South Africa
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Shooting While on an African Safari: Do the Visuals Get Much Better?
May 20, 2012 by Rich Laburn
Many of you will remember, and hopefully participated in, the Star in Your Own Safari competition that we ran in partnership with Safari Interactive Magazine a few months back. The winner was Christine Lamberth and here is the video of her starring in her own Specialist Photographic Safari at Londolozi. Christine was kind enough to share a few of her best images with us, which you can see below. Enjoy…
Camp Pan Male Leopard
Big Elephant Bull
Mashaba Female Leopard
Wild Dogs in the Rain
Majingilane Male Lion Chasing Vultures
Vultures in Black and White
Tamboti Female Leopard on Termite Mound
White Rhino
Majingilane Male Running
Majingilane Males on Patrol
Well done Christine, you were a very deserving winner and your images show just that. You can view the full story of her prize in the latest edition of Safari Interactive Magazine.
Photographs by: Christine Lamberth. Video Filmed and Produced by: Rich Laburn
4 Worldwide Owl Museums You Must Visit
May 16, 2012 by Julie McNamee
Owl Museum, Penang (http://www.pulaupinang.com)
Owl Museum, Larnaca
I was doing some research for an article for a travel site I contribute to, and came across an owl museum in Larnaca, Cyprus. It houses the largest collection of owls in Europe. What a niche subject for a museum! The collection belongs to Holy Bishop Kitiou and consists of 5704 ornaments and pictures. Frustratingly, however, I haven’t been able to find out much more than that. (If anyone has been, please let me know – I’d love to hear about your visit.)
Owl Museum, Larnaca (http://www.mousiotheasis.com)
I can completely understand why someone would have a fixation on these beautiful and mysterious birds but I got to wondering firstly if it’s the only example of an owl museum, and secondly are there any other serious owl collections out there?
Owl Museum, Penang
Owl Museum, Penang
The first one I came across is the recently opened Owl Museum in Penang, Malaysia. They sum up on their Facebook page just why owls are such interesting creatures:
Owls are fascinating birds, and
Wildlife: How to Track a Lion
May 14, 2012 by Alex Van Den Heever
Here are a couple of important things to look for and remember when you are next tracking a lion…
- A Lion has four distinct toes – ordinarily no claws show in the track unless the animal walks in deep mud, running or when scraping the ground when scent marking with the hind feet. Claws aid in grip when the lion accelerates.
- There is one large main pad with three clear lobes at the back, posterior edge which is common to all the cats.
- The two rounded toes (one being the due claw) that are situated higher up the leg but do not show in the track.
- Tracks are usually 90-145mm in length, depending on the size
SARU: What Should We Do About the Kings?
May 13, 2012 by Bob Skinstad
I am not hereby referencing the iamjonnyking clan, although we can be calamitous, and we do want to invade your #supe world, South Africa – some time, at least.
No, we take this posting pitstop at a past-time that ponders to procrastinates, and at times, even prevaricates; I think I could “P” everywhere in this piece, as I postulate on.
Yes, this is a pool party, where even the P-Divvy will likely ventilate at some point – precisely!
Okay, this is not an adult edition of Sesame Street; time to P-free.
Anyone for a Cookie? We could be a while.
As many of you will have grasped if you have lingered over words without end, while this scribe finds his residence under the same skyline, the long white cloud distinguishes my home.
Therefore, I offer this preview as a means to affirm my assumptions as I enter the discussion of the Kings in the #supeRUG world; they are a long way from your South African world.
Watching, reading, and reflecting on this subject that has a number of rabbit’s to trail, it is clear that some larger than life characters colour, much for many, in what is discussed on this…
Read more…
Saddle-Billed Stork and the ‘Big 6 Birds’ in Africa’s Bush
May 12, 2012 by Adam Bannister
The Big 5 represent the 5 game species that were most desired as hunter’s trophies in times gone past. They now represent the 5 species that visitors to classic African wilderness areas most want to see. The Kruger National Park set about establishing the ‘Big 6 Birds’ in an attempt at mirroring what the traditional big 5 mammals do for public eagerness to spot species.
Aimed at the layman birder, all 6 birds are large, easy to identify and instantly recognizable. These species are also limited substantially in their distribution and have had their ranges negatively impacted upon by human encroachment; habitat degradation and other pertinent conservation issues.
It is hoped that by making the public aware of these 6 bird species that they can be recognized and so some kind of pressure will be put on the conservation bodies to conserve the areas that house these species.
The Big 6 Birds are:
Kori Bustard
Martial Eagle
Lappetfaced Vulture
Pel’s Fishing Owl
Saddle-billed Stork
Southern Ground Hornbill
Just yesterday on drive, I discovered that a pair of Saddle-billed Storks appear to be nesting. It is estimated that there are only between 25 and…
Read more…
Natural Beauty of Southern Africa: Leopards, Lions, Zebras, Rhinos & Elephants
May 4, 2012 by Rich Laburn
A herd of female impalas congregate as the nearby males stand off during their yearly rut. Many of these females will become impregnated during this period and give birth to lambs at the beginning of December.
The Mashaba female leopard drags her grey duiker kill to a nearby thicket. The grey duiker is a shy animal which prefers to remain concealed in thick bush and long grass. It will often try to remain hidden in the presence of potential predators, exploding forward at the last minute in a desperate sprint to escape. Unfortunately for this duiker, the leopard was too quick…
A iconic and easily identifiable bird of the Southern African bus veld, the Lilac Breasted Roller forms part of many safari enthusiasts photographic portfolio.
The Vomba Female Leopard glares sideways at a rustle in the nearby bush. Still incredibly beautiful despite her age, this leopard continues to hold much of the prime
A Wake of Vultures in the African Bush
May 1, 2012 by James Tyrrell
I have always been amused by collective nouns. An obstinacy of buffalo, an implausibility of wildebeest, and my personal favourite, a parliament of owls.
None of these is more appropriate than the one referring to a group of vultures on a carcass. A ‘wake’ is certainly an apt title for the raucous, squabbling group of birds seen with their heads covered in blood, pecking, clawing, and generally providing entertainment for any guests and rangers fortunate enough to be there at the time.
Two vultures square off on the giraffe carcass.
Two lionesses of the Sparta pride recently brought down a very large giraffe bull. We think the bull was most likely lying down when the lionesses made their move, as a wide awake giraffe of this size would mostly likely have been to big a target even for these proficient huntresses. Be that as it may, we had an amazing few days viewing, as first the lionesses fed, sometimes with the two oldest Sparta cubs in attendance, and then three of the Majingilane collection arrived, taking the lion’s share of the carcass, so to speak.
The African Bush and its Misty Beautiful Mornings
April 26, 2012 by Adam Bannister
We are currently in the midst of one of my favourite times of the year. The reason: the unbelievable mornings in the African bush. The bushveld is always pretty, but it is now that I think it is spectacular! Each morning, I jump out of bed, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and then drive out of camp, hoping for mist. The day is thick with opportunity and potential; so much so that you can nearly taste it in the air!
The mornings are fresh and cold; but they are rejuvenating. They make for the most marvelous photographic opportunities, allowing one to get creative and to capture a different mood of safari. Even if I don’t see a single animal in the first half an hour I am still grinning from ear to ear. After all, I am driving around on the most beautiful patch of planet earth! Come join me and experience the thrill of the morning drive…
A dead tree in the foreground often helps to add to the composition of the picture
Yet another distnat view over the Kruger National Park.
