From the editors desk Last Month’s Top Shot Winner Facebook Cover Shot Winner Volunteer Encounters Ranger’s Report
• • • -
•
Community Focus
• •
Photography Reflections Photography Focus
• •
Research Focus Predator Research Update
Once again the month is changing hands, we’re edging slowly into winter and the signs are beginning to emerge with the sun setting earlier and a subtle crispness gracing the air in the mornings. Change can be a funny thing; many embrace it with open arms whilst just as many shun it away in favour of the familiar. But, just like the seasons we shift to and from, change is inevitable and the best course of action, whether you agree with the change or not, is to make the most out of it. We’re in a lucky position here with volunteers flooding in through our gates from all corners of the world. Different cultures. Different outlooks. We’re constantly surrounded by the new and the unfamiliar and it’s amazing to see others around you and, dare I say it, you yourself take on new perspectives because of it. After all, we’re here to open up their eyes to the wonders of Africa – to give them new perspectives. So why not embrace the change they make on us and make it a two way street?
Subscribe by mailing: warthogpost@africanimpact.com to keep yourself updated with the latest news! Cover shot: Giraffe Sunset– Samuel Cox, Second Photographer, England
Keep one eye looking Don’t get lost down your viewfinder. Keep your other eye searching the area, you don’t know what else may be occurring outside of your frame of sight and it could make the difference between you missing out on the shot to being a potential National Geographic winner. It also helps if you research animal behaviour a bit, so as to give you the best possible heads-up on being able to capture an animal’s movements or behaviour.
As the term came to a close we were able to assist Eco Children to almost complete the library at Mahlati Primary School, with all the book shelves in a variety of bright colour making it an inviting, fun environment for the children to learn. At Maputha Ditshaba High School we completed the module on deforestation leaving the children aware of the importance of trees to our ecosystem with one of the children wanting to start a hashtag with #stopdeforestation and claiming she would arrest anyone trying to cut trees down. Therefore it is safe to say the future of the community will do their best to conserve the environment. Having finished the module on deforestation, we ended the term with an introduction on habitat and the environment. Even in the first lesson, they learnt the difference between a habitat and the environment alongside which animals belong to each habitat. It was great to see the children learn and understand about different habitats and environments, leaving them in a great place to begin the module next term.
A Lion’s Roar Not all cats roar (which is probably a good thing for those of who own house cats), but those that do can’t get any more impressive than that of the King. A male lion's roar can be heard from up to five miles away – the loudest roar of any big cat species. Their roar helps them find other lions as well as to proclaim their territory. A pride's territory may include up to 100 square miles.
Wasting no time the children were quick to begin their roles within the garden whether it been weeding, raking or watering. It was impressive how all the gardens were cleared of weeds and watered so efficiently by the children with very little guidance. Following on from this, we began all the sessions with a game of freeze tag, leaving the children tired yet laughing afterwards. Introducing mathematics, we used times tabled flash cards and put the children into teams, it was a race to see which team could get through all the flashcards first. With some challenging cards like 8 x 9 allowing us to help them visualise with large number cards to help them work out the answer. The first 2 weeks of April the children were on school holiday, which meant they had Eco Children Holiday Workshops one morning each week. We visited Makwetse Grade 6 and Seganyane for Grade 6 and 7 where both the researches and the photography volunteers accompanied us. The session began with the children tending to their Eco Village gardens.
Crocodiles Crocodiles appeared approximately 240 millions years ago, at the same time as Dinosaurs. They have 24 sharp teeth which are used for killing fish, birds, mammals and other small crocodiles.
After the game, the children commented how much they enjoyed it, making maths fun! Next was an alphabet game where each child was given a letter and they had to find as many things as possible in the school beginning with that letter, excluding any names! With prizes available, the children eagerly ran around the school finding as many words as they could beginning with their letter.
They don't chew their food and instead they tear apart the flesh and swallow large chunks of meat.
The last game we played was using balloons, a good way to excite the children. The children were split into teams, and had to pass the balloon to the next person using no hands. Not surprisingly, the game resulted in the balloons being chased after in the sky, which led to all balloons being lost. Overall the holiday clubs were very enjoyable for all the volunteers, but most importantly the children.
They also use their mouths, rather than sweat glands, to release heat.
We can show how the Hippo has an affectionate, not just aggresive side, wething can show theworries industrious One that me, and unfortunately it’s dung beetle working away (the flies a repeating trend I’ve been noticing for a long time here, incidentally, point like an in photographers, especially up and coming ones – arrow towards the subject –I is thatthem there’s tooormuch emphasis placed on newer trained myself), a lonely impala with a long way to skill go. and artistry of the technology over the
photographer.
