Blog Tag: Africa

Fall 2013 Photo Safari – Trip Report, Day 7

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , ,
Leopard on Branch , Serengeti NP, Tanzania
Leopard on Branch, Serengeti NP, Tanzania
1/640 at f/5.6, ISO 400

Each day I make a plan with my guides. Sometimes that works out and sometimes not. You can’t predict wildlife. Today I wanted to look for leopards. Although we left camp in the early morning to an incredible sunrise, we had a slow start but by the time we got back to camp for lunch, I had had one of my best leopard sightings. It started when we spotted two playing together. We thought they were a mating pair but soon realized it was a mother with an almost full-grown male cub. We tracked them for a while until they came to a tree and both climbed up to rest on the branches. One of them climbed all the way to the canopy and soon we saw why: they had been keeping a Thomson’s gazelle there.

The mother came down and gave a half-hearted attempt to hunt some gazelles but then went walking north. After tracking her for another 20 minutes, she surprised us by heading back to the tree with another male cub. We followed them back and, after walking right under our vehicle windows, soon we had three leopards in the tree with great light on them. We stayed for another 30 minutes, trying different compositions and capturing different poses, then it was back to the camp for a well-earned lunch.

–Dave

Fall 2013 Photo Safari – Trip Report, Day 6

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , , ,
Lion Couple, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Lion Couple, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
1/100 at f/11, ISO 1250, Infrared

This morning, we had a cloudy and foggy start to our final game drive in the Crater – that’s a great thing because it means interesting skies and dramatic clouds. We saw large herds of buffalo and zebra and the mating lions again. We then drove through the Lerai Forest which always has the potential for close-up elephant sightings and, if we’re really lucky, some black rhino. The Yellow-Barked Acacia trees showed a lot of signs that elephants had been eating there recently. We did see four rhinos who had come to drink at the pools in the forest but were too far away from us to photograph.

In late morning, we left the Crater and drove into the Serengeti. On the way to our camp in the Moru Kopjes, we saw several lion, elephants, and reedbuck. After settling in with a welcome hot shower in my tent, I joined the group around the fire to trades stories and have a glass of wine. The lions outside of camp called loudly to each other while we sat around the fire and, after dinner, I fell asleep to sounds of lions calling and zebras barking.

–Dave

Fall 2013 Photo Safari – Trip Report, Day 5

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , ,

Today was our only full day in the Crater and we made the most of it. The Crater is actually the collapsed caldera of a large, ancient volcano and it is 10 miles across, forming what is essentially a giant bowl of wildlife. We descended into the Crater at 6am to get the golden light – it’s always nice to be the first car in.

We started off with yet another pair of mating lions! Normally we’re luckily to see one pair the entire trip but love must be in the air this week. We drove on and saw herds of wildebeest and buffalo and then we came to the main event for the day.

As we drove down the road, we came upon a recent buffalo kill with a lion resting next to it. Surrounding the kill and the lion were about 6 jackals and over 25 hyena but instead of trying to take the kill from the lion, the hyena were keeping a healthy distance and lying down. After scanning the area, we realized why: there were 3 other male lions hidden in the long grass nearby. A group of hyenas can overwhelm one lion but four is a different thing.

We stayed and watched as each of the lions took turns, having their fill and then wandering off. When the fourth lion started walking away, the fun began. The hyenas approached all at once and the last lion jumped back at them, warning them off of his kill.

But each time he would walk away a little further and the hyenas eventually swarmed the buffalo. At one point, the last lion came back with one of the others and chased everyone away. By now, more hyenas from across the crater has joined and the howling of 40 hyenas at once is an overwhelming sound. This loud and violent dance went on for 20 minutes but the lions knew they couldn’t win and eventually left for good.

We ate lunch at our usual lunch spot near a small lake with hippos and watched a large bull elephant drinking on the other side. We finished the day in a mellow way by driving up to Kiliman cha Meza, Table Hill, where there isn’t much wildlife but the views across the Crater in the late afternoon light are stunning.

Tomorrow, we start with a morning game drive in the Crater again but then leave the Crater before noon for the drive out to our camp in the Serengeti. Access to the Internet is tenuous there so I’ll post more updates when I return to Arusha next Thursday. Until then, safari njema!

— Dave

Fall 2013 Photo Safari – Trip Report, Day 4

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , , ,
Wildebeest Running in Dust, Tarangire NP, Tanzania
Wildebeest Running in Dust, Tarangire NP, Tanzania
1/1000 at f/5.6. ISO 100

Today, we rose early to check out of our lodge and head to the Ngorongoro Crater. We took our time getting to the park gate and we weren’t disappointed with the fantastic light on the baobab and flat-topped acacia trees.

From a distance, we saw a herd of zebra and wildebeest at the top of a hill, heading down to the river for a drink. They were kicking up a cloud of dust as they ran downhill which was illuminated from behind with sunlight. We raced down the road to get closer and stayed for half an hour, trying to capture the amazing scene, feeling lucky that the herd was large enough to give us the time to try different compositions.

