Wasgamuwa National Park – Part 2 of Sri Lanka 2020

Elephant baby Suckling Mum

On our third full day at the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society we got into the Wasgamuwa National Park when it opened in the morning. This was the norm for the rest of the trip as we spent full days in the park.

Immediately on entering the gate we found a White-throated Kingfisher perched on the branch of a dead tree. That gave us a series of high key shots, before it moved to a similar perch, but this time with a more pleasing bokeh.

We followed that up with both Land and Water Monitors, a Pond Heron, a Crested Serpent Eagle posing nicely in a tree and an Open-billed Stork perched on a nest.

These were all pretty standard static sightings, but what we saw next was a pair of Woolly-necked Storks displaying in a courting ritual. Despite the long grass they were in, we got so quite interesting and perhaps unusual shots of them.

Unusually it was mid-afternoon before we got some Bee-eater images, closely followed by Elephants that were destined to take up most of what remained of the afternoon.

Driving back to the main gate, we passed the swampy area where the previous day we had photographed the Crocodile. The same subjects were there, but the late afternoon light was particularly good for the Painted Stork pictures.

Painted Stork

 Day four in Wasgamuwa National Park began similarly to the previous day, but this time featured three Black-headed Ibis on a dead tree. The backdrop this time was storm clouds and showed off the Ibis really nicely. That was followed by a Changeable Hawk Eagle on a similar perch, but we were back to high key shots now.

Continuing the single bird theme, we had a White-bellied Sea Eagle, Pond Heron, Bee-eater and Scaly-breasted Munia, before spotting a beautiful Brahminy Kite. In fact, birds dominated the morning session and it was almost lunchtime before we started to photograph mammals. This time it was Buffalo and included a small calf.

Briefly, it was back to birds in the form of a Brown Shrike and then a very large Water Monitor on the track in front of us. By now it was time for lunch.

Straight after our break we had a couple of Kingfishers and then a session with an Indian Roller, again high key. Soon after that we caught up with a large herd of Elephants and the rest of the afternoon was spent with them. We got a variety of images including an opportunity to concentrate on eye shots, as they were so close.

Elephant's Eye

We now had just two days left in Wasgamuwa National Park and although we were getting a lot of repetition, something new would come along now and again. We started with a Brown Shrike, but closer this time and then we found a Blue-tailed Bee-eater. Another new one was a Common Lizard, which kept us busy for 20 minutes.

Then it was back to the birds with a Spotted Dove and, as the rain started, a Purple Heron. Final sighting before lunch was another Common Lizard.

Early afternoon served up more birds among which new species were Red-wattled Lapwing and Intermediate Egret. They kept us busy for an hour until we found our usual late-afternoon herd of Elephants. This was a large group and gave us plenty to work with for the rest of the afternoon.

On our final day, we arrived at Wasgamuwa National Park gates earlier than previously and were treated to the antics of a troop of Langur Monkeys. There were a number of babies amongst them, which made the encounter all the more endearing.

Once inside, we started as usual with birds, this time a Little Egret. We had a brief encounter with a Land Monitor on the track and then a superb session with a Green Bee-eater. After that we had another first in a Yellow-billed Babbler followed by another Changeable Hawk Eagle sighting.

As we headed for lunch, we suddenly stopped when the guide spotted a Bees nest hanging from a tree above the track. It was an impressive sight.

Unusually, straight after lunch, our first sighting was a family group of Elephants. We spent about an hour with them and took a number of behaviour shots, including a couple of mock charges. This sighting was punctuated by a Cattle Egret in the long grass with a frog it had caught.

Leaving them alone, we found a Spotted Dove perched on a dead twig in beautiful light and with a perfect bokeh. Moving on, we then saw a number of Land Monitors in the same place and were just in time to see them disappearing into their underground burrow.

Spotted Dove

Having started the day with Langur Monkeys, our next encounter was a large group of Toque Macaques. Again there were plenty of behaviour shots to be had before we moved on.

By now it was time for our daily late-afternoon Elephant encounter. It started with a pair, engaged in a courting ritual, but while we were there it didn’t result in any mating. We went in search of more and found a small family group that we stayed with until it was time to head to the gate for the final time.

