Lion Cubs

The lion cubs in the photo are only a couple of months old and had not yet joined the rest of the pride. We first spotted these cubs in the late afternoon when returning from a full day in the mara. Four of them, so tiny as they walked with their mother and another female, probably their aunt. It looked as though their mother was leading them to a new place. Lion cubs are generally born in a thicket or a rocky outcrop where they remain hidden for the first six to eight weeks, the only reason a mother would chance moving them is if she felt that they were in danger. We had noticed a large buffalo herd not too far away, so maybe the buffalo had got too close for comfort. Buffalo and lions are mortal enemies; the buffalo know instinctively that when a lion cub grows up it will hunt their calves, so when they do come across a lion cub they will kill it instantly.

We couldn't follow them to see where their mother was taking them as dusk was approaching and we had to leave the reserve. So we noted the general direction they were headed so that we could try to find them tomorrow.

The following day we spent hours combing the area where we last saw them, trying to guess at where they might be hiding. Our guide was convinced that they hadn't gone too far, she wouldn't have risked wandering around in the dark with them. We devoted a couple of hours each morning to try and find those lion cubs, with no success. We checked with the other guides, no-one had seen them, most didn't even know there were any young lion cubs in the area. I voiced my opinion that I didn't think we would be lucky enough to see them again, the guide just said 'hapana Marie, you will see them again before you go home, never give up.'

It was five days later, the sun just breaking the horizon, changing the colour of the sky from a deep red to a cool blue, bathing the land in a soft light, in the distance there they were. I couldn't believe my eyes, all four of them, still alive. Their mother had done a great job of hiding them, keeping them safe. The guide was right on both counts, they hadn't moved too far and I did see them again. It was a wonderful sight, still with their mother and aunt the group was more relaxed than the last time we saw them. While the two adult females looked on the cubs ran and tumbled around in the short grass, jumping up at the adults and on top of each other. We stayed for a while watching them play, catching three of them together as they rested on a mound of earth in between bouts.

Eventually they went on their way and reluctantly we on ours. The image of that beautiful and peaceful scene will remain with me forever, as will the guides advice, 'never give up.'

Mount Elgon Reserve

This week's photo has nothing to do with the story, well not directly anyway. It was shot from the porch of a banda we stayed at, on the edge of Mount Elgon nature reserve. The well manicured lawn which boasts a purpose built BBQ and picnic area is surrounded by woodland and is home to many different animals, some of which we got to see at very close quarters. Each morning a large troope of baboons and a large herd of waterbuck ambled across our lawn as they ventured deeper into the woods looking for food. The waterbuck being quite shy kept their distance, the baboons on the other hand were more gregarious and came quite close, some of the males were pretty big. The baboon in the photo took an opportunity to rest on one of the seats in the picnic area on his way through.

My story is in fact about getting a hot shower. A hot shower is a big thing for me while on safari. I can go without many comforts but a hot shower is not one of them. There's nothing nicer than getting into a hot shower before dinner, after spending a day on the road often in quite dusty conditions, its heaven! Actually getting what I consider to be a hot shower is a bit hit & miss. The water that feeds the showers in the campsites is heated in a big oil drum, which is supported on a rickety, homemade platform at a height of around 8ft in order to get enough pressure. A fire is lit beneath the drum so the temperature of the water is determined by the distance of the fire from the drum, how big the fire is and how long the fire has been burning. Getting it just right is tricky. This set up leaves the structure vulnerable to strong winds and it's not unknown for the whole thing to collapse, fortunately due to its simplicity it doesn't take too long to put back up again.

On this particular day we had arrived at Mount Elgon after spending two days in a tree house in Saiwa Swamp which we shared with a swarm of flies and a swarm of wasps who had made their home in the small shower room. So for two days I got by with washing in cold water using an outside tap. I was now really looking forward to a hot shower but was preparing myself for possible disappointment. I sent Ken in first so I would know what to expect, his verdict was it was hot, it was too hot. I thought thats not possible, how can a shower be too hot. I gathered my shampoo and other toiletries and rushed eagerly into the bathroom. To my surprise it really was too hot, in fact I would describe it as scalding! and I couldn't get it any cooler. I tried squatting down close to the floor as I figured it wouldn't be quite as hot at the bottom, it was just bearable. I got my hot shower anyway; I emerged looking like a ripe tomato. All ken said was "I told you it was hot."

I'm still hopeful of finding a perfect shower while on safari, Maybe next year.

The Lions Share

When we came across this lion kill the warthog was already dead with two lionesses and a small cub tucking
into this tasty meal, well tasty for them! We didn't actually see the kill this time, but we settled down to watch, one of the best things about being on safari is to quietly watch the behaviour of the wildlife in their natural habitat as they go about their normal activities. After only five minutes we heard a low roar, it didn't sound too far away. The lionesses had also clearly heard it because they reluctantly moved a short distance away from the kill and settled into the long grass to wait, while the large male lion sauntered in to take what he believed was due to him. It was absolutely fascinating to watch as this scene unfolded.

