The Circle of Life in Just 9 Days, Tanzania Mid-Feb

[Jochen]

The app is a piece of paper with the printed grid shown, only the cells are about 3 times as big as those shown here so I can write in them in a sloppy and loopy manner while driving. I took a handful of those sheets with me, using some real old thin paper to save weight. The grid is made in Excel. Then I copy it and paste it as a paste special, choosing Pictures Window Metafile, into a Publisher document. Then I save the Publisher document as a JPeg so that it can be uploaded here as an attachment. A table or Excel doc does not format properly in safaritalk so I used a JPeg. There is probably an easier way to make the info presentable.

 

Someone should make a smartphone/tablet app like this.

That would make things much easier for you (and me, because I'd use it as well, haha)

[Soukous]

A wonderfully detailed and informative report @@Atravelynn

really enjoyed the leopard kill and the Ndutu scenes.

I also like the way you log your sightings. I've always just used a note pad I can scribble in, but I might copy your method next time out.

[FlyTraveler]

What a trip report @@Atravelynn !!! I don't know where to start my comments from... so many great photographs, no time to comment individual ones (perhaps later), great style of writing (your TR is both joy for the eye and the heart and also very useful).

 

The info shared here should be printed as a textbook and used for field guides' training in Tanzania... I will at least place it on a MS Word or PDF file and use it as a reference book.

 

How does the booking work? Did you (or your agent) book the camp and the driver/vehicle separately? I assume that the camp is this fantastic looking camp

 

If it is not too sensitive information, would you share with us the total cost per night in Ndutu (lodging, game drives, food, park fees)? If you do not wish to go public on this, a personal message would do a great job If I decide to do a safari in Northern Tanzania in February, this would be one of the very best choices, unless out of my budget limit.

 

Once again, thanks for sharing all this beauty + info with us, I shall be coming back to this report time and time again...

[Atravelynn]

@@FlyTraveler,

 

I emailed Bill Given at The Wild Source and said I had 2 windows of dates I could travel. Bill thought the odds of a birth were higher with these dates vs. early March (which is a time I'd like to try in the future). We settled on these dates. I wanted George from my previous experience with him as a guide and he was available.

 

Then we discussed lodging. I asked about Nasikia where I had stayed the year before or Ndutu Lodge, maybe even Savannah Camp. My goal was location and minimizing costs. Ndutu Lodge was full. Bill suggested Wild Frontier Ndutu Wilderness Camp because they had a good relationship. He got pricing from them in July 2013, which is when prices for 2014 generally come out. I think Ndutu Lodge allows reservations and has pricing sooner. If I recall right, back in 2013 Nasikia was just under Ndutu's cost. WFront NWC in 2014 was right around the Ndutu cost, might have been under, but very close. Bill now has his own mobile camp that sets up in Ndutu, not far from WFront NWC. It is The Wild Source Research Camp.

 

Somehow I feel better giving specific pricing and money matters in a pm. Maybe out of respect for the agent who corresponds with me regarding numbers and not necessarily the world. Maybe it is just a deep seated cultural thing about discretion on personal finances, or my own personal hangup. It's like those bars where you throw peanut shells on the floor. I still make a little pile of empty shells instead of tossing them. Just can't do it. Anyway, a pm is on its way shortly and thanks for the accolades.

----------------------

All done through Bill. Very simple, few back and forths. I asked for Wildlife Lodge in Manyara.

 

@@Soukous, No patent on the printout, so go right ahead and use that technique in your far flung travels.

 

@@pault, Please don't feel sad. But it would be fun to at least cross paths sometime. I'd love to meet you, your wife, and if she is along, the legendary Bibi! I think I once threatened you with a wedgie. Rest assured I would resort to no such antics should we ever meet. I think Bibi would set me straight in a hurry if I got out of line.

 

@@Jochen, Based on some of your computer advice, I think you should be the one to make the gamewatching recordkeeping app. Then turn that head gear of yours into something along the lines of Google Glasses and install the app. Now there's an innovation!

 

@@TonyQ, The green season does offer more life than death on balance. From flora to fauna, it really bursts with renewal. That's a slogan for Feb and March!

 

@@SafariChick, Thank you. Upon seeing the results of that photo you mention, I said, "nice job Canon, I like that." It was very interesting light. There was not a lot of that "golden light" this trip due to clouds or drizzle.

 

@@twaffle & @@graceland, 9 days does go very fast. I've found that on just the 4th day on a nature-intensive trip, I feel like I have been transported to another world and the rest all melts away.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Atravelynn

[FlyTraveler]

@@FlyTraveler,

 

I emailed Bill Given at The Wild Source and said I had 2 windows of dates I could travel. Bill thought the odds of a birth were higher with these dates vs. early March (which is a time I'd like to try in the future). We settled on these dates. I wanted George from my previous experience with him as a guide and he was available.

