Caitlin O'Connell's Blog, page 17
July 20, 2015
When All Goes Quiet
There is a special time at the end of some...
When All Goes Quiet
There is a special time at the end of some days at Mushara when the wind
drops to a whisper, the air cools and the eles rumble softly as the orange
sun slips toward the horizon.
July 19, 2015
Hardy Boy, one of the young bulls of Mushara, comes in close to...
Hardy Boy, one of the young bulls of Mushara, comes in close to sort me out.
The concrete in the foreground is the edge of our reinforced bunker that
allows us to get so close to these big fellas and not get squished in the
process.
July 17, 2015
A young calf from the Goddess Family rears up to take on its...
A young calf from the Goddess Family rears up to take on its cousin at his
height!
A young calf from the Goddess Herd rears up to take on her...
A young calf from the Goddess Herd rears up to take on her cousin at his
height!
July 16, 2015
The Goddess Family barreling into the water hole for a late...
The Goddess Family barreling into the water hole for a late afternoon drink
with Slit Ear leading the way and guinea fowl scurrying to get out of the
way like little old ladies caught crossing the road in front of a herd of
mac trucks.
The Goddess Herd barreling into the water hole for a late...
The Goddess Herd barreling into the water hole for a late afternoon drink
with Slit Ear leading the way and guinea fowl scurrying to get out of the
way like little old ladies caught crossing the road in front of a herd of
mac trucks.
July 15, 2015
It’s been a few weeks since we got into the field at...
It’s been a few weeks since we got into the field at Mushara and the eles
are coming in at the run, thirsty and ornery. 2015 has been a bad drought
year for Etosha, but it has affected the eles differently than in the past.
So far we have seen the Actors, the Athletes and the Goddesses, but they are
coming in separately and the usual drama and conflict at the water hole is
absent. Today we saw Liza for the first time with her mom, Wynona (picture)
and her aunt, Erin and her brother and cuz. They have formed a small
fragment of the Actors herd that seems to have been pushed out of the Actors
for good. Liza is about three now. She looks tough and confident and does
not let her older cousin push her around.
July 8, 2015
And so it begins. Mushara field team 2015 about to spend a month...
And so it begins. Mushara field team 2015 about to spend a month in the bush
without running water and surrounded by elephants and lions. From front to
back we have Jaquelyn on dung control, Caitlin running the show, Kayci
running night lookouts, Natalie on parasite patterns , Henry handling tech
and video, Peter on cinematic interpretation and Chris keeping us fed and
healthy. Let the games begin.
June 27, 2015
Just landed in a very chilly Windhoek, Namibia, and excited to...
Just landed in a very chilly Windhoek, Namibia, and excited to get back to
Mushara with another awesome field team to observe our beloved pachyderm
posse! Took this long exposure of our last night in camp last season
with star lit last dinner on the platform and me crazily packing gear on third floor as
the Milkyway spins overhead. Looking forward to many beautiful nights
ahead!
