coming from inside the den. Hyaenas seem to like old Antbear holes as den sites.

This female in the next few images had what looked like a broken tooth and a cut lip which had long since healed leaving her with a twisted smile.

First one pup come out into the mid afternoon sun and then a second. I have never seen such young pups so close. The female seemed unperturbed by our presence.

The one pup was very affectionate with its mother. At one point the female yawned and you could get a sense of how strong her jaw and teeth were.

We often came across lone Hyaenas on their way back to the clan early in the morning. It seemed that the Hyaenas bomb-shelled in the early evening and if an individual came across something interesting it would call its clan members or call for back up. Once a Hyaena stares directly at you there is that shred of primal fear that wells up in you.

There are also plenty of Black-backed Jackals in Mashatu. They are often seen in pairs scouting and foraging for food.

We also came across a family of five Black-backed Jackals. Presumably the youngsters had stayed with their parents to help bring up the next litter. Jackal pups are usually born in late winter probably because food in most abundant at that time. Winter in Mashatu can be harsh for grazers as the grass all but disappears and this probably improves the  Jackal’s hunting success rate or  ability to get more scraps than usual.

These Jackals are very light on their feet running effortlessly through the bush over what, in places, looks very rough and rocky terrain for their paws.

On the morning drive you will often hear that characteristic Jackals yelping or rapid, high-pitched barking. This is often a sign that another predator such as a Leopard is close by. Needless to say we always go and have a look around the vicinity of the yelping.

 We did not see any kills but we did see many Jackals. Despite the fact that Mashatu is now getting very dry, there is plenty of water in the rivers and the bush is bustling with mammals and birds. Every game drive produces unusual sightings.

I will put up another two posts one on Mashatu vistas and another on a selection of Mashatu birds in the next week. There is abundant birdlife, despite the migrants having moved up north.

I hope you enjoyed the images. Mashatu never disappoints.

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order”.

John Burroughs

Have fun

Mike

Hi bushlovers!

My brother Jerry and his eldest daughter Sammy and my daughter Lauren and myself spent a wonderful five days in Mashatu last week. You access Mashatu Game Reserve via Pont Drift. It is a five hour drive from Johannesburg, and is the border post between SA and Botswana. The border crossing was easy enough but you need your car registration papers and do not take banned food produce into Botswana.

You cross the Limpopo River at Pont Drift. The river was quite high but passable by vehicle. Actually it is great fun crossing a river with the bow wave being pushed in front of the vehicle. It really sets the mood for the holiday.The weather was sunny and on a few days quite warm in the middle of the day and early afternoon. It is chilly early in the morning and stayed quite chilly throughout the day when the weather was overcast. The light was quite low on occasions, so I was thankful for the awesome low light capabilities of my D4 and D800.

The one truly spectacular feature about Mashatu is the diversity of wildlife you will see. At Eagle’s Nest Lodge we had wonderful staff and our game ranger Maifala was very knowledgable, had incredible eyesight and was good tracker.

With such wildlife diversity, I naturally have many images to share. To simplify I have stuck to simple themes for my next few posts. This post is entitled Lions and Leopards.

I am always fortunate enough to see lions and leopards on a trip to Mashatu. Early one morning, Maifala picked up the tracks of the Leopard in the next image. He tracked this Leopardess for about 20 minutes before we saw her in an open patch among the croton bushes. This Leopardess had two cubs and had made an Impala kill, which was hidden inside a croton bush. This female was keeping guard while one of her cubs fed on the kill.

This Leopardess was very wary and alert because it was in Lion territory and I gather she had already lost one of her three cubs to a Lion.

This Leopardess was quite old according to Maifala. If only humans could age so well and be so fit, lean and capable.

The light was quite low as she was lying under a croton bush shielded from the sun. This is where the low light capabilities of the D800 came in very handy It is seldom you will be fortunate enough to be able to get a shot of a Leopard in full sunlight – if you do count your lucky stars. This Leopardess was grooming herself after having fed on the carcass.

Always attentive with ears alert for the slightest sound.

Those light greeny-blue eyes were beautiful and a little intimidating.

Only one cub feds on the kill at any one time, unlike Lions where the whole pride piles in after the dominant male has finished. The reason being that Leopards are essentially solitary and do not have back up in the case of a Lion or Hyaena surprise. One cub feeds and the mother and other cub stayed well away until the one  had finished and then it moved away and the next cub came in to feed.

This little cub was tucked deep in a croton bush with the Impala kill, so a telephoto and high ISO were essential.

After feeding this cub hung around the kill for a few minutes licking the blood off his paws. It is useful to have such a long tongue to partially clean its face.

We were also fortunate enough to see the two pride male Lions. They were far away from the rest of the pride out patrolling their territory. Both were large, one with and one without a tracking collar, so I needed to be selective in my shots.

We came across these two large males late in the afternoon around 17h00 so the light was starting to fade. It was almost pitch dark by 18h00. They had rested up for the day and were just starting to rouse themselves. I thought the colours of the Mopani leaves changing colour made a wonderful background.

The stirring process was very slow, like two teenagers after a late night – very reluctant to get up.

