A young male lion lets out a big yawn before getting up from his afternoon nap. Photographed earlier this year in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

This gnarled old tree trunk seemed to be a favorite scratching post for the local elephants. Photographed in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.

These two African bush elephants were challenging each other for dominance over the herd. The challenge was half-hearted and didn’t get very aggressive. The smaller guy on the right seemed to know that he had no chance against the bigger bull. Photographed in the Maasai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.

Apparently yesterday was International Leopard Day. That said, here’s another leopard from the recent trip to Kenya. This female had two grown cubs. You can see one of the cubs crossing in the background as she stands guard. Photographed in Samburu National Reserve. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.

Yesterday I posted the world’s largest rodent. Today, it’s Africa’s smallest antelope. Dik-Diks really are tiny and I only wish I could have captured something in the image to show scale. I’ve mentioned it before, but when they run through the grass, look like oversized rabbits. This is the Kirk’s did-dik, photographed earlier this year in Samburu, Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.

I photographed three different species of hornbill in Samburu National Reserve, the red-billed, Von Der Decken’s and this guy, the northern yellow-billed (also known as the eastern yellow-billed). Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

I’m a big fan of gerenuks. Their nickname is the giraffe gazelle, for obvious reasons. The neck of the male is just as long as that of the female, but it doesn’t quite look it because it is much thicker. Always fun to see their faces protruding from the bushes. Males also have horns which are absent on the females. Photographed in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.

This one takes a bit of work to see what’s happening. We saw a pride of about five lionesses take off in different directions, clearly a strategic maneuver to capture prey. We weren’t sure what they saw. Eventually we realized there was an unsuspecting warthog coming their way. It got closer and closer and the chase was on. The warthog, realizing his predicament, took off on a surprisingly fast sprint. Perhaps out of instinct, but more likely blind luck, he made a quick cut to the right — the only spot that one of the lionesses was not hidden in the grass waiting to ambush. He narrowly escaped to live another day, and the lions were left to try again. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/3200th of a second.

A secretary bird displays its wings as it prepares to take off. Secretary birds are one of the taller flying birds encountered on east African safaris. They spend lots of time on the ground, but also enjoy perching on top of acacia trees. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/800th of a second.

The pygmy falcon is the smallest bird of prey in Africa. It’s only about seven and a half inches long and preys upon insects and small reptiles and mammals. Photographed in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.