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Lens-Artists Challenge #342 – It’s a Wild Life!

Crocodiles fighting over a wildebeest kill.

Kruger National Park, South Africa.

This week, Egidio challenges us to share images of our wild side. He writes, “So, I am curious about what you consider wild. Is it a place, a person, wildlife, wildflowers, or something else? I would love to see your wild side.” You can read his entire challenge post here.

I’ve been waiting for one of the team to pick a wildlife challenge so I could share some images from our trip to Kruger National Park in South Africa. Africa is home to some of the world’s most spectacular wildlife parks, offering incredible opportunities to witness iconic animals. It was challenging to share only eight images, but I met Egidio’s challenge limit. My opening photo features a battle between two crocodiles as one tries to steal the kill of another. The interloper wasn’t successful.

Skukuza Golf Club 6
Skukuza Golf Club.

Kruger even features a golf club for golfers who prefer a challenging nine-hole course. The course isn’t overly demanding, but it offers a truly “wild” golfing experience, as it is unfenced, allowing for potential wildlife encounters. Golfers must sign an indemnity waiver acknowledging the risks of golfing in the “wild.”

Young elephant
Young elephant enjoying a leafy snack.

We saw many elephants in the park, but this young one smiled as she enjoyed her snack, utterly oblivious of the people taking photos.

Southern Ground Hornbill
Southern Ground Hornbill.

At one point, we followed a couple of hornbills walking along the savanna, probing the ground for little morsels of food with their long, curved beaks. When an insect was discovered, the bird would toss and catch it, swallowing it smoothly. With the camera set to high-speed shutter release, it was easy to press and hold the shutter as the bird’s bill came up and release after the swallow. With three or four photos per shutter press, I captured a few pictures of bugs in the air.

Kruger Park traffic jam
Traffic jam at a predator sighting.

At times, the park’s traffic jams were wild. Tour drivers and others spread the word when a leopard or lion is on the hunt, attracting many people who hope to get in on the action. In this case, a small pride of lions was sighted stalking a herd of impalas walking along the road.

Impala on the run
Impalas on the run.

In a different incident, a small herd of impala was grazing contentedly when one impala sounded the alarm. The herd decided to head to safety. The impala facing the herd turned and joined the group seconds after I took this photo.

Lilac breasted roller
Lilac-breasted roller.

We saw many of these colorful birds in the savanna. The lilac-breasted roller is an easily recognizable bird in sub-Saharan Africa. It is known for its vibrant plumage, which includes a lilac breast, green head, turquoise throat, and blue wings.

Elephant at sunset
Blue hour on the savanna.

As we returned to camp for the evening, we saw an elephant in the waning light. With this concluding image, the eighth image in this series, I hope you enjoyed this small collection of wildlife in Kruger National Park. I’ve shared these images in 2K HD on my Flickr site here.

Last week, Tina hosted the challenge asking us to share our personal all-time favorites. Next week, it’s Ann-Christine’s turn to host. Her challenge will be posted on Saturday at noon Eastern time in the U.S. Follow her here to be sure you don’t miss her challenge post. If you’d like to share your challenge responses but aren’t sure how to get started, check here.

John Steiner

49 comments

  1. I’m glad you got your wish John, these wildlife images are amazing. Not sure I would like to play golf where the local wildlife could view you are lunch.

    Reply

    • This was the worst of our traffic jams, but most of them involved a few courteous folks who gave way to to others who hadn’t yet seen the target that attracted attention, and those who made it possible for others to pass by unimpeded.

      Reply

  3. Fabulous collection John. Golfing in the wild amuses. Do you get to replay your shot of an animal steals your ball? The traffic jam is crazy

    Reply

  5. John, what a wild and amazing adventure you had! Your wildlife captures are terrific. The baby elephant and the bird with the insect in the air are my favorites. I was surprised to see a traffic jam.

    Reply

  6. Can’t get any wilder than this, specially those fighting crocs.
    The golf would also be a novelty, imagine signing a waiver.
    Great response to the challenge!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Nes! Golf in the wild wouldn’t be for me. 🙂 We were very careful when we stepped out of the safari vehicle on rare occasions, and always under the watchful eye of the driver.

      Reply

  12. So glad you had an opportunity to share your Africa adventures John. It really is a life-changing experience seeing these beautiful creatures in their own world. Terrific response.

    Reply

  15. Thanks for sharing a part of the world that I could never be able to visit.

    I love the last image of the blue hour on the savanna in particular.

    Reply

  16. I’m glad you found a reason to share these John 🙂 I love the young elephant, and the lilac-breasted roller is a favourite bird of mine! The hornbill is an excellently timed shot (even with the help of a high-speed burst) and the blue hour shot beautiful – the letterbox crop works so well on that one.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Sarah! On our first days of the safari, I struggled to get good photos. By the fourth day, the professional photographer accompanying us noticed my improvement, and it was through my actions, not necessarily by reviewing the photos. 🙂
      I’d love to go back to Kruger again.

      Reply

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