Amboseli is synonymous with elephants.  The Amboseli Elephant Research Project is world’s longest study of elephants and forms an unparalleled body of knowledge on the life-history and behavior of African elephants.

“Elephants are living treasures. Nature’s gardeners. Nature’s great teachers. Tragically some people don’t give a damn. They prefer the dead treasure to the living one. The ivory. We must challenge this so-called ‘trade’ with all our might and shame on those who would condone it.”
~Virginia McKenna

According to Elephantvoices.org, the project was started in 1972. Amboseli has some 1,200 elephants (2011 figure, down from 1,600 in 2008 due to severe drought and poaching) which includes 58 families and close to 300 independent adult males. Each individual has been named, numbered, or coded and can be recognised individually. This degree of recognition makes the Amboseli elephants the best-known free-ranging population in the world.

“May the flowers fill your heart with beauty, May hope forever wipe away your tears, And, above all, may silence make you strong.”

~ Chief Dan George

We had just left the lodge at around 6h30 and were travelling south west towards the swamp.  About half a kilometre from the lodge we came across this elephant mother and her two youngsters fast asleep in the early morning light. In general, elephants will sleep a maximum of four hours per day/night. They do not sleep for an extended period only for about 30 minutes and then get up and feed and will then have a short sleep again. But each time they sleep on a different side. They repeat this cycle until they get their required (roughly) four hours of sleep.

The youngsters were “out for the count”. It was cool in the dawn light as the sun had not yet risen, that in between time when the nocturnal animals and birds seek a place to rest and the diurnal wildlife is awakening. I have never seen so many elephants sleeping on their sides as I did in Amboseli. It must be testament to them feeling safe there. 

We were very quiet so as not to disturb this family slumber. After some time, the female awoke and slowly began to rise. She raised herself onto her knees before she stood up on her front legs and then hind legs. It was fascinating to watch her. She was still very sleepy and clearly did not want to get out of bed. Now standing she just stood in a sleepy daze for quite a while before the youngsters began to stir. We did not hear anything that would have woken them up so it must have been some infra-sound from their mother which caused them to stir.

Our time in Amboseli was characterised by heavy cloud. It often looked like it was going to rain heavily but never did. Away from the swamps the grasslands were open and dry. This can provide a wonderful opportunity to photograph elephants approaching from the horizon with clean backgrounds.

“If elephants didn’t exist, you couldn’t invent one. They belong to a small group of living things so unlikely they challenge credulity and common sense.”
― Lyall Watson

This small family had walked across a large open tract of grassland and were on their way to feed  on the luxuriant grasses in the swamps.

Sometimes the family would stretch out when they were walking towards us and then for no apparent reason (to us) they suddenly gathered together and stopped to assess a sound or smell that they had just come across.

One of those times when the family stretches out.

There were many calves at this time of the year and the calves remained between the adults for protection.

The bull elephants in Amboseli are impressive. This was a huge bull with large tusks in perfect condition. Looking at this massive creature, I concur with the quote that the only being that needs the tusks are the elephant. He was looking somewhat dusty having just showered himself with a huge amount of dirt a few minutes before.

“My weapon is the written word, and my battlefield is the page, and every time I connect with one of my readers the call of the wild travels just a little bit further. And I would walk a hundred miles and write ten thousand words if I could just bring back that one dead elephant bull that now haunts me. He haunts me, and yet at the same time he compels me to push on through the darkness, wherever it may take me. Anyone that has spent time amongst Africa’s wild things will understand; the pure poetry of nature, the awe and the longing to be close to something so much greater than what we are.”

~Jamie Joseph, Founder of savingthewild.com

Off in the distance we saw a big herd of elephants approaching, on their way to the swamp. What made this herd more interesting is it was accompanied by three huge bulls.

As the elephants approached our vehicle they gathered to protect the youngsters.

This herd of elephants approached us without a sound. When they got reasonably close they stopped seemed to have made an assessment about what we were doing and decided it was safe to pass.

Another larger herd followed the first. Andrew and Jimmy has assessed where to position the vehicle perfectly as we did not seem to disturb the elephants but they passed close by us.

“We admire elephants in part because they demonstrate what we consider the finest human traits: empathy, self-awareness, and social intelligence. But the way we treat them puts on display the very worst of human behavior.”
~ Graydon Carter

In this herd was a bull, the biggest elephant I have ever seen in my life. He was in musth but seemed to be very relaxed.

One of the other bulls in the herd gave use a wider berth. In the background was Observation hill.

I cannot show you elephant images without showing you some of the wonderful colours and textures of their skin. Part of an ear against its shoulder.

It is usually difficult to see the elephant’s brown eyes but you can be sure that the elephant sees you with those small brown intelligent eyes.

“But perhaps the most important lesson I learned is that there are no walls between humans and the elephants except those we put up ourselves, and that until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves.”
~ Lawrence Anthony, The Elephant Whisperer

Tusk and trunk, very different textures and colours.  Elephants’ tusks never stop growing so some bulls if they manage to grow old have huge tusks. According to elieaid.com, elephants’ tusks are actually elongated incisors and are essentially no different from other teeth. One third of the tusk is actually hidden from view, embedded deep in the elephant’s head. This part of the tusk is a pulp cavity made up of tissue, blood and nerves. The visible, ivory part of the tusk is made of dentine with an outer layer of enamel. 

Down at the swamp, the elephants are constantly accompanied by Cattle Egrets. The elephants disturb insects when they walk and feed in the grass which the egrets are quick to take advantage of. Many egrets happily catch a ride with the elephant as it is walking along.

This big bull was wandering from herd to herd looking for females with which to mate. He had a long walk and was approaching two bulls behind us. All of a sudden for no obvious reason as he walked behind us suddenly charged one of the other bulls. Large bull elephants are ungainly when they run at speed. Ungainly or not you do not want to get in the way of that momentum. Needless to say the offender quickly got out of the charging bull’s way.

Another family herd emerging from the bottom of OloKenya swamp.

The herd comprised females and youngsters, with the small ones in the middle, as usual.

Their legs were wet from having been grazing on the grasses in the swamp.

The herd was on its way to browse in the acacia woodland. In between there was plenty of space to enjoy numerous dust baths. The elephants make a distinct track in the dry earth.

This image is at the end of the post, but was taken early in the morning a short while after sunrise. Again it was that in between time in the bush when everything is very quiet and serene. The sun started to peer through the thick morning cloud. Moments like these in the bush are sublime.

“Man must be made conscious of his origin as a child of Nature. Brought into right relationship with the wilderness he would see that he was not a separate entity endowed with a divine right to subdue his fellow creatures and destroy the common heritage, but rather an integral part of a harmonious whole. He would see that his appropriation of earth’s resources beyond his personal needs would only bring imbalance and beget ultimate loss and poverty for all.” 
~ John Muir

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

Have fun,

Mike

Amboseli is a park with remarkable diversity of not only for wildlife but for scenery too. The previous post showed some of the diversity of bird and animal life along the Oltukai swamp drive. This post will take you to a wild palm grove.

“Nothing but breathing the air of Africa, and actually walking through it, can communicate the indescribable sensations.”

~ William Burchell

Amboseli owes its panoply of wildlife to a tapestry of habitats. To the south, Kilimanjaro towers over the plains of Amboseli. To the east is the youthful 500 year old volcanic range of the Chyulus which reaches into Tsavo West National Park. To the north rise a series of ever darker and more distant hills stretching to the Kenya highlands.

