April 1, 2013
Baboon, Red-Backed Shrike, Elephants, and Lions in Kruger National Park, South Africa

After two nights at the Berg-En-Dal Rest Camp in the southern part of Kruger National Park, I moved up to the central part of the park. I had to make a last-minute change to my itinerary for the central and northern parts of the park because the Shingwedzi Rest Camp in the northern part of the park was closed due to flood damage.

Early in the morning on my way from the Berg-En-Dal Rest Camp to the Satara Rest Camp, where I spent three nights, I stopped to photograph some Chacma Baboon near the road. There were several interesting infants, but they were not being cooperative subjects. They moved off into the grass and brush but continued in the same general direction along the road, so I went down the road to where it turned in front of their path and hoped to photograph them as they came to me. I set up at an opening by a small waterhole, and they stopped at the waterhole which was a fairly open environment. Some of the adults ate the water lily tubers, and I just love this guy's wet hair.

I almost didn't stop to photograph this Red-Backed Shrike because it was perched on the side of a bush and I wouldn't be able to get a clean background. I did stop because the light was good and it was right at eye level, and it was very cooperative to let me drive right up to it. I was able to frame the bird in a V in the branches, and the background works for me because it shows a bit of its environment yet doesn't overpower the subject.

On my way from the Satara Rest Camp to the Oliphants Rest Camp, where I spent two nights, I stopped to photograph some teenaged African Elephant males playing at a waterhole. The male on the left was the instigator, and went around to each of the males when they arrived and tussled with them for a while.

Early in the morning on my way from the Oliphants Rest Camp to the Letaba Rest Camp, where I spent my last three nights, I came upon four lions on the road: three big males and a female. Shortly after I arrived, one of the males mated with the female, but they were turned away from me. The next time they mated, they very kindly walked towards me and stayed facing me, and that's when I made the image above. Shortly after I made this image, first one then a second vehicle arrived, and I think the three onlookers were too much for the lions and they moved off into the thick brush and out of sight.

I'll tell you about my last few days in the park in the next blog entry.