WILDLIFE BLOG

Back from their holiday, Grey-headed Kingfishers are making the most of the huge numbers of insects and bugs avaiable.

I was photographing the Carmine Bee-eaters today, and one just kept coming closer and closer!

Yesterday, I decided to explore a little bit of the interior of the park, the 40km wide strip away from the river. As you leave the valley floor, the temperature changes noticeably, and the surrounding vegetation changes even more. At this stage, you are beginning to enter the vast central African plain, which is mostly covered in Miombo woodland. This miombo habitat is made up mostly of Brachystegia, Julbernadia and Isoberlina tree species, and supports a [...]

Whether you love them, or hate their garish colours, guides across Southern Africa are indebted to the ubiquitous Lilac Breasted Roller. Surely more than any other bird, they have introduced countless guests to the rewarding variety and remarkable beauty of Africa's birds.

Each evening this week, the storm clouds build, the humidity rockets.....and then it all comes to nothing. Although I must admit that I was quite glad of the false start today as I was caught out in it with nothing to protect me and all my kit. When will I learn that it's time to start taking my jacket with me...? These impala looked very much at peace in the evening light as the pink-grey clouds [...]

The view from the bridge makes it clear that hippos are one species that are not in short supply in the Luangwa. These huge lawnmowers will soon enjoy the spoils of fresh grass when the rains finally come.

The rains are coming! We had about 2cms last night (not all that much considering it rained all night!) but it's a promise that more is on the way. Rains are a double-edged sword for photographers...the dramatic skies, leaden clouds and lightning strikes are great, as is the clear air that follows a big storm. But the dull grey clouds which stretch from horizon to horizon, and remain in place for days on end are less [...]

Further north of here, there is a pride of lion which have featured in more documentaries than almost any others. Hardly suprisingly, someone named them the Hollywoods. So, what better to name the new coalition of 3 brothers who are at the top of the pride, than Metro, Goldwyn and Mayer? Here's Metro resting in the shade after a long hot day, his dark mane beginning to show that he will soon be a really impressive [...]

Oxpeckers never get that much attention, but they are fascinating to watch. I spent a couple of hours on the river bank recently, watching them interact with their host hippos and with each other. They move from host to host, cleaning the exposed skin and wounds and feeding on ticks and other parasites. When a hippo turns over in the water, they move quickly to the newly-exposed skin to enjoy the parasites that had previously been [...]

The valley's lagoons are all dry, the seasonal sand rivers stopped carrying water long ago, and the Luangwa's huge hippo population has all taken up residence in the shallow trickle of the main river. It's hot, there's not a lot of space and disagreements between males are almost inevitable. When two males find themselves jammed together, one would normally defer to the other with a lowered head and by turning away. So long as only one [...]

Yesterday, I went again to watch the hippos in the river. I reached the bottom of the steps into the hide, and heard a deep throaty hissing sound coming from my right. I've heard that sound before, and it's not something you want to hear in an enclosed space. I raised my hand to cover my eyes, and turned slowly, expecting to come face to face with a Cobra. Relieved that I wasn't sharing the hide [...]

Sitting in a vehicle overlooking the river as the sun goes down is a truly Africa experience. Especially when a small family of elephants comes to complete the scene.