As soon as the morning sun warms the air, the forest and sky spring to life. Bold splashes of orange speckle the blue sky as countless monarchs take flight and land on branches, logs, the ground, and even on our heads and shoulders. The sound is unlike anything we have heard before: a gentle, whispering whir like a million pieces of confetti swirling in the… Read moreVisiting Mexico’s Marvelous Monarchs
We’re here for an adventure, but it turns out to be more of an adventure than we had bargained for. We start with a long drive from Johannesburg to the Kalahari Desert’s most wildlife-rich region – Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, straddling the border of South Africa and Botswana. As in many wildlife parks in South Africa, you can do a self-drive wildlife safari, exploring in your… Read moreWonders of the Kalahari
The two-ton monster stares at us through the front door of our tiny tent, its long, curved horn pointing like a dagger. If that’s not enough to stir us from slumber, four of its buddies have us surrounded. Without warning a scuffle breaks out between two of them, with plenty of snorting and foot stomping sending bits of dirt and gravel flying against our… Read moreSleeping with Rhinos
It’s almost time for one of Saskatchewan’s most unusual wildlife spectacles. As fascinating as Fort Livingstone’s annual snake orgy may be, the story behind it is just as interesting. In 1874, the North West Mounted Police made their historic March West, and established the first Mountie headquarters at Fort Livingstone on the banks of the Swan River in what is now eastern Saskatchewan. This… Read moreSnake Orgy at Fort Livingstone
We just got back from witnessing one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles. High in the Sierra Madre Mountains west of Mexico City is the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where migrating Monarchs from east of the Rockies throughout North America overwinter in a mountaintop forest of oyamel fir trees. Arriving around late November and staying until March, they number in the… Read moreThe Marvelous Monarchs of Mexico
On the last posting we talked about the incredible opportunity to photograph brown bears fishing for salmon, and getting into some wild scuffles, at Alaska’s Brooks River Falls. The falls are located in remote Katmai National Park, accessible only by air. Remoteness, combined with a short season, limited visitor capacity, and high demand, suggests that this is either a difficult place to get to,… Read morePlanning a Bear Photography Trip to Katmai, Alaska
