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A male pied kingfisher scans the water for fish. Males have a double band across the breast, while females only have one.
Two male hippos square off in a battle for dominance. All hippos are very territorial and males have to fight off younger challengers to breed with females. Most bull males have a small territory with about 10 females living in the pod.
A crown crane takes flight in Murchison Falls National Park. Crown cranes are the national bird of Uganda.
Another new species for me on this trip. These lapwings are usually found in more arid areas, so it was a bit of a surprise to find it along the shores of Lake Albert in Murchison Falls National Park.
A recently born elephant calf gets some help from it’s mother, who pushed the baby along with her trunk while the calf held it’s trunk above the water.
Moments before I spotted this bird, I was looking through my bird book and thinking it would be neat to see this kingfisher species. Almost on cue, this male obliged. Giant kingfishers are, as you might have guessed, are the largest kingfisher species in Africa. They get to be about 40cm in length.
Appropriately named, this huge heron species takes off for a new fishing location along the Nile. Many of the wading birds were in lower numbers than usual this year due to the much higher water levels that had flooded many of the surrounding marshes.
Among the many species along the shores of the Nile, two crocodiles take in some Vitamin D, while a waterbuck calf nurses and warthogs feed along the banks.
Our boat slowly floated in to the edge of the shore to get a closer look at this huge crocodile. It was atleast 15 feet long and it’s mouth was big enough to swallow me whole. The red area in the mouth is where the gular valve is located, which prevents water from going down the trachea when the animal is under water. On land they hold their mouths open to dissipate heat and to get their teeth cleaned by brave birds and insects.
A child waits for company to arrive home near the banks of Lake Edward
Owen Slater Photography 