Ben Wilhelmi

Wildlife, Tanzania

 

 

A different way to see wildlife...a colleague on landing.

Aeriel view of lions, Tanzania

Somewhere in the southern Selous lies a bush airstrip, Luhanyando 2. Yes there is a Luhanyando 1 across the Luhego river. The location is really stunning, the wide river has crossed some rocky hills and is now running through sandy terrain. Just after take off the stunning vista creates an urge to fly for a few minutes a bit lower than usual for sightseeing and spotting animals. We are bush pilots, well some of us...

Animals we regularly spot are birds of various sizes and the usual mammals, like elephants, gazelles, buffalos, hippos, giraffes, zebras... but felines? About never1 They blend too well and are less numerous. So how did I spot these camouflaged lions on a sand bank, I have no idea. Mind you the aeroplane cruises at about 300km/h.  But I did and that made me happy for the day.

 

The male was unfazed but the female was, surprise, curious.

Aerial photography, Tanzania

Tanzania is such a big country gifted with many beautiful landscapes. Not only that, those landscapes vary tremendously come the rain seasons.

 

Salt lakes are perfect examples of ever changing colors and patterns. Here is a detail of lake Eyasi.

I guess pelicans visiting Tanzania.

 

The Ruaha river after the rain season.

 

The famous wildebeest migration near the Mara river, here on the Serengeti side.

 

Lake Natron, another salt lake.

 

The Rufiji river in the Selous reserve.

 

Lake Natron again.

 

A typical homestead like millions in the country.

 

Tarangire national park. Quite famous for its elephants.

 

Lake balangida, a lesser known salt lake. Those white dots are salt extraction activities. I would guess operated by local people only.

Wildlife, aerials, Tanzania

 

Hippos are probably the easiest and most common animals to spot from the air, in Katavi in a drying pool (above) or recently enjoying the new rains in the Selous (below)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalos below.

 

 

Aerials in Tanzania

 

Our company flies in the remote bush and also performs island hoping in the Indian Ocean. 2 pictures of Pemba Island.

I should remind my great boss that I have a seaplane license… I’d love a seaplane in those lagoons and reefs.

 

The Rufiji river in the Selous.

 

The active volcano Lengai last month. Active but quite for some years.

 

Some mornings near Dar es Salaam.

 

 

A herd of buffalos in Katavi. 500 heads is common…

 

And these elies a bit further. After South Sudan I feel I’m flying in paradise.

Breakfast in Ruaha NP

 

or lunch from one of the 2 restaurants of the gorgeous Ruaha River Lodge. 2 restaurants! And the other one is perched like an eagle nest on a rocky hill! This one lies a few meters away from the Ruaha river.

I normally don’t like to be disturbed while eating. But there are circumstances that are worth to make an exception. My big lens is always ready in case…

 

There are many birds in the Ruaha Nat’l Park. Here are 2 Egyptian geese taking off towards a waterbuck (un cobe)

 

Another goose (oie égyptienne). Sometimes, but only sometimes, the translation makes sense and is quite direct.

 

2 waterbucks showing affection.

 

The mountain opposite our lodge.

A bit of zooming and here is an elephant. He and his pals will come in camp soon.

 

A hippo is rolling in the Ruaha river. Just a few meter away from me.

 

An intermediate egret on a perfect landing. Pilots will appreciate the disturbed feathers on the wings due to the high angle of attack. (un héron intermédiaire)

 

A grey heron (un héron cendré)

 

Even when the animals haven’t arrived, the scenery is stunning. I can’t wait to resume watercolors.

 

The posse is coming to camp, ready to create havoc sometimes when they’re hungry or thirsty.

 

Wildlife, Ruaha Nat’l Park

 

Ruaha, the vast garden around my 2nd residence… a tiny selection of wildlife I saw in one day.

An aptly named lilac-breasted roller. Those birds are as fast to take off as Usain Bolt.

 

A fish eagle got a meal.

