17/11/2007 - Mauritius

Mauritius is an island of 1865sq km with 330km of coastline and beaches in the Indian Ocean. It has a population of about 1.2 million and has been an independant, parlimentary republic since 1968. English is the offical language but Creole and French are spoken everywhere. There economy is strong and is based on sugar cane, textiles and tourism.

The capital of Maurtius is Port Louis. From our hotel in Grande Gaube on the northern tip of the island, I had the pleasure of escaping one morning with my camera to capture these photos.……The Red Whiskered Bulbul…Weavers were busy building their nests everywhere you looked. ………The Red Cardinal Fody……This Straited Heron keep me amused for a long time. ………While I followed the Heron around the property, he led me straight to this Whimbrel.On a rocky edge, I was able to watch these local fisherman, making their way back through the waters after a morning fishing.…………There is much to see and do on Mauritius or one can simply lay in the sun like most of the tourists. It is a big honeymoon destination for the Brits and Europeans.

The Pamplemousses Gardens are home to giant Victoria Amazonica Water lillies.…And other lillies.……At Curepipe you can find the volcano crater of Trou aux Cerfs which experts say is not dead but dormant.The view from Trou aux Cerfs is 360 degrees and on a good day, it must be magic. Unfortunately for us, our day of travelling around the island was in heavy rain. This shot was taken under an umbrella.Mountains like this can be seen all over Mauritius and they make for a wonderful flight into Mauritius as you fly over the peaks. It is quite spectacular to see and experience. The heavy rain doesn't stop the locals from harvesting their vegetables.…Nor does it deter the tourists like us, from getting to see the sights. At Grand Bassin, your eyes are mesmerized by the statue of Lord Shiva (107ft)before you make your way down to the natural lake known as Ganga Talao.This lake is nesting on a volcanic crater and is a place of worship for the Hindus, even in the rain.……Not far from the temples at Ganga Talao is Charmarel Fallswhich is also home to the Coloured Earths.Geologists believe this to be a result of weathering of volcanic rock. The soils are not washed away in torrential rains and cyclones, with the only explanation being, that the soils are rich in volcanic ash.While we were at the falls, I had a wonderful time photographing this cheeky monkey.……………And my two prize shots have to be these.…As we past the salt pans, I had to stop while there was a break in the rain to get some photos. More of those amazing mountains.……Our last stop was the Casela Bird Gardens where they display a large number of birds from around the world and wildlife. In between heavy rain, we made our way around the park but I found the cages that the animals were in, would only hinder a good photo. When we eventually left the park, I was quite pleased to be on our way. You all know how much I loathe cages and fences. I did manage to take a couple of photos though.

The Tortoise.………………This Albino Kangaroo from my homeland was a very rare sight and one that I may never see again, so I grabbed the shot.And this Fruit Bat was simply hanging there, asking me to take his photo.After our safari in East Africa we had another couple of days in Mauritius on the way back to Australia. This time we stayed in another area up the north end named Grand Baie.…In case you're wondering, yes, this is my mum.………………And so, here my journey ends. It was a great one and I hope you all enjoyed seeing and experiencing it through my lens.

Till the next journey, au reviour.

My blog will now continue back at the original link of www.blognow.com.au/sandibroom

16/11/2007 - Birds of East Africa and more

East Africa has more than 1350 bird species on record. In a previous entry, I introduced you to a few of the birds. Here are the rest that I managed to photograph. This is by no means all the birds I saw but like anything, it is not always possible to photograph everything you see.

The Black Kites put on a incredible display at the Ngoronogoro Crater picnic area, while everyone attempted to eat their lunch. The Kites were diving from the sky and stealing what they could, literally from peoples mouths. While I sat in the safety of the 4WD eating mine, it was an amazing sight to watch.…I am not 100% sure but I believe this bird is a Augur Buzzard.The Steppe Eagle we found in many places but this particular photograph was taken at a lake in between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. There was five of these eagles all in one tree.An immature African Hawk Eagle…The African Fish Eagle.The African Hawk EagleThe Black Shouldered KiteVan der Decken's HornbillRed-billed HornbillSilvery-cheeked HornbillImmature Crowned HornbillThe Crowned HornbillThe Yellow-billed Stork……The Saddle-billed StorkThe Marabou Stork…This is a Vulture, possibly the Griffon VultureAnd more vultures.…The Grey-crowned Crane…And three in flight.The Greater Flamingo…And the Lesser FlamingoThe Lilac-breasted Roller…The White-fronted Bee-eaterThe Little Bee-eaterThe Grey-headed KingfisherThe Go-away BirdThe Bare-faced Go-away BirdThe Vulturine GuineafowlThe Yellow-necked Spur-fowl…The Hildebrandt's StarlingThe Superb StarlingThe Greater blue-eared StarlingThe Common FiscalThe White-browed Sparrow-weaverThe Northern white-crowned Shrike…The Speckled Mouse-birdThe African Dusky Fly-catcherThe Red-billed Ox-peckerAnd again, doing his work on a Zebra.The Kori Bustard…This Heron, I think is the Black-headed Heron as his underwing is white.And we have touch-down.Finally we come to the biggest bird of all, the Ostrich. The male who's neck and legs are a pinkish-grey colour, which turn bright pink in the breeding season.………The female…The male performing his mating dance and in this instance, there wasn't a female to be seen.……And all together.…………To finish this entry and the last of my African photos, before I move onto Mauritius, here is just a few extras.

The Dwarf Mongoose…The Banded Mongoose…………The Hyrax……The Agama lizard which is the most commonly seen lizard in East Africa.Vervet Monkeys……Getting a thorough going over.A very common sight, a zebra having a dust bath.……And finally, two shots that I just like.…And for those who think that Mount Kilimanjaro is awesome, here is Mount Kenya.My next and last entry for this blog will be Mauritius.

12/11/2007 - Warthogs

Of all the animals I saw in East Africa, I would have to say the Warthog was the hardest to photograph. They are very camera shy or maybe it was the vehicle getting to close, that they didn't like. As soon as they realized they were being looked at, they would turn and run off in the opposite direction, with their tail in the air like an antenna.

Warthogs grunt, squeal and roar. As piglets they squeak when lost or disturbed and females grunt softly to call them. Males and females both have canine tusks, with the males being much larger, about 8in (20cm). There upper tusks are double the length of their lower, dagger-like tusks. The three distinctive wart like growths on their face are there to help protect the eyes and face from injury. The warthogs main predators are the lion, leopard, hyaena and sometimes wild dogs.………………………A female usually gives birth to 2-4 piglets, rarely as many as 8. This must have been one of those rare occasions.………………………A young warthog.…

9/11/2007 - Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus comes from the greek word meaning "river horse". They live in rivers, lakes and swamps, preferably with sandy banks to lie on and access to grassy areas. Hippos are very social and live in large groups normally of about 10-20 females with their young and a dominant bull. The dominant bull forces young males to leave the herd when they are seven to eight years of age. Larger herds of 50-100 are not uncommon.

Hippos produce an oily red secretion to protect the thin epidermis of their 2inch thick skin from overheating and drying out in the sun. They can stay beneath the water for up to 5 minutes are capable of snoozing while submerged, coming to the surface to breathe automatically.

Hippos are the only mammals, other than whales and dophins, to mate in the water. Young females remain in the herd they were born in and produce their first calf at about 10 years old.

A male hippo weighs between 1,500-3,000kg (3,300-6,600lb). They are second to the elephant in terms of weight.

Hippos are said to cause more human deaths than buffaloes, elephant and rhinos.

