Sally Hinton Wildlife Photography

Japan trip in 2016
This is just so exciting - a trip for two to Japan compliments of Singapore Airlines, Conrad Tokyo and The Hyatt regency in Kyoto! The competition was run by the Sydney Morning Herald "Traveller" section called "The Big Picture". It was a Travel photography competition. My winning photograph was called "A Leap of Faith" - it is a moment, an impala in flight with a single baboon as a spectator. The judges comments were:

"The image creates a light-hearted scene that is balanced in composition - as though it was contrived, yet we know it could not have been. The frame is panoramic in shape which, if cropped, could have accentuated the moment but we feel that the space on the right balances the jaunty leap. The photographer has captured a great moment of travel"

My cousin Wendy has agreed to travel to Japan with me and we are looking forward to planning a very exciting and very much appreciated trip!

In June 2015 I joined a videography safari in Mashatu. This safari was run by Dennis Glennon of "Iconic Images". Along with Dennis and Abraham Joffe, our videography tutor, we were also accompanied by Isak Pretorius, a well known South African wildlife photographer. These three very talented and patient gentlemen taught me so much in a very short period of time!

Mashatu is a game reserve situated at the eastern most point of Botswana, at the edge of Zimbabwe and South Africa and is renown for its specially designed photographic hides. We visited these hides early one winters morning and while we waited for the elephants to arrive we were entertained by flocks of red-billed Quelea!

Eventually the star attractions arrived walking slowly and silently towards the water. These magnificent elephants towered above us as they splashed and drank the water as close as 3 metres away. They were so silent - one minute the waterhole was empty and the next it was completely encircled with elephants of all shapes and sizes! They were so close we could hear the water splashing into their tummies as they drank! Experiencing over 200 hundred elephants at such close range was just awesome!

We also followed a family of cheetahs during our week at Mashatu. The family consisted of a very patient mother and her four 12 month old cubs. Watching the cubs playing in the early morning sunshine was amazing and very entertaining. As the cubs were quite big their mother was always on the look out for a feed while the cubs themselves goofed about in the background! We watched bemused as one cub decided to sneak up on a flock of guinea fowl all of which screeched loudly leaping up into the air in a flurry of feathers - the youngster took great delight in causing havoc and the guinea fowl strutted away indignant at the outrage!

Mashatu is a wonderful game reserve to visit and to have sundowners on the top of Mamagwa Hill as the sun goes down silhouetting Rhodes 4,000 year old Baobab tree - life just doesn't get much better than that!

Lady Elliot Island is a most amazing place! It is at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Hervey Bay. It is a haven for turtle hatchlings and bird migrations and therefore a haven for wild life photographers! I joined a group with WPA for both tuition and fun on LEI in February 2015.

In all my life I have never seen so many birds - every branch on every tree had a makeshift nest with White Capped Noddy's in residence! On the ground at the end and beside the small airstrip were the nesting territories of the Lesser Noddy's and the Crested Terns. The chicks were at all stages of development from courting parents, to eggs, to baby chicks and to the adventuresome almost fledged youngsters braving the winds on their first attempts at flight!

The coral beaches provided a wonderful spot to sit and watch all these birds busily hunting fish and delivering to their ever demanding chicks. This of course provided an absolute perfect venue for we photographers!

The Lagoon in front of the resort (about 1 minute walk from your front door) was a coral reef full of corals and fish and most importantly turtles, which had returned home to lay their eggs. We snorkeled every day and swam along side these wonderful creatures! My first attempt with video using a GoPro camera was very amusing but hopefully I will have some decent footage when I get time to edit it!

Of course we all wanted to see some baby turtle hatchlings and as they usually hatch at night and follow the moonlight down to the water and onto the horizon, with cloudy rainy weather our chances were slim! However, after dinner one evening we came out to find the path covered in tiny struggling hatchlings as they mistakenly headed for the resort lights which replaced the missing moon light. It was so exciting to hold these little critters in your hand - they were amazingly strong and the desire to go was very powerful! With the instructions of the staff we gathered all the babies in a large bucket and made for the beach where we made two lines and a staff member with a torch drew the babies down the beach to the water and off they went out into the huge ocean so small and fragile but so determined! They evidently need to walk down the beach to set their internal GPS so they will return to the same place in many years time to lay their own eggs!

