Slide Show from Masai Mara Oct 2005
 

This better work lol.I'm doing mostly Video these days.
Thx, David
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=6x8xx9

Incredible slide show David! Hopefully someday I'll visit there, too!!!

Great photos (and yes, the slide show worked fine).

You sure were spoiled for cheetahs, weren't you? I also really liked the giraffes, the vulture in flight, the mama and baby zebra...too many to name. But I really appreciate seeing the tent, the "kitchen" and your buddies!

Thanks so much.

why were the cheetahs on the cars?????

Because cheetah's do not hunt as other cats - rather at an all-out speed chase at 50+mph to catch their pray, then suffocating them (their mouths aren't as wide as other cats). Whereas, lions and leopards hunt on the ground sneaking up on their next meal, cheetahs prefer to have a good view of the plains in front, back and sides of them. The best place for them to do this is from a high spot. In the Mara specifically, there aren't many high areas - kopjes (in the Serengeti) or termite mounds (lots in Amboseli and Samburu). So they choose the vehicles, which they're learned will not hurt them. Even that the humans don't mean them harm. From this high place they can focus on the area at 360-degrees until they locate what they want.

We too were surprised on our trip in June to come across (the same cheetah) during two late afternoon game drives. On the first sighting, she had been on another vehicle, then moved to ours and took our breath away. There she remained for a good 45-minutes, looking right through us - food was on her mind. Then the following afternoon, she was on another vehicle.

You can find "our cheetah" among our photos on below link. A big album, so she's somewhere half-way though, if you want to see. We even enjoyed our "sundowners" with her.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...p;sort_order=0

Hi David, great photos. Looks like in one the guy with the big grin must've just pulled on the cheetah's tail! What camp is that by the way? Thanx, Jack

Sandi, I tried to look at your photos but all I got was a message that said album not found. Jack :(

Great photos - thanks for posting. Loved the wildlife - the cheetah - and human shots.
Sherry

Sherry, I think you asked about using the FZ30. I have an FZ5 and it's essentially the same camera but with a few less mps. As you know the higher power zoom you use the more shake you get, and with a total zoom of 48X (12 optical and 4 digital zoom) you can get a lot of shake! So, it took me awhile but I finally learned that you can get much clearer photos if you zoom in on the object, then press the shutter button half way, which essentially sets the focus at that distance. Then, when you take that photo, the focus is pre-set and you'll get a clearer photo, but not only for that photo, but for any subsequent photos taken at approximately the same distance. It really makes a big difference when you're using the zoom at full power. I love my FZ5 and I bet you're loving your FZ30! :)

jack, yes that driver did touch her tail. i have that on video also. we know that driver. i always stay at the:
TALEK RIVER CAMP PUBLIC CAMP SITE. just before the TALEK GATE, you take a right. it is about 100yards in or so. that part of the river has no crocs or hippos in it. during the night, you hear hyena, lions, zebras ect. we have some baboons & vervits at camp. now there is a clan of banded mongoose. wish i had taken a pic of them. they came to visit my cook every morn around 10.
leely, i guess i was spoiled haha. i haven't seen many of these beauties.
oh my old land rover. refused to get stuck!
see ya david

Daudi, I loved the cheetahs, the vultures, the giraffes, your cook, everything else and especially the TOPIS.

BUT, you should have sent ME the slideshow before posting it on Fodor’s! :-@

oops :(

Dave, I emailed that photo to my son. We're going back in June and he'd love to get close enough to a cheetah to tug on its tail! :D

hi again, jack-i was there even this past june.
where are you staying while there?
where have you stayed before?
d

We're staying at Gibbs Farm for a night, then Ikoma and Olakira for a couple of nights each. Our family stayed primarily in Serena lodges last June in Kenya and Tanzania (Mara Serena, Ngorongoro Serena, Serengeti Serena, etc - all very nice), but my son Chris (who's graduating from Texas Tech in May) and I wanted to stay in tents this time so we could be closer to the call of nature. :) We didn't see much of the migration last time, so that's a biggy. And we'll be doing some night game drives for the first time and are looking forward to that. Jack

hi again,i don't know those places you mention (for next june). night drives are pretty cool. unless your going in late june into july. i believe you won't be catching the migration. but, you may get lucky. maybe some time try tsavo east. at ndololo camp site. inside the park from voi gate. no fences or masai camp sitters. you will have visitors! if not see them, you will hear them.
d

We're going the last week of June so maybe we'll get lucky. From everything I've read, trying to predict where the migration will be is about as accurate as trying to predict the weather. :)

Thanks for sharing your pics! Loved all the cheetah on vehicle ones.

Great pictures of the animals at the waterhole. What a vulture shot! I loved the running giraffes and the cheetah on the vehicle was wonderful. Lovely ending with a rainbow. Hopefully not too much rain.

hi lynn, yes we had a lot of rain again. weather is getting strange over there.
rained pretty much between: 4pm and 6am. either on and off or the whole time.
midday hrs, sunny & hot.
thats twice now i had a rainbow over my camp.
thx, d