The rare and elusive

Just when I thought I had photographed most of the species in the area, I was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of three immature Sable Antelope!
Now, like any red-blooded wildlife enthusiast, you are probably wondering, why all the fuss over some antelope?
To let you know just how rare these antelope are, in this area over the last seven years, I have seen pangolin on three occasions, (see: https://kurtjaybertels.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/the-good-luck-continues/), and sable only twice! The last time I did cross paths with these insanely beautiful animals (2006), I was a little unlucky not to get any photographs – I chalked that one up to bad planning.
This time was different however!
After patiently waiting for a good half an hour, the rather shy antelope finally emerged from the thicket where they had been spotted, and moved into a grassy clearing. The sun was sitting comfortably, right behind me, which meant only the best morning light for the rare and elusive sable! I set the cameras, and started clicking away at a steady pace, (given the subject), when the front runner, true to his position, pulled a runner, and made a dash across the clearing to the relative safety of the thicket on the far side.
The clicking of the camera was no longer at a steady pace, but rather a frantic blur of shutter, sable, shutter, sable, shutter, sable! The other two antelopes joined in the race to the thicket, giving me a shot at trying something a little different. This I did with great success. (The blur shot of the sable running is a shot I have wanted for quite some time!)
Not long after it all started, the sables reached the thicket and the fun was over – leaving me smiling with some great images!

Sable antelope crossing the road

Sable Antelope on the run

Sable Antelope on the run