Here are some images from the past week of my travels, staying at two properties; Lions Sands River and Tinga Lodges. I have had a wonderful time being back in the bush again! It’s tea time shortly and then off to see what the afternoon has in store, so I will keep this brief.
I hope you enjoy my selections!
One of my rare view of a scrub hare in the daylight.A group of oxpeckers atop a rhino.A long-crested eagle and a fork-tailed drongo. The drongo had been mobbing the eagle, and resumed its pestering when the eagle took flight again.A wild dog looks off towards the rest of the pack.A very relaxed lioness.Baby elephants are just the cutest!Elephants galore on an afternoon game drive. I think we saw more ellies than impalas!An elephant quenches his thirst, with a large herd of buffalo in the background. Two of the big five in one shot A family of dwarf mongoose in the fading afternoon light.An impala making good and sure this lioness was heading off.A buffalo making his way past our vehicle, while some rhino look on. Another two of the big five in one shot.A group of wild dogs greeting one another.Soon after this was shot, this baby elephant picked up the pace to catch up with Mom.
Just a quick post today as I am running a little short on time at the moment!
I loved watching these elephants greet each other as they all congregated around a dam. Different family groups joined up, took their time with greetings, getting refreshing drinks, and eventually, heading off in their separate ways.
It’s always a joy for me to spend time amongst elephants.
Here we are at Monday again. I felt like editing some elephant images recently, so that is what I have decided to share today. Elephants, with their amazingly textured skin, look fantastic in monochrome images (at least I think so!)
I hope you enjoy my selections. Have a great week!
A lone bull elephant crossing the Boteti River in Botswana.An elephant enjoying some tasty greens.Giving the grasses a good shake, to remove excess dirt, before eating.An elephant enjoying a drink at one of the dams on Phinda Game Reserve.There is actually a pair of elephants here, climbing out of the dry riverbed in front of Ngala Tented Camp, but one is mostly obscured by the bushes. This image looked pretty flat and lifeless from the harsh midday sun, until I did the black and white conversion. I couldn’t quite go ask them to repeat the trek at a later time when the lighting was more favourable!
It’s quite nice not having a theme this month, as I can select whatever images catch my attention. Today, it is a selection of images shot at or near sunset.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.
A sunset taken in Ongava Game Reserve in Namibia.A pair of bull elephants play fighting on the banks of the Boteti River as the afternoon light faded.A leopard in a tree at sunset. The stuff of magic.A lone zebra gives us a weary look as the sunset sets behind.A leopard in the fading evening light.
I have not photographed a single sign of spring this week, though I have been enjoying them immensely. I guess in some ways the topic, photographically at least, has been a fail, but it has been making me more aware, and more appreciative of the little signs that spring is on its way.
Today in fact, it really felt as if spring has arrived. Despite the lawn still being covered in snow, it was warm enough to sit on my front porch with an iced coffee and my knitting, and enjoy the warmth of the sun for awhile. Today, that felt a lot more important than rushing around trying to find an image that symbolized the change of seasons.
Instead, here is an image I just finished working on; a 3 shot panorama taken at Phinda Reserve, May 2017. Everyone knows elephants are my favourite, and they are a great stand-in whenever I need an image. This was another moment where sitting and allowing life to unfold was just perfect. Our guide knew the ellies would be heading for the dam, so we drove to it, and just waited. And they arrived shortly after, in groups of 2 and 3, until we had the scene here unfold. And then just as quietly, they all headed back into the bush, to carry on with the day.
Last week I decided that my Sunday posts for the rest of the month would focus on the topic Warm. It seemed fitting, given how cold it has been and how much I wish it would warm up.
Today, I decided to share images that make my heart feel warm and happy. It should be no surprise to any frequent visitor that this means elephants. Lots and lots of elephants!
I hope you enjoy my selections, and wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
A group of desert adapted elephants surround a calf that was having a brief nap at the edge of the riverbed. Hoanib Camp, Namibia.An elephant calf imitates its mother, bring the trunk up to sniff the air and decide if our presence was a threat or not. Since Mom wasn’t worried, the calf wasn’t either. Machaba Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana.The tiniest elephant calf I have seen; probably no more than a couple of days old. A very relaxed family though, that was not at all concerned by the vehicle, the clicks of the cameras or the numerous times people in the vehicle said “Awwww, the baby is so tiny and cute!”. Machaba Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana.We saw numerous baby elephants while staying on the Okavango Delta; this one stuck close to Mom’s side while she dug for minerals in the dirt.A precocious elephant calf that spent lots of time investigating me; here it is snuggled close to Mom and trying to get a drink from an irrigation pipe. Londolozi, South Africa.