#10 Congo Adventure

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As a child I remember reading about early
explorers and their adventures in the Congo.
Ever since, this part of Africa has held a deep
fascination for me. As time went on, the Congo
continued to draw me but it remained off-limits
due to the terrible civil war in DRC and lack of
infrastructure. Finally, in May 2014, I was given
the opportunity to visit Odzala National Park in
the Republic of Congo.

This part of Africa was very different to anywhere
I had been before. I found myself in thick
rainforest surrounded by unfamiliar animals. In
forest clearings I saw forest elephants (a
different species to African bush elephants found
elsewhere in Africa) digging for minerals and in
the distance I would sometimes hear the
screams of chimpanzees.

The highlight of my trip was when I came face to
face with this spectacular silverback male
Western lowland gorilla. The gorillas here have
only recently become habituated to humans and
they still seem very wild. This male charged at
me several times to let me know he was boss. I
certainly wasnt planning on challenging him!
What? Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Where? Ngaga Camp, Odzala NP, Republic of Congo
When? May 2014
#9 Walking with Wild Dogs
African wild dogs are one of my favourite creatures. They have always
held a fascination for me, probably because it took TEN YEARS of
travelling to Africa before I first encountered them. I have since been
fortunate to see them on a number of other occasions but I still get a big
rush of excitement whenever I come across them.

Towards the end of a year spent living in Zambia, I undertook an
expedition to North Luangwa National Park. This park is very remote and
accessing it was quite an undertaking; I spent an entire day driving along
narrow dirt tracks, through small rural communities and crossing the
Luangwa River on a rickety pontoon before finally making it into the park.

Within the park there is a black rhino reintroduction scheme. This meant
that security was very tight. Whenever I was in the rhino zone, I had to
be accompanied by an armed scout. This was great because scouts
have the training and experience needed to be able to walk safely
around wildlife (usually you have to stay in your vehicle and not drive off-
road).

One afternoon we were fortunate to spot a pack of wild dogs. My scout
suggested we get out of the vehicle and approach them on foot. We
snuck around so as to approach them with the sun at our backs (better
for photography). It didnt take long before an adult dog spotted us and
let out a growl to alert the others. We didnt approach closer and the
dogs stayed where they were. They kept one eye on us but were
otherwise relaxed.

The connection you have with wild animals is much more intimate when
you are on foot rather than sat in a vehicle. Walking with wild dogs in this
remote and wild corner of Africa was a true privilege.
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What? African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)
Where? Una's Camp, North Luangwa NP, Zambia
When? June 2013
#8 The Great Migration
The annual wildebeest migration is well known as one of
Africas most impressive spectacles. Over 1.5 million
wildebeest migrate between the Serengeti in Tanzania and
the Masai Mara in Kenya, making this the largest mass-
movement of land mammals anywhere on Earth. In order to
find fresh grazing pastures, the wildebeest risk their lives
crossing the Mara River.

My trip took place in September, when the wildebeest were
beginning to travel south into the Serengeti from Kenya.

When the wildebeest reach the banks of the Mara River, they
gather in vast herds as they summon up the courage to
make the crossing. Eventually, when one brave individual
ventures into the water, the others rush to follow. A couple of
the crossings I witnessed had upwards of 10,000 individuals
swim across the river in just half an hour. It is very dramatic;
many wildebeest drown or get taken by crocs. It is hard to
describe the mayhem and noise that accompanies one of
these epic crossings.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the great
migration has been one of the most incredible spectacles
I've ever had the privilege of witnessing. On occasions I
found it hard to hold my camera steady as the adrenaline
was making me shake!

You can watch my award-winning time-lapse video of the
wildebeest migration here.
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What? Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
Where? Sayari Camp, Serengeti NP, Tanzania
When? September 2010
#7 Luangwa Leopard
In August 2012, I moved to
Zambia for a year. In my
luggage I had BeetleCam, my
remote-control camera-buggy
(Click here to find out more
about BeetleCam).

Up to this time, I had used
BeetleCam to successfully
photograph lions, elephants
and buffaloes, but never a
leopard. The Luangwa Valley
supports a high density of
leopards and is well known as
a great place to see these
elusive cats. I had high hopes
that during the year I would
be able to get the wide-angle,
ground-level leopard photos
that I was hoping for.
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I didnt have to wait long. On my first visit to
the park I came across a 9-month-old
leopard cub and her brother. I deployed
BeetleCam. The cub was very curious and
immediately approached to investigate the
unfamiliar object. The photos I got that day
exceeded my hopes for the year!

