March 15, 2013
Oxpecker, Lioness, Nyala, and Rhinoceros in Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa

I just spent five nights in Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve: three in Imfolozi Game Reserve then two in the adjacent Hluhluwe (pronounced like "Shlu-shlu-we") Game Reserve. It's operated by KZN Wildlife, and is roughly like a state park of KwaZulu Natal Province. It's one of the best places in the world to see White Rhino because Hluhluwe Game Reserve is the home of Operation Rhino which began in the 1950s to conserve the White Rhino. I saw 30 or so including three small babies.

My visit there this time wasn't as productive as usual because it was very wet. The grass was high (seed heads up to 4 ft or 1.2m tall) and the vegetation was thick which made photography difficult. Also, it was mostly cloudy, with dark clouds and not much light, for three of the six days. This Red-Billed Oxpecker was one of the first subjects I photographed on this visit. It wasn't actively oxpecking, or in this case zebrapecking, but rather just going along for the ride while resting.

It's not common to see Lions in most parks in South Africa, so it was a real treat when this Lioness crossed the road late one day as I was heading back to camp. I quickly set up to photograph her as she stopped by the side of the road before heading off into the dense vegetation and out of sight.

Hluhluwe/Imfolozi is one of the best places to see the rare Nyala. This image is of a young Nyala and they look similar to the adult female. The adult male is a dark brown, has horns, a mane, and a beard — a case of extreme sexual dimorphism.

I'm not insane — but maybe just marginally sane. Because my usual routine of driving the road system and looking for subjects to photograph wasn't working, I decided that on my final morning I would go to the waterhole that was most open and wait for a subject or two to arrive. It paid off because a subject was waiting for me when I arrived! This White Rhino was standing right by the waterhole and there was a clear view of it without any grass in the way — fantastic! I photographed it for a while then it laid down and took a nap. How many images can one take of a rhino napping? Quite a lot because it kept shifting positions as it tried to get comfortable plus Oxpeckers came and went.