Trip Report: Kenya August 2011
Sep 19th, 2011, 05:25 AM
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Trip Report: Kenya August 2011
Kenya Trip Report - Monday August 15th to Wednesday August 31st
Wow, what a trip! We spent time in Nairobi, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, and the Masai Mara. Our tour was tailored for photography so we did a few things to enhance photography.
1.We drove between locations since we had a ton of gear (my telephoto lens alone weighs 10 lbs and my camera bag weighed over 40 lbs) so nice not having to worry about how to get the gear on a plane.
2.We used land cruisers with the 3 hatches on the roof so no pop-up roofs or open vehicles – this worked best for us. Usually for photo tours you have no more than 3 people per vehicle so you have one person per row to have an unobstructed view left or right out of the vehicle, we actually went with 2 people per vehicle to allow for extra space and the extra space was useful a few times.
Our safari company provided several bean bags per person so we didn’t have to bring them, but for my large telephoto lens (Canon 800mm) the bean bags were a little cumbersome so I used a Todd Pod (http://www.gustafsonphotosafari.net/?page_id=43) which is a metal T that can support a Wimberley mount. This mount would not work in a pop-up roof or open vehicle. My 800mm on the todd pod & Wimberley was a little tall (I am 5’6”) so I stood on one of the bean bags most of the time while shooting. I watched a few folks try to balance large telephotos on tripods in vehicles or on some cumbersome clamps and it just didn’t look like fun.
3. A word on gear - I like tight portraits and birds so the 800mm worked for me (over 70% of my pictures). It is a long lens and sometimes too long so I would switch to a medium zoom or put a teleconverter on and go closer. You don't need a big telephoto lens for many of the shots the most important thing is to take what you are comfortable using. It seems that a lot of people get worked up on what gear to take and just remember you will most likely come back with pictures you like regardless. That being said the 800mm is a beast (I only saw one other on the trip, but a fair amount of 500mm & 600mm) and it did attract some attention when we were out. A little odd that some folks out there are going through their vacation pictures and they have a shot of me and my lens as part of their vacation pictures.
4. Since we were driving we had the same drivers for the whole trip and my driver, Peter, was a rock star. Seriously, his wife used to work at Sheldrick so the keepers knew him and he used to work with an anti-snare team in the Mara Triangle so it seemed like everyone knew him everywhere we went. Peter was awesome and by spending the whole time with us we developed a great rhythm and he really honed in to our likes and dislikes. Because I had the 800mm and Peter has a degree in ornithology we ended up doing a lot more birds than I had expected, but it worked and we went with it. The group was 7 plus 3 drivers and we had all our meals with our drivers since they were part of the family. Behind the scenes I asked Peter if the drivers liked eating with us or if they preferred having some down time and he said they like eating with us.
5. Except on transit days we always got a boxed breakfast so we could maximize time out of camp looking for photo opportunities and usually returned to camp around 11:30/12:00. My buddy and I saw 3 cheetah kills and if we had gone back to camp for breakfast it would have been 0 cheetah kills. We were usually out of camp by 6:15 am.
6. I am paranoid about losing pictures so I took the laptop with a tb hard drive and downloaded to it after each drive. I also used a psd (personal storage device) with a tb drive so if something happened to the laptop I could still back up to the device and then I also kept a copy on a portable hard drive. I always had the psd with me (usually in a pocket), and the hard drive in the camera bag so even if my laptop disappeared I could back-up. I take too many pictures to not reuse compact flash cards like some do, but while my system is heavy it works and I have redundancy.
Wow, what a trip! We spent time in Nairobi, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, and the Masai Mara. Our tour was tailored for photography so we did a few things to enhance photography.
1.We drove between locations since we had a ton of gear (my telephoto lens alone weighs 10 lbs and my camera bag weighed over 40 lbs) so nice not having to worry about how to get the gear on a plane.
2.We used land cruisers with the 3 hatches on the roof so no pop-up roofs or open vehicles – this worked best for us. Usually for photo tours you have no more than 3 people per vehicle so you have one person per row to have an unobstructed view left or right out of the vehicle, we actually went with 2 people per vehicle to allow for extra space and the extra space was useful a few times.
