CAN HYENA TAKE DOWN A FULL GROWN WILDEBEEST ?

First minute after arrival : hyena has grabbed the wildebeest`s back leg and hangs on to it.

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/1000, ISO 36 000

"Can a single hyena take down big prey like a wildebeest ?"
The question was asked from my photographer friend to our host and guide Big John Siololo just minutes before the drama exposed itself before our eyes : A medium or rather small sized spotted hyena had, of some reason, managed to grab a hold in one of the back legs of a full grown wildebeest ... and was hanging on to it. The answer to the question was given live to be watched from first row !

Not a very nice experience and my empathy with the wildebeest was strong ! However "empathy" is no winner in evolution, so it was a harsh reminder of simple rules of nature.

Note : The pictures were shot in the evening in almost "complete darkness". Check ISO figures !!

Maasai Mara Kenya, oct 2018. Thanks to John Siololo and Oltepesi Camp.

First minute after arrival: hyena fiercely holding on to the wildebeest`s back leg and tries to turn it over  

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/640, ISO 32000

First minute after arrival: hyena battling with the wildebeest to turn it over

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/1000, ISO 32 000

1 minute after arrival : For the first time the wildebeest is down and hyena immediately goes for the soft part (stomach). The hyena seemed to know what to do, I think it had done it before !!

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/640, ISO 25 600

1 minute after arrival : Wildebeest desperately tries to get back on feet

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/1000, ISO 32 000

1 minute after arrival : Wildebeest is still down and hyena determined tries to chew a hole in stomach skin on the wildebeest`s left side

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/640, ISO 28 800

3 minutes after arrival : Hyena continuously working to chew a hole in left side stomach
Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/ 3,2, 1/640, ISO 25 600

4 minutes after arrival : Wildebeest is back on feet, but hyena has now managed to open the stomach skin on the left side and the access to the softer parts is open.

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/640, ISO 51 200

4 minutes after arrival : Hyena tearing out soft parts
Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/640, ISO 40 000

5 minutes after arrival : Wildebeest tries to get away, but hyena hangs on to the open wound

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/1000, ISO 51 200

5 minutes after arrival : wildebeest is loose and attacks hyena for defence

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/640, ISO 36 000

5 minutes after arrival : Hyena goes for a wild attack to turn wildebeest back to the ground

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/640, ISO 40 000

6 minutes after arrival : Wildebeest is once again down and hyena now tries to chew a hole in stomach`s right side

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/3,2, 1/1640, ISO 36000

7 minutes after arrival : Wildebeest tries to get back on feet, but is once again forced to the ground. Wildebeest screaming !

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/800, ISO 72 000

7 minutes after arrival : Hyena forces the wildebeest to the ground. Right side of stomach is now open.

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/800, ISO 72 000

7 minutes after arrival : Battle still going on, but hyena seems to have gained control

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/800, ISO 64 000

13 minutes after arrival : Complete darkness and the drama is shot in the light of a flashlight. Wildebeest still alive, but intestines are hanging out.

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/160, ISO 36 000

15 minutes after arrival : The suffering of the wildebeest seems to have come to an end

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/160, ISO 25 600

MAASAI MARA APERITIF

The first glimpse of one of my wet dreams : the rare Serval Cat in the high savannah grass 

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/800, ISO 450

My main "African ambition" this year will be October as I will stay 2 full weeks in Oltepesi Camp in Maasai Mara, Kenya. This will be my third visit to Mara & Oltepesi in 12 months. The pictures in this post are from my second visit to the Mara : Aug / Sept. It was "only" a week ... serving like an appetiser for my upcoming longer stay.  However I'm especially happy with the serval cat.

Hope you like the pictures.

Cross my fingers for October !!!

Serval cat

D7, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/800, ISO 1400

Serval Cat

D 5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/800, ISO 1250

Serval Cat

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/64, ISO 250

A serval cat shot at almost complete darkness at incredible ISO 81 275 !! 

D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/320, ISO 81275

Topi Sunset

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1250, ISO 360

Topi sunset

D5, 400 2,8, f/2,8, 1/200, ISO 100

A magic moment .... !?

D5, 400 2,8, f/6,3, 1/1600, ISO 900 

Hippo !!

D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/800, ISO 640

Portrait of a young giraffe

D5, 600,4,0, f/5,6, 1/1250 ISO 2200 

The biggest African vulture : Lapped Faced Vulture

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/800, ISO 900

Nile Monitor Lizard can grow up to 2 m !!

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/1000, ISO 450 

A punch in the head !! ... zoom in !!

D5, 400 2,8, f/3,5, 1/1000, ISO 800

Boring life on the savannah ! Cheetah brothers ...

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1250, ISO 800

Male ostricht. Check blood pressure ??

D5, 600 4,0, f/5,0, 1/800, ISO 180

Dung beetle

D5, 400 2,8, f/5,6, 1/1000, ISO 1250

Seen this animal before ? Probably not. It was my first time to see an Ardwolf !