We can also create confusion within the image to make the viewer Yes, we’dlike all alove the latest look deeper, crocodile’s eye and most expensive camera, biggest lens, the fastest shutter speed seen throughthe another croc’s mouth, getting the audience to engage with and the most megapixels – but all of that only a helps photo, get get them yourthinking. image, it doesn’t make your picture.
That’s down to you! I’ve seen dedicated and
Bringing two elements together, determined people with entry-level gear take we can make a suggestion – here stunning images. They worked hard, studied their that African Impact works with snakes so you can seeand that even craft,–their subject brought their own with few variables, a photograph sensibilities to the camera. On the other hand, I’ve becomes more and more met plenty of people on past trips with equipment complicated.
worth a brand new car – yet they were lazy, depended too much This, for me, is part of myon their gear and didn’t push fascination withto photography the themselves learn the -basics, animal behaviour control we can have over what we or even develop their own style.
want to communicate, by simple inclusion or omission. It’s also It’s all to how you in use your camera. You where wedown have a responsibility, need learn photography, not onlyto what we say, but how we gather experience and really start to push of what your say it. There is no way wethe canboundaries get that perfectcamera image, that idea Once you feel your current canputs giveanyou. incamera another’sishead with no confusion holding you back, that’s when you whatsoever. Striving towards that upgrade. You don’t jump into Photography at perfection, however, is what keeps 100mph, you travel the gears at a steady pace. the photographer comingup back.
GET LOW!
Use what’s on offer.
Natural lighting is always going to be way better than anything man can manufacture, so use it! The hours just after dawn and just Abovesunset is a picture taken at before (the golden a simple 45 degree hours) give light with aangle. beautiful, rosy quality It’s how most us look(which down is why most romantic shots on things from our are set at sunset). standing position. ‘Bad’ lighting can work in your favour. Atmospheric conditions can lead to moody Below is the same subject, shots, so maximize any but photographed from the definition in overcast clouds ground and it atdoesn’t it’s eyelook level. to make sure See how this simple painted out. repositioning brings out so Rim-lighting (a technique used much more? in studio lighting setups using a designated ‘hair light’ for models) and silhouetting can have a very dramatic effect. Just because you can’t get into the right position doesn’t mean you should try for the shot. Remember – let nature inspire you!
I had a great opportunity to visit Kinyonga Reptile Centre during my stay with African Impact. Although I would love to say it was an amazing experience overall, unfortunately I came up against some camera frustrations. Kinyonga Reptile Centre is an amazing place, with many different species like snakes, spiders, crocodiles, chameleons and turtles. We had the honour to photograph these wonderful creatures, starting off with an African Baboon Spider. Wow, I fell in love with this beautiful creature: so soft, sweet and harmonious. After the African Baboon Spider came Prince our guide with two Cobra snakes. We were very excited and took our positions lying down on the ground. We learnt a lot about settings, like aperture and shutter speed in a short time. Although we practiced this before our visit, it was still tough to use the right settings with action shots like this. You have to think about so many things like light, moving subject, shadow or sun, position, aperture, shutter speed, lens and then with all this in mind your aiming for the perfect shot. After the Cobras we had the opportunity to photograph the Chameleon , especially in action! And when I say in action, I assume you will have immediately have a visual. Yes you’re right; the chameleon catching a cricket! I am always impressed to see these shots in magazines and now I had the chance to photograph this action myself, I was so excited about it.
Ostrich The ostrich's eyes take up so much room in the skull that the brain is actually smaller than either one of its eyeballs. This may be why the ostrich, despite its tremendous running speed, is not very good at eluding predators: It tends to run in circles.
Our guide, Prince, asked us if we were ready so he could show the chameleon the prey. One, two, click, click, click, click, click, click , click. The tongue came out the mouth to catch the cricket and in a split second the cricket was gone. I heard people saying ‘I’ve got it’, I was checking mine, but no luck. After 162 shots I still didn’t have the perfect shot and I was so upset. I had the settings right and still I couldn’t catch that one and only moment. I blamed of course myself for this and was wondering what I did wrong. To relieve the stress Samuel Cox – the second photographer, said it’s not to do with me but with my camera being too slow (frames per second). Of course I can take the perfect shot with my camera, but not that easily.
Golden Brown Baboon Spider It’s listed as protected by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004. This means no person may catch, kill, keep, convey, purchase, sell, import, export, donate or even receive one as a gift without a permit.
