Botswana. Impala and Nile crocodile. Shutter speed 1/1000sec at f7,1, iso 6400. Focal length 500mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 17h48:09. Click for larger view

Unfortunately for the impala, a Nile crocodile that was already in the water body, had grabbed hold of him.  It is not an uncommon occurrence for antelope like impala and kudu to enter deep water to escape being pursued by wild dogs in this part of Botswana and sometimes it can work if the wild dogs fear being attacked by a crocodile themselves too much and are unwilling to enter into the water.  Wild dogs are actually good swimmers themselves and I have seen them catch up to swimming impala in deep water when there are no crocodiles.  This was not one of those times.  The crocodile had clamped it’s jaws onto the poor impala’s ear.  The water was just deep enough that the impala was able to touch the bottom with it’s feet and it was resisting the crocodile.  The crocodile was only of a medium size itself and it was having difficulty pulling the impala under.

Botswana. Hippopotamus and crocodile splash. Shutter speed 1/1000sec at f7,1, iso 5000. Focal length 500mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 17h48:19. Click for larger view

The pool of water was also home to a hippo.  We watched as that hippo very quickly took an interest in the impala’s struggle.  The hippo approached the impala from behind, with purpose.  There are instances of hippo gently pushing injured impala out of the water and then, still other instances of hippo biting to death any impala that might be swimming in the hippo’s pool.  We did not know which of these two hippo behaviours we where about to witness.  As the hippo got closer and closer, the crocodile kicked up a tremendous splash, with more water thrown into the air than I could have imagined.  This seemed to startle the hippo and caused it some uncertainty as to what it was dealing with.  The water was greenish and opaque, so the  parts of the crocodile that where underwater could not be easily seen.  The hippo made a very fast about-turn away from both creatures. and moved quickly back to the deepest part of the pool.

Botswana. Impala and Nile crocodile. Shutter speed 1/1000sec at f5,6, iso 5000. Focal length 363mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 17h48:28. Click for larger view

Now there seemed nothing that could save the impala.  The impala did not give up though and kept trying to stay on his feet.

Botswana. Nile crocodile holding the impala while the African wild dog watches. Shutter speed 1/1250sec at f5,6, iso 6400. Focal length 343mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 17h49:18. Click for larger view

In the shallower parts of the pool, he was able to slowly move toward the side, taking the crocodile with him.  One of the wild dogs made his way excitedly to the water’s edge, directly where the impala was headed to.

Botswana. Pack members watching the impala. Shutter speed 1/800sec at f6,3, iso 3200. Focal length 363mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 17h53:50 Click for larger view

The other seven wild dogs where still watching the struggle with intent from various positions around the pool’s edge.  Usually, struggles like this are very short-lived, but the impala was strong, and it was fighting for it’s life.  At the same time, the crocodile was not large enough itself to easily pull the impala under the water, and so they continued.

Botswana. A male dog enters the water. Shutter speed 1/800sec at f7,1, iso 10000. Focal length 500mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 17h56:54 Click for larger view

One of the male wild dogs was extremely focused on the impala, even more so than the rest of his pack.  He even entered the water, right up to his belly  when the impala started getting closer to the side.  This caused the impala to turn away and change direction, which was counter to the wild dog’s plan.

Botswana. Male wild dog leaps toward the impala and crocodile. Shutter speed 1/800sec at f7,1, iso 10000. Focal length 500mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 17h57:56 Click for larger view

The male wild dog then jumped deeper into the water, and further from the side, as he was intent on getting the impala, which still had the crocodile hanging onto it.  The impala chose the deeper water though and the wild dog turned back and splashed out of the water.

Botswana. Determined wild dog watching the impala. Shutter speed 1/640sec at f7,1, iso 5000. Focal length 500mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 18h00:59 Click for larger view

The same male wild dog ran around one end of the pool, ears pricked forward and tail up, with his focus still on the impala.  Now on the complete opposite side of the pool, he tried to reach the impala by making his way onto a fallen tree trunk.  This allowed him to get further out into the water but still not close enough.

Botswana. The same male wild dog uses a different fallen tree to try to reach the impala. Shutter speed 1/640sec at f6,3, iso 5000. Focal length 400mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 18h01:33 Click for larger view

When the impala changed direction yet again, the male wild dog found another fallen tree trunk and he climbed out on it but again, he was unable to get near and he jumped back off the log.