Hippos of Lake Manyara………………………Beneath this bull and submerged beneath the water is the female, both caught in the act of mating.This hippo looks to me like he has the biggest grin on his face.From Ngorongoro Crater we drove what they call the Super Highway to the Serengeti. Now that is laughable. This road is un-graded, it is solid rock and dust with so many pot holes, one can't avoid them. There was very little to be seen and at one stage the road was so rough and the dust was so thick, that our driver chose to make a new road. He joked the whole time, telling us we were lost as the only living things we saw were the odd Massai taking a goat to the market and a gazelle here and there. The Massai had miles and miles to walk and it was very hot. Mum and I joked how it would have been better to walk than drive on this terrible road but when we saw how barren and dry it was, it made us realize what amazing people the massai are. After some hours on the road, we came to this very tranquil lake where we had the whole place to ourselves. We were there in search of lions but all we found was hippos and birds. It was a beautiful setting with thick, long green grass more than a meter high on one side of the vehicle and on the other side, the lake. It was great lion territory as they had the grass to hide in and only a track made from vehicles, seperating them from the waters edge, the place where every animal goes to drink. We enjoyed a picnic in the 4WD and having been in the car for 6 hours, were in desperate need of the ladies room but that was not going to happen here. It was not the place to be getting out of a vehicle, no matter how urgent it was. We hoped we had seen the last of the pot holes, as we held on. …………………… The Serengeti……Bathing beauties!…Amboseli………………………Our first afternoon in the Mara, I was allowed to get out of the vehicle to capture these shots. We were well above this group of hippos and definitely not in any danger. The only danger I was in, was of not watching where I walked and a couple of times I got a little too close to the edge. ……………………………………………………………………

8/11/2007 - Buffalo

Buffaloes can be found on grassy plains, thick bush, forest areas and even mountainous country up to 4000 meters. They need to drink daily so are never to far from water and they regularly seek out salt licks to get the various minerals they need. Buffaloes mud-wallow or lie under the shade of trees during the heat of the day. Cattle Egrets are often associated with buffalo as they pick up the insects that get disturbed by the buffalo as it moves through the grass. Oxpeckers pick ticks and biting flies from their skin and assist in pulling off dead skin and flesh from open wounds.

Being a member of a herd, the buffaloes rally to help one another when attached by predators.

A male buffalo can weigh up to 800kg (1,760lb) and a cow 550kg (1,210lb). The record length for a set of horns belongs to a cow and is more than 1.5 meters (60in).…………………………………………………………………………………………

7/11/2007 - Spotted Hyaena and Jackal

The Spotted Hyaena is the largest and most powerful of the three species of hyaena found in Africa. They possess the strongest jaws of all land predators and their molar teeth are so extraordinarily powerful, they can crush bones. They have blunt, non-retractile claws designed for long distance chases and there are more Spotted Hyaena than any other large mammalian predator in Africa. The Hyaena is extremely vocal and their wailing whoop cry can be heard for more than 3 miles (5km). The female is the larger of the sexes and is dominant over the male. She leads the clan in hunting and of the two sexes, she is the most aggressive.

Spotted Hyaena have a reputation of being scavengers but that is not necessarily true. They are capable of making their own kills, either singly or in groups. They hunt by chasing prey animals, like wildebeest and zebras to the point of exhaustion before disembowelling them. A solitary hyaena is more than capable of pulling down a full grown wildeebest.…………………………………………Jackals are thought to be the ancestor of domestic dogs. There are 3 species of Jackal found in East Africa, the Side-striped, the Golden and the Black-backed Jackal which is the most common seen. All three species of Jackal pair for life and that is why when you see one, there is always another close by. Their main predator is the leopard and their pups are taken by large eagles and snakes. Pups are born in a den which is usually an old termite mound but the mother is known to move them to new dens frequently. Both parents raise the young and the pups will appear above ground as early as 2 weeks old.

Jackals are opportunistic omnivores, scavenging from kills as well as killing smaller prey, like newborn gazelle and impala, for themselves.

The Golden Jackal is a dusky, yellowish-grey jackal with a dark tip to its tail.……………And the Black-backed Jackal has exactly what its name says, a black back.…………And their young.

6/11/2007 - Cute at its best!!!!

Upon arrival in the Mara, we were met by our driver who proceeded to take us for a drive before we checked in at our camp in the evening. One of the cutest sights we saw while we were away, was on this drive.

If this is not cute, I don't know what is.………………………Just in case you were thinking there was only one of these little devils, take a look at the next photos. It's tug of war.…………………………………

4/11/2007 - The Big Cats of Africa

This entry is without a doubt going to be the biggest from my trip and I have to admit, my favourite.

In Africa there is 3 big cats, the lion, the cheetah and the most elusive cat, the leopard. The one thing I wanted to see on this trip was a leopard and my dream came true on two occasons.

