The Serengeti lions

Our second morning in the Serengeti was one certainly one to remember. As the sun was rising we spotted a group of lions walking purposely across the plains, led by the older females. One the lions saw their target, a group of 5 or so wildebeest, they began to split up, forming a ring around the wildebeest while the cubs waited patiently by a bush. The most experienced female was walking along the road using our truck and the long grass as cover. Soon we could just see the tuft of the 5 lionesses' ears as they surrounded the wildebeest. All of a sudden a younger lioness sprinted towards the prey, but her inexperience showed, as it was too early and the other lionesses stayed put. The wildebeest scattered only to regroup minutes, completely forgetting about the hungry lion. After a few more minutes of stillness all of the lionesses sprinted towards the group of wildebeest scattering them properly, choosing the most confused looking one to tag team, until his neck was in their jaws. As soon as the wildebeest hit the floor the young lion cubs came running out eager for the taste of fresh meat.

A lion cub trying to sleep in a pile of his brothers and sisters.

The old lioness, stalking behind our truck, trying to us it as cover. 

The ears of a stalking lioness by the group of clueless wildebeest.

This pair of lions look like an old married couple who are very much still in love!

Abseiling from Derby Cathedral

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me as it was time to do my Derby Cathedral Abseil, which I blogged about a month ago. When we arrived I gave my boyfriend a very quick lesson with my camera, and let him practise on the abseilers that were braving the decent. At the bottom of the tower I was kitted up with all necessary safety gear before being directed towards a very steep spiral staircase. Upon arrival at the top I photographed the views using my phone. Soon it was time for my big descent. My harness was checked and adjusted, then I was attached to various safety ropes and a huit to enable me to control my speed. After a quick safety briefing (while I was already hanging out over the edge of the tower) I was away, descending the 212 feet to the safety of the ground below.

I've managed to raise £260 so far but it's not too late to sponsor me through my justgiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/AmyLouiseJohnson.

Me with all of my safety gear, ready to climb the spiral staircase.

The tower of Derby Cathedral set up for abseiling, with me at
the top taking photos of the view.

The roof tops of Derby..  not the most scenic of cities! 

 The very top of the tower.

The scaffold platform, safely secured to the roof of the tower, or so I hoped!

Me looking down from the top, while my huit was being attached.

The Derby Mountain Rescue statue.

Posing by the clock for a photograph. Almost safely on the ground!

Ndutu - Nirvana?

After a few fantastic days in the Serengeti I was a little sad to leave, especially after the amusing antics of Poser Leopard. However my group had promised me that the next stop on our trip; this amazing place called Ndutu, was simply nirvana. I was happily imagining a place where the sun was always shining, the migration was passing through and leopard cubs were playing with cheetah cubs. My group had neglected to mention that we would be catching the start of the rainy season and the chance of thunderstorms was reasonably high.

Sheets of rain moving across the plains in Ndutu.

 A tawny eagle taking off in the sunshine against the dark backdrop of storm clouds

The storm clouds being photographed by my Dad who was enjoying the challenge of the ever changing
weather.

A surprise leopard sighting as leopards usually keep to themselves in Ndutu.
This one was chased up a tree by a large female lion, but still looked great against
the storm clouds.

Judging by the look on this little guy's face I'm not sure he enjoyed the rain much!

I would still have to agree that my week in Ndutu was an amazing experience and the 4 or 5 rain storms that we had only added to the experience. My previous blog post Cheetahs in the rain features more examples of the photographs to be had if one braves the weather.

A morning with Cheetah cubs

One very early morning in Ndutu we came across the same cheetah family featured in my first ever blog post, Cheetahs in the rain, which was about a Mum and her 2 young cheetah cubs who were caught in the rain storm. When we came across the Cheetahs they were just waking up to the sun peering through the trees. As they woke up the Cheetah cubs became a lot more active playing on the bank of the river and even chasing after hartebeest. As always the young cheetahs in Ndutu, Tanzania, full of surprises and amazing to watch!

A young cheetah cub yawning as the first rays of light woke him up!

The two cheetah cubs playing on the river bank

Mum watching over the cheetah cubs as they play fought

An over enthusiastic cheetah cub chasing hartebeest under the watchful eye of bat eared foxes

The cheetah Mum surveying the marsh, on the lookout for breakfast

Düsseldorf in the Autumn

I was lucky enough to be flying into Düsseldorf Airport for work, so got the flights booked 2 days early and spent the weekend exploring Düsseldorf. The visit was perfectly timed so the sun was shining all weekend, the leaves on the trees were a beautiful range of colours and Fortuna Düsseldorf only lost to Bayern Munich 1-3 so the locals were in high spirits. I found Düsseldorf  really easy to explore on foot, and got the chance to visit some of the spots at different times of day, which was great for photography!

A fountain on Königsallee, shot during the day

 The same fountain at night

A view from the K21 Ständehaus museum

The sun shining through a stain glass window in a church near the Rhine

The sun setting over the Rhine

The Rheinturm after dark

Noor and Sultan, Mother and Son

Today's post continues on from Sultan of Ranthambore where we left young Sultan patiently waiting while his mother was defending her territory from another female tiger. Once the roars died down Noor ventured out from behind the outcrop of rocks to lay down in the drinking hole to cool down. Upon seeing his mother Sultan ventured out towards her looking like an embarrassed teenager when she greeted him with a big lick! They rest together for a while in the pool before walking along the bank, pausing to pose one last time, before disappearing into the grass.

Noor (T39) greeting her cub Sultan.

Sultan resting on his Mum's head as if she were his pillow. 

Sultan and Noor walking along the bank towards the shade of the trees together.

Peering through the grass. 

The setting sun behind a water tower in Ranthambore - India.

The Big Five

The big five are traditionally the five most dangerous animals in Africa to hunt. It is also a sign of a good safari trip if you are lucky enough to see them all. As much as I enjoy capturing wild animals in situations which make them look particularly dangerous, it can be just as fun photographing them at their most passive and vulnerable moments.

A large male lion asleep a-top some rocks in the Serengeti under the watchful eye of a lizard.
The lizard was carefully capturing the flies that were landing on the lion's noise, hiding behind the rock
 whenever the lion opened his eyes.

A few week old baby elephant following the herd across a track in the Serengeti.

A 5 month old leopard cub looking for his mother through the grass in
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. 

A Cape buffalo taking a mud-bath in the Ngorongoro Crater.

A family of black rhinoceros in front of the flamingos on the lake in the Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania.
Unfortunately due to the high value placed upon the rhino's horn there is still a level of
 rhinoceros poaching, and the Black rhinoceros in particular is critically endangered.