Category: Wildlife

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2016-04-22: Feel Good Friday

It seems I could only stray from elephants for one Friday!  Have a great weekend everyone!

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A cheerful little elephant with a jaunty walk makes his way down the roadway towards us 🙂 Sabi Sands, May 2015
1/800sec, f8.0, ISO 500
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2016-04-21: Zebras

When going through some photos today, I took notice of the variety of landscapes that I saw zebras in during my last trip.  From scrubby desert to the vast wetlands of the Okavango Delta, everywhere they seemed to be thriving.  They really are such beautiful animals; I hope you enjoy.

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Mom and youngster on watch as the heat of the day builds.  Sabi Sands, May 2015.
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A dazzle of zebra gather on the airstrip in the late afternoon.  The youngsters of this group were particularly tiny.  Sabi Sands, May 2015
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One zebra pauses to take notice of us overhead, while the rest of the group continues their journey through the Okavango Delta. April, 2015
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The late afternoon sun provides lovely backlighting on a pair of zebra.  Okavango Delta, April 2015.
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A dazzle of zebra in Sossusvlei, Nambia, April 2015.  The youngsters in this group were particularly boisterous, running circles around the adults a few minutes before I snapped this photo.
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A group of zebra grazing as the light of the afternoon fades away.  We watched this group for some time as we stopped nearby for a sundowner 🙂  Sossusvlei, April 2015
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2016-04-18: Monochrome Monday

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A rhino cow and calf graze back to front on a bright sunny morning on Phinda Game Reserve. May, 2015
1/1600sec, f10, ISO 1250

 

If you’d enjoy this, or another of my photos hanging on your wall, click here.

 

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2016-04-17: What I’ve seen this week

It’s been a great week for birds around the neighbourhood, especially yesterday, when I managed to capture photos of 5 different species in one morning walk (plus 3 different bunnies).

Wishing everyone a wonderful week 🙂

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I actually saw a pair of flickers yesterday, and while they conveniently perched together in a tree, I didn’t manage to get any shots of the two together worth sharing, as they were so high up, and I didn’t have to big lens. This one was working hard tapping at this dead tree; I heard it long before I saw it.
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A hairy woodpecker pauses from pecking between the tree branches early yesterday morning.
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A sure sign of spring are the robins singing from the treetops every morning. I caught this one searching for worms on the roadside.
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Earlier this week, I saw frantic activity below a large pine tree; I snapped loads of photos just so I could try to identify the birds. This was the best that I managed, but I include it here as it was a new species for me, a white winged crossbill.
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The juncos are back in town, but generally don’t visit the feeder; they are part of the clean up crew that keeps that area beneath the feeder tidy (thanks guys!).
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The pileated woodpecker was tapping away at the top of this pole, making quite the racket.
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One of the 3 bunnies I saw yesterday; this one was right next to my driveway at the end of our walk. Luckily, Spencer only barks at them about 1 in 10 times that he sees them. Mostly he just patiently waits for me to finish taking a photograph.
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I’ve been hearing the ruffed grouse drumming for some time now, but this was the first time I’ve seen one this year. This beauty hung around under the bird feeder, cleaning up fallen sunflower seeds.
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I was happy I was able to quietly sneak outside and get a few photos (I was hiding behind the garden hose reel so I didn’t disturb the grouse browsing).
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Sunflower seed success.
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2016-04-15: Feel Good Friday

I thought I’d mix it up just a bit, and post a non-elephant photo for my feel good Friday post.  This leopard definitely looks like she has had enough of the week and is ready for the weekend!

Happy Friday everyone!

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A big yawn before this leopard set off down the tree… only to thrill us with climbing another, after a brief pause in front of our vehicle. It is unbelievably amazing to be so close to such an amazing animal.

Baines Camp, Botswana, April 2015 1/500sec, f9.0, ISO 640

 

This photo, along with lots of others, is available over at my Smugmug site.

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2016-04-11: Monochrome Monday

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When you’re as tall as a giraffe, there just isn’t an easy way to get a drink. It’s quite a sight to see though, and we timed passing by this giraffe just perfectly. I love the detail visible in the throat area, you just don’t see that when they are the right way up. Okavango Delta, April 2015
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2016-04-10: What I’ve seen this week

I went for a quick drive this morning, after hearing about tree swallows and potentially mountain bluebirds nesting in a field fairly close to home.  I was rewarded with seeing both.  I’ve never seen mountain bluebirds before this, and the intensity of the males feathers reminds me of the brightly coloured birds of Southern Africa.

It’s far too nice today though to spend much time indoors, so I’ll get to the photos and wish everyone a wonderful week ahead. 🙂

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The first time you ask your partner to do something around the house…

 

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The 87th time you’ve asked your partner to do that very same thing around the house!
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So nice to have the sun shining to show off the beautiful iridescent feathers of the tree swallow.
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A perfect portrait pose.
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My first view of a Mountain Bluebird.
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One couple was hanging out around nest box 20.
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Another preferred nest box 30.  How I wish I could have captured the male and female together.  Perhaps next weekend!
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The shockingly blue male Mountain Bluebird.
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Moments before he took to the skies.
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