This Week At Angama #6

The Mara Triangle never fails to deliver. In our 6th installment of This Week at Angama we really start to see some of the subtleties that make this such an extraordinary reserve. Of course the big cats are here in full force, but look deeper and you will see that every game drive yields something special and unexpected.

A helicopter flight with the Mara Elephant Project offered the chance of taking some fun shots. This team is doing remarkable work researching elephant movements, combatting poaching and reducing human/elephant conflict. By leaving a small part of the helicopter in this frame it provides context to the story that this image tells. [f 6.3, 1/800, ISO 320, -0.33]

A bird’s eye view of what we affectionately call Angama’s Slaughter House (we slaughter and are slaughtered in equal measure) [f 4.0, 1/6400, ISO 320, -0.67]

If only we could talk Elephant. I wonder what these three youngsters would be saying to each other? [f 4.5, 1/800, ISO 320]

A close encounter with a calm female allowed me to really appreciate the texture and patterns of this old matriarch. [f 4.0, 1/160, ISO 2500]

Twisting and turning – a large elephant bull rests the full weight of his trunk on his tusks. [f 4.0, 1/250, ISO 500, -0.33]

Two of the four young male lions currently occupying the very heart of the Mara Triangle. [f 4.5, 1/2500, ISO 320]

The Angama Pride have had a successful week killing at least one zebra and one buffalo in quick succession. Watching 16 lions tear a carcass apart is an impressive sight. We follow this pride with interest as they have the makings of a dominant force, playing havoc with lion dynamics across the Mara. [f 5.0, 1/1000, ISO 320]

Myles Turner was the first game warden of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania from 1956 to 1972. Once a prolific hunter he would later dedicate the rest of his life to conservation. After his tenure in the Serengeti he moved across the border to the Maasai Mara in Kenya. In 1984 Turner died of a sudden heart attack. In his honour he was buried on the top of this kopje (inselberg) so that he could always look down over the land he loved so much – the meeting of the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti. [f 5.0, 1/500, ISO 320, +0.33]

Another one of the joys of rain is the explosion of alates. The nuptial flight of termites is crucial in triggering the development of kings and queens and the establishment of future colonies. Of course there are insurmountable obstacles in the way; a pair of Coqui Francolins is just their first hurdle. [f 4.0, 1/50, ISO 640]

In the two months I have been in the Mara this is without a doubt my most unusual sighting. A Leucisitc Hyena. Leucism is a rare condition in which there is a partial loss of pigmentation resulting in white or pale colouration of the fur, but not in the eyes. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin. To capture this rarity in full sprint was a real treat. [f 4.0, 1/640, ISO 320]

Much debate was had over whether this Tawny Eagle would have been able to kill this White Stork or if it had simply scavenged the last of the remains. My opinion is that the stork was killed by a Martial Eagle and the Tawny was simply feeding on what was left. [f 4.0, 1/2000, ISO 320, +0.33]

A Marabou Stork in its full glory. [f 4.5, 1/1600, ISO 640, +0.67]

Angama’s Mara Triangle leopard project continues to uncover more wonderful characters. This week I was finally introduced to one of the two young cubs in the southern parts of the reserve. Overcast conditions, and poor light, meant that the best way to capture the agility of this young leopard was in black in white. [f 4.0, 1/6400, ISO 1000, +0.33] (converted to black and white in post)