On the way we had one final Elephant sighting that raised concern with our entire group. It was a young female completely alone and we learned she had become separated from her herd some time ago. It was not known whether her mother had been killed or if she became separated when fences were erected.

The concern was that although she was feeding, she should still be getting mother’s milk and without that, her ability to survive was in doubt. The park authority was aware, but planning not to intervene in any way while she was still feeding. Just surviving alone was an issue as was whether another herd would allow her to join.

That brought the trip to an end, with just another white-knuckle ride back to Colombo airport on the following morning. It had been an interesting visit with a fair share of highs and lows. We would visit Sri Lanka again, but a different park would be our choice, in pursuit of more variety of species.

Sri Lanka in February 2020

Two male Elephants having a 'discussion'

A little over a year ago we were given the chance to join a small group of photographers on a conservation/photography trip to Sri Lanka. The conservation aspect was involving Elephants and was planned for morning activity, with afternoons allowing general wildlife photography. The result was on a wet Saturday evening in mid-February, we met up with two fellow photographers and a tour leader at Heathrow for an overnight flight to Colombo.

It was just as the Covid-19 virus was starting to spread, but no travel restrictions were even being discussed. We knew there was one confirmed case in Sri Lanka, but it never entered our heads not to go. The only abnormal things we encountered, were the flight crew all wearing face masks and all arrivals in Colombo being remotely temperature checked. That was it.

Our first night was due to be spent in Colombo and after a transfer of about an hour, we arrived at our hotel. A plan had already been hatched to visit Viharamahadevi Park to photograph the Fruit Bats, so after a quick freshen up we set off in a couple of Tuk Tuks. It was a short, but interesting, journey and unfortunately we managed to get separated. The result being we were dropped at different entrances to the park and took some time to locate the other members of the party.

In all honesty, it was a bit of a waste of time, because the bats were high in the trees and only took flight as the light was failing. It did however give us a fascinating insight into the local culture.

By now we were all feeling hungry and walked around the area for a while trying to find somewhere to eat. It wasn’t a fruitful search and although we knew we could get a meal in the hotel restaurant, they weren’t due to open until 9pm. We were weary after our flight from London and had to be ready to leave the hotel at 5am next morning, so that wasn’t an option. Luckily, we found a Dominos Pizza restaurant and although not quite what we were expecting, it fitted the bill. Food consumed, it was a walk back to the hotel and climb into bed.

Next morning we departed at 5am for what was to be a very long transfer. Even at that time the roads were busy and we were soon seeing children making their way to school. It was quite frantic too, speeds are high and horns are used at all hours of the day and night. It seemed a long time before we left the built up area and an easing of the traffic flow, but it was approaching lunchtime when we arrived at our destination.

We were quite surprised by what greeted us by way of accommodation and equally what was being planned for us. There was no expectation that we should do any conservation work and we were being viewed more as a test group for future photographic tours. It also transpired there had been a misunderstanding about our rooming arrangements and after some lunch we were shown to our bungalows in the grounds.

Changeable Hawk Eagle

The plan was for a late afternoon drive to an area known as the Elephant corridor in the hope of seeing some Elephants around sunset. No one told the Elephants though.

We had a leisurely start next day spending some time around the camp, which is run by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society. There was some birdlife in the grounds to keep us occupied between breakfast and lunch, Kingfishers, Bulbuls, Munias and Weavers, before a visit to the Wasgamuwa National Park in the afternoon.

Soon after arrival in the park we encountered our first Elephants and immediately started comparisons with the African Elephants we are so familiar with. Most striking were the smaller ears, a general lack of tusks and a slightly different head shape. We spent some time with them until they moved into an area where we couldn’t get a clear view at which point we moved on.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on birds, namely Bee-eaters, a Crested Serpent Eagle, an Indian Robin, Oriental Skylark, Indian Rollers and Brown Shrike. As the sun was starting to set, we found the Elephant herd again and were rewarded with some backlit shots, interspersed with the sighting of a Changeable Hawk Eagle.