We had two instructors on this trip: Pearce Leal and Freeman Patterson. Pearce was very patient and a fantastic tour leader and instructor and we all learned heaps from his ideas and suggestions. Freeman also taught us to think outside the square and that your photography is an extension of you so what ever you think is right - DO IT! He taught us to experiment and PLAY with our cameras. It is not our much your camera cost but what you see that is important! All in all a wonderful week! I can't wait to go back!

Finally after six years of sacrifice and study my PhD was awarded. Graduation took place through the Central Queensland University Brisbane campus and was held at the Convention Centre at Southbank in Brisbane on Tuesday 10th December. This was just lovely as my family and friends could attend and cheer me on (and they did!). I was made to feel very special on the day, being the only PhD graduate was surprising but made for quite an occassion! I was introduced by Professor Horsley and was capped (bonnet placed on my head) by Acting Chancellor, Mr Ware who also handed me my testamur. There was lots of pomp and ceremony which I surprisingly thoroughly enjoyed on the day! I usually sidestep personal attention but this was a very special day with my only regret being that Mum and Dad were not there - I know they would have been proud. Parents teach us so much - Mum taught us about love and caring for others and of course laughter - our house was always full of smiles, laughter and giggles - a bit of Irish heritage I believe. Her cup was always half full and she never spoke ill of anyone - a beautiful kind and gentle lady! As a child growing up in the 60's and 70's in Papua New Guinea, Dad taught me many things and I guess he inadvertantly introduced me to the scientific world, at age 8 I was knew the scientific (latin) names of most of the common seashells we found as he was a world expert on cone shell classification writing 3 scientific books on the subject. How many other children earn their pocket money by collecting poisonous cone shells to be sent to Australia for research. I was not the slightest bit interested in venom research at the time but my first Barbie Doll (purchased on the proceeds of venom research) was paramount in my small girl world! Dad also took all his own photographs that illustrated his publications - I can still recall following him around helping (he may have called it something else!) stick the shells into place with our plasticine. I guess again I learn't by default all about ASA ratings, apertures, speed and the importance of light in photography. Dad never spoke to us as children, he always treated us as mini-adults, so we grasped what we could from him as best we could as we went along! To Mum and Dad this thesis is for you - in your memory - thank you!

I started my research Masters in 2007 at CQU, Rockhampton as an external student part-time (I had to work full-time). In 2009 I was upgraded to a PhD on recommendation from my Principal Supervisor. In summary my research was looking at toxin producing blue-green algae in the Tweed catchment raw waters. During my research I found some startling new characheristics of one particular toxin and the species that produced it which is of both national and international significance. I was supported by the Tweed Shire Council Water Unit and in particular the Tweed Laboratory Centre where I have worked for 15 years. The research was directly related to my daily work and has expanded my knowledge in this area extensively. I presented my research at International Algal Conferences in both New Zealand (2008) and Italy (2011) as well as Nationally (Melbourne 2010). Two peer reviewed publications have resulted (2009 and 2011) with a couple more in the pipeline - these are available on the "Publications" page of this website.

It has been an amazing learning experience and the knowledge and tools I have gained are precious indeed! My CQU supervisors (Associate Professor Larelle Fabbro and Dr Susan Kinnear) were brilliant, obviously in areas academic but on a personal level they encouraged and supported way beyond my expectations and I would like to think they will always remain my friends through the years to come!

On Anzac Day 2013 (April 25th) on my way home from Africa I made a return visit to the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre near Johannesburg, South Africa. My original adopted Cheetah from 2011 - Ferrari - had moved on to the next stage of her life and my support was needed by a very handsome young cheetah called Achilles who had suffered a serious leg injury. Achilles turned one year old the day before I visited but Linda and Allan Strachan waited for my visit so I could give him his mince "birthday cake"!

I spent a fabulous day at the Cheetah Centre with Linda and Allan and their team of energetic assistants. Liese from Safari Lodge Shuttle drove me down and was included in all our activities. It was a rewarding and emotional visit. The sad news was that the gentle cheetah I spent time with in 2011 and purred so loud - Scarlet - passed away not long before I visited and veryone was still a little sad about losing her.