Each morning we left the lodge at 6h30, just before the sunrise – brimming with anticipation. Andrew Beck, our photographic guide and Jimmy the driver and Kenyan wildlife guide from Wild-Eye took us to different parts of the park each day. On this occasion, we drove up to the wild palm grove. When we arrived the palm grove was shrouded in mist, which we were told was unusual. The mist was so thick that we could only see about 100 metres into the grove. The mist provided a wonderfully moody background with shafts of sunlight beaming onto the foreground.

The mist seemed to be caught in the palms because the surrounding area was being illuminated from time to time by shafts of  sunshine piercing through the cloud cover. Two white bearded Wildebeest were sparring in one of the pockets of early morning light.

On the opposite side of the of the road to the palm grove, was open grassland. A male Lion and his lioness were lying in the open in the cool early morning light. They certainly had the zebras attention who could not take their eyes off the cats.

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of men, instead, seek what they sought.”

~ Matsuo Basho

The light was extraordinary this particular early morning. It was generally overcast and quite dark and misty and then all of a sudden, shafts of light would beam through a break in the clouds. This small family of zebra were illuminated by one of those shafts of light.

The mist started to lift after about fifteen minutes as the ambient temperature warmed up. As the mist lifted we could see deeper into the palm grove, and Andrew was the first to see a huge bull elephant in a gap between the palms – a big tusker!

This bull was wandering around the palm grove looking for females. He back tracked into one of the open areas to go and test a group of  females.

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

~ James Stevenson-Hamilton

This was one of Amboseli’s big boys and he was in musth as evidenced by his wet hind leg. Bull elephants have musth cycles. During musth, the bull’s testosterone levels can be as much as 60 times greater than their normal levels. It is not known whether this hormonal surge is the cause of musth, or merely a contributing factor. Obviously trying to test a bull elephant in this condition is tricky and dangerous. Bulls in musth are primed to mate, and will fight other bull elephants for that right. Musth bulls produce a distinctive low-frequency vocalisation, known as the the musth rumble, and have thick secretions from their temporal glands and continuously dribble urine.

Andrew rightly decided to drive ahead along the road that followed the edge of the grove to the entrance to the elephant research centre. Sure enough after an anxious few minutes, this massive bull walked through the palms towards us.

He had been feeding on something the palms had to offer and at times just pushed over a massive palm tree to get at it. The Vervet monkey sitting close by in the grass was impressed.

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.”

~ Frank Herbert

The palm trees in the background with the elephant in the front of the palms gave the scene a “David Livingstone” feel.

The bird life was active on the edge of the palms. This African Hoopoe must have decided it was too early to forage on the ground and just sat watching the passing parade from a palm frond.

There were plenty of Little Bee-eaters hawking insects from the palm fronds at the edge of the grove.

The grazing looked to be good in the area surrounding the palm grove and kept this herd of (mainly female) Impala occupied.

The palm fronds themselves made interesting subjects providing different shapes and textures. 

There must have been plenty of insect life in the grasses below the palms because it attracted a few White-browed Coucals.

“The further one goes, the less one knows.”

~ Lao-Tzu

This Rufous Chatterer was  having a wonderful time foraging through the base of new and old palm trees.

We only saw Little Bee-eaters which must be endemic to the area. I thought we might see White-fronted Bee-eaters, but no luck.

Lying in the grass on the periphery of the palm grove was this hyaena. It must have been a scout. It lifted its head as we passed by, otherwise we would never have seen it lying flat in the grass.

The palm grove was fascinating and not what you would expect when you enter the dry outer rim of the park. This very different flora region of the park provided hours of interest and intrigue.

“…… Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer’s paradise, a hunter’s Valhalla, an escapist’s Utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one. To a lot of people, as to myself, it is just home.”

~ Beryl Markham

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

Have fun,

Mike

One of  the first things Andrew Beck of Wild-Eye asked me was what did I want out of the Amboseli-Tsavo trip?  Apart from wanting to go to a new destination and all its associated excitement, I wanted to learn new ways to re-frame the way I look at my subject and scene. I wanted to learn to see the world in a different way. Andrew, you did that for me in a number of ways – for which I thank you. The first was you took us to an amazing place. Amboseli was a revelation,and its diversity and abundance were spellbinding.

For the purposes of these posts, I have divided our Amboseli trip into a number of regions and drives, because each offered us very different scenery, wildlife and photographic opportunities. In this second post on our Amboseli trip I have focused on Oltukai which is the central zone in the park. This area starts just west of the Ol Tukai Lodge which is nestled in an acacia forest and includes a long swamp area surrounded by dry low grass plains and stretches west towards Observation Hill to a small dam about a kilometre past it. From a distance, we saw a huge flock of flamingoes in shallow pan water on the left hand side of the swamp area and tried to get closer to watch and photograph them.

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

~Jawaharlal Nehru
I had preconceived ideas about Amboseli and it was so much more than its famous elephants and much more than just a national park in an arid area of Kenya. The swamps and the birdlife were a big surprise. At the edge of the swamps we saw numerous Grey Crowned Cranes.

Our time in Amboseli was characterised by extensive cloud so we got lots of practice working in relatively low light. Not only did the clouds softened the contrast but we were able to slow the shutter speeds giving us opportunities to try some panning. This was the start of trying something new. I still need much practice but this was a new technique which will enable me to keep shooting creatively in low light.

Another aspect that Andrew emphasised repeatedly was creating context. Backgrounds are as important as the subject and in some instances more so. It usually helps to give the viewer a sense of the environment in which you found your subject. This Greenshank (identified by its slightly upturned bill) was foraging in the reeds in the midst of a large swamp. This scene reflected the peace and solitude. To convey a sense of this peace and solitude I included more of the reeds.

On the road leading west through the swamp towards the airstrip we found a very productive area for photographing birds. This occurred by happenchance as we were trying to get close to the large flock of flamingoes. Close to the right hand side of the elevated dirt road through the Oltukai swamp we found an amazing variety of birdlife. This Purple Heron was hunting in the long swamp grass but keeping an eye on us all the while.

It was intriguing to see so many Long-toed Lapwings in the swamp area, as the only other place I have seen them is along the Chobe river in Botswana.

We saw this huge flock of Lesser Flamingoes and as if to emphasise the abundance of the scene this male Saddle-billed Stork flew past.

While we were watching the flamingoes there was action all around us. This Black-winged Stilt chased a Red-billed Teal out of its patch of water. Perhaps this Stilt had chicks because I have never seen stilts chasing teal before.

Although the sun was not shining through the clouds it was bright. I liked the sepia coloured reflection of this Wood Sandpiper in the dead still water on an open patch of the swamp.

As a keen birder this patch proved to be highly productive. Minutes after the stilt-teal chase this female Painted Snipe flew in to forage right in front of us. Unusually in the bird world, the female is the colourful one of the Painted Snipe pair.

Once away from the attention of a maternal Black- winged Stilt, this Red Billed Teal settled down. This particular character had just finished bathing and was flapping its wings to shake off the water.

In the middle distance beyond where we were watching the Red-billed Teal, there was a mixed congregation of Lesser and Greater Flamingoes.

Even with these beautiful flamingoes further out I could not take my eyes off the female Painted Snipe. This painted lady was stunningly beautiful – nature can put on a show.

“I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure”
~ Paulo Coelho

I don’t know how much time passed but it was time to move on out of the swamp into the drier part beyond. On our way, I took this image because of the surprising colour variations in the fore and middle ground. This is part of the unexpected spell that Amboseli casts on its visitors.