 

Then we discussed lodging. I asked about Nasikia where I had stayed the year before or Ndutu Lodge, maybe even Savannah Camp. My goal was location and minimizing costs. Ndutu Lodge was full. Bill suggested Wild Frontier Ndutu Wilderness Camp because they had a good relationship. He got pricing from them in July 2013, which is when prices for 2014 generally come out. I think Ndutu Lodge allows reservations and has pricing sooner. If I recall right, back in 2013 Nasikia was just under Ndutu's cost. WFront NWC in 2014 was right around the Ndutu cost, might have been under, but very close. Bill now has his own mobile camp that sets up in Ndutu, not far from WFront NWC. It is The Wild Source Research Camp.

 

Somehow I feel better giving specific pricing and money matters in a pm. Maybe out of respect for the agent who corresponds with me regarding numbers and not necessarily the world. Maybe it is just a deep seated cultural thing about discretion on personal finances, or my own personal hangup. It's like those bars where you throw peanut shells on the floor. I still make a little pile of empty shells instead of tossing them. Just can't do it. Anyway, a pm is on its way shortly and thanks for the accolades.

 

Thanks, @@Atravelynn ! Actually you have answered my question without breaking your moral principles

[Double Dare]

What a great report and trip (as usual). Ben wants to see the migration and I might have to plan a trip like this to do it. Way too many places and too little time and money.

[Jochen]

@@Jochen, Based on some of your computer advice, I think you should be the one to make the gamewatching recordkeeping app. Then turn that head gear of yours into something along the lines of Google Glasses and install the app. Now there's an innovation!

 

No thanks. I'm trying to get more time out of the office. Not in it!

[KathBC]

Thoroughly enjoyed this Lynn! Fantastic photos especially the cheetah - so how do you photograph a moving animal??

[Kitsafari]

is it all over already? surely you have more photos to share? the leopard kill is only possible with your own PV and guide, and patience, isn't it? but so well worth it. i love that sunrise pix with the lion in it. quintessential Africa image.

 

thanks for sharing. another possibility in the endless list of places to go in africa....

[sugarpond]

I loved my Wild Source safari and my guide Fadhil!

[Pennyanne]

@@Atravelynn. Wow what a trip! I just read the whole report and have now added these locations to my future trip list.

That leopard kill was amazing and what a lovely encounter you had with the mother cheetah and her cubs. This is a great trip report, full of very useful information and a most enjoyable read.

[michael-ibk]

It seems you got all you aimed for with this trip - lots of births, cheetahs cheetahs and cheetahs (with the cutest cubs possible) and a leopard kill. How cool is that?

 

Like everybody else I really like your sightings "app". I very much enjoy "plains" or "general game" and often wonder when reading TRs how many of them are around. Not with your reports, you really covered everything. Thank you.

[sugarpond]

Love the giraffe bouquet! Wild Source's Fadhil took us through Ndutu last Feb/March and reading your report just brings it all back! Big Marsh and Little Marsh! If I can ever go back, I just want to do the same thing again!

[sugarpond]

How can it be over already??? I love the light on your Last Day lions!

[Sangeeta]

Just finished. Lovely images - now that I can see what my camera (one model older than yours) can really do, I am thoroughly ashamed of how little I know about it!

 

The cheetah babies are a winner in every sense of the word and I also loved your many water crossings too. 9 days do go by in a hurry but they were really intense. That's almost exactly the same WF tent that Bill gave me on my Serengeti mobile. I liked it a lot and the camp crew as well.

 

Someone was in touch with me recently about a safari app that pretty much does all you did with pen & paper. I linked him to this report and told him that he'd have a lot of takers if he talked about it on ST.

 

What a lovely report again, Lynn. Thank you for all the nuggets you always share.

[Super LEEDS]

That sound is not air escaping the tyres.

 

Thanks for sharing, loved the tiny cheetahs!

[armchair bushman]

you're right, the first one is a Martial Eagle, without a doubt. The second one can only be a Common Snipe. Think there's only 1 or 2 vagrant records of Jack Snipe in NTZ. Jack Snipes also have a considerably shorter bill than what's shown in the photo.

Cool photos @@Atravelynn!

[Atravelynn]

Thanks for all the comments and the bird IDs.

- so how do you photograph a moving animal??

This response from a non-techie with a high end P&S and it is designed for those without DSLRs and who like VERY BASIC steps. The safaritalk assistance I received pre-trip helped make some of the photos possible.