Botswana. Brave wild dog and nile crocodile. Shutter speed 1/320sec at f7,1, iso 8000. Focal length 500mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 18h02:52 Click for larger view

After all the direction changes, the impala had once again ended up on the shallower side of the pool.  The same male wild dog raced around the pool one more time, in order to get close to the impala.  This time, he boldly re-entered the water, and bravely waded out until he was almost able to touch the crocodiles tail.  For several minutes, he watched it closely, and we even wondered briefly if he was thinking about nipping the croc’s tail to scare it but he never did.  He did splash around a bit but even that did not cause the crocodile to let the impala go.

Botswana. Wild dog watching the tail of the crocodile still holding the impala by it’s back leg. Shutter speed 1/320sec at f6,3, iso 6400. Focal length 324mm. R1 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Time 18h03:19 Click for larger view

This most determined and brave wild dog just stayed in the water up to his chest for minute after minute.  Even though the danger was perhaps less from the crocodile that was holding the impala, there could have been other crocodiles in the pool.  The dog did not care, and he wanted the dog pack’s impala back!

We took our last picture of the impala at 18h19 and the crocodile was still holding on, which meant that the impala had been resisting for more than half an hour.  The brave male wild dog had given up on trying to scare the crocodile and had made his way safely out of the water, much to our relief.  The dogs still waited, even though some of them moved a short distance away from the water.  It had become too dark for photography.

Soon after, in the early darkness, the crocodile did let go of the impala and it walked out of the water, only for the dogs to kill it and eat it, very quickly.  They got lucky.  We felt deeply sorry for the unfortunate male impala, especially given how long he struggled with the crocodile.  At the same time, we were glad that the wild dogs managed to get their meal that they had worked hard for.

Those who know me well will know that African wild dogs are a favourite animal of mine.  They pay me back and win new fans for themselves with sightings like this one.  It was the wild dogs and their afternoon hunt that ended up starting an interaction between three species of mammals and one reptile!   The brave male wild dog exhibited a degree of fearlessness that was new to me and that he did not get harmed by that crocodile or an unseen one, made me very happy.  Over time, I have been able to photograph and record on this website African wild dogs at play, also hunting large prey, and interacting with spotted hyaena,  and then even two packs fighting over territory.  All my best sightings have come from the northern Botswana population, with the Okavango Delta and connected, protected land around the Kwando River, Linyanti River, Savuti Channel and Chobe River being most important for the wild dogs.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater adult. Shutter speed 1/3200sec at f8.0, iso 2500. Focal length 70mm. R3 and RF 70-200L f2.8 IS. Click for larger view

Northern Botswana enjoys a well-deserved reputation amongst wildlife photographers as being one of the better locations for taking good pictures of beautiful birds as well as large mammals.  The carmine bee-eater could well be one of the bird species that contributes to this perception with its bright colours, pleasing shape and dynamic behaviour.

Carmine bee-eaters are summer visitors to their Southern African range, and they are typically only present in North Botswana from late August onwards, departing the region sometime in March or April the following year.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater sub-adult. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f5/6, iso 640. Focal length 200mm. R3 and RF 70-200L f2.8 IS. Click for larger view

Some carmine bee-eaters have developed the interesting behaviour of following large mammals that might be walking along in grassland.  They do this because the large animal may disturb insects as it moves along, that would otherwise have remained hidden in the grass.  As soon as these insects fly up ahead of the big animal, the bee-eaters will go after them in the air.  I have seen carmine bee-eaters ‘using’ buffalo, elephant, warthog and zebra in this manner.  Not all carmine bee-eaters show this behaviour, though.  It is most interesting to observe.  What is still more interesting, at least to me, is that some carmine bee-eaters have learned to do the same thing when a vehicle passes by.  Again, it is not every carmine bee-eater that will follow a moving vehicle through grassland and it is also not something that happens in every place (in North Botswana at least) where carmine bee-eaters are present and vehicles drive past.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater adult. Shutter speed 1/3200sec at f7.1, iso 1600. Focal length 472mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

There is one area where this behaviour has been happening reliably for me though, every year since I began visiting, and that is Kwando Safaris Lagoon camp.  The camp is situated along the bank of a channel linked to the Kwando River and within a protected area (NG 14), a private concession are that extends over 200 000 hectares.  That the carmine beee-eaters often breed in this concession is good news for the birds, because the Kwando NG 14 concession is well preserved and pristine habitat.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater sub-adult. Shutter speed 1/1000sec at f8.0, iso 200. Focal length 35mm. R6 and RF 24-105L f4.0 IS. Click for larger view

