Tip-toeing through the Water Lilies
Early morning on the Chobe River, Botswana, this young African Jacana chick wandered around the water lilies looking for something to eat with its very big feet providing support on the large water lily leaves.
African Jacana - Actophilornis africanus
The African Jacana has a distinctive rich chestnut body, white neck, yellow upper breast, black and white head and a blue frontal shield. The female is appreciably larger than males. Juveniles are paler with white body and no frontal shield.
They are common residents and local nomads at wetlands with floating vegetation, especially water lilies.
Nikon D500 with Sigma 150-600mm Sport f5.0-6.3 with 1,4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 850mm, 1/2500 sec @ f11, ISO 5600
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
SHARK AND REMORAS
This Oceanic Blacktip Shark is resident off the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa and is a regular attendant at the shark feeding and diving venue, Aliwal Shoal, 5km offshore of Scottborough bathing beach. Divers can interact closely with these sharks without the need for a cage provided they comply with behaviour styles so as not to incite the sharks to think they are food. These sharks have grown large as a by-product of the Tiger Shark baiting programme and are often accompanied by remora fish. The bite marks on the gill slits are from mating where the male holds the female during intercourse.
Oceanic Blacktip Shark - Carcharhinus limbatus
This is a common shark which is distributed throughout the coastal tropical and subtropical waters of the world. The species is known to grow to a length of 2m. The shark has a strong streamlined body with a fusiform shape and long pointed snout with relatively small eyes. The gill slits are long and they can have black tips or edges to their pectoral, dorsal, pelvic or caudal fins. They are extremely fast, energetic predators sometimes breaching the surface and swimming erratically when hunting fish.
Nikon D300 Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX, 10mm F16 at 1/60th sec, ISO 200, Sea & Sea Housing and Two Sea & Sea YS250 strobes on ¼ power. Taken on scuba at 10m at Aliwal Shoal, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
Flying Lechwe
Very late afternoon in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, this female lechwe enjoyed jumping over rivers in
the flood plains and in the process created trails of water droplets as it flew through the air before landing on the opposite bank.
Lechwe - Kobus leche
The lechwe have overdeveloped hindquarters, hooves elongated with wide splay and adjacent naked skins which are aquatic adaptations. The female weighs around 80kg and has a greasy coat with a distinctive small, shaggy neck mane. Their colour varies geographically, chestnut with white underparts, tail, throat and facial markings with conspicuous black markings running down the legs, and black-tipped tail.
Nikon D5 with Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G lens with 1,4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 550mm, 1/3200 sec @ f14, ISO 3600
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
Meerkat Pups
This group of pups was rising from the desert night in summer amongst the dewy wet grass. Tentatively at first, but with increasing confidence, the pups followed the adults from the underground den to join the generations of their mob on the red sandy mound. Many had damp fur and were drying out in the morning sun as they stood collectively huddled for warmth and safety. They played and rolled around at the feet of their parents before the day’s foraging began.
Meerkat - Suricata suricatta
The meerkat is a small carnivoran belonging to the mongoose family (Herpestidae). Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a “mob”, “gang” or “clan”. A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super- families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12 - 14 years, and about half this in the wild. The meerkat is small, weighing on average about 0.5 - 2.5kg. The meerkat uses its tail to balance when standing upright, as well as for signaling. At the end of each of a meerkat’s “fingers” is a claw used for digging burrows and digging for prey. The patterns of stripes are unique to each meerkat. The underside of the meerkat has no markings, but the belly has a patch which is only sparsely covered with hair and shows the black skin underneath. The meerkat uses this area to absorb heat while standing on its rear legs, usually early in the morning after cold desert nights.
Nikon D2Xs, DX format, Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS lens @ 222mm,
1/500th sec @ f6.3, ISO 800
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
REFLECTIVE THIRST QUENCHING
Mid-morning on the banks of the Chobe River, Botswana, a flock of Helmeted Guineafowl came down to the river’s edge to drink, creating a delightful reflection of colours as they dipped their beaks into the water.
Helmeted Guineafowl - Numida meleagris
A large, well-known game bird with blue-grey plumage, uniformly spotted with white. Head pattern varies geographically, but generally naked blue and red with check wattles and a pale casque on the crown. Males have a larger casque than females. Often flock in hundreds.
Nikon D5 with Nikon 80- 400mm f4.5- 5.6G lens with 1,4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 400mm, 1/2500 sec @ f11, ISO 2200
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
PENSIVE MOOD
Late afternoon in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, a concession within the Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, this young leopard was found resting in a tree and looking upward in a very pensive mood.
