Tanzania

Tanzania – Nile Crocodile

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A Nile Crocodile's head is all about the jaws and biting. Large muscles run from the lower jaw to the back of the head and it can clamp down with unbievable forsce.

The Nile crocodile had sprawled on the bank of the Rufiji River, enjoying the sun. Our guide turned off the boat’s motor, and we began to drift toward the monster. This crocodilian might have topped 12 feet, maybe 13, and had an enormous girth. Its slick hide seemed brand-new, with not a scratch or scar. … Read more

Tanzania – Woodland Kingfisher

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Woodland kingfishers eat primarily insects and other small creatures. They are not fish eaters.

A blue, red, and black flash shot by the front of our vehicle, heading left into the shade of a large acacia. There, sitting about eight feet off the ground, was a pair of woodland kingfishers. Each had a black shoulder patch, a bright, almost neon-blue back, wing tips, and tail—a large red bill projected … Read more

Tanzania – Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl

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Verreaux's Eagle Owl. Nyerere National Park, Tanzania

Our open cruiser bumped and tossed on the dirt track in Nyerere National Park. It was my last afternoon in Tanzania, and early the next day, I’d be flying a puddle jumper back to the capital. No one else had wanted to go out, so I had the excellent young guide to myself. He eased … Read more

A Portfolio from Tanzania

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As our vehicle pulled into a more open area with a mix of grasses, shrubs, and acacia trees, we found a bachelor herd of elephants feeding. They were all large, but none appeared to be an old, old male. These were like “twentysomething men” working to grow and become stronger. They paid us no heed initially as we sat watching them go about their lives. Then, two started to flap their large ears and began to approach. Both elephants seemed agitated that we had disturbed their meal or maybe intruded on their private party. One raised his trunk a few times, maybe sniffing the air for our scent, as he walked toward us. He came up to a bush, something that might have formed a fence-like structure. Was this something for him or us, I wondered. He flapped his ears some more, tossing his trunk back and forth. This behavior was a mock charge, a display of his dominance over us. Our driver sat content, watching. He didn’t appear worried, so I slid forward on my seat, focusing my camera on this magnificent specimen. The bull walked up to the bush, and I thought he might use his tusks to scrape and rattle the branches, letting us know what he thought. He didn’t, he did flap those ears and wave his trunk but never shook his head. Eventually, he turned, walking away as if to say, “Oh, humans, how boring!”

I like to make a calendar for my family and friends. It is a chance to showcase my photographs around a particular theme and share the wonders of the natural world. It is a chance to look hard at what I’d captured, trying to pull out the very best. A calendar limits me to thirteen … Read more