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Share your latest sightings...


Game Warden

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Upload the best sightings from your recent safari: please include when, (date and time), and where taken, tech specs and any other pertinent details from the sighting. (In the case of rhino, please refrain from giving exact locations and nearest camp/lodges.) Note: this topic is for images from your last safari, not from your photo archive.

 

This will help me in compiling images for the new Safaritalk Magazine's latest sightings feature.

 

Matt.

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  • 3 months later...

I couldn't find a thread for eland photos so I thought I may as well post this here.

shot on Swartberg private reserve in Western Cape (SA) last week

 

post-43899-0-49830300-1394046041_thumb.jpg

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Game Warden

@@Soukous you even posted in the Eland thread :)

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Ah! Now I see how that happened. The 'eland sightings' thread is listed under 'safaritalk' and not under 'Photography - Africa' where all the other sightings threads are.

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Game Warden

Blame it on the moderators ;) I've renamed that original topic and moved it to the Africa Images subforum.

 

Matt

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  • 1 year later...
Tom Kellie

I couldn't find a thread for eland photos so I thought I may as well post this here.

shot on Swartberg private reserve in Western Cape (SA) last week

 

attachicon.gifelands.jpg

 

post-49296-0-24257000-1431203779_thumb.jpg

 

~ @Soukous:

 

That's such an evocative image.

While I've seen eland in various settings, including a moderately large herd, I've never observed anything like your photo.

There's something about the shading on them which brings to mind the southern European cave paintings of Paleolithic game.

Thank you very much for posting that.

Tom K.

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  • 2 months later...

post-49296-0-27731400-1438708920_thumb.jpg



@@armchair bushman



Photographed on 28 July, 2015 at 2:35 pm in the dining room of the Emakoko, with an EOS 1D X camera and an EF 135mm f/2L telephoto lens.



ISO 800, 1/800 sec., f/2.8, 135mm focal length, handheld Manual exposure.



@@armchair bushman was kind enough to drive out from his residence in Karen to join us for lunch at the Emakoko.


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Western Lowland Gorilla (Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha, CAR)

 

IMG_6419.JPG

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armchair bushman

Western Lowland Gorilla (Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha, CAR)

 

@@Anomalure I do hope there's a trip report that goes along with this!! I can't get enough when it comes to Dzanga Sangha.

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post-49296-0-50970700-1438942388_thumb.jpg



Cheetah Cub Quartet in Motion with Mother




Photographed on 26 July, 2015 at 3:19 pm in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, with a Sony RX1 R camera.



ISO 100, 1/160 sec., f/11, 35mm focal length, handheld Automatic exposure



**********************************************************************************************************



After telling @madabaoutcheetah about an extended encounter with this family, it seemed best to share an image with the Safaritalk community. He has very kindly suggested that it may be a cheetah named ‘Imani’.



The recently concluded two-week safari in Kenya was the most productive and satisfying safari yet, with multiple sightings of all major predators, dramatic Mara River crossing images, superb insect and bird photography and two widely separated sets of highly satisfying leopard photography. In additional to all that, a bevy of tuskless baby elephants.



There are more than one hundred other photographs of these young cheetahs and their mother, who were nursing yet also sniffing around a freshly killed adult male Thomson's gazelle concealed in tall grass beside the track.



When we stopped, we had no idea that they were there. When they emerged, they stumbled on the track, gawking at us as we gawked back at them, snapping our shutters.



As @@madaboutcheetah, @@armchair bushman and others continually emphasize, for all of their ups and downs, both Kenya in general and Masai Mara in particular continue to offer exceptional sightings, if one looks in out-of-the-way places, such as this remote corner of Masai Mara.



I loved the richly saturated color tones of the grasses and of the cheetahs as they went about their business. May they all live long, fulfilling lives!


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Tom Kellie - this cheetah is indeed Imani, daughter of Amani. This is her second litter. She lost her first litter in August last year.

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Tom Kellie - this cheetah is indeed Imani, daughter of Amani. This is her second litter. She lost her first litter in August last year.

 

~ @@loafer247

 

Thank you for so kindly confirming the identification.

Was the image clear enough for you to discern various identifying characteristics? If so, it's gratifying to know that it was helpful to you.

I hope that @@madaboutcheetah will see your confirmatory identification and explanation.

May I add that the phrase “Imani, daughter of Amani” has a poetic cadence to it, rather like an Old Testament description or like a direct translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Lovely to read, lovely to say. I'm grateful to you for the helpful context. The nearly half ann hour I shared with the small family was among the satisfying and amusing I've ever had on safari.

One intrepid cub was seriously conflicted between its competing desires for nursing from mom or nibbling on the freshly killed Thomson's gazelle. A number of high magnification super telephoto images portray its confusion.

Let's hope that this litter fares better than the previous one.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

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What a gorgeous photo, although those little babies look so tiny, exposed and vulnerable on the open plain. I've never seen a tiny cheetah cub. Me and the kids, years ago, watched Big Cat Diary, and for many weeks followed the trials of a little cub called Toto, he had so many near misses and finally went missing one night in a storm. Until then I never knew how tough it was to bring a cub to maturity. Good luck to this mother, big job ahead.Look forward to more when you post your report.

