On Safari – Day 2 & 3
/Safari Day 2 & 3, 18-19 Sep 2014
Sunrise 0615-ish
Weather: 55 F on the rim with heavy overcast
Ngorongoro Crater Tented Camp Site, Tembo 2
Movement from Ngorongoro Crater Tented Camp Site to Serengeti Central Camp Site
We broke camp early this morning to hit the gate at 0645 for the great light. On decent we were treated to a wonderful sunrise with clouds falling over the rim of the crater.
Fujifilm X-T1, stitched pano 10-34mm lens, ISO 200, 1/60 sec @f/7.1,
No sooner than we rounded the last corner in the road, did we hit the jack pot with a female lion and 5 small cubs. We hung out with these cubs for nearly an hour as they played and started their morning. As we neared the end of our visit in the Crater, we came across 5 lions scattered across the an open area. In the distance we observed three Cape Buffaloes heading straight for the lions. With the wind across their backs, they remained unseen. The lions continued to position themselves into the perfect attach position for a classic ambush. At the last minute, one of the cubs stood up and spooked the buffaloes causing an all out run for their lives. We were perfectly position to capture the action excepted it happened so close that those of us with longer lenses, missed as they aimed directly for our truck. Wendy Chu was at the right angle to capture the near miss. The buffaloes with live for another day and the lions will go hungry tonight. Great job Wendy.
Cheers and happy photo’ing and it is great to be on safari.