Thereafter, I got to know this female cub
very well. She was always inquisitive and
playful. I knew that if I ever deployed
BeetleCam when she was nearby, she
wouldnt be able to resist playing with it!
This photo was taken when she was about a
year old.

It was wonderful to get to know this young
leopard and watch her grow up. By the time
I left Zambia she was independent and had
transformed from a goofy cub into a
formidable huntress!
What? Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Where? South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
When? September 2012 to August 2013
#6 Bat Migration
For a few weeks in November and December, around 8 million
Straw-coloured fruit bats descend on a tiny patch of forest in
Kasanka National Park, Zambia, making this the largest
migration of mammals in Africa!

Every evening the sky fills with bats as they fly off to feed in
the surrounding forests. Every morning the sky fills again as
the bats return to the roost.

These bats arent small; they have a wing span of around 75
cm and weigh about 0.25 kg. The patch of forest they roost in
is only an acre in size which means that each tree in the
forests holds around ten tonnes of bat! This is said to be the
highest density of mammal biomass anywhere on Earth!

I spent several days photographing the bats from canopy
towers around the colony. I also ventured into the heart of the
colony at night (when it was completely deserted) to set up
some remote cameras. Walking through the roost was very
eerie; the forest canopy had collapsed on itself and many of
the trees had been deformed by the sheer weight of the bats.
It was unlike any forest I'd ever seen before.

During the day the bats drew predators, such as eagles.
Whenever a bird of prey swooped down on the colony, the
bats would take to the sky in a raucous explosion. It was a
truly unique and incredible spectacle!
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What? Straw-coloured Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum)
Where? Wasa Camp, Kasanka NP, Zambia
When? November 2012
#5 Befriended by Meerkats
I travelled to the Makgadikgadi Pans region
of Botswana to photograph some of the most
charismatic (and cutest) creatures in Africa
meerkats!

Meerkats need to be extremely vigilant so
that they arent surprised by predators such
as birds of prey or jackals. Meerkats arent
very tall so they try to seek out the high
ground in order to get a better view of their
surroundings.

These meerkats are completely wild but over
time they have become habituated to
humans. This means it is possible to gain
their trust and get really close to them. It
wasnt long before these clever little
creatures started to take full advantage of my
presence; sometimes they even climbed on
top of me for a better view out over the long
grass.

Trying to photograph animals that jumped on
me whenever I got too close was certainly a
challenge that I wasnt used to facing! not
that I was complaining!

For a behind the scenes look at this project
including lots of amusing meerkat antics,
check out this short 2-minute video.
What? Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)
Where? Jacks Camp, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
When? January 2014
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#4 Ethiopian Wolf Pups
In the remote highlands of Ethiopia lives the
rarest canine on Earth: the Ethiopian Wolf. Today,
less than 450 of these elegant animals survive.

Ethiopian wolves may look like foxes or jackals
but DNA analysis shows that their closest
relatives are actually the grey wolves of Europe.
100,000 years ago, a common ancestor of both
the grey wolf and the Ethiopian wolf moved down
from Europe into Africa. It came across an
Afroalpine habitat that teemed with rodents. Its
descendants stopped hunting in packs and
became rodent-hunting specialists. The species
evolved to become completely dependent on this
abundant prey source. Then, at the end of the
last ice age, the Afroalpine areas receded and
the wolves became marooned in a few isolated
mountain highland areas surrounding the Great
Rift Valley. Now, the wolves high-altitude
sanctuaries are under siege from an ever-
increasing human population and the species
has been brought to the edge of extinction.
What? Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis)
Where? Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mountains NP, Ethiopia
When? December 2011
In late 2011, I teamed up with Rebecca Jackrel and we travelled to
the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia, home to the largest remaining wolf
population. Our aim was to spend five weeks photographing the
wolves and documenting the work of the Ethiopian Wolf
Conservation Programme (EWCP).

