Botswana: Okavango Delta Safari 2013: Day 8

A day that starts with 17 wild dogs chasing 3 hyenas is never really going to be a bad day!  This action was all on our way to enjoy an amazing makoro experience. These traditional canoes take you quietly through the waters of the Okavango Delta, giving you a close-up look at the smaller animals.  A large herd of buffalo met us at the end of the makoro experience, quickly followed by a herd of elephants.  The day closed off with a female leopard in a tree with a kill and a relaxed african wild cat.

Major sightings of the day:

  • 17 wild dogs (8 pups) chasing 3 hyena
  • Large herd of buffalo
  • Herd of elephants drinking
  • Good general game
  • Small herd of elephants
  • Female leopard with kill in tree
  • African wild cat

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 8 with Amboseli add-on

Our final morning in the Masai Mara delivered photographic magic just as the rest of the safari had.  We started off with 7 lions playing with each other in the most beautiful morning light – a truly great hour.  When the lions had settled down, a hyaena was spotted in the distance carrying the remains of a thomson’s gazelle, so we followed for the better part of 30 minutes, which led us to 4 lionesses that were hunting wildebeest.  They had got themselves into a good position, but a warthog came running straight through the middle of the carefully planned hunt, causing the lions to give chase.  The warthog got away and the wildebeest moved off.

Transferring into Amboseli, we got started with our elephant viewing immediately, with a couple of herds swimming and feeding in the swamps.  Our first incredible view of the great Mount Kilimanjaro did not disappoint, and with both sightings of giraffes and elephants in front of Africa’s highest mountain, it was a photographer’s dream.  Some amazing bird life was also photographed today, including the rare lesser flamingo, and the grey crowned crane.

Major sightings of the day:

  • Large herd of buffalo
  • 7 lions playing
  • Hyaena carrying a thomson’s gazelle
  • 4 lionesses hunting wildebeest and chasing a warthog
  • Elephants
  • Mount Kilimanjaro
  • Elephants swimming in swamps as well as many other elephant herds
  • Spotted hyaena
  • Lesser flamingoes
  • Grey crowned crane

To join us on safari, click here!

Japan: Winter Wildlife Safari 2013: Day 4

The day kicked off with us boarding an ice-breaker boat en route to see some very cool eagles.  We had an incredible two and a half hours with the magnificent stellar sea eagles, white-tailed eagles and hundreds of gulls that had pretty much surrounded the boat.  It was an amazing photographic experience having so much choice, with so much action happening almost constantly.  Disembarking, we had a relaxed day, and caught up on some rest and quick image processing, before heading out for a real treat.  We tried our luck attempting to photograph a very rare bird, the Blackiston’s fish owl.  We were rewarded for our (rather chilly) efforts with two visits by the magnificent bird, and even better, we managed to get some images!

Major sightings of the day:

  • Stellar sea eagles
  • White-tailed eagles
  • Various kinds of sea gulls
  • Baird’s beaked whale
  • Blackiston’s fish owl