I just love Cheetah's!




www.dewildt.co.za
http://www.cheetahspot.com/

Sossusvlei.
We started our adventure in Windhoek, heading immediately to Sesriem more commonly known as Sossusvlei. Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. "Vlei" is the Afrikaans word for a shallow depression filled with water (In this case a depression that occassionally fills with water!). "Sossus" is the name for "no return" or "dead end". Sossusvlei owes its name to the fact that it is a drainage basin without outflows for the ephemeral (transitory) Tsauchab River. This particular "Vlei" is actually a more-or-less circular, hard-surfaced depression that is almost entirely surrounded by sharp-edged dunes, beyond which lies a formidable sea of rolling sand, stretching in unbroken immensity all the way to the coast. The spectacular sand dunes at Sossusvlei are best viewed close to sunrise and sunset; the colours are strong and constantly changing, allowing for wonderful photographic opportunities. There are a number of well known dunes:
Dune 45: So called because it lies 45 km past Sesriem on the road to Sossusvlei. It is also known as the most photographed dune in the world because of its unusually simple and fascinating shape, and its proximity to the road.
Big Daddy: This is the highest dune in the area at 325 metres and faces "Big Mama".
Big Mama: Popular to climb and the view is spectacular. At the foot of "Big Mama" is DeadVlei, another clay pan, about 2 km from Sossusvlei. Deadvlei used to be an oasis with many trees but after the river changed its course the trees died and it is now a stark dry pan punctuated by blackened, dead preserved camelthorn threes, some over 800 years old. The vivid contrast between the shiny white of the salty pan floor, the intense orange of the dunes and the blackened skeletons of the dead trees produces a fascinating and eerie landscape! We rose early and watched the sun creep across Deadvlei, the shadows and colours changing by the minute - an amazing experience! A short flight across the dunes to the Atlantic Ocean was also a brilliant experience and put the extensive mass of sand into context. The sea fog that rolls across the dunes from the Atlantic Ocean is a source of water for Sossusvlei vegetation and wildlife.

Those magnificent sand dunes at sunrise was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I hope that the images presented here have captured just a tiny moment of this experience!



Swakopmund
Leaving the sand dunes behind we travelled northwest towards the coastal town of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. At Walvis Bay I saw my first Flamingos - amazing birds in huge flocks all moving in unism and they were spectacuilar as the sun set below the ocean!

Etosha National Park
From the Atlantic coast we headed northeast to Etosha National Park - one of the world's most amazing wildlife regions. We spent 6 days in Etosha at a varity of lodges (Okaukuejo, Halali and Mushara Bush Camp) and saw an abundance of wildlife mostly around the waterholes. Night viewing was spectacular with floodlit waterholes a speciality - Black Rhino guaranteed!

Okonjima - Africat
The Africat Foundation at Okonjima is dedicated to the protection and long-term conservation of all large carnivores in Namibia - however it started off as a sanctuary for Cheetah and Leopard rescued from irate livestock farmers. We saw Cheetah and Leopard up close - they were hand reared and quite tame so it was lovely to enjoy them at our leisure. Beautiful accommodation - well worth a visit!

Twyfelfontein - Himba
We travelled by road from Okonjima to Twyfelfontein in Damaraland and stayed at Mowani Lodge which was truly unique in this wilderness location. Each "hut" has moulded into the amazing natural rock formations and sundowners were sipped on the top of a massive boulder overlooking the entire region - this was a moving end to each day - most of us sat quietly reflecting as the sun slide behind the red, dry African earth.

With Mowani Lodge as our base we explored the surrounding countryside including a visit to the semi-nomadic Himba people. It was a long drive up into the hills and eventually we arrived at our Himba settlement near Grootberg, north east of Palmwag. The Himba men were away with their cattle but the Himba ladies and children made us very welcome. They danced for us and posed endlessly for photos. They are very warm and welcoming people and I have yet to see more beautiful skin - all nature - no cosmetics!
The Himba wear little clothing, but the women are famous for covering themselves with otjize, a mixture of butter fat, ash and ochre, to protect them from the sun. Anklets protects their legs from snakebite and rubbing ground sage around their neck acts as a deodorant as there is no water for washing. The hairstyle of the Himba women indicates age and social status. Children have two plaits of braided hair. From the onset of puberty the girl's plaits are moved to the face over their eyes, and they can have more than two. Married women wear headdresses with many streams of braided hair, coloured and put in shape with otjize.



The entire African trip was organised and coordinated by Julia, Darran and Pierce Leal of World Photo Adventures, an Australian Photographic Tour Company. It was a fabulous tour and everything went like clock work!(Link to their web site is included under "Links"). I made new friends, rekindled old acquaintances, learnt a lot more about photography and saw some fascinating scenery as well as some of the most amazing wildlife in the world in their natural environment - life's good!

