The Night Time is the Right Time. If you really want to see wild animals in Africa, go out at night. But don't go out by yourself. And never walk. Ride. Be sure to bring along a powerful light, plenty of warm clothing, a full tank of gas, and a fast ISO. And don't forget the armed guard. He also doubles as the light man, since he knows where the animals might be lurking. Although we never encountered a single threat to us or our vehicle, we saw plenty of dangerous animals at very close range, including lions, elephants and cape buffalo by the hundreds, though we had seen these animals during the daylight hours as well. At night, all the others come out - the shy, inconspicuous, and elusive creatures that remain hidden when the sun is bright and hot. Most are too small, quick, and elusive to photograph from the landrover. You can never tell what might show itself, and on three night game drives, I was lucky to catch a few denizens of the dark.
A night scavenger, this hyena is hesitant to cross in front of our lights. We spotted a small clan of 5 or 6 on one of our night drives. It was the only time we ever saw these shy predators.
Mating Lions, 2006.
Night game drives always surprised us. One night, we came upon a male lion with a female and two young cubs. While we watched and took photos, the male mounted the female twice, growling and baring his teeth over the back of her neck. She cooperated, but without much enthusiasm. Nearby, the cubs were playing amongst themselves uninterested in the adult behavior.
Blurry Buffalo, 2006.
We were lucky enough to approach some buffalo grazing near the edge of the road. As we moved closer, the animals retreated slowly onto the plains. Getting used to seeing at night, we could tell there were many animals in this one herd, and I would have guessed 60 to 80 individuals. Stephen, our driver, told us calmly that we were actually looking at a herd of about 200 buffalo.
Suckling Elephant, 2006.
Joanne and I were in the Reserve for about a week before seeing any elephants, when we spotted this herd of about 11 elephants browsing along the airstrip. Here, a mother suckles her calf as we shine out lights on them. After that, we seemed to see elephants every other day, and again on another night drive.
The Shadowy Leopard, 2006.
We visited a known feeding spot of leopards for three nights, where the guards had hung a piece of buffalo meat in a tree, but no leopard ever appeared. Not until our last night drive. And then we saw it, slinking slowly away from the tree into the bushes. Although this is the only blurry picture I was able to make of a leopard, at least we were lucky enough to see it! Click on the image to enlarge it, and look for the spots right in the center of the image!
Into the Night, 2006.
My flash lights the road a short distance in front of us, as our landrover heads into the open spaces of Sweetwaters where we hope to find some nocturnal activity.
Acacia at Night, 2006.
Often while riding through the darkness, I would just use my small point and shoot, aiming it at something in the darkness, and let the flash reveal what was there. Here, a small acacia stands in the darkness.
Moving Through the AFrican Night, 2006.
It is a bumpy ride through the savannah, with occasional glimpses of the passing vegetation, but no animals yet. Whenever I used my 20D, I would set it at aperture priority and let the headligts act as my flash.
Sandy Night, 2006.
Driving through the cool night, the breeze seems clear and invigorating, but whenever we slow down, it is another story. Here, my flash lights up all the dust and sand that the landrover kicks up.
Hole in the Ground, 2006.
One of the obstacles that we must watch for are aardvark holes in the road. Many are freshly dug each night, and some of them are smack in the middle of the road.
Two Eyes Shining, 2006.
Finally, we notice two shining lights among the bushes as a cape buffalo watches us slowly go by.
Giraffes, 2006.
Farther on, two young giraffes, one standing and another one resting, seem unperturbed by our approach.
Zebras and Dust, 2006.
A herd of zebras retreat from our lights as we slow down to view them, with sand and dust swirling around us. We went on three night game drives while at the Research Center, each time being completely different from the time before in terms of how many animals and which ones we would see.
