2025-02-16: Elephants in the riverbed

I remember how peaceful it was to sit on the deck of our cabin in the early afternoon and watch this beautiful herd of elephants. They came down to a dam (just out of the picture to the left) to drink, and once they had their fill, begin heading into the (mostly) dry riverbed to feed on the abundant vegetation.

A herd of elephants seen at Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.

Part of the herd had already moved deeper into the riverbed; there were perhaps 15 – 20 in the group in total.

Just because the game drive is over doesn’t mean the wildlife viewing is over. There is often an abundance of birdlife and animals to be seen just relaxing around camp.

2025-02-09: Sunrise Giraffe

Watching a sunrise with giraffes is never a bad way to start a day. I’ve shared some images from this sighting before, but it was so beautiful, another one won’t hurt.

Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.

2025-02-02: Elephant Connections

I’ve often said that if there was only one animal I could watch on safari, it would be elephants. They are always doing something: feeding, drinking, fanning themselves with their ears, and most importantly, interacting with one another.

It’s the interaction that I wanted to highlight with my selection of photos today.

This group of young elephants were having a lot of fun alongside the waterhole, where the rest of their herd was drinking and splashing. These guys were enjoying a bit of trunk wrestling in the late afternoon heat. Botswana. April, 2025.
A classic trunk hug from a mama to her baby. Botswana. April, 2025.
The type of mama and baby photo you normally see in illustrations, with baby holding on to mama’s tail. Botswana, April, 2025.
A small family heading to the waterhole, passing by a large, solitary male. Here you see the matriarch leading the way, followed by the youngest, with older elephants protecting the youngster from the rear. Elephants are so protective of their young, and it is very common to see groups walking in this manner, to provide as much protection from danger as possible. Botswana, April, 2024.

2025-01-26: Birds in Pairs

I decided to focus on birds this week, and looked for images where I had a pair of the same species together. I was surprised how many I found, and surprised by how many bird images I still have to go through from my last few trips.

While the wattled cranes are a fairly rare sighting and the pygmy geese were a first for me, the rest of the birds featured are fairly wide spread and easy to spot. I’d be pretty shocked for anyone to go on a southern African safari and not see a lilac breasted roller and at least one type of hornbill.

A pair of wire tailed swallows perched on the guard rail along a bridge. Klaserie Sands Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
A pair of yellow-billed hornbills spotted on a drive in Klaserie Sands Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April 2024.
A pair of pygmy geese seen in the Okavango Delta. Botswana. April, 2024.
A pair of wattled cranes seen in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
A pair of red-billed hornbills spotted during a game drive. Makadikadi Pans National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
Seeing double with a pair of blacksmith lapwings perfectly reflected in the shallow pool they were standing in. It was a toss up between watching the birds and watching the sunrise. Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
A pair of wire tailed swallows hitching a ride on the front of our boat. Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
A pair of lilac breasted rollers spotted in Chobe National Park. We had hoped seeing them together we might see the unique rolling behaviour in flight, but no luck there. There’s always next time! Botswana, April, 2024.

2025-01-19: Hippos

I had originally planned to post some elephant photos today, but I came across one hippo photo that made me change my direction.

Hippos can be interesting to watch and listen to while out on a game drive, but they generally aren’t an animal that a guide specifically seeks out to show guests – at least not on any game drive I’ve been on. Hippos have their typical ponds and pools that they spend time in, so it is usually quite easy to add a drive past the area during a game drive, or stop nearby (at a safe distance, of course) to have morning coffee or sundowners in the evening.

It is very interesting to have the opportunity to see hippos out on land, especially in the daytime when you can really appreciate their size and bulk. Our camp in the Okavango Delta had a resident hippo in the camp that they called Oscar. Oscar wandered around in between the cabins grazing, even during the day. We were lucky to have him hanging around our cabin one afternoon, although the only photos I managed of that sighting were of his butt as he walked away, or when he was mostly obscured by bushes.

Here is my selection of images for the week.

We watched this group of hippos during the downtime between morning and afternoon drives from the deck of our cabin. I’m sure this is the smallest baby hippo that I’ve ever seen. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
A group of hippos heading back to the water, spotted on a boat cruise of the Chobe River. Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
A pair of hippos grazing in the late afternoon, seen while on an afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe River. The land in the background in part of Namibia, and farmers had set the fields on fire to burn dead vegetation.Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
A hippo pod at sunset, during a beautiful sundowner drinks stop. Our camp set up a bush bar near this pond, and all the vehicles congregated there to have a few minutes to chat and enjoy some refreshments. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
I spent some time in a hide near a small dam that the lodge kept filled, and watched this hippo. For some time I wondered if it was dead and floating, but it was very much alive and seemingly just enjoying having a peaceful float in the morning sun. Eventually, it righted itself and carried on with its day. Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.

