January - Masai Giraffe

Giraffes really are wonders of the natural world and are one of my favourite African animals, so I was very excited to find this tiny (though still much taller than me) foal on the grasslands of the Masai mara. In a family group of around ten animals, the foal was very young and spent most of the time sitting in the morning sun. As it wasn’t doing very much and wasn’t a big cat, most of the other safari vehicles had left the scene and missed this lovely bit of interaction and the moments which followed where the foal stood up and ran around playfully - just like a scene from Disney’s Bambi.

February - African Penguin

Most people are unaware that there is a species of Penguin that breeds on mainland South Africa. This is the first of two Penguin images in the calendar and was taken just outside the Boulders Beach reserve on the Cape peninsula. I arrived an hour before dawn in order to choose a subject and carefully get in position. The image may be pretty, I certainly wasn’t. Lying prostrate on rocks frequented by lots of Penguins, I was very grateful for the full set of waterproof clothing I had taken with me! I thought this image was apt for Valentines Day.

March - Lion cub

On our way back to the lodge in the Masai mara with dusk fast approaching, we stopped to watch an African Grass Owl quartering the grassland. Further up the track another vehicle had stopped but as dozens of other returning vehicles were driving straight passed it was obviously nothing of interest. After watching the owl for ten minutes or so, we set of again and slowed down where the other vehicle had been and saw, to our amazement, a Lioness with three tiny cubs, right at the side of the road. We couldn’t understand why none of the other cars had stopped. Needless to say as soon as they saw my lens every car stopped and within a minute there must have been fifteen vehicles all vying for position. I got my shots and we left the scrum as quickly as possible.

April - Orange-breasted Sundbird

This is another image taken on the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. This bird is found in the Fynbos, the sixth floral kingdom, and also frequents botanical gardens. It feeds on the nectar of Ericas, using a tongue of tubular construction and a bill whose size and shape fits perfectly the individual flowers of the food plant. As it is one of the species endemic to the region and a real beauty it was obviously one of my target species for the trip, but as with most sunbirds it was difficult to photograph, I tried three different botanical gardens around Capetown all to no avail, then one day by the side of the road I found a patch of Ericas in flower which a few birds were fighting over. After working out some favourite perches, and then choosing one which I thought was best from a photographic perspective, it was then just a case of coming back when the light was right and waiting patiently for one to land and strike a pose.

May - Cheetah

Back to Kenya, with another shot from the Masai mara, taken not far from where the Giraffes (January image) were photographed. Peter, our guide, had spotted the cat (no pun intended) hundreds of metres away on the other side of a small river (I’ll never understand how he saw it with the naked eye from such a distance). By the time we had crossed the river, it had crossed to where we had been, so we had to cross back again. We eventually caught up with it and stopped the vehicle fifty yards or so in front of it to allow it to approach us in its own time. It slowly approaced, closer, closer , closer and stopped right next to the car It looked under, over and then straight at me, as if deciding which was the easiest route around this obstacle. I really thought it was going to jump into the vehicle and onto my lap. It was breathtakingly close, too close to focus on, so we all sat frozen until it moved away. I then took this full frame shot and others before it moved off again. There were some Japanese tourists who had watched all this from their minivan, a short distance away, I smiled and wiped some imaginary sweat from my brow and they all laughed.

June - Black-backed Jackal

Another dawn start in the Masai mara found this Jackal walking swiftly along the side of the track. Usually they are quite timid and move off the track when they encounter a vehicle. This one didn’t and walked straight passed us. The encounter was all over in a few seconds and is a classic example of the importance of having your camera ready or you miss the shot. I love the way the motion has been frozen with only one paw in contact with the ground, giving the impression that the animal is levitating.