Our safari company provided several bean bags per person so we didn’t have to bring them, but for my large telephoto lens (Canon 800mm) the bean bags were a little cumbersome so I used a Todd Pod (http://www.gustafsonphotosafari.net/?page_id=43) which is a metal T that can support a Wimberley mount. This mount would not work in a pop-up roof or open vehicle. My 800mm on the todd pod & Wimberley was a little tall (I am 5’6”) so I stood on one of the bean bags most of the time while shooting. I watched a few folks try to balance large telephotos on tripods in vehicles or on some cumbersome clamps and it just didn’t look like fun.
3. A word on gear - I like tight portraits and birds so the 800mm worked for me (over 70% of my pictures). It is a long lens and sometimes too long so I would switch to a medium zoom or put a teleconverter on and go closer. You don't need a big telephoto lens for many of the shots the most important thing is to take what you are comfortable using. It seems that a lot of people get worked up on what gear to take and just remember you will most likely come back with pictures you like regardless. That being said the 800mm is a beast (I only saw one other on the trip, but a fair amount of 500mm & 600mm) and it did attract some attention when we were out. A little odd that some folks out there are going through their vacation pictures and they have a shot of me and my lens as part of their vacation pictures.
4. Since we were driving we had the same drivers for the whole trip and my driver, Peter, was a rock star. Seriously, his wife used to work at Sheldrick so the keepers knew him and he used to work with an anti-snare team in the Mara Triangle so it seemed like everyone knew him everywhere we went. Peter was awesome and by spending the whole time with us we developed a great rhythm and he really honed in to our likes and dislikes. Because I had the 800mm and Peter has a degree in ornithology we ended up doing a lot more birds than I had expected, but it worked and we went with it. The group was 7 plus 3 drivers and we had all our meals with our drivers since they were part of the family. Behind the scenes I asked Peter if the drivers liked eating with us or if they preferred having some down time and he said they like eating with us.
5. Except on transit days we always got a boxed breakfast so we could maximize time out of camp looking for photo opportunities and usually returned to camp around 11:30/12:00. My buddy and I saw 3 cheetah kills and if we had gone back to camp for breakfast it would have been 0 cheetah kills. We were usually out of camp by 6:15 am.
6. I am paranoid about losing pictures so I took the laptop with a tb hard drive and downloaded to it after each drive. I also used a psd (personal storage device) with a tb drive so if something happened to the laptop I could still back up to the device and then I also kept a copy on a portable hard drive. I always had the psd with me (usually in a pocket), and the hard drive in the camera bag so even if my laptop disappeared I could back-up. I take too many pictures to not reuse compact flash cards like some do, but while my system is heavy it works and I have redundancy.
Sep 19th, 2011, 05:26 AM
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Nairobi – We stayed at the Safari Park Hotel. It was a little tired, but nice, clean and had beautiful grounds. The best thing if you are going to Samburu first the hotel is located on the main road on the way to Samburu out of town so starting was easy from here and we didn’t have to deal with the horrible Nairobi traffic. Of course the Safari Park is opposite of the Karen district where the Sheldrick Orphanage, Karen Blixen Museum, etc. if you want to do a tour. The good news is there a new road that takes you around so it is longer, but faster to get to the other side of town.
Nairobi advice:
1. Sign up to foster an elephant at Sheldrick and you may be able to go back to the orphanage after hours to visit your elle. Love it and highly recommend any donations to Sheldrick, but if you are going highly recommend becoming a foster parent and having some personal time with your foster "kid".
2. For anyone that has a 3g ipad, find a safaricom store and get a mini sim card and data. We used to store near the Sheldrick Orphanage and for about $25 we got the sim card with about 2 gb of data and had internet the entire trip. If you do this make sure they load the sim card in the store and be sure to bring a paper clip to open the sim card slot.
Nairobi advice:
1. Sign up to foster an elephant at Sheldrick and you may be able to go back to the orphanage after hours to visit your elle. Love it and highly recommend any donations to Sheldrick, but if you are going highly recommend becoming a foster parent and having some personal time with your foster "kid".
2. For anyone that has a 3g ipad, find a safaricom store and get a mini sim card and data. We used to store near the Sheldrick Orphanage and for about $25 we got the sim card with about 2 gb of data and had internet the entire trip. If you do this make sure they load the sim card in the store and be sure to bring a paper clip to open the sim card slot.