Further on beyond Observation Hill at the junction of three roads, a small dam was bustling with life. We watched this juvenile Goliath Heron hunting, without success.

Just downstream of the small dam wall, the water course turned into a swamp. The swamp was a narrow ribbon of water and emerald green vegetation flowing through an otherwise dry area with zebra and wildebeest grazing on the far side. In the foreground was  a Bohor’s Reedbuck foraging in the swamp. This is another example of the astounding variation in the scenery of this park.

Perched on a long stem of grass next to this swamp was this Malachite Kingfisher – a little jewel in this incredible variety.

Close to the Malachite Kingfisher was what I think was this juvenile Stout Cisticola.

Without moving, we watched this family group of  elephants walking up along the side of the swamp. The contrast in the light was muted by the cloud and the blue foothills of Mount “Kili” provided a perfect background.

“Live as if you were going to die tomorrow,

Learn as if you were going to live forever.”

~Mahatma Ghandi

The elephant seem to love feeding in the swamp. Not only do they keep cool but there is plenty to eat.

Some of the youngsters got deep into their food with a Cattle Egret keeping watch.

The ground next to the swamp was dry and dusty. Once the elephants had finished feeding in the swamp they proceeded to dust themselves. This family’s dusting session was interrupted by the attentions of a roaming bull.

Often we came across young elephants lying down on the ground among the family. I have never seen this before in the middle of the day. Perhaps this is a sign that they feel comfortable enough to rest like this, and the adults were very relaxed.

The bull was trying his luck, but the females were too preoccupied with their youngsters.

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

Away from the groves and forests, the dry areas in Amboseli offer ‘big skies’.

There were lots of youngsters in the park. 

On our way back from the dam we found a place to stop and again watch the flamingoes.  This was part of a large group of Lesser Flamingoes who seemed to be congregating and bathing rather than feeding.   

Andrew told us that the year before there had been no water in this part of the swamp and no flamingoes. The amount of water in the swamps had partly to do with the rains the previous summer but more to do with the melting snow from Mount Kilimanjaro in the background to the west. 

A Bohor Reedbuck wandering through a shallow part of the swamp. I really liked the colour graduations.

“Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colours; let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

A lone wildebeest disturbed the flock of Lesser Flamingoes. When this number of flamingoes takes to the sky it is a blaze of colour. 

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Not only is this a spectacle of movement and colour but these flamingoes could be heard from far off.

Every now and then something (often a Fish Eagle) would disturb the flock which would take to the air. The flock would fly in anti-clockwise circles above the open water of the pan, not quite a murmuration, but they all circled together.

Back along the elevated dirt road through the swamp towards the Ol Tukai Lodge we found this adult Goliath Heron hunting in the swamp grasses alongside the road.

A small group of Fluvous Whistling Ducks rest in the shallow of waters of a pan in the swamp.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
~ Terry Pratchett

There were also small flocks of White-faced Whistling Ducks.

Red-billed Teal relaxing away from the attentions of a protective Black-winged Stilt.

The male Saddle-billed Stork we saw flying by as we started our swamp drive was having some success in the waterlogged swamp grasses.

On our way back to the Serena Lodge, probably 300 metres from the lodge entrance we stopped to watch this huge bull walk out of the acacia savanna, with cloud shrouded Mount Kilimanjaro in the background.

“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
~ Christopher McCandless

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

Have fun,

Mike

I recently visited Amboseli for the first time with Wild-Eye, a photographic safari company. This trip was a revelation in a number of ways. The first was that Amboseli was easily accessible from Nairobi by road. I will regale you with stories about the return trip to Nairobi many posts from now. Prior to the trip, I spent some time trawling the “net” for images and information about the area. Despite my best efforts,  I was unprepared for the diversity, the moodiness of the place in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the amount of game and birds we were about to experience.

“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

The second surprise was how overcast the weather was in late June. I have long since learnt that clouds can be a photographer’s friend, especially in the high contrast African sunlight. The clouds softened the contrast, added mood and provided some interesting backgrounds.

A noticeable feature of Amboslei was the number of elephants and the number of bulls with decent sized tusks among those elephant groups. This is a tribute to the longevity of the elephant but also the huge conservation effort which goes into protecting these magnificent, intelligent mammals. The bull in the next image was showing us that we were too close. A shake of the head caused those large ears to make a slapping sound against his body which was a clear message.

We stayed at the Serena Lodge in Amboseli, which was secluded in a grove of acacia trees. From the lodge’s veranda you could look through the acacia and fever trees onto a grassland plain. Among the fever trees close to the entrance of the lodge we regularly saw this Grey-headed Kingfisher, as this must have been its territory.

Away from the acacia forest around the lodge, the bush changed into thick grassland where we found his Kori Bustard stalking through the brush but keeping one eye on us as he did so.

West of the lodge  beyond an open area of grassland we drove along a road which took us adjacent to a Wild Date palm grove. This palm has edible fruit and is found throughout Africa and tends to grow in areas where groundwater is present.  The Wild Date palm grove attracts abundant birdlife. The road  circled the grove and along the route we found numerous Little Bee-eaters hawking insects from the palm fronds.

“Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

~ Mary Oliver

Adjacent to this Wild Date palm grove we watched two bulls approach each other with purpose. It was with great anticipation that we watched these two converge. Almost like the start of a gentleman’s fight they shook each other’s trunk.

Then the tussle between these two adult bull elephants started. In a friendly way, the bigger of the two laid his trunk on the other smaller bull’s forehead.

The smaller of the two decided it was time to push back and ten tonnes of fun started. The two adult bull elephants began to push each other around in a play fight.

For the most part the pushing which playful but at times it looked like the game had the potential to turn serious. It was impressive watching two massive animals pushing each other head on!

The two bulls moved to a more open area to continue their play fight. This was perfect as it gave us better perspective and backgrounds.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”

~ Martin Buber 

The bigger bull started to restrain his opponent’s right front leg giving him the advantage in the push. I have seen similar behaviour before where an elephant bull hooked the tip of his trunk around a young female’s back leg to restrain her in the one-sided courtship.

The younger of the two bulls was not a “push over” but he did not seem to have the same aggression as the larger bull.

The larger of the two kept hooking his trunk around the smaller bull’s right front leg. This made me wonder just how strong their trunk muscle are? To restrain the movement of a middle-aged bull elephant’s front leg, the trunk muscles must be very powerful!

Once the two tusslers moved closer to us we could see how big they were.

Eventually the larger bull prevailed and pushed the other bull into submission.

The tussle between the bulls was great fun and exciting to watch. The play fight was just that and neither body nor ego appeared two have been hurt, though the larger bull was the clear winner. After this exciting sighting we drove further to the Olokenya Swamp. Looking west we watched a family group of elephants dusting themselves with Mount Kilimanjaro shrouded in cloud in the background.

Amboseli’s emerald-green swamps are fed by the melting snows of Kilimanjaro. These are the only sources of water in this otherwise starkly beautiful but arid park. The resulting swamps attract huge numbers of wallowing elephants, hippos, buffaloes and plains game.

Cattle Egrets were attracted by the elephants disturbing the insects in the grass. The white egrets punctuated the moody late afternoon scene.

The elephant family groups were scattered across the Olokenya swamp leaving clear foot paths marking their entrance.

“… there’s a silent voice in the wilderness that we hear only when no one else is around. When you go far, far beyond, out across the netherlands of the Known, the din of human static slowly fades away…..”
~ Rob Schultheis

The elephant groups were remarkably peaceful with only the odd youngster making a noise. The peace and serenity of the scene was soul soothing.

