Another master of camouflage, the African leopard. It's easy to see how prey could walk under a tree completely unaware of the predator directly above, and leopards are known to jump down from a perch onto their prey.
In this case, the leopard had been resting in the branches when, in this moment, it took notice of an impala passing by. We watched it stealthily descend the tree and stalk the impala, crawling on its belly at times. They were both soon out of sight, so we do not know how it ended up for either of them...
November 2023, Kruger National Park, South Africa 🇿🇦
African Wild Dogs in the Rain, Kruger National Park
African wild dogs in the rain, Kruger National Park, SA.
This pack of wild dogs (painted dogs) had a litter of puppies and gave us some great photo ops. The falling rain added a nice element and made for great expressions on the dogs' faces. These are some of my favorite images of the endangered canines.
Have a great weekend out there. It looks like we might have a bit of aurora borealis - perfect timing for my aurora & nighttime photography class at the Eagle River Nature Center tomorrow night (Feb 20). I would have shared the registration link but the class literally filled overnight, before I had a chance to post it. I will look into offering another class in late March.
As always, thank you for following,
Colin
African Wild Dogs
The African wild dog, also called the painted dog, is one of the rarest mammals in Africa. We were fortunate to have wonderful encounters with three different packs in Kruger National park.
I'm getting back around to editing through my images from last year's trip Namibia and South Africa. I will have more to share in the coming days...
Cheers!
Colin
Leopard in a Tree, Kruger National Park
Spotted leopard, Kruger NP, South Africa. This was probably my favorite sighting in Africa last year.
I was really hoping to see a leopard in a tree and toward the end of our week in Kruger, my wish came true. We watched this beautiful cat as it napped in the branches and then stealthily descended the tree to stalk an impala.
I still have a lot of images and videos to edit through, so stay tuned for more...
Cheers!
Colin
Sleepy Lion
Waking up after guiding an all-night aurora tour like....
The lights were elusive in Southcentral Alaska last night but the guests enjoyed themselves nonetheless.
Male lion, Kruger National Park, South Africa, October 2023.
Colin
Male Lion, Kruger National Park
Male lion, Kruger National Park, South Africa. This was taken our first day in the park. It was late afternoon and the grass was blowing in the breeze, as was his mane.
I hope everyone had a nice holiday with family and friends.
I would like to send a big thank you Odd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River for hosting my final book signing of the year last Friday. It was a very successful night, after a couple big days for orders following the book review in Anchorage Daily News last week. Click here to read ADN’s review.
I am still taking orders for signed copies of my book, "Seasons of the Nature Center," on my site. As of now, well over half have been sold: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
Thank you for following and all the best for 2024 and beyond!
Colin
Giraffe Color Patterns
Like the spots of a leopard or the stripes of a zebra, giraffes have color patterns that are unique to each individual. These patches also provide camouflage that helps them to blend in with the trees and savannah.
Details for the October 2024 Namibia Tour with Nat Expo Tours are on our website: www.natexpotours.com and it looks like we are already half full...
Please message me if you are interested in joining!
Colin
Cape Buffalo in the Rain
The cape buffalo, one of Africa's "Big Five" species, taken on our third day in Kruger National Park and one of my favorite photos from the trip.
I was happy to see the rain and cooler temps during our first few days in Kruger. Rather than seeking shade from the midday sun, wildlife was active and moving about. A shutter speed of 1/400" accentuated the falling rain in this image and an aperture of f/10 rendered the buffalo's face sharp from its snout past the rain-slicked horns.
Hope you enjoy, and thank you for following along!
Colin
Cool & Rainy Kruger NP
Our first few days in Kruger National Park were cool and rainy, a nice respite from the heat in Namibia. This allowed the wildlife to be more active during the day, and the overcast skies created a nice mood for black & white images.
The dates are set for our 2024 Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours (Oct 11-25, 2024). Please message me if you are interested…: https://natexpotours.com/2024-namibia/
Cheers!
Colin
Lion Eyes
🎶"You can't hide,
your lion eyes..." 🎶🦁
On the drive from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park, SA, we heard the Eagles song "Lyin' Eyes" and I guess it stuck with me. It's been playing in my head over & over, and seems fitting for this image taken on our second day in the park. We had the good fortune of seeing lions every day in Kruger, including several large males like this handsome beast.
I've still got thousands of images to edit through and I look forward to sharing more moments like this one. Have a great Monday out there and thank you for following!
Colin
PS - we've got the dates & details for the October 2024 Namibia tour posted on the Nat Expo Tours website and it looks like we're close to half full already. Please contact me if you are interested in joining us: www.natexpotours.com
