The Great Migration Wildebeest Birthing Season

The Great Migration
Part 1:
Wildebeest Birthing Season
By Todd Gustafson
In nature photography Timing is everything! Some photographers enjoy birds,
while others concentrate on animals, landscapes, macro photography… the list is
endless. Regardless of your subject of choice there will be a best time and place
for great photography.
As a photo subject the wildebeest is neither beautiful, nor dramatic. What makes
them the main attraction for a photo safari to East Africa is the sheer number of
wildebeest and the behaviors that form the Great Migration. Most important for a
photographer is to plan a safari that coincides with the high points of the
migration cycle; either Mara River crossings in Kenya or the birthing season in
Tanzania
For our purposes the story begins in Tanzania’s Serengeti eco system when an
estimated 2.5 million wildebeest and zebras arrive in the southern Serengeti to
give birth. February and March is the time between the short rains of NovemberDecember and the long rains beginning in March and continuing through early
June. The grass is green and the time is right for new calves to be born.
Wildebeest herds
Nikon D3 Nikon 200-400mm lens
With all of the new calves being born there is plenty of easy prey for lions and
cheetah. A plentiful food supply means lots of new lion and cheetah cubs. Add
to that vultures, birds of prey, thousands of migrating storks as well as all the big
plains game animals and you have a photographer’s dream!
With no shortage of subjects to choose from here are just a few considerations
that will make photographing them a pleasure instead of an exercise in
frustration. (All of this and much, much more safari information is in The
Photographer’s Guide to the Safari Experience, available at
gustafsonphotosafari.net)
Pack the right equipment. A common problem on safari is when a
photographer has too much camera gear. They are prepared for every photo
situation. Their equipment list includes super telephoto, macro, wide angle
zoom, mid telephoto, fisheye, four camera bodies, two flash units (plus a macro
flash) as well as Quantum batteries, two computers, four extra hard drives and
battery chargers for everything. I’m out of breath just thinking about getting all
that gear from my room to the safari vehicle much less getting it though airport
security and onto the airplane. More importantly, there is so much equipment to
sort through that by the time you have decided what equipment will suit your
vision of a scene, the moment is past.
I have found over the years that you can use fewer lenses, shape your
photographic vision to that set of optics, do less equipment juggling and make a
higher percentage of dramatic images. My lens of choice is a 600 mm f4 lens
and a 1.7 teleconverter.
Understand your equipment. I have seen people on safari with brand new top
of the line equipment that had never been taken out of the bow until the safari.
Figuring out which button and dial controls which feature on the camera while in
the field is a recipe for failure. I’ve even seen photographers struggling with a
computer that had never been turned on until the safari.
Pack the right clothes. A safari wardrobe needs to function on several levels.
It must be khaki, khaki, and, you guessed it, more khaki; jeans and a Hawaiian
shirt just don’t cut it. You must be prepared for temperature extremes that include
chilly mornings where layers of clothes work well, hot, sunny mid days where
lightweight, sun protective fabrics are a plus, a light rain jacket if there are
afternoon showers, and a wide brimmed hat. Casual, khaki, and comfortable is
how I would describe the perfect safari outfit.
Have an open mind. Exploring the area you are based out of while on safari will
give you an idea of what photo subjects are in the area. Rely on your guide for
information on what possibilities are further a field. Knowing those possibilities
will allow you to choose what you want to hunt for. A perfect example is the
birthing of the wildebeest. They give birth in the morning and there are areas
that they prefer to give birth in. Weather is an important factor as well as the
presence of predators. If conditions are not right the female wildebeest can
delay the birth for up to two weeks.
Please realize that your driver can’t find a
wildebeest birth for you to photograph if
conditions aren’t right. If you insist on
finding a group of wildebeest giving birth,
you will end up a frustrated safari
photographer. Have an open mind and a
back up plan for your photographic day.
There may be a large pride of lions or a
cheetah with cubs waiting to be
photographed in a different area of the
reserve. If you and your driver work as a
team the rewards can be astounding.
Cheetah family
Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens
Have a visual idea of what you would like to photograph in mind. As with
any photo shoot there is a balance between spontaneity and preconception.
Seeing the shot in your mind’s eye will allow you to be in the right place and
make the proper lens choice when the prime moment arrives. At the same time,
being open-minded and observant will allow you to shoot spontaneously as
unforeseen situations develop. Following a wildebeest who is about to give birth
is a balancing act of vehicle placement and timing. Get to close and she will
move to the safety of the herd. Get too far away and you risk loosing the subject
among all the other animals. When the birth moment arrives and there is no
turning back you must get in the correct position quickly. There really is not time
to reposition or the birth will be over.
Prime shots of a birth include:
The moment of birth (The mother could be standing or sitting)
The Moment of Birth
Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens
The often ignored bonding between the new
calf and the rest of the family… first time
standing… falling …standing...falling…nursing
… running (after as few as five minutes). Be
ready for the unexpected.
.
Mother and Calf Bonding
Nikon D2X Nikon 600 mm lens and 1.7 teleconvereter
Here, a jackal arrived just after the birth
and tried to get a free meal. It was a
close call for the new born but as luck
would have it; other wildebeest came to
the rescue and chased the jackal away.
The challenge, as always, is to tell a story
with a single image. If you have to
juggling equipment to find the right
combination, the decisive moment will be
gone. The whole event, properly
photographed can make a stunning
editorial sequence.
A Protective Mother
Nikon D3 Nikon 600 mm lens
Add photo opportunities with all of the birds, animals, and landscapes that make
up the fabric of East Africa’s natural beauty and you have limitless possibilities
that will keep you coming back year after year.
The river crossings and the rut in Kenya’s Masai Mara will be discussed in Part 2
of this article.
Contact Todd Gustafson
(847)373-5622
Email [email protected]
Website gustafsonphotosafari.com
I am proud to be a contributing travel writer for BirdPhotographers.Net online
magazine. Look for six articles a year dealing with travel, equipment, and photo
destinations. Have fun!
Next trips…
Costa Rica
Tanzania for Wildebeest Births
Madagascar for Chameleons and Lemurs
India for Tigers and the Taj Mahal
Big Game Safari to Kenya for river crossings
Rwanda for gorillas and golden monkeys
Brazil for Jaguars and Jabaru Storks