Monthly Archives: August 2014

On the road again….

Lioness Panthera leo

Lionesses do most of the hunting for their pride. They are more effective hunters as they are smaller, swifter and more agile than the males, and unencumbered by the heavy and conspicuous mane, which causes overheating during exertion. They act as a coordinated group with members who perform the same role consistently in order to stalk and bring down the prey successfully.

This beautiful specimen exhibits not only determination to go where she wants to be, but also exudes the incredible power and agility of this typically African predator.

This image was captured in the Masai Mara conservancy, south west Kenya, East Africa.

Tango in Etosha

Burchell’s Zebra Equus quagga burchellii

Burchell’s zebra is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell.

These magnificent animals are plentiful in the Etosha National Park which surrounds the Etosha Pan in northern Namibia. Herds numbering in the hundreds are commonplace in this part of Namibia.

These fine specimens were photographed on the Andoni Flats in the north eastern part of ENP.

African Splendour

Cape Rock Thrush Montecola rupestris

This rock thrush breeds in eastern and southern South Africa. It is a common endemic resident, non-migratory apart from seasonal altitudinal movements in some areas.

This species breeds in mountainous rocky areas with scattered vegetation. It lays 2-3 eggs in a cup nest in a rock cavity or on a ledge. It eats a wide range of insects and other small animals, and some berries.

This is a large stocky rock thrush 19–21 cm in length. The summer male has a blue-grey head, orange underparts and outer tail feathers, and brown wings and back. Females have a brown head, but their underparts are a much richer orange than those of other female rock thrushes. The outer tail feathers are reddish, like the male’s. Immatures are like the female, but the upperparts have buff spots and the underparts show black scaling.

[Ref: Wikipedia]

This image was captured at the Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens in Betty’s Bay, on the False Bay coast, South Africa.

King of the Mara

Lion Panthera leo

During the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle between Kenya and Tanzania, the availability of prey far exceeds the requirements of the predators. The Mara plains abound with the big cat predators. It is not merely by accident that this area is the location of the BBC’s “Big Cat Diaries”.

This image was captured in the Masai Mara Conservancy, south west Kenya, East Africa.