Green Season Botswana January 2016: Part Two - the Amazing Duba Plains; Leopards of Selinda and incredible scenic flight!

[madaboutcheetah]

Patience has finally run out ........ Time for a nap????

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@madaboutcheetah

 

The male lion with cub sequence is top-quality wildlife photography.

Not only the terrific sighting, but the overall composition and lighting are an inspiration.

Thank you for posting this. It shows what's possible on game drives after one acquires substantial experience.

Like it a lot!

Tom K.

[madaboutcheetah]

Beautiful Duba Plains ..........

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@madaboutcheetah

 

What species is shown in the two images following the elephants, preceding the wattled cranes?

I'm uncertain, after looking at the photos.

I really like the hippo-out-of-water images, especially with the buffalo.

Your photography in Botswana is the kind of education which is also a pleasure!

Tom K.

[PT123]

Tom, I had the same question as they didn't seem immediately recognizable to me (perhaps immature black-back jackal)?

 

Hari: great report, I especially like the below...I can hear him roaring in my head!

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Tom, I think they are side-striped jackal ..... Thank you!!!

 

@@PT123 - he was calling out to his brother who was a couple kms away with the other game drive vehicle.

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@madaboutcheetah and @@PT123

 

Side-striped jackals — COOL!

It's posts like this which train one's vision for the next safari.

By not recognizing a species, but inquiring of the photographer, one gradually builds up a sense of what's what, even if the species in question is relatively seldom observed.

With @@madaboutcheetah's many other trip reports, as with several other Safaritalk members, I've gradually sharpened my capacity to recognize mammal and bird species, both adult and juvenile.

Species identification is necessarily an ongoing process, with the presence of inter-specific hybrids, sub-species, and genetic quirks in individual animals.

During the 11½ months during which I've been a Safaritalk member, I've found that my species recognition rate has sharply accelerated as a direct consequence of the excellent trip report images posted.

Thank you so much for this very helpful identification.

Tom K.

[pomkiwi]

@@madaboutcheetah Thank-you for this report and the superb images. I particularly like the quality of the light in many of them (notably the lion sequences). Have you needed to do much post-processing work?

[madaboutcheetah]

@@pomkiwi - Thank You!!! I post process in Light Room - so, it's all very quick. Just basic PP in RAW conversion - i.e., sharpening the raw images etc etc., also in LR you can make your pre-sets ..... so, it's pretty easy now for me.

 

I am not Photoshop savvy unfortunately - don't know how to use it!

 

LR is idiot proof for someone like me - it's easy!

[madaboutcheetah]

The last batch of photos from Duba ......... Many Thanks to everyone for keeping me motivated through the editing - you guys are all too kind!!!

 

In Summary, Duba Plains is a very unique destination in the Delta ...... incredibly scenic and specialises on specific species of mammals and birds. Great Plains is a phenomenal operator and everything about Duba is awesome........... Be it - in camp; or out in the bush!!! However, at the moment I sense that the interaction between Lion and Buffalo is rather sporadic. Perhaps, as the cubs grow older (and they will in the next few months) the demand for more meat will force the Lions to hunt buffalo more often..........

[Caracal]

So enjoyed seeing more of Duba Plains through your great photos.

 

I'm sure you're right re side-striped jackal in post 106.

 

The standing jackal doesn't have obvious side stripes but it does have the tell tale white tip to the tail.

Also the jackal lying down does appear to have the side stripes.

 

[cheetah80]

Oh the little ones playing with their dad are precious! Brilliant photos!

Edited March 1, 2016 by cheetah80

[TonyQ]

@@madaboutcheetah

Brilliant photos!. The lion with cubs is wonderful and such special light. Elephant with baby and the jackal interaction are also special.

The antelope (lechwe?) in the flowers is a fine advertisement for the green season in it self - but then so is the whole of your trip report. Thank you for posting

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @@Caracal @@cheetah80 and @@TonyQ

 

Yes, that's a lechwe!

 

PS - I just read some updates online that the Skimmer pride was recently discovered with 4 tiny cubs. WOW!!! Duba is going to Rock ..........

[Marks]

Excellent photos comprising a record of all facets of these lions' lives, the playful and the deadly serious together.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks @@Marks

[hannahcat]

I just feasted on this trip report in one go, and what an amazing treat it was!

 

Your arial shots are spectacular, and you make those wild dog photos LOOK so easy! I know in my head that the dogs were likely going a mile a minute, and fighting over most of those bones and scraps too, but your pictures make it look as though they were the most relaxed creatures in the world, taking a bite, pausing to look around, striking a pose, etc. You just really capture each instant with them perfectly, and let each of them have their own personalities.

 

And the cubs! The leopard cub pictures are so intimate a portrait of the mother leopard with very young cubs, while the lion pictures are just wonderful portrayals of a day with older cubs -- sometimes they're great fun, sometimes they're annoying, but seeing the interactions is amazing.

 

I think my absolute favorite thing about your pictures, though, is the context in which you place your animals. I'll have to give that more thought myself -- unlike the closeups that are so tempting to take with a zoom lens, you really give the animals in your pictures a lot of space to play out their lives and have interactions. I really, really admire that in your photography.

 

Thanks so much for sharing, and for the tidbits about the prides in the area, the fig tree, and the all other bits of your travels. I loved reading about it all.

[madaboutcheetah]

@@hannahcat - what can I say? - Thank You!!! You are too generous with your comments .......... I am still learning every day and still have a long way to go!

 

Leopard - I don't know. To me they are a little more challenging photographically, because I haven't spent nearly as much time with them as I have Cheetah - so, predicting their move or even doing something from a composition aspect is something I need to learn.

 

Thank You again, and glad you enjoyed the photos.............

[Neeners815]

I just read through this thread and the photos blew my mind. I was already excited about our first African safari, but your pics and words managed to raise the level of anticipation even higher. How in the world am I going to wait until November? Thank you so much for sharing!

[madaboutcheetah]

@@Neeners815 - you will have an amazing time! You are doing both Duba and Selinda?

[Neeners815]

@@madaboutcheetah Yes! Very excited. I can't stop reading trip reports. It feels like November is so far away, but I know it will be here before we know it. Thanks for all of your help and suggestions!

[Kitsafari]

@@madaboutcheetah I've been away too Long and am finally catching up or caught up!

 

Those Duba males are stunning! So clean and handsome boys. And you captured so well those endearing moments between the pride males and the Cubs.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks, guys ........ @@Neeners815 and @@Kitsafari !!!!

[Hads]

@@madaboutcheetah - thanks for a superb TR.

That first male lion photo in your Duba section is an absolute brute of a cat. Classis photo, well done.

[Atravelynn]

Your lion sequence encompasses the whole of life in the pride. The father - cub interactions are exceptional. This is a loving leader of his pride!