This year is racing, rushing and tumbling into its final weeks. November passed by in a blur of Sukey’s school (which re-opened but was run from our homes to keep COVID bubbles small), preparing Tribal Textiles to move to its new site and following the news of COVID vaccines that might indicate better prospects for the world in 2021 — not to mention the travel industry!
The announcement of widespread vaccine roll-outs is the crack of light appearing in what has been a dark 2020. Across the world, COVID has left its mark; in premature deaths, cancelled travel, missed weddings, fear, anxiety and stress. It has impacted everyone. Parents have become teachers to their children (to the detriment of both), the elderly have been more isolated than ever and those living closest to the poverty line have, once again, suffered unduly. Talk has revolved around little else and even conversations that begin COVID-free are soon pervaded by that invasive thread. Whatever 2020 was, it will surely be the focus of research projects on all aspects of global society for the next 100 years.
With the promising glimmer of hope for travel in early 2021, and the likelihood of prospects improving throughout the year, we can tentatively start to plan once more. Until now, any plans seemed futile as there were too many unknown factors beyond anyone’s control. Much now depends on the speed and coverage of the vaccine roll-out and until we know that, we must still bide our time. However, I hope that the situation will be much clearer in the second half of January and early February.
I have 15 long safaris booked for 2021 (the busiest year ever) and it is really important to me that I take care of those guests who have trusted me to re-book their safaris from 2020 to 2021. Once I know that their tours are safe and secured, I will be turning my attention to 2022. Thank you to the many of you who have enquired about travelling in 2022; I’m really looking to working with you on travel plans to a variety of destinations.
Until then, I wish you all a safe, healthy and happy Christmas (hopefully with your families) and a new year with much more to offer than the last! For those in lockdowns once more, I am sending best wishes and thanks for the service on behalf of others.
As before, I offer a summary of the year’s safari sightings; these are not necessarily the best photos but perhaps the most memorable encounters. Sometimes it is the story that is more compelling than the image. This year has clearly been very different from most; I have run no safaris, and spent much less time in the bush. But I have been very fortunate to live the whole year in Zambia so I have been on safari alone and with my family much more than most people. In between home-schooling, supporting our staff and each other, we have had some wonderful times in Nature. Here follows a selection of images from 2020, the year that none of us will ever forget.
Set against the forest of leadwood trees that I love so much, and has featured in many of my images, a large lion rests in the early morning. I can feel the memory of this moment; it was early in the year when the skies were often leaden with clouds and we were in the early stages of COVID. There was still energy and interest in our discussions about the virus, an energy that has subsequently diminished dramatically.
During the impala rut, rams pursue each other with such vigour and single-mindedness that they neglect their own safety. Many of them fall victim to predators, including leopards which need only sit quietly somewhere and wait for one to charge past! In this case, we were watching the leopard feed on a carcass in a nearby tree when he spotted two fighting impalas and decided he would add one to his larder! Read the whole story.
A deep pit of liquid mud will rarely offer the most appealing wildlife images. But the story surrounding these hyaenas (and the lions in the following photo) who were fighting over a giraffe carcass warrants a mention in this report of 2020! We were drawn to the scene by baboons barking and the twittering calls of hyaenas bating a larger predator…..
…which turned out to be a small pride of lions. We don’t know whether the lions killed the giraffe, or whether it got stuck in the mud, but the predators were keen to make the most of the scavenging opportunity! Read the whole story.
There is a short period in April or May each year when the light and vegetation combine to create a golden-green world for about 30 minutes each morning. It doesn’t last long, but it’s magic, especially when paired with a wonderful sighting such as these bull elephants.
I noticed that one of the small lagoons developed very special light just after sunrise each morning; strong back-light combined with a dark background illuminates the breath, spray and ear-hairs of the hippos that live in the water. It’s a short-lived phenomenon since the lights softens quickly as the year progresses and the warm, dry conditions remove the visible breath of the hippos. I spent 30 minutes each morning for 3 consecutive days at that lagoon, hoping for some snorting, water sprays and illuminated breaths, but it didn’t work that way! Such is Nature. Something to keep for another year.
One of my favourite images of the year; a simple animalscape scene with a waterbuck in the munga woodland.
A great memory from mbomboza wambilombe, one of the most productive areas of the park. Wild dogs were resting in the shade after a failed morning of hunting. When a small group of zebra wandered too close, they decided to give chase, much to the surprise of the zebras!!
A beautiful natural arch that is in little need of a caption.
