It’s been a while since I wrote an update from Zambia. Apologies for my silence. In part this is due to being busy with photoshoots (for local companies and NGOs), in part due to a wonderful walking expedition that I joined (follow my Instagram from more on this) and in part due to the pressures that we are all feeling from this very challenging year. Supporting my family and getting through this upside-down year, with all its problems and unforeseen complications, has been my priority.
With this in mind, I trust and hope that you are all fit, well and coping with the adjustments that we are all having to make. It concerns me to see COVID re-emerging in many countries and the reinstating of lock-downs; while we are sorry for the impact these restrictions have, we actually wish for the same kind of strong leadership here. Zambia has recently re-opened schools and bars just at the time when COVID is gripping the population. It’s a worrying time.
I mentioned above that I had been on a walking expedition. This was a wonderful adventure, starting on the top of the Luangwa Valley’s western escarpment and walking down into the valley, across the valley floor and back to Mfuwe. It took 8 days, covering 135kms through mixed terrain with lots of climbing and descents, and showed me lots of new areas of the Luangwa Valley that I had never encountered. I will write the trip up on my blog at some stage, but my Instagram highlights shows the story of the adventure on a day-by-day basis.
Follow the link to my Instagram page and then click on the highlight indicated to follow the story.
On day 2 of the walk, we discovered the Mwatishi Falls, a stunning waterfall miles from anywhere (2 days’ walk from the nearest road!)Preparing for the walk, as well as being away for nearly 10 days, has left me with less time to do photo safaris into the National Park. However, in the last week, I have been to the Nsefu Sector with my family as well as doing a couple of morning drives with my cameras. Here, as always, are the updates:
Camera class with the kids!
Friends who are in our “bubble”. We enjoyed a great weekend in Nsefu, including watching wild dogs hunting, fun with the kids and a yummy bush breakfast.
Sunrise over the river is very scenic at this time of the year.
An elephant, fresh from the river, eyes me as I sit quietly at the base of a tree nearby.
Watching a crowned hornbill feeding was hugely satisfying; in the space of 10 minutes, it caught a scorpion, a centipede and hundreds of termites!
Vultures far in the distance drew me to a hyaena carcass one morning. It was lying on very hard ground so no chance of finding out why it died, but it was clear that even the vultures weren’t that keen to eat the remains!
Closer inspection revealed that the eyes had been eaten but most of the rest of it was untouched….
The early morning light is superb at this moment.
A lioness at the end of her natural life appeared to have been separated from her pride. We’ll watch out for her and see if she reunites, but we suspect she will succumb to her old age and injuries.
A new life success: an Egyptian goose with her brood of well-grown goslings.
I love photographing waterbirds – the chance to show them against the shadows of dark trees behind is a challenge but yields great results. This wider shot illustrates the habitat as much as the bird.
Proud sentinels of the Luangwa, male puku sit in the sun all day long, defending their patch with rhythmic, far-reaching whistles. It’s a permanent sound of the bush and one that tells me I’m home.
We had a couple of unusually cool nights (16 degrees in the early morning) which kept the baboons in bed for longer!
I followed hooded vultures to a pack of wild dogs early one morning. They had just killed and were still covered in blood, but had moved away from the carcass. They seemed cautious about my vehicle suggesting they spend less time in the main game-viewing areas than other dog packs.
They ran along a ridge at the edge of a lagoon, giving me a chance to get a low view without having to disturb them.
A group of elephants came to sleep near my vehicle. I didn’t want to disturb them as the sound of their slow breathing was very moving, so I took only one shot as the young female dozed off.
In the Nsefu Sector, we found the Milyoti Pack, 6 in number, who seemed to have empty bellies. We watched for a while and then moved off to let them hunt. One dog ran right past us (50 meters away) in pursuit of an antelope while we stood having sundowners!!
The following morning, we went out to set up bush breakfast and enjoyed the lovely light and sights along the way.
Back home, I went for a morning drive and sat watching carmine bee-eaters hawking over my head. I parked near a Cassia abbreviata tree, also known as a scrambled-egg tree, and hoped that one bee-eater would land among the flowers. It didn’t land exactly where I wanted, but the colours are still beautiful!
The strongly filtered light is very pretty in the mornings.
This waterbuck seemed very interested in my clicking camera…
I spent some time at a new pumped waterhole in the thickets where buffalo and lions reside. A hyaena had decided to rest there, bathing his full belly in the cool water.
The dust in the atmosphere is so widespread that even photos taken after 9am have a soft golden quality to them.
As always, thank you for following along. In the next month, I will be travelling to Kafue National Park to spend time at Musekese Camp. I’ll also be heading back to North Luangwa National Park, Kasanka National Park and Mutinondo Wilderness. Updates when possible.