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What a gorgeous photo, although those little babies look so tiny, exposed and vulnerable on the open plain. I've never seen a tiny cheetah cub. Me and the kids, years ago, watched Big Cat Diary, and for many weeks followed the trials of a little cub called Toto, he had so many near misses and finally went missing one night in a storm. Until then I never knew how tough it was to bring a cub to maturity. Good luck to this mother, big job ahead.Look forward to more when you post your report.

 

~ @@elefromoz

 

Thank you so much!

The cubs were VERY adept at concealment in tall grass.

This image is one from among many, selected because of it being one of the few where all were visible.

What Anthony noted was that it wasn't an area of Masai Mara where he'd ever seen cheetahs raising cubs before.

There were two low rises from which the mother was able to survey the terrain for approaching danger.

They were indeed tiny! At a later time I'll post a close-up of one taken with the 400mm lens. Fragile and delicate at this stage.

It was a blessing that there weren't other observers, as at this stage of parturition what's needed is extensive private time with their mother.

Nothing more than pure chance and my own whim to drive through an under-visited area resulted in this out-of-the-way encounter.

I'm grateful to @@madaboutcheetah and @@loafer247 for providing identification and context, and to you for perspective, as I don't watch television thus never saw Big Cat Diary.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

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madaboutcheetah

I'm glad you caught up with Imani and her 4 cubs ....... Hopefully, she will first of all be as successful as "Malaika" .......... second of all, I hope the authorities in the Mara take care to ensure that they are not traumatized this high season.

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Tom - I spoke to a couple of guides today who saw Imani still with her four cubs closer towards Sand River - which is the border between the Mara and Serengeti. You are right in that it is an unusual area for cheetahs to raise their young but this is in fact close to the area where Imani herself was raised by her mother.

 

Cheetah cub mortality rates in the Mara are c. 90% and in fact many litters do not even leave the den. There is a slim chance that even these 4 will make it to adulthood. You are very lucky to see them!!

 

Hari - the rangers are looking after them in terms of preventing harassment.

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Tom - I spoke to a couple of guides today who saw Imani still with her four cubs closer towards Sand River - which is the border between the Mara and Serengeti. You are right in that it is an unusual area for cheetahs to raise their young but this is in fact close to the area where Imani herself was raised by her mother.

 

Cheetah cub mortality rates in the Mara are c. 90% and in fact many litters do not even leave the den. There is a slim chance that even these 4 will make it to adulthood. You are very lucky to see them!!

 

~ @@loafer247

 

Wow! This is such a welcome update!

Many, many thanks for explaining this.

At the time we observed them, it seemed like an out-of-the-way place with few visitors.

I felt especially blessed to have uninterrupted observation time.

As of yet, I've only posted a single image from the encounter.

To express my appreciation to you for this report, and to @@madaboutcheetah for originally identifying Imani to me, I'll add another image, with my compliments.

Tom K.

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post-49296-0-32163100-1439450488_thumb.jpg



Imani's 2015 Cubs



Photographed on 26 July, 2015 at 3:28 pm in Masai Mara National Reserve with an EOS 1D X camera and an EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II super-telephoto lens.



ISO 200, 1/640 sec., f/5.6, handheld Manual exposure.



**************************************************************************



After initially hearing and then spotting Imani in a remote area of tall grass, we stopped, unknowingly beside a freshly killed adult male Thomson's gazelle where four cubs were hidden.



With time they emerged, following their mother with leaps and bounds. They were within less than three meters of the camera lens, pushing it to the limit of its minimum focussing distance.



At the time it struck us as a rare sighting, given the isolated location and lack of other vehicles. After returning and learning Imani's identity, I feel that we were especially fortunate.


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What beautiful cheetah cubs they are @@Tom Kellie. I really hope the Cubs can survive and that the Rangers will be strict in stopping any harassment from humans. The cheetahs need all the help they can get to survive as a species.

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Peter Connan

Oh what a beauty Tom!

 

I just love their expressions, and the tip of Imani's tail. Great photo, thanks for sharing it with us.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Ben mosquito

Tom your cubs are so cute, and it's great to have them calm and attentive, they are always on the move.

 

Our latest sightings were awesome. on the way back from SandaÏ to Nairobi airport, we crossed Aberdare NP, a shortcut much more exciting than the long tarmac road.

Most of our friends were there: a leopard with a strange smile, a giant forest hog, sykes,colobus....

Bongos and black cats were missing maybe next time? Aberdare are so addictive, and Sandai so friendly .

 

post-26959-0-37727700-1440359968_thumb.jpg

 

post-26959-0-16325200-1440359995_thumb.jpg

 

Michael, Petra is ready to welcome you back with great pleasure .

Edited by Ben mosquito
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~ @@Ben mosquito

 

TERRIFIC images !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How were you able to obtain such superb photographs?

Thank you so much for posting these in Latest Sightings.

They're certainly remarkable!

Tom K.

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Wow, the Aberdares really delivered for you! Leopard and Giant Forest Hog, fantastic. Well, if Petra is ready, then I surely must return soon. :)

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