There is just something about the Amboseli landscape that really appeals to me for monochrome images. The starkness of many of the areas, the elephants towering over the flat, seemingly endless plains.
Here is a selection of images from this beautiful place.
I hope you enjoy, and have a lovely day.
As dusk approached, this lioness rounded up her cubs and was on the move.Tender greetings.Egrets alongside an elephant, waiting for any insects the elephant stirs up.Elephants crossing the marsh, with the hills in the background.A zebra in the marsh along with herons, egrets and ibis.Wildebeest marching onwards.A lone wildebeest rests on the Amboseli plains.
The WordPress prompt for this week is Dense. Rather than post a selfie (ha ha ha), here are some photos from East Africa that fit in with the theme.
A crocodile ensures that a group of wildebeest crossing the Mara River stick very close together in the rush to get out of the water.A portion of the wildebeest herd tightly packed, waiting to cross the river.A pod of hippos sunning themselves in a quieter spot along the Mara River.Wildebeest as far as the eye could see.A large group of flamingos take flight over the Amboseli Swamp.A chimpanzee swings through the lush vegetation of the Kibale Forest.A squacco heron almost disappears amongst the dense vegetation at the side of the Kazinga Channel.
It may seem a little strange to post photos from a Masai Mara wildebeest river crossing for a post on ambience, but honestly, the ambience was a very integral part of the experience for me. When you are watching a nature program, they presenters do an excellent job of making a river crossing seem like an amazing spectacle – which is absolutely is!!! They also do an amazing job at making it seem like a secluded experience, which it absolutely is not!
We left our camp at 6am for a 2+ hour drive to the potential crossing point, in the hopes of getting a good parking spot to watch the action. On route we passed wildebeest in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, some marching the direction we were headed, and others, heading in the direction we had come from.
Wildebeest as far as the eye can see.
I had never anticipated being the only person there, but I also didn’t expect to find quite so many other people there. But, the atmosphere was a lot of fun. I spent time chatting with my guides and with the people in the vehicle next to us while waiting to see if possibly the wildebeest might make a move. They were certainly taking there time, and a good number of people gave up as the afternoon wore on.
The view from our vehicle at the crossing point. Land cruisers, jeeps, minibuses and land rovers, packed in like sardines and even double parked, all in an attempt to see the action.
When the gazelles approached the water and the crocodiles practically licked their lips, we collectively tried to will the little antelope back from their gruesome fate.
People in the vehicles were saying things like “Don’t go in the water, it isn’t safe!” If only they would have listened.I saw five gazelle attempt to cross the river, and only two made it out.
And when at 3:15 the wildebeest started crashing through the water, those that were left were all uttering the same things “amazing”, “mind-blowing”, “unbelievable”.
The atmosphere surrounding that stretch of river on that day in late September, really made the experience that much more special.
A surge of wildebeest crossing the Mara River in the Masai Mara, Kenya. There were plenty more vehicles on the opposite bank!
Every month the photo club I belong to has a photo topic of the month, as well as being able to submit a further 5 photos for review and discussion. Since all I have captured since I returned home are a few grainy images of one of the local deer (and lots of my dog) I thought I would share them here as well. I am hoping to get back into the swing of things with my “What I’ve seen this week” Sunday post very soon.
Until then, I hope you enjoy some images of Uganda and Kenya.
This image stirs up so much for me. I can almost smell the fever trees and the acacia and the scent of the elephants, I can almost hear the rumbles, the crunch of branches and chewing of leaves, I can almost feel the warm of the sunlight. Working on these images takes me right back and gives me a mini mental holiday 🙂Three young male lions had taken down a wildebeest in the night, and shortly before I shot this, all three were still picking away at the carcass. There were a half dozen jackals hanging around, trying to figure out how to safely get close enough to grab a morsel or two. This one only took another step before turning away.Witnessing a river crossing involves a lot of waiting, and then a lot of chaos in a short period of time. I’m looking forward to sharing more about this experience!Just like human babies, the mountain gorilla infants that I saw were incredibly curious, and explored their world by touching everything.A lappet faced vulture lays claim to a wildebeest carcass that looks to be little more than some fur and bones.The repeating lines of tea fields near the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda.
