The power of technology

Technology has always had its pros and cons. With the recent covid-19 pandemic, many of us were forced to work from home. Something we have not done before. These were strange times, our livelihoods had been shaken to the core.

But every grey cloud has a silver lining. We are a curious bunch, we always look for new ways to keep moving forward in life. Due to the nature of my work, I am privileged to got to travel to some of the most amazing parts of our country. The word safari has always had a strong connection with our beloved country. I now move a step further by using videos to show case the safari side of our country. Let me bring the safari to you while you are in the comfort of your home.  

Feel free to subscribe to my youtube channel - Murad Habib and stay tuned for more videos

This is the link to my first video uploaded on youtube. https://youtu.be/trJRz-OftUU 

Plains of Lewa conservancy with Mt Kenya in the distance 

A tremendous bird

Flamingos have got to be some of the most tremendous birds. Most of the eggs are laid (and hatch) at Lake Natron in Tanzania, but the flamingos spend most of their adult life in Kenya. From the five species of flamingos worldwide, two are found in Kenya - the lesser and greater flamingo.

The greater flamingos are bigger, taller and have a light pink shade on their beaks, while the lesser flamingos have a deeper pink color on their feathers with black at the tips and a deep red color on their beaks. 

The greater flamingo feeds on crustaceans and other organisms found in mud while the lesser flamingo feeds on the floating algae found in the soda lakes, it is believed that the algae they feed on gives them the pink color. These are intelligent birds. It is believed that they stand on one leg to retain body heat. They also fly at night, this is to avoid being spotted by predators like the eagles. 

Flamingos are monogamous, they retain a mating partner through out their life. They breed once every three years and the female will often lay one egg at a time. Both the male and female take part in incubating the egg. After 21-38 days the egg hatches. When young, the flamingo chick is white in color, their beaks are straight, then curve with time. For the first three months, the young flamingo chick will feed on milk produced by both parents from the upper digestive tract and other members of the colony can feed the chicks. 

Their average lifespan is between 20-40 years and will start breeding when they are about 4 years. 

Flamingos. Amboseli, Kenya 

The elusive cat

This big cat is often known to be shy, and elusive. However, it is the most wide spread of all the top predators. From the most remote places in Laikipia to the Nairobi National park, the leopard finds its home. A member of the 'big five' in the safari world, a leopard sighting is always breath taking. 

Often mistaken as a 'spotted' cat, its fur is marked with rosettes. It is similar in physical appearance to the jaguar but it has smaller and lighter physique. Both leopards and jaguars can be melanistic and are called black panthers. 

The leopards English name comes from old French that is derived from Latin. Its generic name, panthera pardus is Latin. 

With an average lifespan of 12-17 years in the wild, a fully grown leopard can weigh up to 70 kilos. Their body size can vary, with the males being larger than the females. Often solitary, while on safari you can see two or more leopards together. After a gestation period of 2.5 months, a mother can give birth to 1 to 3 cubs. The cubs will stay with the mother for about 2 years before they venture out on their own. This is a powerful and versatile predator that uses camouflage and stealth to ambush prey. Leopards are agile and strong. They are more active at night and are good tree climbers. They are known to haul their prey up a tree after a successful hunt. Leopards can also ambush prey from the top of a tree. 

Samburu and Maasai Mara national reserves are among the best places to see the leopards in Kenya.

Leopard sightings are never guaranteed while on safari, even in prime leopard country. I have spent hours on game drives searching for them with no luck, yet sometimes I would emerge from my tent in the morning to see fresh leopard tracks, or see one on my way back to my tent after dinner.

Leopard looking out. Maasai Mara

Leopard on the move. Maasai Mara

Fine art photography

According to wikipedia, fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. 

There is a common belief that fine art photography is black and white photography. This is not always the case, there are many fine art photos in color.

In this edition, I am going to talk about black and white photography as a form of fine art photography. This is one aspect of photography that I am getting increasingly interested in. Black and white photography has something appealing, it has a timeless quality to it, these images are breathtaking, engaging, striking and moody at times. Black and white images remove any distraction of color, and helps the viewer focus on the subject, composition, texture and shapes or patterns. You can still use the same composition techniques as you would in color photography. While shooting, one of the key things to look out for is contrast, these are the light and dark tones. Look for the solid blacks in shadows. 

Another key thing is to train your eyes to seeing in black and white. Visualize the scene in black and white. You also need to embrace the 'grey days'. Always shoot in color then convert into black and white. This way you maintain all the originals. 

Lastly, get an inspiration. There are many professional wildlife photographers who work with black and white. I personally like David Guldens work (besides being a personal friend he is a great photographer who respects the wildlife) I also draw inspiration from David Yarrow. 

Here are a few of my black and white images, enjoy!

