Eyes on the Prize

Hi all…I am braving another bird of prey photograph today so I hope you all like it. The photograph I am sharing with you today is of a magnificent Spotted Eagle Owl. It was busy catching bugs in the after a big rainstorm one evening. There were lots of bugs scuttling around after the rain so this owl was having a great time-like a kid in a candy store. The best thing about this photograph, and this species actually, are the eyes. That bright yellow-orange colour is so striking. Makes for great pictures. I actually just notices this now and I don’t know if you guys will be able to see it but there is a little pink spot above the owl’s right leg. That is actually a little pink flower that it has got stuck in its feathers. I just thought it was cute and wanted to draw your attention to it. This photograph was taken with my Nikon D3s and Nikon 600mm f4.

Take a look and let me know what you think… 

A last note from me sending a HUGE congratulations to our friend Dr. Etienne Bruwer for the arrival of the newest addition to their family…a little boy! So happy for you guys and bring him to see me as soon as possible. The Kalahari is waiting to introduce itself to him.

Cheers til tomorrow.

Interrupted Meal

Hi all…so its the beginning of another week and the Kalahari is still celebrating the greenery around. Birds are chirping happily because of the abundance of bugs around. Antelope are looking healthy and satisfied from munching on the new grass shoots and the predators are pleased with all of the above. This photograph I am sharing with you today is of one of the park’s cheetahs that is busy finishing off a Springbok fawn kill. Cheetahs never cease to amaze me. They look so skinny, sleek and delicate but are actually incredibly skilled, super fast and agile hunters. They are always tuned in to what is happening in the bush around them. What I like most about this picture is the eye-contact from this beautiful cat and the contrast it has with the ‘almost’ solid-green background. This poor little Springbok fawn didn’t have a chance of getting away this time. It was taken with my Nikon D3s and Nikon 600mm F4.

Take a look and let me know what you think…

Cheers til tomorrow.

Black & White Friday

Hi all…it’s that favourite day of the week again for most of you and also happens to be the day of the week that I like to share my special Black & White Photographs with you – Friday. I have unfortunately had to place copyright signs in my images now as my team and I have just been getting too many problems with people stealing my pics. So because of these few people who ruin everything I have had to do this. I really don’t want to because I think it kind of ruins the pictures but I have to, especially with my online pics so I hope all of you understand. Anyway…to today’s photograph…my subject is my favourite female leopard that I found one night in the south of the park near Samevloeiing. Isn’t she a beauty?! I found her having a little night-cap at the waterhole. This shot was taken with my Nikon D700 and Nikon 600mm lens.

Take a look and let me know what you think…

Enjoy her and try to get some outdoors-time this weekend! Cheers til Monday.

Trapped in a Tawny’s Talons

Hi all…so I guess I am being brave today because the photograph I am sharing with you all today is another bird of prey. I am pretty sure that I know what this one is this time though so hopefully Phil will agree with me that this is a beautiful Tawny Eagle. This Tawny has a poor little striped field mouse in its talons. It may sound really horrible but I really love this photograph because of the sheer look of terror on the mouse’s face. I guess if I had that view of a giant needle-sharp beak pointing right at me and was surrounded by massive talons that rip into flesh like serrated blades, I would also have that look of terror on my face. I love the colouring you can see in the feathers and the few rays of sun coming from behind them, hitting the back of the mouse’s head and eagle’s legs. Above all of this, I think I like the eye-contact between them the most. It makes this image so menacing because you realise that the eagle has all the power in this situation and the mouse seems to be pleading for his life in his last few minutes before he becomes this eagle’s late afternoon snack. The grass is getting longer around here now which means that there are a lot more bugs, birds, mice and smaller prey scuttling around. Again, for those that are interested, I took this shot with my Nikon D700 and Nikon 600mm lens.

Take a look and I hope it doesn’t upset too many of you but hey…this is the way life is out here…

Cheers til tomorrow…

Flowers for the Lady

Hi all…so I have a little correction to make from yesterday as my good friend, Phil Hockey, pointed out, the one bird shot is actually of a Steppe Buzzard. Sorry folks! I even get them mixed up sometimes as I am indeed not a bird expert, just a wildlife photographer. Might be laying off the bird photo posts for a little while now though…thanks Phil 😉 Haha.

Today I have a photograph to share with you of a lovely little lady lioness lying in the green green grass that is around now, surrounded by flowers. What lady doesn’t enjoy this right?! She looks happy and content amongst her Devils Thorn Flowers. For those of you that are interested in photography, this shot was taken with my Nikon D3s and Nikon 300mm f2.8.

Take a look and let me know what you think…

Just quickly…I am also wondering if any of you know of a high-quality, reputable, wildlife-specific stock photography site that I could possibly use to sell my images?? Any info is always welcome so comment back to me on this or feel free to e-mail me at: info@lochnerphoto.com. Thanks guys and cheers til tomorrow.

Black Kite Behaviour

Hi all…you are in for a treat again today as I am spoiling you with another two-picture post. So I was talking about the rain yesterday and all the patches of green around. It makes for great photography which will be coming up on the blog shortly throughout this week but today I have some long-awaited birds-of-prey photographs for you. Today my subject is the Black Kite. These opportunistic hunters like to glide on the thermals in search of food and are also known to scavenge, which is kind of weird for birds.  It prefers hunting other birds, bats and rodents but will go for carrion occasionally. The first of the photographs is a little funny one just to show the misery this Kite felt after it got completely drenched in the heavy rainfall we got here. The background is dark and gloomy, enhancing the mood of this poor bird that is all puffed-up trying to dry itself in the early morning. This was taken at Achterlonie picnic site with my Nikon D2X and Nikon 600mm lens.

Take a look…

The next is a nice bird-behaviour shot that I got of another Black Kite catching termites in mid-flight. I really like how the subject pops from its bright blue background where you can even see the tiny termite about to meet its doom. This was taken with my Nikon D3s and Nikon 600mm f4.

Enjoy…

Appreciate the kites today folks. Cheers til tomorrow.