“Everything in Africa bites, but the safari bug is worst of all”
-Brian Jackman
It is easy to think that a visit to the Masai Mara or other areas of Africa is about big cats and elephants. However, it is so much more than that.
A huge part is about “being there”. Hearing the birds call and insects buzz, seeing a flash of colour as a kingfisher or bee eater passes, watching large birds of prey fly over head. Enjoying views over the plains, dotted with wildebeest, gazelle and antelope, a pack of mongoose digging the earth for beetles, a warthog family running off with their tails held high, a topi on a mound trying to impress the ladies.
Seeing the light change at sunrise and sunset, watching the skies change as a storm builds, the sky getting increasingly darker, a loud crash of thunder, dramatic bolts of lightening.
There’s always something new to experience and surprise you.
Whispering Sweet Nothings. The wide variety of wildlife is one of the big attractions of the Masai Mara and one favourite of mine is the jackal. They are often seen in pairs and are brave enough to sneak up to a lion kill to take a scrap or two. We found a jackal den at sunrise, with the jackal pups feeling playful whilst mum kept watch.
A Little Help From My Friends. Oxpeckers play a big role for mammals. As well as eating ticks and other parasites, they also make warning calls if they see a potential predator nearby. Here they are helping out a male impala early one morning.
Freedom. Taken at 1/12th of a second so the image reflects the motion of the zebra on the open plain.
The Best Time Of Day. A lone rhino feeding at dawn.
The Age Of Innocence. A baby gorilla looks up to mum, in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Big Ears. Bat eared foxes are nocturnal and are generally very skittish, running off into the distance once you've spotted them. On one visit to the Mara it had been a particularly wet November and sightings of foxes were more common, presumably because their dens were flooded. We found a family using a termite mound as a den and they were unusually chilled, posing for a family portrait.
Watch Your Speed. A herd of wildebeest were spooked by a nearby lion. I picked out a single wildebeest and took the shot at 1/12th of a second, resulting in the motion blur on the grass and nearby bushes.
Gold and Black. A wildebeest at dusk.
Intrigue. One of a pair of spotted eagle owls in the northern desert of Namibia. They were the only living creatures we saw for days, with the exception of insects, and it's incredible to think that we were possibly the first humans they've ever seen.
Stripes. A herd of zebra taking advantage of a water hole in the Etosha National Park, Namibia.
I've Got Your Back. This will have been one of the first sunrises this baby topi will have experienced. Topi are notorious for their great eyesight, and are used as the eyes of the Mara by other animals, alerting them to any nearby predators.
Eye Contact. I had wanted to visit gorillas after seeing David Attenborough on television with them many years ago. It remains one of my favourite wildlife experiences. The gorillas paid little attention to us, going about their normal day to day, but occasionally they made eye contact and the emotions welled up! Taken in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Two Princes. Black faced impala are endemic to Namibia, with only 3,000 now thought to be in the wild. Their need for perennial water has meant they have a restricted habitat, impacting numbers as the climate changes. Taken in Etosha National Park, Namibia.
The Ghost. A black rhino taken at 1/4th of a second.
Having A Laugh. Zebra have quite an unusual call which i sometimes still confuse with hyena. It was great capturing them here calling in front of the dawn skies.
Nit Picker. A very focused oxpecker looking for bugs. They help keep ticks and other parasites under control on many animals in the Mara, as well as providing alarm calls if predators are nearby.
My Throne. We spent a few days in the desert in the north of Namibia surrounded by an incredible landscape. In this time we didn't see another person or mammal, just a few insects and incredibly a pair of spotted eagle owls, living amongst the rocks.
The Pied Piper. The best advice I have if you visit gorillas is take some shots and then put your camera away and just watch. It's too easy to just look through a tiny view finder and not take in what is all around you. Taken in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Mirror Image. Wildebeest watching each other's backs at dawn. It was one of those wonderful bright red skies!
Reflecting On Life. Taken in the Etosha National Park, Namibia.
Thumb Suck. A baby gorilla in its mother's arms. I love that Elvist style hair! Taken in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Fields Of Gold. An oryx, the national animal of Namibia, pauses on the sand dunes, before making its way into the desert. Taken in the Namib desert, Namibia.
New Romance. A couple of topi watch as the sun rises.
Patience Is A Virtue (Apparently). Lilac breasted rollers are one of those birds I have been fortunate enough to spend time with, but I've spent many hours waiting for them to take off and have run out of patience. As soon as I lower the camera the damn thing finally flies! For once hereI found one that was well behaved.
The Kiss. A jackal showing affection for her playful cub at first light.
African Skies. Migrating wildebeest at dawn.
Sweet Dreams. On the first day visiting gorillas we were fortunate enough to be with a group with three silverbacks and twin babies, this being one of them. It was a long 2-3 hour trek at altitude and I can't thank the porter who carried up my camera gear enough! The whole experience was incredibly emotional and I still well up now. Seeing the tenderness between mum and her babies was incredible. Taken in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Three Of A Kind. Ostriches feeding at dawn.