Leopard - Panthera pardus
Leopards embody feline beauty with stealth, infinite patience and power. A leopard will get to within 5m of its quarry before pouncing, taking it completely by surprise. Tremendously strong, these cats can carry a 70kg impala to a feeding position up a tree.
Nikon D5 with Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G lens with Nikon 1.4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 440mm, 1/1600 sec @ f14, ISO 45600
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
Cool Foraging
Mid-morning on the Chobe River, Botswana, this elephant waded into the deep section of the river to gain access to young water lilies which he then proceeded to extract with his trunk and, in the process, created a huge spray of water.
Elephant - Loxodonta africana
Elephants are the largest land animal, Africa’s true King of Beasts and weigh up to 6,000kg (male) and 3,500kg (female), with a
height of 3.3m (male) and 2.5m (female). The trunk is a muscular extension of the upper lip containing the nostrils, and the tip is equipped with two finger-like projections for handling small objects. Huge ears, up to 1.5m, flap on still, hot days to help cool blood flowing through the network of veins on their back surface. Tusks grow continuously, weighing up to 13kg each and can reach a length of 2.5m.
Nikon D5 with Nikkon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G lens with Nikon 1.4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 220mm, 1/4000 sec @ f14, ISO 2800
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
98% Human
Late afternoon on the banks of the Chobe River, Botswana, this Savanna Baboon was sitting silently with its head on its hand in a typically human pose. Apparently a baboon has 98% of human DNA which is reflected in much of its behaviour.
Savanna Baboon - Papio cynocephalus
The Savanna Baboon is a big monkey with a dog-like head with powerful build and shoulders higher than its withers, and sturdy limbs. A typical male can weigh between 30 and 45kg. They have close-set eyes below a prominent brow ridge, sizeable nearly hairless ears, a long muzzle and powerful jaws. Baboons are the most widespread African primate, a tramp species found through savanna and arid zones wherever water and secure sleeping places i.e. trees or cliffs occur.
Nikon D5 with Nikon 80-400mm f4.5 – 5.6G lens with 1.4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 550mm, 1/1000 sec @ f8, ISO 9000
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
Squacco Heron
Late morning on the Chobe River, Botswana, this Squacco Heron was foraging among the water lilies when it suddenly took off, displaying the beautiful patterns of its white wings.
Squacco Heron - Ardeola ralloides
A small, buff and white heron, with a heavy, dark-tipped bill. At rest it appears mostly buff and brown with white underparts. In flight, white wings and tail are prominent. Common resident and local nomad along vegetated lakes, pans and slow moving rivers, skulks in long grass and sits motionless for long periods.
Nikon D5 with Nikkon 80-400mm f4.5 – 5.6G lens with 1.4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 550mm, 1/3200 sec @ f13, ISO 2000
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
MADAGASCAR REED FROG
This tiny frog was found quite comfortable inside a yellow flower smaller than the size of my hand in the hedge of the airport while I waited for a plane that never arrived. This was due to the Tsunami that hit Thailand and hence I had plenty of time on my hands to peer into countless flowers looking for insects. The frog was perfectly camouflaged to imitate the colour of the flower, no doubt waiting for some sort of insect to pollenate the flower and become a frog snack. One can get a sense of scale by the drop of water above the frog to the right.
Reed Frog - Heterixalus
A small Heterixalus back is whitish with small black spots. Colour at night yellowish-brown, during the day bright white.
A black streak runs from nostril to eye. Heterixalus is a species of frog in the Hyperoliidae family endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, swamps, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, urban areas, heavily degraded former forests, ponds, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land which occurs in central eastern Madagascar. Snout vent length 23mm, head width 8mm; eye diameter 3.1mm.
Nikon D70 Nikkor 105mm F2.8 Macro, F20 @ 1/50th sec, ISO 200
Taken by hand in the hedge at Maroantsetra airport in Madagascar.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
Turtle time
This turtle was found happily munching away on a sponge growing on an undersea ridge on Aliwal Shoal. The ridge creates strong water flow delivering food which the sponge uses to grow and the turtle seemed to have no problems holding his breath while tearing pieces off the sponge for a meal. One diver was even able to take a selfie next to the turtle whilst he continued his meal. After what seemed an age he lazily headed for the surface for his next breath only to descend and continue where he left off.
