I spent time with this cheetah family on the Phinda Game Reserve in South Africa last year. Mother and daughter are pictured here, the two boys were off to the side trying to catch a quick nap. We found them on a very blustery afternoon, and they were all on edge. For us watching, having them on edge was a bit of a blessing, because instead of just snoozing away the afternoon, they were moving around and on the lookout, allowing for more interesting images.
When I decided on the topic for the month, I had many plans for posts. Many plans that I have not been able to put in to action because of the weather. C’est la vie.
This week has seen warm temperatures and generally lots of overcast days, though I did manage to get out a couple times for a few quick photos when the sun was out. The warm temperatures and occasional rain have left the snow covered in a sheet of ice; areas almost look like they have been glazed with the fancy icing that goes on sugar cookies. I found that to be difficult to convey in an image though, and reducing everything to black and white made it somewhat more apparent.
I hope you enjoy my selections for the week.
The tracks of snow machines heading off along the edge of a lake.The icy surface of the snow being illuminated by the midday sun. The days may be getting longer, but the sun is still very low in the sky.I hadn’t been expecting the see the rocky shoreline when I went out to the lake to explore a bit. Faint tracks of snow machines head off in both directions.The temperature may have been unseasonably warm, but the trees aren’t buying it yet. Definitely no buds to be seen, just barren branches reaching skywards.The collapsing snow looked to me like to surface of the moon… or perhaps like Swiss cheese if you’re hungry 🙂
The vastness of the Namibian landscape is what I was drawn to share for the topic of the week, silence. While being out in nature is rarely completely silent, with the rustle of the wind, the chattering of birds, or the sound of distant water just a few of thing things you might hear, it is the lack of man-made noise that makes it so appealing, and so peaceful.
Below are a few images from my time in Namibia.
A hilltop sunset in the middle of nowhere. The wind was blowing and sandstorms had been whipping through the area, but it was incredibly peaceful.The Skeleton Coast. Vast desert and the Atlantic Ocean as far as the eye could see.I find there is nothing more peaceful and quiet than being outside and watching the stars. I shot this from the deck of my room at Ongava Reserve, but being outside alone, at night, in the bush isn’t the smartest idea, so I only took one quick photo and went back inside to my glass of wine.
The photo challenge topic of the week is weathered, and I have chosen to share some landscape images captured in the Namibian desert. There, it was easy to see the effects of wind and water on the landscape, both from the ground and from the air.
I hope you enjoy my selections.
While driving through the desert, we came to this spot where the wind and water had carved the sand and soft stone into beautiful shapes.The tallest of these sand sculptures only came up to my knees.Some day, these too will be gone, reduced to grains of sand blowing in the wind.Devil’s Thorn growing in the rapidly drying desert.Mountaintops weathered flat by the wind. Somewhere between Hoanib and Windhoek, April 2017.
And another week begins! I don’t know about all of you, but the weekend flew by in a flash for me (which is the exact opposite of how this leopard sighting turned out). We came across this gorgeous male leopard early into our afternoon game drive, and tracked him for a short while along with another vehicle. He went into a thicket and the other vehicle gave up, but our guide Albert predicted where he would come out of the bush, and we reconnected with him and then got to spend time with him when he climbed this tree and the sun set. That other vehicle certainly missed out on a great sighting!
For this week, I decided to focus my Frozen World post on the animals that visit my yard during the winter time. Once the cold temperatures set in, and the risk of bears diminishes, I begin to fill up the bird feeders. Once the snow falls, I add in a bowl of food for the deer as well. There is plenty of wildlife to be seen all year round, but with the feeders out in winter, there is activity all day long, just outside my office window. Deer visit frequently, along with chickadees, hairy woodpeckers and nuthatches. This year, the pine grosbeaks and common redpolls are back, along with occasional visits from the magpies, ruffed grouse and northern flicker.
Tracks along the road and through the yard show just how much activity there is. Although I haven’t seen any this winter, I have come across the occasional moose tracks through the snow, along with hare, fox and coyote. I was lucky enough to look up from my lunch a few days ago to find a pair of coyotes in the yard, sniffing around the various feeders. Even though he is always on leash, I was extra cautious letting Spencer out later on that afternoon.
While it is not ideal, all of these photos were taken through my window. When the temperature is hovering between -20C and -30C, the animals would likely be gone by the time I bundled myself up enough to get outside and capture a photo or two. And trying to do anything with a camera while wearing mittens is an exercise in both patience and frustration!
I hope you enjoy seeing what I see when I look through my office window out into the frozen landcape.