In March 2013 I returned to northern Tanzania with a small group of Photographers. I had never been in Africa in the "green" season and it was so very different. Naturally it rained alot and was much warmer than in the dry cold winter months. The rain and warmth produced lush grasses and dense forests and very contented wildlife - a time of plenty for all! Tarangire National Park was spectacular - a green carpet filled with stunning baobab trees and elephants! We travelled onto the Manyara Conservancy and then to the Ngorongoro rim. Our journey to the rim was certainly an adventure - we spent the morning with a Maasai tribe, and climbed a steep hill behind their village with views down into the famous Rift Valley. After lunch we were heading into the high country when our road was blocked by an overnight bridge wash-out at Mosquito Creek. It is evidently a common occurrance in the wet season but posed little to stop the locals and tourists alike from going about their daily routines. We had to leave our safari vehicles at Mosquito Creek and walk across a raging flooded river via a rather haphazard collection of planks. As we crossed we were accompanied by everything including a kitchen sink. There was a full sized dining table with six chairs carried across via head-top, livestock and just about anything you can imagine! Fashionable ladies in high heals crossed along side us in good sturdy runners and safari cloths! Once across we were met by another team of guides who drove us safely to the Ngorongoro rim. We overnighted at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge which was divine! An eary start saw us drop down into the world famous Ngorongoro Crater, one of the world's natural wonders. This was my second visit to the crater but this time it was lush and green instead of brown and dry as per the winter high season. It is a magical feeling as you slowly descend down the rim onto the 260 square kilometer crater floor. The grass was thick and full of spring flowers. Magadi Lake (a soda Lake)was full of flamingos and surrounded by zebra and wildebeeste. All the animals appeared relaxed (including a pride of lions that were lying on their backs paws in the air in the lush grass - with very full bellies!). We crossed the crater floor and through a series of rain storms headed north onto the Ndutu Plains. The rain storms made driving tricky but made for very fascinating photo opportunities!

The Ndutu Plains were probably the highlight of the trip. The vast herds of Wildebeeste and zebra were gathering in preparation for the great migration. Their young were 6 to 8 weeks old and needed to grow a little more before the trek started. With the plains full of wildlife the predators were in heaven! We came across a family of five cheetahs out on the plains and spent hours watching them feed and play. we came across them again on the following day as well - as they rested under a large acacia tree. One young male got a bit curious and gave Jo, Ian and Max a bit of a start when he climbed up onto their vehicle and poked his head in through the open top - excellent photo opportunity - nose to nose with a wild cheetah! The most spectacular cheetah experience was again out on the plains when we spotted a lone cheetah obviously hunting gazelle. We waited with baited breathe as a hapless rabbit chose that moment to dart out from the lush grass - the chase was on and it was fantastic to watch that beautiful cat swerve back and forth at full speed after her quarry - she sure could move! She caught, killed and ate the rabbit all very quickly and then moved off. We were all speechless!

Rain storms came across the plains every day - they would dump a huge amount of rain in a very short time and then quickly clear away to bright sunshine. We travelled from Ndutu to the famous Serengeti National Park and arrived at our tented camp in a rather wet and bedraggeled state after one of our vehicles got well and truly bogged to the dif in the thick mud and pouring rain. A few wines and a hot shower does wonders and we were off and ready for our next adventure. It is here that we saw our first tree climbing lions - early on the first day in the Serengeti we spotted a single lioness high up a tree searching the surrounds for food I guess - with the grass so tall it would have been hard to hunt on the ground. The second day we saw another lioness doing just the same thing - we followed her for a few hours and she would climb a tree - check out where the prey was and then head in that direction. On our last day we spotted a giant sausage tree that was literally full of lions - we counted 24 many fully grown lionesses sleeping happily in the branches, legs spread and hanging down just like a leopard does. Their tails were hanging down as well and we could see they had full bellies. There were some well grown younsters fooling around in the lower branches but no sign of any males at all - though we were told that they would be close by in the long grass - well hidden!
The elusive leopard did put in a couple of brief appearances - the best was when one eventually climbed up onto a dead tree and posed for us against the backdrop of an oncoming storm.
We also did a sunrise balloon flight over the Serengeti - which was stunning! We saw giraffe and hippos and lots of gazelle - well worth doing!

This was my second visit to the Serengeti but again this time in the green season - it was a totally different experience. There were less vehicles which was nice and the rain was not really a problem (Our drivers may disagree!) - it certainly is one of the world's magical places! I will just have to return especially to see some more leopard and you can never see enough cheetah!