These white Cattle Egrets worked with the elephants. The elephants disturbed insects in the grass they were foraging on, which the egrets eagerly snapped up. The egrets were also happy to just park or catch a run on an elephant’s back.

On the opposite side of the road to the swamp, the area was dry with acacia trees in the middle ground. The heavy cloud cover created by Mount “Kili” added to the moodiness of the scene.

This looked to me to be a juvenile Two-banded Courser. On our first day, I began to get a sense of the prolific bird life in Amboseli.

On our journey around the fringe of the swamp we saw many zebra, Thompson’s Gazelle and wildebeest. It was quite dry and dusty, perfect for a roll and dust bath.

All the activity on the edge of the swamp did not go unnoticed. This hyaena scout was watching and waiting for an opportunity. I have seen them do this in the Serengeti, they hide in tufts of red oat grass. When an opportunity for food comes their way they start whooping and calling for reinforcements.

“In my perception, the world wasn’t a graph or formula or an equation. It was a story.”
~ Cheryl Strayed

It was early evening by the time we reached the swampy waters on the west side of the fever  and acacia tree forest around the Amboseli and Oltukai Lodges. This bull was big, alone, and looked to be really enjoying the peace and abundant food.

It was getting dark but I just liked the early evening reflection of this “big boy”.

“The darkest thing about Africa has always been our ignorance of it.”

~ George Kimble 

In the late afternoon, the cloud cover was thick and it was getting quite dark when suddenly the sun peered through as if a part of the curtain had been pulled aside. It is times like these when I am so grateful to be in the bush and be able to witness such dramatic beauty.

“Every creature was designed to serve a purpose. Learn from animals for they are there to teach you the way of life. There is a wealth of knowledge that is openly accessible in nature. Our ancestors knew this and embraced the natural cures found in the bosoms of the earth. Their classroom was nature. They studied the lessons to be learned from animals. Much of human behavior can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe, but most people are too blind to watch and listen.”
~ Suzy Kassem

To Andrew and Jimmy thank you for a wondrous journey!

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

Have fun,

Mike

I want to thank Brian Bartmann for telling me about the sunbirds at Aloe Farm. A group of us,  were sitting chatting after breakfast at Kitchwa Tembo in the Masai Mara in January 2015 . We could not go anywhere as it was very overcast and the light was unusually low so we sat around chatting – as photographers do. We were discussing where we could go to keep “photographically fit” in between our big trips. Brian told me that the aloes were spectacular in May and that Aloe Farm was a sought after spot for photographers. Last May, Helen and I decided to take a drive out to Aloe Farm just past Hartebeestpoort dam on the way to Sun City in the North West Province of South Africa. Aloe Farm is an extensive nursery specialising on, you guessed it, aloes. They were very welcoming to photographers and their extravagant selection of aloes were in full bloom in May. Birds or not, we were assured of a spectacular display of vibrant colours.

There are 21 species of sunbirds found in southern Africa and they all belong to the Nectariniidae family because of their preference for nectar. Referencing Newman’s and Robert’s bird books there are five main types of sunbirds found on the Highveld in South Africa, the Greater double-collared, White-bellied, Black or Amethyst, Scarlet-chested and Marico Sunbirds. The remaining 17 types are location specific and found mainly in the coastal regions.

“When sunlight, which contains red, yellow, green, and blue light, shines on a mud puddle with oil on it, the areas that strongly reflect each of those colours overlap and produce all kinds of combinations which our eyes see as different colours…This phenomenon of colours produced by the partial reflection of white light by two surfaces is called iridescence, and can be found in many places…the more you see how strangely Nature behaves, the harder it is to make a model that explains how even the simplest phenomena actually work.”
~ Richard Feynman

I was not sure which types of sunbirds were were likely to see, but once at Aloe farm there were two predominant species that day, the White-bellied and Amethyst or Black Sunbird. They were accompanied by numerous types of bumble bees, honey bees and butterflies.

When photographing sunbirds on aloes the backgrounds will inevitably be busy. It is difficult to isolate the sunbird so I tried to include the vibrant colours of the aloes. The first image is of a adult male White-bellied Sunbird sucking nectar from the lowest flowers on this aloe inflorescence. They are the flowers which seem to ripen first.

All sunbirds are very talkative and size counts.  The males all have bright iridescent coloured feathers which radiate in the sunlight, and the colour changes all the time as the angle of the light changes when the birds move around.

From a photography point of view, the sunbirds are stunningly beautiful with colour combinations which you would never have thought of and the aloes add dazzlingly colourful backgrounds.

These little sunbirds were very quick so you need fast reactions to get reasonable images. The direction of the light was crucial to display the true colours of these little gems of the natural avian world.

This adult male White-bellied Sunbird was perfectly adapted to probing the long deep flower of the Aloes. Sunbirds are mostly small birds with long thin down-curved bills which are very well adapted for extracting nectar from flowers. They have long tongues, which can protrude past the tip of their beaks. The tongue can fold into a tube to produce a sucking action to collect the nectar.

“Nature has many scenes to exhibit, and constantly draws a curtain over this part or that. She is constantly repainting the landscape and all surfaces, dressing up some scene for our entertainment. Lately we had a leafy wilderness; now bare twigs begin to prevail, and soon she will surprise us with a mantle of snow. Some green she thinks so good for our eyes that, like blue, she never banishes it entirely from our eyes, but has created evergreens. “

~Henry David Thoreau

This was a sub-adult male Amethyst Sunbird feeding in amongst “ice cream” Aloes.

Although we only got to see two species of Sunbird the whole day, the backgrounds provided endless variety.

A male Amethyst Sunbird looking very serious about its position on an aloe leaf. The Amethyst was much larger than the White-bellied Sunbird and often bullied it away from the florescence.

This male Amethyst Sunbird had its tongue out, savouring the nectar it had just suck out of an aloe’s corolla.

A variety of hummingbirds have straight or even slightly upturned bills, while sunbirds, honeycreepers and honeyeaters’ bills are decurved to differing degrees. The sunbird’s tongue collects nectar in the flowers by capillarity, and is capable of high speed licking rates. Although this licking behaviour has not been extensively studied, the speed of licking is thought to respond to changes in sugar concentration and the flower’s corolla length.

Where maximum floral lengths exceed bill lengths, hummingbirds, sunbirds and honeyeaters protrude their tongues beyond the tips of their bills to access the nectar. Rates of nectar extraction, however, decline rapidly once the floral length exceeds bill length. Decurved bills are thought to have evolved in sunbirds to enable perching birds to reach flowers at the ends of branches more easily. Consistent differences in bill length between the sexes suggest that males and females may exploit different flowers and different parts of the flower. Sunbird males have longer bills than females, but the opposite is true for many hummingbirds.

Many sunbirds are known to defend feeding and breeding territories; males will sing from a prominent perch and chase intruders, including those of other species.

“When bright flowers bloom
Parchment crumbles, my words fade
The pen has dropped …”
– Morpheus

Pollination is an important process in nature. Plants have made many adaptions to promote pollination using wind, animals, bats, birds, water and insects. Plants and birds appear to have adapted to reinforce this symbiotic relationship to mutually benefit each other for food and reproduction. The birds that are specially evolved for ornithophily (process of pollination of a flower by birds) are the hummingbirds (Trochilidae) seen in the American continents, honey-eaters (Meliphagidae) seen in Australia and sunbirds (Nectariniidae) in the areas falling between.

Sunbirds are a group of small birds and their size ranges between 10-22 cm. They are diurnal and many have bright iridescent colours but their most important characteristic is their down curved beak, which in some species exceeds the length of the head.