Sep 19th, 2011, 05:28 AM
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Samburu – Loved the ride to Samburu – good roads and seeing all the agriculture along the way was great. It was interesting to see the unique species that Samburu offers. We stayed at Elephant Bedroom Camp – it was the first tent stay of the trip and it set a very high standard. The tents were huge and well done. It is a small camp and we loved the ambiance. I would definitely stay here again if I ever get back to Samburu. No mosquitoes spotted during our stay at Samburu.
Favorite Samburu experience was over in the Buffalo Springs area. We had been following some elephants and we went ahead, the elephants turned and came right by us and actually surrounded us as they grazed. They came to us and knew where we were at all times and we were very careful. The elephants would call to each other and you could feel the vibrations of their deep rumbles.
Samburu village visit - I had visited a Masai village ten years ago so my friend and I opted to visit a Samburu village. Nobody seemed to enjoy themselves. The Samburu looked pained to have to do this and were less than enthusiastic. We heard every 2 minutes that they had lost all their cattle 2 years ago so this was their only income - which is truly sad, but there was a distinct feel of desperation in the air. I do believe this was a true village where they lived. These guys need a seriously marketing lesson on their market. I would much rather have bought from the Samburu, but with the gift stores at the lodges and camps the prices weren't competitive and the bargaining disorganized. We were the first in the village itself so our guide got a young man to show us how to make fire - felt really bad because the dude failed. They had to get a few of the other young men over to help and make fire. I think the first dude blistered his hand - felt really bad for him. Our guide blatantly asked for money in addition to the fee we had paid the chief and this was after he had insulted my friend who was moving a little slow because she had too many layers on and it was extremely hot. The village visit was just painful and I would not recommend which is sad because this is income for the Samburu.
Lake Nakuru Lodge – I stayed there 10 years ago. I thought it was fine and if they had decent towels and screens on the windows I would give it a better grade. The buffet was good and there is another buffet in the room off to the right with shorter lines. This is the only place we “deeted” up since we did spot some mosquitos.
Favorite Samburu experience was over in the Buffalo Springs area. We had been following some elephants and we went ahead, the elephants turned and came right by us and actually surrounded us as they grazed. They came to us and knew where we were at all times and we were very careful. The elephants would call to each other and you could feel the vibrations of their deep rumbles.
Samburu village visit - I had visited a Masai village ten years ago so my friend and I opted to visit a Samburu village. Nobody seemed to enjoy themselves. The Samburu looked pained to have to do this and were less than enthusiastic. We heard every 2 minutes that they had lost all their cattle 2 years ago so this was their only income - which is truly sad, but there was a distinct feel of desperation in the air. I do believe this was a true village where they lived. These guys need a seriously marketing lesson on their market. I would much rather have bought from the Samburu, but with the gift stores at the lodges and camps the prices weren't competitive and the bargaining disorganized. We were the first in the village itself so our guide got a young man to show us how to make fire - felt really bad because the dude failed. They had to get a few of the other young men over to help and make fire. I think the first dude blistered his hand - felt really bad for him. Our guide blatantly asked for money in addition to the fee we had paid the chief and this was after he had insulted my friend who was moving a little slow because she had too many layers on and it was extremely hot. The village visit was just painful and I would not recommend which is sad because this is income for the Samburu.
Lake Nakuru Lodge – I stayed there 10 years ago. I thought it was fine and if they had decent towels and screens on the windows I would give it a better grade. The buffet was good and there is another buffet in the room off to the right with shorter lines. This is the only place we “deeted” up since we did spot some mosquitos.
Sep 19th, 2011, 05:29 AM
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Mara Triangle –
We stayed at Mara West and while it is only 3.5 kilometers from the main road, going up the escarpment to the camp felt more like a thousand kilometers. It was one crappy road which and took on average about twenty minutes to go the 3.5 kilometers.
Mara West camp wasn’t our favorite – we had to leave earlier and get back later because of the road which wasn’t fun. This camp was more restrictive with their generators – out at 10pm which since we didn’t get back to camp until later because of the road it felt more restrictive (all other camps we stayed had electric until after 11pm or later). Their marketing stinks – they call their tents high end, mid-range and economy and have different dining areas depending on where you are staying. Didn’t mind the different categories but they could market a little more elegantly. A special thank you to the chef – they didn’t want to do box breakfasts for us because there was a large party in the high end tents and they had to do box lunches for them so was not going to do our boxes, but the chef stepped in and got us the box breakfasts. If photography isn't your main focus it probably makes sense to leave a little later, take a box lunch and stay out all day so you only have to do the road once. Seriously we started counting down how many trips up/down the road were left and were joyous the last trip down. There were some pluses - the mid-range tents were very nice, hot water plentiful, loved Grace and Rose from reception, and these guys had our favorite gift shop of the trip with a lovely selection at reasonable prices. Also, it sounds like the owner has done a lot of good in the Masai community with schools, etc. No mosquitoes spotted.