July - African Penguin

The second of two penguin images in the calendar, this was also taken on the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. This bird had just ‘landed’ and was shaking the water droplets off its feathers. Shooting conditions for me were certainly better than the February Penguin shot. Indeed, earlier, round the coast at Boulders beach, I had actually been in the water with them. I positioned my tripod with the lens just above the water level and sat in the water amongst them. Again by keeping very still and moving very slowly, they would float so close that several times they bumped into the tripod– quite wonderful!

August - Kirk's Dik Dik

Dik Diks are tiny, timid and very nervous antelopes. This one was photographed in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya which is a very good spot for them. Samburu is many hours drive from the Masai mara and not as popular. The arid conditions there mean that it hosts many different species that are not found in the mara. As Dik Diks are dish of the day for many carnivores, they are correspondingly timid, so I was pleased when this one didn’t flee when we stopped the vehicle. This image is cropped to focus on the fabulous eye-lashes and the amazing prehensile ‘nose’.

September - Yellow-billed Stork

As it is very expensive for a single photographer like me to hire a canoe on Lake Baringo, I am very strict and concentrate totally on looking for the wonderful Malachite Kingfisher. The first time I did this the guides thought me very strange as every time they pointed out something they thought of interest, I would say no, continue. It has to be a significant photo opportunity for me to deviate from this plan and this image is one of those occasions. This adult Stork was feeding using the typical Stork method of sweeping its slightly open bill from side to side in the water, ready to snap it shut on any unsuspecting prey. It was so preoccupied with this that it didn’t notice us until we were incredibly close. The fabulous light and green background meant I couldn’t resist this head portrait. I particularly love the water droplet on the tip of the bill.

October - Black Rhinoceros

Black Rhinos are aggressive, unpredictable and extremely dangerous. Under most circumstances it is wise to keep your distance. So when I heard about a ‘tame’ one at Sweetwaters Game Reserve/Ol Pejeta conservancy near Mount Kenya, which could be approached on foot to touching distance, I was very interested. On our visit we were escorted into the Rhino sanctuary by a keeper. After a short walk we found ‘Morani’, which means warrior in Swahili, lying asleep in the grass. This photo was taken with me lying in front of him, using a camera with a wide angle lens resting on a small bag. Having taken many shots from this position I moved round to the side to take some shots of his feet. Suddenly a helicopter flew over and he jumped up right where I had previously been lying. My heart leapt into my mouth as I realised that the small bag I had been using was now right between his feet. Fortunately he didn’t stand on it but knocked it to one side with his foot and the bag was retrieved. It didn’t have anything valuable in it, well only my two portable drives with 7,000 photographs from the first two weeks of the safari, fortunately they were still intact. The moral of the story is never leave your portable hard drives next to a sleeping Rhino. Oh, in case you were wondering, the skin is like warm leather to the touch! Wonderful!

November - Lion - adult male at dawn

Another pre-dawn start in the Masai Mara. After a half an hour driving around slowly, we rounded a bend in the track and there he was walking straight towards us with the sun rising directly behind him. We waited for him to pass us and then we drove ahead of him several times so that he could approach and walk past us at his own leisurely pace. He was not at all interested in us. Every so often he would stop and roar a few times before carrying on. This shot was taken just after he had roared and closed his mouth, his breath suspended in the dawn light. A few kilometres later we discovered the reason for this roaring, another male Lion; they greeted each other like long lost brothers. As the Safari vehicles had gathered in number since we had found him, we decided to go off and find other subjects and leave them to it.

December - Malachite Kingfisher - crest raised

Malachite Kingfishers are wonderful little birds and I love the challenge of trying to photograph them. I have seen many Malachites on numerous African trips but this is the first time I have seen one raise its head feathers in this way – quite remarkable. One of the difficulties of photographing with a powerful lens from a small boat (apart from avoiding Hippos) is obviously that of the motion of the boat, if there is the slightest swell it is a bit like the Golden shot (a tv programme in the 70’s if your not sad and old enough to remember like me)very difficult to get the bird in the frame let alone focus on it so I was very pleased that I got a shot.