Tag: wildlife

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2020-08-03: Monochrome Monday

I wonder if she can tune in to radio signals with those big ears? This beautiful kudu paused in a fairly clear area, allowing a photograph. They prefer to be in denser areas, and many times you’ll drive along and only see the impressive horns of the male peeking out through gaps in the trees.

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2020-08-02: Mongoose

I didn’t think that mongoose had featured very prominently in blog posts in the past, and a quick site search showed me that I’ve only posted two images of mongoose in the entire time I’ve been working on this blog. I’m not really surprised; while they are animals that are frequently seen on safari, usually it is a quick passing glance as they scurry for cover as the vehicle approaches. When you do get to chance to actually spend some time with them, they are quite entertaining to watch, especially if you come across a large family.

This past trip I saw 3 different species; the dwarf mongoose being the most prevalent, and, you guessed it, the smallest of all the species I saw as well. If you want some interesting information about mongoose there’s always Wikipedia; as I’ll be honest, I don’t know a whole lot about them. I think I’ve spent more time contemplating why the plural of goose is geese, but the plural of mongoose is mongooses, not mongeese. Alas, my brain works in strange ways.

And with that, I’ll leave you with a few images, and wish you a wonderful week.

An adorable dwarf mongoose venturing away from its family group, and giving me the opportunity for a nice shot. If you look very closely, you can see a tick attached at the bottom of its eye.
A group of banded mongoose seen on a morning game drive.
A blink and you’d miss it sighting of a white-tailed mongoose on the way back to camp on an evening game drive. Sadly, I cut off his white tail, and didn’t get the opportunity for another shot.
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2020-07-26: Moose!!!

Given that I am living in Northern Canada, you’d think seeing moose would be no big deal. But since I moved here 5 years ago, I can basically count the moose sightings I have had on a single hand. Only one of them I got photos of; and that was nearly nightfall in wintertime, so not much more than a proof shot that I actually saw the beast.

Tuesday though, there were a pair in my front yard; and they stuck around long enough to get my camera and get a few photos (so considerate of them!) One was deep in the bushes (mama moose, I think) and the youngster was out in the open, looking slightly baffled when it noticed the front door opening and me taking some pictures, but it was calm and unconcerned. I had my 100mm – 400mm lens on and still needed to crop a bit; they were over 100 feet away, so no danger of me disturbing them.

They hung around for around 10 minutes and then headed off into the bushes and then I think across the road and down into the ravine. It’s amazing how such a large animal can disappear into the bush so quickly.

Couldn’t ask for a nicer pose!

Relaxed and curious.
When the moose turned to move off, a huge cloud of flies swarmed around the back end. You can even see them in this image if you look closely at the flank.
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2020-07-20: Monochrome Monday

This cheetah was a surprise during a game drive; to be honest, cheetah are never really on my radar when in the Sabi Sands, so every sighting of them is a bonus.

A female cheetah who was about to set off on a (failed) hunting attempt. Seen while staying at Chitwa Chitwa lodge in South Africa, May 2019.
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2020-07-19: Yellow-rumped warbler

I was out with my dog at lunchtime this past week and saw an unfamiliar bird hopping through the lawn. I had just enough time to dash back inside and grab my camera to get a few shots to try and ID it later. I was actually a little disappointed when I did, as the yellow-rumped warbler summers to the north of here and winters far to the south in California and Mexico; Prince George is part of the migratory zone, so it was already on its journey southward again, reinforcing the notion that summer is waning (when weather wise, it has never really begun).

I’ve seen a dramatic decrease in the hummingbird numbers over the past week and I am sure within a week or so they will all be gone. I will miss hearing their buzzing while out for walks and my daily feeder fillings.

The seasons move on, whether we want them to or not, and I am going to keep this brief as the sun has finally come out, and it is time to get out and enjoy the few hours of summery weather we will get this weekend.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week.

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