Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/03/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Some of the shots of Big Cats - lions and leopards were thin on the ground, but Cheetahs were plentiful - also helped by the fact that the latter are very active by the day, mainly because lions and hyenas are not - much less chance of having their kill stolen. To start with a lioness behaving like any member of the cat family: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ol_Pejeta_20130315_09874.jpg.html We only saw only one leopard the whole trip, and that too late in the evening at dusk on the first day out at Ndutu. Here are a couple of studies, taken with a big telephoto married to a teleconverter, wide open at ISO6400: Yawn: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ndutu_20130302_04312.jpg.html Descent: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ndutu_20130302_04319.jpg.html However, the biggest sustained interest of our trip were Cheetahs, of which we saw more than 20, including a lot of playful cubs. Here are some shots to start things off: Yawns are contagious even for male cheetahs: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ndutu_20130304_06020.jpg.html The late evening kill: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ndutu_20130304_06115.jpg.html A mother and two cubs slaking their thirst: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ndutu_20130304_05637-Edit.jpg.html Two cubs playing on a tree: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ndutu_20130306_06666-Edit.jpg.html A downpour is no deterrent for energetic cubs: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/EAfrica/2013/Ndutu_20130306_07521.jpg.html Please see LARGE Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome. Cheers Jayanand