Incredibly, another week has passed us by and I find myself writing my weekly virtual safari update… As always, this comes to you with my best wishes and hope that you and yours are well physically and mentally during this most challenging time.
Zambia is starting to notice increased numbers of people in hospitals, more deceased arriving at medical centres and worrying numbers with breathing and respiratory problems. It has taken a while, but it seems that COVID is starting to take hold in Zambia. We have hoped that this would not happen, but there was an inevitability about it that has been nagging at the back of our minds. However, the Zambian people are resilient and they endure much on a daily basis, so we trust that they will navigate this challenge too.
On this slightly subdued note, I offer a new update from the Luangwa, where wildlife continues totally (and wonderfully) oblivious to the fragmentation of the global status quo.
I returned to check on the hippo carcass that had been floating in the river at the end of my last report, to find that the crocodiles had been much busier than I thought they would in the night. There was little left to show for it, and I didn’t get the “competing crocodile” images that I had envisaged in my mind…!!
The following morning gave me one of the best mornings on safari this year. Hyaenas on the river bank, that I spotted from the bridge, led me to a leopard and her adult cub in a tree with an impala kill! At the point when I found them, the female was resting below and the male cub was feeding on the carcass…
As the light started to increase, she felt the dappled light on her face and decided to drop down onto the ground.
Eventually, the male cub decided to stop feeding and descended to sleep in the same spot that his mother had vacated. Surely the classic safari shot.
On a slightly overcast morning I drove north, into the light, and enjoyed a wonderful “soft” morning with hazy light.
Flat light is also helpful for panning shots as it’s easy to get a slow shutter speed without needing a small aperture to control the light.
Finally, the light started to break through and gave me a few moments of all-engulfing dripping golden light.
My final morning in the bush this week (I spent more time at home as I have a trip planned next week – more on that soon!), I found a leopard in the early morning. He is the same young male that we had seen in the tree earlier in the week and he momentarily passed in front of an elephant, giving me an unusual moment.
Basking in the winter sun seems quite attractive, until one considers that there are many more such crocodiles in the pond below!
The week ended with a sighting of a rarely-seen lesser honeyguide. These intelligent birds feed on the wax and bee larvae at hives; usually we only hear their “tink….tink….tink….tink” call.More next week including a report from a trip to the interior of the park, where few people go each year and no one has been this season…. All good wishes from Zambia.
