OXPECKER ON BUFFALO

Oxpeckers are one of my favourite bird species to photograph. I love yellow-billed oxpeckers in particular because of the striking colours on their bills. I found a flock of yellow-billed oxpeckers with a herd of buffalo close to Mopani Camp in the Kruger National Park. It was a misty morning and the buffalo were all lying down next to the road. I positioned my vehicle close to the buffalo and sat quietly, capturing a series of portraits of these beautiful birds before the buffalo herd got up and disappeared into the Mopani thicket. In this photo, a buffalo was laying down right behind the oxpecker that I was photographing, providing the perfect background to make the bird and the profile of the buffalo he was sitting on, stand out.

Oxpecker on buffalo

Kruger Park, South Africa

Canon 1D Mark II N | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/320sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

This photograph was runner-up in the bird category of the 2008 Fuji Getaway Wildlife Awards. I was also fortunate to have two additional highly commended photographs in this category.

WELCOME!

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I'm a naturalist who loves photographing the beauty of the natural world! My aim is to portray nature's beauty in a fresh and creative way. Most of my photography is done in Southern Africa, where I work and live.

I intend to use this blog to keep you informed about my photographic excursions, showcasing some photographs from recent and older trips, links to websites and portfolios that I find interesting, and instructions on my photographic techniques and the digital workflow that I follow. I hope you'll enjoy the photographs and find the information useful.

Golden Reflection

Marievale Bird Sanctuary, South Africa

Canon 1D Mark II N | EF600mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x | 1/2000sec at f/6.3, ISO 800

Hopefully we'll get to meet and photograph the African wildlife together soon. May our future be spectacular, with good wildlife sightings and inspirational photography!