Wild Africa - Masai Mara and Amboseli NP

Masai Mara

After many years "wildlife photography in the north" I decided to explore the world of animals in more southerly climes. A completely different world - luxurious, both in the colours as well as the occurrence - but much more challenging light conditions! In thin clothing instead of thick down jackets - ten animals in a day instead of one animal in ten days.
The first part of the trip I spent in a small tented camp in the Masai Mara. Together with guides, which are the best wildlife photographers in Africa. (Organised by C4 Images - highly recommended - http://www.c4images-safaris.co.za) A simple camp but the warmth of the staff and the food leave nothing to be desired.

Already on the first day I was lucky to see a mother cheetah with five cubs. Only for a brief moment she pauses on a termite hill. Not posing for us, but to have a lookout for prey.

The Serengeti (Masai Mara is part of it) is known for the great migration of zebra and wildebeest. It is at the end of the migration time and so I can only see some smaller river crossings, but they are quite spectacular. Huge Nile crocodiles are waiting in the water, to get their share of this natural phenomena.

What is a safari without the "Big Five"? While elephants and buffalo are relatively easy to photograph, good lion pictures are a bit more difficult. Most of the time they sleep in the shade of a tree. The black rhino and the leopard on the other hand are real challenges and need a lot of patience. Especially the black rhino. Unfortunately there are fewer and fewer animals because of poaching. I had (with a lot of patience) the fortune to get excellent shots of one. Even my guide, the world-renowned photographer "Greg du Toit", said: "This is the best encounter with a free roaming black rhino I've had in my 20-year career."

 

Even if the "Big Five" are on the wish-list of every wildlife photographer, there are a few much rarer animals. At the sight of a Pangolin even the local Masai get extremely excited. After many years in the bush as shepherds or guides not all of them have seen one before. A primeval, endangered mammal with long claws, which curls up into a ball, like a hedgehog, at threat.
A young striped Jackal backlit by the morning sun is also one of the rare events.

 
Just before the rainy season, huge cloud formations build in the late afternoon, which  develop into spectacular sceneries of structures and colors in the light of the setting sun.
The rising full moon and the elephant at the horizon are frozen in a very unique moment of time.

 

 

 Amboseli Nationalpark

A very different landscape can be seen in the Amboseli National Park, in southwestern Kenya. Dry, sandy desert landscape around a lake that is fed by the Kilimanjaro. The animals walk long distamces, to drink at the water points. The big elephant herds not only fascinate me, but they touch my heart.

 

It is not my last trip to Africa. Already booked is a trip next summer to Botswana and South Africa.

More Images under

Africa 2014

Whales in the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska, USA

Wonderful encounters with whales

The spectacular scenery of Alaska, whales and grizzly bears. Three themes that make a trip to Alaska worthwhile. And, for Alaska fantastic weather with plenty of sunshine and only one day of rain. Mosquitoes - just a few and light-conditions, which delight the heart of a photographer.

The first part of the trip is a week-long cruise in the Alexander Archipelago, the waters around Juneau in southeast Alaska. The boat is small and cramped for eight guests, but still cozy. The encounters with humpback whales and orcas in the vastness of the sea are spectacular. Sometimes the whales come as close to the boat that one gets wet from the mist of their "blow".

 

In the waters in the archipelago are rich herring schools. The humpback whales use a special technique, "bubble net feeding", to catch them. By cleverly blowing air bubbles at depths of 100 m, they create a bubble net that traps their prey near the surface. Then with the grace of synchronised swimmers, the 35-tonne giants shoot with mouth wide open to the surface to devour their prey.

I can experience a special encounter with an "iceberg". Inconspicuously he drifts in the vast of the archipelago. Through the waves of the approaching boat the iceberg gets suddenly unstable and rotates. The light of the sparse rays of sunlight reveals an ice sculpture of incredible beauty. The millennia-old ice sculpture shows an "inner-life", I have never seen before.

