Sir David Attenborough- My Connection
Sir David Attenborough’s Wild Life documentaries are next to real, and you keep wondering how they were shot. Isn’t that a work of patience, waiting and watching, and sheer perseverance? Watching these is a sheer joy.
I got to do something close to the above: the game drives on the Kenyan safari at MASAI MARA. Of the many travelers who do the game drives, those with wait-and-watch, spice embedded in them are a rarity.
MASAI MARA – Dream Destination
We usually go on game drives with the pre-notion of seeing lovely creatures now and then and wish to see as many as possible during our short, squeezed visit. We often forget that they are not in a hurry and are on their home ground.
It’s we who need to be patient, but rarely showcase this … especially the ones who are non-photographers or not animal lovers.
We usually look forward to doing the Famous Five or distinguished species to make it a boasting point. Once the checkboxes to show off are ticked, we are often done with the destination.
Gerard – Our guide -A game drive without is incomplete
But my trip to Kenya with a superb guide, Gerard, taught me otherwise. With every gram drive, we ticked a lot of checkboxes. With camera clicks unstoppable, I wondered when we saw the wonderful creations with the naked eye and stored those in the big elephant brain to keep retracting them for a wide smile.
Every game drive had loads of travelers, each one trying to be closer than the other to them, but my guide had some very intuitive and observant skills from which we benefitted every time.
The Credit goes to……Gerard @ Masai Mara
Elephants:
The baby elephant wandered away from the herd. This cute baby strayed and walked elegantly. Posed till the tourists were satiated and they moved on for the next sighting, Gerard urged us to wait for some more time.
He said just stay put. The baby would now sense that it’s strayed away from the herd and start searching. Our wait led us to witness this endearing moment of the baby elephant meeting its mom, cuddling and leaking, and the emotional play between them. We couldn’t move, getting caught in the moment.
Masai Mara –Rendezvous with the Godly creatures
Lioness on the mound:
On one of our game drives, we had a lioness playing with her cubs. Flanked on a mound we shouldn’t have gone near for a close look, but the tourists breaking all the park norms circled her until the park Ranger intervened.
We too asked Gerrad to do the same, which he denied making us a bit upset. Voicing our unhappiness to Gerrad, he gave us a look that said …hold on you will get your chance to be there.
One more hour into the game drive and we are delivered face to face to a pride of lions…8 Cubs and 2 lions …nestled together soaking in the warm afternoon glow lazed …with no other vehicle or tourists around we were caged and the lions were at ease … time flew as we watched them in absolute silence, mesmerized the only sound around were they and us breathing…
They moved in the shade time and again finding the sun too hot and we clicked their every move …watched, admired, stored, and thanked them for teaching us the wonderful lessons of patience bearing fruits.
The Famous crossing over the river
The smile on Gerard’s face said it all …as the earth had a vibration underneath. No, it’s not an earthquake but the wilder beast and the Zebras are on the move. All running in a pattern towards the Mara River…a cloud of dust erupts on the horizon …it’s that time when tourists have waited to see them cross the famous river.
As the animals descend the banks lined with tourist vehicles as far as you can see, the humans and animals are on the edge, either on the mound or on the seat to watch the famous migration.
The number of wilder beasts, zebras, and Cape buffalo is uncountable…it’s a question of who would take the first step though it’s almost an everyday affair.
The famous Mara River is Calm, yet with the predators on the prowl. You see them swimming keeping a close watch on their catch and as said it’s mere patience and nail-biting moments to see the first lot step into the waters and make a run for the crossover.
The splash of water, the thuds of feet, the stamping on each other, and the crocodile making a move all in synchrony. It’s a moment to capture, to savor, and to remember for a lifetime. You hear the cameras constantly clicking, and l watch nature’s play unfold.
The wait has paid off…most cross over and one is caught by a crocodile he too is savoring the catch showcasing his famous death roll ..which l have missed through my naked eyes as theirs too much happening.
The walk of the Secretariat:
With the grass just tall enough, and golden watching bird species is an absolute delight … sometimes perched on a tall tree, at times on the ground parading through the grass.
The first sight of the Secretariat bird surged excitement through us ..but as it was on a ramp walk we followed watching the rhythmic walk …and a call … that’s what Gerrad asked us to hear …he said it’s a call for her mate ..and we followed.
Gerard manoeuvring the vehicle often switching off the engine to not distract. The beautiful Secretariats in two distinct colors male and female finally after a patient following of almost a kilometer gave some beautiful moments.
The elegant Ramp walk
The calls were to be decoded and you could understand what the conversation going on, so when in the jungles, in their territory it is very important to listen, observe, and maintain silence as the slightest ruffles, chirps, and movements can be extremely fruitful.
A Fling between the Somalian Ostrich and the Leopard
From the arid landscape, we enter into a groove sensing a movement and before we can reach the spot, we see a leopard cub being chased by a tall, pink-legged muscular ostrich with a crown of black feathers on its back chasing away a leopard cub.
we are in for a Surprise. This is a first for us in terms of power. Leopard is always known for its power and we were watching the Ostrich for the first time. This muscular animal is strong yet light on its feet.
The chase is so fast that to capture the moments Gerard had to put all his skills to use to follow the animals…. but maneuvering the vehicle to catch some astounding moments we had to hold our breath and follow his instructions.
Looking for the one who gave him a run for the prey
My Guides giveaways are for me as a tourist.
# Respect the jungle. It’s their territory.
# Follow the rules strictly…your guide knows it all
# Patience is the Key ..so do not be in a hurry to hop in and hop off
# Listen and the Sounds tell you something
#Ovserve – It’s more to understand and see.
# Read the surroundings and sync in
# Guides are a treasure trove, giving you valuable information about the Flora and Fauna.
# They are amazing photographers …
Kenya was a closer sneak peek into what Sir David Attenborough’s Documentaries brought us. Today, l stand with a much-heightened appreciation for what it takes to spot, shoot, film, and present such an extravaganza of the universe.
So with a lot of Gratitude to Gerard for giving us such lovely Takeaways and sir Attenborough for falling in love with the amazing wildlife adventure and embarking on my next journey
Delight to the eyes: Somalian Ostrich