Termites are always perceived as the wood-chewing homewreckers of the world. But these little marvels live and own a life that’s fascinating and complex beyond comprehension. Take for instance when you see a termite mound piling up high from the ground. Did you know that’s only 10% of the actual home? It’s the equivalent to a chimney atop a two-story house that delves deep underground and filled with chambers upon chambers that are all specialized for different uses. The vents in the mound are used to keep a consistent temperature flowing beneath the ground. For something so small, they achieve so much!
But what is THE perfect shot? Is that really the one showing the chameleon in action; catching his cricket? Or can the perfect shot also be a picture of the chameleon from a different angle like diving to catch his prey? Picture thinking ‘out of the box’ instead of the ‘standard’ picture of a chameleon. I think so, because I can say after all, that I am very proud with this shot, I chose ‘out of the box’ and I love it! To capture the perfect moment is not always easy & can make you upset, but to go back to computer with the images taken and realize that you have made YOUR perfect shot in a different way, that feels absolutely AMAZING! I am so proud and learned each day! It’s not all about the perfect expectations/shots in life, it’s about how you can be satisfied with your OWN perfect unique shot, which can change thoughts of expectations in life.
The
Vervet Monkey Vervet monkeys living near areas inhabited by people can become pests, stealing food and other items and raiding crops. Good climbers, jumpers and swimmers, they often elude capture. In sexual and dominance displays vervet monkeys run the gamut from shaking branches and jumping around to making a hard 'kek-kek-kek' sound to mark their territories.
I have always had an interest in nature; it probably stems from my Great Aunt. She was a high school biology teacher who would take me out on English country drives from a young age and test me on species of trees, birds, insects and more. Incidentally when she was a child she used to play cricket with my second inspiration, Sir David Attenborough. It was whilst watching the new series of Planet Earth that I decided I was going to Africa. It took me a while to decide exactly whereabouts but as soon as I saw African Impact's project online I knew it was right for me. From the next three months I thought a lot about what exactly I was letting myself in for. Would I be surrounded by professional photographers laughing at my amateur shots? How was I going to cope with such early starts? Would I get on with the other volunteers? The first week consisted of a lot of presentations explaining all aspects of the photography - from the basics of ISO, aperture and shutter speed to the more in depth styles such as reportage. In the first three days I learnt more about photography than I did studying it for a year at college! My camera was no longer a mystery of menus and buttons but an extension of my eyes and arms. Not to the mention learning about the power of Lightroom which allows you to make the image your own: not relying on the camera to call all the shots.
Seeing the incredible diversity of the wildlife in Africa has been the ultimate highlight for me. Getting down on the ground to get macro shots of tiny ants with a good depth of field. Fitting huge elephants in your frame whilst keeping composition in mind. Containing your excitement when a leopard is eating a porcupine up a tree just meters away on your third day in the bush. You also get to join part of rest of the project. You give your photos to the researchers to help with animal identification. You go into the community and teach children about the importance of conservation which was a lot of fun. Bush clearing creates a massive sense of teamwork and job satisfaction even if it can get a bit thorny at times. Making an overgrown clearing look unrecognizable is an amazing feeling. The lodge, the staff and the other volunteers really made the place feel like home. Working with professional photographers was so encouraging knowing they also take many many shots before showcasing their best work. As a reluctant early riser I really surprised myself, every morning I was so excited at what the day would bring I couldn't stay in bed for long. I have made a lot of friends here, I really don't know what I was worrying about before I came. I may even be back soon, those precious five seconds of sighting wild dogs was really not long enough...
Focus on the eyes A great portrait or any wildlife shot can fall to pieces if one thing is missing; focus on the eye/s.
Obviously if the eyes are closed or not in shot this isn’t a problem, but if the eyes are open then it’s generally the first thing someone will look at when glancing at a photograph. Make sure they’re pin sharp!
As many of you might be aware, our predator focus in Buffaloland is centered around the ever elusive African leopard, black-backed jackals, as well as the occasional (and in this specific case, even more elusive) spotted hyena. However, since March, the large predator matrix has been shaken up by an even larger (and arguably more famous) carnivore‌lions!
Lions are found throughout South Africa’s national parks and private reserves, and for the most part, remain within these fenced areas. However, one young pride of lions gave us a surprise earlier this year by making their way through the fence and into the Buffaloland property. Our first sighting of the pride was in early February. We were scheduled to conduct some much-needed alien plant removal, when we heard that lion tracks were throughout the property. Our priority quickly shifted to locating these lions and finding out where they came in. We found the lions, a pride of four, consisting of two sub-adult males and two sub-adult females. They were very relaxed with the vehicles, suggesting that they were used to being around game viewers.