We stayed at Mara West and while it is only 3.5 kilometers from the main road, going up the escarpment to the camp felt more like a thousand kilometers. It was one crappy road which and took on average about twenty minutes to go the 3.5 kilometers.
Mara West camp wasn’t our favorite – we had to leave earlier and get back later because of the road which wasn’t fun. This camp was more restrictive with their generators – out at 10pm which since we didn’t get back to camp until later because of the road it felt more restrictive (all other camps we stayed had electric until after 11pm or later). Their marketing stinks – they call their tents high end, mid-range and economy and have different dining areas depending on where you are staying. Didn’t mind the different categories but they could market a little more elegantly. A special thank you to the chef – they didn’t want to do box breakfasts for us because there was a large party in the high end tents and they had to do box lunches for them so was not going to do our boxes, but the chef stepped in and got us the box breakfasts. If photography isn't your main focus it probably makes sense to leave a little later, take a box lunch and stay out all day so you only have to do the road once. Seriously we started counting down how many trips up/down the road were left and were joyous the last trip down. There were some pluses - the mid-range tents were very nice, hot water plentiful, loved Grace and Rose from reception, and these guys had our favorite gift shop of the trip with a lovely selection at reasonable prices. Also, it sounds like the owner has done a lot of good in the Masai community with schools, etc. No mosquitoes spotted.
Sep 19th, 2011, 05:31 AM
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Masai Mara – Intrepids Camp
Mara Intrepids felt a little hotel like, but in a good way. The tents were a little smaller than the others we stayed, but well appointed. I loved the hot water bottle in the bed at night and the hot chocolate or tea delivered with the morning wake-up call. There were a tons of action by the camp so it felt like you never had to go far to find great animals. Apologies to the other cars looking for the leopard one afternoon – we saw a rare bird and sped forward causing a bit of excitement since others thought we had spotted the leopard. Good gift shop but pricier than Mara West and very few xl t-shirts. No mosquitoes spotted.
Mara Intrepids felt a little hotel like, but in a good way. The tents were a little smaller than the others we stayed, but well appointed. I loved the hot water bottle in the bed at night and the hot chocolate or tea delivered with the morning wake-up call. There were a tons of action by the camp so it felt like you never had to go far to find great animals. Apologies to the other cars looking for the leopard one afternoon – we saw a rare bird and sped forward causing a bit of excitement since others thought we had spotted the leopard. Good gift shop but pricier than Mara West and very few xl t-shirts. No mosquitoes spotted.
Sep 19th, 2011, 05:33 AM
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Other –
Ballooning. I had done this ten years ago and loved it. Decided to do it again because I thought we would have large herds – we didn’t so it was just ok. The balloon captain was a frustrated performer who didn’t shut up the whole time so maybe that interfered with the peacefulness on the ride…
Flight of the flamingos – One of the favorite things I have ever done. A pilot picked me up at Lake Nakuru and we flew over Lake Bogoria. Holy crap there were a lot of flamingos! Angus was my pilot and if you are ever looking for a great bush pilot in Kenya he can be found here - http://www.simpsonsafaris.com/ My advice is run don’t walk to Lake Bogoria – the number of flamingos there makes Lake Nakuru look boring. The senior warden at Borgoria is fantastic and is so proud of this amazing place. I know the numbers of flamingos fluctuate between Borgoria and Nakuru, but next time Lake Borgoria will be a place I spend much more time at.
Stickers and balloons - I wanted to take something for kids we met along the way. I got rolls of stickers and tore into small strips and balloons. This lead to some interesting encounters. Game warden children at the entrance of Sheldrick orphanage - orderly and delightful (very cool to see a few kids with stickers on their foreheads when we came back through), Samburu entrance - mob scene and kids were rather demanding and not polite, driving to Lake Nakuru and Mara we stopped along the way if we saw kids - most of them polite and we got a "thank you" most of the time. Favorite stop was on the Mara and there were a bunch of kids and two older (and I do mean older) Masai men who held out their hands for stickers - they were smiling and happy so I put a sticker on my forehead and handed them stickers.
