Wildlife Photography Blog

Photo Details: African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) romping on the banks of the Limpopo River at dusk, Mashatu Game Reserve, Tuli Block, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 400D (Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP); Lens: Canon EOS 80-200 F2.8 zoom; Focal Length: 200mm; Shutter speed: 1/60; Aperture: f2.8; ISO: 800.

Additional Info: The African wild dogs in Botswana’s Tuli Block are not roaming as extensively as usual while the pack waits for the heavily pregnant alpha female to give birth. In preparation for the arrival of the pups, the dogs have established a den close to where we were staying at Rock Camp in Mashatu Game Reserve. On our first afternoon in the reserve, we set off on a late game drive and were fortunate to find the pack on the banks of the nearby Limpopo River.

Once the alpha female produces her litter (usually from six to 16 pups), the whole pack will help feed the suckling mother (and the pups after 3-4 weeks) by regurgitating food. See Wild Dog Society – All About Co-Operation for more about the social behavior of these much maligned and critically endangered animals.

Photo Details: Patterns on the beach formed by a stream flowing into the sea resemble trees in a forest, near Mbotyi, Wild Coast, South Africa.

Camera: Canon EOS 450D Digital; Lens: Canon 18-55 IS zoom; Focal Length: 24mm; Shutter speed: 1/400; Aperture: f8; ISO: 200.

Tomorrow I leave for Rock Camp in Mashatu Game Reserve in the Tuli Block, Botswana. At this time of year there should be good game viewing and we’re bound to see plenty of elephants, impala, wildebeest and, with luck, some of the big cats like lion and leopard. Early next month I hope I’ll be able to post some interesting shots but until I get back, this will be the last post this month.

Photo Details: Close-up of Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) with its head in profile, African Bird of Prey Sanctuary, Ashburton, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Camera: Canon EOS 450D Digital; Lens: Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM; Focal Length: 300mm; Shutter speed: 1/800; Aperture: f8; ISO: 400.

Additional Info: The Lanner falcon is widespread in southern Africa, found mainly in wooded areas of the African bushveld. Standing about 48cm (19″) tall and weighing around 700gm (1lb 8oz), it has a brown head, brown eyes, grey bill, while the throat and chest are pale, ranging from creamy white to buff.

The Lanner feeds on smaller birds and insects such as butterflies, locusts, and bees. It is deadly in the air and will attack smaller birds in flight, using its claws to the break the victim’s neck.

Lanner falcons are monogamous, living and breeding with one partner for life. They nest high within the forest canopy, where the female lays from one to five eggs.

Wildlife photographer Kevin Schafer, in his first assignment for National Geographic, has captured images of a surprising creature in the Amazon Basin, a type of dolphin separated from the sea and living in freshwater.

On this assignment Kevin takes an up-close and underwater look at this unusual species, the Amazon dolphin, Inia geoffrensis. At up to 450 pounds (360kg) and eight feet (2.43m) in length, the Amazon dolphin, or boto, is the largest of the four known species of river dolphin. Evidently the males, as “pink as bubblegum” are extremely agressive and will “beat the hell out of each other”.

Kevin’s photos from the “River Spirits” can be found in the June issue of National Geographic and viewed online in his Photo Gallery.

Photo Details: Banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) adult and youngster scan for potential danger while foraging for insects and larvae under decaying log, Mashatu Game Reserve, Tuli Block, Botswana.

Camera: Canon EOS 400D Digital; Lens: Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM; Focal Length: 240mm; Shutter speed: 1/200; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 400.

Additional Info: The characteristic feature of this species is the series of transverse bands from mid-back to the base of the tail. Banded mongooses (total length about 55cm/21inch ) are diurnal and live predominantly on insects and insect larvae which they find under fallen logs and vegetable debris. They are social creatures, living in packs of up to 30 and, when out hunting as a group, keep in contact by constant twittering and chirping.

Photo Details: Zebra herd (Equus quagga) congregating at waterhole to drink, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

Camera: Canon EOS 400D Digital; Lens: Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM; Focal Length: 100mm; Shutter speed: 1/800; Aperture: f8; ISO: 200.

Additional Info: If you’re on safari in a game reserve or national park carrying only a digital compact camera with a limited zoom range, you can still take photographs that capture the atmosphere of the location, as in the image above. You will be able to get shots of the “bigger picture” – the herds of animals, the topography, and the colors of the landscape.

But you’ll also miss out on many potential photo opportunities, simply because a camera with a 3x zoom lens – roughly equivalent to 35-105mm – can’t pull the more distant subjects closer, as can a camera with an ultra zoom. These “super zoom” digital cameras now come with 10x, 20x or more zoom lenses, providing the magnification previously only possible with SLR cameras fitted with hugely expensive telephoto lenses.

This is good news for anyone going on safari who’d like to take memorable pictures without spending a fortune on camera equipment. Find out more in our article, How to Take Great Safari Photos Using Affordable Gear.