Shenton Safaris - African S€¦ · This issue will have the extended views of the recent postcards...

Thursday, May 27, 2010

1. Shenton Safaris - Photographic Newsletter

1.1.

1.2. December 2007 issue

Incredibly another season is over. It was a phenomenal season in all respects and I'll

let Derek fill you in on the details in his newsletter (pending!).

This issue will have the extended views of the recent postcards (the Mwamba Lions

drinking, Jasmine and the vultures), plus a feature on the Hippo Hide, one on the

Carmine Hide and some general images you haven't seen before including Misty

(another of our female leopards) with a kill.

So, to the Mwambas...

Shenton Safaris - African Safari Holidays http://www.kaingo.com/photo_newsletters/Octobersignoff2007.asp

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We were at Mwamba extension (10 mins from Kaingo Camp) when we heard an impala

alarm call. We were actually scouting for a leopard who had been seen with a kill in the

area on the previous night drive. Derek quickly turned the vehicle around to head back

to the area where the impalas were calling.

Within seconds the old alpha female from the Mwamba pride appeared at the top of the

opposite bank and padded down towards the river. The impalas on the bank were still

looking unsettled leading us to suspect there were more lions to follow. Had it been me

driving I would have followed the female - a lion drinking captured on the CF card is

better than 10 possible lions in the bush in my book. Just as well I wasn't driving.

Convinced better action was about to come our way Derek whizzed us around to where

he felt the lions were about to emerge and sure enough the rest of the Kaingo half of

the Mwamba pride appeared on the bank (14 in total including the old alpha female -

the Mwamba pride is huge at 35 and has split into two sub prides; one half which hang

out around Kaingo and the other half who tend to be near our bush camp Mwamba and

as we speak have moved pretty much into the camp as they do each Sept/Oct).


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For those guests who do not feel like resting between breakfast and lunch we send out an

additional activity at midday each day - this might be a walk, a drive or a hide trip.

The hippo hide is a very popular feature of the camp and has been used by many professional film

makers and photographers over the years, particularly the BBC and National Geographic.


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There is a famous sequence of a crocodile taking a buffalo in the BBC Wild Africa series that was filmed

from this hide. At the very end of our season the BBC returned to the hide for a new series the Natural

History unit is working on.

Owing to the huge floods last year the lay of the land at the hide was slightly different at the end of this

season. Rather than the river undercutting the hide, a bit of beach formed in front of it. Derek, loving

nothing more than to experiment with new hides, opened out the normal hide and made a custom made

'built for one' beach hide. This was up close and VERY personal with our pod of hippos.

Stephen, the BBC cameraman, said it was the best hide he'd used in all his years of filming. They got all

they needed and more in the 5 days they spent wtih us including some spectacular fight scenes. We

very much look forward to seeing the end result.


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Below are a few images I've shot from the hippo hide...


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And finally, a very tiny baby next to its Mum's nostrils.

Below, the extended version of the Jasmine postcard...

Derek named this beautiful leopard Jasmine. We only started seeing her regularly this

year - she's quite young and very pretty with distinctive singular spots at the

whisker line each side.

We came upon her late morning, sitting at the base of an Acacia tree in the middle of

Lion Plain, fairly unusual behaviour for a leopard. As we approached it became clear

why - she had a kill in the tree.

The Hollywood Pride were nearby and having made the kill in a very open area she

probably had to make a hasty decision to get it up the nearest tree. An acacia with all

it's thorns and thick foliage is definitely not the ideal choice for lounging around in the

branches. And so we found her, sitting at the bottom of the tree guarding her kill, which

was in the rather low hanging branches.

She obviously wasn't massively comfortable being so exposed - as we approached she


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left the tree and walked about 150m to the nearest thicket to tuck herself out of sight.


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Within seconds vultures descended on the ground around the tree and then, one by one

tried to land in the tree to access her kill. No mean feat for a vulture in a thorny acacia.

After a few minutes a few had managed to get to the kill and started tearing at it.

Convinced she wasn't going to allow this thievery we waited with baited breath for her

to emerge from the thicket. Sure enough with speed unlike anything I've seen from a

leopard she covered the ground between thicket and acacia like a cheetah - bounding

across the plain, scattering vultures in her wake.


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She recovered her kill and swiftly dragged it back up the tree.

Once every last vulture had been chased off, satisfied she'd done the job she again retreated to the

safety of the thicket under the watchful eyes of a couple of Zebra.


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We decided the combination of us and the nearby Hollywood Pride were making her leave her guard

post at the bottom of the tree, so we departed to leave her in peace. Jasmine is quite a new leopard in

the area and the process of getting to know us must be done gently and with respect for her

boundaries.

It was our intention to return late that afternoon as night approached; leopards tend to be much more

comfortable under the cover of imminent darkness.

Sadly for Jasmine, upon our return we found absolutely no sign of the kill, but several fat Hollywood

lions lazing on the nearby beach. The kill was low in the branches - an easy steal for our cunning leos.

Jasmine was nowhere in sight.

Keep your eyes out for the documentary "Lions of Crocodile River" this recently released documentary

was filmed in our 2005 season and focusses on our Hollywood Pride.


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Derek and guests shared some time and space with a group of our gorgeous, gentle Thornicroft giraffe

on an afternoon walk. The two hippos in the river behind them weren't feeling quite as calm as the

giraffe!


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And Derek and guests on a walk again - spending time with our eles...


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We often find groups of elephants in Kaingo's ebony grove, either before or after they've made their way

through the camp itself.


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We had a couple of VERY hazy mornings in October, fires were raging in the back country sending

billowing smoke all the way to the river. It wasn't fantastic for normal photography, but made a very

atmospheric setting for these eles crossing Lion Plain.


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A small group of our rare Cookson's Wildebeeste slaking their thirst at Fish Eagle Lagoon.


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We have a small lagoon a about two hundred metres from Kaingo Camp. We have called the little loop that takes us around it

Leopard Loop owing to the wonderful and frequent leopard sightings we've had there since we opened this track.

We had literally just left camp when we heard the impala snorting; snorting like that can only mean one thing and we moved

quickly and quietly to the loop. Sure enough as soon as we pulled in we found Misty with an impala clamped in her jaws and

still kicking.

It's always a bit heart rending to witness a kill, but it is all part of the cycle of nature.


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The Mwamba Pride (females and cubs) have moved into the Hollywood pride's territory since the demise of the Hollywood

male. We often find them up around Deb's tree.

There is one particular lioness who is fascinated by the Zebra. Sure she wants to eat them, but seems to spend an inordinate

amount of time away from her pride, sitting watching them and being watched by them.


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One Zebra provided us with great entertainment, not at all scared of the lone Lioness this Zebra repeatedly fronted up to her,

then backed into her trying to give her a good kick in the chops.


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The Carmine BeeEater Hide was a little difficult this year as the colony kept moving. At one point we had baboons raiding

the nests, at another the river dried out so there was a beach below the colony providing easy access for Water Monitors. All

in all I think we moved the hide four times! This is one of the facts of life when working with nature, it is not always

predictable.

The end result was as fabulous as ever. These stunning birds showed off their plummage and were greatly enjoyed by our

guests from September onwards.


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So, this will be my last newsletter until May next year. Derek and I are heading to Australia to welcome

our first addition, to the fourth generation, of wildlife loving Shentons.

Until next time

1.3. Jules


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Previous Issues

September 2007 Newsletter

July 2007 Newlsetter

February 2007 Newlsetter

December 2006 Newsletter (July images)

June 2006 Newsletter

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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Shenton Safaris - African S€¦ · This issue will have the extended views of the recent postcards...

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Transcript of Shenton Safaris - African S€¦ · This issue will have the extended views of the recent postcards...