Wildlife Photography Blog

Much has changed in Camp Leakey since my last trip. This is not surprising due to the decades that have passed, the major changes in the rainforest, and the tremendous pressure put on the environment by the logging industry and palm oil plantations. If you haven't already checked out the web page on my 1991 trip now is the time to do it for comparison purposes. A side view of where 12 of us stayed in 1991.The bathroom is in the distance at middle of the picture, the entrance is to the right of the bathroom. When you first arrive

This is Doyak in all his splendor (oops, wrong Doyak, this is a guide at the feeding platform pretending to be Doyak) The real Doyak! Males this size range between 250-350 pounds. They are comparable in strength to 8 large men at least, and are not intimidated by much in their jungle. They have a powerful bite they use when fighting each other. Here are some pictures of him at one of the feeding stations as he came in to get his share of food and confirm his place in the hierarchy. His territory does not encroach on Tom, the

Lewa is not a camp like our other two locations. It has permanent, rustic, and luxurious cottages in a beautiful setting. It has been run by the Craig family for the last 30 years. They have dedicated themselves to conservation of the animals in this part of Africa. At Lewa you can go on horseback rides, camel rides, and long walks, and evening game drives in open vehicles. There are many rhino because it is a protected area. While we were there Simon King of the BBC (he is a big part of Big Cat Diaries on TV) was filming

This elusive cat showed up a few times on our trip. Like all the big cats we can watch them for hours. Unlike the lions and cheetahs, leopards prefer to do things in private, so you have to get that shot when you can. One morning this female was found just outside our camp. She was intent on something so we stayed with her. She moved through the grass rapdily so following her was not easy. We were lucky to get a shot of her when she dashed off to attack a baby warthog. She was succesful, and move her

Lets hope nobody encounters this when flying in the United States. I am not sure the pilots here are as used to this as the bush pilots in Africa. They have seen this before, and make sure the coast is clear (and they do the clearing) before unloading passengers.