One more set.... and what more logical set to follow the small cats, than the BIG cats. I will include one additional pic at the beginning, which I meant to include in the very first set. Lions, as those of you who have been to Africa I'm sure know, are very, very plentiful in the Serengeti, so it was nice to get some different captures of them. And we did have very good fortune in the number of Cheetahs we saw. Peter A.
Thomson Gazelle, well really 2 of them.
Lioness
Male Lion
Lion and Lioness.... Just another moment of passion, in their 72 hours of passion.
Young Male and Female Lions
Young Lioness
Young Male and Female Lions
I'm sure you've figure it out by now..... same pair continuing to frolic in the early morning hours.
Lion... color worked too but felt the B&W was just a bit more dramatic.
On the hunt. 3 brother Cheetah, a coalition, decided to stalk and hunt 3 full grown zebra. Stalking process took about 30 min and the sprint to sudden stop took about 5 seconds. They were a bit full of themselves thinking they could handle a full grown, and healthy zebra. About an hour later, they did run down a Warthog though and satisfied some of their hunger.
Cheetah mom with older Cheetah female cub
We were really rewarded by catching this mother Cheetah with its only cub on this Kopje. Cheetah's shy away from the Kopje's,
as this is the normal place for lions to chill out during the daylight hours. Have many, many photos of cheetah from previous safaris, but never on a Kopje. They were there but a few minutes.
Location.... Location.... Location.... Got to the right spot at the right time.
Stalking Cheetah mom
Cheetahs, are the only cats which cannot retract their claws, so Mom is not looking quite as ferocious as one might think.
Family portrait time
And exhausted.... time for a break
And I'll leave off with a couple of Leopard pics. We did observe 4 different Leopard on this Safari, but these were my favorite.
Technically, they were a real challenge as it was crazy dark and had a lot of foliage to shoot around and through. Our guide did
an excellent job of getting us in to a good shooting position. 4000 and 8000 ISO, respectively, and 1/100 second. Unlike all the other pics I've posted with cats and wide open, gaping jaws, this was a very menacing growl. Interestingly enough, Mom and cub were only about 2/10s of a mile from our lodge, and we found them just at sundown.
What a lot of terrific sightings you had in TZ! The first one of a Tommy being born is amazing and the cheetah sightings are something special. Great job!
Excellent set again for this group.
The 3rd one is superb. It would make a great print. The 17th is a close second.
You should make a big print of the first one and hang in your living room over the fireplace.
Dave_E wrote:
You have some great shots here. You are making me jealous as I was there two years ago. A wonderful place.
Dave
Thanks Dave, and a wonderful place indeed!
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morris wrote:
A delight to view
Morris
Always appreciate your comments Morris!
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Bobg657 wrote:
Great big cat shots, but the first one is really special! It took me a minute to understand what it was!
Bob
Ha! and thanks Bob.
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dallvr wrote:
What a lot of terrific sightings you had in TZ! The first one of a Tommy being born is amazing and the cheetah sightings are something special. Great job!
Thanks very much! The Tommy birth was very special, and what's not to love about Cheetahs. They will always be my favorite african cat.
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Colin F wrote:
Nice! I really like the third one.
Thanks Colin! I'll certainly share you comment with my wife.
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dclark wrote:
Excellent set again for this group.
The 3rd one is superb. It would make a great print. The 17th is a close second.
You should make a big print of the first one and hang in your living room over the fireplace.
Dave
Thanks for the comprehensive feedback Dave! We live in AZ, so will have to work on that fireplace. :-)
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Peter,
You are tempting me to visit Africa in the rainy season. The green color brings the beauty of these pictures. All of these are wonderful shots.
~Mansur
I will include one additional pic at the beginning, which I meant to include in the very first set. Lions, as those of you who have been to Africa I'm sure know, are very, very plentiful in the Serengeti, so it was nice to get some different captures of them. And we did have very good fortune in the number of Cheetahs we saw. Peter A.
