Follow the leader ...

Love this cute baby elephant - following mum towards the Chobe River, Botswana, for a swim.

Follow the leader :-)

For Hannah & Emma

African Delight ... Impala of Botswana

I do love Impala  ...

Even though they are one of the more common antelope of the African savannah, and known as "the Macdonalds of the bush" they have a serene and quiet beauty.   I love their eyes, eyelashes ears and their colour.        Impala [Aepyceros melampus]

Whilst with Pangolin Safaris we ventured into the Chobe National Park in the Unimog.   We are able to photograph from either side of the vehicle at any particular sighting.   We each had a seat with camera bean bag and an additional bean bag to use on the opposite side of the vehicle which we could move across to.

Colours of the Rainbow - Botswana's National Bird

Love these rainbow coloured birds ...   I had hoped to capture the Lilac Breasted Roller in flight or devouring its dinner.  Instead this Roller was happy to pose patiently for my photos.

National bird of Botswana  - What a stunner!!  

The Lilac Breasted Roller is a very colourful, heavy-billed bird with brilliant blue wing-feathers
and harsh, croaking voices.

Rollers spend much of the day hunting from a convenient perch in a tall tree, 

flying down to seize large insects, reptiles and other small prey on the ground.

The Roller is usually found singly or in pairs, sitting on an exposed perch.
The name “roller” is derived from its’ aerial displays which it performs year round. 

Lilac breasted rollers breed in natural tree cavities in trees and have active display flights
which involve aerial manoeuvres with much harsh calling. 
Their food consists of a variety of locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, butterflies and lizards.

The national bird of Botswana is the stunning multi-coloured Lilac Breasted Roller that gets its name from the aerial acrobatics some of these birds perform during courtship or territorial flights.  All rollers, including the lilac breasted rollers, are highly territorial. They are also thought to be monogamous.

Lilac Breasted Roller - Coracias caudata

Bye for now

Cheers Jen

A Baby African Elephant Swims ...

What an impressive sight - a herd of African Elephants in the middle of the Chobe River oblivious to all but their task at hand -  foraging, munching, swaying, stretching amongst the muddy vegetation.

As our boat nudged gently into the grassy clumps, the elephants on the right hand side of the photo below swayed over to check out the bow of our boat as well as our cameras.

Botswana's Chobe River is well known for its impressive herds of African Elephants - Loxodonta africana.
We observed these elephants to be calm and not concerned about our presence.

After digging up large clumps of grass, and then thrashing & shaking sand from the grass, this female African Elephant devours her fibrous selection.  She consumes a great quantity of food as part of her extremely varied vegetarian diet,  which includes grass, leaves, twigs, bark, fruit and seed pods.    

An African Elephant's trunk is a long nose used for smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, and grabbing things.   The trunk contains about 100,000 different muscles, and has two fingerlike features on the end of their trunk that they use to grab small items.  

An African elephant uses its large ears for cooling, communication & hearing.

Elephants are fond of water and enjoy drinking, bathing, wallowing, playing & showering in the Chobe River.  

Check out the baby elephant ...
This family herd of female elephants (cows) and their young are enjoying a swim across the Chobe River.

The herd is reaching the other side of the Chobe River.

Time to dry off and enjoy a stroll whilst foraging for food.

These hungry animals do not sleep much, and they roam over great distances while foraging for the large quantities of food that they require to sustain their massive bodies.

More about elephants another day.

Cheers Jen

Skimmers Delight

After many hours of spotting the African Skimmer and following its flight through the camera lens  we were able to capture a collection of images, some of which I've included below.

The Skimmer, a distinctive and agile bird found amongst the sandbanks of the Chobe River in Botswana, are quite a challenge to photograph - think I still need lots of practice!

African Skimmer in action

            

African skimmers feed mostly at dusk, dawn and during the night, and rest during the warmest part of the day.

African Skimmer in flight

The Skimmer, which has a uniquely shaped yellow-tipped red bill, with the lower mandible distinctly longer than the upper, flies just above the calm surface of the water searching for small fish.  As the bird's elongated lower mandible breaks the surface of the water it scoops up its catch.

Returning to the sandbar

A clutch of two African Skimmer eggs - nested in a scrape of sand

These agile birds are monogamous and nest in a scrape on a sandbar where they lay a clutch of two to three eggs over several days.

           

The African Skimmer ( Rynchops flavirostris) is frequently sighted in pairs or small flocks, along the Chobe River Botswana, amongst the sandbars and islands with little vegetation. 

Skimming for small fish

Bye for now

Cheers Jen

http://www.botswanatourism.co.bw/animal/african-skimmer

http://www.arkive.org/african-skimmer/rynchops-flavirostris

What's for dinner, Mr Fish Eagle?

Back again searching the skies, trees and branches overhanging the still waters of the Chobe River ...   looking & listening for the majestic bird of prey,  the African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer). 

Like many other photographers and safari-goers in search of prey, our eyes scanned the tree line whilst listening for the distinctive and haunting call of the soaring African Fish-Eagle.

Success at last - for us & the Fish Eagle  ... the soaring, calling Fish Eagle with a catch in his claws!

Any idea what's for dinner?

Almost Dinner time...

What's for dinner?

