Many of you enjoyed the last collection of animal images (Animal Kingdom 1), so here’s another, this one including African and marine wildlife. Enjoy!

You’ll remember Tatiana, the Siberian tiger that escaped from its grotto at the San Francisco Zoo in December, killing one visitor and mauling two others. The incident led to sweeping changes in zoo habitats at the San Francisco Zoo and elsewhere. Well, Tatiana is back in the news, this time amid allegations that at the time of its escape the tiger may have been “grumpy” and more aggressive due to being underfed.

You can watch the story play out in the news, but it brought to mind an image I’d seen some time back at divinecarolyn. Part of a campaign by Calgary Zoo to promote its behind the scenes tour with the lions, the ad suggested a humorous (at least before the SF Zoo incident) view of zoo visitors “from the other side of the fence”.

The text reads, “Come face-to-face with the top of the food chain. Book a behind the scenes tour with the lions at CalgaryZoo.com”. Click on the image at left for a larger view.

Some of you know that Dawn and I live in a nice area between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, much of it undeveloped and unspoiled. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the tri-counties, yet local government and developers have managed to set aside a generous amount of land as natural habitat. For example, our home backs up to a natural creek, part of a protected strip of land that runs from high in the hills to the valley below providing refuge for a variety of wildlife. So it’s not unusual for us to see foxes, raccoons, wild turkeys, owls and an occasional coyote or deer in our yard. It’s what attracted us to the area — nice neighborhoods close to the city, yet still part of nature.

But every once in a while, nature interrupts our regular routine and last week was a perfect example. From our upstairs bedroom window, we’d been hearing “sounds” late at night and in the pre-dawn hours in our back yard, sounds we couldn’t identify. One night we thought we heard an animal attack and quickly dispose of another, not unusual in nature but something we weren’t used to hearing in our yard. Then, Saturday before last, while moving a deck chair from the garage to the back yard, Dawn heard something she hadn’t heard before — a sort of “growl”! She dropped the chair and raced into the house, but caught a glimpse of a dog-sized animal jumping from a tree near the creek at the rear edge of our property. I mistakenly assumed it had been a fox and dismissed it.

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Friends Noah and Jamie will be hiking Yosemite’s famous Half Dome in a few days and I want to wish them a successful trip. Jamie’s posted a good deal of information about their planned 17-mile trek on her blog and it looks as though they’re well prepared for a memorable adventure!

I’ve been teasing Jamie to watch out for Yosemite bears, so this ‘toon won’t be lost on her. Good luck, guys! We can’t wait to hear all about your trip! And Noah: Maybe a few pics I can post?

Of all their long experience, National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert consider their two years with the lions of Duba the most exciting, important research they have done. The internationally acclaimed naturalists and cinematographers produced Relentless Enemies: Lions and Buffalo, a companion volume to their National Geographic film, providing an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of the world’s most awe-inspiring hunters, the lethal and beautiful lions of Duba.

The rich surroundings and unique environment of the Okavango River Delta have morphed these lions into huge, thick-necked beasts. Far more aggressive and dangerous than their cousins on the Serengeti, they defy what we thought we knew about big cats. They are larger, more fearsome and more innovative than your typical lion, and of necessity they have learned to hunt places big cats normally avoid.

Trapped on an island only five years old with these giant killers are thousands of cape buffalo, forced to develop their own strategies for survival.

The book is illustrated with 100 amazing photographs of the lions in Botswana’s Duba Plains and their long, lethal relationship with the region’s buffalo. “The back-and-forth interplay between two of Africa’s giants is eternal, harsh, and at the same time quite beautiful and essential,” writes Dereck Joubert, who provided the text for the book. Beverly contributed the 100 vivid, gripping images.

A great read for wildlife photographers and enthusiasts. Truth be told, if I could have my “dream job,” this would be it.

Today’s post is a photo album of more images taken during our getaway to Stinson Beach (see Friday’s post). I haven’t processed all the images Dawn and I made - I’ll post another album this week.

Thanks to all of you that commented about Friday’s images. I hope you enjoy these as well.

“Forgive me, gentle readers… it’s been seven days since my last post…”

It’s true. We drove to Stinson Beach last Thursday with four dear friends for a long weekend and some much needed “R&R”, and it’s taken me most of this week to catch up with myself and get back in the swing of things. Obviously, the decompression worked!

For those of you unfamiliar with Stinson Beach, it’s a little beach community in Marin County, California, with about 750 residents. A popular day trip for people from the San Francisco Bay Area and for tourists visiting northern California, it’s near such attractions as Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, and Mount Tamalpais. It has a long beach with occasional opportunities for surfing, although the water is cold and fog is common throughout the year.