Cats can be found in all the parks and reserves but there are some parks where their numbers are much higher than in others, specifically the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Mara in Kenya.

Our trip started in Lake Manyara, Tanzania where we had a very brief sighting of a lioness who had her eye on a wildebeest. I think she came to her senses and realized that she wasn't going to be able to pull down the wildebeest without some help.Our next park was the Ngorongoro Crater where the first animal we laid eyes on, as we drove down into the crater was this majestic, mature, male lion.……That being our first sighting for the day, made us wonder what the rest of the day held for us. Not far into the crater we came across 4 lioness, lying exhausted after having made a kill the previous night. They spent the entire day in the same position, never leaving to seek shelter from the sun.…Our next encounter, all before 9am, was these two cheetah brothers.…………………………………The Serengeti, still in Tanzania was our next stop and this is where I had my first thrilling moment, coming eye to eye with a leopard. It was one of those moments that is hard to put in words. I trembled, I cried and my legs wanted to give way on me. The leopard is the most magnificent creature that one can lay eyes on. And I was fortunate to have this beauty, dead set in front of me, with no obstacle standing between us. There was moments when he was too close for my lens to take a photo. My very first glimpse of him, was in the tree.and it got better.…………………………………This is one of my favorite shots, as the leopards paw comes up and he takes his next step through the bush. Looking at these shots you will well understand why it is so hard to find these magnificent creatures that blend into the bush and tall grasses. Just around the bend from the leopard, we discovered this awesome creature. What a man!!!!!!……………On the way to lunch, this lioness was spotted in the shade of a tree, very alert to the Thompsons gazelle that were close by.And then on the way back to camp, this pride of lioins. What a find!……………………………If you look closely, you will see some thorns on the lioness's back, that she is trying to remove.The ladies are awake and checking the area for their next meal.………………………And look what we have here...............the man of the house, has finally woken.…………………………On that same day we had other sightings of lions. Like the lions who were too exhausted to move when our vehicle came within a couple of meters from them.And the lioness who stole the nearly eaten antelope carcass from the vultures. Both these sightings, I have talked about in a previous entry.…In Amboseli, Kenya, we had our fair share of sightings as well. Our most exciting sighting would have to have been, the lions mating.…The there was the cheetah with her fresh kill of Thompsons gazelle. ……And lions waking from the heat of the day, ready to begin their night on the hunt. One afternoon just on dark, we would have seen ten lions within a kilometer of each other. All of them watching the various herds of animals that were walking in their direction. …… On to Samburu, where there were two sightings that stand out the most for me. … … ……………This was one of those sightings that was very special to me and that was when two male lions walked out of the bush together.………………………This lioness was not happy about being photographed and every time we got closer to her, she would walk away. We left her to it, knowing that she didn't want to be disturbed.And then the other sighting that had me trembling.………………………………At Lake Nakuru we never had a cat sighting but it didn't go without trying. It is a very popular area for leopards but they were proving to be the elusive cat that they are known to be.

Then finally, there was the Mara in Kenya and I guess you could say, we left one of the best parks till last. ……This young male below was not being disturbed for nothing.…………Oh we were lucky, he actually raised his head.…Our second morning at the Mara was very eventful. Our first sighting was the mother cheetah teaching her cubs how to hunt and kill, that was in a previous blog entry. From there we came across this pride of five lions, three females and 2 males. The carcass they had been chewing on during the night had been cast aside and left to the vultures.……………………………Brotherly love.…………………………………As the sun heats up, the lions made their way to the shade of the bushes.……Not far from the pride of lions we came across this cheetah.……………………………………………………Now wouldn't you think we had seen enough................and then who should we come across, the mummy cheetah and her cubs from that morning.……………Still looking for something to eat.…………………………On our last morning on safari, the Mara never let us down. On a 2 hour game drive, commencing at 6.30am, we saw 18 lions.……………………………………………………………………………These last shots were taken at the scene of a buffalo kill, where there were nine lions in the pride.………… ………For the cat lovers out there, East Africa is the place to go. Doing a rough count on my fingers, we saw over 70 big cats. WOW!