Next day we were out early paying another visit to the Elephant corridor. Again, the Elephants were missing, but there was some birdlife and a chance to do some arty shots involving a mist-covered lake. Bird of prey interest this time was provided by a Grey-headed Fish Eagle. We also had Rose-ringed Parakeets, Spotted Doves, Kingfisher and Little Cormorant.

We headed back for breakfast and spent some time in the gardens, as we couldn’t access the national park until the afternoon. It was around a ten to fifteen minute drive to the park and then the same sort of time signing in and being assigned a ranger. We were quite lucky that we got a good ranger and he stayed with us for the whole trip.

Green Bee-eater

It was no surprise to find the first sighting of the afternoon involved Bee-eaters. Mainly we saw the Green and the Blue-tailed species. Along with the Elephants, they were the most common sightings and gave us some beautiful images.

Moving further into the park, we next arrived at a swampy area and had quite a lot to see. First up was a Painted Stork followed by an Oriental Darter and then slightly further along on a fallen tree, a Crocodile sunning itself with its jaws wide open. Somehow it was managing to look both intimidating and docile at the same time. A Pond Heron was next and as we were parked up, we noticed straight ahead of us was a Bee-eater on a solitary branch.

Spotted Doves are quite common in the park and rather attractive. A pair of them were next up, followed closely by more Bee-eaters and then more Spotted Doves. Variety was reintroduced when we chanced upon a Greater Coucal, although it was not well positioned to be photographed. After that we had an Oriental Skylark beautifully positioned on a single branch with a clear complimentary background.

Oriental Skylark

By now, it was time for some more Elephants and right on cue we encountered a large herd, which contained some very young ones. In fact it was this sighting that produced one of the shots of the whole trip with one of the babies suckling its mother. A memorable end to our second full day.

Mara 2019 - The Final Couple of Days

Kiok & Koshoke, Topi Plains Pride Males

After taking an afternoon rest the previous day, we were feeling completely refreshed on the morning of our last full day. We were back on top of our game by 6:20am photographing the Enkuyanai pride once more. I was happily adding to my portfolio of shots featuring the wonderful Olbarnoti while watching more of the antics from the cubs and sub adults. The light wasn’t wonderful and after a while we moved on, but it had improved considerably by the time we reached our next Lions.

This featured one of the Six Pack males mating with a lady and at this point the other four members of our group joined us. This was the final morning for two of our group so we had planned to meet up for a group breakfast, but there was more action to be seen before we satisfied our hunger.

We found some of the Bila Shaka female Lions feeding on a Buffalo carcass, watched over by the rest of the Buffalo herd. None of us were prepared for what happened next. The Buffalos organised themselves and chased the Lions away, before gathering around the body. It was as if they were trying to bring it back to life, even though the body had clearly been ripped open. Some were even licking it trying to get some response; it was a surreal experience.

By 9am we were all ready for breakfast and this one was to be more leisurely than usual. We spent some time on a photo call to record the occasion and to get pictures with our three guides Joseph, Jackson and Dominic.

Our Guests and Guides - Final Group Breakfast

As our two guests left us to prepare for their flight back to Heathrow, the remaining four of us split up again the see what we could find. There was some more Lion action to be had and another fight between two Topi, but otherwise it was quiet. We revisited the Buffalo kill and found the Lions back feeding, but by now the Hyenas, Jackals and Vultures were gathering. The Buffalo herd had moved on.

We decided on an early lunch so that we could get to the airstrip to bid our guests farewell, thank them for joining us and wish them a safe journey. We arrived at the airstrip in good time, but the plane was late leaving after having to wait for a passenger from the nearby camp.

Looking around, we could see there was another late afternoon storm approaching, thankfully not on the flight path back to Nairobi for our guests. Once they were safely airborne we resumed our game drive and found a Tawny Eagle in a tree, superbly lit and with a clear shot. It also gave me one of my favourite landscape shots from my visits to the Mara.

