MALA MALA March 2013 Photo Safari

Just back from a quick 3 night photo safari to Mala Mala and we were treated to some fantastic sightings. It was also great to catch up with some of the animals that make Mala Mala the special place that it is.

Many of you will recognize some of the characters of this real life, real time documentary and it is always such a privilege to spend some time with these animals.

Anyway, here are a few photos and some updates.

Enjoy,

Best wishes,

Stu

First up a short Video from the tour

The Tamboti female with her Impala carcass.

It was incredible to watch this beautiful cat take her kill up a tree, at night. The power is just immense and although we did not witness her kill the Impala, the show she put on taking it high up into a tree was a very special way to start the trip.

Tamboti Female with her kill safely stashed. The next morning they were both back on the ground, perhaps it had fallen out of the tree during the night.

The next character some of you will know is this awesome male Leopard known as the Airstrip male. I think he is my favourite Male Leopard on the reserve, chunky, confident and a real treat to see. Here he was heading down to cross the causeway in front of Main Camp

Tamboti female

Airstrip Male in the Sand River in front of Main Camp

Female Kudu

We were very lucky to see some White Rhino 

Members of the Styx pride, doing quite well. The small cubs photographed on the October safari are now full of beans and giving the younger males a hard time 

 Zebra, Mala Mala

 Styx pride cubs

 The Styx Pride resting in a dry river bed

The Bicycle Crossing Male (Father of the Airstrip Male) 

 Bicycle Crossing Male

 Male Elephant

 We have been very lucky with our visits to Mala Mala and always seem to see a pair of these most beautiful Saddlebilled Storks

Giraffe - Mala Mala

 Zebras - Mala Mala

Cheetah female with two cubs. This female has now lost two of the original 4 cubs and it seemed she had just lost the second one, possible to the Styx pride who had moved through the area she had been in during our 2nd night.

Cheetah and Zebra 

 Male Elephant

 Team Photo - many thanks to Yuri our ranger for looking after us

 Green Pigeon - Mala Mala

 Cape Buffalo herd - Mala Mala

 Cape Buffalo

 Spotted Eagle Owl

 This sighting of one of the sub adult males from the fourways pride was my first sighting of this pride on Mala Mala - he is a handsome boy !!

 Some more members of the Styx pride

 Some of you will be pleased and amazed to know that the old female from the Styx pride is still following the rest of the pride at the age of 17 yrs !!

Wildebeest baby - Mala Mala

2013 TANZANIA PHOTO SAFARI

The first photo tour of the year has just ended, Tanzania was the location and we were treated to some fantastic photo opportunities.

The first stop was Tarangire National Park, a beautiful park full of giant Baobab Trees, and Elephants, lots of Elephants !!!

We were also very lucky to see some of the resident Lions and a female with her three small cubs was a bonus.

The highlight for me though was our sighting of a Kori Bustard with its chick - a first for me and a wonderful experience.

Then it was off to the Ngorongoro Crater which was once again a great spectacle, lots of Black Rhinos this time - 11 in total. A young male lion stalking an injured Zebra and some great Time lapse sequences were some of the highlights.

Next stop was the central Serengeti where the big herds were absent as is normal at this time of year. We were treated though to some great photos of a female leopard and her two small cubs.

The final stop was the Ndutu area where we hoped to see some baby wildebeest calves. On our first day the migration herds were to the west and not present in the Ndutu area, however on the second day we woke up to find that the herds had arrived overnight and what a spectacle is was.. lots of young wildebeest calves, some births, cheetahs, a leopard with a kill and some good Lion action kept us busy for the last 6 nights of the safari.

Seeing these animals in their great numbers really is one of the most amazing sights in nature and I am looking forward to next years safari already !!

here are some photos and a short video clip - enjoy.

Kindest regards to all

Stu

Short Tour Movie

Time Lapse Videos from the safari

Morning grass - Tarangire

Kori Bustard and Chick - Tarangire

Cape Buffalo herd - Tarangire

Fiscal Shrike - Tarangire

Elephants - Tarangire

Female Impala - Tarangire

Elephants - Tarangire

Elephant and calf - Tarangire

Hybrid Lovebirds - Tarangire

Lioness with cubs - Tarangire

Lions under Baobab Tree - Tarangire

White Bellied Go-Away Bird - Tarangire

Sopa Lodge - Tarangire

Sunrise Baobab - Tarangire

Baobab Tree - Tarangire

Zebra - Ngorongoro Crater

Coke's Hartebeest - Ngorongoro Crater

Cape Buffalo - Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Zebra's Fighting - Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Grant's Gazelle - Ngorongoro Crater

Black Rhino - Ngorongoro Crater

Dwarf Mongoose - Serengeti

Leopard in tree - Serengeti

Grey Capped Social Weaver

Chetah cub running - Serengeti

Lion pride - Serengeti

Leopard with cub - Serengeti

Leopard cub - Serengeti

Flamingos - Serengeti lake Magadi

Zebra at sunrise - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Zebras running - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Spotted Hyaena in water - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Cheetah with 4 cubs - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Baby Wildebeest - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Sunrise at Lake Ndutu - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Migration Herds - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Leopard with White Stork kill - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Migration herds crossing Lake Ndutu - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Zebra running - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Lioness in the Marsh - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Young Wildebeest - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Rupell's Vulture - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Lion cub with big tummy - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Pregnant Spotted Hyeana - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Cheetah in grass - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Cheetah with Thompson's Gazelle - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Bat Eared Fox - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Morning in Ndutu - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Spotted Hyaena with carcass - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Young Male Lion - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Lions resting under a tree - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Thompson's Gazelle running - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Grant's Gazelle grooming - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)

Wildebeest running - Ndutu (Ngorongoro Conservation area)