When you just need a little sumpin’ to eat..
Let's plan this or that!
Would you rather be a Elephant or a Giraffe and why?
Everyday something new, this time I had to act quick, slamming on my breaks, thank goodness no traffic.
This fella was crossing the road this morning. Fortunately I saw him and didn’t think he was a stick. This is a nice sized Rock Monitor (Varanus albigularis), the terrestrial cousin to the more commonly seen Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus). He was taking a casual, belly sliding stroll across the warm tarred road. He took a few steps then set his full belly down for a moment, stretching out his legs. Then moved a few centimeters more and did it again.
As I “quietly” opened my car door to video he was off in a hurry. I apologized profusely for interrupting his Sunday sunbath. My grunt at the end is me trying to keep my car door from slamming on me, maybe karma!!
The secret ingredient of our safaris is “letting” nature “be” nature. No chasing, no rushing. Just sit quiet and it will come to you.
The viticulturalist and the oenologist here plays classical music to the grapes 25/7 and experiments with the cover crops between vine rows to see how the soil and grapes respond. This is wheat. I don’t drink wine but I still find this absolutely fascinating.
Not a bad first night at our favorite camp. The lions were great, the photographer not so much.
Today’s surprise visitor. Too far away for my phone alone so I used my Leica binoculars as a zoom. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
There are moments in nature when two species meet and there is utter acceptance of the other’s presence, an unspoken invitation to stay. Tonight was one of those moments. Human minds mesmerized, breathing pauses and hearts open.
There are no words for this feeling.
What a special experience walking with rescued and rehabilitated African Elephants. "Gentle Giants" is true for these eles. Coco is the beautiful female I had the privilege of giving treats to, as seen in this video. This Game Reserve stopped riding elephants because they realized that this is not the way they want to treat the elephants. So they've been walking with them instead for two years now and the experience is far more authentic and emotional.
#ilovemyjob #africanelephants #walkwithelephants #adventure #wonder #wildthings #wildhorizons
Happy belated International Women’s Day! Enjoy all the amazing female Chacma baboons in this beautiful tree! The entire troop was avoiding the hot sunny afternoon in this tree. Super Cool, pun intended.
Saturday! A good day for house keeping.
In slo-mo, watch as ants clean the nest one tiny pebble at a time, while others mend the opening. You can enlarge the video to see the ants drop individual, tiny, tiny grains of sand.
And yesterday bought the gift of all gifts: Painted Dogs, aka: Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus). Sorry for the poor videography, I was so excited!
Working in the bush is hard. Sorry for my hoarse voice.
One of the magical things about living in the bush is that at any given moment anything can show up. This morning this Sounder of little Warthogs and Mom's came to the bird feeder for a drink.
So excited to be headed to Tanzania 🇹🇿 to meet an awesome group "Finding Your Bliss"! Pictures to follow!
Happy Valentine's Day! Love is alive and well in the African animals. We hope all of you are touched with love today.
