"When I look into the eyes of a leopard," says Bashu, a long-time wildlife guide at Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, "I see nothing but evil."
While I don't necessarily agree, it's hard to argue with someone who has guided for many, many years, observed these cats so often that he can tell them apart by their spits/rosettes. He knows their territories and their behavior. He knows where to find them.
Yet, there is something different, something uncomfortable, about a leopard’s eyes. They aren’t the yellow-brown of lions, nor the striking, radiant amber of cheetahs when the sun hits them.
Leopards have a luminous green glare in their eyes. Not a strong, deeply-colored primary green, but a green-yellow that is disconcerting and unreadable.
In Kenya’s Maasai Mara, there was a leopard named Fig that had blue eyes, and she threw blue-eyed cubs, the most famous of which was Figlet.
Little did I know when we started out this morning in a beautiful sunrise, that we would see and photograph FOUR different leopards within the span of three hours, and miss a another by minutes! Then, hear of two sightings from a group that was in a different area.
Very early morning at Mashatu Lodge.
African sunrises and sunsets are often phenomenal.
Leopards prefer the forested areas beside rivers and waterways, so they can haul their prey high up a tree to avoid scavengers. They climb trees to escape baboons and lions, or just to take a nice nap on a perfect limb. So, we search the areas along the rivers.
LEOPARD NO. ONE
We are in the river bottom when we come upon a male patrolling and marking his territory. He is the most active of the four leopards we see today, so he gets the most photos.
VIDEO:
On patrol in his territory. He is known as the Euphobia male.
And stopping to spray-mark.
More spraying.
We run out of road to follow him on, so we go elsewhere.
LEOPARD NO. TWO
We find this female resting in a cool, damp area, also in a riverbed.
She looks around at her vistors....
And goes back to sleep.
She has a name, and if you can read my notes, you'll know what it is.
Right in the center. It appears to read "Greentree" female.
These notes are often written while bouncing along a trail.
She is the mother of the next leopard we find.
LEOPARD NO. THREE
This leopard is three years old, and she is the daughter of Leopard # 2. Her name is Lerato, which means love.
She's another "flat cat" and will probably stay that way, so we move on.
LEOPARD NO. 4
Bashi spots this unidentified leopard while we're down in a river bottom. It's concealed between two termite mounds and as soon as we get our shots, he's in a rush to get out of the river bottom.
This is my favorite sighting of the leopards this day because of what you will read below.
And off we go, pausing only to photograph an owl that we drive right under.
Once on higher ground, Bashi turns left and drives into the riverine vegetation. He passes right by the vehicles with the rest of our group, who are stopped and waiting for us to join them for coffee. They look puzzled.
Once I see the group, I understand Bashi's hurry. It isn't only to get a possible face-on opportunity to photograph the leopard, but it's also because the cat is very near the group, watching them carefully.
Who knows? Who knows? Probably nothing would happen. Humans are pretty large prey for a leopard, especially in a group. One alone? Maybe.
Nonetheless, I am tickled to tell them they were being spied upon by a leopard.
Sometime after coffee break, when we are back in the vehicles, Bashi hears of another leopard very near camp, so we head quickly in that direction. We miss it by a couple of minutes!!!
Four leopards, almost a fifth in one morning? Exceptional. The only place that came close, for me, in the number of leopards seen was at Kirkman's Kamp near Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Then, at lunch, another group that was in a different area tells us they saw two more leopards.
BIRDS:
The owl we drove under:
Verreaux's eagle-owl
White-fronted bee-eater.
Saddle-billed stork. A large stork with a wingspan of 9 feet, this bird stands up to 5 feet tall.
Panning, or leading, with the camera is one way to catch birds in flight. I might have been leading a bit too far:
Red-billed buffalo weaver. LIFER
Kori bustard
And the beautiful bird-of-many-colors, the Lilac-breasted roller.
FYI: Leopards have enormous strength. They're built like a tank, not like the sleek and streamlined cheetahs or the massive, impressive lions. A leopard's ability to climb a tree while carrying an antelope, or a young zebra, is phenomenal.
(Remember: Click on a photo, then click on a photo in the film strip to see the photos full screen.)
Bashi leans toward me as he drives through the sandy river bottom and asks softly, “Have you ever seen a black stork?”
Instantly, my mind is spinning. Black stork? Black stork? Have I even heard of a black stork?
I’m lowly shaking my head. I run through the black bird list—African Open-bill, Abdim’s. Nothing clicks.
It isn’t only the question. It’s a tone in his voice that I pick up on. Later, I realize that the tone indicates that he was going to show us something very special, and he was mightily pleased to do so.
Up ahead, I see something black, but it’s so far away it’s difficult to tell what it is. Then, as we move closer, it flies away. So that’s a black stork, I think, not knowing then how unique it is to just glimpse a black stork.
“Maybe later we’ll get another look,” says Bashi.
And, we do! Not only a fabulous look at the stork, which is actively fishing while a gray heron stands by, probably intent on stealing whatever the stork catches, or perhaps annoyed that the stork is fishing in its pond.
Herons such as Great blue herons and gray herons often engage in opportunistic theft and steal from storks and spoonbills. It's called kleptoparasitism and is common in the bird world.
