shenton safaris - african s - kaingo.com · the early morning sun, far from ideal shooting...
TRANSCRIPT
Thursday, May 27, 2010
1. Shenton Safaris - Photographic Newsletter
1.1.
1.2. June 2008 issue
It has to be said that blissful and wonderful as it is, life as a Mum is not shaping up
quite as I had imagined on the ‘spare time’ front. When asked by many guests last year
how I planned to combine my safari lifestyle with a new baby, I’d airily responded that
semi-retirement from office life would give me SO much time to focus on my
photography. I’d planned the long procrastinated move to RAW capture, and visualised
the hours and hours I could while away sorting through a backlog of thousands of
photos.
I imagine the parents among you are having a good chuckle – much as my guests did at
the time - however I pointedly ignored them, keeping myself warmly wrapped in my
illusions. Illusions I held right up until my precious bundle arrived in the bush. When
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the wheeze-honking of hippos failed to lull her into a magical state of repose I realised
things might deviate somewhat from the plan.
Given a game drive is about 4 hours - I have absolutely no chance of going on one at
the moment. This means my photography has been limited to short visits out and about
in our closed landcruiser. I've had to adapt my photographic style to shooting through
the roof, whilst perched on the centre console and trying to dodge my lens around the
wing mirrors of the car. Still beggers most definitely can’t be choosers. Whilst I may be
missing the feeling of the wind whistling past me on the open vehicle it is heaven to get
out and about.
The source of my photographic discontent, the delightful Saphire India Shenton, graced
us with her presence on the 4th of March this year and has continued to fill us with joy
on a daily basis. Here are a couple of promised piccies: Saphire at 1 month and 3
months respectively.
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My first drive of the season was a few days after camp opened. Derek came bursting in
at the crack of dawn to tell us Wild Dogs had made a kill on Lion Plain. With Wild Dogs
on offer one doesn't waste time; I grabbed Saphire, my cameras and we bundled into
the car in our pyjamas.
Within minutes we were bouncing over hippo and elephant ripped cotton soil, me trying
to balance my huge lens on a sofa cushion I’d grabbed in lieu of a bean bag, and Derek
holding Saphire whilst trying to keep the car steady. The dogs were in direct line with
the early morning sun, far from ideal shooting conditions, but Wild dogs are Wild dogs
and only a poor tradesman blames their tools (or so my father always used to tell me),
so here are a selection of shots from that morning. I’m most pleased with the photos of
the tawny eagle and the hooded vulture.
We showed photos of the pack to the African Wild Dog Conservation research team and
they have been identified as a new pack of 6 males and a pregnant female. Our guests
saw them the next night kill a puku and then an impala, which they lost to a hyena.
They were seen again the next morning before disappearing into the mist as Wild Dog
tend to do. Hopefully they’ll be back soon.
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The majority of my pics these days are taken on transfer drives – the below were taken
on a morning drive to Mwamba Bush Camp - I'd gone to check on the progress of camp
building.
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This puku pair were very sweet – he ever so persistent and her ever so disinterested -
all framed prettily by the flora of Lion Plain.
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A couple of days ago Derek pulled himself away from the million jobs of camp opening
to take me on a morning drive. The light was terrible, so I wasn’t expecting much
photographically. I was simply enjoying being out and about when we found a neck of
Giraffe loping across the shelf at Acacia Loop. The light really was very flat so I was
just watching the young males play around when a shaft of sunlight came down and hit
them. Like a flash I’d handed Saphire over to Derek and was up through the roof. The
light only lasted for about 2 minutes but what a magical, magical few moments.
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A little further along we found this old Kakuli drinking at an algae covered lagoon. Just
beyond that we found a photographer friend of ours, so we stopped to have a chat and
introduce him to Saphire. Out of the car we all popped. Whilst standing there – not
100ms away - a huge male leopard came running across the little clearing behind
us towards the river (and thankfully not towards us!). Agog the three of us (and one
completely unaware, but thankfully momentarily quiet baby) watched this beautiful
beast. Again I hastily handed over Saphire and managed to get off a few shots leaning
on the bonnet of the car, when low and behold another leopard followed. A female.
Figuring mating might be on the cards we hurried into our respective vehicles and
followed in their wake.
Derek has an uncanny ability to track leopards and he drove us down to a little inland
road where we perched to wait. A fair amount of time passed. Convinced we had lost
them for the day I settled in to feed the now heartily protesting Saphire. Not 5
minutes later the female leopard came stalking on to the road in front of us. I didn’t
manage to get through the roof with kit in time to get face shots, but I got enough to
note that the female had a low swinging belly indicative of suckling a cub. How very
strange that she was chasing the male!
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We followed them back to Accacia Loop and sat under the trees in the grove with the
male in sight, but no sign of the female. We were still scanning around when there was
a thud right next to the vehicle. She’d been up the tree directly above us – what a
shame I didn’t see her – it would have made for some great shots through the roof of
the car.
We stayed with them for the next 15 minutes or so watching the very strange
behaviour of this female. We initially thought she was defending her cub, but having
pursued him so far we wondered if perhaps her cub had been killed and she was in
oestrous.
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Whilst we couldn't stick around, the female leopard was witnessed following the male
for at least another four hours - extremely unusual for this most solitary of
beasts. Nature always has something special with which to confound us. Whilst we can
postulate and extrapolate until the cows come home, more often than not animal
behaviour is a mystery that does not fit within our neat explanations.
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We’ve had phenomenal leopard sightings this season with leopard seemingly (and
literally in this instance) falling from the treetops. There have also been several
sightings of a couple of three month old cubs.
Within a day or so of this strange morning our guests saw a 6 week old cub with this
female leopard, it was wonderful to see the cub hadn't died as we suspected.
By some miracle I have managed to cobble together the makings of an entire
newsletter! However, given Saphire’s tendancy to complain vociferously the second I
get near a computer coupled with my infrequent drives at the moment, I am thinking I
will alter my format. I plan to open a newsletter with the first photos of each month,
then do small updates within that - posting pics within the relevant newsletter month
on a more regular basis. I will send you out the odd e-postcard to remind you to check
in each month.
Until next time
1.3. Jules
Previous Issues
December 2007 Newsletter
September 2007 Newsletter
July 2007 Newlsetter
February 2007 Newlsetter
December 2006 Newsletter (July images)
June 2006 Newsletter
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Leopard Interlude
May 2006 Newsletter
October 2005 Newsletter
Rains 2006 Newsletter
September 2005 Newsletter
August 2005 Newsletter
July 2005 Newsletter
June 2005 Newsletter
May 2005 Newsletter
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