March 26, 2011
Crowned Plover Adult and Chicks in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa

We had a nice last morning in Mountain Zebra National Park, South Africa, then drove to nearby Addo Elephant National Park in time for an afternoon game drive before spending three nights in the park. Addo is a great place to photograph elephants, greater kudu, lions, and leopard tortoise. It's also a good place to photograph crowned plover or crowned lapwing. We found a pair with two small chicks and had a ball photographing them. My favorite image is of one of the adults lying in the grass with the two chicks standing nearby. This image is special for two reasons. First, all three birds have a catch light, and it's usually difficult to get a catchlight in a chick's eye. Second, it was a similar image, taken at the same location in Addo, that helped bring Jan and me together.