2/11/2007 - The Elephants of Amboseli

The Amboseli elephants are the longest studied elephant population in the world. They have been studied for over 35 years and with the absence of culling and poaching, the population has slowly increased since the 1970's. The population presently numbers around 1,500. The elephants have all been named, numbered or coded and each can be recognized individually. The Amboseli population consists of 58 families. Researchers can identify each and every one of them by ear patterns and tusk characteristics. In Amboseli there are two enormous swamps that are the life-blood of the park. These swamps are home to many different species of animals, not just elephants.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………From Amboseli National Park you are able to see one other great beauty.Mount Kilimanjaro..............The tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising to 5,895 meters.The mountain which lies on two countries, Kenya in the north and Tanzania in the south plays a very important role of supplying the Amboseli swamps with a permanent, fresh supply of water. The glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro are melting at an incredible rate and it is anticipated that by 2015 they may have gone. How this will affect the Amboseli ecosystem remains to be seen.………

31/10/2007 - Rhino from Lake Nakuru

My first sighting of a White Rhino occured in the Ngorongoro Crater.As I wasn't sure if I was going to see another Rhino on my trip, you could say I was relatively excited. A closer look would have been better but I was happy with that shot for the time being. Little did I know what was waiting me at Lake Nakuru in Kenya.

On arrival at the Lake we made our way down to the waters edge, thinking that we were there to see the Flamingoes. As the opening in the bush cleared, I could see the mass of Flamingoes flocked at the waters edge and right in front of them was a White Rhino fast asleep in the grass. Our driver did not stop, he said there was plenty of time to see the Rhino and continued to the water.………………I have to admit at this point I was more interested in getting closer to the Rhino than the Flamingoes and the tourists, that were gathered on the waters edge taking their countless number of photos. I kept my eye on the Rhino and as soon as I saw him make a move to stand, I told the driver, let's go! And so we were the first to get prime position at the Rhino. This is my very first shot.And the next shot shows a vehicle or two in the background at the waters edge, which will give you some idea of the proximity.…The oxpeckers do a good job of making a mess of a wound or maybe they made it in the first place by removing a tick.………………As the afternoon neared an end, this shot of mum and child was just what I wanted.Three Rhinos at one time, this was just too good to believe.As the sun went down on our first day, I had the pleasure of watching another mum and her baby, lazing in the sun, caked in dry mud.……The next morning began very well with another 3 Rhino putting on a great show. On the left is the male intruder and on the right is mother and child.The male is oblivious to the mother rhino and her child.They truly have extremely poor eyesight.…………………Mother and child are unaware of the males presence.…Now, mother can sense something. The nose goes up!HigherAnd higher.She is smelling the air and making little snorting sounds.The male stops in his tracks.Mother and child are unsure of what is there.They stay close to each other but on the look out.……The male senses that he should not go any closer.Must be time for a rest.Mother and child relax again, knowing that the treat appears to have gone.…A little play.…For baby, he is easily entertained chewing on a stick.…As he tests the ground.His eyes start to look very heavy.Mother watches over her child still aware that there is something there but she is unable to see it. ……………As mother Rhino lay down with her child, we left them in peace and went in search of other critters and a view. In case you are wondering what the pink dots are...................flamingoes of course.

