Posts in Category: animals
Nubian Giraffes
Nubian Giraffe: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — There is nothing quite like encountering Giraffes on foot…when you are on foot, walking, as you do during the Walking Safari’s with an armed Ranger at Lake Mburo National Park. These huge, gentle, surprisingly graceful creatures are doing well at Lake Mburo…the herd is healthy…but in the larger context of the whole of Africa the subspecies is in decline, listed as endangered. This used to be the Rothschild’s Giraffe, and is a subspecies of the Northern Giraffe, only found in Uganda (where most of the population resides) and in one park in Kenya. Over the next few days I will be sharing a number of images from our two close encounters with this particular journey of Giraffes. (There are many names for a group of Giraffes in use: tower, herd, corps, journey, totter, and kaleidoscope are just a few of them. Venery (group naming) is an art, not a science. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 277mm (we were close!) equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Croc #2
Nile Crocodile, Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — One Croc deserves another…this one is slightly smaller than the one I posted yesterday, but then most crocs would be. This is maybe 12 feet long, and not so massive…and is showing off all its teeth. As cold-blooded animals, Crocodiles hold their mouths open to lower their body temperatures on warm days. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Croc!
Nile Crocodile: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — We were coming to the end of the trip and my friend Stan was complaining that he had not seen a “monster” croc yet…so, of course, we had to find him one from the tour boat on Lake Mburo. This gentleman had to be 15 feet long, and was just massive with it! Just the kind of croc who figures in the fables. Old and wily and wise…a true climax predator, without an ounce of mercy in his whole body! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Hippos at Lake Mburo
Hippopotamus: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — There are hippos in Uganda wherever there is water deep enough to cover their backs when they kneel on the bottom. Lake Mburo is, of course, no exception. In the fading light of a late afternoon, we saw as many as we could have hoped for from the very large tour boat on the lake. Sony Rx10iv at 580mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 160 and 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Cape Buffalo with Oxpeckers
Cape Buffalo and Yellow-billed Oxpecker: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — As we cruised up the shore of Lake Mburo, we saw quite a bit of wildlife, including these two Cape Buffalo, resting in the shallows and on the shore. And, of course, where there are Cape Buffalo there will be Oxpeckers! Always (at least in my experience). Notice the apparently well worn ear on this animal…though various amounts of fringing is normal on the Cape Buffalo’s ears. Sony Rx10iv at 580mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 640 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Eland!
Common Eland: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — No the best photo, but our only sighting of the somewhat shy Elands of Lake Mburo National Park. The two Eland species, Common and Giant, are the largest antelope in the world. Lake Mburo has the Common, which is just slightly smaller on average than the Giant. Still, impressive animals. Sony Rx10iv at 526mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
White-faced Capuchin
White-faced Capuchin Monkey: Los Consingos Sanctuary, Costa Rica, December 2022 — There was a medium sized troop of White-faced Capuchins in the clearing around the Alexander Skutch homestead…working their way tree to tree and roof-top to roof-top. As anyone who has lived with Capuchins knows they are not good neighbors. Noisy, messy, and intrusive! Still, from a distance they are cute. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Defassa Waterbuck
Defassa Waterbuck: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Male and female Waterbuck. The male was from our early morning walking safari and the female was on the way to our lodge when we had first arrived in the Park. Magnificent animals! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm (male) and 143mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Male: ISO 1250 @ f4 @ 1/500th, Female: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/320th.
Uganda Edition: Plains Zebra
Burchelle’s Zebra (Plains Zebra), Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Lake Mburo, always our last stop before the airport at the end of our Uganda safari, is also our last chance for the larger wildlife of Africa…and our only chance for Zebra (they also have Zebra in the Kidepo Valley National Park, in the northeast corner of Uganda right up against Kenya, but we don’t get up there). Zebras have never been domesticated…their spines are not strong enough to carry weight or to pull weight…it could also have to do with their temperament, but we won’t go there. They are certainly beautiful animals to see in the wild. Lake Mburo has numbers…but not the big herds of Kenya or Tanzania. Sony Rx10iv at 229mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Sloth down low
Two-toed Sloth: Playa Blanco, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, December 2022 — While we were watching the Macaws, folks at the house at the end of the long drive shaded by the Beach Almond trees were watching us. We were on their property, and it did cross my mind when a young lady and gentleman came walking up toward us that we about to the “told off”, but, of course, being Costa Rica, they actually wanted to invite us down to the house where they had a sloth low in the tree that shaded their picnic table. Did we want to come take photos? Well, yes, thank you! Really low as it turns out…just at eye level for the taller among us. The young couple enjoyed watching us ooh and awe and snap. It was the home of the young lady’s uncle, and yes, she had grown up right there in Playa Blanca. The young man was less talkative, but all smiles. You don’t often see a sloth so close, and in such good company. Sony Rx10iv at 300mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications with multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 5000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.