Day Three

Another early start to the day as usual for wildlife photographers, Tip if you want to get into the industry learn to love early morning it is some of the best light and best for wildlife.

Our morning was to be filled with a game drive around the largest game reserve in Uganda.
Murchison National park is Approx 3,800 square km which is fairly large.
The wildlife was good but the after effects of the staughter that took place during Idi Amin's reign is still obvious with the lack of many key species such as Rhino and much less bio diversity than you would expect.

The bird life is still good and there is many animals but not a huge variety mainly the Ugandan Kob, Oribi, Rothchild's Giraffe, Elephant, lion and Buffalo but there still is leopards and some other smaller creatures from warthogs and smaller nocturnal animals.

One animal i forgot to mention above is the Jackson Hartebeest a typically ugly member of the Hartebeest family but still begs to be looked at

Abyssinian Hornbill chilling on the stump of a Palm tree over looking the plains

My first time to see the Endangered Rothschild Giraffe it is a beautiful as the rest of the subspecies and always a guest favorite

The ever presant symbol of the bush (well in my eyes) a Cape buffalo looks on with a Piapiac sat on his back

Not so friendly Elephant cow investigates us as she is feeding but soon looses interest

Ugandan Oribi another first and just as cute as all the cousins not that this little buck will appreciate the cute comment

Ugandan Kob are everywhere i am surprised i could get a shot of an individual although i am sure there are more in the background.

As the game drive continue we kept finding more and more Kob! also found their rutting grounds but decided to go and look at what was around the water and get out to stretch the legs

Our vehicle looking bad ass in the open Savannah with the roof up. Myself and Julie perched on the roof at the back for a good view whilst driving around

Nice bull giraffe looks on in the distance.

Spur winged Plover walking on the edges of the lake i just like the trial of droplets following his foot

Who do we have here another buffalo! in mud as usual

We didn't stay long at the water because we got the call that there was a lion about so we jumped back in the vehicle to search for the cat.
after a short drive we came to the place we had passed earlier and lying under a bush was a male lion.
He is well known to our ranger as he lost his leg in a snare two years! earlier and still living and hopping about living off the food his brother supplies.

which is quiet an incredible survival story.
Here he is and some of the stuff we saw on the way back for lunch

A short glimpse before sleeping again. this guy is a true warrior still going strong on 3 legs

Big guns getting some good images of the male lion sleeping in the road

How about a lower angle with the 300mm lenses

About to perform the flehmen grimace as she tests her urine for her sexual status

One of the shots i always like to play with is panning and here is a Male kob chasing his ladies around

A rare leusistic form of the Ugandan Kob. Note the black eye meaning he is not an Albino  but amazing he made it to adulthood

Sorry Emil the big guns have taken over as Tom and Magnus see how magnified they can get the stubborn bull elephant.

And here is the takeoff of the very large Abyssinian hornbill

Young hornbill about to land

This stroppy bull decided he was going to sit in the road and despite me asking the guide to move past they showed him a lot more respect than the what we do in South Africa. Maybe they had a bad elephant experience.

Just before getting back to the lodge we found a dark chanting goshawk waiting on a perch for some prey to appear.

 Don't worry this is not the end of our day O no that is not how we do it on a Zane safari after lunch we embark on a boat cruise along the Nile to Murchison Falls to see it from the bottom.
Sorry i have no images of the lodge i was to busy going other things but just look up Paraa lodge if you want to see our accommodation.