Male sunbirds appear to change colour as they move around because of their iridescent feathers, which reflect according to the direction of the light. Although Hummingbirds fulfill a similar role to sunbirds they have quite different flight and feeding techniques. Sunbirds are much slower in flight and usually perch when they sip. They can hover but are more like any other bird in flight.

The flowers of aloes are grouped in candle-like or cone-shaped inflorescences, which can be branched or simple. The most common shape of flowers found in aloes is tubular, although some species have curved or even bell-shaped flowers. Flowers are typically brightly coloured and most often in various hues of red, orange and yellow, but there are also some species with green, pink or white flowers. The vast majority of aloes flower in winter,

Aloe Adrienne is a vigorous, medium sized Aloe with bi-coloured flowers in mid-winter.

“There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.”

~William C. Bryant

Sunbirds are sexually dimorphic. The males are very colourful while the females and young are dull coloured

When the sunbird probes the corolla of the flower and extends its tongue, the grooves along the tongue facilitate the capillary action necessary  to automatically extract nectar without expending too much energy. When the bird is drinking nectar, it looks to be lapping up nectar. High-speed photography shows that tubes develop along the sides of the tongue as it penetrates the nectar, and then closes around the nectar, trapping it so it can be sucked back into the beak. Sunbirds have long thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding

Sunbirds have two kinds of plumage – breeding and eclipse. In their breeding plumage, males become very colourful and iridescent. Some species even have a yellow and orange tufts of feathers (pectoral tuft) on either side of each wing. During courtship displays, the male raises its head, fans its tail and flutters with partly open wings that expose the pectoral tufts and sings before the female. It is also observed that in some species, the pectoral tufts are intentionally exposed even while sleeping. Eclipse plumage is evident during the non-breeding season. The males revert to looking dull like females, but with remnants of breeding plumage in patches or with a dark line running down from the throat and  middle of the chest. Source: jlrexplore.com/explore/focus/sunbirds-and-spider-hunters

“Night was falling. Birds were singing. Birds were, it occurred to me to say, enacting a frantic celebration of day’s end. They were manifesting as the earth’s bright-colored nerve endings, the sun’s descent urging them into activity, filling them individually with life nectar, the life nectar then being passed into the world, out of each beak, in the form of that bird’s distinctive song, which was, in turn, an accident of beak shape, throat shape, breast configuration, brain chemistry: some birds blessed in voice, others cursed; some squeaking, others rapturous.”
~ George Saunders

This adult male White-bellied Sunbird was feeding from a Aloe  called “Little Joker”, which is a hybrid made up from eight different Aloe parents.

While sunbirds feed largely on nectar, they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Fruit is also part of the diet of some species. 

A Pansy butterfly also found the  “Bafana” Aloes attractive.  The sexes of Pansies differ slightly in that the females are slightly bigger, have more rounded wings and are more colourful and have bigger eyespots – sounds quite human! This aloe is by far the best aloe to attract sunbirds.

“Think and wonder,

Wonder and think.”

~Dr Seuss

A juvenile Amethyst Sunbird

While sunbirds usually forage for nectar when available they will also hawk insects. They will hawk flying insects from a lookout spot in the trees or bushes, but will also pluck them from leaves and branches. This adult male White-bellied Sunbird seems to be combining his sweet taste with savory insects.

Sunbirds do no harm at all to anyone, they do not damage anything, and they are essential to plants as pollinating agents, for which some plants have specially adapted their flowers.

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”

~ Henry Ward Beecher

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

Have fun,

Mike

This is a post about water lilies. They are ubiquitous along the Chobe river. I was captivated by their “lotus” type beautiful blooms, and the interesting shapes, colours and the textures of their leaves.

“Humans who spend time in the wilderness, alone, without man-made mechanical noise around them, often discover that their brain begins to recover its ability to discern things.”

~Robert Anderson

When you think of water lilies you think of Monet. Over 250 of his paintings depict his flower garden at Giverny and was the main focus of his artistic work during the last thirty years of his life. The beauty of the French village, Giverny, struck Monet when he passed through on a train. The artist was so inspired that in 1883 he rented a house there. It became his home in 1890. He was so taken by water lilies that he imported them for his Giverny garden from Egypt and South America. The local authorities were not impressed and demanded he uproot the plants before they poisoned the area’s water, but Monet ignored them.

Many years after his death, in exchange for some of Monet’s grandest works, the nation honoured him by displaying a number of them at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. Claude Monet, Les Nymphéas (The Water Lilies), is a suite of paintings on permanent exhibition at the Musée de l’Orangerie. Two specially made oval exhibition rooms were built to house his massive Water Lilies, creating a complete panorama of the painter’s favorite views.

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

 There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

 There is society, where none intrudes,

 By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:

I love not Man the less, but Nature more.”

~Lord Byron

Two species of water lily occur in southern Africa. One is Nymphaea Lotus, the white water lily, or white lotus which has white or cream flowers and is widespread in tropical to southern Africa, and usually thrives in sheltered water 0.5-2.5m deep and in swamps. The other southern African species is Nymphaea Nouchali, the blue lotus.

The water lily family has five genera and about 70 species. They are  rhizomes which root themselves in  soil underneath bodies of water. Their leaves and flowers float on the surface. The leaves are round, with a radial notch in Nymphaea and Nuphar, and are fully circular in the Victoria and Euryale species.

Although African Jacanas are found foraging along all parts of the sub-equatorials river they do seem to prefer lily pad groves.

This Jacana walked past an upturned water lily pad. At times, the wind gets underneath the pad and lifts it up showing its very textured underside.

There is a reason for everything in nature,  as you would expect as your are seeing the latest evolutionary version. The leaves show many interesting adaptations to their watery environment. The margins are slightly rolled inwards toward the uppermost side which helps keep the blades afloat. The underside of the leaf, which is continually wet, has an expanded surface area due to its heavily veined structure which extends the lily pad’s capillary suction to the water and this holds the leaf flat against the water. The veins also act like a structural support for the leaves. The upper leaf surface is coated with a smooth waxy cuticle, which gives it the appearance of being leathery and shiny. This water-repellent waxy layer is of vital importance to the plant, not only to help prevent the leaf from sinking, but also to prevent the tiny stomatal pores, through which it breathes, from becoming clogged with dust. When water splashes onto the leaf surface, it forms rounded droplets that roll across the surface cleaning up the dust as they go. Clean dust free leaves are also better able to photosynthesise effectively

The underside of water lily pads present themselves in a vast array of colours from yellow  to deep purple and maroon.

A grove of water lilies. Their flowers close at night and open to greet the sun.

Waterways are apparent through the lilies where hippos, elephants and boats have passed.

The African Jacana relies on the water lilies for food and a degree of support when it is walking across the water, but some of them show little respect for the support systems.

Water lilies are spring and summer bloomers that create a single elaborate and beautiful flower.

The beautiful Pygmy Goose’s main diet is the seeds of water lilies and it is one of it key dispersants. It eats the seed pods and fruit of water-dwelling plants, especially water lilies, using a variety of foraging techniques such as surface feeding and diving.

 As the water lily flower becomes waterlogged, the closed lotus flower sinks into the mud to germinate.

“Nature’s own masterpieces will never go away. If I am able to cast just a few of them in favourable light, and convince you, the viewer, to look at them again with greater appreciation and perhaps a fresh perspective, then I have succeeded as an artist.”

