A Productive Morning at the Hide

After a night of strong winds, we were unsure of what the morning would hold for our regular Matabole Hide session. We set off from the lodge before dawn into the crisp morning air, all wrapped up for our 30min drive towards the hide. As the sun slowly rose where excited to see the many puffs of scattered cloud cover slowly illuminate creating a fantastic backdrop to what we hoped would be a great hide session.

On arrival to the hide we set up our camera gear, we even experimented with a more artist approach to shooting with a Go Pro that we had lodged inside the waterhole. All set up and ready to go, and right on queue an elephant bull arrived. The bull gave us a good show before meandering off back into the Mopane. He most certainly set the tone for the morning with great birds following pursuit, as well as, herds of impala, a troop of baboons, a terrapin and a shy squirrel.

Feeling very content with our morning spent at the hide, we decided to head back to camp for brunch. Jokingly we mentioned between us that all we needed to top off an already top class morning in the bush would be a leopard ... and in true Mashatu style a leopard we did see!

 

Clouds making a perfect backdrop for the morning activity

 

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C4 Photo Hide Update

What a start to the photographic season in the C4 Hides at Mashatu Game Reserve. After scoping out a colony of White-fronted Bee-eaters hard at work digging away at the banks of the Majalie River, we rushed back to camp to collect the mobile hide. We gave the birds 2 days to get used to the big green ‘box-like’ object above their colony before setting off before sunrise to capture these beautifully coloured creatures in first light.

Unfortunately the morning was overcast, but this ended up working in our favour as we had more time to spend with the birds before the harsh light of the day kicked in. After 10mins of not one bird in sight and a slightly dampened faith that the colony had taken to us, the first bird arrived. Thereafter the performance continued until our batteries where dead and memory card where full up.

Being co-operative breeders the juvenile birds from the first clutches of the season, where hard at work digging holes and collecting food for their families within the colony. The juveniles make for perfect subjects as they are almost oblivious to the photographers and the tent, allowing the photographers to get close to them.

During the course of our action packed morning we had multiple visitors including, Laughing Dove, Meve’s Starling, African Hoopoe and Carmine Bee-eaters, not to forget mating White-fronted Bee-eaters!

White-fronted Bee-eater

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The Hide's Gone Cuckoo

Over the past 2 weeks here at Mashatu Game Reserve, there has been a huge influx in bird species as all the migratory birds start returning for the season. This change has brought the underground hide some special new faces in the form of a variety of cuckoo species. Knowing that this festival of cuckoos at the hide has a very fragile time limit, photographers visiting the hide have been going wild at the opportunity. As soon as the first solid rain falls arrive in the area the concentration of cuckoos will disperse around the reserve.

This far spotted at the hide: Klaas’s Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Diderick Cuckoo, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Levaillant’s Cuckoo and Jacobin Cuckoo.

Heard at the hide, but not yet seen:  Red-chested Cuckoo

Also seen at the hide:  Burchell’s and Senegal Coucal.

 

Great Spotted Cuckoo take off

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Pantanal Photo Tour 2015

After a recent scouting trip to the Pantanal in Brazil we are now proud to announce our first safari to South America!

The Pantanal is a magical destination of excellent bird life, amazing mammals and of course their apex predator, the Jaguar.

We will be spending time in some of the best locations for each species and ending off with 4 nights on the Jaguar floating hotel right in the heart of Jaguar country.
Join us on this fantastic journey to a wetland that is three times as large as the Okavango Delta, and with more species!

For more information please visit Pantanal Photo Tour

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