Weavers are great little architects and seem to always be working on their orbed nests. They are called, weavers, in fact, because of the dexterity in which they weave together grasses and other nesting materials. There are many different species, most living in Africa. I photographed this masked weaver in Uganda. When multiple weavers nest in a single acacia tree, it looks like ornaments have been hung — earning the nickname African Christmas trees. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/400th of a second.

Continuing on with the monkey theme from last week, here’s another of Uganda’s many primates, and undoubtedly it’s most conspicuous, the vervet monkey. In fact, I saw many of these guys on my first day in the country in a city park in Entebbe, not far from the international airport. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/320th of a second.

A couple of days ago I posted a red colobus monkey from Kibale National Park in Uganda. Here’s the red colobus’s cousin, the black and white colobus monkey, also photographed in Kibale. These guys are more commonly seen and are known for their long, white-tipped tails and that white fringe on their backs. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/100th of a second.

There are thirteen different species of primate in Uganda’s Kibale National Park. On my first visit to the country I saw quite a few of those species, including the red colobus monkey. The red colobus is closely related to the black and white colobus and the two species are sometimes seen socializing with one another in a single troop. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.

Far from a great shot technically, but I wanted to share this image I took on my first trip to Uganda of a crippled vervet monkey. She may have been missing both of her back legs from mid-shin down, but that didn’t stop her from doing all that the other monkeys were doing. And she could actually move pretty fast hopping around on just her front legs. Where there’s a will. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 105mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/1000th of a second.

Adult male mountain gorillas are called silverbacks for an obvious reason — all that silver hair growing on their backs. I asked this one if he would be so kind as to turn around so that I could get a picture of that silver hair. He respectfully obliged and allowed me to snap a few shots before turning to face me again. Photographed in the mountains of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

It was a fairly long hike up rocky terrain to reach the bamboo forest where these golden monkeys live, but well worth the effort — one of the highlights of my trip to Uganda last year. Due to the limited habitat where they live, golden monkeys are listed as an endangered species. The red of their fur created a nice contrast to the fresh green bamboo shoots within Mgahinga National Park. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/50th of a second.

On my first trip to Uganda back in March of 2009, I was fortunate to see chimpanzees at two different locations. The first was in Kibale National Park, where I also photographed several other species of primate. Chimps can be difficult because they’re usually high in the trees with a bright white sky behind them and lots of branches in front of them. And they don’t tend to stay still for very long. But this young lady came a bit further down into a clearing, affording me a few quick shots before moving on. Chimps at Kibale are high on my list to revisit, hopefully sometime in the near future. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.

Hard to believe that I actually travelled to Africa this calendar year. I was fortunate to get the trip in back in January. In addition to Kenya, we visited Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and got to know a small group of mountain gorillas that live there. This was one of three silverbacks in the nine-member troop. He was rather accommodating and posed for several close-up portraits. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 102mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.

Here’s another from the trip back in January to Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park. This was one of a pair of two-years in the troop, enjoying a mid day snack. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 180mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.