Topcats Safaris – I saved the best for last. Andrew who founded Topcat Safaris was wonderful. I loved that he was a local and not a foreign owner. He started out as a guide and has founded his own company. He made sure we were well take care of and met us for lunch along the way to get feedback and see if there was anything we needed. We had a not so good experience at the Samburu village and had mentioned it to Andrew – he called a Masai he knew well and had the Masai come talk to us one evening at Mara West. He also arranged a Masai village visit that wouldn’t be commercial. Sorry to say I didn’t go because it was in the late afternoon and I was there to photograph critters, but others went and it was nice that Andrew listened and had the connections to make the visit happen. And of course Andrew coordinated with Angus to arrange my flying safari. Andrew’s company Topcats is top notch and I couldn't be more pleased with the trip. http://www.topcatssafaris.com/
Ballooning. I had done this ten years ago and loved it. Decided to do it again because I thought we would have large herds – we didn’t so it was just ok. The balloon captain was a frustrated performer who didn’t shut up the whole time so maybe that interfered with the peacefulness on the ride…
Flight of the flamingos – One of the favorite things I have ever done. A pilot picked me up at Lake Nakuru and we flew over Lake Bogoria. Holy crap there were a lot of flamingos! Angus was my pilot and if you are ever looking for a great bush pilot in Kenya he can be found here - http://www.simpsonsafaris.com/ My advice is run don’t walk to Lake Bogoria – the number of flamingos there makes Lake Nakuru look boring. The senior warden at Borgoria is fantastic and is so proud of this amazing place. I know the numbers of flamingos fluctuate between Borgoria and Nakuru, but next time Lake Borgoria will be a place I spend much more time at.
Stickers and balloons - I wanted to take something for kids we met along the way. I got rolls of stickers and tore into small strips and balloons. This lead to some interesting encounters. Game warden children at the entrance of Sheldrick orphanage - orderly and delightful (very cool to see a few kids with stickers on their foreheads when we came back through), Samburu entrance - mob scene and kids were rather demanding and not polite, driving to Lake Nakuru and Mara we stopped along the way if we saw kids - most of them polite and we got a "thank you" most of the time. Favorite stop was on the Mara and there were a bunch of kids and two older (and I do mean older) Masai men who held out their hands for stickers - they were smiling and happy so I put a sticker on my forehead and handed them stickers.
Topcats Safaris – I saved the best for last. Andrew who founded Topcat Safaris was wonderful. I loved that he was a local and not a foreign owner. He started out as a guide and has founded his own company. He made sure we were well take care of and met us for lunch along the way to get feedback and see if there was anything we needed. We had a not so good experience at the Samburu village and had mentioned it to Andrew – he called a Masai he knew well and had the Masai come talk to us one evening at Mara West. He also arranged a Masai village visit that wouldn’t be commercial. Sorry to say I didn’t go because it was in the late afternoon and I was there to photograph critters, but others went and it was nice that Andrew listened and had the connections to make the visit happen. And of course Andrew coordinated with Angus to arrange my flying safari. Andrew’s company Topcats is top notch and I couldn't be more pleased with the trip. http://www.topcatssafaris.com/
Sep 20th, 2011, 12:57 PM
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Hanuman - Thanks for the advice! Still wading through pictures.
Leely2 - I had gone to Kenya in April 2001 and the trip was very different. I had gotten a great deal from one of the travel sites and I think with airfare it was under $2k for about 9 days. I was just getting into photography (52 rolls of film from the trip) and had no idea how to customize the trip.
Ten years ago we had 2 pop-top vans and there were two others in my van since it was rainy season and not many traveling. Since we drove we did have dedicated drivers, but drivers didn't eat with us back then which is a shame because they were nice. In fact I thought I recognized Dominic, my driver from the trip 10 years ago, in Samburu and mentioned it to my driver, Peter. Peter recognized Dominic in Lake Nakuru and bought Dominic over so we visited for a little bit. I guess it is a small world after all.
We stayed in the eastern Masai Mara at Mara Sopa and now I understand the attraction of staying in the West near the Mara River. We also did Lake Nakura and I went alone to Amboseli after the group left. Loved rainy season - no big herds of wildebeest but we still saw plenty. Amboseli was down right swampy and was a haven for birds including flamingos. I would like to return to Amboseli one day.