Tawny Eagle

Soon after, the storm hit us and we thought it was game over for the day. There were still a couple of hours before darkness was due to fall, but the light was pretty poor so we started off towards camp. We were fooled though, as this storm passed through quickly and in less than an hour we were stopped beside a Hyena den outside of which a mum and young cub were sitting perfectly at ease. They were so relaxed, we didn’t get anything other than a few sitting shots, so our guide, Joseph suggested another den close by.

This was a good call as there was a mum with two cubs, who were both bigger than the one at the previous den. They were quite boisterous, so gave us more to work with. We could also see a second mum with a very young cub that Joseph estimated to be no more than a couple of days old. Mum was sat in the entrance to the den, shielding the cub from the outside world and therefore we only got an odd glimpse. Now it was time to head home for the day for a welcome dinner and preparation for next day’s departure.

Our final morning started at the usual time of 6am and our first subjects of the day were the five Black-backed Jackal pups. This time they weren’t very animated and just spent their time sat outside their den. Time was of the essence, so we moved on and the rest of the morning turned out to be a Lion-fest. First we found the Enkuyanai pride and as Lolparpit, Rose’s favourite, is a member of this pride, we spent some time with them. Eventually we left them and spent the rest of our time either side of breakfast with the Topi Plains pride.

Both of these encounters gave us some delightful head-on walking shots and in particular, male portraits. It was a great morning, but we had to get back to camp for two very important appointments prior to our final lunch.

Presentation to Joyce & the Village Elder - Photo courtesy of Helen Jones

On our last two trips to the Mara, we have taken unwanted clothes donated by generous people local to our home, for the children in the local village. The village elder collects them from us and distributes them to the most needy families in the village.

We also sponsor a village girl by the name of Joyce, to help with her schooling and provide her with some clothing too. This was the second time we have met her and her Mum, but we weren’t prepared for what actually happened next. Out of the blue, Joyce’s Mum presented both Rose and I with Maasai blankets and the most beautiful beaded Maasai necklaces. We were truly humbled by her generosity and remain so.

And so another successful visit to the Mara drew to a close and as we left, we were already looking forward to our next visit with guests in June 2020. Little did we know what was around the corner for us all.

Mara 2019 - The Next Phase

Topi Plains Juveniles at First Light

Entering the second half of the Mara portion of the trip, we were out with the Topi Plains pride of Lions before 6:30am. The light was fantastic and in a little over an hour had shot over 400 images, mainly of the cubs at play. As temperature rose and they settled down, we left them and looked out for more action.

Soon we found a tower of Giraffes and witnessed our second fight of the year between two males. We’d previously seen two brothers fighting some years ago in Botswana and watched as the parents moved in to break them up and keep them apart. We were told that it’s not impossible for a Giraffe to die in one of these fights due to a broken neck, but thankfully haven’t had to witness that. Neither of these fights were broken up by others, but just seemed to peter out, probably through lack of energy.

Our next sighting involved Rose’s Lion of the moment, Lolparpit. This time was a bit different to previous sightings of him though, he was alone with a female. We spent the best part of an hour with them waiting for some action, but all to no avail. With the hunger pangs building, we left them and headed for a spot to have breakfast.

We were quite close to an area known as Rhino Ridge having breakfast and looking around could see something actually on the ridge. Once we’d packed up, we drove to the spot and found Amani, one of the well-known female Cheetahs of the Mara. She was happy to pose for pictures for a good forty minutes before she climbed up into the rocky part of the ridge where we were unable to follow.

Amani

The morning had been quite successful and it was still only 11am, so we decided to see if we could find ourselves an obliging Leopard. We were successful to some extent, we found a male Leopard, but the position was rather tricky and afforded us few opportunities. He wasn’t showing any signs of relocating; it was the hottest part of the day after all, so time to move on.

Final sighting before a welcome lunch stop was Lolparpit’s brother, Olbarnoti and the rest of the Enkuyanai pride.

While we were having lunch I became aware of a large bird in a densely leafed tree, so dense I couldn’t identify it. I asked our guide and he made a stab at an identity, even though his view was no better than mine. Shortly after, the bird took flight and landed on open ground on the opposite side of the river. It was only then we could see it clearly enough to realise it was a first for us, a Silvery-cheeked Hornbill.