The Fish Eagle hunts from a branch on a large tree close to the water.  It approaches its prey in a soft descent, kicks out its talons, almost stopping its flight to catch its prey.   The caught prey is often a few centimetres beneath the surface of the water.

NIKON D7000 & Tamron 150-600mm lens, f/5.0-6.3
Photo ISO: 400,  Focal length: 600mm,  Exposure Compensation: -1 EV,  Aperture: f/6.3, ShutterSpeed: 1/4000

African Fish Eagle on the Chobe River from Pangolin Photo Safari - Photo Boat 

Often known as the “Africa’s voice”, it has a typical call, a loud barking which carries far into the distance, “whii-oh-hyo-hyo-hyo”, frequently uttered, and almost similar to gull’s call.  It often calls while flying, and it is noisier at dawn. Close to the nest, it utters a soft “quock”.

Something different next time ...  

but definitely another of our adventures with Pangolin Photo Safaris http://www.pangolinphoto.com/about-us/photo-boat

Bye for now

Cheers Jen

Searching for an African Fish Eagle ...

Early mornings & late afternoons in Botswana find many photographers and safari-goers in search of  the African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer).

Like those before, and after us, we scanned the large, high waterside trees and branches of the Chobe River for sights of this majestic bird of prey.  Once spotted, with cameras trained on the perched eagle, we waited expectantly for signs that this proficient hunter had spied some prey.

    

Focussing the camera lens on the Fish Eagle and waiting for it to swoop down to catch a fish from the water below was exciting, yet peaceful.    I felt like a bit like the eagle, waiting to capture my prey - looking for slight movements, waiting to swoop  - sometimes successful :-)

African Fish Eagle waiting patiently - scanning the water for a meal.

On the move .

                

Ever hopeful ...

Maybe next time ...

Yep ... maybe next time the Fish Eagle will capture its meal!   

Another day, another Fish Eagle adventure ...

Bye for now

Cheers Jen

ps ...  African fish eagles swoop down to catch their prey (generally fish) which they carry back to the perch or dragged to shore if too big to carry. They also eat birds, monkeys and even crocodile hatchlings. These efficient predators can get away with spending as little as 10 minutes a day actively hunting, and capture prey about one in eight attempts.

http://www.botswana.co.za/fish-eagle-botswana-wildlife-guide.html

Bee Eaters in Flight, Afternoon Delight ...

Cruising along the Chobe River near Kasane, Botswana is a great way to pass the afternoon - especially when chasing and then shooting (with a camera)  the very colourful White-Fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides).

             

I found photographing Bee-eaters quite challenging, one moment the bird was sitting quiet and still, the next, after a slight stretch of the chest, a lift of the tail feathers and a blink of the (my) eye , it disappeared with a few rapid flaps of the wings, only to return to a spot nearby a few seconds later!

A Bee-eater on the hunt for dinner.

This bird was photographed after perching patiently on this low log ...
watching for passing insects.   

These birds have a white forehead, a square tail and a bright red patch on their throat. They nest in small colonies, digging holes in cliffs and earthen banks.  Their diet is primarily bees, but they also take other flying insects depending on the season and availability of prey. 

When the Bee-eater spies the unsuspecting bees, they are hunted either by making
quick hawking flights or gliding down before hovering briefly to catch insects.

In flight ...
White-Fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides), Chobe Nationalpark, Botswana, Africa

Reference: www.inaturalist.org

Bye for now

Cheers Jen

An Elephant Farewell from Botswana & South Africa

Bags are packed & we're heading home ...

We've had a wonderful visit spying on the stunning wild animals & birds of Botswana's Chobe River & South Africa's Kruger National Park.

Elephant cow & calf on the banks of the Chobe River Botswana

Lots of photos and stories to tell ...  

check out my posts later in the week to catch a glimpse of some of our discoveries.

Bye for now

Cheers Jen

ps 11 Leopards & 11 Lion sightings in Kruger National Park over four days :-)

Photo Shoot uSharka Beach, Durban

Friends and family know that I find mornings a bit of a challenge ...
However I had no trouble getting ready to take the 45minute drive to the beach near uSharka, Durban for a 5.45am meeting with South African photographer Emanuel Maria.

And a big thank you to Gavin & Sally Marlton for arranging the photo shoot with Emanuel, their longtime friend and well renowned South African photographer & Nikon specialist and enthusiast.

We enjoyed a full-on day with Emanuel as we explored: Aperture, Shutter Speed & ISO; as well as composition, lenses, effects & camera settings, to name but a few.

Below is a selection of our shots taken from sunrise to late morning, along uSharka Beach, Durban, as taken, no editing -

Thanks again to Gavin & Sally Marlton & to Emanuel Maria
for the amazing photographic opportunity & experience. 

http://www.emanuelmaria.co.za

http://www.photographiccourses.co.za

Emanuel is a very well known photographer in his field, and his photographs 

have been published in books, calendars, postcards and magazines locally and overseas.

ps  An update on my Blog!!!!   

I'm quite a bit behind my planned schedule  ...  NO INTERNET ... we've just returned from five days in Kruger National Park where we've had the most amazing safari experiences.    Tomorrow we fly to Botswana for five days in and around Chobe National Park.  

Lots more to come ...  Will post again soon ...  Bye for now

Cheers Jen