30/10/2007 - Antelope of East Africa

Everywhere you look in East Africa, you eyes are bound to come upon an Antelope of some size and description. It could be anything from the smallest, known as the Dik Dik to the largest known as the Eland.And then there is those in between. The Impala…Taking flight when alarmed.Giving us the evil eyeIn a herdTwo males fighting for their territory.And an Impala just simply being an Impala.There is the Topi, known commonly as Blue Jeans because of the plum coloured patches he wears on his thighs.The Topi is similar in appearance to the Coke's Hartebeest. Adult males are darker than females and both sexes have horns.The Klipspringer is a small, chunky looking antelope, found in rocky areas where they have extradordinary agility over the rockiest of terrains. Only the male has horns which are short and spikey.Grants Gazelle is the largest of the gazelles. The male is the size of an Imapla and has a well developed, powerful neck and long horns. The female is considerably smaller and their horns are much shorter. All large predators will occasionally kill adult Grant's gazelle but their most common predator is the Jackal.…Thompsons Gazelle is smaller than Grant's and it has a prominent black body stripe.They are commonly referred to as a "tommy". These dainty little creatures are very fast, reaching speeds of up to 50mph (80kmp). They are commonly preyed on by Cheetah, Leopard and hunting dogs.…The Waterbuck has a shaggy coat, rather like a deer. It has a distinctly musty odour which lion don't favour. They are never far from water. Only the male has horns which are large and sharply pointed and used to defend themselves. The female who is without horns are occasionally taken by lion or hunting dogs and their calves by leopard and hyaena.…There is the medium sized, yellowish-brown antelope named the Reedbuck which has a prominent scent gland below each ear (marked by a black spot). The male has forward curving horns while the female is without. The feed mainly on grass but also browse on leaves and buds during the dry season.…The Beisa Oryx found in Samburu and Buffalo Springs Game Reserve, Kenya, inhabit arid semi-desert bush and scrub. The female has the longer horns of the two sexes, measuring up to 2ft 6in (.75m). Oryx are less dependant on water than any other East African Antelope, drinking regularly when water is available but otherwise feed on succulent plants to sustain themselves. They are strong runners and have plenty of stamina.……The Gerenuk is distinguisable from other members of the antelope family, by it's stlit like legs and elongated neck. The word "Gerenuk" means giraffe neck in Somali. Gerenuk are often seen browsing on branches up to 6ft (1.8m) high.…Gerenuk can go long periods without drinking, obtaining sufficent moisture from their food in the driest spells.Coke's Hartebeest, similar to the Topi has a large, long face. Both sexes have horns that are bracket shaped. Their upright posture is accentuated by high shoulders and sloping back.…The smallest antelope in East Africa is the Dik Dik as I mentioned at the beginning of this entry and it can be found in Acacia thornbush country. They live in monogamous pairs and often are seen with their latest calf. A female can produce two young in a single year.The largest antelope with thin body stripes and a prominent dewlap on the throat is the Eland.They can be found in open grassy plains, mountain grasslands and dry thornybush country. Lions are their main predator, taking females more frequently than the huge males. Both sexes have horns, the males are more robust while the females are longer.Before I finish this entry, there is one more animal from the antelope family that I cannot forget and that is the Wildebeest.In my book it is described as a strangely fashioned, bearded antelope with a heavy looking head, long face, humped back and long wispy tail like a horse. The tail has long been used as a ceremonial fly-whisk by the Masai. Both sexes have horns. Adult males grunt loudly and it is common to hear a large herd erupt into a noisy chorus of grunts and oinks, as we heard in the Mara while waiting and waiting and waiting for them to decide, whether or not they were going to cross the river.……By no means is this all the antelope to be seen in East Africa. There are many more but I was not fortunate enough to see them.

29/10/2007 - Patterns and Stripes

There is something very captivating about the patterns and stripes of Giraffe and Zebra. Enjoy some of the many shots I took while mesmerized by the beauty.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

24/10/2007 - The Other Side of Africa

Not everything you see in Africa is good. There are also the sad moments, like when you see an injured animal and you are helpless to do anything.This young elephant has lost half his trunk possibly to a snare. Will he survive? Some say no, while others say yes. Because he is so young, it is possible that he will learn to eat directly with his mouth, not with the use of his trunk. As he gets older and bigger it will be harder to reach for those hard to reach places but he does have a good chance of survival and he has the support from his family.…Then there are others that are injured while trying to bring down their next meal.There are the animals that don't survive and end up as a food source to those that are not necessarily stronger but use tactics to catch their prey. At this particular kill, there was 9 lions present. No wonder this buffalo didn't stand a chance.…………And then there are those that managed to escape with their lives but have the marks to show what they endured.There are wounds on animals that are the results of bulls fighting for dominancy. And there are other signs, like missing or broken horns. …Some animals the wounds have nearly healed.Others, the Ox-peckers don't give them a chance to heal.…And there is the river, that takes the lives of so many but in doing so, also gives life to many others...........scavengers.…………As the song says, it's the Circle of Life.

