50 thoughts on “Early Bird”

1. Sparkle April 21, 2015 at 9:31 am

   When I look at the photo I can almost feel the crispness that’s in the air. Pitty hyienas are seen as the underdogs in so many cases

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 22, 2015 at 3:51 am

      Welkom hier by ons, Sparkle!

      We definitely agree with your sentiments about hyenas; we think they’re fascinating animals and really don’t deserve their cowardly reputation!

      LikeLike

      Reply ↓
      1. Sparkle April 22, 2015 at 8:27 am

         Thank you kindly! Once I saw hyena pups on the tv. My 1st thought was: are they suppose to be so cute!

         LikeLiked by 1 person
      2. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 22, 2015 at 7:28 pm

         Cute and cuddly they definitely are!

         LikeLike
2. Jane Lurie April 21, 2015 at 7:50 am

   Out in the jeep at sunrise are some of my most memorable safari moments. Magical. I love the look this guy is giving you!

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 22, 2015 at 3:48 am

      We entirely agree Jane; the wonder of the African bush waking up and the excitement of not knowing what’s waiting around the next corner has to be experienced first hand to fully appreciate!

      LikeLiked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
3. Ritva's ART / Ritva Sillanmäki April 18, 2015 at 4:59 pm

   gorgeous photo

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:05 pm

      Thanks so much Ritva!

      LikeLiked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
4. Silver in the Barn April 18, 2015 at 4:19 pm

   Terrific shot, shall we call her Esme?

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 4:41 pm

      A good name for a powerful matriarch!

      LikeLike

      Reply ↓
5. northerndesert April 18, 2015 at 1:09 pm

   Wonderful shot!

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 2:54 pm

      Thank you very much Alison!

      LikeLike

      Reply ↓
6. MiaMusings April 18, 2015 at 9:07 am

   So true!! In kruger, one morning drive let us drive with two cheetahs for almost 20m. It was awesome

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 2:53 pm

      Now that is special Mia! And exactly the kind reason why we never have any problems getting up early in the morning when we’re out in the bush, not even in summer when the Kruger camps open their gates at 04:30!

      LikeLiked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
7. montucky April 18, 2015 at 4:50 am

   Great shot!

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:55 am

      Thanks Montucky!

      LikeLike

      Reply ↓
8. compostingwords April 18, 2015 at 3:32 am

   Wow! The expression looking straight into his or her eyes is amazing! Nice shot.

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:53 am

      Thank you Cyndi! From this animal’s size I’d bet it’s a female; in spotted hyena society the females are dominant over and much larger than the males.

      LikeLiked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
9. Linda Arthur Tejera April 18, 2015 at 3:30 am

   They’re so unusual looking! Great photo! 🙂

   LikeLike

   Reply ↓
   1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:48 am

      Thanks a lot Linda!

      LikeLike

      Reply ↓
10. Leya April 17, 2015 at 11:30 pm

    Perfect portrait of this hyena – must have been great your eyes meeting!

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:47 am

       Thanks Ann-Christine, it certainly was a wonderful encounter.

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓

11. Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge – Early Bird | Chittle Chattle

12. Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge – Early Bird | Just Snaps

13. Pingback: Photo Challenge; Early Bird | tnkerr-Writing Prompts and Practice

14. perdebytjie April 17, 2015 at 9:26 pm

    Pragtige foto!

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:45 am

       Dankie Dina!

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
15. Stacy P. Fischer April 17, 2015 at 9:17 pm

    You absolutely nailed this shot! Focused right on this fella’s eyes 🙂 And the side light is beautiful. Great capture!

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:45 am

       Wow, thank you for the generous compliment Stacy!

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
       1. Stacy P. Fischer April 18, 2015 at 1:02 pm

          My pleasure 🙂

          LikeLiked by 1 person
16. anotherday2paradise April 17, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    Wow…. what a great shot! Worth rising early for. 🙂

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:40 am

       Thanks Sylvia!

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
17. Amy April 17, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    How delightful to capture this little guy! 🙂

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:38 am

       Delightful indeed Amy, but not quite so little 😉 . Spotted hyenas weigh around 60kg.

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
18. jimholroyd365 April 17, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    That is a great shot…here early morning the only fauna about are stray dogs…

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:37 am

       Thanks very much Jim!

       Those stray dogs you mentioned sounds like such a sad predicament.

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
19. bulldog April 17, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    When in Kruger you have to be up at first light… great captuŕe

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 5:36 am

       Agreed Rob, there’s no other way; what a feeling waiting for the gates to open!

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
       1. bulldog April 18, 2015 at 7:30 am

          I’m normally first in line

          LikeLike
       2. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 18, 2015 at 2:51 pm

          Then it will be a tussle between the de Wets and the Bulldogs if we ever find ourselves in the same camp at the same time!

          LikeLiked by 1 person
20. sustainabilitea April 17, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    I’ll have to send the link for this to our younger daughter who, for no known reason, loves heynas. She’s done a number of prints of them, too.

    janet

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 6:59 pm

       I’ll be very glad if we could give your daughter some fresh inspiration Janet! Didn’t she blog some of her pictures?

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
       1. sustainabilitea April 17, 2015 at 7:01 pm

          Yes, she has a site, but it’s probably not at all up-to-date because she’s so busy. The site is here: https://dewetswild.com/2015/04/17/early-bird/. If you go to Jan 4, 2014, you’ll see a heyna she did.

          LikeLiked by 1 person
       2. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 7:07 pm

          Thanks Janet! I think the links got mixed up a little though, this one points back at our post 😉

          LikeLike
       3. sustainabilitea April 17, 2015 at 7:08 pm

          I sent yours to here and my computer must not have re-copied. Let’s try again: https://dontwaittonight.wordpress.com/.

          LikeLiked by 1 person
       4. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 7:22 pm

          Thanks again Janet! She sure is really talented, no wonder she’s so busy!

          LikeLike
21. that traveling nurse April 17, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    aw, this little fella looks cute in here! 🙂

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 7:04 pm

       Wouldn’t advise petting him though!

       LikeLike

       Reply ↓
22. quarksire April 17, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    awesomeness!

    LikeLike

    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post authorApril 17, 2015 at 7:04 pm

       Thanks Q! Nice to see you around here again!

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       Reply ↓

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.