 

1. On my Cannon, the speed setting is in TV mode. Could be different on other cameras. Dial to the TV mode and change the speed to a higher # in the denominator of the fraction. The numerator of the fraction is always 1. Maybe choose 800 (1/800) or if it is bright out, even a little higher (1/1000).

 

2. Push down the shutter button half way and look at the brightness in the viewfinder. If the view is real dark, then reduce the speed to something lower in the denominator. Maybe 500 (1/500) instead of 800 (1/800).

 

3. Another way to counteract the dark view is to make the ISO higher. Anything higher than about 800 in ISO and the photos on my camera are compromised. If you just want documentation, then compromised photos are ok.

 

4. Again, push down the shutter button half way and look at the brightness in the viewfinder. If the view is real dark, then increase the ISO. If the view is too bright and washed out, then decrease the ISO. You can also use the AUTO for ISO, so all you are dealing with is the TV speed. The camera will decide what is the appropriate ISO to go with the TV speed you choose.

 

5. If you have time, take a few shots at your speed settings and your ISO settings and view the results. Some adjustment might be needed.

 

Poor light and fast animals make for less than ideal photos, whatever the camera, I believe. Those $40,000 setups might handle this combo better than the Canon SX50 HS, though. Example below.

 

The fast 10 shots per second button does not freeze a running or even an ambling subject. So just using that many shots per second second is not an alternative to the TV setting.

 

 

 

is it all over already? surely you have more photos to share? the leopard kill is only possible with your own PV and guide, and patience, isn't it? but so well worth it. i love that sunrise pix with the lion in it. quintessential Africa image.

 

thanks for sharing. another possibility in the endless list of places to go in africa....

The leopard kill is far more possible with your own guide and patience. You could always happen upon something like the leopard kill, but odds are far less.

 

I feel like a member of the band on stage with lighters flicking in the crowd. Thanks for your enthusiasm and a short encore.

I like how the subject is not the cheetahs, but the wildebeest Very early morning under heavy clouds. ISO = 1600; Speed = 1/800. The results The vastness of the Serengeti and the solitariness of the cheetah come together

are not sharp and clear, but I actually like the painting-like effect.

 

 

 

Wild Source's Fadhil took us through Ndutu last Feb/March and reading your report just brings it all back! Big Marsh and Little Marsh! If I can ever go back, I just want to do the same thing again!

I was thinking that some day when the budget may allow just one trip per year, I'd just do an annual Feb or March Ndutu trip and perhaps add on a little something else in Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, or South Africa.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Atravelynn

[cheetah80]

What a fabulous report @@Atravelynn! I almost literally melted at the sight of those little fluffy cheetah cubs - what an awesome sighting! Your note-keeping is really impressive, as is the detail in reporting. Lovely photos too. George seems to be a really great guide. Thanks for sharing all this with us!

[Atravelynn]

Thank you @@cheetah80 and everyone else for your interest.

[madaboutcheetah]

Just catching up with your report, Lynn ... Thank You!!!! .... Looks like Ndutu delivered the Cheetah promise!!!

 

I've also been following the cheetah research program's updates the past 10 days or so ..... lots of great info there!!!

 

your immaculate notes at all your sightings is very impressive and the excitement of your sightings are shared with the rest of us !!!!

Edited April 26, 2014 by madaboutcheetah

[johnkok]

@@Atravelynn

 

I am restraining myself mightily so as not to gush. But what a wonderful TR. Informative and evocative, and induces a huge dollop of longing - you know, the one where we wish we had actually been there with you instead of just feeling like we have?

 

I am also humbled by what you have delivered photographically with modest gear. Fully made up for with your skill, patience, planning and of course, a great guide.

 

My wife and I are just about to lock in a Feb 2015 Ndutu and crater safari with that "ampersand" company (happens to be our preferred company, having traveled and stayed with many). Your perseverance with note-keeping (& your phenomenal memory) and your magnanimity in sharing that with us (we are not worthy! bow!) has also affirmed many things for us. Thanks again.

 

Jill and John

[Atravelynn]

Come now, you are all most worthy!

 

It was the clients in the ampersand vehicle that misbehaved.

 

Do lock in Feb 2015 and then it will by my turn to wish I were with you! Thanks for the most kind response @@johnkok!

 

Those cheetahs are probably back in Central Serengeti now, @@madaboutcheetah.

[africapurohit]

@@Atravelynn what a fantastic 9 days! Your wonderful photos and details have brought the "South" to life. Too many great photos to comment on but I love the pygmy falcon!

 

What was even more impressive was the "juggernaut" like application to complete this report in 4 days! I'm sure the trip report is meant to take longer than the duration of the safari .

[Atravelynn]

Juggernaut--what a term! I posted in 4 days but got a headstart on putting it all together. True confessions. Thanks @@africapurohit.