Africa 2014

So far we have only blogged about UK wildlife trips and sightings, but in January of this year we were fortunate enough to spend a week on safari in South Africa. We based ourselves at the Tangala Lodge in the Thornybush Reserve, close by the Kruger National Park. 

There we were guided by Floris De Meyer and tracker Maurice, who did a fantastic job of seeking out all of the big 5, sometimes in very challenging weather. The South African summer is particularly hot, but at times very wet and the resulting lush vegetation makes spotting the animals even more difficult.

Through their undoubted skill, we were able to make this particularly pleasing image of a young lioness which was shot on a full frame camera at a focal length of 210mm. In short, we were CLOSE.

The trip was not only for pleasure, but also a fact finding mission for a proposed group safari in September 2015. It will be a Big 5 safari taking in at least two lodges and aims to be affordable. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like to express an interest.

Better Late Than Never

After the wake up call from Eggy last week I thought it was time to get back on topic and probably also high time I went through the images from Good Friday on Portland. I mentioned back then what a bright and warm day it was and also that there was an abundance of birdlife filling the air with song. In amongst the images I've gone through this evening I found this one of a Wheatear right on the cliff edge, slightly north east of the bird observatory.

Owls of Pleasure

We've been trying to get some Owl images for over a year now and only met with limited success. Last year we were fortunate enough to see a Barn Owl out hunting, but his habit of coming out just as the light was fading didn't help matters. On one occasion there was a fleeting glimpse of a Short Eared Owl, but even that image wasn't great. As for African Eagle Owls, they were conspicuous by their absence on our last trip.

So we recently made a trip to Buckinghamshire where we knew there were Little Owls on offer from a hide. In the days leading up to our trip they had been very visible and on a lovely day, we weren't disappointed. It was a pleasure to be able to spend five solid hours photographing these beautiful birds.

This is a bit of a plain image and a quick look on Flickr will reveal a lot of pictures of the same bird on the same fence post. I'll try harder to locate a more interesting image when time allows.

Introducing Henry

Domestic animals are not usually what we photograph, our preference is for the wild variety and the challenges they bring. But last weekend the macro lens was out to make a record of the first 'Karina Eloise' rose of the year, when Henry showed up. He's the youngest of our three cats, something of a loveable rogue and quite vocal when he wants attention. So to keep the peace, I fired off a few frames and came up with this 'butter wouldn't melt' image.

For those interested in things horticultural, the Karina Eloise rose is a delicately scented red floribunda that was grown and named in memory of Rose's daughter, who passed away in 2003.

Red Moon

On Friday we took a long-awaited trip up to Buckinghamshire to spend the afternoon and early evening photographing Little Owls. It was a very rewarding trip with plenty of sightings and the occasional lull in proceedings during which we could satisfy our thirst and hunger pangs. The weather was set fair too, so we had an enjoyable time. More about that when we have had time to go through the images we produced.

The journey back was uneventful, but as we crossed the Ridgeway into Weymouth we were greeted by  a deep orange moon to the South East. It was a real opportunity, but tiredness had set in and we let the moment pass. However, yesterday was a similar day to Friday, so we headed over to Bincombe to await the moon rise. We weren't disappointed and made the image above.