Mar

31

The Serengeti

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 1 comments

Shot of the Month – March 2024

Lion, Tanzania (1791)

Above we have a classic scene captured on the plains of the Serengeti, the place of legend and lore for wildlife lovers around the world.  A trip to the Serengeti is on many a bucket list for wildlife aficionados.  And many lucky enough to make that “once in a lifetime” trip now seriously ponder if they can make it a “twice in a lifetime trip” as the draw to this magical place is overpowering.

Having lived in Africa for many years I had the good fortune of being able to visit “the Serengeti” on multiple occasions and it is always on my list of potential places to visit again.  For the uninitiated, let’s break it down.

Where is it?

This wildlife mecca is found in Tanzania and Kenya, in East Africa.

What is it?

The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region spanning the Mara and Arusha Regions of Tanzania. This region is made up of a diverse habitats including riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands, and woodlands.  Over 30,000 km2  (11,583 mi2) of this area is protected by a collection of national parks and reserves.  Almost half of that area (about 14,750 km2 or 5,695 mi2) is part of the Serengeti National Park.  Other protected areas nearby include

  1. Ngorongoro Conservation Area (8,292 km2) (3,202 mi2)
  2. Maswa Game Reserve (1,415 km2) (546 mi2)
  3. Grumeti Game Reserve (410 km2) (158 mi2)
  4. Ikorongo Game Reserve (600 km2) (232 mi2)
  5. Loliondo Game Control Area (6,200 km2) (2,394 mi2)

In southern Kenya, the northern tip of the Serengeti is protected by the Masai Mara National Reserve (1,510 km2) (583 mi2).

Serengeti Plains?

A large portion of the Serengeti ecosystem is a vast, flat, open plains, covered mostly in grass.  This open grassland covers the entire lower third of the Serengeti NP.  Plains are described differently depending on the climate they experience:

  1. Grassland (temperate or subtropical)
  2. Steppe (semi-arid)
  3. Savannah (tropical)
  4. Tundra (polar)
Sunset, Serengeti (017)

Serengeti Sunset

The vast expanses of grass in the Serengeti are therefore referred to as the Serengeti Savannah as it falls in equatorial (tropical) Africa.  The Serengeti Savannah receives enough rainfall to support grass and some trees, but not enough rainfall to support a true forest.  Trees tend to be scattered here and there across the plains.  A savannah is a vegetation zone between a tropical rainforest and a desert.  The area experiences a strong contrast in weather – the rainy season is intense with lots of rain, followed by extended periods of high temperatures and no rain.

While the Serengeti is the most well-known in Africa there are also savannahs in Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia.

What makes it special?

The Serengeti has the largest concentration and diversity of wildlife on the planet.  By the numbers:

  1. The Serengeti is home to the “Great Migration,” the largest movement of animals in the world.  Each year over two million wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes traverse the grasslands (1.3-1.7 million wildebeests, 200,000 zebra, 500,000 Thomson and Grant’s gazelle) as they follow the rains in search of greener pastures and water. The Serengeti is home to an incredible diversity of herbivores that include cape buffalo (30,000), African elephant (7,500), giraffe (4,000), black rhinoceros (200), warthog (15,000), eland (7,000), waterbuck (3,000), topi (27,000) and many others.
  2. The Serengeti is famous for its collection of large predators that include lions (3,000), leopards (1,000), cheetah (250), and spotted hyenas (7,500).
  3. Africa’s “Big 5” can be found in the Serengeti.
  4. Bird lovers can find over 500 species of bird life in the Serengeti ecosystem.

 

No other location on the planet can match the sheer scale, density, and diversity of wildlife found in the Serengeti and it has been voted the top “Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.”

If you are up for an adventure definitely consider a visit to this magical place.

A black and white version for that old-timey look:

Lion, Tanzania (B&W) (1791)

 

Until next month…..michael

 

A few more scenes from the Serengeti:

Leopard!