The carmine bee-eaters behaviour of following vehicles seems to happen most strongly in the months of January and February and less strongly in December and March.  The behaviour makes it possible to capture some very strong bird in flight images of the carmines.  The birds come very close, and may sometimes end up being as about a metre or two away from the vehicle.  They sometimes also keep on flying close beside the vehicle for a while.  The close proximity of the carmines as well as the their persistence (some might fly beside the jeep for perhaps more than 20 seconds mean that some very unusual photo opportunities become a possibility.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater adult. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f9.0 iso 1250. Focal length 89mm. R3 and RF 70-200L f2.8 IS. Click for larger view

It’s a somewhat unusual photographic experience in that the birds are flying towards the photographer and they carry out that behaviour repeatedly.  Mostly I find that a lot of wild birds usually prefer flying away from the photographer (understandably) and normally only do things once.  So I find that the ‘following’ behaviour of the carmines makes it much, much easier to get good flight images.  Another benefit of photographing the ‘follower’ carmines is that they often come so close to the jeep that I can use smaller lenses.  The smaller lenses that I use most are my 24-105mm and 70-200mm focal lengths.  Two benefits that come with using the shorter lenses are that they are lighter to handhold and easier to swivel, turn and track with.  Both of these aspects have added importance because the photography all takes place while the vehicle is being driven, as slowly and smoothly as possible, but still in motion.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater adult with worn feathers. Shutter speed 1/3200sec at f8.0 iso 2500. Focal length 200mm. R3 and RF 70-200L f2.8 IS. Click for larger view

The bee-eaters come so close to the vehicle that it is possible to still get strongly blurred backgrounds for some flight shots, that would be more like what one would expect when using 500mm or 600mm lenses.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater adult focused on a dragonfly. Shutter speed 1/3200sec at f7.1 iso 640. Focal length 147mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5 -7.1 IS. Click for larger view

The carmine bee-eaters go after dragonflies (bottom right in the image above) but more often grasshoppers, butterflies, moths, mantids and many other types of insects.  With smaller insects, the bird might swallow it almost at the same time as it catches the insect.  Carmines that catch larger bugs quite often will slow down their flight a little, and gain some height before attempting to reposition the insect in the perfect position to be swallowed.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater adult swallowing prey. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f9.0 iso 500. Focal length 84mm. R3 and RF 70-200L f2.8 IS. Click for larger view

I have realized that the experienced carmine bee-eaters fly higher than normal when swallowing large prey.  This is in order to give themselves a second chance of catching it in the air before it falls to the ground, should they drop it.

Some carmine bee-eaters are so successful at catching insects whilst following the jeep, that they might catch three or four different ones in a single, long flight.  These birds can be good ones to target for photography because they give the photographer a higher likelihood of capturing an image of a bird with prey in the picture or the bill.

Getting so many chances to photograph the carmines in flight means that it is possible to try for different types of image.  In this blog post I have posted just a sampling of the type of images that are possible.

North Botswana. Carmine bee-eater adult. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f7.1 iso 1250. Focal length 200mm. R3 and RF 70-200L f2.8 IS. Click for larger view

Aside from the more typical bird in flight images with a blurred background it is also possible to frame with more of the environment in the image, as evident in the first image right at the beginning of this blog post.

I was unable to get an image of a Kwando safaris game drive vehicle driving along with the bee-eaters following it, because if I had gotten out of the vehicle, they would have been disturbed.  I only had need of such an image to illustrate this behaviour better for the blog post.

Despite not having an illustrative image of the vehicle taken from another vehicle, I hope that the images and behaviour in this blog post will go some way toward encouraging bird and action photographers to visit the carmine bee-eaters and get some ‘follower’ carmine bee-eater pictures and experiences of their own!  It is certainly a unique relationship that has developed between the birds and vehicles.  It also makes it possible to experience the carmine bee-eaters incredible agility in the air and from an extremely close distance!

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/2000sec at f7,1, iso 2500. Focal length 500mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

North Botswana’s Okavango Delta remains a stronghold for African wild dogs, though population densities might be lower than in years past.  The low numbers mean that it can sometimes be days or even weeks (or longer) between repeat sightings of packs.  At times they can be highly mobile, which can make them difficult to follow for a vehicle.  They also like hunting in woodland, where again, it can be impossible to keep up with them due to dense stands of trees.  All these things make wild dogs very challenging subjects to photograph.  But, I believe it is a big mistake to not try.  This incredible and action-packed sighting from a January 2024 photo-safari reminded me again why I should always keep trying to follow and photograph them.