Green Turtle - Chelonia mydas
On the Green Turtle there are only four shell plates either side of the central row and these plates do not overlap – the loggerhead has five. Females are usually darker than males, the shell appearing almost tie-dyed in rich browns and ochres. The forelimbs have a single claw each and the bill is not hooked. Green Turtles are resident in southern Africa however, they do not nest on our shores. The nearest breeding grounds are on the islands of Europa and Tromelin in the Mozambique Channel. The females lay only 600 eggs each season in batches of 150 every 12 days. Adults feed almost exclusively on algae and marine plants often entering estuaries to do so. Green Turtles are under threat from hunting and egg collection.
Nikon D300 Nikkor 10.5mm F2.8 Fisheye, F10 @ 1/50th sec, ISO 200, Sea & Sea Housing and Two Sea & Sea YS250
strobes on ¼ power. Taken on scuba at 10m at Aliwal Shoal, South Africa.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
Working her way through the “blues”
Late afternoon in the Okavango Delta, this female cheetah and her two cubs were found moving through thick bush that was covered in beautiful small blue flowers.
Cheetah - Acinonyx jubatus
A cheetah is a cat with a greyhound chassis. It is built for speed, is light boned, swaybacked with long thin legs and a
short neck. Cheetah are tawny in colour with small, solid black spots; white underparts, outer tail ringed black and white, black ear backs, lips, nose and distinctive “tear stains”. Cheetahs are specialised predators on the fleetest of plains antelopes.
Nikon D5 with 80-400mm f4.5 – 5.6G lens with 1.4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 550mm, 1/1000 sec @ f11, ISO 720
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
Tip-toeing across the road
On an overcast day, in the Ngala Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, this beautiful green chameleon was crossing the gravel road in a lurching fashion placing each leg and foot gently on the surface using its two-toed feet. His tail is spiralled closed and rotating eyes are constantly checking backwards and forwards for danger.
Chameleon - Trioceros melleri
A chameleon's sticky, two-foot-long tongue snaps out at 13 miles an hour, wrapping around an insect and whipping the yummy snack back into the reptile's mouth. Now that's fast food dining! And the chameleons swift eating style is just one if its many features that'll leave you tongue-tied.
Chameleons mostly live in the rain forests and deserts of Africa. The colour of their skin helps them blend in with their habitats. Chameleons that hang out in trees are usually green. Those that live in deserts are most often brown. They often change colour to warm up or cool down. Turning darker helps warm the animals because the dark colours absorb more heat. They also switch shades to communicate with other chameleons, using bright colours to attract potential mates or warn enemies. The outer layer of their skin is see-through. Beneath that are layers of special cells filled with pigment - the substance that gives plants and animals, including you, colour. To display a new colour, the brain sends a message for these cells to get bigger or smaller. As this happens, pigments from different cells are released, and they mix with each other to create new skin tones. For instance, red and blue pigment may mix to make the chameleon look purple.
All chameleons have a prize pair of eyes. Their peepers can move in two different directions at once, giving the animal a panoramic view of their surroundings.
Nikon Z6iii with Nikon 105mm macro lens, 1/640 sec @ f14, ISO 1400.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
Beneficial Relationships
Late afternoon in the Sabie Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa, this Black Rhinoceros was enjoying the late afternoon setting sun while birds happily pecked off insects from its hide as well as those insects which were disturbed by its feet.
Black Rhinoceros – Diceros bicornis
Black Rhinos have a prehensile upper lip and are browsers, as opposed to white Rhino, which have a square lip and are grazers. Due to the increase in demand for Rhino horn (for dagger handles, medicines, aphrodisiacs) they are now more precious than gold. In an effort to save the estimated world population of about 3700 black Rhino left, most black Rhino have electronic chips implanted in a hole drilled in their horns and their ears are notched in a codified manner for ease of identification. Radioactive chips are now also being inserted into holes drilled in the horns for detection at border posts if poachers are attempting to smuggle them out of the country.
Nikon D4S, 16 megapixel resolution, Sigma VR 50-500mm f4.5-6.3G lens,
focal length at 340mm, 1/640 sec @f8, ISO 5000
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
“I’ve Only Got Eyes For You”
Late afternoon in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, a concession within the greater Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa, near the Orpen gate, this young Leopard was found resting in a tree looking upward in a very pensive mood.
Leopard – Panthera pardus
Leopards embody feline beauty with stealth, infinite patience and power. A Leopard will get to within 5 m of its quarry before pouncing, taking it completely by surprise. Tremendously strong, these cats can carry a 70 kg Impala to a feeding position up in a tree.