Circle of Life

Giraffe at Sunset

 

Sources:

Wikipedia (Serengeti)

Serengeti National Park

Savanna Biome: Climate, Locations, and Wildlife

Wikipedia (Plain)

Difference Between Savanna and Grassland

 

 

 

Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4.5 -5.6 VR S (@100mm), 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 64, EV -0.33

 

 

 

Feb

28

Tending Toward Success

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – February 2024

Bighorn Sheep (6864)

Each fall bighorn sheep rams gather at the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming (located just next to the Grand Teton National Park) in hopes of mating and passing along their genes to the next generation.  Alas, only the largest and strongest rams earn the right to mate and often will have to fight other rams for dominance.  These battles involve smashing those massive horns into each other with great force until one adversary relents:

Bighorn Sheep (1980)

But even after these brain-numbing battles, the victorious ram’s work is not done.  Oh, no, far from it.  Now the ram must court the females and stay by their side until one goes into estrus.  He must be absolutely relentless in his surveillance.  If she climbs up a mountain, he must follow.  She goes back down, down he must go.  He must fight off any male that approaches her.  Day in, day out.  Hour after hour.   This behavior is called “tending” and is the most successful strategy for winning over a mate.   Ewes are most receptive to tending males.  (Sage female readers nod their heads in agreement…)

Some males may try a “blocking strategy” to keep a female from reaching the areas where rams are tending ewes.   Other males fight a tending male but the ewes are usually not receptive to this approach.  (More nodding among the readers….)

Once a female goes into estrus chaos ensues.  The dominant male will chase her and attempt to mate but she will not give in so easily.  She often spurns all suitors and forces the males to chase her for extended periods.  She is testing the males to identify the strongest to ensure that only the best genes are passed on to her offspring.   At times multiple rams will chase the ewe.  As a ram was trying to copulate with a female I have seen other males dash in and head butt the male to break up the act.  So rude!

Two males in pursuit of a female:

Bighorn Sheep (2451)

In this scene, eight males watch over a female! (she is the one at lower left in the image)

Bighorn Sheep (9179)

In the first image, I panned my camera to track the running sheep and used a slow shutter speed to blur the background.  This is a high-risk technique – if my panning motion does not exactly match the speed of the running animals we end up with a blurry mess.  Even if I get the panning right, the animal’s movement may still be at an angle that does not produce a pleasing image.  Hundreds of attempts may only create one or two acceptable shots.

Or none.

The key is to keep shooting and taking as many images as possible with the hope that a few will work.

The panning blurs out the background and creates a lovely oil painting effect.  The blurred feet of the sheep convey speed and give a sense of the pursuit and energy of the chase.

 

As you may have gathered, procreation for bighorn sheep is not for the faint of heart.  Each fall a ram must endure a grueling gauntlet of battles and tests of patience and stamina that can last for months.  All this to earn a few brief moments with an ewe and the possibility of passing on his legacy.

 

Until next month…

 

 

Sources:

Bighorn Sheep (Wikipedia)

 

Nikon D5, Sigma 150 mm – 600 mm (@ 600 mm), f/14, ISO 100

Jan

31

Fire and Ice

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Shot of the Month – January 2024

This month we travel to Glacier National Park in northern Montana for an iconic view of Swiftcurrent Lake.  I shot this image on the rocky edge of the lake looking west toward Grinnell Point – the tall peak in the center of the image.  Grinnell Point is part of the Lewis Range of mountains.  This spot is also the site of Many Glacier Hotel – this historic hotel was built in 1914 and commands epic views of the lake.

This image makes up the “Fire” part of this post.  I arrived at the water’s edge long before sunrise and set up my tripod and camera.  As I sat in the dark for the second morning in a row I had to wait for the sun to slowly climb above the mountains behind me.  My heart began to jump when I sat the first orange beams light up the clouds.  With each moment the light got warmer and slowly painted the scene from top to bottom.  First, the clouds caught fire and then eventually the mountain began reflecting back that glorious warm glow.  I kept shooting feverishly until the color began to fade.  Success!

In the image below we see the “Ice” part of this post.  I am at the same spot along the water’s edge, this time in late afternoon with the sun setting behind the mountain in our view.  This time the clouds were a bit too dense to light up dramatically with the sunbeams.  For this image, I used a very long exposure (90 seconds) to allow the clouds to move across the sky and smooth out the surface of the water of the lake.  The tone and color of the image couldn’t be more opposite than the sunrise shot.  This shot is dark and brooding and feels and looks ice cold.

It is always fun to revisit a scene over and over to explore how the look, feel, and tone can change dramatically with the time of day.  With the change in weather.  With the change in seasons.  At any given moment Mother Nature offers the proverbial box of chocolate with each scene —  you are never sure what delight you will get.

 

Until next month…..m

 

 

Nikon Z9, Nikon 17-35 mm (@17 mm), f/11, 1/5 sec, ISO 64

 

 

 

Jan

03

Top “10” for 2023

Annual Summary  Posted by / 0 comments

Time to revisit some of my favorite images from 2023.  I was a bit lazy this year and we ended up with a top 17…

My photography began in earnest in May with the annual congregation of bald eagles along the Washington coastline.  Alas, the action was not as dramatic as in previous years and we rarely (e.g. never) got the desired combination of great light with good action but we had fun trying.

I made a quick trip to look for foxes too late in the season but managed to get one of my best shots of the year.  One great shot can make a whole trip worthwhile.

Our big trip of the year was to Tanzania where we visited the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park.  It is always a joy to be back in Africa and it was my first trip back to Tanzania in 18 years!  The photography was only so-so but the memories are top notch.

In December I made a trip to Yellowstone National Park – pretty much a photographic disaster.  I had some beautiful days but there was almost no snow (!!!) and few animals.

And just before the end of the year I made a quick trip in search of Short-eared owls and managed to get one of my best shots of the year.  This year it seems that the short trips were the most productive.

On with the show, in chronological order:

1.   One of the few air battles we saw in 2023.  The guy on the bottom makes the shot.  The outrage!

Bald Eagle, Washington (2915)

 

2.  Bald eagle at work catching a fish.  I like the peek-a-boo wing effect.

Bald Eagle, Washington (1835))

 

3.  We went too late in the season to photograph foxes and there was very little action.  Yet, somehow, I got this one shot that made the whole trip worthwhile.  I had to lay on my stomach to get this eye contact.  And the light….this shot is all about the light!  You can read about the shot here.

Red Fox, Washington (5502)

 

4.  And while waiting for foxes I managed to get my best shot ever of a California Quail.  More on that here.

California Quail, Washington (6110)

 

5.  While in Tanzania we had the good fortune of finding a leopard at a tree with a recent kill.  We were able to visit this magnificent male multiple times over a 3 day period as he continued to dine on the carcass at the same location.  This may be my favorite image from the entire trip.  B&W or Color?  I couldn’t decide soooo…

Leopard, Serengeti NP (1750-BW)

 

Leopard, Serengeti NP (1750)

 

6.  Same leopard, same rock, another day.  But those eyes…..

Leopard, Serengeti NP (2370)

 

7.  Yep, same leopard.  Mood….

Leopard, Serengeti NP (3570)

 

8.  Lion in a tree?  What’s up with that?  I think this shot is ok, but it seems to be a crowd favorite so it makes the list.

Lion, Tarangire NP (8450)

 

9.  Adorable lion cubs.  Check. Dramatic back and side lighting (sunrise).  Check.  Add it to the list.  Check.    What a way to start the day…

Lion, Tarangire NP (5967)

 

10.  A lion on the Serengeti plain.  What safari dreams are made of.  In B&W this image feels like it could have been shot in 1950…

Lion, Serengeti NP (1791-BW)

 

For those who prefer color:

Lion, Serengeti NP (1791)

 

11.  I am a sucker for color and Yellow-collared Lovebirds have it for days (Tarangire NP).  The extra drama with the bird in flight takes it to the next level….

Yellow-collard Lovebirds, Tarangire NP (8456)

 

12.  The Agama lizard.  I mean just look at him.  He is magnificent!  The colors!  The angles.  The spikey ear things. Those crazy feet.  The attitude…

Agama Lizard, Serengeti NP (7670)

 

13.  While in Yellowstone I had the most luck with coyotes.  I like how his coloration matches the sage brush.  And the raised paw with the flying snow give a bit of action.

Coyote, Yellowstone NP (1671)

 

14.  Such a luscious coat.  I lied on my stomach to capture this nice coyote portrait.

Coyote, Yellowstone NP (1824)

 

15.  A nice “Yellowstone in Winter” scene.

Bison, Yellowstone NP (2905)

 

16.  I love the layers and depth of this image and how the bison dominates the horizon.

Bison, Yellowstone NP (3202))

 

17.  A short-eared owl flying into the setting sun.  The dramatic lighting, the colors and razor’s edge sharpness make this one the best shots of this or any of my years…

Short-eared Owl, Washington (0124)

 

Pulled back a bit…

Short-eared Owl, Washington (0124-wider)

 

What are your favorite 3 images?

