I can’t see an image of a male kudu without hearing the voice of my guide Harley, from Chitwa Chitwa, saying “So Majestic!” I’d never had a guide before that had an antelope as a favourite animal, but they are very impressive creatures, especially when you get a chance to see them out in the open.
It’s been a rather strange winter (weather wise – no pandemic commentary here!) and I’ve not been seeing the neighbourhood deer as frequently as in past years. I know they are around, both from the tracks in the snow and the need to refill the food bowl I keep out for them every couple of weeks. Any time I catch a glimpse of them lately it is always after dark, which doesn’t lend itself to photo taking, so instead I’ve gathered up some images of some African antelope instead. To be honest, even if the deer had been around in broad daylight this past week, the best I would have done would have been a photo out the window, as it was far too cold to be going out to take photos (at least for me).
As noted yesterday, my computer is dismantled for the time being while I work through some office reconfigurations, so today I’m sharing a few images that I have shared before. It’s just what caught my eye when looking through my media library, rather than a specific theme.
Continuing on from yesterday, here is another elephant image showing little and large. Take a look at this tiny tike out in the open on the road while Mom and another guardian browse in the bushes. This one was probably still small enough to get tucked under Mom’s belly if needed.
I felt called to work on some elephant images this week, and as soon as I came across a the first photo I thought a selection of images showing little and large would be just right. I can’t even put into words the magic that I feel when spending time amongst elephants, and a breeding herd is extra special, with the lovely bonds and all the extended family pitching in to help look after the little ones.
I was fortunate to have a huge number of elephants sightings on y last trip and have lots of images to choose from. Which is a good thing, because it is still going to be a long while before I’ll be there again.
This little one was one of the smallest members of the herd, and was heading back to Mom for a suckle. This sighting was during a late afternoon game drive from Chitwa Chitwa in the Sabi Sands.A tiny elephant calf almost obscured by the low brush, following behind what was probably an older sibling or aunt. This sighting was at Kings Camp in the Timbavati, and we were amongst a large herd of elephants. Every direction we looked from the vehicle there were ears flapping and trunks browsing. Heaven!A cheeky youngster making itself look very big and imposing by flaring out its ears. Too cute!
I always hesitate a bit about sharing images of predators feeding, as some people (including me) are squeamish, but I don’t find this to be gory or difficult to view, so I hope no one else finds it challenging to look at. Many people say that they want to see a kill while on safari; I never have, though I have arrived at lions feeding very shortly after taking down a pair of impala, and it’s a very hectic experience to witness. In terms of an animal feeding, this was very tame as the carcass was already well picked over and it was high in a tree so there weren’t a lot of smells with it. But it still spooked one of the people in our vehicle, and after a short time there she indicated to our guide that she was ready to move on and that it was getting a bit much for her.
The day previous, she had been quite keen to see a cheetah starting (and then quickly failing) at a hunt. I wonder what would have happened had the cheetah been successful? My thoughts on this are, when heading out in nature, do your best limit your expectations of what you will experience, and what you hope to experience, and even, what you think you will enjoy experiencing.