The sighting took place at Pom Pom Camp, part of Kwando Safaris in the Okavango Delta.  A pack of fifteen African wild dogs had earlier chased and eaten two sub-adult impala.  Now, they where resting and lying about in the grass.  Content and  almost every dog well fed.  The six young dogs in the pack where not sleeping, but chasing each other around in play.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/2000sec at f5.0, iso 1600. Focal length 238mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

Just after 08h00, a small herd of African buffalo noticed them from afar, and one of the buffalo made a direct approach toward the resting dogs, eventually forcing them to stand up and trot away from their resting place.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo.  Shutter speed 1/2000sec at f4,5, iso 100. Focal length 100mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

The dogs that had so rudely been roused, where looking as if they would walk away but something made them change their mind.  Instead of moving off, some of the adults began to approach the buffalo, first just ambling in their direction but then, lowering their ears like they do sometimes when they intend to hunt!  Amongst the buffalo herd where four calves, of varying ages.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/2000sec at f7,1, iso 3200. Focal length 500mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

The dogs took special note of the calves and starting trying to get close to the them, sometimes sneaking up behind the buffalo until they got noticed and chased away.  Adult female buffalo, though not as large or heavy as full-grown male buffalo, are still formidable in defence and will easily injure or kill a wild dog if they are able to get close to it.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/2000sec at f7,1, iso 2000. Focal length 500mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

After the dogs had been hassling the herd for perhaps twenty minutes, two female buffalo charged the wild dogs, at full speed, with lowered horns and menace in their eyes.  The wild dogs where fast enough to outrun the buffalo though and after a while, the female buffalo started to tire and stopped charging.  The dogs where still showing interest in the young buffalo in the herd and almost managed to nip them on the legs a few times, trying to make them break away from the adults.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/2000sec at f7,1, iso 3200. Focal length 500mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

At this point the wild dogs managed to get the whole herd of buffalo to panic and run.  They kept chasing and trying to separate the adults from the young buffalo calves.  After about a kilometre they succeeded and this time the adults kept running and did not try to chase the dog pack away from the single calf they managed to separate.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/2000sec at f7,1, iso 2000. Focal length 500mm. R3 and RF 100-500L f4.5-7.1 IS. Click for larger view

Although African wild dogs have sharp teeth and strong jaws, they are much better adapted for killing smaller prey animals with thin skin like impala or red lechwe.  In contrast, buffalo, even calves , have an extremely tough skin.  The calf that they had captured was not the smallest one in the herd.  With a big team effort, the dogs where able to stop the calf from running by holding onto it’s rear.  Several times the buffalo calf broke loose from their grip and it looked as if it might escape but each time the adult dogs would easily catch up to it and the fight would start again.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/800sec at f5.0, iso 125. Focal length 24mm. R6 and RF 24-105L f4.0 IS. Click for larger view

We could see the other members of the buffalo herd in the distance but they did not approach at all and kept moving, further and further away.  It was not obvious to us why the adult buffalo had not defended the calf more vigourously.

Botswana. African wild dog and buffalo. Shutter speed 1/800sec at f5.0, iso 200. Focal length 24mm. R6 and RF 24-105L f4.0 IS. Click for larger view

The weight of a single African wild dog may range from 20 kg for a yearling or female up to 39 kg for an adult male.  It was therefore quite a tough physical challenge for them to kill the buffalo calf which was much bigger than any of them.  But, they did indeed kill the calf shortly after I took this image and ended the suffering.

The whole pack fed very well on the calf and did not hunt for another two days after this.

Botswana.  Shutter speed 1/640sec at f6.3, iso 320. Focal length 300mm.  50D and EF 300L f2.8 IS. Click for larger view

Water

Generally, if cheetah encounter water, they see it as an unwelcome obstacle and they will try to minimise how much time they are in the water.  The cheetah in the image above was crossing the Savuti Channel, in northern Botswana.  The water was not deep enough for the cat to swim but he tried to run through it, as the channel quite wide.  The image is one of the older ones in this collection and was taken with an older Canon 50D crop-sensor camera.  If I took it again today I would use a faster shutter speed. Whilst I was happy enough with the image, I missed two more opportunities shortly after this.  The cat crossed the channel two more times on this day, trying to get to his regular scent-marking locations that he visited every few weeks.  Both crossing spots that he chose next where shorter and deeper, and he crossed by making a spectacular leap into the middle of the water followed by one more leap taking him clear out the other side.  Whilst I watch both those absolutely amazing leaps happen, I was not able to get the vehicle close enough for pictures in time and they remain in my memory alone.  It was one of those times when  a cheetah can navigate the difficult terrain faster than a four-wheeled drive vehicle.