 

Hope you have a wonderful 2024

 

….michael

Dec

31

Freeze Frame

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 3 comments

Shot of the Month – December 2023

Short-eared Owl, Washington State (0124)

I have talked in the past about how getting a great shot often requires a chain of miracles…for wildlife photography that list of miracles can include:

  1. Just finding the ^%%# animal!!
  2. Getting close enough to said animal
  3. Great light
  4. Great behavior
  5. Correct camera settings for the given scene

This stunning image of a Short-eared Owl (SEO) is proof that miracles, plural, can happen every so often.

#1 Finding the ^%%# animal!!

SEOs often migrate into Washington State each winter from the Arctic.  They love to hunt for mice and voles in the flat farmland found in parts of the state.  So there are known locations where one can find these owls.   So you’re telling me there’s a chance…? (Any Dumb and Dumber fans out there?)

2.  Getting close enough to said animal

The owls don’t take much notice of us humans but they often hunt in fields that are too far away.  If you are patient, they will usually, eventually, hunt in a field near you before moving on.  On some days they do.  On some days, they don’t.  Long lenses are still often needed to “get close enough.”

3.  Great light 

4.  Great behavior

Good light in the Pacific Northwest in the winter is in SHORT supply.  Most days are grey and filled with rain.  I specifically traveled to the site on this day as a bit of sun was in the forecast.

In the LAST hour of this day, the sun was painting the field in GLORIOUS light (Miracle #3).  And then, a SEO flew close to my location and began to hunt!!  (Miracle #4).

I began to tremble with excitement – it was all coming together.

5.  Correct camera settings for the given scene

Fortunately, I have enough practice with SEOs to know that their white faces will easily become overexposed in direct light.  I underexposed my shots by 1.33 EV (That is A LOT!)  And I knew how insanely fast these birds fly so I increased my shutter speed to 1/3200 sec to stop the action and avoid blurry images.

Time to get to work…

The owl was hunting in a field that faced the sun.  The lighting was therefore stunning but also, incredibly harsh.  The shadows and intensity of the light would change dramatically depending on the angle of the bird relative to the sun.  Given how fast she was flying by me the lighting changed every fraction of a second.  And with the sun so low in the sky the glare blinded my left eye (my shooting eye) as I looked into the viewfinder.  The bird flew multiple sorties – doing small loops up and down the field.  As she arrived to my far right I would start shooting until she arrived to my far left, where, at this point, I was now looking directly into the sun – leaving me partially blinded for a few seconds.

Shooting into the sun…

Short-eared Owl, Washington State (0046)

The SEO would bank right, fly back up the field, eventually bank right again and the shooting would begin anew.  We did this for close to an hour as tears ran down my face from the stress on my eyes.

Another fly-by…

Short-eared Owl, Washington State (9596)

Having the owl relatively “close” allowed the possibility of getting an image.  But given how fast they fly, and how erratic their flight is, it was almost impossible to keep them in the viewfinder with a 600 mm lens.  The angle of view on this lens is 2 degrees, offering a very tiny view of the world.  I would often track the bird and then she would just vanish as she banked sharply to dive toward prey.  With my 12-pound camera/lens combo on a tripod, I was jumping around like I was shooting a Gatling gun as I spun from one side to the other to try and keep focus on this juking, banking, diving, chaotic bird.  Ever seen the crazy flight pattern of a butterfly or a moth?  Yeah, like that but much, much faster.

I realize that is a lot of photo techno-babble to non-photographers, but in short, photographing these little flying rockets, in this extreme light, at close quarters, is tough.

Ten years ago it would have been almost impossible to get this shot.  The camera technology was just not there yet.  But with each year the equipment gets better and allows for images like this, even from amateurs like me.

What is most shocking to me, is the absolute clarity and sharpness of the image.  A true MIRACLE given how fast she was moving – in this one instance, I managed to pan at just the right speed to match the speed of the bird.  You can see every little feather on her face and beak.

And the lighting….on those eyes….the drama.  The rim of light on the wings! Mwah (Chef’s kiss)!

Here is the first image, re-cropped to show more of the scene.  Mother Nature at her finest…

Short-eared Owl, Washington State (0124)

I love how photography allows us to capture and hold on to these moments that would otherwise be lost in the blink of an eye.

 

Until next month…..m

 

Nikon Z9, Nikon 600 mm, f/4, 1/3200 sec, ISO 640, EV -1.333