The Polar Bear Safari 2012: Day 1

Amazing start to a great Safari! The day started with a 60km/h+ wind storm which set the mood for the day’s images. Five different polar bears were seen, two of which were active, even in the winds, and one chap who spent close to two hours walking around us – fantastic! After dinner, an amazing Northern Lights display made for some awesome images.

Major sightings of the day:

Five different Polar Bears, the highlight being spending two hours with one male
Ptarmigan
Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights)

The Great Migration Safari 2012: Day 9

Our final morning drive proved to be as productive as the rest of the safari. Great sightings of two large male lions, two male cheetah on a fresh wildebeest kill, a baby giraffe and a troop of baboons giving us a show to remember – all topped off by mating ostriches!

Major sightings of the day:

Herd of elephants
Lions, 2 sightings (3 cubs and 2 large males)
2 male cheetah, with fresh wildebeest kill
Giraffe and baby
Mating ostriches
Olive baboons, jumping over a stream
Eland

The Great Migration Safari 2012: Day 8

A hunting leopard and her cub started off our last full day in the beautiful Masai Mara, and even though we spent a good hour watching the attempted hunt, the river crossings again came to the fore. Madness for close to two hours! We had some more good luck with another monster crocodile adding some flavour to the mix, and clicked away as one of the more unorthodox crossings unfolded in front of us. Add all the general game and the couple of lion sightings we photographed, and it made for what is often referred to as a great day!

Major sightings of the day:

Leopard and cub, hunting wildebeest
Lions, 2 sightings, both with cubs
River crossings, up to 20 000 wildebeest and many zebra with 2 crocodile kills
Elephants
Giraffe
Large herd of buffalo
Warthog, many with piglets
Topi, many with new day old calves

The Great Migration Safari 2012: Day 7

Day 7 was a day that involved a little bit of everything. The birds started us off, with great sightings of an African Harrier Hawk and a Long Crested Eagle. The large pride of lions we saw the previous day showed themselves, and introduced us to their newest members of the pride, four two month old cubs. Elephants and giraffes were in abundance, as well as a great sighting of a clan of six hyaenas.

Major sightings of the day:

Lions, two prides – one pride with four two month old cubs
Cheetah
Herds of elephants
Herds of buffalo
Many great bird sightings
Hyaena clan
Giraffe

The Great Migration Safari 2012: Day 4

What a day! The magic started two minutes into the drive, when we had a surprise wildebeest crossing at a different river to the usual Mara River. Upward of 10,000 wildebeest made the early morning crossing, exiting the tight river crossing mere meters away from where we were photographing the action. We had a good sessions with a cheetah and two cubs, loads of elephants and an excess of the Mara’s antelope – we even spotted our first leopard of the safari.

Major sightings of the day: