Category Archives: Àfrica

New gallery: Kenya

Jul
29
2020
by Esther Inglada | 0 Comments

In 2018 I visited Kenya and came back with a lot of photographs, too many… so many that it was a bit of a muntain to review them. So they were put on one side for many months. It was practically not until the end of 2019 that I started to review them.

There have been a few months of work in which I have deleted those that had no quality enough or those that I did not like and I also have identified all the photographed species. I have also rewrite the list of sighted species (the one I do during the trip) and I have added some photographed species that were not in the list. Sometimes the pace of the safari is so hectic that it is difficult to write it all down.

In the end, the list includes more than 40 mammals, 5 reptiles and around 200 species of birds that we identified.

Our travel started visiting Amboseli National Park, where it is possible to see large groups of elephants.

Then, we continued towards Masai Mara, where it is possible to see the great migration of the wildebeests, but we were not lucky, since they had already migrated and only a small group remained. They made a small attempt, but backed out. Of course, we could see a pair of lions mating and several cheetahs, among others.

After that, we visited a few lakes: Naivasha, Baringo and Bogoria, with a very different fauna: flamingos and other birds linked to this type of biotope.

In Samburu we were able to see a few specimens of the White Rhinoceros. And the guide told us that one that we saw further away was a Black Rhino … but he was in an area with very high grass and only a part of his back was visible … so I can’t confirm it, since I couldn’t see its head.

And at end of our tour, we spent a few days in Samburu and Buffalo Springs, where we could see several leopards, Grevi’s zebras, Oryx … and a lot more animals, as the Gerenuk below.

I hope you like the selection that I have prepared … there are many more, but these are the most representative.

See you in the next gallery!

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Galleries, Kenia

New gallery: Uganda

Oct
09
2017
by Esther Inglada | 2 Comments

Now you can visit the Uganda Photo Gallery, with photos of the different especies we saw, some of them in danger, like the White Rhyno, some other endemic ones, like the Red-throated Bee-eater (Merops bulocki), The Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata) and the White and black casqued Hornbill (Bycanistes brevis), and not to forget about the Mountain Gorillas and the Chimps.

In Uganda you can see more than 1.000 bird especies. We saw around 350, but unfortunately it was not possible to take photos to all of them, only a small number of them, as the distance and the light conditions of the leafy places prevented us from doing so.

Our itinerary included the following places:

  • Mabamba Swamp, near Entebbe, the capital, where we saw the Shoebill, a huge rare bird which lives at this swamp.

  • Mburo lake
  • Bwindi NP. On the day we arrived, we did a walk thru the rainforest to see some birds, being the Great Blue Turaco among them. On the following day we did a Gorilla traking. We were lucky on one hand, as they were not far away, but unlucky on the other, as the hour we were allowed to stay with them was not so productive as they moved a lot thru the rainforest and we had to spend so much time following them thru an inclined and difficult area.

  • Queen Elizabeth NP – the only place were we saw some lions. We also saw some endemics there: the “African Wattled Lapwing” and the “Papyrus Gonolek”, the last was so hidden among the papyrus plants, its natural habitat.

  • Kibale NP. Where we did the Chimps tracking. Chimps were most of the time at the top of the trees, moving all the time, but at the begining a couple of them came to the ground and we were able to take some nice pictures. There are different groups of people tracking for the chimps which look for them in different areas, however, when one of the groups founds the Chimps family, the guide informs his/her colleagues about it and all the groups join. There could be more than 50 people for a single chimps group, which is unpleasant for both parties.

  • Kibale Swamp, round trail around a swamp, quite productive in terms of bird especies sight and also some monkey sights: Red Tailed Monkey, Red Colobus Monkey…
  • Murchison Falls NP: where we did a boat trip to the falls and back, and were we were able to see a lot of bird especies such as “Giant Kingfisher” and the “Pel’s Fishing Owl” as the more especial ones. We also saw a big number of mammals at the rest of the park: elephants, oribis, hippos, waterbuck and the “Patas Monkey”, among others.

  • Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary: a reserve where they breed and proctect white rhinos with the aim of reintroducing them back into the wild at some Natural Parks of Uganda in some years. This is a long-term project. They currently have 19 of them and we were able to see a female (Nandi) and a 1 year-old cub (Sonic). Being so close of these animals which are in extremely high risk of extinction was a very special experience for me.

I wish you like the photos that I have selected to create this gallery.

I’m looking forward to the next travel…

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Galleries, Uganda Tagged , , , , , , , |

New Gallery: Ethiopia

Apr
07
2015
by Esther Inglada | 0 Comments

You can now visit the Ethiopia Gallery, where you’ll find species as emblematic as the Ethiopian Wolf, which I already wrote a post of it, or the Gelada Baboon, both endemic of this country.

We visited the following places during our travel:

  • Awash NP, where we found a big number of birds. I would like to highlight the Beisa Oryx among the mammals.