The entire African trip was organised and coordinated by Julia, Darran and Pierce Leal of World Photo Adventures, an Australian Photographic Tour Company. It was a fabulous tour and everything went like clock work!(Link to their web site is included under "Links"). I made new friends, rekindled old aquaintances, learnt alot more about photography and saw some of the most amazing wildlife in the world in their natural environment - life's good!

A short car drive from Kasane bought us to the border crossing into Zambia - a short trip in a boat and we were there followed by another short car trip to Livingstone. Our home was The David Livingstone Safari Lodge and was magnificent! We visited Victoria Falls in the afternoon and saw the sun go down on the Zambesi River from a very lovely cruise boat. I walked with Lions and rode a 50 year old Elephant called Bob before ending my 2012 African experience!

The entire African trip was organised and coordinated by Julia, Darran and Pierce Leal of World Photo Adventures, an Australian Photographic Tour Company. It was a fabulous tour and everything went like clock work! I made new friends, rekindled old aquaintances, learnt alot more about photography and saw some of the most amazing wildlife in the world in their natural environment - I am humbled by my own experience!

On Botswana's far northern border lie the Kwando, Linyati and Chobe River systems that create a mosaic of lakes, islands, channels and flood plains. Part of this system is Chobe National Park, renown for its vast herds of elephant and buffalo, in fact Chobe boasts the largest concentration of Elephant in Africa. Chobe Safari Lodge is situated in Kasane on the banks of the Chobe National Park. This area is the meeting point of four African countries: Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Chobe Safari Lodge was our home for five days as we explored and photographed the amazingly abundant wildlife in the region! Safaris were either by vehicle or by boat and the boat safari experience was truly amazing! Floating quietly down the river watching Elephant, Hippos and Crocodiles to just name a few at almost point blank range was stunning! The birdlife was also beyond description - from the ungainly large storks down to the tiny Malachite Kingfishers and everything in between!

Elephant Crossing: The most amazing experience at Chobe occurred late one afternoon as the light started to fade and the wind dropped which created a rather soft and tranquil scene. A herd of elephants came rushing out of the dry bush down to the waters edge - they didn't drink just played with the water for about 10 minutes and then the large Matriach started across the river and the rest all followed - slowly at first as the water got deeper and deeper until all you could see were the tops of their heads and the tips of their trunks - the little baby elephants in the group dissappeared altogther except for the tiny tips of their trunks - the larger ones assiting the tiny ones as they made their way across to the rich grasses on the other side. As slowly as they entered the water they emerged on the other side, one by one until they were all safely across. Our entire group were very quiet as the Elephants wondered away from us - many were moved to tears by this very special moment!

This tour was organised by Darran, Julia and Piearce Leal of World Photo Adventures, an Australian Photo Adventure Tour Company. It was a spectactular success and I cannot recommend them high enough (Link to their web site is included under "Links")!

The Okavango Delta is one of the last remaining unspoiled wilderness areas of Africa. The Delta is flooded by the floodwaters of Central Africa and covers an area of some 16,000 square kilometers. These waters fan out into the Okavango Delta forming a wetland system of palm fringed channels, lagoons and islands that support a wealth of wildlife. Our Okavango Delta Adventure started in Maun at Royal Tree Lodge from where we headed out into the Delta. Our first camp in the Delta was Pom Pom Camp, which is located on Pom Pom Island in a private concession situated in the heart of the Okavango Delta and on the headwaters of the Xudum system. Flights in and around the Delta are in very small single engine aircraft using small dusty runways aften compromised by wildlife - all of which added to the adventure and excitement of the trip! The birdlife at Pom Pom was amazing - many varieties I had never heard of let alone seen! One of the highlights of Pom Pom was the abundance of giant Baobab trees, many scarred by the ravages of hungry elephants! Our second camp was Sango Safari camp nestled in the shade of the trees overlooking the Kwai River. The highlights from Sango included lion cubs playing for hours around their sleeping Mother and Aunt, we saw a Leopard and a pack of Wild Dogs amongst the usual, Girraffe, Zebra, Warthogs and Impala!




The Okavango Experience was organised by World Photo Adventures which cannot be faulted - a brilliant tour! The link to WPA can be found under "Links" in my website.

Kepama Private Game Reserve is near Kruger National Park in South Africa. I stayed in Buffalo Camp which included luxurous tents constructed high over an old river bed with wildlife wandering around underneath at their leisure. It was a small camp and one that I very much liked - friendly and accommodating by all staff.

