I love being outside in the early morning, and watching the sky progress through a multitude of colours as the sun climbs higher and higher. Waking up for early morning game drives while on safari is never a chore for me since I naturally love the time of day. Here are a few images from various early morning drives on my last trip.
A lioness passes close by our vehicle with the sun rising behind her. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A pair of zebra in the shadows. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.A group of giraffes grazing while the clouds are lit up in cotton candy colours. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.A prime of lions sprawled out surrounding the road as the sun comes up. There were eight individuals in the shot, but more in the group. They were amazing to spend time with as they were all very frisky in the cool morning. Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A pair of young giraffes following not too far behind an adult. Moremi Game Reserve, April, 2024.An impala showing off its agility in the early morning. There were several racing around and displaying their fitness. Makadikadi Pans National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
Continuing on with the bird theme from a couple of weeks ago, I decided to focus on herons this week. When I used to live near Vancouver, I loved taking my dog for a walk along a river and would usually spot a great blue heron or two along the route. My current walking area doesn’t feature herons, but it does sometimes have animals like deer and moose (as well fox and coyotes tracks left overnight for the puppies to enjoy), so, I definitely can’t complain about a lack of things to see. At some point, I am hoping I will have both my dogs comfortable and calm enough while walking to take my camera out with me, but that is still a work in progress. But back to the herons.
The variety of herons that I have seen in Southern Africa is impressive, boasting a wide range of sizes and colourings. The striated, purple and squacco herons are on the smaller side, the grey heron is the size that comes to mind when I hear the word heron, and then there is the goliath, which is truly impressive in its stature. The one thing I never really understood was the naming of the purple heron, as the bird is more grey and rust coloured than what I would call purple. But, bird naming conventions (or renaming, as that seems to happen fairly frequently) isn’t something I can claim to understand.
On to the photos.
The grey heron is very similar in size to the great blue heron that we see here in BC, just with different colouring. The grey heron is a fairly common heron to see, and I’ve come across them on most of my travels in Africa. This one was spotted in Moremi Game Reserve. Botswana, April 2024.
A striated heron alongside a dam on a dull morning. Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa. November, 2022.A squacco heron spotted in Moremi Game Reserve. This particular afternoon drive was a bonanza of water birds, including the black heron that I shared a couple of weeks ago, amongst others. Botswana. April, 2024.A purple heron spotted during a boat trip along the Zambezi River. Zambia, November, 2022.Another grey heron, this one spotted while on a game drive in Madikwe. South Africa, November 2022.The largest of the African herons, the Goliath heron. These birds are massive and so impressive to see up close. This one was perched in a tree at the edge of the Zambezi River, spotted during a boat cruise. Zambia, November, 2022.A squacco heron alongside a dam. I spent quite a long time watching this heron from the hide at our camp; it is amazing how still they can remain. Botswana, April, 2024.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.