Hippopotamus Hippopotamus; the name itself means ’River Horse' and is often shortened to hippo. The hippopotamus is generally considered the third largest land mammal (after the White rhinoceros and Elephant) and their hides can weigh half a ton. They can spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes to keep their massive bodies cool under the hot African sun.
While we were very excited, we did not expect to see the lions on future drives. As apex predators, lions have a massive impact on their environment. The introduction of lions to a property would completely reshape its carrying capacity, prey density, prey behaviour and ultimately the entire ecological community. As Buffaloland is a small fenced area, the lions were sure to have a massive impact, which if not managed closely could have adverse effects on the rest of the ecosystem. Accordingly, they were darted and relocated to another Big 5 reserve. However, they didn’t stay away for long.
Black Back Jackal Family members communicate with each other by yapping or a siren like howl when a kill is located. Although usually considered scavengers, they do pick over kills made by large carnivores.
Exactly one month later (how’s that for timing?), the pride was back and looking very comfortable! While conducting our monthly game count, we came across three of the pride members relaxing in the bush. It was definitely a first for us – recording Panthera leo on the Buffaloland game count sheet! Since then, the lions have remained in Buffaloland and their former home has so far not been claimed. We have recorded GPS data on visuals, tracks, scat, kills, as well as photos for identification, and are continuing to monitor their movements and impact throughout the property. Not only have the lions demonstrably affected the prey population (including buffalo and kudu kills), but they have also undoubtedly affected the behaviour of other predators. Such impact was demonstrated on a recent night drive when we came across one of our favourite leopards, CBL11. Not too long later, one by one, the pride of lions began to make their way past CBL11. One lioness noticed the young leopard, and attempted to pounce at her! With only 4 metres between them at one point, CBL11 made a run for it and was able to get away.
Cheetah The only big cat which can actually be domesticated, they’re also the only cat which cannot retract it’s claws as they’re needed more for grip when running than tearing at prey. It will be interesting to see how the lion population continues to affect the property and its inhabitants. The coming months’ game count data will prove interesting as well as the movements and activity of the leopard population with this new predator around. We are not sure how long the lions will be staying, but we are definitely enjoying the opportunity to record this change!
They can run at 70 miles per hour (or 110 kph) which is as fast as a car travels on a motorway and even more astounding is that they can get to this speed in approximately 3 seconds. When running, they use their tails to help them steer and turn in the direction they want to go, like the rudder of a boat.
Hamerkop After years of dreaming I finally made my biggest dream come true: going to Africa to help in wildlife conservation and learn more about it. I’m 19 years old and I finished high school in Belgium in June 2016. I decided to take a gap year before university for different reasons; learning English, getting life experience, discovering the world myself, but the main reason was working with animals, especially in Africa. So after six months in Australia including six weeks of volunteer work in a small sanctuary with animals and two weeks in New Zealand, I’m finally here! I arrived not even two weeks ago in the Dumela Lodge. I’m in the Big 5 and conservation project, and I have to say that even after only one week, I’m already totally in love with the project and what I see and do here. In my future, I really would like to work in this kind of job for wildlife protection. I’m planning to study zoology and this project gives me a real idea of how it is to work in conservation. Between observing the animals on game drives, collecting information and data about them, conservation work (bush clearing, ecology work, etc.), encoding data, going to the community to help teach English or helping in the reptile center, we are always busy. Every day is different because every day we see and learn different things.
Hamerkop is a wading bird that belongs to the hamerkop family. There are two subspecies of hamerkops that can be found in sub-Saharan Africa, on Madagascar and southwestern parts of Arabia.
They inhabit areas near the rivers, lakes and estuaries, well-watered savannas, forests and semi-deserts.
I really love working with the different African impact guides, researchers, managers, etc. They are so passionate and excited about their job and it is really contagious! They are always there to teach us some more about anything. Every day we get to know a bit more about lots of things here; I can’t even explain how magical it is to experience volunteering! The overnight camp in the reserve, the night drive, the amazing different sightings we have the chance to see, the sunsets, the sunrises, all the game drives, the atmosphere during the evenings at the lodge, the contact between overseas volunteers and the staff here. I just could keep going but every single thing we do is paradise for people who are passionate like me. It makes me feel happy to work for African Impact and to help and contribute to their amazing projects. If there is one thing I want to do in my life it is being useful for this world and in a small part I’m feeling useful for one of the many world problems. I’m feeling like I’m doing something good. African Impact does everything to make feel the volunteers good and happy and it works! I wish I could stay forever but after my eight weeks here and another project in Zambia with African Impact as well, I need to go back in Belgium to study to have the chance to come back to this beautiful place as soon as possible! Thank you to African Impact for helping me to make my biggest dream incredibly come true.