Rhino Search: We had being tracking Rhino for 3 days with no sitings. At the end of the last game drive we headed to an old dam for sundowners and as we came around the corner onto the dam wall, there they were, three magnificent Rhinos quietly drinking in the late afternoon sun. We were the only vehicle there and quielty watched them for about 15 minutes before they ambled away into the bush. This was one of my favourite moments of this trip!

Leopard Tracking: Everyone wants to see the elusive Leopard, myself included! On this outing we had been tracking a Leopard all morning and at this moment both our tracker and guide were out of the vehicle inspecting Leopard tracks on the road as their guests were sitting quietly and expectantly in the game vehicle. A slight movement to my left caused me to glance over and two gorgous male Cheetahs sauntered past our vehicle at quite close range. Our trusty tracker and our slightly embarrassed guide did see the funny side of the situation later that evening over a few drinks. Wildlife is the perennial leveller!

The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre is a couple of hours drive from Johannesburg in South Africa. The Centre is managed by Linda Rosenlof and Alan Strachan. I love Cheetahs and last year adopted Ferrari, a Cheetah from this Centre and my aim was to visit Ferrari in the flesh! Linda was away when I visited but I was shown around by her partner Alan - a very hospitable and entertaining guide! I saw King Cheetahs with darker markings than the normal Cheetahs - they were very beautiful but evidently do not suvive well in the wild due to the excessive black in their coats which can cause them to overheat when they run so fast after prey. I met Ferrari with her beautiful orange eyes and was instantly smitten - a very beautiful cat! I was chewed and played with by the Hooligans (a group of 3 month old younsters) who thought I was fair game! I also met "Scarlet" a truly beautiful and regal cat. "Scarlet" is a ambassador cat - she goes to schools and is used to educate children about the beautiful Cheetah. I was able to cuddle "Scarlet" and she purred so loud that her whole body vibrated! This was a truly wonderful experience!

The journey to get to Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park was via King Salmon where we boarded our small float planes for the short flight to Brooks Falls. Disembarkation at Brooks Falls was via a plank and a steadying hand from a local (This took me back to my childhood adventures in Papua New Guinea in the 1960's!).

Brooks Falls lies within Katmai National Park at the base of the Alaska Peninsula. The River flows for only a mile and a half draining Brooks Lake into Naknek Lake. Brown Bears (the coastal form of the Grizzly Bear) congregate at Brooks River when the migrating sockeye salmon arrive from late June until the end of July. Midway up Brooks River the salmon meet a six-foot high waterfall, Brooks Falls. As they mass in the pools beneath it and jump the falls, the salmon are vulnerable to bears. The white water scarcely conceals the fins and backs of the densely packed salmon when large schools crowd beneath the falls.

Bear fishing techniques are as many and varied as the bears themselves. The best fishing spots are at Brooks Falls but are few in number and are usually taken by the dominant, large males leaving the rest to adapt as best they can! The plunge pool beneath the lip of the falls is one of the most desirable spots. The large males fish the frothing plunge pool by standing patiently. The occasional twitch of a shoulder indicates that the male is waiting for a fish to brush against his leg before he pins it against the bottom and then lunges his head into the water and comes up with the hapless salmon.

Bears also compete for places on the lip of the falls where the wrong trajectory can land a jumping salmon into waiting jaws. This is the iconic image we have of bears fishing for salmon, however, only a few bears at a time can fish from the lip and it takes a lot of experience and patience to be successful! The record snow fall resulted in a record melt in 2012 making the waterfall stronger than average with few bears taking the risk!

Bears must consume many salmon beyond the maintenance requirements if they are to put enough fat to survive winter, grow and reproduce. At Brooks Falls we were privaleged to see the salmon run and jumping the falls as well as the life and death struggle of the bears of all ages to eat sufficient salmon to survive through the next winter. This was an amazing experience and one that I have looked forward to for the past 30 years - absolutely memorable!

The airstrip at Silver Salmon Creek (Lake Clark National Park) is the beach at low tide with the main danger being bears! The flight in is by very small single engine aircraft and as usual it was raining and we flew very low to keep beneath the clouds for safe visability. Silver Salmon Lodge is typical Alaskan wilderness style - beautiful log cabins and very large fires - the outside temperature ranged between 1 and 10 degrees with constant rain every day - Alaskan summer! Consequently the pastures were vibrant green with masses of wild flowers everywhere including Artic Lupines and Irises!