First sighting of the afternoon as we moved along the shore of the Talek River was two male Lions from the Fig Tree pride. They were sleeping under a large bush and one of the pair, Maridadi, had a huge and bloody gash from the top of his nose almost down to his top lip. Amazingly, this had been caused in a recent fight over a female with the other Lion sleeping beside him, his brother Kaka. Eventually they stirred and moved around slightly, but didn’t stray from the first position we had found them in. We stayed photographing them for about 30 minutes, until our attention was diverted to a huge troop of Baboons approaching. A half hour of grooming and various Baboon antics followed, made all the more interesting by the number of babies in the troop.

Maridadi's Injury

Time was getting on by now and it was looking like the daily late afternoon storm was approaching, so we started back to the camp. There was still one surprise in store for us though, an encounter on open ground with another female Cheetah. This time it was the beautiful Nora, looking like she was wanting to hunt, but with no prey anywhere to be seen. We stayed a quarter of an hour or so and made some images that did her justice, before the rain arrived in earnest. Another day drew to a close, but it had been a good one.

Next day was the complete opposite as eight straight days of thirteen-hour game drives caught up with us. We were out on our first encounter at 6:30am as normal. But a couple of hours later, we stopped for a quick breakfast and headed back to camp for some much needed rest and relaxation.

The first sighting had involved Black-backed Jackals, a species I particularly like, but on this occasion showing the dark side of their character. They crossed paths with a herd of Thomson’s Gazelles and singled out a vulnerable fawn. A huge chase ensued with the fawn’s mother doing her best to ward off the Jackals. She was successful for quite a while by placing herself between the fawn and the pursuing Jackals, but the chase was relentless and when her speed took her in front of the fawn, it was game over. But we then witnessed the dark side of it all where the Jackals just ate the fawn alive.

We moved away and soon found a Spotted Hyena den with some sub adults giving us some shots. Then we found the Marsh pride Lions and spent some time with them before a quick breakfast and the drive back to camp.

More from the Mara

Siligi and five of her cubs

On our third full day, we had a plan that involved an even earlier start than usual. It involved a long journey to reach the area where we were hoping to catch up with a Cheetah (Siligi) and her seven cubs.* It was roughly the same area as we had seen the Fast Five the previous day, but was bordering a no-go area where it would be impossible to find them.

We struck lucky, but it was to be the only time we’d see them on the whole trip. The main piece of luck was they were still in the no-go area when we arrived, but close enough to the road to be able to get pictures. The early morning light upon them was superb and we were privileged to spend around 70 minutes with them before they moved further into the restricted area and out of range.

It was a truly magical sighting, watching the cubs, still with their fluffy ‘Mohican’ manes, playing with one another while Siligi kept an eye out for danger.

A decision had to be taken at this point; did we stay in the area to find the Fast Five again, or Notch 2 and Spear Boy, or should we go elsewhere in search of fresh subjects. The latter idea won the day and we motored off in the direction we had approached from.

It was fully an hour before we had a sighting to work with, a Saddle-billed Stork. The light was getting a bit harsh to work with a predominately black and white bird, but they are a great subject so we had a go at it. Ten minutes later, we were in Lion territory with members of the Rongai pride who were spread over quite a distance.

The final sighting before breakfast was of a Zebra herd drinking in a large pond. It was almost as if they were posing for us, giving us some nice head-on and side-by-side shots.

Zebras quenching their thirst

After a late breakfast it wasn’t long before we met up with the old warrior Scarface again, a survivor of a male Lion if ever there was one. We spent a good deal of time with him, although being honest he wasn’t doing much. But we stuck with him until lunchtime.

Over lunch we decided we would go back to the same location and get some images of the other members of the Four Musketeers. We knew that we would only see Morani and Sikio, because the fourth member, Hunter, hasn’t been seen for some time. That proved to be a fruitful early afternoon, but Lion inactivity eventually decided us to move on and see what else we could find.

