A baby New Zealand Fur Seal photographed near Dunedin
On my visit to New Zealand I made a point to visit Dunedin, for it’s wildlife watching.
I saw penguins there, which was my main draw, but the New Zealand Fur Seals were a big attraction as well.
A little more than a hundred years ago, these fur seals were hunted to near extinction by the Maori people. Thankfully, today there is a growing population near Dunedin, around the Otago Peninsula.
It was late-November when I visited and we were lucky enough to see a number of newborn fur seals, even some that had just been born that day! (Kind of gross with the placenta still lying on the rocks.)
An Arctic Fox resting on a small island near Yankicha Island in Far East Russia
I’ve seen Arctic foxes a few times. Sometimes in their puffy, pure white coats, sometimes in more grey colours and sometimes – like this guy – a brown black colour.
On Yankicha Island in the Kuril Islands off the far east coast of Russia, there are some towering birds cliffs and Arctic foxes have learned that it makes for good eating to hang around those thousands upon thousands of birds (and their eggs).
This particular fox was a noisy one, calling to other foxes on nearby mountains. Somehow he had gotten himself stranded on a tiny island in the middle of an old volcanic crater. There was plenty of food around for him, but he’d have to wait for winter and frozen ice to make his way back to Yankicha Island.
A Bushbuck, or Imbabala, seen in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
The Bushbuck is a small antelope species from Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite being so common, I only spotted a few of them during my travels through eastern Africa.
This Bushbuck was photographed in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Recent research indicates that the Bushbuck should be divided into two different species, meaning this Bushbuck would be an Imbabala. The other Bushbuck species, found further west and north in places like Senegal would be called the Kéwel. Even with that division naming specific Bushbuck subspecies is a bit of a headache. There are no less than 16 subspecies listed for Bushbucks, but no real consensus has been reached.
Confusion aside in terms of what exact species / subspecies this is, this Bushbuck is different than the commonly seen Impala and larger antelopes, as it has a unique colouration of spots and lines.
Lonesome George, photographed at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos
Up until June 2012, Lonesome George was one of the rarest animals on earth. While Galapagos Tortoises are plentiful, George was the last of his species from Pinta Island.
For decades he was held in captivity, and safety, on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos, with hopes that a suitable mate would be found one day. During his time there at the Charles Darwin Research Station, he mated with a number of females from other Galapagos Tortoise species, but the eggs never hatched. Despite rewards being offered and numerous searches conducted, no female of his species was ever found and Lonesome George passed away from old age on June 24th, 2012.
The root cause of his species decline was the introduction of feral goats on his island. Despite eradication efforts, feral goats remain an issue on some islands of the Galapagos where they compete for food with native species such as tortoises.
A Lilac Breasted Roller, posing in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
When you venture beyond your own backyard, your eyes are opened up to new creatures and new colours.
At home, the birds I see are brown, grey, black…dull. Not so enticing to look at. But in Africa, many bird species easily catch your eye.
That was the case with this Lilac-breasted Roller in the Serengeti, Tanzania. Perched atop a branch, it was posing politely, showing off it’s colourful plumage. As it is unlike any birds I see at home, I happily complied and snapped this photo.
