Birding Safaris By Charter Flights East Africa|Lake Nakuru|Lake Bogoria|Lake Baringo|Lake Naivasha & Kakamega Rainforest
Most of the birds of different species are found in East Africa around the lakes, rivers, coastal region, forests, swamps, marshes and in woodlands.
Due to poor infrastructure of the road transport, charter flights have become the preferred and quickest way to reach these destinations.
Birding safaris can be done using a charter flight and you can take photographs in-flight as these aircrafts and helicopters have transparent windows which are long and for the aircraft below the wings thus giving clear vicinity of the object. Charter flights are charged on hourly basis for birding safaris and the passenger airport departure tax, park entry fees and the aircraft landing, parking and navigation fees charged separately. With helicopters you are able to land at the hotel in the national park or game reserve as all it needs the place to be open and clear but for the fixed wing aircrafts there has to be a runway made and long enough for the aircraft that will be used.
Tips on Photographic Techniques
For the most part ,the secret to successful photography lies in the photographers ability to master and control several major factors-those of exposure,lighting,depth of field, definition and composition. If all these factors are successfully mastered you will be producing many pleasing pictures.
Lighting
During the course of a single day in East Africa, the lighting conditions experienced can vary tremendously. The conditions experienced in the early morning are often the most pleasing, the low angle of the sun producing wonderful soft lighting, with excellent modeling of the subject. These lighting, conditions are often repeated in late afternoon with the addition of a warm glow towards sunset. From late morning to mid afternoon lighting conditions can be very challenging, with the sunlight often directly overhead, resulting in rather flat lighting effects.
In most cases, standard portraits of East Africa’s birds and mammals are taken with sunlight behind the photographer, thereby fully lighting the subject. It is always worth experimenting with other lighting arrangements, particularly side or backlighting. These lighting conditions often produce spectacular and unusual pictures of even the most common bird and mammal species.
Depth of Field
The range of ‘f’ stops available on each individuals lens determines depth of field. In most landscape pictures, taken with wide-angle or standard lens, there is a necessity for maximum depth of field, to render as much of the foreground, middle and far distance as sharp as possible. To achieve this result, it is necessary to select a small aperture (‘f’ stop) of f16 or f22.This will consequently result in a slow shutter speed, so ensure you use a tripod or some other means of support to reduce the risk of picture failure as a result of camera shake.
For individual images of birds or mammals, using longer lenses, it is often better to select a large aperture of f5.6 or f4.This will result in the background being thrown well out of focus, which in turn will help to isolate your main centre of interest be it birds or mammal. The use of a large aperture in these circumstances will also help to eliminate background distractions by rendering them out of focus.
Don’t forget that you can check the depth of field created by any given ‘f’ stop, by using the depth of field button on your camera body. This button allows you to preview the finished image and to adjust it to your own satisfaction prior to making any exposure.
Definition
The success or failure of any photograph is dependent to a great extent on definition. On the whole, modern lenses are produced to a high standard and give excellent definition: any unsharp results are usually attributable to other causes. The most frequent cause is, undoubtedly, due to camera shake during exposure. Another cause can be movement of the subject during exposure; this can be lessened to a great extend by use of a fast shutter speed.
It is, however, worth remembering that in some instances movement of the subject during exposure can often result in a pleasing pictorial image, such as animals running or flocks of birds flying.
Composition
Unlike many elements of a photograph which are automatically undertaken by the camera itself, composition demands an active input from the photographer .It is therefore in your own interest to be fully conversant with the factors relating to good composition.
Many newcomers to photography tend to produce all of their images in a horizontal format. Cameras work equally well when turned through 90 degrees! Do remember to fully utilize the possibilities of a vertical format.
Also remember to consider changing your viewpoint on occasions. Don’t always photograph from a standing position, and explore the possibilities of photographing a subject by kneeling or even lying on the ground.Dont always photograph from the open roof of the vehicle on game drives. Use the windows occasionally, as it can often add impact and provide better scale to the resulting pictures.
In the case of bird or mammal portraits, having decided on your format and viewpoint, you need to concentrate on the size and placement of your subject within the picture area. Generally speaking most subjects need room to move or look into the picture space, so avoid cropping your image too tightly, unless of course it is your intention to show a close-up of the subjects head.
Try to avoid placing your subject in the centre of the picture space, instead consciously divide the space into ‘thirds’, both vertically and horizontally and place your main point of interest where the lines cross. Do pay attention to the line of the horizon, particularly in landscapes. Keep it along the ‘thirds’ and ,at all costs, keep it level.
When it comes to precise framing, zoom lenses is very useful, allowing control over subject size perspective. In some cases the size of the main subject can be quite small within the picture space, provided that the inclusion of more surroundings adds information or pictorial interest to the finished image.
By utilizing a range of lenses it is often possible to secure an interesting sequence of images of a bird or mammal,i.e 50mm showing the creature in its habitat,200mm or 300mm producing portraits and 500mm or 600mm depicting the head only. Sequences like these can often add variety to subsequent slide shows or print albums.
The Moment of Exposure
Having located your subject and decided on the elements of exposure, lighting and composition, when do you press the shutter? This, of course, is very subjective, but any animal or bird portrait will be greatly improved and have a ‘sparkle of life’ if you can make your exposure when a ‘highlight’is visible in the eye of your chosen subject. This is particularly important if the eye of the subject being photographed is dark and surrounded by black fur or feather.
You should always attempt to maintain concentration when photographing any subject, remaining alert to the possibility of a yawn, scratch or wing-stretch, which may provide you with only a fleeting moment in which to capture the action.
Moving Subjects
Animals or birds ‘on the move’ present the photographer with some interesting problems. Supporting the camera is a major concern as the use of a tripod of monopod is usually too restricting for this type of work. Other than hand-holding the camera, rifle stock or shoulder pod is probably the only option available. Either way you should endeavor to use the fastest shutter speed available, to minimize the risk of camera shake. Capturing any moving bird or mammal is best accomplished by ‘panning’. This technique involves moving the camera in the same direction and at the same speed as the subject and taking the picture while the camera is still moving. Any resulting pictures will have a feeling of movement, showing the subject in sharp focus with the background blurred due to the motion of the panning camera.
There many species of birds that are found in East Africa around Lake Nakuru,Lake Naivasha,Lake Baringo,Lake Bogoria,Kakamega Forests and the coastal regions and below find the description of a few of them.
Black-Necked Grebe
A small grebe of both freshwater and alkaline lakes and ponds. In breeding plumage the head, neck and black are black contrasting with striking golden-yellow ear coverts. The flanks are chestnut and underside almost pure white. They are forehead, crown, nape, hind neck, back and wings is grayish-black, the throat, fore neck and under parts are off-white. The bill is dark grey-black and curves slightly upwards. The eyes are orange-red. The sexes are alike.
Little Grebe
The commonest grebe on the freshwater and alkaline lakes of the rift valley.They is also found on small ponds and sluggish rivers. A small, squat grebe with the forehead, crown and hind neck black. The cheeks throat and fore neck are rich chestnut, and the back and wings are brown. The flanks are rufous and the breast and under parts white. The short bill is dark with a patch of cream at the base. The eyes are dark red. The plumage becomes duller and greyer during non-breeding periods. The sexes are alike.
Greater Kestrel
Distribution restricted to Western Kenya in Kaka mega forests, northern Tanzania and eastern Uganda. Can be easily mistaken for a female kestrel (Falcon tinnunculus) but has plumage more straw colour than chestnut, blackish barring on the rump, tail, mantle and flanks and eyes of creamy-white. The sexes are alike.Immatures have barred rump and rufous not grey tail, dark brown eyes, and cere and orbital ring blue-green.
Jacksons Francolin
An endemic resident of the mountain forests of Kenya between 2,200 to 3,700m where they are quite abundant. A large francolin with grey-brown head. The breast and belly feathers are rich chestnut edged with off-white. The mantle is grey-brown, the wing coverts and primary feathers are rufous brown. The tails chestnut. The eyes are dark brown, the bill rich red and the legs and feet are bright red, the backs of the legs are darker. The sexes are similar, the female being slightly smaller than the male. Immature birds are generally darker in appearance and have dark brown baring on the wings and tail.In some areas within the Aberdares National Park they have become very tame and often frequent picnic sites and lodges grounds on the look out for food scraps.
Greater Flamingo
The larger East Africa’s flamingos they occur in large numbers throughout the rift valley, frequenting alkaline and freshwater lakes. The head, long slender neck, back, underparts and tail are white with a flush of pink. The wing coverts are bright scarlet and the primary and secondary wing feathers are black. The bill is broad and curved bright pink with a black tip. It is specially adapted for filtering small prey items from shallow water.The long thin legs and feet are vivid pink. The sexes are similar, the female being smaller.Immatures are brown-grey in plumage with grey-black bill legs.
Lesser Flamingo
Found in enormous flocks on the alkaline lakes of the rift valley. The plumage varies from almost pure white, in young and non-breeding birds, to pale rose pink during breeding periods. The primary wing feathers are black and the wing coverts deep crimson. The bill is broad and curved, black at the base and the tip with a varying amount of deep red in the centre portion. The eyes are bright yellow-orange and the long, thin legs and feet are bright red. The female is smaller and paler in colour than male. Immature birds have a grey-brown plumage.
Rift valley is where Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Lake Bogoria, Lake Baringo are situated and as mentioned above the flamingos are found there. Charter flight to Lake Baringo from Wilson airport is one hour five minutes on a 5 seater C-206 aircraft and on 3 seats C-172/C-182 one hour 15 minutes. From Wilson Airport, Nairobi to Lake Nakuru the flight time on a private charter is 38 minutes on C-206 5 seats and on C-172/C-182 3 seats 45 minutes. Flight time Nairobi to Kaka mega is 1hour 20 minutes on C-206 5 seats and C-172/C-182 1 hour 40 minutes and it is the same flight time as Nairobi to Lake Bogoria on charter flight. On charter flight to Lake Naivasha from Nairobi is 25 minutes on C-172/C-182 3 seats and on C-206 5 seats 15 minutes.
The charter flight services are segmented into various categories as follows, scenic flights, aerial survey & photography flights, sight seeing flights, filming flights and there all capacity of aircrafts ranging from 3 to 18 seats which can be chartered with East Africa including Kenya,Uganda,Tanzania,Burundi and Rwanda.
About the Author
Anthony Juma is the Editor and Senior Aviation Director at Wings Over Africa Aviation.
This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Birding Safaris By Charter Flights East Africa |Lake Nakuru|Lake Baringo|Lake Bogoria|Lake Naivasha & Kaka mega Rainforest. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http:// / www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/services/charter-flights.html
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