We had good luck with cats on this trip, particularly cheetahs. We saw a few kill attempts in the Masai Mara, one successful, and in Samburu we had daily run ins with a mother and her four cubs. The cubs seemed to be constantly at play while the mother was on the look out for the next meal. This photo was taken early in the morning while the cubs were chasing each other back and forth. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, IOS 900, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.

Where to start with our recent trip to Africa? Why not day one. Due to flight schedules, we were forced to spend a night in Nairobi. Rather than catching up on sleep, the group decided to pay a visit to the nearby Nairobi National Park. I had never been to this park before, mainly because I try to get out of Nairobi as soon as possible — that and the fact it’s fenced in on the three sides adjacent to the city, with only the southern border allowing wildlife to move in and out. But it’s a great place to see one species that’s difficult to see elsewhere — the rhinoceros. Nairobi National Park has both black and white rhinos, and although a sighting isn’t guaranteed, they can be hard to miss. A flat area with low grass allowed me to test out the focusing system of my new Nikon Z8. I attached a tripod to the L Bracket of the camera and lowered it to the ground, using a remote trigger to fire the shutter. Subject detection caught the rhino’s eyes and allowed for a nice ground level perspective and lots of moody, late afternoon sky. A cattle egret even hopped on board the mother rhino as she walked along with her calf. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 lens (at 35mm) ISO 2800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.

Hamerkops aren’t very colorful, but they make up for it with style. The two species of hamerkop can be found throughout most of sub-Sahara Africa. They are medium-sized wading birds with eating habits that can best be described as “generalist.” In other words, they aren’t too particular about what they eat, although they have a penchant for fish and amphibians. I photographed this one in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.

Yellow-necked spurfowl, also known as yellow-necked francolins are native to eastern portions of Africa, from Tanzania on up through Eritrea. I photographed this one in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. The males will often climb to the top of termite mounds or large rocks to call to females. Or, perhaps, to get a better look at photographers. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.

A pack of spotted hyenas stand on a ridge above a kill attempting to scare off a lion. The lion was holding strong while the hyenas were doing all they could to intimidate her. Photographed in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.

A bat-eared fox pup runs toward the den to play with a sibling — late afternoon in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.

Gerenuks are known for their extremely long necks and are often called giraffe gazelles. But they also have rather interesting ears. Not just in size, but also in pattern. This is a female, photographed in Samuburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

Secretary birds are quite large and spend most of their time on the ground roaming the grasslands of east Africa. But they can also be seen perched atop acacia trees from time to time. I photographed this pair in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

I posted a lion cub to start last week. If I’m going to be redundant, might as well be with baby lions. This little guy was hanging with his mother who had exerted all her energy on a zebra kill. I watched as she dragged the zebra into thick bushes. More than likely, she was going to hide the kill, rest up and then go find the rest of the pride. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/400th of a second.