Selous : Siwandu 2010 & 2014

[Bush dog]

Continued (afternoon boat trip 3rd day 2014)

 

 

At the end of the day, the pelicans came back from lake Manze to rejoin their roosting places. Two days before, they came from the opposite direction. The chosen way depends on the winds.

 

 

To close such a wonderful afternoon on the lake, a beautiful sunset.

 

 

Back at the camp, we heard that during the afternoon game drive, some guests saw 5 lions feeding on a buffalo.

[Bush dog]

4th DAY 2010

 

Morning game drive

 

This morning was a zebras’ and young impalas’ morning. This year I did not even see one zebra at all. Then , on the way to the Beho Beho, and after struggling to find them, we finally spot wild dogs. They were resting deep under a very thick palm bush, reason why we had some problems to finally discover them. Sorry, no pictures.

 

[Geoff]

Mike, those zebra images are gorgeous.

[FlyTraveler]

Fabulous zebra and skimmers photos @@Bush dog! The close ups of the hippo and the croc and the pelicans in flight during the sunset are other favorites of mine. As always, your images are a real joy for the eyes and the soul!

[Atravelynn]

Really like the first photo from the post above @@Bush dog - the face expression of the young male lion and the sharpness and clarity of the image. The photos of the calling African fish eagle (especially the first one) are great, as well.

That's just what I was thinking.

 

The croc teeth are so close you could floss 'em.

 

Wonderful skimmers in flight.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Atravelynn

[madaboutcheetah]

Mike those last two segments were awesome - you had magical light there

[Soukous]

@@Bush dog your photos are always a delight but when it comes to beautiful close ups of birds you are a master. some stunning shots, especially the bee eaters and kingfisher

[twaffle]

Loved these pelicans and zebras, wonderful.

[Bush dog]

Mike those last two segments were awesome - you had magical light there

Thanks a lot, Hari. I think that you can find magical light everywhere during mid season. Sun on one side, and threatening skies, often in the afternoon, on the other are always a good combination to produce gorgeous lights. I remember similar lights in the Mara in May and in the Selinda in the second part of October. But I must admit that the light in the Selous, at that time of the year, is something close to the supernatural.

[Bush dog]

Lynn, Geoff, @FlyTraveler@TonyQ@Soukous@twaffle

 

Thanks a lot for your comments and your kind words.

[Bush dog]

4th DAY 2010

 

Afternoon game drive

 

Following as usual the lake’s shores, we found a huge crocodile, sunken in the mud,

 

 

A black-winged stilt

 

 

And a sacred ibis

 

 

Then , we decided to try to rediscover the lions seen the day before. We found them a gully further. There was more open space in and out the gully and thus more photographic opportunities than the previous day.

 

 

To be continued

[Bush dog]

Continued (game drive 4th day 2010)

 

 

On the way back to the camp, another lionness, yawning, while walking.

 

[Kitsafari]

@@Bush dog Not sure how I missed this TR, but such gorgeous close-ups of the birds (especially the fish eagle calling and the skimmers) and the crocs.

 

Your retrospective justaxposed with your current trip really puts Sealous in perspective - very informative from my perspective.

 

The camp looks really nice, but i'm spoiled by other trips - starting at 8am would be missing those stunning sunrises! but your photos show you didn't miss the golden morning light either, although I think you did mention that you managed to leave the camp early at 6.30am?

 

Love the lion cubs btw.

[KathBC]

Wow! You're photography is outstanding!

 

There's nothing sweeter than lion cubs and those skimmers left me speechless.

[Bush dog]

@@Kitsafari

 

Thanks a lot for your comments.

I did, indeed, start twice at 6.30 but honestly, I did not notice any major differences, in terms of wildlife activity, with the other days, when I left at 8.00.

 

@@KathBC

 

Thank you for your kind words.

