Niyam's African Adventure (August 2013)

[ZaminOz]

@@africapurohit

Still enjoying yours and Niyam's adventures.

How did Niyam go with the photography?

[africapurohit]

@@ZaminOz he done OK, considering he was using a camera without image stabilisation (I did set it to a fast shutter speed to help him out). I will post some of his photos at the end.

[africapurohit]

Our afternoon drive was one of those where you have no particular agenda and just amble around at a leisurely pace - and it was very enjoyable.......

 

A breeding herd of elephants very close to Serian Camp. This herd became a regular fixture during the rest of our stay and would be seen from the camp daily at around mid-afternoon.

 

We also spent time with some of the smaller animals like rock hyrax, klipspringers and an African hare. Niyam enjoyed watching a bachelor herd of impalas prancing and sparring.

 

[africapurohit]

Our birding highlight was a very relaxed Dark Chanting-Goshawk that let us approach quite close. We also found a pair of Southern Ground Hornbills amongst the Kopjes and, unintentionally, captured a juvenile Augur Buzzard in flight when trying to photograph it perched.

 

[africapurohit]

As we were leaving the Wogakuria Kopjes we saw a couple of stationary vehicles close to the track that were focussing on a large male leopard. They were part of an organised photographic tour and were due to leave the next morning but this leopard was not cooperating! He had gorged himself on a wildebeest calf that he had killed in the morning and apart from the occasional lift of his head, he was not interested. So while the photography party focussed on the leopard, I turned around and enjoyed the amazing sunset.

 

[AKR1]

Just beautiful pictures, AP and what has turned into a truly exceptional trip report. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[madaboutcheetah]

Just beautiful pictures, AP and what has turned into a truly exceptional trip report. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

Ditto .....

 

Awesome!!!

[ZaminOz]

+2

[Zim Girl]

@@africapurohit

 

what is the bird in picture 6 of post 366?

[africapurohit]

@@africapurohit

 

what is the bird in picture 6 of post 366?

@@Zim Girl it's a Ruppell's Griffon Vulture - even vultures can look beautiful

[Zim Girl]

Thank you. I did indeed think it looked beautiful.

[Kitsafari]

 

@@africapurohit

 

what is the bird in picture 6 of post 366?

@@Zim Girl it's a Ruppell's Griffon Vulture - even vultures can look beautiful

 

 

 

yes it was! i thought it was a really beautiful bird.

[africapurohit]

We found this lone vulture perched on a dead tree in the Wogakuria Kopjes area. The previous photo in that post sets the scene and it let us approach quite closely to get the photo. I think being perched quite low and having the sky as the background helped - as most of my other photos have the vultures sitting on grass.

[africapurohit]

I forgot to add some photos of the amazing cloud formations we saw during the afternoon drive on Day 4, so here they are......

 

[twaffle]

Those Serengeti photos make me itch to get there.

[Sangeeta]

The photos keep getting better and better, AP!

 

Gosh, so envious of you photographers! I can just picture your walls at home.

 

Shame about the rhino but the wildies are magnificent.

[Raelond]

What an amazing adventure! Your son is one lucky boy. Now that this trip is over, were you satisfied at the number of days you spent at each camp? Especially interested in your 7 days in Kavati in one camp. I suppose if one picks the right camp more days are better than less days.

[africapurohit]

@@twaffle is it a July trip? If so, I really hope the Mara River is kind to you and lets you cross into the Lamai Wedge. Your photography will thrive in those isolated open spaces. I've got a few more drives in the Lamai Wedge coming up which will give you a good idea of what I mean.

 

Thanks @@Sangeeta, my walls at home are covered in blu-tak and the art created by my boys at school - but I wouldn't want it any other way . Some mind-blowing wildebeest action still to come....

[africapurohit]

Thanks @@Raelond

 

I love spending as long as possible in one place - it means I don't have to rush around and can really explore the area. You spend so much time and money to get to Katavi that it makes sense give it as much time as possible. Personally, I could spend 4 weeks in Katavi - even 7 days didn't do it justice!

 

The other factor in this trip was Niyam - the long stays helped him to settle at each camp and allowed me to experiment with different routines regarding gamedrive start times and length.

[africapurohit]

The morning of Day 5 seemed eerily quiet. The visitors looking for crossings has to work hard and even these were relatively small - was this the calm before the storm? Niyam loved the Wogakuria Kopjes, dotted with multiple "Pride Rocks", so Mdebe decided to set up breakfast there this morning. Niyam enjoyed the morning eating breakfast on one of the small kopjes and being allowed to jump from one kopje to another. The day started with a wonderful sunrise......

 

A hippo staggering across the road after a late night out

African Green-Pigeon

Perched Ruppell's Griffon Vulture on the tree where the wildebeest carcass remained. The male leopard from the previous day was nowhere to be seen.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Secretary Bird

Even giraffe used some of the higher points around the kopjes to their advantage

Breakfast on a (small) kopje

Niyam having a post-breakfast education session with Mdebe, investigating the tracks in the sand

On top of the world (well, Niyam thought so)

[africapurohit]

The highlight of the morning was finding a small herd of Coke's Hartebeest in the Olakira Kopje area - an uncommon sighting in northern Serengeti. We also came across a Bohor Reedbuck lying under some fallen branches. It let us approach very closely and there was a possibility that it was ill - there was a lone hyena hanging around the area too.

 

Temminck's Courser

Mdebe identified this immature Bateleur, picking at the leg bone of a wildebeest. There has been recent discussion on Safaritalk about identifying young Bateleurs following an image posted by @@madaboutcheetah

[madaboutcheetah]

You have a good view of the short tail here .......

[ZaminOz]

Hyena? I thought it was a bear!

[africapurohit]

The plan for the afternoon was to head back into the Lamai Wedge and photograph the plains game (but also had some great opportunities to capture some hyena images). I left the 7D + 100-400mm in the bag and only used the 5D Mark iii with the 70-200 lens to capture the wonderful spaces found in the Lamai Wedge - and I was pleased with the results. All photos are chronological order to give you an idea of how the light changes during the afternoon in the Lamai Wedge.

 

One of my first photos captured an Egyptian Goose sitting on a mound and I remembered one of the photos taken by @@twaffle in the Masai Mara depicting a similar scene. I also got a great sequence of "synchronised drinking" by a pair of Egyptian Geese....

 

[africapurohit]

We visited five different waterholes and found a wallowing hyena at each one - some remained relaxed while others seemed to be disturbed by our presence......