The lilac breasted roller has few rivals as the most colorful bird in Africa. It also happens to be a fairly common bird. I was able to get a few shots of this one perched on a branch before if flew off.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/1600th of a second

Late in the afternoon toward the end of our Botswana trip, we came across a large troop of baboons. Most of them scattered upon the approach of our vehicle, but several stood their ground, including this mother and her baby. There were lots of other babies as well, all curiously peeking around their mothers to get a better look at us.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

Sometimes, it’s nice to put the big lens down and go a bit wider to include the environment. In this case, the first rays of the Botswana sun were illuminating this tree and the three impala that were grazing beneath it, turning them all a deep red.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/4000th of a second

Grazing zebras are a common sight on the savanna. This small herd was enjoying a late breakfast when we came upon them backlit by the rising sun.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 95mm) ISO 400, f/22 at 1/60th of a second

I recently posted a photo of the dwarf mongoose. This guy is a different species, called the slender mongoose. He/she was also photographed on our recent trip to Botswana.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second

It was late in the day when I captured this photo of a giraffe running across the savanna in Botswana. Panning my camera with the giraffe while using a slower shutter speed created the nice motion blurred effect of the landscape. Seeing giraffes run is always one of my favorite things to watch while on safari — both awkward and graceful at the same time. It almost appears as if they are running in slow motion.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second

I’ve posted quite a few photos of black-backed jackals in the past but never a side-striped jackal. These guys tend to be larger and more nocturnal than their black-backed cousins. They are also far less carnivorous, with a large portion of their diet coming from invertebrates and fruit. This guy was out foraging early one morning in Botswana.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second

These guys are called little bee eaters. They are fairly common throughout sub Sahara Africa. As the name would suggest, they eat bees, and these two were doing just that as they darted through the air.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second

Twilight had just about ended and it was very dark when this leopard jumped up onto a termite mound and posed for a few portraits. Even at 3200 ISO, the files looked great coming out of my camera — showing very little noise, even at 100% crop.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 86mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/25th of a second