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/500, ISO 107 000 (!!!)

A short moment of magic light, and there was no compromise in the mud for my friend Arnfinn Johansen ! My respect !!

iPhone

Team picture : Sandip Gupta, Big John Siololo, Tom & Arnfinn Johansen

SHETLAND JUNE - JULY 2018

Diving gannet / havsule

Nikon D5, 14-24 2,8 / 14 mm, f/14,0, 1/1000, ISO 3200

I had been planning the underwater shooting for a full year ... and as the months went by my fantasies of the possible shots were getting a bit out of hand. Previous to this I had also seen a picture awarded in an int. photo competition that had inspired me a lot. My good and incredibly generous friend Arnfinn Johansen lent me his Aquatic underwater housing for Nikon D5, and in late June 2018 I dragged all the gear all the way to Shetland. I had never done underwater shooting before and accordingly I was unexperienced and had to gamble with the settings. I also knew I would only have one chance out there, once the camera is in the water there is no adjustment of settings in my solution. Through the "feeding frenzy" the gannets were diving "wild and close" ... and I shot 900 pictures down there.

The settings on my camera were obviously disturbed as I had pushed he camera into the housing, and the shock and horror over having shot 900 unsharp pictures was a "fist in the face". I could not believe I had committed such a massive f.... up !! A complete disaster !

However, some people at Shetland didn't`t like to listen to adult men crying .... and in spite of previous bookings, scedules, transportation logistics, accommodations etc .... I was given a second chance on my last day at Shetland. I changed the settings completely, went from 35 mm to 14 mm lens, from f/6,3 to f/16,0, from 1/800 to 1/1000 sec and from manuel fixed focus to autofocus with 72 focus points ..... and shot 1000 sharp pictures. Out of the 1000 pics 7 were OK.

A warm thank you to Brydon Thomasson of Shetland Nature, Phil Harris of Shetland Seabirds Tours, photographer Conrad Dickinson and of course Arnfinn Johansen.
Also thanks to Minna Lindroth, Markus Varesvuo and Ingebjørg Une Hagen.

Diving gannets / havsule

Nikon D5, 14-24 2,8 / 14 mm, f/14,0, 1/1000, ISO 3200

Diving gannets / havsule
Nikon D5, 14-24 2,8 / 14 mm, f/14,0, 1/1000, ISO 2000

Diving gannets / havsule
Nikon D5, 14-24 2,8 / 14 mm, f/14,0, 1/1000, ISO 2000

Like a torpedo ! Diving gannet / havsule
Nikon D5, 14-24 2,8 / 14 mm, f/14,0, 1/1000, ISO 3200

Diving gannet / havsule
Nikon D5, 14-24 2,8 / 14 mm, f/14,0, 1/1000, ISO 2000

Diving gannet / havsule
Nikon D5, 14-24 2,8 / 14 mm, f/14,0, 1/1000, ISO 2000

Gannet in flight ... overlooking the breaking waves on the marine rocks ...  deep down below

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 2200

Gannet in flight / havsule
Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/2500, ISO 1400

The idea was to shoot the white gannet towards a totally black background

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/1600, ISO 9000

Some of the limestone formations in the bird colonies north of Lerwick appear almost totally black. 

A great chance to shoot white bird towards a black background

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, F76,3, 1/2500, ISO 6400

If I`d been a fish looking up in those determined eyes .. I would have been terrified !

Gannet just before a dive

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/6,3, 1/2500, ISO 280

Gannet portrait / havsule

Nikon D5, 400 2,8, f/6,3, 1/3200, ISO 720

 Fulma / havhest

Merlin male / dvergfalk

Nikon D5, 600 4,0 + 1,4 conv. = 850 mm, f/6,3, 1/1600, ISO 560

Female merlin in flight / dvergfalk. 
Remember : the merlin is shy, fast and very small. Flight shots are difficult !

Nikon D5, 600 4,0 + 1,4 conv. = 850 mm, f/6,3, 1/1600, ISO 560

Puffin / lundefugl. Once again the idea was to shoot the flight towards dark background

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/3200, ISO 7200

Great skua / storjo. 

The idea was to shoot the bird`s head sticking up from the cotton grass meadow with blurry foreground & background

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/800, ISO 250 

Great skua / storjo 

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/5,6, 1/1250, ISO 720 

Great skua interaction / storjo 

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/1250, ISO 2800 

The great skua is a big bird and the main predator in the Shetland birdcolonies 

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/4,5, 1/2000, ISO 3600 

Black guillemots / teist. 

The idea was to make a simple, but strong composition with the black birds in a whiteout situation

Nikon d5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/2500, ISO 2000

Black guillemot / teist 

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 360

Black guillemot / teist 

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/2500, ISO 1800

Black guillemot / teist 

Nikon D5, 600 4,0, f/6,3, 1/1000, ISO 500

Goodbye from Shetland. Grey seal / havert

Nikon D5, 24-70 2,8, / 70 mm, f/8,0, 1/1000, ISO 2800