This image was from before Christmas, but it is not often that I see the male deer around, especially this guy with his impressive antlers.Incredibly skittish, this coyote was constantly running back and forth to this spot. I’d left some peanuts for the birds and squirrels under a few of the trees the previous week; perhaps she found a couple that were missed.The big source of her skittishness seemed to be all the birds swarming around her. There had to be two dozen or more redpolls flitting about, and every time they took off for the trees as a group, she would run around and then stop and gaze into the sky.This one stayed further from the house and didn’t seem to be as skittish or bothered by all the birds flitting around in the area.This morning the whole gang showed up for Sunday breakfast. There were two Mom’s nibbling at the trees in the yard; here the four youngsters enjoy some tasty grains.
The first WordPress photo challenge topic of the year is growth. There are lots of directions that this can be taken, but I’ve decided to use it as an opportunity to show off some of the younger generation of animals that I saw on my last safari. The wild is a dangerous place for youngsters, with so many species having mortality rates above 50%. I hope all of these animals have been able to grow strong and healthy.
A rhino cow and calf seen during a late afternoon game drive on the Ongava Reserve near Etosha National Park in Namibia. We were very fortunate to have several rhino sightings during our trip. Namibia, April 2017.This lion pride was very busy, with 6 small cubs, all of whom were suffering with mange. I am hopeful they all made it through the winter months. South Africa, May 2017.I have few photos of this sighting, as the light was falling rapidly and the cubs were deep in a thicket. But their antics were too adorable not to try and capture. So while their Mom fed on a giraffe kill, these two scampered around, wrestled, and attempted to climb the tree behind them. They even had a few moments of playing with the food. South Africa, May 2017. (1/250sec, f5.6, ISO 25,600)We came across these elephants just after setting out from camp early one morning. They had discovered an underground water pipe and had pulled it up to get to the water. Elephants of all sizes were enjoying a drink as the sun came up. Being amongst the elephants is definitely one of my favourite things; I could have happily spent the whole day with them. South Africa, May 2017.Right after leaving the elephants seen above, we saw this. I don’t think it gets any better in terms of an amazing sighting; we were able to track this beautiful leopard all the way to her new den site, and then spend time watching the tiny cubs explore their new home (a hollow log). South Africa, May 2017.
Happy Monday to all! For my first monochrome Monday post of the year, I decided to share not only my favourite animal, but an image that I recently printed for a display in my home. I love surrounding myself with images that evoke memories of wonderful times and fantastic adventures. I reuse old frames over and over again, some needing to have duck tape on the back to hold everything together, but it allows me to update images whenever I want. I have loads of photo displays throughout my home, from beautifully framed large-size matted prints, to unframed 5″ x 5″ cardstock images arranged in groups of 25 images. As I move throughout my home, I’m taken back to beautiful places and inspired to plan the next adventure.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.
An elephant in the desert. Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, Namibia. April, 2017.
This past week I was pondering my reaction to the weather quite a bit. I spent the first 8 years of life in Ontario where we had a true winter each year, but then moved to the Vancouver area, which doesn’t get much in the way of winter weather, and then the past 3 years in Prince George where there is a guarantee of significant cold temperatures and snow throughout the winter.
For many years, I said that I hated the snow, but I’ve come to realize what I really meant was I hate the snow that gets delivered occasionally in the Vancouver area; heavy, wet snow with temperatures hovering near freezing. The area essentially gets paralyzed by the weather, roads turn into skating rinks, and getting to and from work, which would normally be an easy 15 minute drive, could turn into a 2 hour nightmare. It was the inconvenience of it, and living in a place ill equipped to deal with it. I never believed people when they said winter was so much nicer further north. The thought of the cold and all that snow filled me with dread.
But, I must say, all those people were right. The colder temperatures and generally brighter, sunnier days are much more pleasant than the continual fog and grey skies at the coast. The colder, drier air here often feels less cold than the chilly damp that seeps into your bones further south. I’d still prefer plus 30C, but I now realize that for me, dealing with -15C is much easier than dealing with 0C in Vancouver. Know thyself, right?
Now to this monthly project. Last weekend I jotted down ideas with gusto. I planned and prepared, and then mother nature decided to turn up the thermostat for a couple of days and deliver rain one evening, and constant grey skies for the last couple of days. It was like being transported to the coast, without having to go anywhere. So much for all my photo plans.
But the freezing rain did leave some lovely frozen droplets on branches, and a light dusting of snow yesterday coated the branches once again. So I went out on a short walk to see what I could find.
