Right outside our tent in Kenya, two African scops owls would just be getting home each morning while we headed out, and just starting their hunt each evening while we were heading in. During daylight, you really had to look closely to find them as they perched in a different spot each day and had great camouflage. In fact, if threatened, they’re known to elongate their bodies and narrow their eyes to mimic a broken branch, making them nearly invisible. We were careful not to disturb them, however, when they were at rest. This image was taken at night, on our way to dinner, using the light from our guard’s flashlight. They told us they were pearl-spotted owlets, which I was skeptical of. Once home, I realized my hunch was right and they were scops owls. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second, flashlight.

Butt shots of wildlife rarely work. In fact, I’m constantly deleting all the butts that find their way to my camera traps. This one, however, is a rare exception. It’s actually one of my favorite shots from our recent trip to Kenya. I was using my monopod-mounted-camera-on-the-ground technique but was a bit late and the elephants had mostly passed. I kept shooting with the remote trigger, however, hoping for the best. The big elephant blocking the sun and creating rays in the sky, the raised foot of the little guy, and the distant elephant in profile all came together to make the composition. It does look a little like AI. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or bad. Either way, I hope you like it as much as I do. If anything, it gives me hope for more workable butt shots in the future. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 100, f/4 at 1/500th of a second, Sirui monopod and Vello remote trigger.

On our Kenyan tours, we always include contrasting national parks for the greatest variety of wildlife and landscapes. This is a male gerenuk, a specialty of northern parks. Extremely long necks allow gerenuks to reach vegetation that other grazers can’t (not withstanding giraffes and elephants, of course). Males have horns whereas females do not. They also have much thicker necks than females. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.

This lioness found a great perch to spend the morning. Her male counterpart was bedded down in nearby bushes, but she had the prime spot atop a small grassy butte. We watched her for quite some time and even left for a while to have breakfast before returning to find her in the same place. At one point she looked skyward as a bush pilot was bringing in the next round of wide-eyed safari goers. Nikon 8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 140, f/8 at 1/800th of a second.

June marks the beginning of the long dry season in Kenya. That said, the weather can be unpredictable and you never know what you’re going to get. More often than not, however, sunny skies are the norm this time of year. As a photographer, I love the cloudy, dramatic skies that are more typical of the rainy season. But on cloudless days, there is a fifteen minute period each morning when a large ball of fire rises over the savanna. It becomes a mad dash to find whatever wildlife we can to place in front of it. On this particular morning, one of northern Kenya’s specialities — beisa oryx, also known as East African oryx — found their way between my lens and the sun. More on these guys in upcoming posts. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 280, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.

Earlier in the day we spotted a hippo roaming the savanna, covered in water lilies. That afternoon we found the pond he/she likely wondered out of. If was fun watching several hippos suddenly rise up through all that green while blowing water through their nostrils (video to come). Our guide told us the water lily species was Nymphaea capensis, common name Cape blue waterlily. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1100, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

At the locations we visit on Crane Wildlife Tours, the safari never stops. Dwarf mongooses are just one of the species that can be found back at camp during down time. We usually see quite a few of them. Pups are raised in a shared den with help from the whole group. These mongooses live in tight-knit family units where older siblings and other adults act as babysitters, bringing food and guarding the pup while the mother forages. Pups quickly learn the rules of the group by mimicking adults and joining in on playful wrestling matches that build coordination and social skills (behavior we often observe while eating lunch). Though small, dwarf mongooses are bold and cooperative, traits passed from mother to pup in one of Africa’s most charming and efficient social systems. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, IOS 2000, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

We always see a lot of elephants on our trips. But this time, we saw more baby elephants — and at extremely close range — than ever before. I used my camera-at-the-end-of-a-monopod technique to get this look under the hood of a Mom shielding her calf as they walked by our vehicle. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 640, f/5 at 1/500th of a second.