 

A cape eland, the biggest antelope in Africa. Up to 800 kg and still they can jump as far as 8m! Imagine a cow…

 

A proof that people are not always good witnesses. We were changing a flat tyre when this lioness ran past us. Not more than 4m away according to a passenger! I said 25m…who’s right…?

 

Stealthy crocodile in the Ruaha river.

 

A cool job or what? There were about 500 buffalos in the river alone but they kept on coming along from the west. This team used a drone and told us later that they counted 998 buffalos, 2% error!

 

An ox pecker sits on the buffalo’s head.

 

A fish eagle on take off. It is very similar to the American bald eagle, their national emblem. At least here in Africa the various psycho hunters haven’t managed to exterminate nearly all of them.

My new life, Tanzania, round two

 

So I left South Sudan about 2 months ago, for a better company, much better company, Safari Air Link, based in Dar es Salaam. On top of various aircraft, the company also operates a few camps and lodges in the country. One is based in the Ruaha nat’l park and a lovely house there will my main residence for a few months a year! The location is aptly named Ruaha River Lodge, for the river passing by.

 

The first day I arrived an elephant welcomed me by the restaurant! Back in my old element for sure.

What a view to have for lunch…

 

And on one game drive, we saw the following amongst many others:

A  black-faced sandgrouse and one of her 3 chicks, yes the furry ball on her left. Good camouflage isn’t it?

 

It’s baobab country out there.

 

A leopard foot print. No luck in meeting the owner though.

 

 

A greater kudu, a lovely antelope that is common in Ruaha, not so in all the other parks I know. So I was thrilled.

A young bull, his horns are not twisted yet.

 

Darn, he didn’t get on his hind legs for foraging!

Aerial photography, South Sudan

 

The famous long horned Sudanese cows. I haven’t seen from close yet.

 

 

 

 

aerial photography of wildlife, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

Human activity in Tanzania, aerials

 

lake Balangida, people collecting salt.

 

 

Masai kids playing on the scorched salted expanses of lake Natron! The surface must be boiling hot…

 

 

 

 

wildlife photography, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lion, photography

 

 

 

 

Mahale, Tanzania, chimpanzees on B/W films

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bush flying, Tanzania

 

Flying Medical Service has definitely some of the best bush airstrips! Whether for the challenge or the sceneries. Here a flooded strip at Monik.

 

a volcano, Lengai and an active one that is.

 

a bit of low flying in Olduvai gorge.

 

downhill airstrip, one way in, one way out, no discussion. Wind is not a factor really.

 

our new recruit.

 

the advantage of this place is that the strip can be set anywhere, just throw a few rocks (which won’t stay white very long) et voilà.

 

I don’t fly this Herc’, though this is one of the very few big bush beasts I’d love to get a job onto, and watching a C 130 bush take off is always impressive.

 

Rift Valley, just a few small villages, a coupla airstrips down there…

 

time to kick some butts before I can take off from one of the Katavi park airstrips. Animals are common on strips of course, but such a variety, not so much. Zebras, Cape elands and waterbucks all together, what a treat. Even if it meant I had to run and yell like an idiot to chase them away. The other idiots were busy nose-picking somewhere. I won’t give names here but my fellow pilots know which green men I'm referring to.

breeding flamingoes, lake Natron

 

 

those dark spots are flamingo nest by hundreds.

 

getting closer. The nest are now empty and the chicks are walking around under the adult supervision.

 

 

 

 

chimpanzees in mahale, B/W photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

elephants, B/W photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

chimpanzees, B/W photography, Tanzania

 

all shot on B/W films, Mahale nat’l Park, western Tanzania. The only decent place to see them. Repeat after me. And I’m not on anybody’s payroll. Quite a few cliens had visited the other chimp’s sites and all agree that Mahale was the best location.

nothing sexual here, just plain grooming, an important social interaction.

 

return in Tanzania, snake and chameleon lunch

 

Arusha… I just came back a few days ago. To celebrate that feat in style, a snake was busy eating a chameleon in a tree. Small snake, small chameleon but the show was impressive nevertheless.

