Wildlife

by

WeeklyPrompts-PC-Line-Up

 

African lines this week.

It was truly fascinating to see these giants

at such a close distance.

 

DC Photography 13

 

Their skin, while smooth, is like…

…an ancient…

…eroded landscape.

Botswana zebras posing for my camera.

A zebra crossing in Kruger National Park.

Thirsty impalas.

 

Our first images of African wild life.

Late afternoon and like all animals

they were out for some fun.

The following year we were locked out.

Probably a good idea in hindsight because the horn

would go right through before they thought of stopping.

An

African Harrier Hawk

conducting its pre-flight check.

Airborne and still looking good.

~~~~~

 

Weekly Prompt Photo Challenge:  Line-Up

by

FOWChallenge-Orphan

~~~~~

~~~~~

orphan

a child whose parents are dead

At my Mother’s funeral in 2006,

a friend approached me and said

that we were both orphans, now.

Not something I had thought of

or would have said.

Sadly, this little cub was less than twelve months away

from losing it’s mother when this photo was taken,

making it an orphan in the animal world I suspect.

We never knew if it and its sibling survived.

~~~~~

Fandango’s One Word Challenge:  Orphan

 

 

 

by

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-Animals

~~~~~

 

Some of animal and bird sightings

in Africa.

Warthog…Botswana Rhino Sanctuary

Hyena…outside camp in Kruger National Park.

The first sighting of many that day.

A Zebra crossing…Kruger National Park

 

African Starling…Kruger National Park

So much pettier than its

Australian cousins.

African Pearl Spotted Owl.

Kruger National Park

African Harrier Hawk…Kruger National Park

Impala…Kruger National Park

King of the Pride…Kruger National Park

Unlikely to be boss, though.

Friends for life…Chobe National Park, Botswana.

 

 

Zebra…Botswana

Crimson Breasted Shrike…Botswana

Hornbill in Okavango Delta Camp…Botswana

Painted Wild Dog in Okavango Delta Camp…Botswana

Posers…Rhino Sanctuary, Botswana

Leopard in Okavango Delta…Botswana

Finally, the totally unexpected animal sighted in Africa.

Although after passing through a few Kalahari villages

we did get used to seeing donkeys.

~~~~~

 

~~~~~

 

by

FOWChallenge-Cacophony

~~~~~

~~~~~

cacophony

a harsh discordant mixture of sounds.

Black Cockatoos….

…fit this description when they are feeding…

…cracking open the nuts or fruit of their favoured tree.

Their cousins the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

do not like being disturbed and are

at their most cacophonous when

around 1,000 (well, at least several hundred)

are settling down for  the night in one tree.

They all have to say ‘good night’ to each other.

~~~~~

Fandango’s One Word Challenge: Cacophony

by

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-Two

~~~~~

 

Starting where I finished last week…with eagles.

Australian Wedge Tail Eagles, nesting.

African Fish Eagles.

The Fish Eagle has a beautiful call,

especially nearing dusk when sound carries.

Males usually have wingspans around 2 m (6.6 ft),

while the female’s wingspan at 2.4 m (7.9 ft) is nearly

the same as the Wedge Tail Eagle.

Click here for YouTube Fish Eagle call

I have have posted this photo so often that I am

beginning to think it’s nearly time that the Illy coffee chain

offer to sponsor my blog and give these girls a pay rise.

Happy memories from Amsterdam.

~~~~~

~~~~~

 

by

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-One

~~~~~

Lookout duty at Melbourne Zoo

Is that me or my twin?

One of the few Wedge Tail Eagle photos I have.

I see plenty, but photograph few.

So re-posts, it is.

~~~~~

~~~~~

 

by

Lens-Artist-PC-49-Favourite-Things

 

~~~~~

Some of my favourite things are my cameras.

Cameras, lenses and travel allows me to…

…get up close to wildlife.

They also allow me to capture and keep nature

when she puts on a grand display…

 

 

…and also the not so grand displays.

 

Even foggy mornings can produce good results.

And when Mother Nature is a bit sluggish

getting out of bed, technology has advanced so much

that we can now capture lights prior to daylight.

Finally there are landscapes and many other

subjects to be found everywhere.

And there is also…

…raindrops on roses….

…and whiskers on kittens…

…brown paper packages tied up with strings

🙂 🙂 These are a few of my favourite things.  🙂 🙂

~~~~~

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Patti:  Favourite-Things

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Leya:  Favourite-Things

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Amy:  Favourite-Things

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Tina:  Favourite-Things

 

by

WitsEnd-Weekly-PC-Places-To-Go

 

Next year we plan to be back in…

…South Africa and Botswana.

 

It will be our third trip and we hope to

see Meerkats in their natural habitat.

This one was guarding its territory

in the Melbourne Zoo.

These images will, I hope, thrill the rest of my extended

family who are also coming along for the ride.

 

While our first lion sighting was this pride,

on the shore of the Olifant River,

lion sightings were better later on.

 

We were about forty metres from

the action in my footer image.

After tiring of annoying mum,

the cubs came and watched us watching them

at a distance of around 20 feet.

~~~~~

Witsend-Weekly-PC- Places-To-Go

 

by

Lens-Artist-PC-48-Wild

 

~~~~~

When I think  ‘wild’, I think…

of the ocean…

…and rugged waves smashing on to the shore…

 

 

and a rolling swell and frighteningly rough surface.

Nature at its best.

 

My second thought is of wildlife.

Specifically, African wildlife.

As we left camp one morning

we saw our first ‘up close’ hyena.

It did not mind that is was the focus of our attention,

after all it did belong in the park

and we were the intruders.

Late the third day of our first African Safari

we were alerted to a leopard sighting.

Above is the leopard and below the tree it is in.

The leopard is on the top branch.

Its head and ear are a give away

when you know where to look.

The last evening we had an unexpected game drive

and again found ‘Limpy’ and this her her cubs.

Limpy remained in this position about 50 metre from us.

However, children being children, were inquisitive…

…and both came to do some tourist spotting from

a pile of elephant dung around 20 feet from us.

After 20 minutes of only cameras clicking

and whispered comments we lost the sun.

In that 20 minutes I captured around 300 images

of these 8 week old cubs.

 

 

Our first encounter with ‘Limpy’, so named

because she malformed front paw.

We were also told that she could

easily bring down an impala when hunting.

We nearly ran over her as she was resting

on a track around a sharp bend

and our did not see her.

Not sure who was frightened the most.

I still remember the goose bumps on my arms

as she turned her head and looked straight up my lens.

Sadly, she was dead in less than 12 months.

We received the news whilst in Botswana.

She had a contagious disease

and veterinarians euthanized her.

~~~~~

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Patti:  Wild

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Leya:  Wild

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Amy:  Wild

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Tina:  Wild