Two Scavengers

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 4, 2013180 views8 comments

Here's a previously unprocessed frame from our Kgalagadi trip in November 2012. Understandably, the lion kill we saw dominated my processing-attention and I forgot that we actually had some cracking other sightings.

Late one afternoon we were sitting with a pride of lions (who didn't bother to get up at all!), to the east was an eland carcass where up to 20 black-backed jackals were feasting. Just as we had to leave to make our camp gate time comfortably, my wife said something was approaching the waterhole (which was just behind us to the west). It was a brown hyena! He was being hounded by several of the jackals who would nip at his heels and follow him right until he'd finished drinking and moved off. This was as he approached, we positioned the vehicle for the light and snapped away.

And yes, the morning and evening light in the Kalahari is amazing. You have to be there to "get it". I didn't touch vibrance or saturation sliders here.

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
1.4x teleconverter
f8.0 | 1/1000 SS | ISO-1000

PS: for those who know the park - this was at Kij Kij waterhole

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on September 4, 2013 at 6:54 PM

Cool image and story, Morkel! I like the eye contact between the jackal and hyena. The hyena looks seriously intense here, and why wouldn't he be, getting chased by jackals and all

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on September 5, 2013 at 4:25 PM

Hey Morkel,

That brown hyena is one interesting looking canid! I quite the interaction between the two - particularly the look the hyena is giving the jackal (as tho' he's thinking something like "Why you little twerp...if I could just get my teeth on you...").

From a photographic perspective...I like the very warm colour palette and both the crop and subject positioning work well for me. My only wish would be for perhaps a little more illumination on the brown hyena...but nothing you could do about that...

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on September 6, 2013 at 1:12 AM

Cool interaction captured here Morkel. These BBJ's are so cheeky! Lovely light indeed. Although I do not mind the patchy lighting in this image at all and actually think the layers of light and shadow work very well here, I do wonder how this would have looked with the subjects in the light as opposed to the shadow. Of course that was totally beyond your control.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Sandipan Dutta on September 7, 2013 at 1:59 AM

Really like the eye contact between them. Fantastic light too.

Registered on March 9, 2009, 171 Posts, 493 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Clinch on September 8, 2013 at 12:01 PM

Cracking good image to be sure.

Excellent colors and the posture of both animals suggest a tipping point; which one lunged and which ran? Nice drama.

Registered on January 5, 2013, 37 Posts, 261 Comments

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on September 10, 2013 at 10:39 PM

This is an amazing image, Morkel! For one, to be able to photograph a brown hyena itself must be rare. And, then, to actually photograph a jackal with a brown hyena is truly special. Your image also shows the size difference between these two hunters/scavengers as well.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on September 11, 2013 at 3:49 PM

Thanks for looking and commenting, friends...

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on September 12, 2013 at 4:34 PM

Nice pair you found here, Morkel. Having seen both of these species in Kgalagadi, I still wouldn't have expected the size disparity to be this great. This is a great way to get a proper sense of scale.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments