Wow. The ears on this impala. Remarkable. I was told that these are also rare but I saw them everywhere. Magic 157/365, Wow Factor, Etosha National Park, Namibia
I didn’t take many photos of hartebeests when I was in Etosha National Park. I always kept my camera waiting for the flashier types like elephants and zebras. But I really love this photo of a lone hartebeest next to the Etosha pan. It shows somewhat the vastness of the place. And the white heat …
Many Native American cultures believe that birds are the messengers between the heavens and earth. This seems about right to me too. And when I see these birds in Etosha National Park, it seems to me that they are the true kings of the savannah, soaring over and seeing all there is to see.
Magic 156/365, The Messengers, Etosha National Park, Namibia, December 2017
I took this photo from the porch of our tent high atop the hill where Dolomite camp is placed overlooking these vast plains in Etosha National Park. It was Christmas eve and we were watching the sunset and enjoying this beautiful view when suddenly we saw these two lumbering across the savannah on their way to the watering hole on the other side of the camp. We were blown away. We were told that these were some of the rarest animals to see in the park. And we didn’t even have to drive around in the bush for hours to see them. We saw them from our amazing little tent at Dolomite. And the fact that it was a mother and her baby made it even more special for me because I was seven months pregnant.
As much as I enjoyed this moment it brought a feeling of melancholy over me, knowing that this species was hunted to near extinction in the mid 20th century. According to WWF, the population dropped by 98% to just 2500. Poaching is still a huge problem because some Chinese believe that the horns are an all natural viagra. It is a shame that some are willing to delete an entire species just for a hard-on. So it made me sad seeing this mother and her little one all alone in this huge place, trying to make it to the watering hole before the sunset, the fate of their species resting on a few vigilant conservation organizations doing their best to protect them (see below).
Thankfully these organizations have made progress. The population has made a comeback and has doubled to over 5,000 since its low 20 years ago. I hope they keep up the good work so that I can one day bring my son to this very mountaintop and see this cub all grown up and healthy, perhaps with its own little one following it into the sunset.
Magic 155/365, Black Rhino – Mother and Cub, Dolomite Camp, Etosha National Park, Namibia, Christmas Eve, 2017
Just a few of the awesome organizations working to protect this amazing species:
Rhinos without Borders (see video below)
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (breeding conservation in Texas!)
Save the Rhino Trust (Namibia)
To learn more check out this fascinating documentary on the work being done to protect rhinos.
When you meet someone new at camp while on safari one of the first things you do is list all the animals you’ve seen so far. So when we met a nice South African couple by the pool at Dolomite camp in Etosha National Park, we immediately went through our list of animals. When we mentioned that we saw a leopard their jaws dropped.
“I grew up in the bush my entire life and I have NEVER seen a leopard,” the friendly South African told us.
We had no idea how lucky we were. I was only able to get a few photos before the elusive cat slipped off into the bush. Take a look at the second photo in the gallery to see what the original perspective was completely zoomed in. This cat was very well hidden. We were only able to catch her/him because we came upon another pair of safari goers staring hard into the bush. When we slowly approached the spot they gave a gentle nod and pointed to this shady spot underneath a tree. We looked through our binoculars and could barely see it. So I pulled out my 70-200mm and snapped this photo, then cropped it even further and VOILA. There is the leopard panting in the shade of a tree under the white-hot noonday sun.
Wildlife photography is so incredibly difficult. Animals present themselves when they very well please, not when the light is perfect and reflecting beautiful colors off of the trees. Wildlife photography takes a huge amount of time and patience to get a perfect photo. Unfortunately, five days in Etosha was not enough time to get a good photo of a leopard, but lucky for us, it was at least enough time to catch a fleeting glimpse of this beautiful animal.
Magic 154/365, A Rare Leopard, Etosha National Park, Namibia, December 22, 2017
Giraffes are HILARIOUS. And they are another favorite of mine. They are the shyest of all the animals we encountered in Etosha National Park. They are even shy around other animals. When they approach a watering hole they will wait for all of the other animals that are currently partaking to leave the watering hole before making their final approach. They just sit there, thirsty and prancing, looking longingly at the water that is so close yet so far away.
Magic 152/365, The Goofy Sort, Etosha National Park, Namibia, December 2017
Animal Speak 2/10
“Humanity has lost that instinctive tie to the rhythms and patterns of Nature, and with that loss has come a loss of the reality of magic. Nature tries to show us every day that all forms of life can teach us.”
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews
I am reading this book about animal totems and it is reminding me of a connection to nature that I once had and am working to restore. My time in Etosha National Park sparked this quest to reconnect. It was also a reminder of how wonderful it is to just sit and be and look at what is around you because most times what was around you was fascinating. Like these zebras.
I took 1,234 photos in Etosha. It has been a little overwhelming even to think about processing this collection of photos, so, once again, here comes my push. Ten days of animal photos.
Magic 151/365, Zebras at Etosha, Etosha National Park, Namibia
Animal Speak 1/10
When I was 17 I had a vision. An honest to god vision. No hallucinogenic drugs were used in the making of this vision. My professor, yes, I had a professor in high school, his name was Dr Hartley and he changed my life, Dr Hartley excused me from class and sent me to something …
Ok, I couldn’t resist another hummingbird photo. Hummingbirds are one of my favorite species of bird. I mean, probably everybody feels that way. In North America, I feel like they are somewhat rare. I once spent an entire summer in Atlanta camped out next to my hummingbird feeder trying to capture a photo of one. …
I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon hiking in the Los Angeles Cloud Forest yesterday. This cloud forest is located in the central valley of Costa Rica, about a 45-minute drive from San Ramon. I had never heard of it before, which is surprising because this place is unbelievably beautiful. I was especially blown away by …