Tag: nature

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2019-02-18: Monochrome Monday

I have been incredibly fortunate to see wild dogs on all the trips I have taken to southern Africa.  My very first trip, when asked what animal I hoped I would see, it was the wild dog.  I knew they were rare, endangered, and can be difficult to find, and when our guide Mike found them during our day trip to Chobe Park, I was beyond thrilled.  And I have remained thrilled each time I have had the good fortune of spending time with these amazing animals.

All the images below were from my last trip, when we had wild dogs sightings over 3 days in the Okavango Delta.

 

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On of the pack members breaking off as they set off on a hunt.
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Resting, yet still alert.  After we parked the vehicle, this dog settled in within a few feet of the land rover.
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A classic puppy pose 🙂
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The pack greeting each other as they all awoke from an afternoon of napping.
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Watch dog.

 

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2019-02-17: Topic of the Month – Warm

Last week I decided that my Sunday posts for the rest of the month would focus on the topic Warm.  It seemed fitting, given how cold it has been and how much I wish it would warm up.

Today, I decided to share images that make my heart feel warm and happy.   It should be no surprise to any frequent visitor that this means elephants.  Lots and lots of elephants!

I hope you enjoy my selections, and wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

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A group of desert adapted elephants surround a calf that was having a brief nap at the edge of the riverbed.  Hoanib Camp, Namibia.
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An elephant calf imitates its mother, bring the trunk up to sniff the air and decide if our presence was a threat or not.  Since Mom wasn’t worried, the calf wasn’t either.  Machaba Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana.
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The tiniest elephant calf I have seen; probably no more than a couple of days old.  A very relaxed family though, that was not at all concerned by the vehicle, the clicks of the cameras or the numerous times people in the vehicle said “Awwww, the baby is so tiny and cute!”.  Machaba Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana.
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We saw numerous baby elephants while staying on the Okavango Delta; this one stuck close to Mom’s side while she dug for minerals in the dirt.
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A precocious elephant calf that spent lots of time investigating me; here it is snuggled close to Mom and trying to get a drink from an irrigation pipe.  Londolozi, South Africa.
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2019-02-11: Monochrome Monday

This waterhole was in Nxai Pans National Park in Botswana.  We stopped there after a trip out to the Baines Baobabs, and watched as a lone bull elephant approached the water.  We all thought he was an enormous elephant.  A few minutes later, another bull appeared, even larger, and the first elephant made way for the newcomer to choose the spot he wanted at the water.  Then the third came along, and both the bulls at the water had to give way to the last that arrived to drink.  I love watching these dynamics play out in nature.  There was no struggle, no tension, just a simple understanding amongst the group of who got to be in charge.

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2019-02-10: Topic of the Month – Warm

This topic came to me as it is the exact opposite of how I feel right now!  We’ve been in a deep freeze for some time now, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight yet.  So, my Sunday posts for February are going to focus on warm places, warm interactions; anything that makes me feel a bit warmer!

Today, I have some landscape images to share from my travels.  All places where I haven’t spent time shivering!

Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead.

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The desert near Hoanib Skeleton Coast camp in Namibia.  It’s a truly striking desert landscape, and a place I would recommend to visit.
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Another area near Hoanib, where we stopped for a sundowner.  This was a quick photo I snapped as the sun disappeared behind the hills; glass of wine in one hand and camera in the other.
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Where the desert and a lush valley meet.  These pockets of green seem to come out of nowhere when you are flying over the desert, and show that there are habitats capable of supporting lots of life, even within such a hot and dry place.
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The Okavango Delta from the air.
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A sunrise in the Sabi Sands in South Africa.
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Driving through the desert outside of Palm Springs, California.  Photographic “rules” would say that lines should be leading into the photo, not out of it.  But rules are sometimes made to be broken; I like the unexpected composition.
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One of the beautiful vistas in Joshua Tree National Park.

 

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2019-02-04: Monochrome Monday

I’ve been saddened to read about the damage Joshua Tree National Park has sustained recently.  I don’t understand how people can come into such a beautiful place, and tag boulders like these with graffiti, or push over the iconic Joshua trees.  I’m grateful I had a chance to visit the park twice, and both times it was in pristine condition.

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2019-01-20: Costa’s Hummingbirds

I was going to post some of these images on Wednesday last week for a wordless Wednesday post, but I was having a few site issues, and just didn’t have the patience to wait while WordPress loaded slowly.  So instead, I’ve gone through my images and found a few more hummingbird images and am sharing them all today.

While I was in Southern California, I enjoyed my morning coffee on the patio, and loved watching the hummingbirds fighting over the best spots at the feeders and various flowering bushes.  I also noticed how chattery the Costa’s hummingbirds are.  They spent a lot of time singing from the branches of the bushes in the garden.  The link below is the All About Birds page for the Costa’s hummingbird, and you can hear what they sound like there.

All About Birds – Costa’s Hummingbird

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Seeing these images makes me long for spring even more, when the Rufous hummingbirds return to Prince George for another (short) spring and summer season.

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