Everyone knows that the male lions get fed first, that's why we have the saying 'the lions share' but when you are watching, first hand and up close, you can actually feel the frustration of the hungry lioness. When the females moved aside, they didn't go far and although they looked very nonchalant about the whole thing they were keeping a keen eye on things. The cub fared a little better as the lion allowed him to join in and they fed together for a while.

After a short time the whole thing got too much for one of the lionesses, maybe she was still young and hadn't quite accepted the correct etiquette in these matters. Hoping not to be seen she used the cover of the long grass, to quietly and slowly move in. The lion continued eating and all was relatively peaceful, that was until the lioness got just a little too close. He turned on her in an instant, using his huge paw and growled a warning in no uncertain terms, she quite wisely retreated. After five minutes she tried again, using the same tactics, but with the same result. This time she got the message and stayed put until the lion had his fill.

Most times on safari when you come across lions they are generally sleeping, they spend a lot of time during the day sleeping in the shade, this gives a false impression that they can be pretty docile, however when food is involved there is no mistaking there aggressive behaviour.

Elephants of Mount Elgon

I haven't posted for a while as I have been organising an exhibition of my wildlife photos, but I'm back with a story of how aggressive some elephants can be.

Elephants are the largest of all the animals so they don't have any natural predators, except man of course, who kill them for the ivory, which fortunately is now banned. That's not to say the trade has completely died out but it is rare now and the rangers are always on the lookout for poachers.

Most of the time, while on safari, elephants seem like very placid and quite sedentary animals as they slowly make their way across the rolling plains of the Mara, eating the grass and leaves off the trees as they go. You will notice though if you're ever on safari that the guides don't get too close. There is no real reason to either, they are so big and create such a presence that you can watch them and photograph them at a reasonable distance. The elephants themselves are very tolerant of the tourists in their jeeps, so long as their space is not invaded and they are not threatened in anyway. If you do accidentally get too close they trumpet a warning in your direction and this is usually enough. You will often see an elephant walking down the tracks that the vehicles use, if you happen to be driving along the same track as an elephant you can be sure that it will be you that has to get off the road and give the elephant a wide birth.

This year we spent a few days at Mount Elgon national reserve, the terrain is very different there when compared with the Mara. There are large forested areas and the elephants like all the other animals that live there have adapted to their environment, they are smaller than the plains elephants and redder in colour. They are also more aggressive if disturbed.

While driving through the forest on one of the days we came upon two female elephants with two calves, one of the calves was just a baby. They were just crossing the road, we immediately stopped but kept the engine running, there was a brief standoff which is when I managed to get this photo. You can see from the photo that the two females were shielding the calves from view. Once they had nudged the young ones into the safety of the bushes, they faced towards us and went into a full charge, trunk raised, ears flapping, running straight at us. I have to admit I was very frightened, I'd say a lot more than the elephants were. The driver immediately put the jeep into reverse and we sped off backwards as fast as we could. They only stopped charging when they felt we were no longer close enough to the calves to be a threat. It was a very scary encounter, not one that I would want to experience again, there have been incidents where elephants have overturned jeeps, we were fortunate.

The whole experience left me shaken and with a greater respect for elephants.

Dinner in the Bush

When camping I think the two most important things are food and a hot shower, in that order. I love my food so I would hate to go two or three weeks without a decent meal. We have tried both camping and lodges on our visits to Kenya and by far the best to me is camping. For one thing it's cheaper, but more importantly you also get closer to nature and to the local people, who work in the campsites and look after you really well. Although camping is basic that doesn't mean it's not comfortable, most campsites now have tents with en-suite toilet and shower which is brilliant. The campsite above was the exception. It is somehow relaxing to lie in bed at night under canvas listening to the lions roar in the distance and the calls of the hyena, they really do sound as if they are laughing. The animal calls remind you that the plains are very much alive at night.

As part of the camping experience we travel with a guide and our own personal cook. We were lucky enough to get a really good one, name Charles, he has accompanied us and fed us on most of our travels around Kenya. Being in the middle of nowhere means that you can't just pop down to the shop to get a bag of crisps or a sandwich, which is why its great to get nice food and plenty of it. Generally Charles would use the kitchen facilities in the campsite, but occasionally we have stayed in campsites where there are no cooking facilities which is why Charles brings along his little camping gas ring, the one he is using in the photo. He actually managed to rustle up a delicious three course meal for us on this, I was very impressed.

I hope that he is free to join us again on our next visit.