In 2002, a surfer was attacked by a 12-15 foot great white shark while surfing off Stinson Beach. The young man survived, but received more than 100 stitches to close his wounds. The attack was the second in Stinson Beach since 1998 and the 13th in Marin County since 1952. The surf off Stinson Beach is within an area known as the Red Triangle, where there have been an unusually high number of shark attacks. Needless to say, we stayed out of the water!

Our friends had the use of a beautiful beach house and invited us to share the weekend with them. What a rare treat! I won’t go into detail about what its owners refer to as their “beach house” — a luxury home by most people’s standards — but we enjoyed a panoramic view of the ocean and fell off to sleep every night listening to the surf just 16 steps from our back door!

Needless to say, Dawn and I took a lot of photos of the beach and the little towns of Stinson Beach and nearby Bolinas. We even visited the Point Reyes Lighthouse. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend with good friends, no cell phones and no itinerary. I’ll try to get more images posted once I’ve had time to process and assemble them into an album. Meanwhile. I hope you enjoy these. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

Of the three birds I photographed for this short series, this was by far the most uncooperative — he simply refused to look at me or the camera. As a result, all my images of him were “one-eye” captures. Not to worry, though, because I met some nice people at the Folsom Moose Lodge and had fun during the short photo shoot. And I learned something new about three birds I’d not photographed in the wild! It was an enjoyable and educational experience that proved my original point: Photo opportunities are everywhere — we just need to be open to spotting them. And have a camera ready! (Click on thumbnails to enlarge)

Great Horned Owl

Here’s one you may recognize: The Great Horned Owl was first seen in the Virginia colonies and the first published description was made in 1788 by Johann Gmelin. Sometimes known as Hoot Owls, Cat Owls or Winged Tigers, Great Horned Owls are found throughout North America from the northern tree line and then in Central and South America. They’re resident year-round, although birds living in the northern part of the species’ range may migrate south.

Great Horned Owls have large, staring yellow-orange eyes, usually bordered by an orange-buff facial disc. The name is derived from tufts of feathers resembling “horns” which are sometimes referred to as “ear tufts” but have nothing to do with hearing. The large feet are feathered to the ends of the toes, and their wingspan is 36-60 inches. Females are 10-20 percent larger than males.

They hunt by perching on snags and poles and watching for prey, or by gliding slowly above the ground. From high perches they dive down to the ground with wings folded before snatching prey, usually killed instantly when grasped by its large talons. A Great Horned Owl may take prey 2-3 times heavier than itself. They sometimes hunt by walking on the ground to capture small prey or wading into water to snatch frogs and fish. They’ve even been known to walk into chicken coops to take domestic fowl.

A long-lived owl, captive birds have been known to live 29-38 years, and wild owls up to 13 years. Most mortality is related to man — shootings, traps, road kills and electrocutions. Its only natural enemies are other Great Horned Owls and, occasionally, Northern Goshawks during disputes over nest sites. Peregrine Falcons have also been observed attacking Great Horned Owls.

Continuing from yesterday’s post, I also photographed a Eurasian Eagle Owl, a very cool and seemingly aloof bird with a face only a mother could love. (Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge.)

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Eagle owls are the largest owls in the world with an average wingspan of nearly six feet and are best known for their large, striking orange eyes. They are often called the Old World version of America’s widely distributed great horned owl. They have prominent ear tufts and are primarily brown-black and tawny-buff in color.

Found in North Africa, Europe, The Middle East and Asia, Eagle owls are primarily solitary animals except during the mating period. They fiercely defend their territory against other owls and will only overlap territories slightly if food is sparse. Despite their large size, they are very elusive creatures, spending most of their days roosting high in trees and remaining relatively inactive. They are nocturnal and become active at dusk and remain so throughout the night.

At the top of the food chain, Eagle owls are carnivores. They are primarily nocturnal hunters and have various hunting techniques. They take their prey in flight or on the ground. They prefer to hunt in open spacious locations rather than forests. Most owls are very capable hunters and the eagle owl is no exception. Owl wings have evolved to make very little noise when flapping. With their night vision, advanced hearing, and silent flight they are the hit men of their territory. Their prey usually has no idea they were being stalked. They feed on almost anything they can catch including rats, mice, voles, beetles and even large prey like deer fawns and foxes.

Eagle owls are considered rare but not yet threatened. Their numbers are steadily declining due to habitat loss from human encroachment.

Next: Great Horned Owl

Sometimes a photo op presents itself when you least expect it.

