This Week At Angama #46

21 December 2018 | This Week at Angama |

Reading Time: 5 Minutes

We waited and waited for the short rains in November and just as we were about to give up, boom they arrived in full force. The Mara is impossibly green and this week has once again proved that it never fails to surprise us

It’s been a very unpredictable week in terms of weather and wildlife. An impressive reminder of just how changeable and dramatic the Mara can be. [f 4.0, 1/800, ISO 320 +1]

Male Lion
This big beautiful male posed for a picture. As the day was cloudy and the light not harsh, it was easy to photograph him from any angle. Beside him were two females of around the same age – I assumed these were his siblings. [f 5.6, 1/800, ISO 250]

Lions
I couldn’t have been more wrong. He stood up, approached one of them from behind, patted her on the back to wake her and proceeded to mount and mate with her. The other female lay right next to them seemingly unbothered. [f 5.6, 1/2000, ISO 250 -0.67]

Mating Lions
A few minutes later, the male stood up, approached the second female, and as before, patted her to wake her up and mated with her as well. This behavior is not very common which is what made it so interesting to document. [f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 200]

Silver Backed Jackal
Driving around the Reserve looking for more game, we spotted this silver backed jackal headed in the opposite direction. Behind us was this little stretch of water so we reversed hoping he would come towards it and jump. And he did. [f 5.6, 1/1000, ISO 250]

Fish eagle vs plover
Using binos, we scanned around hoping to find lions. Instead we were rewarded with this sighting of a fish eagle hunting. Too far to photograph, we saw it dive directly into the water and emerge with a catfish. It landed on a small mound but a resident spur winged plover was having none of that. [f 5.6, 1/1250, ISO 320]

Fish Eagle 1
Annoyed by the plover, the fish eagle perched on a tree closer to the road. [f 5.6, 1/1250, ISO 320]

Fish Eagle 2
Wasting no time, we headed towards it and remained with it for a while. When the eagle flew off, I was ready and got the shot that I was hoping for. [f 5.6, 1/2500, ISO 320]

Waterbuck nursing
A young waterbuck nursing while its mother kept a watchful eye on me. [f 5.6, 1/500, ISO 640]

Waterbuck
It is interesting how captivating eyes can be in a photograph. Immediately they draw attention to the subject. [f 5.6, 1/320, ISO 250]

Reedbuck
A bohor reedbuck, concealed in the bushes to avoid detection. [f 5.6, 1/250, ISO 250]

Wooly necked stork
Woolly necked stork profiled in front of storm clouds. [f 5.6, 1/500, ISO 250 +1]

Ruppels starling
Striking Greater Blue-eared starling looking for insects. [f 5.6, 1/320, ISO 640 -0.33]

Long Crested Eagle
This long crested eagle surprisingly allowed us to get close enough for this shot.  [f5.6, 1/500 ISO 250]

Hyena
The hyena’s blood crusted nose told us that she had recently been feeding. [f5.6, 1/200 ISO 250]

Angama Mara
Suspended in midair. [f5.6, 1/1250 ISO 250]

AUTHOR: Jeffrey Thige

Hailing from Nairobi, Jeff’s younger years were spent watching Big Cat Diaries with his mother. Images of wild animals roaming across the savanna inspired Jeff to travel the country, study wildlife management and move into photography. Jeff aims to use his camera to become an ambassador for conservation. He joined Angama Mara as an intern in 2018 and is now employed full time as assistant photographer at the lodge’s Photographic Studio.

COMMENTS (2)
Tina Rennie
December 22, 2018

What an incredible photograph of the storm. Good luck with your internship Jeff.

REPLY
    Nicky Fitzgerald
    December 23, 2018

    Thanks so much Tina – please come back and see us again soon

    REPLY
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*

BLOG HOME
BLOG ARCHIVES: