Lions chasing giraffe
September 24, 2007
A couple of shots from the other day when the lions were chasing some giraffe around. I converted them to b&w as the skies are pretty dead at the moment (they are white from all the dust and smoke from bush fires outside the park).
The blog will be silent for the next week as I am going to Lusaka tomorrow (through necessity as I have no desire to go! - the game viewing is superb at the moment) I hope to be back in the valley next Monday.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
It’s all about Lions at the moment
September 23, 2007
There has been loads of Lion activity in the area over the last few weeks with some very interesting sightings and several exciting kills. I watched two lions yesterday morning chasing 5 giraffe around. The giraffe would keep their distance but as soon as the lions lay down they would approach quite close to have a better look and then run off again when the lions stood up! It went on for at least an hour! I will post a couple of shots once I have processed the images.
The lone female with the 3 young cubs (now about 2 and a bit months old) is still nearby but no longer in Lion Camp. We saw her every morning for the last week but she seems to have moved again today. They are growing up really quickly and are getting very playful - much to their mother’s irritation as they are constantly jumping on her and biting her tail! Here are some of my favourite shots from the last few days. The other 6 cubs and their mothers are still alive and well (one cub disappeared for about a week and then reappeared with a very bad limp but it is getting better each day) and we see them most days.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Umbrella bird..
September 20, 2007
This ingenious bird is a Black Heron. It forms an umbrella with its wings to shade the water from the sun so that it can see clearly to fish (also the fish are attracted to the shade). It is not that common up here so really nice to see.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
So you think you can dance!?
September 18, 2007
Two young adults from the Lion Camp pride play fighting. They were walking down to a lagoon for a drink when the female lay down pretending to have a rest. As the male came within a few feet of her she jumped up and and grabbed him - taking him completely by suprise and knocking him over!
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Bateleur talons
September 17, 2007
We were watching an immature bateleur eagle sitting in a leadwood tree when this adult female swooped down and landed on the branch directly above us. They are normally very shy birds so this was quite unusual. After a couple of minutes the male also joined them. Often Bateleurs sitting in a tree are an indication of carrion nearby - perhaps a leopard kill - but despite searching the area we couldn’t see what had attracted them. Perhaps they were just resting….
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Fight!!
September 15, 2007
Two Impala rams having a vicious fight. They were so engrossed in impaling each other that they didn’t notice we were nearby and nearly ran into the vehicle!
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Leopard at night
September 13, 2007
Having not had many Leopard sightings in the last month there seems to be a glut at the moment! I guess like buses they are all coming at once! I have had 5 very good sightings in the last 3 days. We found this female in a tree feeding on an Impala early yesterday evening. She was difficult to photograph due to all the branches but would stick her head out every now and then for a look around. We watched her for at least half an hour before she climbed down and disappeared into the thickets.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