Dawn and I had just finished a jog a couple weekends ago and were driving home when we came upon a couple walking with an owl and a falcon! You don’t see that every day! To make a long story short, the couple was helping the Folsom Moose Lodge with a membership drive and invited us over to photograph their birds! Didn’t have to ask me twice!  (Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge)

Lanner Falcon

The Lanner Falcon is a native of all of Africa and the southern parts of Italy, Sicily, Greece and Asia Minor. It is essentially a bird of mountainous terrain except in Africa, where it can also be found in savannahs, plains and deserts. A fast-flying raptor, it is well designed for catching birds up to the size of a Guinea Fowl, and bats, especially the larger fruit bats. When prey of this kind is scarce, ground living mammals and lizards are taken. It will also gorge on locusts and flying termites when they are swarming.

Much, but not all of the Lanner Falcon’s prey is taken in the air, when the falcon descends to its prey and binds to it with a smack which can be heard for some distance. It then carries it off. Occasionally, it will strike its prey in the air and allow it to drop to the ground and collect it there, but this is less frequent behavior. When defending its nesting territory, it will often swoop with tremendous force at an animal it cannot hope to kill, which seems, nonetheless, an effective deterrent.

The Lanner Falcon has a shrill, piercing, almost screaming voice, similar in content to that of the Peregrine Falcon, but somewhat higher pitched.

Tomorrow: Eurasian Eagle Owl

James sent this great photo of an owl in the hollow of a tree. Unfortunately. he was unable to provide any information about where and when it was taken or by whom. Nonetheless, it’s a great shot worth sharing.

If this is your image or you know who the photographer is, please let me know. I’m sure we’d all like to know the details.

When you spend your life in the water, you tend to develop a good intuition for its subtleties. Dolphins have been observed creating bubble rings by, among other techniques, carefully exhaling air in the middle of the vortices caused by the motion of their fins through the water.

Besides being fun to watch and an impressive demonstration of fluid mechanics, the phenomenon may throw some light on dolphin cognition since the skill to create the rings is subtle and tends to be passed from one dolphin to the next by careful observation and practice.

Also intriguing is a report that dolphins appear to be using sonar to locate the vortex in the water, an impressive feat of audio analysis. More

Scuba divers have long blown bubble rings for fun, watching them rise to the surface. Some I know are quite good at it although I’ve never quite grasped the technique. But dolphins have learned to control the direction of their rings and even divide them into smaller segments. It’s fun to watch them at play!

For many youngsters, lessons have a tendency to feel long, interminably boring and difficult to sit still through. Not, however, if you’re a cheetah cub in Africa undergoing a masterclass in hunting from your very impressive mother.

This extraordinary photograph and the series that accompanies it were taken in Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve by environmental photographer Andy Rouse. The images show a female cheetah demonstrating to her young the first rules of survival in the wild - how to hunt and kill. For the cubs, this is the most important lesson they will learn from their mother. Their survival depends on being able to hunt for food and avoid predators.

In this stunning series of images, Rouse captures the entire cycle, except whatever follows the young gazelle’s last attempt to escape. A part of us hopes for its successful getaway, yet we understand this vital part of nature and marvel at its brutal perfection.

Andy Rouse is a professional wildlife photographer based in the U.K. His professional credits include hosting the Discovery Channel’s Wildlife Photographer TV series, and the publication of six books.

Dawn and I spent a few days in Orange County earlier this month to decompress. We took few photographs; I’d packed one “walk around” lens, determined to travel light, and Dawn’s new camera was still being repaired. Most images are of the Casa Laguna Inn, our digs for the second leg of our trip, with a few “wildlife” shots taken within walking distance of the Laguna Cliffs Resort in Dana Point, our first leg hotel. We strolled Laguna Beach and Balboa Island, Crystal Cove in Newport Beach, even ventured up to San Clemente, a first for both of us.

Our trip almost didn’t get off the ground — moving through airport security took an hour and forty five minutes! Our flight attendant told us they’d had to leave 37 people in San Diego because of backed up security! But once we arrived at our hotel, we immediately began to unwind. There’s something about sitting on your balcony with a glass of iced mint tea and a cool breeze in your hair, gazing at the endless blue horizon of the Pacific Ocean, that brings an almost instant calm to even the most troubled soul. And so we relaxed. It was wonderful!

We had forgotten, however, how warm — and crowded — Laguna Beach becomes at this time of year. We’ve usually visited during May when the temps are cooler and family vacationers haven’t yet arrived. We’ll remember next time. But we were finally able to attend the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, an event we’ve wanted to experience for years. It was even more remarkable than we had imagined.

I’ve also linked to some Orange County images taken last May when we had a little more time and fewer crowds. An amazing contrast. I hope you enjoy them.

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant’s foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.

The elephant turned to face the man and, with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenage son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son, Tapu, were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, and then put it down. The elephant did this several times, then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn’t help wonder if this was the same elephant. He summoned all his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe’s legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn’t the same elephant.

From Michael via Kim.