The smallest African bee-eater, but as Shakespeare wrote: “Though she be but little, she is fierce”. (Helena in "A MIdsummer NIght's Dream") A particularly beautiful little bird, I especially like the supra-occular light blue stripe.

About 75% of their diet is bees and wasps, the rest being other flying insects, which are caught on the wing. They remove the stinger by repeatedly clubbing the insect against a tree branch or other object.

© Dennis Zaebst All Rights Reserved

Tags:   Africa Kenya Samburu Samburu NP bird bee-eater LIttle bee-eater wild

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Hello, I'm still here. A silent message from an old hand looking very lonely..

I passed this old collapsing barn, and wondered if that Ford tractor had been touched in decades. It was kept there out of the weather, at least until the roof collapses. I also wondered what might have happened to the owner, or was it just benign neglect? And....why continue to mow the lawn? Perhaps the tractor was more functional than it appeared?

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Tags:   USA Ohio barn texture tractor Ford

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Male Southern Ground Hornbill close portrait, photo captured in the Mara Triangle area.

The largest of the hornbills, the two species of ground hornbill inhabit east Africa, and although they can fly, they spend most of their time on the ground hunting insects and small mammals. They mate for life (40-50 years) unless a mate dies, and only produce a chick on average every 9 years. Partly because of this slow reproductive rate, and encroachment and loss of habitat, they are considered endangered.

Tags:   Africa Kenya hornbill bird East Africa Ground Hornbill Wild wildlife wildlife photography Nature Through The Lens

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An adult member of the local bat Eared fox family (Kenya, Samburu NR). These mammals have outsized ears with which they can literally hear insects (such as termites) moving beneath the earth. Their enormous ears also help them regulate body temperature.

© Dennis Zaebst All Rights Reserved

Tags:   Africa Kenya fox Samburu Bat eared fox insectivore

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One of the more adorable mammals in Africa. These are fairly widespread and of least concern for the population, but they are still hard to find. With those outsize ears, these foxes can literally hear grubs and insects moving underground, which are their principle diet.

Canon EOS 1D-X, EF 300 mm f/2.8 L IS II + 2x TC III, 600 mm, 1/320 sec. at f/11.

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Tags:   Africa Kenya Samburu Samburu National Reserve fox Bat Eared Fox fox kit Nature Through The Lens Nature’s spirit

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