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Thread: On the Hunt

  1. #1
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default On the Hunt

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    Two members of the Skukuza pack of Painted Dogs (African Wild Dogs) stop to pick up a scent while on an early morning hunt. My family and I were lucky enough to follow and photograph this pack hunting all along the road for 45 minutes in the Kruger National Park in June of this year - and we were the only people in the sighting...yes it does happen sometimes, even in the southern section of the park!

    I am fascinated by the way these predators hunt and the way their pack/family dynamic works. Here two members of the pack pick up scents by the roadside.


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    Morkel Erasmus

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    Forum Participant Thinus Schoeman's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, very nice image, great light and the comp works for me. The dogs contrast very well against the lighter background.

    I encountered this pack on the same morning I saw the leopard, unfortunately it was about 5am in the morning and the light was not great to say the least. I have a shot or two which I will post soon. I'm with you, these animals are extremely interesting to watch, and they can provide great interaction opportunities.

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    Superb image Morkel! I like the behaviour of the one on the left picking up the scent and the other in an alert pose facing the camera. Great colours, contrast and sharpness! I like it a lot! TFS.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel - Wild dogs are great fun to watch, especially on the hunt. I really like the inquisitive look of the one on the rhs. Techs and colors look good.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Forum Participant BenBotha's Avatar
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    They are in excellent condition! I like the stare from the l one. FYI, about 30 wild dogs died recently in Madikwe-only a few left. Rabies, ? brought in by a Jackal from Botswana.
    Ben

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel always pleasure to watch the WD , and this is no exception .
    Nicely framed and the one facing the camera is great with the cocked head .
    Colors do look great , likewise the tones from hL to 3/4 tones , i personally just think the blacks are looking a wee bit heavy in parts compared to i.e. your WD images from Zim , at least i have the feeling .But no big deal .

    Nice work Morkel , TFS Andreas

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    Hi Morkel -- What a pretty sight . Beautiful creatures these Wild Dogs are ! very nicely framed. nice sharpness and colors but a bit too dark for my liking ( the Blacks ) . the grass behind the Dog starring in the camera is also very nicely placed . very nice image overall . TFS !!

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Dear Morkel,

    Fantastic sighting well captured and I love the pose from the WD on the RHS of the image ! Don't know how you survived Skukuza in terms of people and vehicles, LOL. We are off to Kruger on the 4th of September but decided to avoid the busy camps and going for the quieter areas, even though we might miss out on some photographic opportunities.

    Framing is great here, lovely colours, agree with Andreas regarding blacks though, super eye contact with this one lovely painted fellow and what a nice behavioural shot - thank you Morkel, enjoyed viewing and this helped getting my hopes up a bit, been in two minds about this Kruger trip:)

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks folks - looking at it now the blacks do look a bit choked up

    Gabriela - we were based outside the park for this trip, better for the kids at the timeshare estates, and drove in regularly.
    On this morning we found them and like I said we were alone most of the time - I prefer to stick to the lesser-traveled gravel roads in KNP. Have fun up north, I do miss the Shingwedzi and Punda Maria areas a lot!
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, 'A bit late to the party' as they say, lovely light and I do like the placement, although it's a bit tight I feel overall for me, if you have some more I would crop looser, or with hindsight have pulled back on the position. I can see what Andreas means about the blacks, but it's the appearance of what looks like DE applied certainly to the RH dog that has created patches on the 'coat' in the shadow areas, but could be wrong???

    Always nice to see WD's, although with their rather pungent aroma at times, I think I like to keep a distance, or up wind at least.

    TFS
    Steve

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