Dwarfed by the huge environment he inhabits, a bull elephant meanders among ancient leadwood trees on his way to water. A monochrome conversion helps remove the colour detail and draw the eye to the dark shape in the lower right.
I enjoyed a fun morning at a small pond where 100 waterbirds of all types congregated to feast on the fish in the drying water. This fish eagle and its mate were terrorising the smaller birds, stealing whatever they could from the storks and herons.
We spent a wonderful afternoon with 3 leopards. These two youngsters were following their mother through the bush and decided to climb a sausage tree that was on their path. When the female cub wanted to come down, she barged past her bother, causing him to snarl in irritation! Read the whole story.
A pair of crowned eagles decided to re-use a nest from 2 years ago, and spent the whole of June scouting the site, adding branches to the nest and occasionally scrapping over the preparations. I was fortunate to be photographing the pair when an aggressive display occurred between the two of them! Read the whole story.
Someone had a secret that just had to be shared.
In the cold months, the baboons which live near the main entrance to the park use the bridge’s railings to warm up in the mornings. I usually drive right past ignoring them in favour of “wilder” sightings. But I decided to sit with them one morning and enjoying their antics. The youngsters, as always, are the most appealing!
Every bit as impressive as a lion, its counterparts in the terrestrial world, this crowned eagle made my day by perching close to me while I watched their nest-building activities. More information and images.
Really beautiful light on a flooded pan in June this year. With such high water in February and March, the park was wet and green for much longer than normal this year.
A puff of dust from the loose dirt on the road.
I spent a very happy afternoon (almost 3 hours!) sitting on the ground close to my vehicle while surrounded by elephants. They mostly fed, and occasionally greeted, but as the light fell, these two decided to play and one mounted the other.
An unusual and special morning of cloud and shafts of light one day in July.
A visit to North Luangwa NP was full of highlights, but perhaps most of all was viewing this black rhino from close range one morning. Read the whole story.
North Luangwa’s Mwaleshi River is the prime game-viewing area in that park. I had the chance to fly along it several times during our stay there and it was thick with game on all occasions. This is a park to watch for the future.
Back in South Luangwa, I loved the chance to spend time with this imperious waterbuck who observed me while I had my tea break nearby.
The thrill of watching a leopard hunt still energises me like nothing else. I found this leopard moving early one morning and she led me to her favourite hunting gully. First she approached me down the dry channel (there is little to compare to this feeling!) and tried her luck with a couple of geese that were feeding nearby….
….before adopting the usual leopard technique of waiting and listening for antelopes’ movements on the plain above. She wasn’t successful but the “coiled-spring” pose in this shot is strongly reminiscent of South Luangwa.
One day I was daydreaming while on morning safari and “woke up” to see a red-billed fire finch sitting on a branch very close to me. I rarely have a chance to take nice photos of these tiny birds so this was a real treat, and one of the few benefits of not having any guests this year!
In an almighty show of strength, a lion moves a hippo carcass into the shade and out of reach of troublesome vultures. Read the whole story.
In October, I returned to Kafue National Park to visit the areas where I will be running safaris in 2021. I had a wonderful time and I’m grateful to the operators who hosted me, especially Musekese Camp who allowed me time with the gorgeous cubs of the Musekese Pride. I am very happy to report that the area is in good hands and the safari experience every bit as good as it was when I visited before. Roll on 2021!
At Musekese, there is also a nearby colony of African skimmers which gave us a lovely afternoon of photography before a massive rain storm! Read the whole story.
A return visit to the North Luangwa in October allowed us to compare the beginning and the end of the safari season. The sightings were incredible and included a day where we saw elephant, rhino, lion, wild dog and buffalo. Only leopards eluded us this time! For more information about the background to this encounter with 3 black rhinos, read more here.
A wild dog from the Lutaba pack rests in the shallow waters of the Mwaleshi river, cooling off after the intense heat of an October day.
A gorgeous kudu bull forages for fresh leaves on a combretum bush in early November.
And I wrap up this report with a calm scene from early December when the green grass is sprouting from recent rains, and the elephants are happily putting on weight once more. The promise of new life, and restoration of the richness of the bush, is all around.
We are leaving the Luangwa for a month-long family road trip today, so the final part of the year will be spent in Lusaka, Mkushi, North Luangwa, Katavi NP, Lake Tanganikiya and Shiwa N’gandu. I will send regular updates to my Instagram page, so please follow me there.For now, we would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope you are able to spend time with those you love. I look forward to seeing many of you in wonderful places in 2021 and here’s to a freer, happier, safer and more enjoyable year ahead.
