The Great Migration Part 1:

Wildebeest Birthing Season By Todd Gustafson

In nature photography Timing is everything! Some photographers enjoy birds, while others concentrate on animals, landscapes, macro photography… the list is endless. Regardless of your subject of choice there will be a best time and place for great photography. As a photo subject the wildebeest is neither beautiful, nor dramatic. What makes them the main attraction for a photo safari to East Africa is the sheer number of wildebeest and the behaviors that form the Great Migration. Most important for a photographer is to plan a safari that coincides with the high points of the migration cycle; either Mara River crossings in Kenya or the birthing season in Tanzania For our purposes the story begins in Tanzania’s Serengeti eco system when an estimated 2.5 million wildebeest and zebras arrive in the southern Serengeti to give birth. February and March is the time between the short rains of November- December and the long rains beginning in March and continuing through early June. The grass is green and the time is right for new calves to be born.

Wildebeest herds Nikon D3 Nikon 200-400mm lens With all of the new calves being born there is plenty of easy prey for lions and cheetah. A plentiful food supply means lots of new lion and cheetah cubs. Add

to that vultures, birds of prey, thousands of migrating storks as well as all the big plains game animals and you have a photographer’s dream! With no shortage of subjects to choose from here are just a few considerations that will make photographing them a pleasure instead of an exercise in frustration. (All of this and much, much more safari information is in The Photographer’s Guide to the Safari Experience, available at gustafsonphotosafari.net) Pack the right equipment. A common problem on safari is when a photographer has too much camera gear. They are prepared for every photo situation. Their equipment list includes super telephoto, macro, wide angle zoom, mid telephoto, fisheye, four camera bodies, two flash units (plus a macro flash) as well as Quantum batteries, two computers, four extra hard drives and battery chargers for everything. I’m out of breath just thinking about getting all that gear from my room to the safari vehicle much less getting it though airport security and onto the airplane. More importantly, there is so much equipment to sort through that by the time you have decided what equipment will suit your vision of a scene, the moment is past. I have found over the years that you can use fewer lenses, shape your photographic vision to that set of optics, do less equipment juggling and make a higher percentage of dramatic images. My lens of choice is a 600 mm f4 lens and a 1.7 teleconverter. Understand your equipment. I have seen people on safari with brand new top of the line equipment that had never been taken out of the bow until the safari. Figuring out which button and dial controls which feature on the camera while in the field is a recipe for failure. I’ve even seen photographers struggling with a computer that had never been turned on until the safari. Pack the right clothes. A safari wardrobe needs to function on several levels. It must be khaki, khaki, and, you guessed it, more khaki; jeans and a Hawaiian shirt just don’t cut it. You must be prepared for temperature extremes that include chilly mornings where layers of clothes work well, hot, sunny mid days where lightweight, sun protective fabrics are a plus, a light rain jacket if there are afternoon showers, and a wide brimmed hat. Casual, khaki, and comfortable is how I would describe the perfect safari outfit. Have an open mind. Exploring the area you are based out of while on safari will give you an idea of what photo subjects are in the area. Rely on your guide for information on what possibilities are further a field. Knowing those possibilities will allow you to choose what you want to hunt for. A perfect example is the birthing of the wildebeest. They give birth in the morning and there are areas that they prefer to give birth in. Weather is an important factor as well as the

presence of predators. If conditions are not right the female wildebeest can delay the birth for up to two weeks.

Please realize that your driver can’t find a wildebeest birth for you to photograph if conditions aren’t right. If you insist on finding a group of wildebeest giving birth, you will end up a frustrated safari photographer. Have an open mind and a back up plan for your photographic day. There may be a large pride of lions or a cheetah with cubs waiting to be photographed in a different area of the reserve. If you and your driver work as a team the rewards can be astounding.

Cheetah family Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens Have a visual idea of what you would like to photograph in mind. As with any photo shoot there is a balance between spontaneity and preconception. Seeing the shot in your mind’s eye will allow you to be in the right place and make the proper lens choice when the prime moment arrives. At the same time, being open-minded and observant will allow you to shoot spontaneously as unforeseen situations develop. Following a wildebeest who is about to give birth is a balancing act of vehicle placement and timing. Get to close and she will move to the safety of the herd. Get too far away and you risk loosing the subject among all the other animals. When the birth moment arrives and there is no turning back you must get in the correct position quickly. There really is not time to reposition or the birth will be over. Prime shots of a birth include: The moment of birth (The mother could be standing or sitting)

The Moment of Birth Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens

The often ignored bonding between the new calf and the rest of the family… first time standing… falling …standing...falling…nursing … running (after as few as five minutes). Be ready for the unexpected. .

Mother and Calf Bonding Nikon D2X Nikon 600 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter Here, a jackal arrived just after the birth and tried to get a free meal. It was a close call for the new born but as luck would have it; other wildebeest came to the rescue and chased the jackal away. The challenge, as always, is to tell a story with a single image. If you have to juggling equipment to find the right combination, the decisive moment will be gone. The whole event, properly photographed can make a stunning editorial sequence. A Protective Mother Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens Add photo opportunities with all of the birds, animals, and landscapes that make up the fabric of East Africa’s natural beauty and you have limitless possibilities that will keep you coming back year after year.

The river crossings and the rut in Kenya’s Masai Mara will be discussed in Part 2 of this article.

Contact Todd Gustafson (847)373-5622 Email gustaphoto@aol.com Website gustafsonphotosafari.com I am proud to be a contributing travel writer for BirdPhotographers.Net online magazine. Look for six articles a year dealing with travel, equipment, and photo destinations. Have fun! Next trips… Costa Rica Tanzania for Wildebeest Births Madagascar for Chameleons and Lemurs India for Tigers and the Taj Mahal Big Game Safari to Kenya for river crossings Rwanda for gorillas and golden monkeys Brazil for Jaguars and Jabaru Storks