EI20140908-5497_EI

  • Bale Mountains NP, where we visited three areas: Gasay, Saneti Plateau and Harena Forest where we were able to see the Mountain Nyala, the Ethiopian Wolf and the Bale Monkey, respectively.

EI20140911-6287_EI

  • Wondo Genet, a good place to see birds. White-cheeked Turaco and Silvery-cheeked Hornbill were the most spectacular among them.
  • Abiyata-Shala NP, where there are different Hornbill species.
  • Bishangari Lodge. Difficult access, close to Langano Lake, it’s surrounded by life and nature. A Fish Eagle is around there, but unfortunately we were not able to take a picture of it.
  • Lake Zeway. There is a fishermen harbor, and there are lots of Pelican, Marabou Stork and other water birds. Lake Koka, near there, is also full of water birds.

EI20140916-9091_EI

  • Debre Libanos. On the way to the monastery there is a group of Gelada Baboons. It was so difficult to get close because people (adults and children) throw stones to them so the Geladas are so distrustful.
  • Lake Tana. There are some isles with temples, but it is not allowed for the women to access them, so we visited an orthodox church at the other side of the lake. The paints are impressive. See this Saint George with his dragon…

EI20140919-9685

  • Gondar. We visited a church and the castle.
  • Simien Mountains, the last spot of our itinerary, where we saw the Gelada Baboons, which are bigger and furrier than the ones at Debre Libanos, and much more trusting than them; as it is a Natural Park, nobody disturbs them. Other species to highlight are the Lammergeier and the Capra Ibex.

EI20140921-0134_EI

The travel took place during September, the end of the rainy season. This is the reason why we mainly found an intense green landscape, so different from the image I had from Ethiopia.

I wish that the photos show the biodiversity of the country, and that you like them.

 

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Etiòpia Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Ethiopia… Comming soon!!!

Mar
31
2015
by Esther Inglada | 0 Comments

Dear all,

As some of you already know, last september I travelled to Ethiopia.

Due to several reasons (professional, personal and technical ones) the gallery with the photos is still on the way… but it will come soon, so soon… in fact, I already did the photo selection and I am preparing them to be uploaded to the website soon.

tic, tac, tic, tac…

In the meantime, enjoy this small present: a Gelada Baboon from the Simien Mountains!!!

… see you soon!!!

 

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Etiòpia Tagged , , , , |

Endangered Species: Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis)

Jan
13
2015
by Esther Inglada | 2 Comments

The Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) is the only wolf species to be found in Africa. Endemic to the Ethiopian mountains between 3200 and 4500 metres above see level it is the most threatened canid in the world.

EI20140913-7331

Despite of the fact that it is closer to the grey wolf, it is more similar to a coyote in shape and size and has long legs and elongated muzzle. The Ethiopian Wolf has a reddish coat, distinctive white markings throughout the body and black markings on the tail. Males are 20% larger than females.

EI20140912-6705

They live in groups between 3 and 13 adults, but they tend to forage alone. Their diet is mainly based on the giant mole-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) and other species of grass rats.

EI20140912-6960

At present, the largest population (about 50% of the total) is found in the Bale Mountains National Park, where they locate in two areas: Web Valley and Sanetti Plateau.

The Ethiopian Wolf is listed as “Endangered” by the IUCN Red List:

Endangerered

Natural causes of mortality include predation of young by spotted hyenas or raptors, starvation in juveniles, pathogens and parasites such as rabies, and human causes.

Population decline is a result of many factors: continuous loss of habitat due to agriculture, traffic incidents and shootings, hybridization with domestic dogs, and disease.

EI20140912-6938

Conservation efforts include vaccination of both domestic dogs and wild wolves from rabies, sterilization of domestic dogs and hybrids and education about the Ethiopian wolwes, among others.

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Endangered Species, Etiòpia Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |

Endangered Species: The Bale Mountains Monkey (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis)

Dec
17
2014
by Esther Inglada | 0 Comments

The Bale Mountains Monkey (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis), discovered in 1902, is one of Africa’s least known primates. As other vervet species, they are sexually dimorphic, being the males slightly larger than the females and having brightly coloured genitals.

EI20140913-7690

They are diurnal and spend most of their time feeding. Their diet is mainly based on African montane or highland bamboo (Arundinaria alpina) on the wet season (77% of their diet), they also eat some fruits on the dry season. Flowers and insects are included in their diet.

Endemic to the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia, appear to almost exclusively inhabit bamboo forests, being found at high elevations of up to 3,000 meters.

The Bale Mountains Monkey is listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List, and is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

vulnerable 2

The Bale Mountains Monkey is most threatened by habitat loss: ever increasing human populations in Ethiopia, conversión of land for agriculture, forest fires and logging are all reducing the available bamboo forests on which they depend.

The future survival of the Bale Mountains vervet depends on effective management and conservation of the bamboo forests in which it occurs.

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Endangered Species, Etiòpia Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Endangered Species: Greater Bamboo Lemur (Prolemur simus)

Apr
04
2014
by Esther Inglada | 0 Comments

The Greater Bamboo Lemur (Prolemur simus) is the largest of the 3 bamboo lemurs.