Male cheetah. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya 

Male elephant. Amboseli, Kenya 

Male lion with cubs. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Leroy - an upcoming star

 Amboseli Elephants are world renowned. They simply are magnificent.

With the legendary Tim now gone (Tim died of natural causes at the age of 50 years), Craig is the more popular big tusker in this kingdom. Besides Craig, there are other males with some very impressive tusks, some of whom I recon can probably grow bigger than Tims - only time will tell 😎

With other males besides Craig like Pascal, Palmer, Velowski, Adam and Leroy coming into the lime light. These guys will be stars in the years to come. There are about 25-30 young males with impressive tusks who are between the ages of 32 years and 40 years. 

I am particularly impressed by Leroy, a 36 year old bull. One morning straight from bush breakfast I saw him walking back very quickly. He had ventured out of the Amboseli National park and Kitirua conservancy into the neighboring farms in Tanzania. Looks like he did not get a good welcome, and he quickly made his way back home. He is a handsome bull, still growing and getting increasingly popular. Chege, one of the guides at Tortilis camp was very helpful in identifying him. Chege is an outstanding guide, one of the few gold rated guides in the country! Ali (head guide), Jonathan, Juma team up with Chege to make an outstanding guiding team based at Tortilis camp, part of the Elewana collection. They are joined by Festus and Leperes. They all are top guides, great individuals with great personalities. All these guides have shared with me their extensive knowledge and I am grateful to have the chance to work with them and to build long lasting friendships with them.

Leroy. Kitirua conservancy, Amboseli (B&W image)

Leroy. Kitirua conservancy, Amboseli (B&W image)

Leroy. Kitirua conservancy, Amboseli 

A star studded night

The city robs us of one incredible experience, and you got it right - star gazing... the distractions from the sky scrappers and all the light pollution. We only get to see the moon and a few stars and that's about it.  

In the cities and towns you may never get to see how incredibly beautiful the African night sky is. The night sky is filled with billions of stars and galaxies. 

Over the next few weeks I will share with you my journey of photographing the night sky in a stunning location in the southern part of Kenya called Amboseli national park, and Kitirua conservancy to be more specific. 

Every time I look up into the sky, I remember a rhyme which my daughter still sings... twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like diamonds in the sky... 

Night sky. Kitirua conservancy, Amboseli

'Look at the stars. See their beauty. And in that beauty, see yourself'... Draya Mooney 

Something random

While the big five are always great to spot on safari. There are many other animals that are very interesting to observe, and to photograph. Cheetahs are among my favorite animals to photograph. They are very active during the day and are very photogenic 😎 

Hyenas, on the other hand are underrated. But, they are fascinating and good hunters in their own right. 

The plains animals form close family bonds and the tender moments of love between them are incredible. Zebras are great to observe, they groom each other, play and stay active. They often make great photography subjects. 

I will share few random images from Loisaba conservancy, Kenya. Some of which are incredible sightings while on safari.

Cheetah stalk. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya 

 

Zebra in the plains. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya 

Spotted Hyena. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya

Male lion. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya 

Lions - Panthera Leo

Large and powerful! this is the second biggest cat in the world. The Lion is one of the best know wild animals. They find their home in about 28 African countries (African lion), and in India (Asiatic, Indian or Persion lion).

The male lions most outstanding feature is his mane, which varies between individuals. A fully-grown male is about 2 metres long excluding the 1 metre tail. The male lion stands tall, with a shoulder height of about about 1.2 metres and weighs up to 250 kg. The female is a little bit smaller, with a body length of 1.5 metres, excluding the 1 metre tail. A shoulder height of about 1 metre, and an average weight of up to 200 kg. The lion’s coat is short and often varies from buff yellow, orange-brown, silvery gray to dark brown color, with a tuft on the tail tip that is usually black in color.

Lions live in prides, a unique trait in the cat family. The pride consists of females, few young males, cubs and of course the pride males. The pride is multi generational, with the females being related. Each pride has a well-defined territory which varies in size. The prides territory consists of a main core area which is strictly defended against any intruders, and a fringe area where some overlap is often tolerated. Roaring and scent marking is a way the lions choose to proclaim their territories. 

Lions are good hunters, hunting a wide range of prey from gazelles to elephants and giraffes. Females often do the hunting, with the males joining in when hunting bigger prey like buffaloes. 

Lions (both males and females) are polygamous and breed throughout the year. Lionesses are usually restricted to the resident pride males. Lionesses become receptive to mating for about three to five days with the reproductive cycle being variable. During mating the pair generally mates every 15–30 minutes, copulating up-to 50 times in a day. Such extended copulation not only stimulates ovulation in the female but also secures paternity for the male by excluding other males. The gestation period is about 110 days, and the litter size varies from one to six cubs. 

Humans pose the greatest threat to lions. Human wildlife conflict, loss of habitat, poaching, and trophy hunting have caused huge population decline. Lions are classifies as vulnerable in the International union for the conservation of nature (ICUN) with less than 20,000 individuals left in the wild.  

Male lion. Maasai Mara, Kenya 

Lioness and cubs. Maasai Mara, Kenya

The cheetah

The scientific name of cheetahs is acinonyx jubatus - which means a long-legged spotted cat. 

In this publishing I will share with you some cool facts about the cheetahs, some of which you already know. Cheetahs are amazing animals to observe while on safari, unlike lions and leopards, they are more active during the day. This is the fastest land animal in the world, and seeing it in full sprint is spectacular. They can reach up to 112 kp/h in less than 3 seconds. Cheetahs are light weight, with long and slender bodies, perfectly built for sprinting and their long tail helps them balance while on a full sprint. 

Cheetahs have a pale yellow coat with black dots and their underbelly is white. Their faces are distinguished by the prominent 'tear drop marks', black lines that curve from the inner corner of each eye to the outer corners of the mouth. 

Cheetahs social life is flexible and complex. They are not solitary neither do they form big families. Females are usually solitary, while the males tend to be solitary but can be found in coalitions of between 2 to 6 males, often brothers. Females lead a nomadic life, often venturing into different home ranges with different dominant males. Males and females mainly interact during the short mating season. The females have an estrous (when they come to heat) cycle of around 12 days on average, but this can vary from 3 days to a month. Females mainly conceive again after 17 to 20 months from giving birth, or even sooner if a whole litter is lost. After a gestation of nearly 3 months, a litter of one to eight cubs is born with the births taking place at 20–25 minute intervals in a sheltered place such as thick vegetation. The cubs eyes are shut at birth, and open after 4 to 11 days, and after 2 weeks the cubs start to walk.

Cheetahs don't roar, but they are know to purr. Cheetahs chirp or stutter barking (an intense bird-like call and lasts less than a second) or chur while communicating. 

Sadly, this beautiful animal is threatened by loss of habitat and prey, as well as conflict with humans. Cheetahs are classified as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red list (The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species). Today, an estimated 7,100 cheetahs remain in Africa.

Cheetah cub and mom. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Cheetah silhouette. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Cheetah portrait. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya 

Sunset silhouettes

 Sunset silhouette photos are always stunning. I love them... 

Sunsets always have amazing colors, but at times this isn't always enough especially when photographing sunsets and that's where silhouettes come in. When adding a silhouette, the key thing to keep in mind is that you are adding a shape. Sometimes, the shape will have little or no details, some times it will be purely black or with little color. It is also important to make the silhouetted shape distinct and uncluttered. 

Silhouettes are effective in sunset photography, they add character to the image. It is always important to have a visual image of the shot you want to take in your mind before capturing it. Position yourself well, I find getting low on the ground while taking the shot is always great and gives a better perspective for the final image. Being at a lower elevation than your subject brings out the best angles to photograph. 

When it comes to the camera settings. Always, and I repeat, always remember to turn off your flash, this should be your number one thing to check. With the camera settings, always make sure that you have taken it off auto mode, and remember to set the correct aperture, shutter speed and ISO for the perfect shot. Until next time, stay safe. 

Cheetah silhouette, Maasai Mara

   

Cheetah silhouette, Maasai Mara

Silhouette of a tree, Maasai Mara

World lion day

10th August marks the international World Lion day. This is a special day organised to raise awareness about the decline in the overall lion population. 

The first World lion day was marked in 2013. The founders Derek and Beverly Joubert in partnership with National Geographic and big cat initiative came up with a partnership to protect lions in their natural environment. 

Also known as panthera leo, lions are the second largest big cat species, after the tiger. The males have a very distinctive mane which grows darker as they age, the manes can also be used to show how healthy the male lion is - thicker and darker manes show that the male is healthier. Both males and females lions roar, and their roar can be heard up to 8 kilometres away (5 miles).    

Nearly 50% of the total lion population has declined over the last 20 years. The main threats to the lion population is the loss of habitat, human-wildlife conflict and trophy hunting. Not all is doom and gloom though. There are ways to stabilize, and increase the lion population. Lion conservation is a vital part in the overall conservation of wildlife and habitat. There are many organisations fighting to protect the lions. Organisations like the Ewaso lions organisation, born free foundation, wildlife direct and mara predator conservation program are doing a remarkable job in protecting the big cat. Please have a look at their cause and you too can assist by making donations, sharing information and creating awareness. 

You too can help in protecting the lions... be a lion guardian!

Lioness and cubs. Nairobi National Park

Male lion. Loisaba conservancy

Male lion. Maasai Mara