Tanzania. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f5.6, iso 1250. Focal length 500mm. 1DX Mark 2 and EF 500 f4 IS ii. Click for larger view

Ethics Around Photographing Cheetah Hunts

This image above cannot be used for anything, other than as a reference, taken as it is, from such a long distance.  It shows how far away from the gazelle and the cheetah we where parked, from the perspective of a picture taken with a 500mm lens.  This is roughly equivalent to the view from a pair of 8 or 10 X magnification binoculars.  If I am trying to photograph a hunt, my main ethical consideration is to position the vehicle far enough away so that the prey animal is not distracted or disturbed by it and there is no impact on the hunt.  In this image, it is clear to see that this was achieved.  For long moments before this image was taken, the cheetah had been stalking closer to the gazelle, which had been lying down, ruminating, but alert, and facing in our direction.  At this precise moment I snapped this picture the gazelle became aware of the cheetah, perhaps by sound and the picture shows it rising to its feet, and aimed towards us.  Had we positioned much closer we would probably have scared the gazelle away or caused it to stand long before this, and it would have noticed the cheetah sooner.

Tanzania. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f5.6, iso 1250. Focal length 500mm. 1DX Mark 2 and EF 500 f4 IS ii. Click for larger view

A Little Luck Helps

The image above comes from the series of frames that began with the earlier image that is located above the Ethics heading in this blog, but taken a few second later. Luckily for the purpose of photography, the gazelle ran towards the vehicle.  Healthy adult gazelles like this male Thompson’s gazelle can match or even exceed some cheetah when it comes to outright pace, provided they get a vital few seconds head-start, and that is what happened in this instance.  The male cheetah got quite close to the rear of the gazelle but never close enough for contact.  The chase lasted about 8 seconds before the cheetah gave up.  Many, many times, the prey animal does not run toward the vehicle, and then it is not possible to get any pictures.  It is still incredible to watch a chase from any distance or direction.  I have also trained myself to try and keep my focus point on the cheetah throughout a chase, and not to confuse myself by trying to focus on the prey.  Should they both come close enough in the course of a chase, I would rather have an action image of the cheetah alone in the frame than the gazelle.

Kenya. Shutter speed 1/3200sec at f5.0, iso 500. Focal length 500mm. 1DX and EF 500 f4 IS ii. Click for larger view

Choosing The Vehicle Location

I usually sit beside the local guides that I am working with in the front of the safari vehicle.  That brings with it the opportunity to learn even more about the cheetah behaviour from these most expert of observers.  Over time, I have built up good relationships with those guides who I work best with, and I regard the many days and hours that we have spent together watching or waiting for cheetah amongst the most rewarding of my wildlife experiences.  These highly experienced guides have incredible skill sets that allow them to find the cheetah even when they are not easily visible, and to predict and anticipate much of their behaviour when we are following the animal.  Working beside a top guide is far more important than having the most expensive camera!  That said, most of the time, if we are trying to photograph a hunt, we go far beyond the prey that we think the cheetah is stalking, so that the prey is between us and the cheetah but at a long distance.

Cameras, and Settings

Camera settings are fairly straightforward for me.  With Canon DSLR bodies, I make sure they are in Ai Servo focusing mode, as well as Hi-speed continuous shooting mode.  For focus point preference I normally use a Single AF Point or AF Expansion (One focus point plus four helper points) and I see it as my role to keep that focus point positioned on the cheetah during the running that takes place.  With the Canon DSLR cameras I have used so far, I get far better results using a Single AF Point or AF Expansion, than if I try using Zone AF or Automatic tracking.  I set Tracking Sensitivity to 0 or Minus 1.  With Nikon and Sony we choose AF-C (Continuous) and a high continuous shooting mode.