It was great to return with a buddy who has been going to Kenya every year for 30 years so he knew where best to go and amazing to go back with my current camera gear. I just remember it was a pain to take over 50 rolls of film and I think it cost almost as much to develop the film as the trip cost. Even though it was a different trip I still loved it which I guess is the lesson - expensive or cheap, pop-top roof or custom vehicle, east or west masai mara - you will have a great time on any trip to Kenya.
Leely2 - I had gone to Kenya in April 2001 and the trip was very different. I had gotten a great deal from one of the travel sites and I think with airfare it was under $2k for about 9 days. I was just getting into photography (52 rolls of film from the trip) and had no idea how to customize the trip.
Ten years ago we had 2 pop-top vans and there were two others in my van since it was rainy season and not many traveling. Since we drove we did have dedicated drivers, but drivers didn't eat with us back then which is a shame because they were nice. In fact I thought I recognized Dominic, my driver from the trip 10 years ago, in Samburu and mentioned it to my driver, Peter. Peter recognized Dominic in Lake Nakuru and bought Dominic over so we visited for a little bit. I guess it is a small world after all.
We stayed in the eastern Masai Mara at Mara Sopa and now I understand the attraction of staying in the West near the Mara River. We also did Lake Nakura and I went alone to Amboseli after the group left. Loved rainy season - no big herds of wildebeest but we still saw plenty. Amboseli was down right swampy and was a haven for birds including flamingos. I would like to return to Amboseli one day.
It was great to return with a buddy who has been going to Kenya every year for 30 years so he knew where best to go and amazing to go back with my current camera gear. I just remember it was a pain to take over 50 rolls of film and I think it cost almost as much to develop the film as the trip cost. Even though it was a different trip I still loved it which I guess is the lesson - expensive or cheap, pop-top roof or custom vehicle, east or west masai mara - you will have a great time on any trip to Kenya.
Oct 23rd, 2011, 03:33 PM
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I am still struggling with selecting pictures but have made some initial galleries at my new website http://www.gritsphoto.com/ I will probably keep deleting, adding and rearranging for a while.
Cheers, Sallie Jo
Cheers, Sallie Jo
Oct 24th, 2011, 05:58 AM
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Leely2 - Thanks, my family has been harassing me to see pictures so I know I have a lot more editing to do but wanted to at least get some up for them. It is my first dedicated website so it has been fun and nerve wracking trying to get everything set-up.
Oct 24th, 2011, 06:05 AM
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sperraglia,
I have traveled all over the world with balloons and stickers...can't go wrong, light and easy to carry. Also carry pencils, markers, and erasers to donate to schools. Last trip I also brought postcards from home...the teachers wanted them to inspire their students to "study and learn, you too can travel and see the world"
I have traveled all over the world with balloons and stickers...can't go wrong, light and easy to carry. Also carry pencils, markers, and erasers to donate to schools. Last trip I also brought postcards from home...the teachers wanted them to inspire their students to "study and learn, you too can travel and see the world"
Oct 25th, 2011, 03:47 PM
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This looks like a wonderful trip. Were you with family? I wonder particularly about the beautiful little boy!
The pictures are wonderful -- especially the flamingos at Lake Borgoria!!!
What was happening with the two fish eagles which are in a couple of galleries?
We've not been to Africa in four years now -- we hope for 2013!
The pictures are wonderful -- especially the flamingos at Lake Borgoria!!!
What was happening with the two fish eagles which are in a couple of galleries?
We've not been to Africa in four years now -- we hope for 2013!
Oct 26th, 2011, 11:43 AM
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samcat - there was a couple with a 7 year old whom you saw pictures of in one vehicle (he was my buddy on the trip), a friend and his adult son in a vehicle and another friend and I in the 3rd vehicle. The Lake Bogoria pictures are very special to me so glad you enjoyed them.
It was crazy with the 2 fish eagles, I had no time to set up and was pretty much handholding the 800mm so the picture could be sharper. I know bald eagles can lock talons when courting and sometime during fights. It was pretty amazing.
Kenyaholidaysafaris - thanks, it was great.
It was crazy with the 2 fish eagles, I had no time to set up and was pretty much handholding the 800mm so the picture could be sharper. I know bald eagles can lock talons when courting and sometime during fights. It was pretty amazing.
Kenyaholidaysafaris - thanks, it was great.
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