20/10/2007 - Lions Mating

Big Cats have always been a favourite of mine and in Tanzania and Kenya there are plenty to be seen. While In Amboseli, Kenya, we were out on an afternoon drive when I noticed in the distance a big hump which appeared to be coming out of the swamp. We drove off road to get a closer look at what I thought was a hippo getting out of the swamp. It was infact a couple of lions taking part in the long procedure of mating, to bring into this world, more of these glorious animals. For those of you who don't know, a mating couple will copulate 2 or 3 times an hour for several days. In this instance, I photographed them for 25 minutes and in that time, they copulated 4 times. Imagine 3 or 4 days of that!!! Wouldn't you be exhausted! I had to laugh while I had my face to the lens because there was moments that I could see every detail of the performance. I am sure I don't have to explain myself any further. 

This was one of those rare ocassions when we were the only vehicle present, making this footage even more special. The first shot is taken obviously after the job has been done and before the next begins. These animals need a lot of rest in between.

…

Check the tongue hanging out. This is thirsty work.........…Rest time over......Looking for a bit of action.……………………I must add at this point, the growls coming from these animals was something you don't forget.…All over in 9 seconds according to my camera. And I didn't breath for one moment of capturing it.…Time for rest again.As she gives him a playful kick.……5 minutes passes and the lioness starts to rise.…with her partner close on her heels.……And so it begins again.……Maybe they did not like the audience but whatever it was, they decided to move to another spot.…Rest is definitely in order now.………But it's not long till the lioness is feeling playful again.……………And she is up and encouraging him.…………………This time he made sure he got the job done and it lasted for 24 seconds. But a rest was well needed.…………Don't you love that tail as it carefully brushes past the male.Encouraging him just a little.………………………We were getting the feeling about now, that these 2 would like a little privacy.…And our last photo as we leave the happy couple. I personally think he looks like one proud lion who is making sure that he sires a new generation.

14/10/2007 - Who can tire of Africa and its beauty!

I have had a lot on this week with 9000 photos to work my way through and various projects to put them in. This entry gives you plenty to browse through.Reticulated GiraffeBurchells ZebraHippos in the Serengeti…Black KiteKori BustardWarthogA young Rothschild GiraffeThe White RhinoYellow Billed StorkLake Nakuru and the thousands of FlamingoesCheetah cubBuffalo skullSteppe EagleMale Ostrich in his breeding coloursBurchells ZebraSpotted HyenaBuffalo…Hippos in the Ngorongoro CraterLilac Breasted RollerThe elusive LeopardThis guy needs no wordsHamerkopNgorongoro CraterWhite Rhino…Marabou Stork……HoopoeRothschild giraffeImpalaMasai GiraffeSecretary BirdA dwarf antelope known as the Dik-Dik……Rothschild Giraffe…Fisher LovebirdsCrowned PloverBaboonsCheetah…Cape TealRothschild Giraffe……Reticulated GiraffeYoung BaboonElephants…The largest of birds nests belong to the Hamerkop…Martial Eagle immataure.Rothschilds Giraffe which looks similar to the Masai Giraffe but is generally unmarked below the kneeSteppe Eagle…Superb StarlingKori Bustard, the Tanzanian national bird………Go Away BirdI believe this could be the Long Crested Eagle…………ReedbuckMasai Giraffe…Impala, notice one horn missing………Thompsons GazelleLilac breasted Roller……Superb StarlingEland……Rothschild Giraffe……Northern White crowned Shrike……Little Bee-eater……Southern Ground Hornbill………Impala males…Immature Martial Eagle…Marabou Stork…Red cheeked Cordon Bleu…Rhino at Lake NakuruAn unrecognizeable BuffaloAgama LizardWhite fronted Bee-eater…Masai Giraffe…Long crested EagleGrants Gazelle…Golden Jackal…Vervet Monkey……And another beautiful African sunset over the Serengeti

9/10/2007 - Just how many Elephants do you want to see?