The Alaskan Brown Bears are the coastal form of the Grizzley Bear - at Silver Salmon Creek they were wild but had got accustomed to people being around. The Bears had right of way and after one look at their teeth and shear size we treated them with a great deal of respect! At low tide the bears wander out onto the mudflats looking for clams - this was a task usually performed by the females (the males preferring not to get their paws muddy!). The clams were about the size of an Aussie Pippy - the bears would smell out the clam and then dig often going deep down to about armpit depth and coming up with a clam - they would then deftly swipe open the clam with a single stroke of their amazing claws and then eat! The clam diet was balanced by pasture grazing during incoming tides. In the Autumn, Salmon would run up Silver Salmon Creek and bears would bulk up on the rich protein ready for the coming winter. The salmon were not running during our visit but we were priviliged to watch them clamming and grazing in the abundant pastures. We got to recognise an experienced old male bear, whom we nicknamed "Scarface". He was a patient and fascinating character whom dominated most of our photographs - my favourite being "Scarface" in Lupines. The Tour was organised by Darran, Julia and Pearce Leal of World Photographic Adventures, an Australian based photographic Tour company (see "Link" page)and was brilliant in all aspects!

Anchorage in Summertime was notoriously cool and wet but also gloriously green with the most amazing wildflowers I have ever seen! Artic Lupines, Chasta Daisies, Forget-me-knots, Purple Iris, Blue Bells, wild Brior Roses and wild Geraniums just to name a few! They were prolific wherever you went growing wild along the road sides, in fields and in any spare square-foot of ground! This is an image of Alaska that I will carry with me forever!

We had a day excursion by small single engine aircraft up into the mountains near Mt McKinley onto Ruth Glacier. Flying in amongsth the mountains as they soured above you was amazing as was the landing on a smooth soft section of glacier. Walking on the soft snow was thrilling especially for an Aussie with no snow experience what-so-ever! Take-off from the glacier in the little plane with the massive snow covered mountains looming all around was an experience hard to describe - just awsome!

Another day excursion was up to Denali National Park - quite a contrast in scenery - rather bleak with an unusual beauty all of its own. We did see brown bears in Denali but they were along way away. We did see our first and only wolf in the wild again from a distance. Back towards Anchorage we visited and walked on Matanuska Glacier - very tricky walking on ice - quite an experience but I guess I preferred the soft snow on Ruth Glacier!

Another full day outing was from Seward - a full day cruising around the Kenai Fjords in a small fishing boat. The sea otters were very cute floating on their backs with their feet and paws out of the icy water just checking us out as we cruised slowly past them. The rain poured down during this excursion which made it very cold on the water but also created soft misty surreal images for us to photograph! The water was full of Orca and dolphins and we finally reached Aialik Glacier which was also amazing. It creaked and groaned and periodically great slabs of it fell into the icy water - this coupled with the rain and low misty cloud created a truly eerie atmosphere!

The entire trip to Alaska was organised by Darran and Julia Leal of World Photo Adventures - a photographic based tour operation - always friendly and constantly teaching throughout the trip - really brillant! Our host during the few days in Anchorage was Corky Champagne of Alaska Adventure Unlimited. Corky was a fabulous host and adapted very quickly to a group of photographers who could spend hours photographing Lupines on the side of the road. Both Darran and Corky's web pages are available in the "Links" part of this web site.

CrazyCat Imagery - Hi everyone - welcome to CrazyCat Imagery. I have been playing with a number of my images and am very excited by the results. The images have a modern slightly surreal look about them - half way between a painting and a photo. I love them - I hope you do too! Here is an example - there are alot more in my Gallery under CrazyCat Portfolio:

The Galapagos Islands were named after the giant Tortoises that live there (Islands of the Tortoises) but also called The Enchanted Islands mainly due to the dense fog that conceals the Islands and makes them seem to appear and dissappear at will. I found them Enchanting for another reason - the magnificent wildlife that lives there totally unafraid of man! Imagine standing beside a pair of Albatross as they go through their farewell rituals before parting for 18 months on the wing or watching as new born sealion pups call out to you while older pups in groups harass the marine iguanas as they sunbake on the rocks. The wonder of watching Blue Footed Boobies fishing right beside you and also experience the excitement of a chick being fed! Nowhere else in this world can you become part of the wildlife as on the Galapagos Islands!

