Lion Reflection
This male lion had a belly full of oryx when he arrived at the water hole to quench his thirst. The light was pretty nice that morning and the water hole was so still, providing a mirror-like reflection.
Cedar Waxwing
The cedar waxwing is one of those birds that for whatever reason, has eluded me up to this point. While visiting the Cuyahoga National Park last weekend, however, I saw a whole flock of them. This guy grabbed a few quick berries before flying away. Note the red and yellow markings on the bird’s tail feathers.
Baby Topi
This newborn topi was all awkward enthusiasm as it romped through its new home in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Topis are a very common sight in the Masai Mara in November and it seemed as if every mother was with a calf.
Beaver
Besides deer, the only other mammals that I saw in Cuyahoga Valley National Park last weekend were a couple of beavers. Beavers are always difficult to photograph because not only are they skittish, they’re also crepuscular. What does crepuscular mean, you ask? Simply that they are active during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk. It was about 6:30 AM when I took this shot and the sun was still below the horizon. Due to the low light I had to crank the ISO up to 3200. There was just enough light, however, to record the reflected colors of the changing leaves on the surface of the water.
Cuyahoga Valley Landscape
The Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio is an interesting national park given the human presence that exists within its borders — not exactly what you’d expect if your vision of a national park is Yosemite or Yellowstone. The purpose of the park, however, is to preserve and reclaim the rural landscape surrounding the Cuyahoga River. It does this beautifully with gently rolling hills, waterfalls, caves, lush farmlands and a twisting floodplain that mix seamlessly with the quaint residential patches that evoke a more Rockwellian America. The leaves were peaking this past weekend in many areas of the park, including these hills behind Kendall Lake.
Wood Duck
I had to be in Ohio for work on Thursday and Friday so I figured I’d spend the weekend and explore Cuyahoga National Park. There wasn’t too much going on, but I did see quite a few birds, including this male wood duck. Wood ducks get their name because they like to nest in cavities in trees. The males are one of the most colorful duck species in North America, while the females have a more uniformly brown plumage.
Lilac Breasted Roller
Nothing much to say here — just a lilac breasted roller enjoying breakfast. These colorful birds are very common in much of Africa. This one was photographed in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya.
Hippo Mouth
This one is from Uganda in Queen Elizabeth National Park. One of the great things about many of the Ugandan parks is that you’re allowed to get out of your safari vehicle and hike. I was on foot when we came across this herd of hippos in a large bend in the river (a hippo herd is also known as a bloat or crash). This particular hippo wasn’t all that pleased to see me there so I took a few quick photos and got on my way.
Scratching Sloth
Per request, one more from my Costa Rica trip from a few years ago. This three-toed sloth was giving himself a nice — albeit slow and deliberate — scratch to the midsection with those big claws. The sun had almost set and I had to use a tripod and a very slow shutter speed of 1/20th of a second, but with the way that these guys move, it wasn’t a problem getting sharp focus.
Northern Tamandua
Tamanduas are a genus of anteater. The southern tamandua ranges throughout South America, while the northern lives all the way up into Mexico. This guy was photographed in Corcovado National Park in southwestern Costa Rica. I took several long hikes through the rainforest of Corcovado and actually saw quite a few tamanduas — sometimes in trees and sometimes on the ground. Interesting fact of the day: they don’t have teeth, but instead rely on their powerful gizzard to break down food — mainly termites and ants.