Posts in Category: antilope
Waterbuck edition
Defassa Waterbuck: Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Waterbuck is common three of the National Parks we visited. These are in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and in good light for a change (at least on this trip…generally we saw them close when the sun was setting or rising…just the way it was). Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 and 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Antelope edition: Oribi fawn
Oribi: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Still on our way back from the tour boat on the Nile, we came to this mother and fawn Oribi beside the road into the lodge. I selectively focused on the fawn and had to sharpen the female more than I like, but it is still a good photo. Focus stacking would have been nice…but I checked my unprocessed images and in the few seconds I had, I did not get one with the female in selective focus. 🙁 Sony Rx10iv at 221mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Antelope edition: Oribi
Oribi are small, graceful antelope, and are very common in the tall grass savannah of Murchison Falls National Park…apparently less common elsewhere in Uganda. The females and young can be seen at the edges of grazing herds of Uganda Kob, or off by themselves. The males seem to be more secretive, at least in my experience. I have only seen males twice in Uganda. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 250 and 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Antelope edition: Jackson’s Hartebeest
In Uganda they call this the Jackson’s Hartebeest…but a little research this morning indicates that the Jackson’s Hartebeest is considered to be a cross between the Lewel’s and Coke’s subspecies…and in Uganda, at least at Murchison Falls National Park where we saw this one, is most probably identical to the Lewel’s…it is certainly counted as Lewel’s for conservation status purposes. On the other hand, other websites and local guides seem confident that this is the Jackson’s ??? Whatever it is, it is a handsome beast, closely related to the Wildebeest. The name, apparently, means “tough ox”… Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Antelope edition: Ugandan Kob
Ugandan Kob: Murchinson Falls National Park, Uganda — As far as antipopes go, the Impala, by sheer numbers and its wide distribution, could be said to rule the savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa. Except in Uganda, where the very closely related, but separate species, the Uganda Kob replaces them over much of the country. The Kob has very similar horns, much the same life-style and habits…but lacks the distinctive M on the butt. It is also, to my eye, a very slightly more “chunky” version of the Impala, with less of the elegance, and more of the sturdiness. This early morning shot captures some of the “peacefulness” of a herd of Kob grazing the lush savannah of Murchinson Falls National Park. Sony Rx10iv at 477mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 ! 1/640th.
Bushbuck
Bushbuck: Ziwa Rhino Santuary, Uganda, August 2022 — This Bushbuck crossed the road ahead of our Land Cruiser and posed for a photo out the window. Sony Rx10iv at 277 and 600mm equivalents. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Nominal exposure ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Obibi
There appear to be only a few species of antelope/gazelle at Murchinson Falls National Park in Uganda. Of them we saw 4: the very numerous Uganda Kob, the scattered groups of Defassa Waterbuck, the even less common Jackson’s Hartebeest, and a very few Oribi, like this one. The Oribi, is small, tends to be solitary, and is easily missed, so their numbers might be considerably higher than our brief sample might indicate. There are 8 recognized sub-species of Oribi across their range…and some authorities recognize 4 of those as actual species. The ones at Murchinson Falls apparently lack the typical, and identifying, black tail. Interestingly the Oribi has its own branch of the antelope family all to itself, and is considered a “sister” species to the main branch. They are small, agile, active, and way too cute. If you take a look at the photo enlarged to screen size, notice those eyes and the rings around the base of the horns 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.
Uganda Kob
A classic shot of the Uganda Kob…the antelope species that replaces the Impala and the Gazelles in much of Uganda. It is, to my eye, a bit sturdier than the Impala…more like a Grant’s Gazelle in body proportions. We saw herds of 50 or more grazing in the lush grasses of September in Murchinson Falls National Park. This is likely the dominant buck of this particular herd. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.
Defassa Waterbuck
The first official day of our #Epic_Uganda_Vacations safari was spent getting to Murchinson Falls National Park, with a stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary along the way for Rhino Trekking, and we drove through the Murchinson gate at sunset, did not reach the Nile Ferry until 7PM, and Pakuba Safari Lodge deep in the park until well after dark. We woke the next morning to a herd of Defassa Waterbuck feeding around our cabins. These shots were taken before sunrise, using the Sony RX10IV’s Anti-Motion Blur mode for the low light levels. Two of the young bucks were testing their combative skills. 600mm equivalent. Processed in Polarr.