By Todd Gustafson

You can count on a morning in Manyara to be a pretty good photo shoot. This was our last “warm up” before heading to the main event. The north meadow had lots of buffalo, zebras, Ground Hornbills, and even a hippo out of the water making a beeline for the lake! The forest was filled with Blue Monkeys, but the big surprise was having an African Crowned Eagle fly into a tree and perch right over our heads! This was a new bird for me. 

After our game drive, we headed back to the lodge for breakfast, packed up the vans and made our way to Ndutu, my favorite place on Earth to photograph! The rains have been good, and the thunder heads were all around us. We were hoping the rains would trigger the wildebeest birthing cycle.

Our first Ndutu game drive was a smashing success! Animals and birds were everywhere. The question was, could we start hunting for cheetah, stop for a newborn impala, watch a perfectly perched spur fowl call for a mate, and still get to see the mating lions in time? The answer is…YES.

We saw the lions across from a marsh and did our very best to make it on time. Just as we got to the top of a rise, they started in earnest! We were at eye level while the lions mated at a perfect angle in perfect light. After that, the female climbed 30 feet up a tree and went to sleep.

We eventually went back to the lodge for a drink by the fire, dinner and bed.

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