Our next encounter was a short series of shots of a Secretarybird sideways on, before it did the usual trick of turning its back and walking away from us. In a matter of minutes we next found a couple of Black-backed Jackals. I have always found them to be very photogenic and quite liked spotting them, but on this trip I saw the other side of them. That situation was a few days away and I’ll refer to that more in another post.

Time was now approaching 3pm and it seemed things were starting to peter out. We had what for us has been a rare sighting of a pair of Southern Ground Hornbills. What was good about it is the fact that we got the best shots of this species since we first photographed them in Kruger National in South Africa back in 2012.

There was then a brief period with a Leopard Tortoise before he ambled off into the grass and out of sight. Next up, the heavens opened and operations were put on hold for a while. Time passed and eventually we headed back to the camp for the day, briefly photographing a decidedly damp Spotted Hyena beside a flooded track on the way.

At first light next day we were with the Enkuyanai Pride of Lions photographing mainly cubs and sub adults. Close by we found a pair of Black-backed Jackals with quite a number of cubs playing in the early morning sun outside their den. The parents were quite relaxed and happy to move some distance away from the cubs, only returning to them now and again. We had an enthralling twenty minutes recording their antics, before word came through that Kaboso, the female Leopard had been sighted.

After about an hour, we finally managed to see her, but she was quite deep in a ravine. The rain of the previous evening had made approaching the edge a very hazardous action and so after a while of waiting to see if she was going to move, we went to find a spot for breakfast.

Over breakfast we decided a plan to return to where Kaboso was located and if there was no improvement in her position, to move on. We were somewhat in luck when we got there to find she had moved and we could get shots, but they still weren’t optimal so we headed off to see what the Enkuyanai Pride were doing.

Enkuyanai Pride having lunch

This proved to be a good plan as they had taken down a Wildebeest and virtually the whole pride were there tucking in. We stayed with them for about an hour and a half and witnessed some very interesting behaviour and interactions. That took us nicely into our lunchtime and discussing a plan for the afternoon.

With Kaboso being relatively close, we drove back to where she was and witnessed a most wonderful afternoon. Arriving in the area, we first spotted a male Leopard that we learned was Kaboso’s partner. Soon after, Kaboso appeared and with her was her cub. They walked right in front of us and as she did so, she retrieved a baby Warthog that the male had killed and brought for her.

She moved it away from us into an area where she felt safe, but we could still see her and watched as the cub helped itself to a welcome meal. They were there for sometime, until they moved back down into the ravine.

Kaboso and her cub

At this point we started to see a troop of Olive Baboons arriving and started to fear for the cub’s survival. They cornered Kaboso under a bush against the side of the ravine, but fortunately the cub had escaped to where the male was located. There followed quite a concerted effort by the Baboons to try to get at Kaboso, but after what seemed like an age, she managed to escape and headed towards the male. The Baboons lost interest once she was no longer cornered and left the scene. We were concerned about whether the cub had survived, but as time was getting on we had to set off back to camp for the day.

As with the previous day, around this time there was another very heavy rainstorm. We battened down the sides of the truck and got on our way, but just had time to check out the Enkuyanai Pride on the way. Things had quietened down by then of course although there were still some rather grubby and wet cubs feeding on the remains. And so another eventful day drew to a close.

* Footnote. As I write this in April 2020, we learn from Dr. Elena Chelysheva

of the Mara Meru Cheetah Project that sadly only two of Siligi’s cubs have survived.

Moving to the Mara

Buffalo and his Oxpecker

After the trials and tribulations of getting to the airstrip in Amboseli, and the slight delay in the arrival of our plane, it was relief to get back to Nairobi. We were in plenty of time to catch our connecting flight to the Mara and our next phase of the trip.

Rather than game driving to the camp, this time we headed straight there to meet up with the other members of the group we were hosting. Introductions complete, we settled down to a leisurely three-course lunch and discussed our individual wishes for the coming days. After time to settle in to our tents, it was time for high tea and the first game drive.

Our first encounter was a herd of rather laid-back Buffalo enjoying the late afternoon sun. A few shots of the Oxpeckers cleaning them off and we were moving on. Within minutes, we were on the first Lion pride of the trip and some nice shots of the sub-adults. Next encounter was a Black-backed Jackal den, where the adults seemed to be away hunting, leaving 4 endearing pups posing for us.