Elephants are one of those creatures that everyone loves but little do they know about the destruction these huge animals make. In East Africa they can be found in most parks and reserves and the destruction they leave behind them, is evident everywhere. My first shots were taken in Ngorongoro Crater where there isn't a large quanitity of elephants. Old bull elephants are generally all you will see in the crater living in the swamp areas but up on the rim where the vegetation is lush, the larger herds live. …This particular bull was very large as you will see in the next shots.…In Amboseli National Park we were entertained by this mummy elephant enjoying an afternoon mudbath, oblivous to where her baby was and the difficulties it was having, getting out of the water hole that it had been enticed into.…………I think baby needs some help.........but mummy is very content in the mud.…Baby is still strugglingbut mummy has better things on her mind.………………Baby has managed to get out of the water hole and comes to find mum.……………And one last heave and mum is up.The rest of this entry is dedicated to the elephants that I spent so much time photographing at Lake Manyara and the Serengeti in Tanzania and also Samburu in Kenya. Enjoy!……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………If you didn't like elephants before that download, I am sure you will now. Further into my journey through East Africa, I will introduce you to more of the Amboseli elephants.

7/10/2007 - Lions doing what they do best!

On our second day in the Serengeti, Tanzania, our morning started off well with a couple of lion encounters. The first one, we nearly drove straight past but as always, I was in my normal spotting position with my head out the top of the 4WD, camera round my neck, making sure I didn't miss a thing. These 3 lions were doing what lions do best, sleeping and I don't believe anything was going to interrupt then. One rose her head for a brief moment and didn't even look at us. We were less than 2 meters from where they were lying. This was the first shot I caught of them as we got closer. You may understand from looking at the shot, why it is so easy to miss them. They were also lying behind a large mound, making it even more difficult to spot them. If I hadn't been in my spotting perch and instead sitting on the chair, we would have driven staight past them.

Next you will see what I mean about being undisturbed by the vehicle.

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That was all the attention we could get out of these sleepy creatures so we headed on and just down the road we came across another lioness looking very interested in a gazelle from her hiding spot in the tall grasses.A look in the other direction and she saw something that looked a lot easier to catch.…

In the distance she could see some Vultures having breakfast.

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What an easy meal that would be. And off she goes, getting faster as she gets closer.…………A quick look around to see where the vultures are.And she has a free meal.……She grips the left over Thompsons Gazelle firmly in her mouth and heads to the closest tree for shade.………………I looked around to see the Vultures standing there wondering what happened to their meal.What goes around, comes around, I couldn't help thinking. The vultures had stolen their meal from a Cheetah. I thought it very clever that the lioness had opted for a quick steal rather than a chase to get her breakfast.

6/10/2007 - A day in the life of a Cheetah family.

The Masai Mara is one of those places in this world that will remain in my heart forever. The magnitude of animals is mind boggling, the landscape is breath-taking and if you want to see cats, this is the place to go.

On our first morning in the Mara we were very fortunate to be able to watch a mother Cheetah attempting to teach her young cubs how to hunt for a meal. What looked like a lot of fun to the cubs must have been a nightmare for the young Black Backed Jackal that were being chased. If I had been the cubs mother, I would have given up trying because they were far more interested in playing than hunting. At one stage the jackal cubs got so close to being caught, that their mum and Dad, stepped in to divert the cheetahs attention away from their young. It was real cat and mouse game to watch and one that I could view from behind my camera. We were not close to the action, as that is one of the rules, not to get in the way of a kill, so I had to have my camera on full zoom, 400mm, but I do believe it captured the scene well.

I hope you enjoy as much as I did watching the action. Some of the photos will be very similar but go through them slowly and you may get a feel for the action. None of these photos have been cropped or edited.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………This all happened at around 7.00AM. On the same day in the late afternoon, we were extremely fortunate to catch up with the same family again. This time they were resting but keeping an eye out for a nice looking gazelle. You will have to wait for those photos. Good things come to those who wait..........

4/10/2007 - Out of Africa

It took me 3 hours this morning to work out how I was going to begin my photographic journey through Tanzania and Kenya. I started off by beginning with day 1 of the safari but soon realized that some of my best shots come later in my journey. So I decided to change my approach and opted to begin with some of the highlights.

Words can come later!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………That I hope, gives you a sample of the many photos yet to come.