Photo of the week

23rd February 2009

The Great Wildebeest Migration

The BBC1's Nature's Great Events focuses on this annual event on 25th February

The excellent BBC1 series 'Nature's Great Events' this week moves to the grasslands of Africa. It tells the story of the epic trek of herds that follow the rains to fresh pastures, and the tale of the predators they leave behind - in particular one lion family's struggle to survive until the return of the great migration.

Our photo of the week looks at one of the major players in this event - the wildebeest. Paul Goldstein was leading his Kenya Photographic Safari special trip when he took this photo.

This was taken from the biggest crossing of the year in the Masai Mara, mid October as they returned towards the Serengeti. 2008 was a remarkable year for this event with almost daily activity around the river for several months. Initially, when the herds come into the reserve the crocs feast on them. Crocs have slow metabolisms and by this time with very full stomachs, relaxing would appear to be an appropriate sport for them but actually they are even more brutal, killing indiscriminately as these ruminants float down into their territory. To see dramatic crossings it is ESSENTIAL to do proper time near the river, they are not, thankfully, completed to order. Having spent some long days seeing thousands flirt with the water, this was a red letter day. I had set aside a whole day as the herds were restless, darkening the plains on the north bank. Astonishingly by 8.30am over 25,000 had returned to the Mara Triangle. They started leaping in about 300 metres upstream of us but pressure of numbers meant they ended up right under our noses and a fleet of precision optics. It was definitely the most buoyant al fresco breakfast of the season.

Taken on a Canon EOS40D and 500mm with 1.4 Extended 200ISO SS 2000

 Picture and notes by Paul Goldstein

Have you seen our special photographic holidays on offer this year?