2025-01-12: Infrared Tree

I wish I could provide the type of tree this is, but unfortunately all I know is that I thought it was stunning, and worth taking the time to take pictures of.

This view was off of the pool deck at Simbavati Hilltop Lodge. I spent some time between lunch and our afternoon game drive playing around with long exposure photos using my infrared filter. Each time I capture images like this and edit them, I remember again how much I enjoy them, and how much more there is to learn about the process.

A beautiful tree standing tall amongst a variety of shrubs and low bushes. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa, April, 2024.

2025-01-05: Victoria Falls

I realized I still have a lot of images from my 2022 trip that I wanted to work through, so I decided to select some images from Victoria Falls, both from the Zimbabwean side and from the Zambian side.

I first visited the Zambian side of Victoria Falls in April of 2013, and the water level was perfect for viewing as there was a strong water flow to highlight the epic scale, but not so much as to shroud the entire falls in mist. My second visit was November of 2022, and there was far less water flowing over the falls and a lot more exposed rock, which showed off the scale of the falls in a completely different way.

On the day we visited the Zimbabwean side, clouds hung heavy in the air, but I don’t believe delivered any rain that day. Our visit to the Zambian side 8 days later couldn’t have been more different, with clear blue skies and fairly significant heat and humidity, around 38C or so, going from memory.

The different viewing areas offered not only different visual experiences, but different sensory experiences as well. This particular spot was incredibly humid and misty from the proximity to this portion of the falls and the direction of the breeze. It felt like being within a localized rainstorm. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. November, 2022.
Another viewpoint along the falls, but out of the pocket of mist.
Walking less than five minutes down a path from the main falls area provided an amazing view of the rock behind the falls. In the wintertime, with sufficient summer rains, there would be water flowing over much of this area.
Victoria Falls from the Zambian side under hot, clear sunny skies. This is an area just above the falls, and you can see a small amount of mist floating up the the left of the distant tree. Victoria Falls, Zambia. November, 2022.
A view of the falls from one of the main viewing areas on the Zambian side.
Similar to the Zimbabwean side, a short walk away from the main viewing area, there were huge expanses of exposed rock. This was one of the interesting things about being in the same place in a different season.
The weather conditions were perfect to view a rainbow created from the waterfall mist.

2024-12-29: Giraffe Silhouette

After a few dreary and grey days, I was in the mood for colour again, and these giraffes images certainly fit the bill. The shape of the giraffe is so easily recognizable that they are a great subject for a silhouetted shot, if you are fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time, with both subject matter and weather cooperating.

Our progress along this road was halted for a giraffe crossing. I think we had 3 or 4 individuals that crossed, just as it got light enough to take some photos. Klaserie Sands Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
A pair of giraffes in the last moments of light after sunset. A beautiful full moon was rising in the opposite direction. Savute, Botswana. April, 2024.
A lone giraffe and the rising sun. Our guide spotted this giraffe at a distance and positioned the vehicle perfectly to watch the sunrise. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.

2024-12-22: Sunrise

I was treated to a beautiful sunrise sky this morning when I was out walking my dogs; in one direction, warm yellow, orange and peach tones, and in the other, cool blues and purples. It was such a lovely start to the day. While I didn’t have my camera to take any pictures, I did have a few lovely sunrise shots just waiting to be edited from my last trip.

The sun just peaking up behind a hill in Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
Sunrise over Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
Another Savute sunrise. The skies in Botswana are magical. April, 2024.

2024-12-16: Leopards

I managed to keep to my schedule for editing some photos over the weekend, but got sidetracked by an expansive to do list and neglected to get them posted. A day late isn’t so bad; and honestly, I am more concerned about keeping the routine of working on my images than occasionally missing my self-imposed schedule for sharing them.

Leopards caught my eye these week, and honestly, how can a leopard not catch your eye? They are such gorgeous creatures and it’s truly a special feeling to be in the presence of an animal that could very easily make the choice not to be seen at all.

On my past safari trip we had two different leopard sightings, one of a solitary leopard and the other of a mother leopard with an older cub. I’ve shared a few images of these particular cats before, and many others over the years which can be found with the search function.

A beautiful leopard on the move. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa, April, 2024.
The quality of the light coming through the grasses behind this leopard makes this image feel more like a dream to me than reality. If you were tracking a leopard in a dream, this would be where you would find it, after passing through dark, thick bush into a small clearing with dreamy light. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
This mother and cub pair delighted us with some wonderful moments, including watching them move through the bush and groom each other. We didn’t spend too long with this pair as there were other vehicles hoping to catch a glimpse, and we didn’t want to be the ones to prevent anyone else from sharing in their magic. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
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