On one of the morning drives while staying at Phinda Vlei Lodge, we came across a male cheetah lounging on top of a small termite mound. I loved this view of him gazing off into the distance; I can only imagine what he was able to see through the mist.
Cheetah on a misty morning. Phinda Vlei, May 2017. 1/500sec, f 6.3, ISO 560
You can find this image, and others like, available over on my website.
I’ve only recently returned from a trip to southern Africa, and over the past month, I’ve seen so much it is almost tough to know where to begin. There were blooming deserts and blowing sandstorms.
There were watery playgrounds for the large and the small.
There were close encounters with wildlife, and close encounters with humans while tracking wildlife.
This and so much in between. So many stories, so many sightings, so many wonderful people and so many memories that will make my heart happy every time I think of them, for years to come.
My wanderlust keeps pulling me back to Africa, and I am hopeful that it won’t be long before I can return again.
There are loads more photos and lots of stories to come from my latest journey – stay posted!
The most popular post of the year, in terms of views, was of my favourite, elephants 🙂 Good choice everyone!
I chose a pair of adorable baby elephants for my post 2016-05-24: WPC Jubilant. These little ones thrilled us with their antics for quite some time before being rounded up by the adults to head off. The harsh shadows in this image caused me to dismiss it the first time around, but you can still see a playful glint in the eye, which is what this little one was all about.
So there you have it, the end of a short and sweet wrap up of the year. Thank you to everyone for stopping by, sharing your likes and comments, and spending a few moments a couple times a week seeing the world through my eyes. I’m looking forward to 2017; I have a few new post ideas percolating already!
The countdown continues… coming in at #2 was my response to the WordPress photo challenge prompt of Pure. A gorgeous, tiny zebra foal and its mother were featured in that post.
Here is another photo of the two of them; I hope you enjoy.
The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the path that has been travelled over the year, and the ones that you hope to travel on in the coming year. 2016 has been an interesting, and really good year. The photos below encompass some of my thoughts about the various paths that I am on.
There are times when the path is clear; you know where you are going and the way is easily defined. If you have to retrace your steps for some reason, it’s easy to get back where you started.
Sand Forest, Phinda Game Reserve, South Africa.
On some days, the path might seem barren and you feel all alone, but you never know what might pop up ahead.
A saddle billed stork takes to the road. Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
Sometimes others will doubt that you are on a path at all; they will question your direction and your vision. But you know exactly where you are going.
An elephant heads towards the river for an early morning drink. Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.
Sometimes you need to create your own path. You can’t see where you are headed, and if you try to turn around, the way is just as obscured. Going on intuition is the only way forward.
A leopard moving through the tall grasses, Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.
Sometimes the only thing to do is take a break, rest, and return to the path later on. This is especially true when you have no idea what you are doing, or where you are going!
Silverback Makara rests on one of the game trails in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest, Uganda.
I for one am very happy it’s Friday and the weekend is nearly here. After a computer meltdown last weekend, I am back up and running and will be able to get back to my normal posting schedule.
It’s no surprise that I love elephants, and this photo was taken during my last trip to South Africa, when we stopped our vehicle in the bushes and watched the herb graze and amble along. Always a wonderful moment 🙂
A line of elephants moving through the bush as the light starts to fade. I could have processed this in a more HDR way to bring up the shadows, but as it is, the image feels true to how I remember the scene, with the elephants fading into the bushes.
