Ferocia

One of my greatest experiences from the Mara this year was when I watched a lioness from the Rongai pride dutifully care for her two young cubs, only to be challenged by one of the male lions from the same pride.

As he came within a few yards of her tiny cubs she went into battle mode. She roared like nothing I have ever heard. She did not back down from him, in fact she charged him with all her might and swatted his face causing a gash that immediately started to bleed. She also went back at him again and again giving him everything she had. Finally, she gave him a personal escort far away from her cubs.

If that wasn’t enough to wear her out, she went on to take down a wildebeest by herself after chasing an entire herd.

I had to clone a safari vehicle that drove in front of me…ugh.

As she started to feed, the male that she fought off earlier came back to share in her good fortune. “Ferocia” (the name I gave this fearless, lioness) would not have any of this. She roared at him with a look in her eyes that said she meant business. With her face covered with blood she continued to roar with a stern, low rumble. I could see that she was just waiting to attack him again. Finally the male backed down from her prey and waited patiently for the leftovers.

This is full frame. I was focused on “Ferocia” and did not frame it as I would have liked, it happened so quickly. I should have included more of the wildebeest. The sad thing was that the wildebeest was still alive at this point.

Once she ate as much as she could possibly eat, she did not try to drag the kill to where her makeshift den was. She knew that he would follow her and that her cubs would be vulnerable. Even though they are in the same pride the lion did not father the cubs and the lioness has to be very protective of them.

I named her “Ferocia” because she truly was ferocious. A lioness protecting her cubs is not to be messed with. Even though they are quite fierce, they tenderly care for their cubs with the greatest of patience. Needless to say she won my heart and I will be looking for her when I return to Kenya in November. Two spots have opened up on the November trip if anyone is interested.

Serval Cats with Kittens

Early morning light

Some of the kittens had green eyes, some blue and some had hazel eyes.

For the first time since I’ve visited the Mara we have had consecutively great photography opportunities with Serval cats — most with kittens. These cats are usually extremely elusive and sighting of them are quite brief. But this was our year for Serval cats. I can’t tell you how thrilling it was to see them. The youngest kittens still had “baby blue” eyes as bright and clear as could be. We saw them with both of my groups and each group had plenty of time to capture some sweet shots.

The adult Serval cats are proficient hunters. One of them caught 10 rats in an afternoon! I have to admit the rats gave me the creeps and watching those precious kittens tearing into them was hard to see. But when they weren’t carrying around the rats they looked so sweet and innocent playing with their siblings.

My favorite sighting was at an old log that the kits used as a den. When one peeked it’s head out of the log my heart melted. I think it was my favorite shot, though I haven’t had time to go through all of my images.

Home from the Mara

I have been in Africa for three weeks co-leading (two) back-to-back photo tours in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.  I wanted to share some of the logistical information before sharing some of my favorite images and stories as I know many are anxious to hear how things went since this is my first trip back after Covid became a travel issue.

Our first day started in Nairobi where everyone met up for dinner and a brief orientation before we headed out in the morning for our private charter to the Mara.

When we landed on the small airstrip our guides/drivers were waiting with open arms. It was a nice reunion. After checking-in at our camp and getting our stuff sorted, we headed out for our very first game drive.

Our first group was a wonderful mix of old and new friends. With three vehicles, we each had our own row of seats, and the roofs open so that we have 360 degrees viewing. We were off to a very good start.  Some of the stand-out photo opportunities included: Cheetah hunts, Lion cubs, Lioness carrying young cubs, Leopards in trees, Serval Cats with young kittens, Elephant babies, Jackal kits, Hyena cubs and so much more. The second group was also treated to some great photo opportunities. My favorites sightings included very young Cheetah cubs, and an epic crossing.

Now for a bit about the logistics and my airport/travel experiences. I was already fully vaccinated and brought my vaccination card to the airport in Newark. I was flying Luftansa with a short layover in Frankfurt Germany.

I needed to get a Covid PCR test (not a rapid test) 96 hours before traveling and have a negative result and supply proof of the results at the airport. I did that by printing the form the hospital (where I had the test done) sent me via email. My insurance covered it and I didn't pay a co-pay.

Next, I had to fill out a form with the Kenya Heath Ministry (I was directed by my airlines to the link), I did that online, it took only a minute. After submitting the form, I was able to print a QR code that I brought with me to the airport.

Masks, either surgical or N95 were required on the plane. The airlines supplied surgical masks for those that didn't have the proper mask. The flight was not full and there were two seats between me and the lady in my row (I flew coach).  The flight attendant gave us hand sanitizer wipes, I also brought Clorox wipes and cleaned my screen (which I never used anyway), my drop-down tray, seatbelt buckles, arm rests, etc.

When the plane landed in Germany there was not a Customs or Covid check. We were in the transit area and directed straight to our gate. There were security guards but no fever checking or paperwork whatsoever.

When we landed in Nairobi, they checked our temperature, took our QR code papers, checked our visas and passports. And looked at our Covid Negative result paper. This was surprisingly easy and efficient.

On the last full day of our safari, we were tested for Covid at our camp. They did a swab test (results in 24 hours), it cost $120.00 usd each.  The next morning before leaving the Mara camp we received our results. Everyone got a copy of their test result printed out for them by our camp. Nobody on either group tested positive. Just about everyone in the tourist industry in the Mara has been vaccinated. We also paid for our drivers/guides to be tested before our arrival.

After our adventure ended, we all travelled together from the Mara to Nairobi via private charter to the international airport where everyone caught their flight home. The negative test result paper was checked about 6 times in Nairobi and through our layover location (Frankfurt). At the US entrance it was not checked but they did announce that they would randomly check our test results. I had no issues entering the US, I will be heading back to the Mara again in one month to lead another group -I can't wait!

Heading to Africa

I am leaving today to meet up with my co-leader Paul McKenzie to conduct another African Safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The Mara is an area of preserved savannah wilderness in southwestern Kenya, along the Tanzanian border.

Many folks feel that there is only one time to visit the Mara and that is during the migration. But what many don’t know is that there can be a crossing at any time and the numbers can be epic! If it rains in Tanzania the Wildebeest line up to cross over into Tanzania, and vice versa.

During September we usually miss out on most of the crowds. At some of the crossings, during migration period especially, the overwhelming number of tourists looking to watch this event is overwhelming. Getting a viewing spot takes careful planning and maneuvering to get a small viewing window. I much prefer the less crowded version of this epic event. I am curious if there will be crowds now because of Covid--probably not.

I’ll be home by October 3rd, if all goes well. If you sign up for a workshop or have a question I should still be able to stay in touch as we have added wifi to our safari vehicles. I’ll be bringing my Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera as my main camera body and I plan on using the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens as well as a wide variety of others…. The 200-600mm lens is a perfect choice because it gives me so much flexibility with my focal length. Since I am using the A1 (around 50 megapixels) I will be able to use the internal crop (APSc),and still retain about 21mp if needed. That’s a big help in the field because I won’t have to deal with a teleconverter and taking it off and on. I also truly love the internal zoom on the 200-600.

Also, in case you were wondering. I am fully vaccinated, I just passed a PCR Covid test and I will be retested at camp. We paid to have all of our drivers and guides tested before we come. I plan on wearing a good mask on the plane, using hand sanitizer (often) and avoiding any crowds. Stay safe out there wherever you are, going to the grocery store can be just as scary!!

After a crossing, when the dust started to settle.

Brooks Falls, Katmai NP, Alaska

My last trip to Katmai was an incredible adventure. Everyone on the trip captured loads and loads of great images. The day before our scheduled bear photography trip to Katmai National Park on the Alagnak River started, a few of us opted to go to Brooks Falls as a pre-trip. Brooks Falls is a waterfall located within Katmai, it is kind of a touristy place, and I was a bit hesitant to go. We arrived at the falls in the morning to avoid most of the crowds and boy am I glad we did. When we arrived, there was only one float plane on the shoreline-when we left the shoreline was completely filled with planes.

Because we got there before the crowds, we were able to go to the platform repeatedly without waiting. The platform overlooks the falls and most of the action. But towards the middle of the day the lines were long and wait times were in place. Even with a bit of waiting, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the falls and look forward to another visit. We counted 21 bears at one time, not to mention the fish… Anyway, the picture below tells the story. Special thanks and congratulations to Janice Rosner (it is her photo below). Janice sent me the email below yesterday-

Image copyright and courtesy of Janice Rosner 2021.

The email I received from Janice:

Denise,

I wanted to share this with you. I belong to PSA and am in a nature critique group. I submitted the attached bear image from Brooks falls and the critique I got is attached. Thanks for planning this fabulous trip. This is the 1st time I ever got a perfect 10.

Janice

Review by commentator Jan L.
Nature Story:

This is an excellent example of the Katmai bears fishing. It is hard to find a more instantly recognizable nature story. For the bears, this fishing is life itself. For the salmon, avoiding the bears and spawning means life for the species. This image is full of tension and activity without being at all gory.

Technical Quality:

You hit the nail on the head with your overall exposure. Rarely have I seen one of these images that is any better exposed. This is also looks to be tack sharp. Very impressive.

Pictorial Quality:

The pictorial elements are all strong. Not only does the story immediately hit you in the face, but the composition is as close to perfect as can be. I’ve played around with this a bit for fun, and I did not find any other composition that I like better.

N – 3, T – 3, P – 3, E – 1 = 10