A bit late on my post today, but hopefully I can make up for it with a lion cub. This guy was relaxing with his siblings while mom was resting in the bushes. Photographed in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/3.5 at 1/200th of a second.
Not great light on this one, but not terrible either. This little guy was feeling a bit adventurous and strayed from his mother and sibling to get a better look at the two humans staring back at him — probably a bit emboldened by the tall grass providing a sense of cover. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/500th of a second.
Few sightings on an African safari bring as much excitement as a leopard. On my last trip to Kenya, we hadn’t seen any until the final two days when we had two separate sightings of two different leopards. This was the final game drive of that trip and I decided to use a slow shutter to capture the movement of the leopard through the grass. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/11 at 1/20th of a second.
This serval encounter was pretty amusing — like a little kid holding his hands in front of his face thinking that we couldn’t see him — those blades of grass, not quite enough to hide behind. Eventually, he realized that we could, in fact, see him so he slowly got up from his crouching position, took a few cautious steps, and then ran away into the vast grasslands of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/80th of a second.
During the colonial era, what is now known as the Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya, was used as an enormous cattle ranching area. As ranching became less and less profitable over the years, elephants took over, subsequently flattening any fences in their way. Since then, the land was purchased by conservation groups and is now a thriving haven for some of Africa’s most endangered species like black rhino. Nice when it’s the animals that do the reclaiming, rather than the other way around. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/800th of a second.
A giraffe crosses a river in the Masai Mara of Kenya during a downpour. Seeing one of these amazing creatures running in its natural habitat is among the truly great spectacles of our wild world. They are part grace, part gawk and wholly impressive. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 95mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
This baboon has had just about enough of this rain. At least that’s what it looks like he’s thinking. Photographed in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
Skies like this are one of the reasons I like to go to East Africa during the short rainy season. Male impala grazing on the plains of the Olare Orok Conservancy of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.
Gazelle’s don’t get a lot of attention amidst the other big ticket items on an African safari. In fact, I just did a search and in over ten years of doing this blog, I’ve only posted a gazelle twice — and one of those times was because a leopard was eating it for dinner. I think it’s about time I show them a bit more love. This male was looking quite regal as he gazed into the distance (perhaps surveying the plains to avoid becoming dinner himself). Photographed in Lewa in Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.
The gerenuk is sometimes called the giraffe gazelle. You can see why with that elongated neck. And as if the neck isn’t enough, the gerenuk regularly stands on its hind legs to reach even higher for food — usually the leaves of acacia trees. I photographed this male and female pair in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (with 1.4 teleconverter for 550mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second.