African fish eagles steal from saddle-billed storks, and herons steal from spoonbills, also. I've witnessed both. Bald eagles are renowned for thieving.
I’m shooting with my 500mm lens at its maximum as we dare not get much closer.
Plus, these photos are cropped.
Again and again, the stork plunges its head into the water, using its wings to power each thrust.
Again and again the stork comes up empty, water dripping from its head and long red bill.
Eventually, the heron gives up on the stork and leaves, but the stork continues to hunt.
Finally, it brings up something so tiny I can’t tell what it is, even after blowing up the photo.
Later in the day, when I have access to a computer and WiFi, I learn it is exceedingly rare to not only see a black stork, but have the opportunity to photograph one.
These African black storks (Ciconia nigra) are the same species as black storks seen in Europe, though those in Africa tend to be residents, whereas the European birds are migratory. It is possible that the bird we are photographing is a migrant.
Almost 40 inches from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, with a wingspan up to 57-61 inches, it weighs 6.6 lbs. Though widespread geographically, its true population status is unknown due to the rarity of sightings.
At any rate, I am thrilled beyond belief to get to see this large bird. To paraphrase Clint Eastwood, it “made my day!”
Lifer, lifer!
Note: These photos of the black stork are on the memory card that went missing for 2-1/2 months. I was very happy when I found that card.
Kori bustard.
There's an owl in that thicket. Can you see it? Neither could I.
There it is. A well-camouflaged Spotted eagle-owl.
White-fronted bee-eater
A man-made dam on the river to hold water for various species.
I'm publishing this one ahead of my post-every-three-days because it's more interesting than the inside of a lodge room.
(Click on a photo and a film strip appears. Then scroll through the photos full screen.)
We are only fifteen minutes out of Mashatu Lodge on our afternoon game drive when our guide, Bellamy, finds this guy sleeping in what little shade a bush can provide.
He seems to be perfectly content to lie there, so we move on after taking a few photos.
Note how unconcerned the lion is. He's actually asleep as we photograph him.
A short distance away, we come across a pride that consists of Grandma, Mum, three sub-adult males, and some sub-adult lionesses. Bellamy positions us in the perfect spot for photos.
Most lions are staring into the distance at something we cannot see.
Something definitely has their attention. As we watch, the youngsters move about to different positions.
And some are sacked out in the afternoon heat.
Mum moves to a better location right across from our vehicle.
And settles in to watch.
Here comes the rest of our group. Two sub-adult males are playing, but notice their arrival.
There are more lions in another direction.
A third sub-adult male joins his brothers.
Then, they split up.
All are watching whatever has caught their interest. Perhaps it's the possibility of tonight's dinner.
Suddenly, a male walks right past the front of our vehicle.
He is so close, I could have leaned out and touched him.
He lies down right beside us.
Another male walks in the direction of the other vehicle.
At this point, we are essentially surrounded by the pride.
Lions in front of us.
Lions to the rear.
Lions to one side.
Lions to the other side.
Yeah, this, too. It's just an impressive yawn.
This Internet description says it better than I can:
Lions generally view safari vehicles as
large, harmless, and non-prey objects, often ignoring them due to habituation in popular parks. They perceive the car and its occupants as one singular entity rather than food, provided passengers remain inside and quiet.
Key details on how lions perceive vehicles:
Habituation: In areas like the Masai Mara National Reserve, lions are used to vehicles and see them as part of the natural environment.
Perception: Lions often see the vehicle as a, "weird metal animal" not worth hunting.
Safety Factors: Because vehicles do not act like prey, run, or show fear, lions, which are risk-averse predators, avoid challenging them.
Exceptions: At night, lions have better vision and may distinguish humans inside, making them more likely to treat vehicles differently.
Behavior: If a human separates from the vehicle, the illusion is broken, and a lion may perceive the person as prey.
Surrounded or not, we know to watch our lion manners: Stay quiet, don't make any sudden moves, don't do anything to call attention to yourself. Practice Zen: Be one with the vehicle.
Because of those things, we can sit safely in the midst of a lion pride and have no fear.
When we leave, we drive right through the middle of them and they seem like they couldn't care less.
We see some baboons on the way back to camp. Very young baboons are carried under their mother's chest, where they have access to her mammary glands for food. As they grow older, they ride jockey-style on the adult's back.
This little one is at that awkward stage,. perhaps too biog to cling to the belly and probably just big enough to ride on top.
A helmeted guineafowl for your bird fix this afternoon.
We have sundowners near this unique tree. Sundowners are a traditional African custom of pausing in late afternoon for drinks and snacks, perhaps much like the British have their tea time.
From the Internet, explaining traditional sundowners:
Key Aspects of the African Sundowner:
Origin: The tradition dates back to the colonial era, when British settlers consumed gin and tonic to ingest quinine, which helped prevent malaria.
The Experience: Guides typically select a, "picture-perfect", spot—such as overlooking a river, savannah, or waterhole—to set up a, "pop-up" bar as the sun dips below the horizon
Atmosphere: It is a time to toast the day’s adventures, take photos of the stunning, "golden hour", scenery, and, "embrace the, "stillness" of the African bush before night falls.
