We were heading back to camp at the end of the day when we came across this idyllic little hippo pond in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Kenya. The big hippo to the left (presumably the mother) took a quick glance over toward camera while her calf emerged from the water. Hippos like to spend most of the day in the water, but will come out at night to graze, or on days when the sun isn’t shining — hippos are very susceptible to sunburn. Being the rainy season, however, we saw lots of them out and about at all times of the day. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 125mm) ISO 1000, f/2.8 at 1/500th of a second.

One of the key species we look for when in Samburu National Reserve in the north of Kenya is the gerenuk. Gerenuks are nicknamed giraffe-necked antelopes and you can see why. They’ve adapted long necks to forage on taller bushes and trees. The real money shot is to get one standing on its hind legs to reach even higher. We always see that behavior a few times, and I captured it toward the end of this short video. Check out how fast their mouths move when they eat. None of the clips have been sped up, and in fact, a few of them have been slowed down. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K at 120 fps.

This latest video documents an evening with white rhinos in Nairobi National Park. At first the rhinos were grazing peacefully on the rainy-season grasslands. Then one of the bulls was feeling a bit libidinous and starting approaching nearby females. The ladies successfully fended off his advances (with help from the young ones) and he eventually decided that eating grass was the only viable option on this particular night. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-70 lens, 4K at 120 frames per second.

For the most part on safari, lions and other large mammals completely ignore vehicles and those of us lucky enough to be inside them. We’re viewed as part of the landscape, allowing for a close approach with minimal impact. But every now and again we’re reminded that we’re not always welcome. Thus was the case with this lioness, who snarled at us before plopping back down into the grass. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 70-200mm lens (at 140mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.

This was a nice moment from one of our game drives in Kenya — a pair of rosy-patched bushshrikes singing to each other. Here’s just a snippet of their song, which was still going strong when we drove away. The female has her back to camera (I think). Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4k at 120fps.

Superb starlings are one of, if not the most common birds we see on our East African safaris. Because they tend to be easy subjects, I’m always looking for behavioral moments. I was walking around camp one afternoon when I spotted this mother digging for worms to feed her chick. This went on for a while and I was able to capture quite a few shots, as well as video. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 3200, f/5.6 at 1/2500th of a second.

We saw three different species of mongoose on this last trip to Kenya. This is the dwarf mongoose. I’ve photographed these guys before, but not standing like this. We saw them in both the Masai Mara and in Samburu where this image was captured. We also saw the banded mongoose and the white-tailed mongoose.Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 640, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.

On this particular evening in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy of Kenya, the stormy skies cleared at just the right time to reveal a full moon rising over the mountains. A group (or dazzle if you prefer) of plains zebras lined up for a nice portrait before we headed back to camp. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 280, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second.

The rainy season in East Africa is a good time for birds. Widowbirds, in particular, were all over the place and the males were in breeding plumage. This is the red-cowled widowbird, named for that fancy balaclava. In the first clip, you can see a female pass by in the foreground before the male takes flight in pursuit. The long tails and red hoods are sexual lures — the longer the tail and more brilliant the hood, the better. This guy was flying back and forth across the grasslands, advertising his worthiness. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K video at 120 frames per second.

I’ve had lighting conditions like this a few times during the rainy season in Africa. We were in late-day sunshine, while the backdrop was dark and ominous with a not-too-distant storm fast approaching. Two young reticulated giraffes were fighting, swinging their long necks and delivering body blows with their heads (video to come). Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 220, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second.