Nikon D5 with Sigma 50-500mm, lens effective
focal length at 440mm, 1/1600 sec @f14
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
Tough Life!
Late afternoon in the Sabie Sand Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa, this Giraffe was demonstrating just how tough life is for a Giraffe, not only contending with birds pecking off insects, but also having to bend down to drink with such long legs.
Giraffe – Giraffa camelopardalis
Giraffes are the biggest ruminant and the tallest mammal. Very long neck with short, upstanding mane, high shoulders sloping steeply to hind quarters, long legs nearly equal in length. The male weighs up 1900 kg and the female 1200 kg. Horns: solid bone, skin covered, a main pair in both sexes but female’s thin and tufted, male’s thick and bald at the top. Possible scent glands on eyelids, nose and lips.
Nikon D4S with Nikkor VR600 mm f/4G with 1.4 Teleconverter,
effective focal length 850 mm, 1/2500 sec @f/6.3, ISO 7200
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
The “Upside down” tree on an oceanless island
As we were leaving Kubu island a rocky outcrop in the middle of the Makgadikgadi salt pans in Botswana we visited this red baobab somehow growing out the rocks way above the salt pan floor and dominating the skyline into the clear deep blue sky.
Baobab – Adansonia
The Baobab Tree is also known as the tree of life. The cork-like bark and huge stem are fire resistant and are used for making cloth and rope. The leaves are used as condiments and medicines. The fruit, called "monkey bread", is edible, and full of Vitamin C. The tree can store 120 000 litres of water. Radio-carbon dating has measured the age of some Baobab trees at over 2 000 years old. For most of the year, the tree is leafless and looks very much like it has its roots sticking up in the air.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro 2.2mm 1/1715"sec @ 2,2 IS0 40.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
Nebu the White Lioness
The Timbavati area hosts Ngala Private Game Reserve, a concession within the Kruger National Park, and has become famous for its white lions. This alpha female, Nebu, has been observed throughout her life. Nicknamed Princess, she is now a mother herself to white cubs, as can be seen lying with normal coloured lions, lazing about within the pride as the heat of the day begins to build.
White Lion - Panthera leo
White lions are not albinos, nor a different species of lion. Their condition is a rarity where a recessive genetic mutation causes the lion's coat to vary from near white to blonde, rather than the common tawny. Interestingly, their skin and eyes retain their natural pigment. A cub is born white only if both of its parents carry the recessive gene, as such, there are instances where there will be a mix of classic tawny lion cubs and white cubs born in the same litter.
Nikon Z6.ili with Nikkor VR80 - 400mm f4.5 - 5.6G lens, 1/800 sec @ f22, ISO 25600.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
Leopard shark and hitch hikers
This Leopard Shark, lying on a sand patch in the Indian Ocean off Tofo, Mozambique, is accompanied by two small Golden Trevally which signifies their juvenile status. Sucking onto its underside is a Remora (sucker fish). This shark eats shellfish, crabs and bony fishes which it can suck into its powerful mouth. The Remoras will catch a free ride on the host darting off to pick up drifting morsels of food as the shark breaks up the prey it has caught.
Leopard shark - Stegostoma fasciatum
Golden Trevally - Gnathanodon speciosus
Remora - Remora Remorina
Leopard Sharks are bottom-dwelling sharks found between 0-65m deep in the ocean and grow to more than 1.7m in length. They are frequently found on sandy floors or coral reefs, resting during daytime and hunting nocturnally. They are frequently found accompanied by Remoras which have a suction pad on the top of their heads with which to hitch a ride on their hosts. These sharks are classed as vulnerable due to human predation for their meat, the fins being used for soup and their oily livers for vitamins.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 10.5mm f2.8G fisheye lens, 1/60"sec @ {10, IS0 200.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
Resting After a Challenging Year
Late afternoon in the region of the Ngala Tented Camp, part of the Ngala Private Game Reserve, a concession within the greater Kruger National Park, near the Orpen gate, this Leopard was preparing to rest as the sun started to set.
Leopard – Panthera pardus
Leopards embody feline beauty with stealth, infinite patience and power. A Leopard will get to within 5 m of its quarry before pouncing, taking it completely by surprise. Tremendously strong, these cats can carry a 70 kg Impala to a feeding position up in a tree
Nikon D4S, 16 megapixel resolution, FX formal, Sigma VR 50-500 mm f4.5-6.3 G lens,
focal length 140mm, 1/500 sec @f8, ISO 3600
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn