Hilton reports: If it is at all possible each day on this safari has been getting better and better - and better again. Today was touching on the unbelievable. Let me start with the morning. After yesterday's thunderstorm the morning was clear but still a little overcast. We wanted to return to the cheetah family who had made the two kills that were stolen from them by hyenas to see if they had managed to get any of their spoils back. We found the cheetahs walking together as a family on the wide open plains and had a magnificent sighting and photographic opportunities. Then an unexpected sight occurred - a lone lioness appeared and started marching along straight towards the cheetahs. A confrontation! As she drew closer the cheetahs warily hung back, keeping a respectful distance from the big cat. She strode on and as she passed the cheetahs we saw...
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Hilton reports: If it is at all possible each day on this safari has been getting better and better - and better again. Today was touching on the unbelievable. Let me start with the morning. After yesterday's thunderstorm the morning was clear but still a little overcast. We wanted to return to the cheetah family who had made the two kills that were stolen from them by hyenas to see if they had managed to get any of their spoils back. We found the cheetahs walking together as a family on the wide open plains and had a magnificent sighting and photographic opportunities. Then an unexpected sight occurred - a lone lioness appeared and started marching along straight towards the cheetahs. A confrontation! As she drew closer the cheetahs warily hung back, keeping a respectful distance from the big cat. She strode on and as she passed the cheetahs we saw...
Hilton reports: Today was yet another one of those days that one dreams about experiencing ... the kind that you think back on - and look forward to when planning a safari. In between everything I am relating here there is game everywhere, and photographic opportunities at every bend, but I am mentioning the highlights only for now. So shortly after we left camp we again came across the mother cheetah with the three cubs. They were very interested and keeping close to a large adult wildebeest lying still on the ground. The wildebeest was either injured or not well, and created a huge amount of interest for the cheetahs. Because if its adult size, it was too large for the cheetahs to attack, but because of its vulnerable position they were very interested. We remained to watch the outcome of the situation for about two hours. Repeatedly the cheetahs would...
Hilton in the Bush:After such an amazing day yesterday we almost expected today to be somewhat less exciting. Wrong!We went straight to the Hidden Valley area and arrived there as dawn was breaking. We found the pride of 18 lions with almost no effort - it was as though they had positioned themselves to wait for us to arrive with our cameras.The lions had an Eland kill close by, and had eaten their fill. It was great to have the luxury of time to photograph them lolling around, enjoying family time and stretching out in the early morning light. They were in a lovely open area and we had a clear view of the whole clan lazing around.The lions showed only a passing interest in the remains of their kill, even when two Black-backed Jackals arrived to help themselves to the leftovers.We were photographing the jackals with the lions in the...
Hilton's News:What a fantastic day we have just experienced! No-one could ask for better ...We headed South as planned to the Makau area to try and see the journeying wildebeest. Although we were prepared to see hundreds upon hundreds of these animals nothing really prepared us for the vista of rolling hills for miles around covered - yes, covered - with hundreds of thousands (I even think millions!) of wildebeest. The steady march northward is a spectacle in itself and witnessing this event leaves one standing in stunned awe. We gathered ourselves eventually to start taking hundreds of photos.We had taken a packed breakfast with us and were therefore able to relax and enjoy the entire scene without the thought of rushing back to camp for a meal.We travelled on and came across a new cheetah kill where we again stopped for images.And not far away from that we were puzzled...
Hilton reports:After traveling for most of the morning we suddenly found ourselves in the air and directly over the beautiful iridescent lake below us. Dotted quite thickly in the sparkling azure water we could see thousands of pink flamingoes, shifting, flying and creating a kaleidoscope of changing colours. What a beautiful start to our safari! Cameras already worked overtime ... (My apologies that there are no photos with this and possibly the following posts - there is no internet here but I plan to catch up soon ... so imagine!)Our camp is situated in a special area - it is remote and is erected for only three months each year - for the birthing of the wildebeest. Everything has to be specially brought in, and the logistics that ensure our comfort are simply mind boggling.After offloading and settling in we started out on our first drive. Apart from numerous giraffe, zebra...
Wim and Ben in Japan: DAY 11 A big storm hit us last night and we awoke to a world covered in inches of deep snow, including most of the roads being snowed over. We decided to start our day at the Red-crowned Crane feeding grounds in Tsurui, located closer to our hotel. We arrived before the Cranes, so we positioned ourselves to capture lovely flight images of them as they flew in for their early feed, beautifully back lit by the soft morning sunrise, as they landed on silky smooth, freshly deposited snow. Photo: Frits Hoogendijk As predicted enjoyed capturing fairly lengthy courtship displays for most of the morning. So enchanting! We decided around midday to relocate to Akan, the same feeding centre we were at yesterday afternoon and this is where we spent the remainder of our day. Each feeding ground offers very...
From Ben and Wim DAY 10 Today was supposed to be all about Red-crowned Cranes, but there were a few surprises in store for us. We spent the morning at yesterday’s feeding ground at Tsurui, once again capturing some good images. Shortly before lunch we decided to move west to another feeding ground near the town of Akan. This turned out to be a good move, as it was much busier in many respects. Each day, grain is scattered over a wide area for the birds to feed on, but they’re not the only ones who take advantage of a free meal. We were surprised to see small herds of about ten Sika deer, also known as spotted deer, darting out from the surrounding forest to feed on the grain and then running back into the trees for cover again. Everyone was pleased...
From Ben and Wim: DAY 9 When we departed from Rausu this morning it was snowing quite heavily, which got us really excited about the possibility of photographing Red-crowned Cranes in a snow storm. However, we didn’t account for the fact that heavy snow meant slower travelling time to Tsurui, which is located in the Akan District near the eastern coast of Hokkaido. By the time we arrived it had stopped snowing, but this gave us three to four hours of lovely mid-afternoon sunlight to take advantage of. Red-crowned Crane numbers were virtually decimated a hundred years ago, down to a shocking 20 in 1910. They became, and remain, fiercely protected by the Japanese and, thanks to conservation and breeding projects, their numbers have increased to approximately 1,000 today. At this breeding and feeding ground in Tsurui, we were with approximately 200 birds –...
Wim and Ben share: DAY 8 We had the option to book another day’s charter out with the eagles and after the past two incredible days, how could we possibly resist? We got a 5 a.m. start this morning to be out at the ice floes for sunrise where we were, once again, not disappointed by the sheer number of White-tailed and Steller’s Sea Eagles. There are literally hundreds of them, scattered over a few kilometres and visible for as far as the eye can see. We got many action shots again, photographing them in soft, defused light with the sun often behind a thin layer of cloud. Steller’s Sea Eagles are the world’s heaviest eagles and one of the largest raptors overall. Females weigh from 7 to 9 kilograms, while males are rather lighter at 5 to 6 kilograms. Wingspans range...
From Wim and Ben: DAY 7 What a crazy, adrenalin fuelled day we’ve just had - the White-tailed and Steller's Sea Eagles were outrageous! Our second full day charter started at 9 a.m. with a short 15 minute journey out to the pack ice. Yesterday the ice was boxed right up into the entrance to the harbour, but the winds had moved the floes out to sea overnight, which worked in our favour. The sunlight was soft, pastel and subdued today, somewhat muted by clouds and strong winds. Our skipper did a great job of positioning the boat so that the birds were always flying towards us, into the wind, with their catches. There was so much action going on in the air above and around us that we honestly didn’t know where to look or photograph first. The frenzy of birds,...
