African Adventures: a presentation by Gordon Nicol

Gordon Nicol and his wife Sheila have made seven visits to Africa since 2005 : to Kenya in 2005, 2013 and 2022, to Zambia in 2010, Zanzibar in 2010, South Africa in 2016 and Uganda in 2018. In his presentation he shared some of the outstanding pictures he has taken of the landscape, people and wildlife in these African countries. 

Travelling mostly by road, but also on occasion by water, Gordon showed us some stunning shots of the African ‘Big Five’ – lions, elephants, leopards, rhino, and buffalo – also hippos, giraffes, wildebeest, and crocodiles. We saw lions feeding their cubs, in family groups and hunting; elephants at water holes and crossing rivers, and a leopard, almost invisible in a tree. Sheila met members of the Maasai tribe of Southern Kenya  There were also images of beautiful and exotic birds, and not so beautiful – vultures and marabou storks.  Some of these encounters were a bit too close; on their last visit to Kenya, a battle scarred lion was over inquisitive and came within touching distance of the photographer, which necessitated a hasty retreat.  Other exploits included a walk in a rain forest under groups of incontinent chimps while looking for the gorillas in the mist.   An unintentional swim upstream of some hippos; diving off the Zanzibar Coast and also in the marine aquarium at Cape Town, with some large placid sharks and a rather aggressive turtle.

This was a very personal introduction to the wildlife and culture of the continent enhanced by excellent photography. A tonic on a January afternoon.