The Leading Edge

I've chosen to submit these migration shots as a series because they do tell a story.

The migration and, particularly, the crossing of the Mara river is, without doubt, one of the most spectacular wildlife phenomena you can witness. And I mean specatacular. You can hardly believe it the first time you see the mirating wilebeest and zebra - thousands of them, creating a massive cloud of dust as they move. The noise as they approach is incredible - a kind of rumbling thunder in the distance as they get closer to the Mara river and the crossing that is a battle for life itself. I arrived early by the river - you need to to get your view. The guide knew the place to get the shots - and I ended up between Andy Rouse and a bloke from National Geographic so I presumed I was more or less right for position.

Shot 1. The leading wildebeest - the front edge of thousands of animals. The herd instinct is such that one animal goes and the rest follow. For what seemed like an interminable period they look at the water; the waiting crocodiles and the vultures know what is to come.

Shot 2. A Leap of Faith - suddenly one animal makes the move - it's almost 'now or never' - and the herd responds. The Mara river turns into an explosion of action!

Shot 3. Follow the Leader. According to our guide, zebra are a more intelligent animal than wildebeest. They often 'navigate' on the migration and do better on the crossing. Here a zebra leads wildebeest to a good crossing point. These animals will live to fight another day.

Shot 4. Scramble to Survive. For others it turns to a frantic scramble for survival, crushing fellow beasts in the frenzy to cross the water. The first bodies drift downstream from the mass of beasts, killed and injured not by predators but by each other. Survival of the strongest.

Shot 5. A Tricky Problem. Not the best place to try and leave the water. The waiting crocodile knows it's just a matter of time........

Shot 6. The End of the Line. A wildebeest enters the food chain....

Shot 7. Jaws of Death. Mara crocodiles are big. Very big indeed, in fact......

Shots 8 & 9. Aftermath. It's like a battlefield after the battle - the explosion of action is over, all that is left is a strange silence, the bodies and vultures (so many vultures!) feasting.

Camera:	Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Lens:	Canon 400mm & 70-200mm lenses
Recording media:	RAW (digital)

Title:	The Leading Edge
Username:	stevie
Uploaded:	8 Sep 2012 - 10:04 AM
Tags:	Kenya, Mara crossing, Migration, Wildebeest, Wildlife / nature
VS Mode Rating	101 (100% won) These stats show the percentage of wins and the rating score that your photo has achieved. You can go to the VS Mode by clicking on this icon. Signup to e2 Signup to e2 to see which photo this has won or lost against in the vs mode
Votes:	63
	Variant - Report