Mount Longonot

This photo of Mount Longonot was taken from lake Naivasha, on this years trip we decided it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more active. Usually we would spend our time following and watching the wildlife, which means that we are confined to our vehicle most of the time, for obvious reasons. I wanted to get out of the jeep for a change, walk around and enjoy the scenery, so I chose Mount Longonot. This is a small dormant volcano, well small when compared to Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya but fairly large in my opinion. At 9,108ft it is just under half the size of Kilimanjaro. I have to confess that I don't normally do alot of walking especially not in mountainous regions, however I thought it would be challenging but fun. The guide book I consulted said that it takes about an hour to reach the top then another two hours to walk around the rim, I thought even I could manage 3 hours! The guide book also said it was worth the climb for the incredible views from the top, they were at least correct in this. I had though, seriously over-estimated my fitness levels and my stamina, being a grandmother I'm no spring chicken. I probably could have climbed it in one hour if I had been training at boot camp for six months, in reality it took me two hours, with plenty of stops for water, applying sunscreen because the sun was very hot and of course to catch my breath. It was hard going but I finally reached the top.

It took 20 minutes for me to recover enough to take in my surroundings, it was a fantastic view in all directions. After we recovered Ken was all for going back down but I talked him into walking around the rim, after going to all that trouble to get up there it seemed silly to go straight back down. It didn't look that bad, but for the second time I had over-estimated my abilities. It took us three hours, the path was narrow with loose stones and dry grey dust that made certain parts slippery and almost lethal. I fell more than once so my clothes were covered in the grey dust. By this time I was also becoming quite burnt from the strong African sun, despite applying liberal amounts of sunscreen. So I had the idea of covering my bare arms and face with the dust to protect my exposed skin. It worked but I must have looked a sight when I finally descended and reached the picnic area where lunch was waiting for us. I was so exhausted after the hike that I couldn't even eat anything and boy was I happy to get a hot shower that evening.

Once I had showered and rested and was sitting out under the stars with a cold beer and mosquitos for companions. I was really proud of myself and pleased that I had done it, I felt a real sense of achievement, maybe next year I will attempt Kilimanjaro.

How to Shoot a Fish Eagle

Of course I mean with a camera and not with a weapon. This story is for photographers, anyone who has tried to photograph a bird knows how tricky they are to capture. When they are still, they are generally in a tree, and without a powerful zoom lens, which is very expensive, then all you get is a bird in a tree. You can't make out what type of bird it is, what subtle colours its feathers have and why you took the photo in the first place. Photographing a bird in flight is even more difficult, again you need the expensive zoom lens, then you have to find the bird through the viewfinder in the expanse of sky and finally you have to keep track of its flight path, not to mention keeping the shutter speed high enough to freeze the action while ensuring you get enough light into the camera so that you don't end up with a bird shaped silhouette against the bright sky. Not an easy task!

There are particular times that give better or should I say easier shots. When they are just taking flight or just landing, at these times they are not moving too fast but still have their wings partly out or in the case of the fish eagle above at the point when the eagle snatches a fish out of the lake, for a fraction of a second the bird is almost motionless. This is when you shoot, simple! So the trick is to know when the eagle is going to swoop, to know where the eagle is going to swoop and to be prepared.

This is how I did it; While staying at lake baringo I took an early morning boat ride with a young local man as a guide. The boat was just like a small rowing boat but with an engine at the back. The guides around lake baringo know all about the wildlife as they make their living from tourists. We first went to see some local fishermen, they fish the lake in small, no, very small hand made boats that look more like small moses baskets. They catch fish to feed their families, sell any extra at market and also sell to tourists looking to photograph fish eagles. They were very proud of their boats and their catch and offered to pose for photographs, I didn't realise until afterwards that the photos had to be paid for as well. The guide took three fish, each fish was stuffed with a light balsa wood so that it would float. Each one was prepared very carefully to give just the right amount of buoyancy. The guide obviously thought that I might need three goes to get it right, as it happened he wasn't wrong.

I admired the lake and the huge variety of birds concentrated along the shoreline as we drove over to where the fish eagle had its nest. The engine was cut so we were just bobbing around in the water while the guide explained what would happen and gave me time to get my camera ready and decide what settings I would need. All prepared, I gave the nod and he let out a shrill whistle, this alerts the fish eagle that its time for breakfast, the eagle perches in a tree on the shoreline and waits. The guide then throws a fish in the water at a spot not too far from the boat, this is where I focus, I count to six then pressed the shutter button, I had made sure I was shooting on continuous first. It takes a fraction of a second for the eagle to lift the fish out of the water, it was such a surprise that I stopped shooting and didn't get a very good shot. Fortunately we had the three fish and I was better prepared the second time.

It was great to get a shot like this, It is a truly amazing thing to see, even better to capture it forever.