Caption: Nyala group of mixed ages and gender, showing their different colors, drinking from waterhole, Mkuzi Game Reserve, South Africa.

Nyala Appearance: The females and young have a smooth coat that is bright chestnut with distinct stripes and spots, while males, in addition to their horns, have a more shaggy coat that’s charcoal to slate in color with less contrasty side stripes.

In the picture above, from left we have a young calf, then two adult females, a juvenile male (already turning a darker color) and a sub-adult male.

While the sub-adult male is markedly bigger and darker than the females, he has some way to go to reach adulthood. See, for example, the picture (right) of a mature adult male, with his impressive lyre-shaped horns with ivory tips.

Photo Info: Camera: Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi); Lens: Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM; Focal Length: 180mm; Shutter speed: 1/1250; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 400.

For more, see Nyala Lateral Display and Nyala Bull at Waterhole.

Caption: The setting sun, passing through overhanging twigs and leaves, casts orange dapples on the hide of a young elephant, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi); Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom; Focal Length: 300mm; Shutter speed: 1/15; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 400.

Caption: Colorful, abstract shapes formed by lichen on rocks, Mbotyi, Wild Coast, South Africa.

Camera: Canon EOS 450D (Canon Rebel XSi 12.2MP); Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS standard zoom lens.

The beaches along South Africa’s Wild Coast. are spectacular, but also remote — no cafes or beach vendors, chairs, umbrellas or modern comforts, other than those you bring.

I recently spent a few days with friends at their beach shack at Mbotyi on the Wild Coast. But as I don’t fish and don’t much enjoy sitting in the sun, I opted to wander around, hunting for interesting things to photograph when we visited beaches in the area.

This piece of coast is quite magical so, in addition to the small things, it’s almost obligatory to snap a few seascapes while you’re there:

Caption: A pristine beach near Mbotyi on South Africa’s spectacular Wild Coast. This picture was taken with Canon’ s kit lens, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS standard zoom, at a focal length of 47mm. Aperture was f/11 and shutter speed 1/400.

The next picture, from a similar vantage point, was taken with the EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens at 70mm, with the aperture on f/5.6 to get a softer background. The third picture was taken on one of Mbotyi’s other beaches, also with the kit lens, at 50mm focal length, aperture of f/8 at 1/500 sec. I was standing in shallow surf, facing the sun, hence the monochrome look.

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens is cheap, light, and compact and comes with a plastic mount, yet is capable of producing surprisingly sharp images. It is usually bundled with one of the Canon EOS entry-level digital bodies, but can be bought separately for around $110.

If you want a similar focal length but need more professional specs, the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM zoom is available with a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture and USM focusing — but costs anywhere from $990 to $1130.

That’s a huge price differential and one has to ask whether it’s worth it. I guess it depends on your particular requirements. I need a small, light lens for the odd scenic shot and as a handy walkaround lens, so the cheap version works fine for me.

But if you’re a professional wedding photographer, for example, who needs a fast maximum aperture lens with quiet and fast autofocus, then the cost of the 17-55mm f/2.8 can probably be justified.

Later this week I’m returning to Mbotyi on the Wild Coast for a few days, staying in a rustic cottage overlooking the ocean, and no doubt my little kit lens will again come in handy.

If you enjoy photography and have some spare time, here are some “Best of 2009″ images to browse through:

National Geographic’s Best Earth Photos 2009

Time magazine’s Year in Pictures 2009

Life magazine’s 2009 Photos of the Year

Life’s 2009 Sports Photos of the Year

Popular Science — The Year’s Most Amazing Scientific Images

Caption: Portrait of a Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres), African Bird of Prey Sanctuary, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Vultures in southern Africa, already under threat from habitat loss, poisons, and power-line electrocution, are being further threatened by people seeking lotto riches who believe that smoking dried vulture brains brings visions of winning numbers.

According to a report in my local newspaper, The Witness, a vendor of traditional medicines in Johannesburg says the vulture brain lets you see things that others can’t see. “For lotto, you dream the numbers,” he explains. He sells a small bottle with just a speck of ground brains for about ZAR50 ($7).

At least 160 vultures are sold in southern Africa each year for “muti” or traditional medicines, according to studies by conservation groups. They fear traditional medicine could help make vultures extinct in the region within 20 to 30 years.

Cape Vulture Info: Young Cape vultures wander great distances across the African sub-continent for five or six years before they attain adulthood and return to a cliff-face colony to nest and breed.

The adults are pale in color, with honey-colored eyes. They nest along cliff faces in mountainous regions, building nests of sticks and grass. They lay only one oval egg per clutch.

Cape vultures are endemic to southern Africa and are classified as “Vulnerable” in the Red Data Book.

The African Bird of Prey Sanctuary is a self-funded care-center run by a small group of dedicated conservationists. The sanctuary’s effectiveness is hindered by insufficient funds and donations or contributions are always needed to assist research, caring for and rehabilitating birds, and educating the public. See Feathered Friends Sponsorship Program for more.