You got that right ... all the animals we captured with our cameras on trips like this, are special to me. I suppose because they are more elusive, big cats are a touch more special. For us, seeing lions became a rather frequent experience ... but this was our one & only viewing of a Cheetah. We hoped for a leopard but for now, I'll have to settle for those captured by other shooters. And I don't know what it is, but the little ones of every species, particularly the big cats, were special to me. Thanks for the visit & comments.

Thank you ... appreciate the positive feedback as always ... & yes, it was a fantastic trip. Can't wait to go back again & stay longer.

Nope ... if the posts came across as serious, then apologies. I think I speak for Keith as well ... we enjoyed this tour because we were seeing these critters as they live every day. Keith is a real naturalist as I also try to be. So no trick shots ... no disturbing the animals. However ... when it comes to teasing one another?!?!?!?! That's a whole different matter. Keith & I are different on a whole bunch of levels ... he was a sailor ... I was a Marine ... he shoots Nikon ... I shoot Canon ... we differ on many levels ... but we both enjoy teasing one another & I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with him. Besides, if you knew his wife ... you'd realize a person would have to be plumb crazy to encourage Keith to get out of the Landcruiser to mow the grass or lasso rhinos ... she'd make me pay a terrible price. No thanks. I like living. ;)

And I for one, appreciate your comments Jim ... thank you for taking the time.

Yes ... of course we were kidding ... it was great seeing how well they blended into their surroundings. In fact, while being so far away made shooting them a bit of a challenge, I liked the idea that they paid little heed to us so we were seeing them undisturbed in the wild.

You crack me up Keith ... I'll hire a separate Landcruiser (& I get Gilbert) ... to shoot you lassoing rhinos ... I've seen videos of what they can do to a vehicle that annoys them. And while no wildlife would be injured, I'm not so sure we could guarantee that some crazy retired CPO would come out unscathed. ;)

We were quite lucky in terms of Rhinos ... we had several sightings of Black Rhinos ... Southern White Rhinos ... & of course, Ol Pejeta was where they have the 2 remaining Northern White Rhinos in the world. So Rhinos were a plenty. In fact, we actually got to touch a blind Black Rhino. We saw loads of elephants ... giraffes ... we even sat in the middle of a herd of Cape Buffalo that stretched to our right as far as the eye could see ... they were walking near both sides & in front of the Landcruiser & the herd stretched out as far as the eye could see to our left. I don't know how many there were, but hundreds for sure. We also had several occasions to shoot lions (see Keith's posts) & my last 2 posts are going to focus on lions. But sadly, we did not get to see a Leopard & the Cheetahs were quite a distance away. So yes, you were lucky to get close up shots of the Cheetahs & Leopards. But I have no complaints. I loved that trip & I think both Keith & I would like to go back. As for the guide who stayed while a Cheetah climbed up on a safari vehicle ... I would not have been pleased with that behavior. And I suspect the park wardens would take umbrage to it. As for Kenya ... someone told me they've closed the scheduled safaris & I suspect they're taking the same precautions that every nation now seems to be taking with the COVID 19 pandemic.

Sounds to me like the apple didn't fall far from the tree ... however, I'd mow the grass for a 1st class ticket!!!! I remember vividly what they charged for a business class upgrade ... figured it was better to buy a new camera body than spend that money!!!!! But thank your brother for me ... & tell your brother to watch Hakuna Matta ... we'll go look at lions ourselves!!!!! ;)

J-SPEIGHT ... thanks Jack ... appreciate the visit.

angler ... thank you for the comment.

Retired CPO ... thanks Keith ... I hear you on the Eagle ... I split my attention a bit also ... but you covered the Eagle pretty well with your posts. Next time, you'll have to do something about mowing the grass & maybe bringing in some clouds to soften the light.

Thanks for sharing your poster. We weren't lucky enough to see leopards ... but we saw Black, Southern & the only 2 remaining Northern White rhinos in the world, along with lions, hippos, cape buffalo by the hundreds, elephants & a host of other critters. Maybe leopards next time.

Thanks Mike ... appreciate the positive feedback. And yes, those little squirts were really cute ... thanks for the visit.

Thanks Beth ... yes, you're right ... the cubs are safer with the grass ... & of course, Mama probably uses it for camouflage when hunting. Thanks for the comment & visit. Appreciate it. Wish we'd been able to get closer to them.

Thank you QD ... appreciate the visit & comment.

You're right ... as we got to the end of the trip, we were hoping to see a Cheetah & a Leopard ... obviously, we got the former ... & the latter is a good reason to go back. Thanks for the visit & comment.

I'm now getting to the animals that really got my heart rate up during a recent trip to Kenya. This post is the 1st of 3 posts I plan to do on big cats ... this 1st one is on Cheetahs. We actually got to watch a female Cheetah with 4 small cubs for +/- 45 minutes. What a treat ... & while she did keep her eye on us, she did not mind the 5 Landcruisers with photographers being there. Unfortunately, they were a long distance away, often in relatively high grass (as Keith ... RetiredCPO ... suggested in an earlier post, we were disappointed they didn't mow the grass before we got there!!!). We came across them under a cloudless, bright sunlit sky & the combination of harsh sunlight & hard shadows were really a challenge for me.

These shots were taken on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which is approximately a 4 hour drive due North of Nairobi, Kenya. Keith & I had a great guide who did a wonderful job. They were all captured with a Canon 5dIV & an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L II USM lens with a 1.4x extender.

Mama keeping a watchful eye on all that went on around them ...

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Their coats seemed to fade right into the landscape ... all the Cheetahs (Mama & 4 cubs) are in this shot ... albeit you have to look for them ... Mama is in the grass on the left ... 3 cubs are grouped in the center & the 4th cub is to the right ...

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The cubs played continuously while we were there ... stalking one another ... attacking when 1 turned it's back ... here are 3 peeking out of some bushes they were playing in ...

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Mama & a cub ... they surely seemed curious about everything ...

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Mama took several walks around the area while we were there & the cubs were always around her ...

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Although the cubs were always near her, it was hard to see them in the grass ...

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