Part II
For photographers Amboseli is a magical place. The light can be soft or dramatic, the skies can be clear or filled with dust, the lake can be as smooth as silk with amazing reflections or ruffled with the wind. You never know what you will find, but it will always be special.
(Click on the images below to view in a larger size)
Although Amboseli National Park is known for its large population of elephants there are also quite a few Masai Giraffes. We found this one solitary giraffe crossing the Dry Lake on his way to water.
Twins are extremely rare in elephants. There have only been 2 sets of twins in Amboseli since the last known twins in 1980. The first image shows mom, the twins and their older sister who helps to watch after them. The twins were born in May and are being carefully watched over by both their elephant family and the park service.
The second image is of one of the many other babies in the park. There is something particularly engaging about young elephants.
These odd looking animals are Blue Wildebeest (aka Gnus). They are also known as White-bearded Gnus. There are several different species throughout Africa. You might be most familiar with their cousins who cross the river during migration in the Masai Mara.
If you are at the right spot on the lake just as the sun begins to rise you can catch the sun glowing on the flamingos leaving the water in darkness. This wonderful lighting lasts only for a few minutes and only when conditions are just right. I was lucky to be there at the right time.
There were quite a number of ostrich in the park. This is a female Common Ostrich also called a Masai Ostrich. Ostrich are the largest bird in the world and the fastest on land at 34 mph. This lady was enjoying a dust bath. No better place for that than in Amboseli.
Adding to my bird sightings are a preening White Pelican in the first image and a Goliath Heron in the second. I still have a long way to go to reach 400+ birds.
We had heard that there were some new lion cubs in the park; however, mom hadn’t brought them out for viewing yet, so everyone was keeping an eye out for them. The group of adult females, a couple of juveniles and the cubs was finally located. They were still keeping the cubs back in the underbrush, though, so good shots were hard to come by, but it was fun seeing them and watching them play. The top image is of a juvenile and the bottom are two of the cubs who were all very curious about us.
The only time the Dry Lake has any water in it is during the rainy season. There was a drought when we were there so the dust was particularly bad. It did make for some interesting photography, though.
There are still more images to come. Sign up at the top of this page to be notified when I post them. Thanks for taking the time to follow me on my photography journeys. Cheryl
ed cohen
30 Sep 2021Marvelous, as usual.
Cheryl Schneider
1 Oct 2021Thanks so much, Ed!
Cheryl Schneider
16 Oct 2021Thank you, Ed!
Hope Himel
1 Oct 2021Just beautiful, as usual.
Cheryl Schneider
1 Oct 2021Thank you very much, Hope!
Mac Mccracken
15 Oct 2021Extraordinary!! Thank you!
Cheryl Schneider
16 Oct 2021Thanks a lot, Mac!