Polar Bear Checking Things Out
This polar bear was just kind of hanging out, checking out his territory, watching the day go by. As with all my polar bear shots, this was taken way up in northern Manitoba, Canada at a place called Seal River.
A Few Donkeys and an Elephant
Seemed appropriate for today. The top photo of the donkeys, or wild burros, was taken in Moreno Valley, California. The elephant was in Lewa, Kenya.
Black-Backed Jackal Portrait
First off, sorry for no posts last week. We just got our power back yesterday after Sandy dumped five feet of water into the lobby of our apartment building. It’s good to be back online. For today, just a simple portrait of a black-backed jackal. I was on the ground for this one, shooting at eye level, when the curious jackal approached to within twelve or so feet. The shallow depth of field and backlit lighting provided by the setting sun created a nice soft feel to the image.
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.