Once up they started to move off. We came across these two male about two days later and they had covered a massive distance. Clearly, patrolling their territory was important and done at night.

Early one morning, we were looking down one of the main rivers running through Mashatu, the Majali, watching the bird life and baboons coming down to drink. There was still plenty of water in the rivers but the grass had all but died so the grazers were starting to struggle but the browsers were fine.

Again Maifala’s keen eyesight spotted this young Leopard peering through the brush. It had been unseen by any of the wildlife along the river.

A very interested look. Again a 600mm lens and high ISO were required.

This Leopard came, surveyed and disappeared without a trace. We drove up on top of the river bank to get a better sighting of it but could not find it at all – vanished.

As you can see the sightings were good. I will put more images in the Mashatu, Lion and Leopard categories.

In my next post I will put Hyaenas and Jackals. We never saw any Bat-eared Foxes nor did we see the Aardwolf and there is a possibility that many were lost in the flood earlier in the year.

Willem, you mentioned you were off to Mashatu soon. You will love it and the photography will be very rewarding. It is b….y cold on the vehicles early in the morning so take some warm kit that you can take off in layers as it can be quite hot by 15h00.

I hope these images have whetted you appetite. I will post some more images in the next few days.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better”.

Albert Einstein

Have fun

Mike

Helen and I get out of town into the bush as often as possible. It refreshes the soul! I needed some practice, so we decided to spend the day in the Pilansberg Game Reserve.

As you are all aware watching Eskom’s bulletins and the looming load-shedding, we are moving headlong into winter when the summer greens give way to yellows and browns. The first thing we noticed was how dry it was in the park. There was a nip in the air despite being sunny the whole day. Of course, in the transition months there is more wind which does not make bird photography any easier.

The first shot is of a herd of Zebra walking in a line along a contour on the opposite side of a valley. I took the shot just to give an impression of the size of the valley and the vast backdrop.

Besides a couple of White Rhino and numerous Wildebeeste, we saw quite a few small herds of Zebra. During the day we saw only one bout of mock fighting where the Zebra try to bite each other’s legs.

As I mentioned, the park was very dry. This next shot shows a colourful, but stagnant pool. In the park many dams were dry and some had very little water in them – surprisingly.

We saw very little game  and very few birds during out eight hours in the park. So like any photographer with such beauty all around, I started shooting landscapes.

I wanted to take a shot which any person who has been to the Pilansberg would recognise. I love the rocky outcrops, not quite granite kopjies, but interesting nevertheless. Also at this time of the year, the grass is dry and turns blonde making an interesting foreground.

The Pilansberg is a caldera and as such is endowed with some rugged countryside creating  magnificent scenery.

At this time of the year the grasses are tassling, so there is lots of seed around. We came across  a few Waxbills (impossible to get a decent shot) and Canaries. The next shot is of a male Yellow-Fronted Canary having just taken off from its perch to feed on all the seed on the ground.

Seeing very little, we were just about to give up when Helen saw this Ground-Scrapper Thrush standing in an open patch down near one of the rivers. It is amazing how one bird can revive a photographer’s spirits.

One of the big things I have to manage is my own expectations. When I head out for a photographic session in a park like Pilansberg, I am brimming with expectations of amazing shots to edit later in the evening. It does not always work out that way. On a safari with Lou Coetzer in Kalgadigadi Transfrontier Park, on our first drive of the trip, we saw a pride of eight Lion with plenty of activity and interaction. Lou cautioned us that we had been very lucky and should not expect that level of excitement each time we went out – he was 100% right.

Nature keeps surprising you, when you least expect it. The next shot was of a Cape Rock Thrush with its distinctive colouring. Rock Thrushes have  a slate-blue head and rufous underparts and is the typical size and shape of a Thrush. It is a common resident in rocky hillsides and the blue-grey head colouring does not extend down to mid-breast level as in the Sentinel Rock Thrush. I have never seen one in Pilansberg before.

One bird you can rely on even when the sightings are very few and far between is a Glossy Starling and this character was no exception. Its colouring was glorious – and that orange eye!

We only saw one Red Hartebeeste and it was hanging around with a group of Zebra, probably for a little added protection.

Old man! This was not the most handsome Giraffe I have ever seen but life was etched all over his face. The colour of the Giraffe worked better in black and white emphasising the shapes and textures.

Again, I was amazed how few birds we saw in eight hours in the park – no raptors, no shrikes and no waterbirds. When all else fails, an old favourite we can rely on is the Lillac-brested Roller .

Another bird you will see often in most game parks is the Fork-tailed Drongo, but getting a decent shot is not always easy – I will settle for this portrait.

The day, from a wildlife photography perspective, was challenging and I had to marshal my expectations.

The roads in the park, both tarred and gravel, were in a poor state as were the ablutions. This was surprising given it is a premier destination for overseas visitors who I thought we were trying to impress with our beautiful country. Even with few animal or bird sightings, the vistas in the park are spectacular!!

On a day like last Sunday, I am reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote – “Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience.”

I am off to Mashatu next week, which is why I needed the practice, so hopefully I will have some interesting images and stories to share.

Even on a quiet photographic day, the bush is a sensory wonderland.

Have fun

Mike