EI20130912_MG_2655

Their diet is mainly based on the giant bamboo (Cathariostachys madagascariensis). A small portion of their diet (5%) comprises other bamboo species, fruits and other foods (soil and mushrooms).

Endemic to Madagascar, nowadays this species is restricted to areas in and around Ranomafana National Park.

EI20130912_MG_2690

The destruction of the habitat is the major threat to the survival of the greater bamboo lemur. It includes both the destruction of its rainforests for slash-and-burn agriculture as well as the intensive cutting of bamboo. It is also hunted with slingshots in some areas.

It is classified as “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN list 2002 and is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Critically Endangered

It was also included in the list of the World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates (on 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010) published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group (IUCN/SSC PSG), the International Primatological Society (IPS), and Conservation International (CI), and it has an estimated population of between 100-160 individuals.

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Endangered Species, Madagascar Tagged , , |

New Gallery: Madagascar

Jan
05
2014
by Esther Inglada | 2 Comments

It took me longer of what I thought, but finally I finished the Madagascar photo selection, so you can have a look at them at the new Gallery.

Mainly, you’ll find a small part of the big biodiversity we were able to see and photograph, and few landscape photos, like this one, from Avenue des Baobabs:

Avenue des Baobabs

The travel was amazing and I would like to come back before what they still have dissapears. I leave the contact for our guide: Olivier, at the Links section, in case you want to travel there.

Do not forget to leave your comments, they are welcome.

See you soon!

Esther

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Galleries, Madagascar

Madagascar… Soon!

Nov
03
2013
by Esther Inglada | 0 Comments

Last September I spent 3 weeks in Madagascar, the biggest island of Africa and the fourth in size of the world (being a bit bigger than France).

We visited different natural parks of the center of the island with the goal of enjoying the small pieces of nature that remain untouched, as the country is suffering a huge deforestation.

Madagascar’s deforestation is due to three activities: the slash-and-burn agriculture (to convert the tropical rainforest into rice fields), fires for land-clearing and partureland and wood & carbon production for cooking.

Every year, a third of Madagascar burns. We noticed that as everyday we saw smoke at the horizon or passed by one or more areas recently burned. What it used to be a green isle it is now a red isle (due to the color of its land).

Habitat destruction implies that main of the unique species from Madagascar (+75% are endemic, meaning they cannot be found anywhere else) are in the frontline of extinction. That is the main reason why I feel so lucky of seeing some of them, and in some cases also feing able to take a picture of them.

Indri

The Madagascar gallery will show you some of the fauna, flora and landscapes we found along our route… and I hope I am able to show it to you quite soon!!!

Also posted in [:ca]Notícies[:es]Noticias[:en]News[:], Madagascar Tagged , , , |

History of a photo: “Pretty Little Cat”

Apr
29
2013
by Esther Inglada | 0 Comments

This shot corresponds to one of those unforgettable moments that I had in Tanzania in September 2008.

After a long day visiting the south of the Serengeti (Seronera) and when we were already looking our clocks, thinking we soon would turn around to go to the Lodge, we saw something moving among the dried grass, far away, close to the road. Lawrance, our guide, said it was a Cheetah and Eli (our driver) headed for there, with no doubt. He stopped the car beside the place we supposed we had seen the animal and we started looking skeptically around the place he pointed to… nothing!

Some seconds after we continued seeing nothing… It’s here, here, at few meters from us!!!!… But no way… we weren’t able to see it.

Lawrance opened the 4W door and stand up (without getting of the car) and pointed with his arm… We continued seeing nothing; only lots of golden grass… we started doubting that was the place…

Suddenly, an enormous leopard head appeared among the mess… Wow! I mean Meaw!

400 mm, f9.0, 1/10, ISO 200, AV, autofocus, bean bag, flash and teleflash.

Lawrance sit with one jump and closed the door at once… it was not a Cheetah it was a Leopard!!! And as he repeated several times: “the leopard is bad… it hunts by the pleasure of hunting… other animals hunt to eat, but the leopard doesn’t… the leopard hunts because it loves hunting.”

It fascinated me! What appearance and elegance air! And it was there, at few meters from us… Unbelievable!!!

The following minutes were quite intense, and we all had an huge adrenalin rising!!!

And, when it turned and look us… wow!!!

I was unable to think, I shoot by inertia and… Gosh! Goosebumps on my skin each time I think about it!

The think is that, at that time, I was conscious that I was shoting with a low ISO, but I did not dare to change it for a higher one because of the “noise”… and I relied on the use of the flash to get enough speed, but I was not sure… anyway, I did not care… in front of me, at few meters, I had a “pretty little cat”, and that was the important thing.

Today, I know I should have risen the ISO to shot faster and obtain a better quality, but… it’s too late to repeat it… I wish the photo does justice to this wonderful cat.

Also posted in [:ca]Tanzània[:es]Tanzania[:en]Tanzania[:], Photo History, Making off Tagged , , |