Our trip coincided with denning season. When we arrived, the pups
of two of our focal packs had already been venturing outside of their
dens for a few weeks. This meant we had missed photographing
when they were at their youngest (they grow up incredibly quickly).
The last of our focal packs had pups but they were too young to
venture outside. As we approached the end of our time in Ethiopia,
we spent all our time at their den hoping to catch a glipse of the tiny
pups before we left. Finally, just a few days before we had to fly
home, they emerged. It was a wonderful privilege to witness the
pups exploring the outside world for the first time.
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#3 Penguins of the Falkland Islands
One of my favourite memories from my trip to the Falkland
Islands was photographing rockhopper penguins showering
under a freshwater spring.

During the southern hemisphere summer, rockhopper penguins
come ashore all over the Falkland Islands to breed. The
penguins gather in large raucous colonies and form a well-worn
track down to the sea.

These penguins lived on Saunders island. Along the main
penguin highway down to the sea was a freshwater spring that
flowed over an overhang and created a small waterfall. This was
an irresistible attraction for the penguins and throughout the day
it was busy with squawking, squabbling, splashing birds!

The fresh water allows them to wash the salt from their feathers
and remove the grime of the colony. The penguins were
wonderful to watch, as they appeared to be enjoying themselves
a great deal!

The penguins were splashing so much that keeping my gear dry
was a never-ending battle! in the end I had to cover the camera
with a hat which I lifted briefly to take each shot.
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What? Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome)
Where? Saunders Island, The Falkland Islands
When? December 2009
#2 Night of the Aardvark
During my year in Zambia, I became obsessed
with trying to track down and photograph an
aardvark. Ultimately I failed to catch even the
briefest glimpse of one of these elusive
creatures.

Six months later I was back in Africa - this time in
the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. As I landed at
the airstrip I could see signs of aardvarks
everywhere; holes and large piles of sand
peppered the landscape. Perhaps this would be
the place?

I established a gruelling program that involved
photographing meerkats at sunrise and sunset
and searching for aardvarks at night. Each night
drive would last as long as 5 hours. After 5
consecutive nights of aardvark searching, I finally
caught my first glimpse of one of these amazing
creatures.

However, it disappeared into the night before I
could take a single photo. I was demoralised and
almost gave up on my quest to capture one on
camera.

Fortunately I persevered and the next night my
patience was rewarded with this incredible
sighting of not one, but two, aardvarks
interacting! I couldnt have asked for anything
more and the moment was all the sweeter thanks
to the many hours of searching that preceded it!
What? Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)
Where? Jacks Camp, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
When? January 2014
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I spent eight days tracking Giant Pandas in the Qinling Mountains of Central
China. This is one of the few remaining places where Giant Pandas still exist in
the wild. Due to habitat loss and human encroachment, pandas have been
pushed into extremely remote and inaccessible parts of China.

I soon discovered that wild panda tracking is exceedingly hard work;
scrambling up ridge after ridge, fighting through bamboo thickets and boulder-
hopping across rivers. I was soon covered in scratches and aching all over! I
was led by an expert local tracker who would promptly declare no panda here
every time we reached a new valley. He explained that he was looking for
signs such as fresh droppings or recently chewed bamboo stems. He was also
listening out for the unmistakable crunching sounds made by a panda eating
bamboo.

One day started with a gruelling climb up a brutal incline to the top of a ridge.
The gradient was so steep, and the earth underfoot so slippery, that the only
way to ascend was to grab hold of branches and haul myself (and my 15kgs of
camera gear) upwards! As I approached the top of the ridge, my heart skipped
a beat as I heard a snap come from the thick bamboo forest below! there
could be no doubt that a panda was down there somewhere.

The tracker and I approached the noisy panda but it heard us and careered
down the slope at an incredible speed. I returned to the ridge dejected
despite being less than 10 metres away, all I had seen was thrashing bamboo
stems rippling down the mountain. Then to my shock and amazement we saw
a white head and two black ears just 20 metres down the other side of the
ridge; there was a second panda sitting there, chomping on bamboo! I felt a
tremendous rush of emotion! relief that the effort I had gone to to reach this
remote part of China had not been in vain; privileged that this iconic and
endangered animal was sitting in front of me; and awe at the beauty of it.

From that point, the experience only got better. The panda came up the slope
towards me, passing within touching distance, and proceeded to shamble
along the top of the ridge. It was the most incredible animal encounter I have
ever had and I am still left pinching myself.
#1 An Icon of Conservation
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What? Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Where? Changqing Nature Reserve, Shaanxi Province, China
When? April 2011
Watch the video