Dinner took place in 2 steps: the snake must have been disturbed and had spat the chameleon pretty soon. The latter looked puzzled with a gash on the neck. The snake left but not the victim who stayed nearby. Wounded, confused or just too happy and dumb? The snake didn’t miss the chance and came back to finish him for good.

the chameleon was giving a good show of resistance, the “never give up hope'” stuff since the hind legs and the tail hung on twigs for a very long time. The body was swallowed past half way and the poor thing was still battling. How come he didn’t suffocate earlier? My pictures show more than 45 min of action….

Notice that the chameleon never turned green….what a legend or what?

a harmless Battersby's green snake by the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice how the snake normally green with a yellowish belly now shows some blue hue once its skin is stretched.

 

wildlife in Tanzania

 

 

 

this hyrax was hoping to share my breakfast I suppose…

 

 

 

Pilots get to be careful with flocks of storks…damage to the plane could be substantial. Not as much as  in a collision with a vulture but still…

 

Busy river: elephant, zebras and waterbucks.

 

 

 

Playing and resting. Look at the sole: the pancake pattern is obvious.

wildlife in Tanzania, B/W pictures

Elephants love mud, love to bathe in it and splash all over.

 

 

Cheetah waking up.

 

Part of the famous wildebeest migration, Ndutu.

Spotted hyena. I'm still waiting to see a rarer stripped hyena...

 

67 elephants are poached everyday in average. Thanks Asia...

 

Lions...hunted and going closer to the endangered list.

Amboseli nat'l park, photography

 

Amboseli is a lovely little park at the foot of Kilimanjaro (which is in Tanzania by the way, not in Kenya as claimed by some crooks). The wildlife out there is made of the usual suspects but on a good day the view of nearby Kili is breathtaking. These minibuses are numerous and some of these drivers are totally clueless: they leave the engine running while watching wildlife a few meters away!! You’d never see that in Tanzania.

6 am, time to leave camp and enjoy the early light in the mist.

 

That’s what I mean with a nearby Kilimanjaro. The atmospheric veil helped to catch the orange light on the peak and the clouds.

 

This is a close up view of the secondary peak

 

These guys, grey-headed kingfishers, were quite easy to spot and come close, like 5 meters away.

 

the area is made of swamps and it is quite easy to include animals in line with Kili. Providing the conditions are good of course.

 

 

Cattle egrets and elephants live in good company.

wild animals in Tanzania, B/W photography

 

 

wildlife, Tanzania

 

here is a selection of some wildlife pictures in Tanzania, including some aerials of zebras and wildebeests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a chimpanzee in Mahale NP, the unique and best place in the world to spot them.

Kilimanjaro and wildlife, seen from Amboseli

 

Karine and I went for a few days in Nairobi and Amboseli National Park. A tiny park on the edge of Mt Kilimanjaro which allows a close view of the Tanzanian peak. Some Kenyans funnily claim the peak is in Kenya. Just grab a map and though the colonial Brits screwed up many borderlines when they carved up their colonies, the peak lies in Tanzania.

A tiny park, not the wildest of all parks, some bad guides/drivers but we enjoyed many wildlife actions on top of the landscapes. Kilimanjaro is a shy mountain but we managed some good sighting over the 3 days.

 

A sunrise, a spectacular viewing even with the slight atmospheric veil.

This is the secondary peak, sometimes showing snow after a storm, like the daily storms these days.

 

A bit later, the orange hue disappeared.

 

The park is quite flat, made of swamps mostly. So Karine and I were keen to include animals in that glorious landscape.

 

 

 

 

A superb last minute ray of light at sunset.

 

Another sunrise. One of those (many) days when I’m glad I have got that great Nikon lens, a super wide 12-24mm, here at 12mm.

 

Elephants in the dust.

Tanzania, human activity seen from the air

 

that gray area is a lava flow from the major volcanic activity in 2007 and 2008. That truck is using the regular track near the culprit, Oldoinyo Lengai.

 

another truck, but this one has some problem to sort out. This a delta on the lake Natron northern shoreline

same truck. I wonder if the driver enjoyed the scenery while waiting for some help…

 

laundry day a bit further in the delta.

 

cows and goats…. to be seen everywhere in Tanzania and further. The country is vast and not barb-wired everywhere like in South Africa.

 

Masai farmers plowing the fields the old way, an ox or and a hoe.

 

Market day in Loliondo, a village north of Serengeti.

 

the person in the river is an adult, a masai man in his bright red clothes but he could have been a 5 year old child as well. Those kids don’t always go to school but they enjoy somehow a great outdoor life. Roaming the bush without a real schedule, meeting friends…

Bush flying, Tanzania

Gorge flying in Olduvai Gorge.

 

My installation for video making while flying. Very efficient. Excellent results with that Nikon D300s.

 

I used to fly that airplane but I didn’t trash it. Funny enough the pilot managed to bring that crippled bird home. Well deserved bad karma for the company.

 

Dawn on Mt Meru, Arusha.

 

That’s a cheap and efficient way to maintain a grass airstrip.

 

 

Unwelcomed guests on the airstrip.

 

After the first rains the water levels can rise quickly.

 

bad weather brewing, time to leave.

flying the Tanzanian bush

 

The Cessna I’m flying these days, just before take off facing Olbalbal pond. Funny airstrip, just long enough but way too wide…

 

active volcano Lengai at rest these days. But nevertheless a stunning scenery, still covered in grey ashes from the last eruption some years ago.

 

A typical dust devil, kind of a mini twister. Not dangerous…

 

Some colleague flyers, lake Natron.

 

Outreach clinics in the Rift Valley, Oleparkashi.

 

My Masai audience before take off.

 

Just after take off from Njurlanon salt lake Natron.

 

lake Natron and its permanent residents, flamingoes.

 

Looking down on final, landing at Olorbelin on the northern Natron shoreline. I love these reflections and shadows on the water surface altogether on one shot.

people and animals from the air, Tanzania

 

Northern Tanzania is the main living and grazing area for Masai herders (with a big swat of Kenya), which is also the area I fly mostly over.

Cows, goats and donkeys will be seen all over.

 

water holes are still numerous after a good rain season but they’re shrinking fast already.

 

 

 

 

 

 

flying the bush, Tanzania

 

Meeting a colleague in the air.

 

Landing after a large bush fire, the airstrip had been spare.

 

Fixing a flat wheel nose.

 

Our special airstrip in the Rift Valley, the picture is straight, not the airstrip.

 

 

Rock damages.

 

Uneven airstrip.

 

U.N. helicopter, a Mil 8, landing in the dust.

 

A Beaver ready for spraying locust in Katavi. Notice the elephant far away.

 

I had suddenly gotten big vibrations in the engine while flying. After landing I noticed the propeller back plate was torn out and twisted. Notice the cone tip which is not aligned.

 

So bet was to remove a few of these things and see what worked best. I did also removed the back plate, the yellowish disc, and vibrations stopped.

Notice the friction damage on the nose, the black circle. And of course I also remove that rubber ring.

Tanzania, wildlife, B/W pictures

 

 

Chimpanzees in Mahale.

old B/W films but the white spots are located on the fur, not dust on the film.

 

Lunch, one-eyed lioness but she keeps a piercing glare.

 

Tarangire NP, elephant country.

 

Ndutu neighboring below, in the Ngorongoro area.

a small number of wildebeests during the famous migration.

photography in infrared, Tanzania

 

Old Masai men wise under a big tree. They’re having a meeting and in turn, women are not attending.

 

Serengeti sceneries below.

 

 

 

Wildebeests passing by...

 

As usual, shot on Kodak Aerochrome film and Rolleiflex 3.5F. Initially that was a scientific and/or military purpose film.

Chimpanzees, B/W film photography

 

Mahale Nat’l Park, western Tanzania, probably the best place in the world to view the chimpanzees. It’s not only the quality of the sighting but the surroundings, that is mountains, lake and various activities.

So here are some old pictures shot over the many weeks I had spent over there, all on good old B/W films, even some Kodak Tmax 3200 like this one. For the youngsters, they can’t understand that prehistoric way to do pictures.