Take care of your memory card and they’ll take care of you! Memory cards are relied upon every time we step out into the field. So don’t neglect them! Format them properly, turn the camera off before switching them out and keep them in rugged and safe housings. And always, ALWAYS, carry a spare.
This month has been great for watching some amazing predators and brought many interesting sightings, which give us the necessary data we need for our projects. In Klaserie, research volunteers witnessed a new young male lion, including a never-to-forget moment because the new male lion started roaring in front of the vehicle. Also in Klaserie we had a close encounter with Cleo (FLK9) and could collect data from her for more than one hour. And a new pack of five Wild Dogs has been spotted!
Volunteers had visuals on the new four lions in Buffaloland, including two females and two males. These lions call Buffaloland their home for the last several months now. But this was the first time we had all four lions in one visual. The four lions were the main characters for all volunteers/staff members for the best Night Drive in Buffaloland.
Black Mamba An intimidating and terrifying snake to come across, with their fast speed, notorious reputation and coffinshaped head. The name black mamba comes from the colour of the inside of their mouth which is pitch black – like an abyss. Like all snakes, they have no interest in humans (we’re too big to be food) and won’t strike unless threatened.
The volunteers also witnessed a rare event watching the four lions. After leaving the four lions to reply to a call for a leopard sighting (CBL11), the four lions returned. The lions walked towards the leopard and one lion tried to attack Lanza (CLB11). After this rare sighting we followed the lions to another exciting find… …The lions walked to a species never seen before (except on camera traps) in Buffaloland, the Spotted Hyaena – a moment we’ve been waiting for since we arrived over two years ago! This month five new camera traps have been placed at Buffaloland to capture even more predators. These camera traps will be very useful for our research as more and more ID data can be collected from the cameras. This can lead to further progress in our research goals and maybe open doors towards something new.
Rhino Horn Unlike most horns which are mostly bones within a thin envelope of keratin, a Rhino’s horn is pure keratin – the same substance as our finger nails. Despite persistent myths, ingesting horn powder has the same restorative properties as chewing on split ends - none. But that hasn't stopped poachers from targeting rhinos for their horns, seen as a status symbol in places like Asia.
The
All animals on our planet, from arthropods to amphibians, fish to birds, herbivores to carnivores, defecate. Surprisingly though, is the fact that we never actually see most of the dung! So, what happens to it all? There is no better clean-up crew for the eradication of poop then the ever-efficient dung beetle.
These workaholics of the bush are able to bury over 250 times their own weight in dung in a single evening which equates to approximately 5.25kg per night per dung beetle. Even though they can be found working both day and night, in a variety of habitats, less than 1% of South Africa’s dung beetles are diurnal. Luckily however, a staggering 5,000 species of dung beetle call Southern Africa home which means the odds of seeing a dung beetle on game drive are quite high. More impressive yet, dung beetles are so numerous they can be found on almost every continent on earth other than the Poles. With so many dung beetles around, it should come as no surprise that some of our dung beetles are dung specific feeders favouring omnivore, herbivore, and even carnivore dung while others substitute their diet with fungi and plant debris. Here in South Africa, we play host to 4 major groups of dung beetles – the Telecropids (“the dung rollers”), the Endocropids (“the dung dwellers”), the Paracropids (“the tunnelers”) and the Kleptocropids (“the dung thieves”). In prime conditions, these beetles are credited with a 100% removal rate of dung piles within days. To put this into perspective, 1 Telecropid beetle can roll on average 60 dung balls/a season. Add to that an average life cycle of 1-3 years means a grand total of 180 dung balls per dung beetle!!!
The
However not all the dung is consumed. These famous “dung balls” are rolled for various reasons including a nuptial ball, a brood ball and a larder ball. It’s a competitive world out there, and both males and females will vie for the rights to their most valued resource – the dung. Males have the arduous task of rolling the perfect nuptial ball while warding off would-be thieves and enticing potential mates. Females however are not immune to battle, and must also out compete same sex opponents for the right to lay their egg within the male’s dung ball. Once an egg has been laid, the male aided by the female, will bury their brood ball which in turn will become the larder for the larvae. Depending on the species, a new beetle will emerge 7 to 28 days later equating to a both plentiful and beneficial species to the ecosystem. A new generation of Mother Nature’s most effective clean-up crew!
Check out our newest submissions for this month on: africanimpactphotography.com