Essay: Black bellied Bustard display, Lebala, Linyanti, Botswana.

click image for full size

Exposure information
Camera - Nikon D70 - 70-200mm lens
Exposure -f 5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/200sec
Exp. Comp. - 0.3 EV
ISO equiv. - 200
Flash sync – not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– centre weighted File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 116 mm (174mm 35mm Equivalent) Handheld

It had been a chilly afternoon drive. A Mid-day thunderstorm had struck and drenched the whole area, leaving behind it a trail of mud, dripping trees and dark clouds hanging in the sky. The game drive had been one where you could feel the rain in the air- a hippo even deemed it fresh enough to leave the sanctity of the water and head into the open floodplain to graze. We locked onto him and naturally had a field day with the cameras- especially as there were egrets, herons and about three other bird species feeding in his wake. But it was quite dull- the light was one stop under what it would be to give the scene a nice glow. So we moved on- driving slowly in the cool fresh air, rain ponchos keeping the wetness out.

November in Southern Africa is the start of the breeding season for most bird species. Thus, from a natural history point of view, it is a great time to travel here. From a photo safari point of view too, this is one of the most exciting seasons, as young animals are being born and birds and animals are alike are either breeding or giving birth. The morning chorus is full of the joys of life and it’s probably the only time I can say that I can “hear the excitement of the Bush”.

And so it was that we came across this Black bellied bustard (Korhaan) atop a termite mound calling out to any females that would listen. It is great courtship behaviour to watch, as they extend their necks and emit a very slight “Pop” at the height of their neck extension.
Our group, however, was more interested in catching the action, as the light had just peaked from under the clouds. After the first front-lit shots, we moved around him: as the clouds were taking on a special colour and hue from the sunset. The Bustard, not to be outdone, stood his ground and continued his calling- deep in the throes of courtship.
The bird continued calling and the light just got better. Eventually we had enough. We could not take another image of a bird calling against a stunning backdrop.
Until that is, it decided to leave us… With the backdrop of the Palm trees in the Linyanti, I decided to shoot wider and zoomed out to incorporate the whole environment. All of a sudden the whole scene took on another feel, especially with that odd, stalking gait that a bustard has silhouetted against a colourful Okavango sky.

That is the image that made it to this Essay- a fitting end to a grand show.