Safari
Diary - 2 October 2014
Private
photo safari, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
We
finally arrived in the Maasai Mara and I was pleasantly surprised to see it so
green from this week's good rains. This is great news as the wildebeest might
return to graze here during the next few days before heading back to the
Serengeti. In fact, people at our camp saw a massive crossing close to our camp
over lunch time. Our plan was to look for Malaika, the cheetah with the five
cubs. We found my favourite cheetah with her cubs and spent the afternoon with
them. Our memory cards filled quickly as they finished a meal and went looking
for another one, although not successfully. What a great way to start the trip!
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Cheetah | 1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800 | Canon 1D X + Canon
600mmf/4 lens | Aperture priority, 0 ev
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Safari
Diary - 3 October 2014
Private
photo safari, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Our
first full day of safari on this trip and we decided to spend the morning with
Malaika and her 5 (cheetah) cubs. Overcast weather for the entire day was not
what we hoped for but mother and cubs presented stunning photos while we missed
a massive herd of wildebeest crossing the Talek river a few kilometres away. We
did manage to see some of this group cross the Rongai on the way to lunch back
at camp however. The plan for the afternoon was to look for a rhino and then a
pride of lions, but after searching for the lions for an hour we gave up and
did some elephant photography. First with polecam against stormy skies and then
backlit long shots against the setting sun. A tusker (beer) next to the
campfire was a great end to our day which then got interrupted by some heavy
rain… some of which is still falling as I'm writing this!
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Landscape
| 1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250 | Canon 1D X + Canon
600mmf/4 lens + 1.4x | Manual mode (with auto-ISO), +2/3 ev
Safari
Diary - 4 October 2014
Private
photo safari, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
We
woke up to clear skies but faced a dilemma. As we left camp on our morning
drive our choices were to either go to a leopard, found with a cub and a kill
the previous evening, or go to Mailika, our favourite cheetah and her five
cubs. The sightings were far apart. We chose to go to the leopard but just
before we got there we were informed that she had abandoned the kill because of
hyenas and disappeared. Luckily the Mara is full of surprises and we soon found
lions interacting with hyenas in golden light and then another pride finishing
off a wildebeest kill. After a quick rest at camp we were out again and found a
small wildebeest crossing, crowned cranes doing a dancing display, and finally
Malaika in the rain as another storm set in.
Crowned Crane | 1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250 | Canon 1D X + Canon 600mmf/4 lens + 1.4x | Aperture priority, 0 ev
Safari
Diary - 5 October 2014
With
the clear skies in the morning our plan was to do some early morning cheetah
photography and then to check on the status of the wildebeest. Beautiful golden
light photography of a cheetah and her five cubs filled our memory cards fast
but we were interrupted by a call to a potential wildebeest crossing. A large
number of wildebeest gathered at Lookout Hill, ready to cross towards our side
but after waiting for 4 hours we eventually gave up and went back to camp for a
short rest. We heard though that the wildebeest did not cross but went south
after we left them, back to where they came from. In the afternoon we did a
variety of photography including wide angle elephant, giraffe, cheetah and then
we found jackal pups playing around their den at sunset. Another fantastic day
in the Maasai Mara and we can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!
Black-backed
Jackal | 1/640 sec at f/4, ISO 1250 | Canon
1D X + Canon 600mmf/4 lens | Aperture priority, 0 ev
Safari
Diary - 6 October 2014
Private
photo safari, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Our
plan for the morning drive was to swing past a hyena den on route to the Rekero
pride of lions with cubs. As we drove out of camp we first saw a leopard
running across the plains and then a clan of hyenas running back to their den.
While photographing the hyenas we received a call about two male lions that had
just caught a buffalo and decided to spend the morning there because of the
photographic opportunities. During our afternoon drive we first photographed
giraffe along the Rongai before going back to the cheetah with cubs as it
looked like the mother was in a hunting mode. Without success we made our way
back to camp and found elephants against the orange sky just as the sun had
set.
Lion
| 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO 1000 | Canon 1D X +
Canon 600mmf/4 lens + 1.4x | Aperture priority, 0 ev
Safari
Diary - 7 October 2014
Private
photo safari, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
We
stuck to our plan to find the Rekero pride of lions in early morning light. Not
only did we find the lionesses with their cubs but we got to witness two
lionesses hunting warthog piglets. After all that excitement we went to the
main crossing point on the Mara river and found a herd of zebra very
sceptically and intermittently making their way across the river. Zebra: 0,
crocodiles: 2, as some fell victim to the jaws below the water surface. As if
that was not enough to make the zebra anxious, we got to see a lioness take
down a zebra just as it ran through the bushes on the river bank. An exciting
morning came to an end as we made our way back to camp for a short break. The
afternoon drive was a slow and relaxing one, parking off at a lioness with two
tiny three week old cubs that eventually managed to suckle. Our last full day
for this trip came to an end, beautifully, with drinks amongst a large herd of
wildebeest with the setting sun as a backdrop.
Lappet-faced
Vulture | 1/320 sec at f/16, ISO 2500 | Canon
1D X + Canon 600mmf/4 lens + 1.4x | Aperture priority, +1 ev
Safari
Diary - 8 October 2014
Private
photo safari, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Our
last day in the Maasai Mara arrived much faster than we would have liked. As we
left camp we heard that a large group of wildebeest was gathering at Lookout
Hill, making a good crossing very likely. As we got there the herd started
milling around the edge of the river, but as is typical wildebeest behaviour
they were going forward and backward, changing the scene every 10 minutes.
While we waited for the wildebeest we managed to drive around, finding Crowned
Cranes, elephants and a young male lion to photograph next to the river.
Unfortunately time ran out and before we saw the crossing we had to leave for
the airstrip to fly home.
Thanks
Gary, Entim and Dominique for a magical time in the Maasai Mara. Kenya, we'll
see you again soon!
Grey
Crowned Cranes | 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 100 |
Canon 1D X + Canon 600mmf/4 lens | Aperture priority, 0 ev
Join
me in the Maasai Mara in 2015: http://theafricanphotographer.com/join-safari/maasai-mara-migration-6-13-september-2015/
Text and Photographs By: Isak Pretorius
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