[Bush dog]

4th DAY 2014

 

Morning game drive

 

This morning, we decided to go and have a look at those 5 lions feeding on a buffalo. It’s quite far from the camp in an area of the reserve where it’s wide open and the roads are very bumpy. On the way, we saw some wildebeests. As soon as we came close by, we saw a lot of hyenas. The buffalo was almost completely devoured. The 5 lions were around, dirty with mud and their face and mouth, bloodstained. What happened in fact, is that the lions found the buffalo stuck in the mud and had no problems to finish it off.

 

On the way to the lions, this beautiful pearl-spotted owlet.

 

 

It’s only when I was back at home, looking at details on my pictures, that I noticed that this hyena is one-eyed.

 

 

 

 

This lion looks more, at least to me, like a big egyptian cat !

 

To be continued

[Bush dog]

Continued (morning game drive 4th day 2014)

 

 

We, then, went to lake Manze, a lot of girafes around and even if it’s almost completely dry, some hippos. The frenetic search for fish was still on. A big tree was full of juvenile fish eagles, so far, without their own territory. It looked like a noisy Christmas tree. There were also a lot of impalas around.

 

 

We were slowly on our way back to the camp, when we came on this

 

 

To be continued

[madaboutcheetah]

Oh Wow - the Martial!!! - Hope there's more from that series, Mike? .... I still await a good Martial sighting (whenever I've seen them; they are either too far or skittish and fly away too quick)

 

Love the vertical Lioness portraits and the pearl spotted owl

[Bush dog]

@@madaboutcheetah

 

Thanks Hari, and yes, there are more to come. The martial eagle is, indeed skittish, like many other raptors. You can only get close to it, if it's on a prey, and even then your approach has to be made step by step so that it get accustomed to your presence.

[Bush dog]

Continued (morning game drive 4th day 2014)

 

 

The road was running through wooded glades, when we spotted on the right, at about 20/25 meters, on the ground, the martial eagle and its prey, a big rock monitor. The capture probably occured not long before we arrived, the lizard was of course still alive. A part of its tail was missing but that was the result of another battle for life, I guess ?

 

The martial eagle was not on familiar ground, and as a consequence, worried. We decided not to go closer, so as not to add more to its stress, manifested by regular squeals and anxious looks in all directions, a similar behavior a cheetah can have when having caught a prey, or a leopard in the same situation when there are no trees or thick bushes around. The problem, for the martial eagle, was not to find a place to go with its prey, there were some suitable trees around, but first to weaken its prey and then to fly away with it. That was perhaps a bit too ambitious, the weight of a full grown rock monitor is about 8 to 9 kilos ?

 

When we arrived on the sighting, I said to Allen that I wanted to stay until the end. As we were, my wife and myself, the only guests on the car, it was very easy for him to agree. By the way, during the 2 first days, we were with a very nice american couple. When they left, the camp’s manager did not replace them by new guests and so we had, de facto, a private vehicle until the end of our stay. I did not ask for it. This customer’s friendly behavior was, I think, actuated by the fact that it was not my first visit to the camp.

 

While we were there, another car arrived. Fortunately they stayed at an acceptable distance and were gone after several minutes. It’s amazing, for me again, to see, and I do not complain of course, that most of the people only make long stops when the Fab Four (wild dog, cheetah, leopard and lion) or Big Five are involved ????????

 

To weaken its prey, the eagle tried to blind it.

 

 

A quick look at us.

 

 

I was surprised by this move. First attempt of the eagle to fly away with its prey.

 

 

It’s a failure, back on the ground

 

 

Another look to us.

 

 

New attempt to blind its prey

 

 

Third look at us

 

 

One more attempt to blind its prey, in the other eye this time.

 

 

No look at us anymore, we are now part of the scenery.

 

 

To be continued

[Tdgraves]

Wow

[madaboutcheetah]

Wow indeed!!! Speechless, Mike ...... Just brilliant!!!

[michael-ibk]

Triple Wow!

[Marks]

@@Bush dog Astounding detail on lots of these over the last two pages. The crocodile scale closeup seems "real" enough to touch. I was also impressed by the texture and detail inside the hippo's mouth.

[Bush dog]

@Marks@michael-ibk@madaboutcheetah@Tdgraves

 

Thanks a lot for your comments!