The Great Migration (Owen Floody, John and Judy Peeler)

As suggested by the title, the images in this show were taken in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and focus on a particularly dramatic (and hazardous) moment in the Great Migration of wildebeest and other animals.Specifically, they focus on a river crossing though they also include images of birds and animals from elsewhere in the Serengeti.River crossings are necessary events, as the grazing lands that the animals seek at this time of year (July, so near the middle of Tanzania’s long dry season) areon the opposite side of the Mara River.At the same time, crossings are risky, in part due to challenges posed by the river itself, in part due to the many predators that inhabit or line it. The specific crossing that we viewed was happily successful but still enormously exciting, as wildebeest flew through the air and churned through the water with great urgency.
Owen Floody is a retired Bucknell professor who spent many years teaching courses and conducting research on the biological factors that influence the behavior of humans and other animals.Presently, he spends much of his time using travel to pursue his interests in scenery, wildlife and photography.
John Peeler, like Owen retired from Bucknell, was his tent-mate for this trip.He has for ten years or so pursued bird photography as a way to slow down to a birder’s pace, the better to accompany Judy Peeler, who has been an avid birder for much longer.At this point he finds the activity sufficiently engaging that he often goes out alone to take some shots.
Judy Peeler, a member of Seven Mountains Audubon for nearly 30 years, has visited Tanzania and neighboring Uganda. Her role in this presentation is merely to provide names of birds, resident or in migration