Jan

15

Time to Fly – January 2010

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Shot of the Month – January 2010

After only a few minutes into our morning game drive, we drove around a sharp corner and as we cleared the bend my guide slammed on the brakes.  In front of us, we were startled to find a young, seemingly mesmerized owl standing on a large log.

It was like a scene out of a fairy tale.  The air was cool and the morning air fresh, but still.  The owl’s fuzzy down feathers were softly lit as the sun just began to rise over the horizon.  The fledgling stared forward as if in deep thought or reflection.

While obviously still young, this owl was BIG.  After a moment of taking this all in the questions began to cascade through my brain.  What kind of owl is so big yet still so young?  Why is he on a log?  Why on the ground?  Where are the parents?  Why is he just sitting there?

I broadened my field of view to see if I could find any clues to this mystery.  After a few seconds of scanning, I found two adult Giant Eagle Owls (that explains the size, they are the largest owls in Africa) high up in a nearby tree peering down at their offspring.  The scene started to make sense.

This was Junior’s first flight!

He had soared down from the nest and was now on the ground trying to figure out what to do next.  Our fledgling finally broke free from his meditation and turned to look up at his parents.

He opened his wings and hesitantly leapt into the air.  I was startled again, this time by the width of his wing span.  This was a large bird but the wing span seemed exaggerated beyond reason compared to his body size.  Regardless, the motion of the wings was absolutely silent.  His first effort only garnered about 6 feet and then he landed (read “crashed”) onto the trunk of a nearby tree.  In parrot-like fashion, he used his beak to help climb up the tree to a higher branch.  He then leapt into the air again and gained a few more feet before “landing” a bit higher in another nearby tree.  He slowly zigzagged his way up to the tree where his proud parents were waiting.

What an extraordinary experience.  One of my safari favorites.

A few insights from this encounter to help start the New Year:

  • Get out and explore the world. (You never know what will be around the next corner)
  • Wake up early.  It is a magical time. (painful, yes, but magical)
  • Make time to reflect (before you leap)
  • Set high goals.  Take small steps to reach them
  • Expect a few crashes along the way, but don’t let them stop you

 

Happy New Year!

Dec

15

In Search of the King – December 2009

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Shot of the Month – December 2009

This month some celebrate the birth of the King of Kings.  One Christmas story tells how three wise men were aided by a bright star that led them to the new King.

While less transcendent, three men (also less wise) were aided in finding the king of the animal world allowing me to capture this regal portrait of the male lion.

Our journey began on a crisp morning in Botswana as I, a visiting friend, and our guide/driver (the three wise-ish men) left camp in our Toyota Landcruiser (all out of camels) in search of royalty.  After a few minutes on the trail, we heard the roar of a lion.  We drove in that direction and found a young male lion walking with purpose.  The young lion was agitated; he was clearly trying to find his missing pride.

Finally, after 20 minutes of plaintive calls and walking hither and thither, we heard a bellow off in the distance.  Our young prince looked hopeful and called again and walked briskly in the direction of the deep roar.  After another 10 minutes of the lion equivalent of “Marco Polo” the young lion led us to the magnificent black-manned lion in this photo.  He was with a female and it was clear they were a mating couple.  Their reunion was full of head bumps and body rubs.  The animal lover in me reveled in the moment and the photographer in me went giddy as the sun finally rose above the horizon and an orange beam of light basked the lion in this heavenly glow.  Click….sigh.

During this holiday season, I hope that you will likewise manage to reconnect with those dear to you and revel in the simple pleasure of being together.  A warm head bump to you all.

(Speaking of great reunions.  In 1969 two Australians living in the center of London bought a lion cub at Harrods department store.  After a few months, it became clear that Christian, the lion, was becoming too big to live in the city.  Rather than put him in a zoo they persuaded conservationist George Adamson (remember “Born Free”?) in Kenya to take Christian and teach him how to live in the wild.  A year later the men returned to Africa to see how their now wild lion cub was doing.  See the amazing reunion here )

Nov

15

Colorful Conundrum – November 2009

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Shot of the Month – November 2009

This month I offer this glam headshot of a Yellow Saddle-Billed Stork (SBS).  Such a close-up of this bird is a rarity – they are solitary birds that don’t hang out in flocks and generally don’t like company.  Most of my views of these storks have been at great distances and even then they often immediately turn and start walking in the opposite direction.  As a photographer, this can be extremely frustrating given how stunningly they are adorned.

This stork is the sub-Saharan counterpart to Sesame’s Big Bird – they are the tallest stork in Africa and males can reach 5 feet in height and have a 9-foot wingspan.  And the colorations! Where to begin?  First, we have that massive brilliant red and black bill that is a great weapon for spearing fish, frogs, crabs, water beetles, etc.  On top of the bill is a bright yellow plate that resembles the saddle you might find on a horse.  Next, his face, neck, wings, and tail feathers are black while his back and chest are white.  Finally, his legs are black but they are offset by reddish colored joints.