Rose was keen to see her favourite male Lion Lolpapit and we struck lucky, ending the day with him and his brother Olbarnoti.

Serval in the Grass

Our first full day started with Lions at first light, but word soon reached us of a female Leopard named Lorian, in the open. That was a very fulfilling session that lasted a full 40 minutes. That duration was short in relation to our next sighting where we spent three full hours in the company of male Lions, concentrating on head shots to document their magnificent manes.

Moving on, we spotted a Marsh Terrapin, Southern Ground Hornbill and a herd of Waterbuck. Our guide Joseph noticed some of the Water Buck were somewhat preoccupied and looking in one direction. He decided to take a look at what they were concentrating on and what was to follow really took us aback.

In a small, but densely packed tree, was a Serval, not something you see very often. However, what was remarkable about this sighting was the fact we were able to stay with her for three and a half hours. Sightings of Serval are rare and normally quite fleeting, but this cat was perfectly relaxed in our company and gave us a great deal of pleasure. That was virtually our day done with just a brief Topi Mum and calf sighting on our way back to camp.

Day two started with Lions again, but on this occasion was a mum and delightful cub. The early morning light on them made for some superb images and accounted for 90 images in just 12 minutes.

Like the previous day, news came through of a Cheetah sighting, but not just any Cheetah sighting. It was the Fast Five, a male coalition that I’ve blogged about previously. We saw them on our first visit to the Mara and have been fortunate to see them on every trip since then.

The Fast Five Resting in the Shade

On this occasion they weren’t particularly active so we moved on and quite close by we spotted a Male Lion that turned out to be the well-known Notch 2. On our trip earlier in the year we had seen him being chased by Lolpapit and Olbarnoti after trying to infiltrate their territory, but this time he was more relaxed. We followed him for a while until he disappeared into thick undergrowth, but after moving away to where we had originally seen him, there was another male.

This one was Spear Boy, so called due to his scarring from spear injuries inflicted by farmers. He followed the route Notch 2 had taken and soon they met up and then wandered back past where we had originally spotted them.

Deciding not to follow them, we headed back to where the Fast Five were located, grabbing a couple of bird shots of an Ostrich and Hammerkop on the way. By now we were getting to the middle of the day and unsurprisingly the boys were snoozing in the shade. We stayed with them for a while and then decided to find a suitable spot for lunch.

It was around 2:30pm when we got back to them and the sky had clouded over. Joseph was convinced they were going to hunt and sure enough, about thirty minutes later they started walking. They covered a good distance and went into some bushes, scent-marking as they went, and then appeared the other side of the bushes. At that point they showed a passing interest in a Buffalo herd nearby, but at no time did they hunt.

By now, time was getting on and we were a long way from the camp, so we set off back to base. Fortunately we had some time in hand as we had some bird encounters on the way, starting with a magnificent Martial Eagle. Next up was a Marabou Stork, not the most attractive of birds, but followed by an African Fish Eagle and finally a Grey-headed Kingfisher.

Already, the Mara portion of the trip was a quarter done, but the days to come were going to be equally as good. More next time….

Amboseli

African Spoonbill Preening

Our visit to Amboseli was scheduled to take place in advance of the hosted safari in the Mara. It was a fact-finding visit first of all, but two of our Mara guests decided to come along too. We were due to spend three nights at Zebra Plains Amboseli because we were advised that was the optimum duration.

The flight from Nairobi departs around 7:30am and takes 45 minutes. Looking back at my files, we were photographing birds certainly less than half an hour after landing. The marsh area adjacent to the airstrip was busy with birds and in no time at all we had photographed 14 different species. It was around 90 minutes before we moved out of the marsh and almost immediately spotted our first Elephant.

The daily trek to the marsh for the Elephant herds was well underway, so we kept moving. We needed to be in position around the time we had landed to get the best shots; hence the plan for next day was set. Our next target had to be our other reason for visiting Amboseli, big tuskers. It wasn’t long before we had our first ever sighting of one either, the magnificent Craig.