When I left on my adventure I found that so may people who asked me where I was going had never heard of the Galapagos Islands so here is a very brief summary: The Galapagos Islands are an archipelego of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of continental Ecuador. They are a national park and a biological marine reserve. The islands are famed for their vast number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle (1835). His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. It was the endemic Galapagos Mocking Birds that Darwin first noticed to vary from island to island. Straddling the equator, islands in the chain are located in both the northern and southern hemisphere. Although located on the equator, the Humbolt Current brings nutrient rich cold water to the islands which in turn brings the penguins and sealions. The Galapagos Islands are unique and truly a wonderful experience! Where else could you snorkel to the utter amusement of curious sealion pups?

The David Sheldrick Elephant orphange is the most wonderful place! My visit to the orphanage was a pilgrimidge for both myself and my Mother. We had sponsored baby eles since seeing the BBC program called "Elephant Diaries" about 5 or so years ago and Mum simply loved her baby orphan and one of the last things she said to me before she died was that I must visit our babies in Nairobi - so I have! The little baby eles are totally milk dependent for 2 to 3 years and require round the clock love and care. From the orphanage they then head down to Tsavo National Park where they start their rehabilitation back into the wild with the ultimate goal of living totally free wild lives. At the orphanage the babies come into the mudbath for milk and a play at 11.00am every morning and are so enertaining - I went back for 4 days simply mesmerized by them! At 5.00pm foster parents can go back and watch the babies have their 5.00pm feed and get bedded down for the night. They have little blankets put around them and a matress to sleep on and finally a big blanket thrown over the top. The little eles are very prown to pneunmonia and they have lost a lot of the littles this way. The keepers are wonderful and sleep in the stables as the babies require feeds every 3 hours day and night. It was a fantastic experience and definitely a return visit will be on the agenda and I am sure Mum was with me at the orphanage laughing and enjoying their antics with me!

The Masai Mara is a wonderful place - straight out of "Big Cat Diary"! It was so green with very long grass and looked so lush after coming from the dry Serengeti. One of my ultimate wishes was to see the great migration - I knew that it was a gamble and depended entirely on the rains. The big herds of wildebeast and zebra did not actually get as far as the Mara this season - there were some herds of course but nothing like the usual and no crossings. The rains were quite different this year compared to normal and the long grass that I thought was so lush had actually turned to straw and was of little value to the herds and too long for the gazelle and antelope who prefer short sweet grass. The rangers were in fact buring off sections of the plains to start the grass shoots coming through as they said that the wildebeast had not done their job this year! Many cheeta again which was fantastic and alot of lions with their kills (mostly zebra). We did see a couple of young rhinos from a distance - always impressive creatures! The highlight for me was watching a female cheeta cross the grass land and head up into some rocky scrub. She moved effortlessly and climbed up onto a number of termite mounds as she progressed towards the rocks all the time looking around carefully checking for danger. At one point she walked right past our vehicle so close I could have patted her - she took absolutely no notice of us at all! Finally she sat up on the rocky outcrop and called and out of the scrub came three little balls of fluff who gambled all around her joyful at the return of their mother! She was so beautiful and it was a priviledge to share that moment with her!

The Serengeti is so large - I believe Serengeti in Masai means "endless plains" and this is so true! It was the dry season and so there appeared to be no or very little grass on the plains and a lot of dust - the big herds of animals were further north in the Masai Mara following the rains. We did see huge herds of gazelle and antelope which kept the big cats well fed. I never did see a thin lion or cheeta! Lots of cheetas in fact and watched two unsuccessful chases - wonderful to see them move so effortlessly accross the ground! We saw a huge pride of lions (we counted 21) with no male in sight. My guide (Clement) told me that the males would be close by but the cubs in the pride were about half grown and he said they really annoy the lions at this age (just like teenagers?). One of the many highlights was watching two male leopards playing in a tree near a creek -they run down out of the tree, played hide and seek in the grass and back up the tree and then chased each other way up in the tops of the tree! After all that energetic exercise they then went to sleep astride branches in the tree. It was a magical moment to see them so playful! An afternoon spent at the hippo pool was also fascinating - there must have been hundreds all together in a huge pond overlorded by a massive male - wonderful photo opportunities! Another highlight was seeing two male cheetas lying under trees patting distance from the vehicle - they truly are one of my favourite animals! One unusual creature was a male aguma lizard which was bright blue and pink almost flourescent actually - we had stopped at the entry gate to the Serengeti and had climbed up a small rocky outcrop to view the famous magical plains and I thought quite bizarely that everyone were taking photos of the rocks instead of the view but it was infact one of these amazing lizards sitting on the rocks!