After leaving the park gate, we drove further across the Maasai Steppe and up the Rift Valley escarpment, feeling the air get much cooler as we climbed higher. In the late afternoon, we arrived at our lodging on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and settled in.

Before going to bed, I heard some noise outside my window. I turned out the lights and went to the window to see what might be there. I looked down and 3 feet from me was a zebra, peacefully munching away on the grass.

— Dave

Fall 2013 Photo Safari – Trip Report, Day 3

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , ,
Klipspringer, Tarangire NP, Tanzania
Klipspringer, Tarangire NP, Tanzania
1/640 at f/5.6. ISO 640

Today was our last full day in the park so we took the opportunity to explore a deeper, remote section that I’d never seen before. On our way south, we stopped to watch two male lions who crossed the road right behind our vehicle. They were calling to each other and when they’re that close, you really feel it in your chest.

It was interesting to see different behavior in the elephants in this more remote area. Since they don’t see humans as frequently, they were much more skittish around us. When they had babies with them, they would immediately form a circle around them, facing outward in order to protect them.

After driving through the beautiful umbrella thorn trees and flat-topped acacia trees, we drove back north. Near Tarangire Hill, we saw a klipspringer in the rocks, a small antelope you don’t see very often. We saw many birds along this route including goshawks, eagles (including my favorite, the Bateleur), doves, and nightjars.

As we approached home, we came upon a different pair of mating lions than we saw yesterday but they didn’t give us any show. Lazy!

— Dave

Fall 2013 Photo Safari – Trip Report, Day 2

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , ,
Elephant, Tarangire NP, Tanzania
Elephant, Tarangire NP, Tanzania
1/640 at f/5.6, ISO 100

Our second day in the park was our first full day and it was full of great sightings. Because it’s the dry season, the only major water source within the park is the Tarangire River so the wildlife tends to concentrate there. We saw elephants bathing, and plenty of animals getting a drink, wary of predators that might be around.

We were hoping to see a leopard in a tree near the river watching for a meal but no luck today so we drove on and found a mating pair of lions. Capturing this photographically is always a fun challenge because, well, the King of the Jungle only gives you about 10 seconds per show.

Later, traveling south, we came upon a lioness watching a warthog from a distance. She started to hunt, approaching it stealthily and hiding behind a rise, but the warthog was downwind and took off before the lioness could get close enough.

We saw plenty of birds as well including herons, ibis, storks, hornbills, eagles, and one of my favorites, the Secretary Bird.

At the end of the day, we returned to our rooms, tired but happy about what we were able to see. After dinner, seeing elephants about 20 meters from my window was a great finish to the day.

–Dave

Fall 2013 Photo Safari – Trip Report, Day 1

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , ,
Baobab at Sunset, Tarangire NP, Tanzania
Baobab at Sunset, Tarangire NP, Tanzania. October 2013
1/50 sec at f/32, ISO 200

Jambo from Tanzania! I’m just starting my Fall 2013 photo safari and, when I have Internet access, I’m going to try to post daily trip reports describing what we’ve seen.

Last night, we overnighted outside Arusha in a beautiful country inn near the Usa River. This morning, we met our drivers, loaded our gear, and drove through Arusha where the jacaranda trees are in full bloom, forming a long purple arch over the streets. Leaving the activity of the busy town, we drove to Tarangire National Park and did a game drive on the way to our lodging. I really like staying within the park as that lets my groups start their morning game drives immediately near the wildlife when the early golden light is at its peak.

We had a great first day, starting the tour off with herds of zebra and wildebeest, many giraffe, and Tarangire never disappoints with its abundance of elephant including many small babies. The variety of birds has been too much to record every species. We’ve seen ostrich (with chicks that are already the size of large chickens), secretary birds, several types of eagles, hornbills, coucals, goshawks, rollers, and lovebirds. For landscapes, we’ve seen magnificent baobabs trees everywhere that inspire great landscape photography.

Until tomorrow, safari njema!

— Dave

Gallery Exhibit Opens August 16th: Photo-Technic

by Dave Burns | Posted in Gallery Exhibits, News | Tags: ,

Elephant Family Walking Under Tree
Elephant Family Walking Under Tree – Tarangire NP, Tanzania

I’m excited to announce that I am in a two-person exhibit titled Photo-Technic opening in two weeks at the Alex Ferrone Photography Gallery on the North Fork of Long Island. Photo-Technic is about alternative photographic processes and all of my work in this exhibit is infrared photography from my photo tours to Tanzania. Gerry Giliberti is also in the exhibit and he is showing work created with the Lumen and Solar Plate Printing processes. You can see the official press release here.

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Animal Sightings on my Nov. 2012 Photo Safari

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , , , ,

I’m frequently asked if I really see as much wildlife on safari as my pictures show. The surprising answer is, you’ll see more than I have pictures of! Although I have to warn people that it’s not like the Discovery Channel (although I did see a cheetah hunt on my March 2012 safari), it’s true that there is more wildlife than you can shake a camera stick at. There are supposedly 500+ species of birds in the Serengeti alone. I kept a species list from my November 2012 safari and thought I’d publish that here for people to see the variety and breadth they may see on one of my safaris:

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