Karen and I got back yesterday from leading another successful trip to Kenya. Being the middle of the long rains, we were worried about the weather, especially when looking at the forecast before departure and seeing heavy rains predicted for every day we were there. Somehow, however, we were able to work around all the downpours and didn’t miss a single game drive. We even got plenty of sunshine, and incredibly moody skies. I’m just starting to go through all the files, and I’ll get to plenty of those dramatic skies soon, but for today’s post, I wanted to share this close-up portrait of a mother spotted hyena and her newborn pup. We were told the pup was only a few days old. I missed the moment the Mom used her mouth to pull the pup out of the burrow, but caught plenty of other interaction between the two. Hyenas were everywhere on this trip, and we also saw a clan of ten or so that included multiple pups playing on the open savanna. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.

Giraffes are browsers, not grazers — meaning they get their food from trees, not the ground. On rare occasions, however, they will do as the antelopes do. Hoping to see more interesting and unusual giraffe behavior in a few days as we head off to lead our tour of Kenya. That said, this will be my last post until the end of the month. See you back here soon for a new batch of images and videos from Africa.Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/640th of a second.

Dik diks are always a favorite on our safaris — one of the smallest antelope species in Africa. Hard to believe they’re not the smallest (that accolade goes to the royal antelope which lives in Western Africa) because they literally look like jackrabbits running across the savanna. Like usual, hard to get a sense of scale from this image, but dik diks only reach 12 to 16 inches in height. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

We always see spotted hyenas on our Kenya trips, sometimes more sightings than others. On our trip last June they were around at dawn and dusk, lurking about looking for something to scavenge. Hyenas will also make their own kills from time to time, but they definitely weren’t built for speed. The force of their bite, however, makes up for any lack of agility. The Lion King didn’t do much for their popularity, but I’m a fan. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 12800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.

I found some more footage of cheetah cubs from last year’s trip to Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. The four cubs were watching and learning as mom set out on a hunt. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4k at 120fps.

In less than a month now we’ll be back in Kenya hoping to have a few more encounters like this particular morning in Samburu National Reserve. I was able to use my inverted monopod/remote trigger technique to get the camera on the ground with a relatively wide lens. And of course stay safe from one of the most powerful creatures on earth. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 59mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.

The city skyline can be seen in the distance on a moody afternoon as a zebra trots across the savanna in Nairobi National Park. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 720, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.

Impala are, without a doubt, the most plentiful mammal we see on our Africa trips. I often overlook them because they’re so common. But I did capture a few clips of video on our 2023 trip — all on our final day in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K, 120 fps.

Seems I also captured a fair amount of footage of elephants from our visit to Samburu last June. All of these clips were taken from the dining area of our camp, just across the Ewaso Nyiro River from all the action. The camp is appropriately named Elephant Bedroom, as throughout the day (and night) elephants wander through, looking for a quick meal from the fruiting trees that surround the guest tents. Karen and I are leading another tour back to the same place at the end of April. Looking forward to more of the same. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K at 120 fps.

Here’s another short video from last June’s trip to Kenya. In the south of Kenya, Masai giraffes dominate, but up north it’s the reticulated giraffes that live in places like Samburu National Reserve. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K, 120fps, f/5.6 at 250th of a second.