Time was now getting on and we needed to motor to the camp in time for lunch. We were surprised at how close to Mount Kilimanjaro the camp is situated. The view from the public areas and above all, the guest tents, is directly at the mountain. We were captivated.

After lunch and once settled in our tent, we were anxious to get another game drive done. Hopefully, this time we would find the most famous big tusker, Tim.

After a short drive, we located another big tusker, this time it was Primo. At a nearby watering hole, there were Zebra, Eastern White-bearded Wildebeest and also Defassa Waterbuck. We carried on looking for Tim and found a Black-backed Jackal den beside the track.

It was mid-afternoon and as a result, the Elephant herds were heading back from the marsh. At this time of day, it was only possible to photograph rear views of the herds with Kilimanjaro in the shot, so the iconic picture would have to wait for another day. So would a sighting of Tim.

Our first full day meant an early start if we were to get pictures of the herds heading to the marsh. We made a quick visit to the watering hole, but only found Zebra drinking. So after a few quick shots we headed off to get in front of the Elephant herds on their daily trek.

Unfortunately, the summit of Kilimanjaro was completely shrouded in cloud, so no iconic shot today. But what followed was breathtaking. A whole two hours photographing large Elephant herds heading to the marsh, kicking up the dust as they went.

Heading to the Marsh

Once we had left this sighting, we headed off for a well-earned breakfast. On the way, we came across a troop of yellow baboon with a mum and baby catching our attention.

After breakfast, taken in the marsh area, we took the opportunity to photograph birds. There appeared to be more around than there had been the previous day. We had particularly close sightings on Goliath and Squacco Herons, also African Spoonbills and Grey Crowned Cranes.

That took us right through to lunchtime and also saw us back into the area where we were likely to see Tim. It turned out we were in the right place, but it was late afternoon before we finally got lucky. What a magnificent animal, it was worth the wait and consequently we saw the day out in his company.

Rising at 5:30am on our final day, as dawn broke Kilimanjaro was clear and boded well for the iconic shot. Naturally we headed straight for the prime location, but as we were driving, Kilimanjaro disappeared into the clouds. It was a pity, because the light was excellent and the results were even more impressive than the previous day.

Breakfast was taken at Observation Hill, and then followed by photographing a variety of mammals. Most notable among them were Hippos, Eastern White-bearded Wildebeest and Spotted Hyena. Bird-wise there were large numbers of Squacco Heron and a pair of African Fish Eagles.

Following a break for lunch, we decided to head back to ‘Tim territory’. We were running out of time and wanted more pictures of him. On the way, we passed a few solitary Elephants, but by 3pm we were in position. First of all, we spotted Craig, an impressive big tusker, but not the star we were after.

We spent an hour with him before we repositioned slightly to the watering hole. Suddenly a small group of Elephants approached and we were witness to some high jinx as more and more arrived. Then Craig appeared and the fun really started as he sprayed water from his trunk. It was highly entertaining, but again it wasn’t Tim.

At this point word reached us of Tim’s whereabouts and within ten minutes, we were with him. He wasn’t alone either, he had Primo for company. It was overcast when we arrived with them, but within ten more minutes we were bathed in evening sunlight.

What followed was probably the highlight of the three days as they moved around kicking up the dust. It was beautifully illuminated by the low light and created some wonderful images to end our stay in Amboseli.

Tim kicking up the dust

That evening there was a rainstorm of almost biblical proportions that flooded parts of the camp. It made for a difficult transfer to the airstrip next morning. First our vehicle got stuck fast within 200m of the camp and we had to transfer to the second vehicle. It wasn’t long before that vehicle got stuck too, but thankfully we got it out. Even though we had left with plenty of time to get to the airstrip, it needed a white-knuckle ride to get us there on time. We made it, but then learned that the plane was delayed. Phew!

Footnote to this post

As I write this we learned a few days ago that Tim has passed away. He was 50 years old. It appears to be through natural causes, the post mortem revealed a twisted gut. Without that he could probably have lived another ten years. We’re so thankful we were able to see and photograph this wonderful Elephant.