Category Archives: Uncategorized

All Hail!

Well, it’s raining cats and dogs here at the moment, but that’s an improvement over what was happening just a few minutes ago:

Golf Ball Sized Hail

Yes, the golf ball is the smallest item in the picture.

Under African Skies

Under African Skies
Sunset over the Kruger

The weather, while we were at the Ngala Game Reserve, was cool and dry but overcast most of the time.  That made for some flat light when taking photos of the wildlife which certainly wasn’t ideal.  But on all three evening drives, the clouds would break up enough to give us some beautiful sunsets.  Sadly, most of my attempts at capturing them on camera were not that great, but this is one of the better ones.

Beauty and the Beast Combined

Beauty and the Beast Combined
A leopard feeding on an what’s left of an unlucky impala

This was one of the highlights for our stay in the Kruger.  We sat and watched for about 30 minutes as the leopard tucked into a meal of very rare impala steak.  Not only that, but there was a hyena sniffing around below the tree waiting, in vain, for something to drop from above.  And I’ll tell you something, those hyenas are huge!  People tend to think that a hyena would be no match for a leopard, but in truth it’s quite the opposite.  If the leopard had been on the ground with that kill, it would have easily been driven off by the lone hyena I snapped at the foot of the tree.

The Hopeful Hyena
The Hopeful Hyena

I Have Returned…. Again

Who says I never get up early?
Sunrise over the Kruger National Park

Apologies to everyone who has been waiting for answers to their questions.  No excuses — just action to make up for lost time.  I will be going back though all the comments and catching up as quickly as I can.

I will also be posting select photos from my summer vacation to South Africa.  It’s a beautiful country and the people we met, of all races, were nothing but kind and generous.  They are still struggling with the after effects of decades of segregation and injustice, and I can only hope their leaders act wisely and bring peace and prosperity to their country.

Where the Wild Things Are

The wanderer returns! 

My apologies for not attending to the questions, suggestions, and comments left on my blog in the past three weeks or so, but there was a very good reason for my absence…  I was having way too much fun on vacation in South Africa and Mauritius with my sister and her wonderful family.  The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our stay at the Ngala Private Game Reserve on the border of the Kruger National Park where we were treated like royalty and given the experience of our lives on safari in the African bush.

As a taster of what we saw, here are photos of the legendary “big five”.

First, a female leopard and her cub.  This amazing photo was snapped (I think) by my sister, so I can take no credit for the captured moment.

Leopards at Ngala

Unfortunately lions were a little scarce in the game park while we were there, but we managed to intercept a couple of male lions before they vanished into the Kruger in pursuit of their pride.

Lion

Bull elephants we saw plenty of… this one in particular, and thereby hangs a tale (but it will have to wait for another day of two).

Elephant

We caught up with a rhino family just as the sun was setting over the park.

Rhino

And finally, we only caught a glimpse of the water buffalo which, thanks to megazooms and megapixels, seems a lot closer than it actually was.

Water Buffalo

Plenty more photos where those came from, but I promise not to post all 2,000 of them!