Wildebeest struggle at waterhole in KTP

Hi all and specially my little SA sister , you asked me if i could contribute to your forum .
I was thinking yes i will try . Actually i do not know what is expected here really , so i start with a great experience i had with the WB and Andre /Gabriela during our gorgeous trip to the Kalahari . This whole happened after a very quiet morning with long driving and not really getting great stuff to shoot if i remember correctly :bg3:.
So we arrived at our home waterhole around very late morning/noon , not much was there , but instead of going to camp for proper breakfast /lunch we decided to stay at Polentswa WH to see what will come for us .
In the distance , after a while some WB approached from different directions to go for drink at the waterhole , but they have been very skittish , as they usually are . But this time even more , because of the strong winds that were blowing and the bull dust that was all over the place from time to time . With visibility dropping down to 5 m (from my POV) in some
places.It took them really a long to come to drink , first only single ones , the one who should be the bravest who was first at the WH . But there was a kind of nervous feeling in the air while i watched them , well amongst the WB ......... not talking about me or us.
With hindsight i have to say, clever as i am LOL , sorry Gab and Andre , i have chosen better position to get shots . They said so too after reviewing the morning later in camp .

So in the end there was a coming and going of WB at the WH , sometimes relaxed but mostly very nervous , sometimes even with serious fights as you have seen already posted by me and as you can see below .

Well i am not as good as Gab in story telling so i like you to make your way through this series , of my very exciting experience with WB almost jumping into my car !!!!

All frames taken with 1Dx ; ef 200- 400 at various mm , all manual exposure with changing settings

Hope you like it , even if the IQ is not as good as my normal posting( well could be ) because i did not invest that much time in PP .
All kept simple this time .
Most was done in DPP 4

C&C are more than welcome .

Cheers Andreas

The approach

Coming closer :bg3:

being very nervous when close to the water

really fighting for the best place at the water

In the end all is , as nothing happened , just staying relaxed together .........
Hope you all liked this little story , i really enjoyed it watching in KTP , big thanks again to Gabriela and Andre for being part of this fantastic trip :cheers:.

Cheers Andreas

WOW Andreas! I was secretly hoping you would post a series of those images! Thank you so much!

I remember us pitching up at the waterhole just moments after you arrived - you ended up parking in the best (and most dangerous) spot, but then one ever knows where the action is going to be... I do have some shots of wildebeest fighting, but the better ones have your car in the BG! And lots and lots of dust...

I like your choice of images, very much: you have chosen wisely, beginning with the wildebeest herd walking to the waterhole, thirsty and burdened by the extreme heat...followed by a second image where there's some interesting and very subtle body language between the two trouble-makers:) The third image shows the beginning of conflict and then all **** breaks loose, a dangerous clash of horns ending with image four which says: "conflict resolved and now we both know who the boss is around here..."

Your sequence is wonderful in many ways, but one of the most important aspects here pertains to animal behaviour. The clash as captured (image no. 4) is indeed spectacular...some people wonder why we spend hours at a waterhole during the hottest time of the day, but this is the best time to observe wildebeest and gemsbok and springbok interact - they are thirsty, and need to drink (especially WB) , and sometimes predators are around - we cannot always see them but the antelope can smell them. There is great tension, there are conflicts, one unfortunate wildebeest stumbles on a rock by the waterhole and suddenly the herd dashes in all directions, there's fear in their eyes but the need to drink is more powerful than anything...

Superb action captured and I am so taken with your story-telling abilities, Andreas! I am certain you have so much more to share in your folders...we did have an amazing trip and special sightings like this brought us closer - I shall always remember those late evenings we spent together, talking about the events of the day, downloading, checking images, comparing camera settings, good food and wine, lots of laughter, anticipating what the next day might bring.

Wonderful story, really enjoyed viewing, thank you again Andreas:5

Hi Andreas - Interesting sequence and story. I particularly like the action of the third and fourth frames.

TFS,
Rachel

Great storytelling, I especially like the third and forth frame. Well done.

Hi Andreas

Congrats for a wonderful first post in this forum!
Great story for a man with Grey socks! You knocked my own socks off, especially image #4.

Your choice of position not only gave you stunning images, but challenged my cloning abilities to clean BG-I gave up!

We must invest in a 12v vacuum cleaner to help clean your car, no AC at Polentswa..

Sorry I cut your bakkie's left front..:tinysmile_shy_t:

Thank you Gabriela ,Rachel, Jackie and specially you my friend Andre , much appreciated your kind words .
Andre a bigger thank you for posting your view of the scene :cheers:, i do not mind that you cut off my bakkie because it was only a rented one :bg3:, and insurance paid for it !!!!

Cheers and thanks again .

Andreas

Fabulous action here Andreas, showing that those who take the chance to stick around when others obey their hungry stomachs walk away with the rewards :cheers: