VKM2F wrote:
Beautiful photos, Primus. I was very sad to hear Fig was killed last week by lions. I'm heading to the Mara this fall and would have loved to have seen her.
Oh no! That is terrible news! We had such wonderful sightings of her this time as well as in 2020. Her 18 month old cub was nowhere to be found, this time not sure if he/she survived. We spent a lot of time looking for the others - Bahati and Kaboso, but could not find them. Did manage to see Fig on three separate occasions.
What a loss.
I am going back to Amboseli and the Mara again in August, this time with the wife's family to show them the beauty of Africa before all the animals disappear.
VKM2F wrote:
Beautiful photos, Primus. I was very sad to hear Fig was killed last week by lions. I'm heading to the Mara this fall and would have loved to have seen her.
Thank you.
Here is my tribute to Fig, what a wonderful creature she was, beautiful and graceful - as female leopards tend to be. This was taken just after the one I posted earlier, she climbed up on to this termite mound and the sky was dark and stormy, filled with angry clouds. She posed for us, I guess one last time. The sun was setting and the golden rays lit up her beautiful body. Had to leave it in color to bring it out. The golden light and the golden animal - what a treat it was.
Here is my tribute to Fig, what a wonderful creature she was, beautiful and graceful - as female leopards tend to be. This was taken just after the one I posted earlier, she climbed up on to this termite mound and the sky was dark and stormy, filled with angry clouds. She posed for us, I guess one last time. The sun was setting and the golden rays lit up her beautiful body. Had to leave it in color to bring it out. The golden light and the golden animal - what a treat it was.
Primus, was this shot taken on your last trip there just a few weeks ago? If yes, it sounds like you were one of the last few to photograph her.
For those who've never been there, is there that few Leopards that they are all known by name? I've heard the name Fig several times now, so she must have been popular. Sucks I won't get to see her later this year.
artsupreme wrote:
Primus, was this shot taken on your last trip there just a few weeks ago? If yes, it sounds like you were one of the last few to photograph her.
For those who've never been there, is there that few Leopards that they are all known by name? I've heard the name Fig several times now, so she must have been popular. Sucks I won't get to see her later this year.
This was taken on my latest visit, on Feb 9th. We managed to see her three times over four days, for lengthy periods, but this was the best encounter, where she walked past us and sat on the mound for a few minutes. Before that she had been on a tree and posed for a moment there as well.
Most female leopards are known by name as they are territorial and do not wander outside that much. They also keep their cubs nearby until the cub moves away. Male leopards OTOH are not identified as such - as far as I know, since they are mostly nomads although can also be mostly in one area for a long time.
In actuality there are probably many more leopards than we know, they can hide so well.
VKM2F wrote:
Beautiful photos, Primus. I was very sad to hear Fig was killed last week by lions. I'm heading to the Mara this fall and would have loved to have seen her.
Well you would have only seen her if you were going to that conservancy. She was not in the park itself. She was in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. She was getting up there in age as well. I think she was around 13 or so.
seaninsa wrote:
Well you would have only seen her if you were going to that conservancy. She was not in the park itself. She was in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. She was getting up there in age as well. I think she was around 13 or so.
I'm staying at Kicheche Bush camp in the Motorogi Conservancy. It was through Kicheche that I learned of her passing.
kimmeisinger wrote:
Great information and appreciate the report with a map! I am not sure I would be comfortable my first time over there without a guide in a more remote region....but I never say never. Many thanks!
Comfortable - ha ha no-one is comfortable. Keep quiet and don't move. This is my brother and some heavy breathing when he realised a lion snuck up on him while refuelling.
evertdoorn wrote:
She did occasionally move into national reserve; had a great sighting with cub (think it was Figlet) in 2019
Her age is actually estimated to be about 10 years. Unfortunately she was heavily pregnant. It’s nature but still sad
Yes, she moved back and forth. Both in 2020 and now we saw her in the main reserve. There was another female leopard in Kicheche Bush, Tito that I have some great photos of from the prev visit. That was also a wonderful experience.
This time we stayed at Naboisho and Mara North Conservancies apart from the Main reserve. Had an absolutely fantastic leopard experience in Naboisho, the best of my life so far.
The guides are not suppose to allow this happen. I have seen many times where the camp involved will be fined for this action. There have been multiple memos published by KWS discussing this issue and that it will not be tolerated.
Primus wrote:
Yes, she moved back and forth. Both in 2020 and now we saw her in the main reserve. There was another female leopard in Kicheche Bush, Tito that I have some great photos of from the prev visit. That was also a wonderful experience.
