LAKE BARINGO – dawn of a new day

Wednesday – After flying with no doors yesterday, today we are getting into the boats to photograph birds and hippos and anything else we may see lurking in the lake.  We are up before dawn (that’s a shock) so we can catch the early morning activities and will be staying out there for around 3 hours.  I hope the seats are nicely padded!

The sky doesn’t look the best even in the pitch black – there are no stars so I presume it is overcast meaning that we do not expect to see much of a sunrise if any but as long as it doesn’t rain everything will be OK.  We grab some hot ‘good morning’ coffee to get our adrenaline going, make sure we have a jacket of some description, our cameras and anything else we may need and it’s time to balance our way into the boat.

The photo above is one of the local fishermen.  I think I would have drawn the line if I was expected to get into that boat!  Made from balsa it bobs around on the top of the lake and you cannot see it from that shot but there is water in the boat.  They don’t seem to mind and are always smiling for us to take the photo.

Here we are snapping away – one had to be very careful and sit still in the boat as you can see.  It really is a great experience.  The lake is so smooth and the air still – I still haven’t heard any mozzies nor have I been bitten but I am still taking the malaria tablets.

How about that photo eh?  Long lenses and crouching snappers – the things you see in other peoples photos.  This was taken by Jess and I can’t remember what we were snapping – but I am sure it must have been something good!

We head in towards the shore amongst the reeds and drowning trees to catch some of the native birds – this is a new experience, trying to keep still all the while aiming the camera to get that perfect shot.

I don’t know about the perfect shots but I did manage to get a few good ones.  The bird life is incredible, so many species and loads of little weavers darting around and building their nests.

The entry to their nest is at the bottom so it is quite a balancing act for them to get everything together.  Trying to get the camera in the right spot is quite an art – and it’s a safe bet that if you focus on the nest a bird will be there pretty soon.

Still early in the morning, there is no other colour in the skies – just the blue/grey – so we are learning how to adjust the lighting etc.  It’s all full on to get the settings correct and Jess and Chris are very patient.  Not being a bird person as such I thought that it would be on the boring side but I find these creatures very interesting and beautiful albeit frustrating when taking their photo.

They turn their head or they take flight and it is just as well I can take a lot of shots straight after each other – I am bound to get at least one good one.  I will have to make a note in the diary to learn more about bird photography!

This Canon lens I have is incredible.  It is a 100-400mm IS which is a bit on the heavy side and I have been practicing loads of sports photography to get ready for this trip.  I must admit that as I sat on the sidelines of a Winter field it was never like this.

The lighting is improving so settings adjustments again – digital cameras are great.  You can take as many photos as you like – good settings, bad settings and when I get home and have more time I can see what I was doing wrong and how I corrected it.  But let’s get back to the birds.

This is really not the birds but as we putt around dodging trees etc we see what happened to all the buildings when the floods came through here.  Apparently they were monumental floods and wiped out many buildings – some used for tourism.

The ruins stand like silent sentinels in the deep water and are a haven for all sorts of birds.  It is so very quiet and all we hear are the sounds of the backwash from the boat lapping the buildings and the chirping of the birds.

Now it is time to get back to the birds – and what wonderful little creatures these weavers are.  They are always on the go as they zip around with twigs and then hang upside down on their nest to place their adornments – see writings above.

I do take a rather immense amount of photos but not wanting to bore the tripe out of you I will not post them all – you get the picture of what they are like.

Something pretty – a lovely waterlily.  They are so calming just growing on the top of the still waters – while the birds are all chirping and carrying on above us.

We come across some more ruins and some more birds – remember the crowned cranes from Amboseli – they are just so regal that another photo will not go astray.

The morning is wearing on and my tummy is starting to rumble – it is quarter to 8 – so we still have around another hour before we head back to our Island home and it’s scrumptious breakfast.

As we move on into more open water it is time to test our photography skills by taking snaps of the wondrous fish eagles.  Chris & Jess have procured some fish for us from the local fishermen earlier on in the morning – a small piece of balsa wood is placed inside to make it float and then it is chucked into the water as our local driver whistles for the eagle to come down.

Now remember – this is our first go at eagle shots and by the time the camera is set (already calculated to bird mode), we crane our necks to find the birds in our viewfinder and then with one eye on the bird and one eye in the viewfinder to follow it down to the fish we try to get it in the shot (they are so fast) this is my first effort – not great and definitely not with the fish being picked up in his talons – only got loads of water and a hint of fish and talon – but it is still OK nonetheless.  I am sure I will get better – –

Moving right along – some hippos have emerged and are giving us the once over.  We stay for some time hoping for some yawns but they are too tired even for that (just like us).

Time for us to start making our way back home but one more stop to try for those elusive eagle shots.

First we have to spot one in the tree – hopefully one that has not been eating too much before we get there.  I do not know how our guides spot them but spot them they do and we all get our cameras ready.  I know what to do this time – keep my finger on the button and take lots of photos – don’t zoom in too much – so we are counted in and whacko – this is the result.

The results are pretty pleasing and after a couple more eagle shot sessions I should be ready for NatGeo. Hey I even managed to keep a fairly straight horizon as we moved and turned our bodies ever so slightly.

That’s it, I am buggered – home James and don’t spare the fuel.  Definitely need something to eat – – to be continued this afternoon after a good feed and a good rest – – maybe even something alcoholic?

Highlight of the morning – my first fish eagle!