With cameras, what is most important for me is a very good autofocus, continuous shooting capability and buffer.  What is perhaps more important for me than pure frames per second (shooting speed) is a large buffer for continuous shooting.  I also set my camera to shoot raw images only to help with continuous shooting capacity rather than raw and Jpeg.  A cheetah hunt may be anything from 2 seconds to 16 seconds long and if the cat is close enough at any part of that time for usable pictures, it can translate into a lot of frames.  So I do try choose a camera with a large enough buffer for me to manage a whole hunt sequence.  Of course you only need one good frame!

The cameras that I use most often are the Canon 1DX Mark 2 (CF buffer around 90 frames) and the original 1DX (CF buffer around 50 frames) and even the 7D Mark 2 (CF buffer around 30 frames ) can suffice.  I have also got some of my best cheetah action shots using my 5D Mark 3 (CF buffer around 22 frames) but I am forced to keep a close eye on the buffer with that camera as well as the 5D Mark 4 which has a similar buffer capacity.

Nikon cameras with great autofocus and large buffers ideal for this kind of shooting include the Nikon D5 and D6, even the D4S, as well as the D500 and to a lesser degree the D850 (buffer can be slightly limiting).  All five of the Nikon DSLR bodies I mentioned here have good enough autofocus to keep up with this kind of photography.

The best camera I have used up until today for photographing cheetah hunting is the Sony A9 and A9ii when paired with a Sony G lense.  Making use of their animal subject tracking function allowed for a greater number of properly-focused images from a sequence than I am able to attain with the Canon 5D Mark IV or 1DX Mark 2.

Although I don’t own one, my experience with the 1DX Mark 3 indicates that it has slightly better autofocus than other Canon DSLR bodies and a huge buffer, making it a good option.  I will shortly also be using the Canon R6 for cheetah photography and I expect that it too may be a good option with a deep buffer, fast frame rate and animal subject tracking.  It my personal preference to choose cameras with lower resolution, like 18-24 megapixels on a full-frame sensor, as opposed to very high resolution bodies.

Kenya. Shutter speed 1/5000 sec at f6.3, iso 800. Focal length 500mm. Canon 5D Mark 3 and EF 500 IS ii. Click for larger view

Shutter Speeds

These days, all the cameras I use allow me to shoot in M (Manual) exposure mode, with Auto ISO enabled.  So I am able to choose my shutter speed first, then the aperture setting, depending on how close the cat is to the camera.  Auto ISO will set my camera to an ISO setting that is a result of my chosen shutter speed and selected aperture.  If the light is bright, then the ISO will be low.  If the ambient light is low, then the ISO might be high.  Bearing that in mind, if I expect a cheetah to run, then my shutter speed will be 1/2500sec or 1/3200sec.  If the cat is close to the camera, I may have to select a smaller aperture for more depth of field, like f5.6 or 6.3 or even f8.0.  On the other hand, if the cat is very far away, I might choose to shoot with the aperture wide open, as at long distance I will always have enough depth of field.  The slowest shutter speed I could expect to get a running cat sharp with might be around 1/1000sec, but I would always prefer 1/2500sec or 1/3200 sec if ambient light allows.

Tanzania. Shutter speed 1/3200sec at f7.1, iso 500. Minus 0.33 exp compensation. Focal length 500mm. 1DX Mark 2 and EF 500 f4 IS ii. Image quality affected by heat haze. Click for larger view

Lenses

Most of the time, longer focal length lenses are suited to this kind of photography especially if you are trying for the cheetah hunts.  My best results come with using a 500mm lens.  I would even prefer a 600mm lens most times though I don’t have one.  It helps if the lens can focus quite fast.  I do also have images taken with a 100-400mm zoom, and a fixed 300mm and fixed 400mm that where framed well.  Generally though, longer is better.  If I am not photographing a hunt, then of course lenses with shorter focal lengths work very well.  In all the locations that I spend cheetah time in, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa, the cats are habituated to safari jeeps and one can approach them quite closely.  Some individuals will ignore the vehicles completely.  Though nothing to do with lenses, another consideration regarding cheetah anatomy and a high sun angle is illustrated in this image.  Cheetah have deep orbital ridges that protect their eyes from injury.  On clear days and when the sun is higher in the sky, these ridges cast shadows which completely hide any colour or detail in their eyes as happened in the image above.  Photographing on overcast days alleviates this problem

Tanzania. Shutter speed 1/3200 sec at f6.3, iso 500. Focal length 500mm. 1DX Mark 2 and EF 500 f4 IS ii. Image quality affected by heat haze. Click for larger view

Heat Haze 

On most clear days, in East Africa and Southern Africa, heat haze can be a challenge for photographing cheetah from a distance.  Heat haze happens when warmed air is rising strongly, and it creates distortion in an image.  The only way to avoid it is to reduce the distance between the camera and the subject, but that is not always possible when photographing action.  Heat haze means that overcast days are generally better for this kind of photography than clear days.  Taking a closer look at the image above will reveal the heat haze in the form of reduced detail of the cheetah and gazelle.  It also shows in the ‘prickly’ appearance of the blurred foreground.  This image is downsized for the web though, which makes it harder to see the heat haze.  Viewing the full-sized image on my editing screen clearly reveals it could never be used for print.  Heat haze may be the single biggest challenge to getting good cheetah action pictures.

Tanzania. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f6.3, iso 500. Focal length 500mm. 1DX Mark 2 and EF 500 IS ii. Image quality affected by heat haze. Click for larger view

Unpredictable

When a single cheetah is stalking a single prey animal, it can be easier to guess which way the prey might run, and which way the chasing cheetah might run.  However, in situations where there is more than one prey animal, and more than one cheetah, predicting which animal will go where becomes much, much harder.  The image above illustrates what happened when a mother cheetah with four large cubs started to chase a mother warthog with three piglets.  The piglets immediately dashed down into a hole in the ground, and then the mother warthog turned on the cheetah, scattering them and trying hard to gore the mother cheetah.  The cheetah was able to easily evade the dangerous warthog with her speed and agility, if not the most graceful of outcomes for the big cats.  Thompsons gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, topi, impala, common duiker, warthog, zebra, bearded gnu, steenbok, springbok, bat-eared fox and scrub hare are all species I have seen cheetah hunt.

Botswana. Shutter speed 1/1600sec at f5.0, iso 3200. Focal length 500mm. 1DX Mark 2 and EF 500 f4 IS ii. Click for larger view

Playtime

Of course, not all cheetah action photography is about hunting.  Cheetah do like to play, and that is especially true of young cheetah.  They often play after having a good rest and are very fast, as one would expect.  I use the same shutter speed and aperture choices as for cheetah hunting.

Kenya. Shutter speed 1/000sec at f5.6, iso 400. Focal length 400mm. Canon 5DSR and EF 100-400 IS ii. Click for larger view

Marking

Cheetah are not so good at climbing trees as leopard are, and they don’t rest up high in trees, but they can climb.  They are also curious, and they sometimes scent-mark in trees.  Having an idea of which trees a cheetah might approach and investigate can mean the opportunity might arise to get strong images of this behaviour.  They typically don’t spend a long time up in the tree so it can pay to be ready ahead of time for this type of image.  Cheetah will also mark on fallen trees, specially if they are big ones, and normally they have their favoured trees in any one area.  They also make use of rock outcrops for marking.

Tanzania. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f8, iso 800. Focal length 500mm. 1DX Mark 2 and EF 500 f4 IS ii. Click for larger view

Cheetah Charge

It is not uncommon for cheetah to be driven off their kills by other carnivores.  I have seen spotted hyaena do it very often.  I have also seen lions and African wild dogs rob cheetah of freshly caught prey.  On this occasion though, a different scenario played out when a female cheetah caught a solitary half-grown gazelle.  She made the kill after a short chase, 6 seconds long, and was busy making sure the prey was dead.  Her subadult daughter was beside her, waiting.  Unfortunately for this mom and daughter cheetah, a young male cheetah (of unknown relation to them) had been resting more than a kilometre distant, and he had somehow noticed her high-speed chase across the short grass Serengeti plain.  He immediately got up and started trotting toward the mother cheetah.  Guessing that he might run in the last few steps toward her, we quickly drove our vehicle closer to the mother cheetah.  We had barely stopped when the young male arrived.  He chose an aggressive approach, charging in at high speed with exaggerated bounds.  This resulted in the mother cheetah dropping her kill and the daughter running off some distance.  The male took it over and refused to allow the mother cheetah to access it when she tried to approach.  It made for a fascinating interaction, if an unfortunate one for the mother cheetah and her daughter, but some strong images for me.  .

Summary

The most important things then, are to work with an experienced local guide, if a cheetah is hunting, to respect the necessary distance.  It also helps to use a camera with good autofocus and a long enough lens.  Choose a fast shutter speed.  Areas with less vegetation make the photography easier.