Especially spectacular are the humpback whales, when they jump. But also difficult to photograph! You never know where they jump - either it happens too far away, or in the back or too close! A second or two and you only see the white spray.

The sea is usually calm in the archipelago and in the bays, where we anchor each overnight, it is often as smooth as glass. The setting sun enchants the landscape in a rhapsody of blue and orange.

  

More images:

Alaska Whale watching

Read also the Blog:

Face to Face Grizzlies, Alaska, USA

Face to Face Grizzlies, Alaska, USA

Coastal bears at Cook Inlet

The spectacular scenery of Alaska, whales and grizzly bears. Three themes that make a trip to Alaska worthwhile. And, for Alaska fantastic weather with plenty of sunshine and only one day of rain. Mosquitoes - just a few and light-conditions, which delight the heart of a photographer.

The second part of the journey leads me to the Lake Clark National Park. On the coast of Cook Inlet, live a number of coastal grizzlies, mostly mothers with their cubs and youngsters. From Anchorage, it is a one hour flight with an over forty year's old Super Otter. The flight is phenomenally quiet and with a virtually cloudless sky, the view is terrific.

The Coastal Grizzlies feed this time of year mostly in the sedge meadows or use the low tide to dig in shallow sand for clams. The bears find the clams, which are up to eight inches below the surface, with their fine nose.

  

 

The sunrises and sunsets give a fantastic, mystical light. The days are long, as we often start a six in the morning and get back to the lodge after 10 PM. During mid-day however, the light is harsh, so we use this time for a siesta.

 

Since almost no males are in the area, the mothers move relatively careless with their young. Nevertheless, they are always on guard, because also another female could threaten their offspring. They nurse the young in the immediate vicinity of us, which shows that they are very accustomed to people.

The silver salmon run has just started. Patiently the old female waits for the first salmon. After a few failed attempts she succeeds and eats the first salmon from head to fin.

 

The encounters with the bears are diverse. Be it at the beach, on the meadow, the stream or at dawn on a bear trail. Sometimes from as close of less than 10 meters - but always with the necessary caution and with respect!

More images:

Alaska 2014 Lake Clarc

Read also the blog:

 Whales in the Alexander Archipel, Alaska

Polar bear mother with cub in Wapusk NP

The fascination of polar bears has brought me back to the Wat'chee lodge near Wapusk National Park, about 60 kilometers south of Churchill at the Hudson Bay in Canada. There, where icy winds create temperatures down to minus 50° Celsius polar bear mothers dig themselve winter dens to give birth to their cubs. In March, when the little polar bears are 3 months old, they come out of the caves to make the long journey to the sea, as they are desperate to feed after the long fast.
Like in 2012 it was difficult to photograph them. During nine days I could only see one mother with a single cub. She was extremely shy and showed up only for a total of maybe 15 minutes! But the light was spectacular and dramatic. The cub however was very cooperative and came out of the den quite often. Despite a tedious trip (three days with a blizzard to get there... and two days with a blizzard to get back  ...) it was worth it. A unique and emotional experience.

Surprised, that people are waiting, the mother comes out of the den after 6 months and shakes the snow from her fur. The evening backlight makes for a spectacular effect.

Soon follows the cub and sees daylight for the first time in his life. An emotional moment that touched me deeply. Not very often people can witness and photograph this very moment.

 

Before making the way to the sea, the mother digs, to our surprise, at a distance of about a kilometer a new snow den. There they remain for almost a week before she sets out on an early morning. She rarely shows up while we are there. The cub however plays outside quite often - much to our delight. With my new Nikon 800mm lens I am able to capture images with almost incredible sharpness.

 

 

The vastness of the Wapusk National Park, only interrupted by small groups of trees along the many frozen lakes, the cold, the rough nature fascinate me again and again. The sunsets are spectacular and the icy winds sometimes brutal. "Our wilderness will touch you" is the slogan of the friendly people at the Wat'chee lodge.

 

More images can be seen here:

Polarbears