In this photo you can get a better view of his wild outfit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This guy does not “blend.” (Any “My Cousin Vinny” fans out there?)

The male, as shown in the portrait, can be significantly larger than the female and has dark eyes and a bright yellow waddle on each side of the bill.  Females have yellow eyes and no waddle.  These storks are believed to mate for life and apparently have no arguments – SBSs have no muscles in their voice box so they are silent.  Mating couples can communicate, however, by rattling their bills together.

It seems counterintuitive that such a solitary, shy, silent bird would be decked out in such a brilliant, ostensibly boastful display that demands notice and attention.

Another mystery of Mother Nature…

 

Oct

15

Members Only – October 2009

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Shot of the Month – October 2009

The harbinger of success for some is acceptance into an exclusive club.  Perhaps it is membership at an expensive golf course or getting the nod from the man with no neck to jump the line at that by-invitation-only nightclub.

Based on a news story I read in 2002 about devastating wildfires in Borneo I decided to fly to Borneo to try and see orangutans in the wild.  Successful in my venture I became a member of a very exclusive club indeed.  There is no salary quota, or star power fame required to join the club, simply the effort needed to journey up the Sekonyer River in the Tanjung Puting National Park in southern Borneo.

So what makes this club so special?  Well, I may be among the last small group of humans to ever see an orangutan outside of a zoo.  Orangutan means “man of the jungle” in the Malay language.  In the last 20 years, we have destroyed 80% of all the forests they live in.  On the island of Sumatra, the orangutan population has dropped 86% from what it was just 100 years ago and they are listed as “critically endangered.”  The next status after critically endangered is “extinct.”

No jungle, no orangutan.

In Borneo, the orangutan is doing better and is only “endangered.”  These two Malaysian islands are the last refuge of the only great ape not found in Africa.

The forests are being razed and cleared at an astonishing rate to provide the hardwoods we like for our furniture and to make way for palm oil plantations.  We use palm oil in our cosmetics, in more and more processed foods, and increasingly, to make fuel for cars.  People also like to have baby orangutans as pets so many are captured and killed in that pursuit.

Orangutans are the most intelligent creatures on the planet after humans (though given our behavior, I demand a recount).  Of all the apes orangutans are the most arboreal – they spend most of their lives in the trees and rarely put a foot on the ground.  Unlike most apes, orangutans do not live in social groups and spend the majority of their lives in solitude.  Their arms are twice as long as their legs and they have opposable thumbs and opposable big toes so they can grasp with their feet as well.

Despite their lanky proportions, superhuman strength (at least 8 times stronger than man), and nifty opposable toes, I don’t think orangutans will be able to hang on much longer given our determined onslaught.

Our consumption here directly drives the loss of habitat there.  If you want to learn more about how you can help, follow the link: http://www.mongabay.com/take-action/orangutans.html

Planet Earth Club
Members Only
(Non-Humans Need Not Apply)

Sep

15

Flights of Fancy – September 2009

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Shot of the Month – September 2009

I have to admit that I am a bit shallow when it comes to my interest in birds – photographically, I am most interested in the pretty ones.  True birders seek out all avian sizes and shapes and can be enraptured by a rare, but very dull, brown species of sparrow.  I, on the other hand, only seek out colorful cranes, resplendent rollers, brilliant bee-eaters, or other alliterative combinations of bright-colored fowl.

While I admire the majestic nature of eagles and hawks most are hues of tan and browns and would look equally well in a black and white photo as well as one in color.  There is one eagle however that makes a brilliant exception to this rule –the Bateleur Eagle.  The Bateleur’s black head is strikingly offset by a red face and bill and the banded tan, white, and black body is accentuated by brilliant red legs and feet.  For years I would often spot the bright red feet signaling from high up in a tree but invariably I could not get a shot as the rest of the body was hidden behind leaves and branches.  I couldn’t believe my luck when I found this fellow with his mate, they pair for life, in a dead tree in Botswana.  They were gracious enough to sit there for over an hour as I shot hundreds of images with nary a leaf or branch obstructing my view!

“Bateleur” is a French word that means “tightrope-walker” — in flight the Bateleur tips its wings from side to side, looking like a high-wire acrobat catching his balance.  The eagle has a very short tail so this motion assists in making turns.  The short tail however allows the Bateleur to do sideways barrel rolls and other spectacular aerobatics.

The eagle can spend eight to nine hours a day in the air searching for food and can cover up to 250 square miles looking for snakes, mice, birds, and carrion.

The Bateleur eagle has it all – noble in stature and form with striking crimson highlights — now that’s my kind of bird.