This time we stayed at Naboisho and Mara North Conservancies apart from the Main reserve. Had an absolutely fantastic leopard experience in Naboisho, the best of my life so far.
I was just going by what I had seen online regarding her age. She was born in 2009. Fig was born next to Porini Lion Camp in November 2009 to mother “Acacia”
So based on my math that would make her 13 or turning 13 this year. If you are looking for a great leopard there is Kaboso. She always has a cub it seems.
Rare, the cheetah jumping on the car, but that happened to us the very first time we were in the Mara triangle in 2007, there was a famous female (?Queenie) that used to do so all the time. She was on top of our car looking down at us, cowering in our seats.
We all take things for granted, safe behind the imaginary boundaries of our game drive vehicle. Even without windows and doors we feel invulnerable. This time at Mara North they let me use a vehicle they have modified for photographers - the entire left side was a panel that could be lowered to the floor of the cab so one could literally lie down and photograph at eye level. That brings the outside world into the car in a way that is absolutely thrilling and yet quite scary, esp when a fully grown adult male lion is walking towards you.
It is not just the vehicles in the field. The entire camp is part of the 'jungle' so to speak. There are no fences and animals are free to come and go as they please. This was illustrated to us on this last trip a month ago.
Normally there is a Maasai guide with a spear (or just a machete) who walks you to and from your tent after dark and before the morning game drive. But during the day you are allowed to do so on your own. We were in the last tent in camp, which is almost half a kilometer from the main tent. On our last day, my wife was planning to go for the afternoon tea a bit earlier and I said I would follow a bit later as I was taking an afternoon nap. She was about to set out. Something woke me up and suddenly I heard a monkey in the tree next to our tent give out an alarm call. I realized immediately that there must be a big cat nearby. I looked out of our tent to the south where the jungle began and sure enough a lioness was standing under a tree - maybe a 100 yards away. She walked around the area for a few seconds and then started coming towards our tent. She then walked right past our main window, just a few feet from me. All that separated me from her was a thin netting on the window. My wife panicked and hid in the bathroom. I stood by trying to contact the camp via the walkie-talkie without realizing that it is only manned from 6PM to 6AM. There was supposed to be a whistle on the bedside table but I couldn't find it. As I stood watching, the lioness walked by and at one moment she looked up and saw me, we made eye contact and she thankfully was startled and quickened her pace, walked down the path for another 20 yds and then she went up the hill and away from the camp into the bush again.
ten minutes later my wife and I walked out and went to the main tent to go for tea and our afternoon drive. We were very careful, looking all over for the lioness but she had gone.
Normally I would never have felt anything walking about the camp in daylight. Two days earlier, two women with a 10 yr old boy had occupied our tent and happily walked back and forth all the time. Previously we were in another tent closer to the camp and had been moved to this one only the day before.
My wife is not a photographer and would never have recognized the alarm call by the monkey or spotted the lioness on her own. Had I kept snoozing and she had walked out on her own ----- I cannot imagine the outcome. Human instinct is to run and she would definitely have done so, despite all our discussions about this in the past.
We spoke with the camp manager and our guide later about this. They said it is not common for lions to walk around the tents in the daytime but it can happen and that we were lucky.
Lesson to be learnt is never let your guard down and always carry something like a whistle to make noise with. We do take substantial risks when we stay in camps that are open or are on safari in Africa amidst lions and such.
Primus wrote:
My wife panicked and hid in the bathroom.
Very cool story, I'm sure it was intense. I would really like to shoot out of one of those vehicles where the side folds down because I imagine a lot of shots I will want to take will be from very low angles and I know you aren't allowed to get out and lay on the ground.
With that said, they won't let you hold your camera out the side of the vehicle hanging from a monopod correct? I doubt it, but have to ask.
Very cool story, I'm sure it was intense. I would really like to shoot out of one of those vehicles where the side folds down because I imagine a lot of shots I will want to take will be from very low angles and I know you aren't allowed to get out and lay on the ground.
With that said, they won't let you hold your camera out the side of the vehicle hanging from a monopod correct? I doubt it, but have to ask.
Actually I was not afraid at all at the time. However, since then every time I've thought of it, I've shuddered to think of the possibly consequences had my wife gone out alone and I was still sleeping, or if the lioness had come 10 mts later when we both were on that long path together.
Yes, you are absolutely able to do the monopod thing, I actually had set up something like this in the past, but the truth is that there is not much time as the vehicle keeps moving with the animals and even at a static sighting the monopod system does not allow precise eye-AF and manipulation of the camera as much as you can with it in your hand.
The other thing to remember is that sometimes you can get too low without realizing it and then you have grass in front of the animal or a small termite mound that is now in the fov in an intrusive manner. I honestly think the best way without the side panel or monopod is to simply lean out and lower the camera a bit, using the LCD display and the focus button on the lens to do your AF and take pictures. I've done this a lot and it works great. You can even do this briefly with a 400 2.8, but will be difficult with a 600 of course. It works perfectly for the 70-200 or smaller lenses.
Primus wrote:
Actually I was not afraid at all at the time. However, since then every time I've thought of it, I've shuddered to think of the possibly consequences had my wife gone out alone and I was still sleeping, or if the lioness had come 10 mts later when we both were on that long path together.
Yes, you are absolutely able to do the monopod thing, I actually had set up something like this in the past, but the truth is that there is not much time as the vehicle keeps moving with the animals and even at a static sighting the monopod system does not allow precise eye-AF and manipulation of the camera as much as you can with it in your hand.
The other thing to remember is that sometimes you can get too low without realizing it and then you have grass in front of the animal or a small termite mound that is now in the fov in an intrusive manner. I honestly think the best way without the side panel or monopod is to simply lean out and lower the camera a bit, using the LCD display and the focus button on the lens to do your AF and take pictures. I've done this a lot and it works great. You can even do this briefly with a 400 2.8, but will be difficult with a 600 of course. It works perfectly for the 70-200 or smaller lenses.
Okay, that's great news! Now I know I can at least lean out and hold the camera low, but I'm definitely going to get a monopod setup to get real low if the scene permits it. Thanks for the great news.
seaninsa wrote:
I was just going by what I had seen online regarding her age. She was born in 2009. Fig was born next to Porini Lion Camp in November 2009 to mother “Acacia”
So based on my math that would make her 13 or turning 13 this year. If you are looking for a great leopard there is Kaboso. She always has a cub it seems.
well the text actually says Fig was born next to Porini Lion Camp in November 2011 (could they have changed it?), so that makes it a bit over 10 years. Of course in the wild it could be worse, but a few more years would've been great. Just sad that she didn't get the chance to raise the cub she was pregnant with.
Yes Kaboso I've seen quite some times as well; also with cubs. Last November we had a terrific sighting of her after she hadn't been seen for quite a while by anyone (being pregnant as well).
Porini Lion is one of the places I'd definitely like to visit
Ok, leaving in 10 days for the Chobe, Dinaka, the Kalihari, and Madekwe. Worked out lens pooling with my traveling partner to distribute weight. I am taking my 2 R5s, the RF 100-500, the RF 70-200 f/2.8 and the two extenders (1.4x and 2x). He is carrying his R5, his RF 100-500, and my RF 24-105 f/4 and my 15-35 f/2.8 along with his M50 and one lens.
So, we are covered from 15mm to 1000mm. The photo guide at Pangolin suggested bringing the 70-200 for use in the water level hides at three of the locations.
Hope they don't mind that I will be wearing the same clothes for 3 weeks as I prioritized lenses over clothes. . Biggest problem was integrating my Bi-Pap into the luggage with sufficient padding to withstand the baggage monkeys.
May be overthinking this, but we will alternate getting food in J'berg for the one night we are there, so we don't leave the photo gear alone in the room at any time. Between the two of us there will be about $30k of gear (including computers) in the room for the overnight before flying to Kasane.
Have a great time in Botswana. Honestly I would suggest you forgo the RF 15-35mm. The last couple of trips I didn’t use mine at all… the 100-500 on one body and the 70-200mm on the other will be pretty much all that you’ll need. If anything I would rent a 24-70 if you need something midrange if the 24-105 doesn’t work for you.
Alan Kefauver wrote:
Ok, leaving in 10 days for the Chobe, Dinaka, the Kalihari, and Madekwe. Worked out lens pooling with my traveling partner to distribute weight. I am taking my 2 R5s, the RF 100-500, the RF 70-200 f/2.8 and the two extenders (1.4x and 2x). He is carrying his R5, his RF 100-500, and my RF 24-105 f/4 and my 15-35 f/2.8 along with his M50 and one lens.
So, we are covered from 15mm to 1000mm. The photo guide at Pangolin suggested bringing the 70-200 for use in the water level hides at three of the locations.
Hope they don't mind that I will be wearing the same clothes for 3 weeks as I prioritized lenses over clothes. . Biggest problem was integrating my Bi-Pap into the luggage with sufficient padding to withstand the baggage monkeys.
May be overthinking this, but we will alternate getting food in J'berg for the one night we are there, so we don't leave the photo gear alone in the room at any time. Between the two of us there will be about $30k of gear (including computers) in the room for the overnight before flying to Kasane....Show more →