~Scott L. Christensen

Some water lily leaves are purple underneath, the pigments help to concentrate the sunlight to maximise photosynthesis. The leaf stem is hollow and transports air from the surface to the underwater rhizomes which can grow to a massive size. Water Lilies grow best in calm freshwater.

The open water lily blooms attract a variety of insects which the Jacanas find appealing.

Its the variety of natural shapes, textures and colours which are so beguiling to photographers.

“Art takes nature as its model.”

~Aristotle

The lily pads can be as dramatic as the flowers, in both shape and colour.

Water lilies provide shade and hiding places for fish and other water animals. Often when threatened, Jacana chicks will dive under the water lily pad and have just their beaks above the water so that they can breath.

There are numerous flies, beetles and snails which are found on the water lily pads all of which both Jacanas, Crakes and Squacco Herons seem to find edible.

Water lilies prefer calm water and it is in this calm water that photographers find art in nature.

“There is unspeakable beauty and potential to be found in nature. It entices me and is an invitation I just have to accept.”

~Jil Ashton-Leigh

The large, elegant blue flowers are held well above the water at the tip of a sturdy green stalk and appear almost constantly from spring until the end of summer. They are bisexual, star-like, with 4 sepals, green on the outside and white to blue on the inside, with many blue petals. In the centre of the flower are numerous blue-tipped bright golden yellow stamens. There are colour forms other than blue that occasionally occur, e.g. white, mauve and pink.

Water lilies are herbaceous and obviously baboons find them tasty salad ingredients.

Water lilies have many uses. African Jacanas gather the stems of water lily plants together to form a tangled raft on which they lay their well camouflaged eggs. The chicks are precocial when born and are able to fend for themselves almost immediately so the nest does not have to be long lasting.

Once pollinated the Nymphaea lotus flower stem tightens in a spiralling spring to bring the flower head underwater. The fruit develops underwater into a spongy berry with many seeds that are enclosed in arils. When ripe, up to 2,000 seeds are released from each fruit. Young seeds float as they contain air pockets. They are then dispersed by water currents or by water birds that eat them.

I hope this post has given you, in some small sense, the wonderfully integrated web of life around humble water lilies.

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night: to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring… these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”

~John Burroughs

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

Have fun,

Mike

I wanted to show you a few of the cameo sightings from our trip in April this year, with CNP Safaris, wandering along the Chobe river between Kasane and Serondela.

“Looking is not seeing. Engaging with the world as a photographer means we need to keep not only our eyes open, but also our mind and soul. Reality does not exist. Each of us makes our own reality. Perception, which might start with visual stimuli, is filtered by our mental templates, preconceptions, memories and experiences.”

~ Raphael Rojas

Dawn – sublime, quiet and infused with soft pastel coloured light.

Colours change as the sun rises.

Unique fishing technique of the Black Heron.

Those distinctive yellow feet of the Black Heron.

Male baboon pauses to listen while drinking from the river.

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

Young baboon playing with his new toy alongside the river.

Cute, naughty and smug.

There is so much behaviour we recognise!

 Steep banks lined with Jackalberry trees just down river from  Elephant Valley.

A female Giant Kingfisher, with her chestnut belly, bathed in afternoon light staring intently at the water for her next meal.

Emerald flying gems  – there one day and gone the next.

White-fronted Bee-eaters  fighting over nesting spots.

“Taking pictures is savouring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”
~ Marc Riboud

Aerial combat Bee-eater style.

Undisputed avian ruler along the Chobe. 

White-crowned Lapwing stretching in preparation for flight.

Striding along this log declaring its territorial imperative.

Pied Kingfisher offering.

Too close – this White-breasted Cormorant needed more space.

Flooded grasslands along the Chobe in April.

“Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.”
~ Ambrose Bierce

Woodland Kingfisher’s perch hunting insects above the water.

Water lilies seem to make a tasty baboon salad.

Hang on where you can.

Interested but impossible

“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.”

~Joan Miro

Reed Cormorant drying itself in the warm morning sun after a fishing expedition.

Hanging out to dry.

Old “dagga boy’s” grooming team at work.

Red-billed Oxpeckers undertake their daily grooming chores on this old warrior.

This sleek, elegant female Sable Antelope came down to the river on her own for an afternoon drink.

Youthful female with tinges of ochre still showing in her coat.

Successful Sable stable.

“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.”
~ Steve McCurry

Late afternoon look out.

Fish Eagle at full stretch as it takes off.

Massive powerful wings.

River dragon surfaces.

Lilac-breasted Roller in full diversionary attack.

Banking hard in full colourful display.

Beach monitor sunbathing.

Delicate and posed Malachite Kingfisher.

“We photographers do not photograph subjects, but rather the light reflected from them. This is why if we want to reach those subtle and magical moments which are happening all the time around us, we need to develop this sensitivity to be able to see them.” 

~ Raphael Rojas

Late afternoon sky ablaze with colour.

The sun setting beyond the horizon saturates the evening sky with glorious colours.

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

“Photographing the world means making statements about it, and if we want our statements to be meaningful we need to fully absorb what is around us, understand the way it affects us and then explore ways to communicate that effectively through photography.”

~ Raphael Rojas

Have fun,

Mike

One of the special sightings on the Chobe river at specific times of the year are Pygmy Geese. On one of our photographic safaris with CNP Safaris, Lou Coetzer nicknamed these birds ” pocket rockets” because of the speed with which they take flight away from you.

“It’s an illusion that photos are made with the camera….they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
~Henri Cartier-Bresson

You will find three types of geese on the Chobe river, the large Spur-winged and Egyptian geese and the diminutive African Pygmy Goose. The Pygmy is the smallest of the three and is very different  not only in size, but flight and its nesting habits. Geese are different to ducks in that they have hind toes and claws on their webbed toes.  This gives them the ability to perch and in some instances climb in trees.

You are only likely to find Pygmy Geese on the Chobe between the months of November and April. There is sexual dimorphism where the male is altogether more colourful. When calling, the male is usually the more vocal of the two  giving a twittering whistle and bobbing his head.

The male has a white face with black eye ring. He has an iridescent black crown which extends down the back of its neck. A particularly striking feature is the powder green patch extending from the ear down to the centre of its neck. The upper half of the fore neck is white and forms an open collar around the neck. Below its white collar extending down its neck, breast and belly is light chestnut coloured. The flanks are more intensely chestnut coloured and the back is metallic green.

Females have a white face with some grey spots, and obvious black areas beneath the eyes. The face of the male is more obviously white, and has green areas. The bodies of both have a tinge of red on the under carriage, with green markings on the rest of the body.

All birds of the family Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans) have a nail, which is a plate of hard horny tissue at the tip of the beak. This nail is shield-shaped structure, and in some species spans the entire width of the beak, and is often bent at the tip to form a hook. The nail serves different purposes depending on the bird’s primary food source. In the case of the Pygmy Goose, its nail is probably used for digging seeds out of water lilies.

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

The Pygmy Goose has small wide wings for rapid low level flight unlike their larger cousins which have longer wings for higher altitude, more sedate flight. The secondary feathers on its wings help identify them in flight, but there low level high flight pattern is a dead give away.

African Pygmy Geese feed on waterlily seeds and are one of the main distributors of their seed. When photographing Pygmy Geese you will often find them in small groups comprising three or four pairs. I am not sure why but invariably the female takes off first. This becomes the marker for our photographic anticipation. She normally gives you no warning so you need lightning quick reactions.

The African Pygmy Goose is somewhat nomadic and partially migratory, making local dry-season movements dictated by habitat and water availability or dispersing to favoured moulting areas.

If this little goose feels threatened it will either fly or dive depending on the nature of the threat. It is an adept diver and can escape an  overhead threat by diving and swimming away some distance before surfacing.

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

It is devilishly difficult to get your timing right when these little “pocket rockets” decide to take off. When you get a reasonable image of them it is hugely rewarding.

Pygmy geese are at home in trees as in the water.

The African Pygmy goose nests in natural hollows or the disused holes in trees, preferably those standing in or close to water. It also occasionally nests in other cavities such as holes in cliffs or termites mounds or a chamber in a Hammerkop’s nest. The female lays up to nine eggs usually between November and February each year.

Thankfully this waterfowl gem has a has an extremely large range, and hence is not considered vulnerable though it numbers  are decreasing.

“Never forget: We are alive within mysteries”.
~Wendell Berry

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

Have fun,

Mike

On our trip with CNP Safaris in mid-April, on the last afternoon of our trip we decided to travel up the Chobe river past Elephant Valley to have a look at the section of the river that flows passed Serondela. I have been up to this part of the river many times before but never when the water levels were so high. So we were all intrigued to see how the high water had changed the river bank – we were in for a big surprise!

“I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire.
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.”

~Saint Patrick

Just past the Chobe Savannah Lodge on the Namibian side of the river, we found this vivid Southern Red Bishop perched on a reed. It is unusual to see a shimmering red colour along the river bank, so we drifted closer.

This little character watched us and seemed quite content on his perch in the sun. Surprisingly, you do not find many Red or Yellow Bishops along the river bank despite many patches of reeds which are ideal for nest sites.

For those of you who have not been along this part of the Chobe river, you will not realise how unusual and how high the water level was. It was two or perhaps even three metres higher than the normal mid-summer level.

“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.”

~Alan Watts

These trees normally do not have their feet in the water.

Further up river we came across a pair of Lilac Breasted Rollers. They had a nest in a dead tree stump which they were jealously guarding against all comers, from boats to fish eagles.

A fish eagle was perched on a dead tree close by and this pair of rollers dive bombed as they saw it as a threat.

You can see from this fish eagle’s full crop that it was just perched, soaking up the afternoon warmth and was no threat to the rollers.

These are exquisitely beautiful rollers especially when they open up their wings. I have never seen Broad-billed or Purple Rollers along this part of the Chobe river.

A little further along we found a few Green-backed Herons. They seem to be less skittish along this part than further down river closer to Kasane.

Normally, when travelling on the boat you would never be able to see over the river banks.

“Your deepest roots are in nature. No matter who you are, where you live, or what kind of life you lead, you remain irrevocably linked with the rest of creation.”

~Charles Cook

The width of the river widened considerably creating new open patches of water in some places and in others, new channels.

Down along this densely tree-lined section of the Chobe river close to Serondela, we found a small flock of Black Crowned Night Herons. This is the resident family on this part of the river. They are usually crepuscular and nocturnal, so it is unusual to see them in the early afternoon. They normally start emerging from the deep shade around last light.

Along this section of the river the bank is lined with Natal Mahogany, Jackal-berry and Rock-fig trees. The rock-figs seemed to like their feet in water and their contorted, exposed roots systems conjure up images of the “Ents” in Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the rings’.

The Serondela section of the Chobe river is lined with a dense grove of trees for about two kilometres. Then it opens up onto flood plains and sandbanks.

There is nothing at Serondela other than a camp site but is a marker for the outer reaches for our afternoon journey. On our way back we stopped to photograph this majestic fish eagle who put on quite a show for us.

It is one of nature’s miracles and immaculate engineering to be able to unpack a wing of such immense size and structure with the fingers of an artist feeling the wind.

We found one lone “dagga-boy” standing on top of a sand bank chewing the cud, accompanied by a bevy of Red-billed Oxpeckers. This old buffalo bull was vulnerable along this section as it is well-known for its lion activity.

A White-crowned Lapwing flew with us along the river’s edge for about one hundred metres.

It was making sure that we got out of its territory.

On the way back to Kasane, just past the densely lined treed section near Serondela, the trees thinned out towards Puku Flats. Normally, we would not be able to see the elephants on the far side of the river. Just beyond the water lilies is usually dry land.     

Two young elephant bulls jostling with each other. It was hot and the clouds were building but it never rained. The clouds provided a wonderful, dramatic background.

Again, for those who have been along this stretch of the Chobe, you will be amazed at how high the water level was. It would not take too much more to completely flood Puku Flats.

On our way back to Kasane just past Elephant Valley, we came a cross a small family of Kudu which had come down to drink and en route were browsing on the lush vegetation close to the water’s edge.

It was late afternoon and soft pinks and purples began to colour the sky and water.

The evening colours start to reveal themselves as the sun started to set softening its strong light. This is a sublime part of the early evening when you want to just sit, be quiet and appreciate the exquisite beauty.

“I am in love with this world . . . I have climbed its mountains, roamed its forests, sailed its waters, crossed its deserts, felt the sting of its frosts, the oppression of its heats, the drench of its rains, the fury of its winds, and always have beauty and joy waited upon my goings and comings.”

~John Burroughs

Just before the sun sets the colours in the sky intensify, a colour-filled climax where there is greater contrast and drama in the sky.

By this point we are almost back at the lodge at Kasane. The sun had set but the sky was on fire.

I hope this sequence of  images convey the mood, diversity and at times, unusual scenes we were fortunate to experience and photograph that afternoon. I always come away from times like these on the river with deep gratitude for the privilege of being able to see such abundance and beauty.

“For the 99 percent of the time we’ve been on Earth, we were hunter and gatherers, our lives dependent on knowing the fine, small details of our world. Deep inside, we still have a longing to be reconnected with the nature that shaped our imagination, our language, our song and dance, our sense of the divine.”

~Janine M. Benyus

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

Have fun,

Mike

The Chobe National Park supports one of the largest concentrations of elephants in the world, estimated at around 120,000. The elephant population is dispersed throughout northern Botswana.

“Go out, I beg of you

And taste the beauty of the world.

Behold the miracle of the earth

With all the wonder of a child.”

~ Edna Jacques

The Chobe National Park can be divided into four eco systems, the Chobe river front in the north-east, Savute in the west,  Linyanti swamps (similar to the Okavango) in the north-east, and the hot dry area inbetween. We were based on the Chobe river front, photographing in the section of river between Kasane and Serondela. The Chobe river front area receives an estimated 35,000 to 55,000 elephants depending on the season.

Females stay together in family groups while males either form small bachelor groups or wander off on their own. The next image is of a lone bull browsing on the lush vegetation  just down river from Elephant Valley. The river bank is steep along this section of the river. We don’t often see much game along this part, as there is no escape route and it is dangerous to drink along this river bank because the water is deep and a thirsty animal would never see a crocodile coming.

An elephant’s trunk is a remarkable piece of its anatomy. An elephant uses its trunk much like an arm. The tip of the trunk effectively works like a hand and is capable of great nimbleness and dexterity. The African Elephant has two prehensile fingers at the tip of its trunk whereas the Asian Elephant has just one.

“Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasure to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; and influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence.”

~Alfred Billings Street

An elephant’s trunk has over 40,000 muscles and can hold up to eight litres of water in one draw. It is immensely strong and is capable of pushing down trees and picking up the smallest twig. Its trunk is one of the elephant’s primary sensory organs. When an elephant senses danger is usually lifts its trunk up in the air to get a better idea of the nature of the threat from its smell and its direction on the wind.