 

We were supposed to keep a minimum distance but the chimps didn’t know that so we got to be really close, where a 50 or 105 mm lens would be enough.

 

Mahale is a tropical forest, so once in a while the stars would stay in thick foliage but that shouldn’t deter anyone to keep on shooting.

 

 

Not having oral pleasure but tick removal session. Well I think…

 

 

 

These guys are artists at staying at ease on thin ropes.

wildlife from the air, photography

 

It’s not always easy to get pictures of animals at lower altitudes while zooming quickly overhead and holding the airplane controls at the same time . But it’s highly rewarding when it works.

 

Easier when keeping a few hundred meters above.

Flamingoes nesting on lake Natron.

 

Wildebeests and zebras.

 

More flamingoes in Arusha NP.

 

Zebras on a lake Natron delta. And wildebeests a bit further.

 

A lone wildebeest, a bit lost.

 

2 days ago a giraffe enjoying a fast shrinking water pond in the Ngorongoro area.

 

Scared Cape elands on the run (my secret location in case bloody hunters read this blog), these are the biggest antelopes.

 

Zebras again on Natron.

cattle in Tanzania, aerial photography

 

goats or cows…boring isn’t it? Well a Masai herder would strongly disagree with me. Anyway seen from the air, those herds take another dimension and these people deserve some respect to lead and keep safe animals through the wild. I might even envy them sometimes. After all these are the original cowboys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wildlife, aerial photography

 

here is a collection of various aerial and wildlife pictures here and there in northern Tanzania. I’d like to remind the new visitors to my blog that I fly AND shoot myself, so please be kind to the flaws these shots might present. I can’t afford a private pilot with a helicopter…nor can’t I waste my boss’ money for my passion. I fly once over my subject and keep on. Many times I wish I could circle and circle again to improve some shots….

This herd of zebras roams not far from Arusha, quite a nice feeling to know about that feat…

The same, a bit cropped.

 

Somewhere in the Serengeti under low light. Not a great picture but I have got none other with a green background. Mental note…

 

Flamingoes on lake Natron. Notice the shadows and reflections.

 

Some giraffes near Ngorongoro.

 

Wildebeests in a delta on lake Natron.

 

Giraffes with Ngorongoro range in the distance…

 

…and zebras nearby.

flying and chasing zebras off airstrip, Tanzania

 

Wild animals come and go along the year. Nowadays hundreds of zebras are hanging around Endulen in the Ngorongoro area, that includes the airstrip or the hospital where I get a room with a nice view.  Anyway zebras are a hazard for any aircraft so when we come and land in the bush we always overfly the airstrip and chase whatever we can spot on it. It varies from snakes to elephants with anything in between.

Sometimes 3 or 4 low passes are required, not all the animals react the same way so one has to develop some skills, similar to the flying cowboys in Australia or western USA. That didn’t prevent me from hitting a gazelle and a wildebeest in the past, without damage to the aircraft it must be said. The same cannot be said for the poor gazelle. The wildebeest escaped!

 

This is Endulen airstrip… It’s obvious any obstacle on such a ‘large’ runway can’t be avoided by “driving” on the sides.

 

Here are a few zebras, part of a much larger herd scattered around. The best thing is to corral them, to circle around, not split them as they’ll get scared and gather again, most likely on the strip by Murphy’s Law.

 

It’s not meant to be but this is great fun, fly low, really low and fast.

 

Turning towards the airstrip… the white and blue thing on the left hand side of the picture is the nose of the aircraft.

 

Diving and flying across the strip…

Yesterday and the day before? 3 and 4 passes respectively. Some of the passengers don’t enjoy too much unfortunately.

Tanzania, wildlife photography in B/W

 

Dented lioness…eye and ear.

 

lions eating an elephant

 

the elephant died around lake Ndutu in Ngorongoro conservation area, Tanzania. The 2 lions were very protective of their meal which lasted for a few days, and still, wouldn’t share any of it. The various scavengers would have to wait for the last bits when the lions’ bellies were about to explode.