But, there is a complete green transformation in the summer!

African elephant, youngster, Botswana. Canon EF 600L f4 IS ii and 1DX. Shutter speed 1/800sec at f4.5, iso 1250. Click for larger view

Later in the year, usually sometime in November or December, the first summer rains start to fall.  Mashatu is located in a semi-arid part of the Limpopo River Basin, and the annual rainfall may range from 300mm to 600mm, the majority of which comes from localized thunderstorms.  The start of the rainy season greens up much of the Mashatu environment, most especially those with the grasses and shrubs that grow only in the summer, all over the reserves lower lying areas.  These greens make pleasing backgrounds for our wildlife images.

Cheetah female, Botswana. Canon EF 500L f4 IS ii and 5D Mark 4. Shutter speed 1/1250sec at f5.6, iso 3200. Click for larger view

Early in the season, the colours of the grasses are at their richest, and they make great backgrounds for our wildlife images.

Leopard female, Botswana. Canon EF 500L f4 IS ii and 1DX. Shutter speed 1/1000sec at f4.0, iso 200. Click for larger view

All the animals that we usually see during the dry season can still be found at Mashatu – which makes it a little different than some protected areas in nearby South Africa, where the summer rains can make game viewing much harder.

Black-backed jackal, subadult, Botswana. Canon EF 600L f4 IS ii and 1DX. Shutter speed 1/250sec at f4.0, iso 2500. Click for larger view

There is also more to the rainy season at Mashatu though, than just the brilliant greens.  Lemon yellow-coloured flowers, called Devils Thorn (Tribulus terrestris) spring up all over the reserve.  The flowers transform the landscape, adding a magical feel to the scenery.

Bat-eared fox, Botswana. Canon EF 600L f4 IS ii plus 1.4x EF extender and 5D Mark 4. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f7.1, iso 400. Click for larger view

The rainy season is also a time when some of the animals are moving with youngsters.  During the summer, especially the early part of it, we enjoy viewing baby impala, baby wildebeest, black-backed jackal cubs and also young bat-eared foxes.

Chacma baboon, Botswana. Canon EF 500L f4 IS ii and 1DX. Shutter speed 1/1600sec at f5.6, iso 1000. Click for larger view

The Devils Thorn flowers are not only pretty, but are fed on by some of the mammals that inhabit Mashatu.

Sub-adult cheetah. Botswana. Canon EF 600L f4 IS ii and 1DX. Shutter speed 1/500sec at f4.0, iso 1250. Click for larger view

In the last five years or so, Mashatu has gradually become one of the better locations in southern Africa, to see cheetah.  There is a healthy population in the area.

Sub-adult spotted hyaena. Botswana. Canon EF 100-400L IS ii and 5D Mark 4. Shutter speed 1/800sec at f7.1, iso 100. Click for larger view

Spotted hyaena, as well as leopard and lion, also occur in the reserve.

Migrant birds also choose this time of year to visit Mashatu.  There are a reasonable variety of them.

Amur Falcon, female, Botswana. Canon EF 600L f4 IS ii and 1DX. Shutter speed 1/2500sec at f7.1, iso 400. Click for larger view

Some, like the Amur falcon pictured above, may come and go throughout the summer.  Their presence is associated with localized rain fronts and the insect activity that follows.  Others, like the Great Spotted Cuckoo and Levaillants Cuckoo, will spend the whole summer in the reserve.

There is yet another thing that we like about the rainy season at Mashatu, and that is the clouds that sometimes build up.  Thin clouds act as very effective and welcome filters of the strong light which can otherwise become overly bright.

Sub-adult cheetah. Botswana. Canon EF 100-400L IS ii and 5D Mark 4.  Shutter speed 1/1000sec at f8.0, iso 1600. Click for larger view

We are never quite sure of our favourite time to visit Mashatu.  The dry season, May to October, offers predictable light, the possibility of numbers of animals visiting the waterhole at the underground hide, and moderate midday temperatures.  In contrast, the summer season, November to April, adds fresh colours to the scenery, along with migrant birds and some baby animals.  Of course, there is always the chance of rain during the summer, so we make sure to stay for long enough that we have time on our side.  Fortunately we don’t have to only pick one time of year for our visits.

Images in this blog post where taken with these lenses: an EF 600 f4 IS ii, an EF 500 f4 IS ii, an EF 100-400 IS ii and an RF 24-105 L IS.