These are emotionally sensitive animals with strong family ties and long memories.

Adult elephants weigh between 2.5 tonnes, for a young female, and 7.0 tonnes, for a large bull. An elephant calf usually weighs around 90 kilograms at birth. Once in the water these large mammals seem to enjoy not only the coolness of the water but also its buoyancy and so become more playful in the water.

This is also a great time for young bulls to spar with each other.

“The story of elephant is also the story of water. They are at home in the water as on land. These water dances are playful games but with an undercurrent of testing wits and strengths”

~ Dereck and Beverly Joubert from the Soul of the Elephant

The young bulls mount each other is what looks to be play. Although they look to be trying to mate, it seems to be more about play and dominance.

This type of behaviour is not seen on land probably because they are just too big and heavy.

“Wisdom begins in wonder”

~ Socrates

Ivory – an elephant’s “achilles heel”. Both male and females have tusks. They are used for digging, carrying and fighting. Tusks continue to grow for all of an elephant’s life and as such are an indicator of age. The visible part of the tusk is usually about only two thirds of its length. A tusk is effectively an elongated incisor and comprises dentine similar to ordinary teeth. An elephants tusk grows up to 18 centimetres per year. It seems that the incidence of elephants with no tusks are increasing in some areas such as Gorongosa in Mozambique. Perhaps this adaptation which might be their saving grace. 

It is hard to believe that someone would want to kill these two tussling young bulls just for their ivory tusks. These elephants can grow to over seventy years of age without human interference.

“Ironically every dead elephant found with its ivory intact is a reason to celebrate. It means an elephant died of natural causes, not bullets, snares or poison, and a soul was allowed to be celebrated and mourned by its herd.”

~Dereck and Beverly Joubert

The young bulls seem to love playing in the water. They chase phantom rivals and enjoy making an almighty splash.

In the deeper water they seem to get a kick out of swishing their head and trunk back and forth in water creating large waves and sprays.

An elephant’s ears are big enough so that when they flap them, they can reduce the temperature of the affected area of the body by up to ten degrees Fahrenheit. Each elephant’s ear is different and like a fingerprint can be used as a form of  identification. An elephant also uses its ears as part of its body language. It has very sensitive hearing capable of picking up a range of sound frequencies, many of which humans cannot hear.

Elephants are highly vocal creatures. Their high frequency sounds such as trumpeting and snorting are used for short distance communication whereas elephants use infra-sound to send low frequency sound waves great distances. Humans normally cannot hear these low frequency sounds.

The young elephants have to be careful in the shallows of the Chobe river as there are some large crocodiles which will easily take a baby elephant. Needless to say this youngster’s mother was close by.

Small, hairy with uncontrollable trunks and perfect ears.

This young elephant was putting on a show for us and watching to see that we were looking at it all the time.

Nothing like a good powdering after a refreshing bath. Most animals use their nose for breathing but an elephant also uses its trunk for drawing water and drawing in dust and mud to spray over itself to protect or cool down its hide.

“What light is to the eyes – what air is to the lungs – what love is to the heart, liberty is to the soul.”

~Robert Green Ingersoll

Elephants are among the world’s most intelligent animals. They are capable of expressing a wide range of behaviours which we as humans associate as grief, learning, play, compassion and co-operation, to name a few.

This young bull was chasing the elephant in the front, all around the open area in front of us. This could possibly be young bull rivalry or it might have been a female, I could not tell.

If you were being chased by something that big you would run too!!

This was one of three large bulls strutting in amongst the herd, unsettling the females.

“There is something hypnotic about being in the path of a charging elephant, something dangerous but peaceful, beautiful. Time warps, we focus on the dance of the ears and sound dulls because we believe he will stop but we don’t know. It is strange that you feel most alive when you face death. When it is over ,I find myself strangely relaxed, privileged with having been face to face with a elephant.”

~ Dereck and Beverly Joubert from ‘The Soul of an Elephant.’

An imposing bull elephant with the gathering thunderclouds behind him.

Elephants have one of the most closely knit societies of any living species which are usually only split by death or capture.

“The  story of elephants is a timeless story of ghosts. They leave us messages, ancient footprints in the sands of time. In some places, it is the message of extinction as 35,000 elephants are poached each year, purely for their ivory. In other places there are messages of hope where there are still giants, seven tonne giants in full sail. Their movements are mediation, their eyes shine with a deep intelligence…….”

~ Dereck and Beverly Joubert from the ‘Soul of an Elephant.’

This image was taken on the Botswana side of the river  just down river from the Chobe Game lodge.

Elephants are the only other known species of animal, other than man, to have any recognisable ritual around death. I was privileged to experience this first hand early one Sunday morning in Mashatu in south-eastern Botswana. The matriarch had died about ten months earlier. There was nothing left but her skull and a number of her bones. Two herds separately  approached the site where the matriarch’s bones were scattered with what seemed to be great reverence. It was very quiet and individual elephants walked up to the bones and gently touched and caressed them with their trunks and the young ones also rolled the bones over with their feet. A group of us sat watching this ritual in absolute silence as the sun was rising . It was like being in cathedral without a word being spoken enveloped with an overwhelming sense of reverence.

“They approach with a side on strut, then dip their heads for the charge. When flapping ears and trumpeting, we are Ok. It is when they go quiet and drop their heads that it could go either way. There is a subtle language to all of this…..”

~Dereck  and Beverly Joubert from the ‘Soul of an Elephant’.

I wonder how much longer we will be able to marvel at these incredible sighting of elephants and more importantly whether our children and their children will have the privilege of watching these highly intelligent social beings in their natural environment.

Human beings are waging a war against elephants, obviously not all human beings but enough of them to cause their rapid population decline. We are losing elephant populations so fast that it is a race against time. Asia’s hunger for ivory is insatiable. Most of the ivory trade is illegal run by underground cartels. What will the poachers do when they run out of elephants  – will human parts be the next source of commercialisation???!!!!!!!!

“Go into the government’s ivory stockpile in Nairobi. It is like being in a genocide museum. “

‘Central Africa has lost 64% of its elephants in a decade’ – National Geographic.

Tanzania has emerged as the epicentre of of Africa’s elephant poaching risk after a government census revealed it had lost a “catastrophic” 60% of its  elephants in five years. Tanzania’s elephant population had been one of the largest but data revealed by the Tanzanian government showed that between 2009 and 2014, the number of elephants has fallen from 109,051 to 43,330.

“Our prime purpose in life is to help others. And if you can’t help them at least don’t hurt them.”

~Dali Lama

In early 2014, Botswana became one of the few African countries with abundant wildlife to put an end to trophy hunting.  President Kama stated that hunting was no longer compatible with wildlife conservation and urged communities to switch to photographic tourism. There is now the cry that the ban on hunting has worsened the human-wildlife conflict in many parts. Perhaps all the leftover meat discarded by hunters attracted the predators in the first place and perhaps the elephants normal habitat has been lost by human predation. 

Once humans have commercialised wildlife to the point of extinction  – then what? Perhaps in our quest for personal gain and we should remember that we are integral custodians of this natural system of immense wisdom. We are not the most important creatures on this planet, we are only as important. Because of our overwhelming growth we are crowding out all other creatures on this planet. We have a pressing responsibility to pass on this world to our children in at least the state we found it or preferably with less human interference. So far this generation has shown materialism and greed and a desperate lack of responsibility and intergenerational fairness! Where did we get the idea that everything in the natural world must fit in with us and that we have a right to commercialise everything we come across ?

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

Have fun,

Mike