On this particular evening in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy of Kenya, the stormy skies cleared at just the right time to reveal a full moon rising over the mountains. A group (or dazzle if you prefer) of plains zebras lined up for a nice portrait before we headed back to camp. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 280, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second.

The rainy season in East Africa is a good time for birds. Widowbirds, in particular, were all over the place and the males were in breeding plumage. This is the red-cowled widowbird, named for that fancy balaclava. In the first clip, you can see a female pass by in the foreground before the male takes flight in pursuit. The long tails and red hoods are sexual lures — the longer the tail and more brilliant the hood, the better. This guy was flying back and forth across the grasslands, advertising his worthiness. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K video at 120 frames per second.

I’ve had lighting conditions like this a few times during the rainy season in Africa. We were in late-day sunshine, while the backdrop was dark and ominous with a not-too-distant storm fast approaching. Two young reticulated giraffes were fighting, swinging their long necks and delivering body blows with their heads (video to come). Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 220, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second.

Fog added a nice element to this early-morning shot of an elephant emerging from the bushes. When the sky and overall lighting cooperate, I’m always looking for the iconic shape of an elephant or giraffe to put into the scene. This is from the Masai Mara of Kenya on our trip last month. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 160, f/2.8 at 1/250th of a second.

I was walking around our camp in Ol Pajeta, Kenya when I saw a tawny eagle going from nest to nest looking for eggs to pilfer. This did not make the smaller birds very happy and they proceeded to dive bomb the eagle, defending their territory. I believe this to be a drongo (either fork-tailed or square-tailed) that finally drove off the invader. Later that afternoon I saw the eagle return for another round of activity. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.

This black-backed jackal was getting a morning stretch in on the plains of Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Kenya. We saw quite a few jackals this year, many at close range and seemingly indifferent to our presence. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 lens (at 200mm) ISO 250, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second, inverted monopod and remote trigger.

The Somali ostrich is one of the “Samburu Special Five” along with the Beisa oryx, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk and reticulated giraffe — five unique species that live in northern Kenya but are absent from the Masai Mara in the south. It’s why we add both parks to our Kenyan itineraries to get the greatest variety. Last year we didn’t have much luck with the Somali ostrich, but this year they were definitely out and about and performing all their ritualistic behaviors, including a rather spirited mating dance. In this short video we see two males on the march followed by one of the males preening his fine feathers before the dance. In the last clip, a female, clearly impressed with the dance, joins the male as they strut across the scrubland savanna of Samburu. Nikon Z8 with Nikon 500mm PF lens and Z 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, 4K at 120 fps.

Being the rainy season, hippos were everywhere both in and out of the water. This guy was in a small pool that crossed the road near our camp. It must have been a great spot because he barely moved for the three days we were there. Once again, using an inverted monopod and remote trigger, I was able to lower my camera so that it just touched the surface of the water for an eye-to-eye perspective. I also captured video from this perspective of the hippo surfacing which I’ll post soon. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1000, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.

We did well with rhinos again on this recent trip to Kenya, seeing black rhinos and both southern white and northern white rhinos (of which there are only two known individuals left in the world, protected by armed guards in Ol Pajeta Conservancy in central Kenya). This is the much more common southern white rhinoceros which we saw in two locations, including Nairobi National Park. Using an inverted monopod and remote trigger, I was able to safely get my camera on the ground to capture the moody sky with a wide-angle zoom lens. This is a younger rhino, but fully grown males have been known to exceed 9,000 pounds! Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-70mm lens (at 48mm) ISO 140, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second, monopod and remote trigger.

Lilac-breasted rollers are one of the most iconic birds of the African savannas. Catching them in flight really displays all the colors in their feathers. This roller was perched in a small tree and I was trying to predict whether it would fly left or right. At first facing left, it ended up flying directly toward me, displaying the tops of the wings. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 2500, f/5.6 at 1/2500th of a second.