4 Rivers Camp: Jack Stephens

Elephant

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:04 GMT

]]>This elephant was easily recognized by its asymetrical tusks by our guides. Each herd is lead by a matriach, and she has been the matriach for this herd for some time.

Burchell's Starling

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:01 GMT

]]>Starlings are numerous and varied in Africa. Many are quite beautiful, elspecially in good light where the iridescent feathers just glow.

Baboon

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:00 GMT

]]>Adult baboon eating a Sausage Tree fruit. These trees were common on our game drives, and the fruits are prized by a wide variety of animals, including elephants.

Carmine Bee-eater

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:01 GMT

]]>Aptly named, bee-eaters eat a wide variety on flying insects. When they do catch a bee, they whack it against a perch until the stinger comes off, then swallow.

Giraffe

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:03 GMT

]]>Giraffes have always had this air of serene elegance about them. I am sure I am projecting, as they are probably no more serene than yur average elephant shrew, but the impression remains.

Gray Heron

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:08 GMT

]]>African Gray Herons are very similar to our Great Blue Herons. Both are among the larger of the wading birds in their respective habitats, and eat a wide variety of prey.

Impala Sparring

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:04 GMT

]]>These young male impalas are play-fighting, getting ready when they are adults and will need to fight rivals in order to mate with females. Male impalas have impressive harems of females, sometimes nubering up to 50 individuals.

Camp View

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:09 GMT

]]>The camp at 4 Rivers was very similar to the other camps where we stayed. There is a single larger building with the dining area, and several "tents" where guests stay. These are permanent strucures with concrete floors, private baths and wood frames, but the walls roofs are of canvas or thatched.

Spotted Hyena

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:41:37 GMT

]]>These Spotted Hyena cubs were playing with this stick for quite awhile. The older one is a juvenile sibling.

African Hoopoe

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:00 GMT

]]>African Hoopoe is one specis that can impress even non-bird lovers. It is a crazy collection of colors, with an imressive crest and bill.

Leopard

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:09 GMT

]]>Leopards spend a lot of their time up in trees. This one is having a lazy afternoon.

Lion

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:09 GMT

]]>This young lion was working for the scraps off a buffalo the pride had brought down a couiple of days ago. Hyenas were waiting neaarby to move in when the lions were done.

Lion

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:11 GMT

]]>This is not exactly a regal pose for the king of beasts. After gorging on the buffalo kill, the pride of lions laid around in a stupor fo the rest of the day.

Warthog

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:58:17 GMT

]]>Warthogs have thick pads on their knees that help them feed in this position. They dig in the ground for roots and tubersm their primary source of food.

Mokoro Adventure

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:02 GMT

]]>Mokoro were orignially made from hollowed out tree trunks. These are made from fiberglass. As these wetlands make travel by foot very difficult, the peoples of the area relied on mokoros for their travel.

Tree scars

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:04:42 GMT

]]>Many of the trees we saw had damage to the bark like this one. Elephants use their tusks to get to the cambrium layer of the bark, whick is rich in nutrients. Sometimes this does kill the tree, which helps to preserve the open grassland of the savannah.

Ostrich

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:11 GMT

]]>The largest bird in the world, Ostriches are adapted to life in open grasslands. They avood predation with their speed, and with their ability to deliver nasty kicks with their powerful legs.

African sunset

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 02:53:36 GMT

]]>Sunset in Africa can be spectacular. The dust in the air defracts the light into intense colors that are only occasionally matched other parts of the world.

Luke and Lizzy

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:13 GMT

]]>Our excellent guide and spotter at 4 Rivers. Lucy was the only female guide we have had in Africa, and she was amazing.

Green Woodhoopoe

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:22:51 GMT

]]>Green Woodhoopoes are a species without a similar bird in North America. They move up and down trees looking for insects like our Brown Creeper, But are much bigger with impressive plumage and scarlet-red bills.

Spotted Hyena

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:14 GMT

]]>Naturally curious, this Spotted Hyena was checking us out as we stopped to look at some elephants.

Baboon

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:00 GMT

]]>Baboons are highly mobile. Large groups move through grasslands and up into trees. The babies ride clinging to thier mother's bellies when they are little, the bigger ones get a piggie-back ride.

Elephant

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:05 GMT

]]>Elephants never cease to impress. This one was one of a heard of females and their young we came across. One way to tell the sex of elephants is by the forehead. Females have more prominant foreheads, while males have wider and flatter ones.

Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:11 GMT

]]>Red-billed Buffallo-Weavers build massive communal nests in trees, with individual nest chambers for each breeding pair. Sort of like a bird condominium.

Spring Hare

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:13 GMT

]]>The most common animal seen on our night drives by far was the Spring Hare. While it is a true hare, it jumps along on its two hind legs like a kangaroo.

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:55:06 GMT

]]>Another colorful member of the bee-eater family.

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:17 GMT

]]>This pair of Verreaux's Eagle-Owls were nesting in this tree. This photo does not show their size well. They are huge, with a wing span of up to 5 feet.

Wildebeest

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:18 GMT

]]>I had often wondered about the body structure of Wildebeest. It is similar to our Aamericn Bison, with large forequarters and small hindquarters. With the Wildebeest, the large neck and shoulders supports their large head. The combination helps with efficiency their long migration route, with the fhed acting a pendulum as they walk. The small hindquarters helps them pivot quickly as they defend themselves from predators.

Zebras

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:19 GMT

]]>These zebras are not standing this way out of affection. This is for protection, they have 360 degree view for predators.

African Sunset

jackstephens.edmonds@gmail.com (Jack Stephens) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:18:06 GMT

]]>Sunrise and sunset in Africa are consistantly colorful.