World Elephant Day

The elephant has to be one of my favourite animals!

While they can get defensive if you invade their personal space, they are some of the most placid and beautiful natured creatures.

I remember once camping of the banks of the Kariba and in the middle of the night a large male elephant decided to eat from the tree that our tents where pitched under.

We were all terrified of this massive creature ripping off huge branches. But the irony was that the elephant could not have been less worried, and didn't show an ounce of aggression.

It is for this reason and many other great memories that I remember these wonderful creatures on World Elephant Day.

Patience Makes Perfect

These waters birds have so much patience. They'll stand in one position, not moving an inch, for what seems like an eternity as they wait for a fish to cross their path. This particular bird is a grey heron.

When these birds stand on one leg like this it always reminds me of the joke; why did the heron stand on one leg? ... Because if he stood on none he'd fall over!!! 

Yes I know... it's a terribly lame joke.

Grey Heron

Innocence of Youth

Watching baby animals in the wild is a small pleasure in life. I love how even with all the dangers and unpredictability of the world they live in they seem so innocent and oblivious.

This young cub was pestering his mother to play with him. He would claw at her as she was dosing off. He continued at this until she eventually conceded and started playing back.

Lion cub playing with mother

A Hungry Leopard

This has to be one of my favourite animals to see when I go to a game reserve. The thought of seeing a leopard excites me. But to see a leopard, with its kill, in a tree, that is something special!

I actually took this shot as a 3-bracket HDR. This is not the conventional way of shooting wildlife, and I wouldn't normally do this. But since the leopard was in a tree with lots of shadows across its body, I thought I'd use the opportunity to extract as much light as possible.
I think it was a good choice

Leopard eating an impala

The Entrancing Zebra

There's something mesmerising about the patterns and stripes of a zebra. Kinda makes you want to stare endlessly at it. I only recently learned this, but a zebras stripes are used as a kind of camouflage that confuses predators at long distances. These colours also help them keep their core temperatures down in the blistering heat. A bit like a hybrid eco/defensive horse. Pretty cool!!!

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Zebra Portrait

The Lonely Hyena Cub

This is a baby hyena, not normally an animal known for its cuteness. But this little guy just makes your heart melt. We found him alone on the side of the road, driving back to our camp in the Kruger National Park. Either it was his time to leave his mother and fend for himself, or he had somehow lost his family. Whichever case it may have been, he looked so sad, with his head resting on his paw. It was very hard not to put him in the car with us and take him home.

Hyena Cub

Emerging From The Shadows

I find the rhino to be one of the most prehistoric looking creatures alive, and every time I see one I feel I've slipped back in time a few millennia. But for something that looks like it was designed to be a weapon, it is amazing how placid these creatures actually are. It's no wonder they are on the brink of extinction.

Rhino

Photo of the Day: A Very Obliging Lizard!!!

I recently came back from a range of mountains in South Africa called the Cederberg. This area has magnificent rock formations, and reminds me in some ways of the beautiful landscapes of Cappadocia. I will post more pictures of my trip in days to come. 

This guy however was a talking point in itself. He really was beautiful, but strangely also very tame. Normally to capture a shot like this you would have to use a telephoto of sorts in order for him to not be scared away. But this shot was taken with the lens I had been using to take the beautiful scenery around me, which happened to be my Sigma 10-20mm landscape lens. I panned my camera around him, taking a number of shot no longer than a rulers length away from him.

A very obliging lizard!!!

Weekly Photo: The Graceful Pied Kingfisher

Weekly Photo: Another day in Africa

Over the weekend I spent a day in the Pilanesberg National Park. I was incredibly spoilt to see a pride of lion with six cubs eating a wildebeest. I sat watching this wonderful scene for about two hours. At one stage this little cub started to play with his mother, rolling on the floor and pouncing upon her.