Wildlife Reflections - Tim Allen-Rowlandson

Wildlife Reflections

Your Bio

Welcome to Wildlife Reflections!

Please feel free to contact me anytime, tim@wildlifereflections.biz or click on the link below
Email me

Most Popular Photos

Crocodile 001 - Crocodile fishing in a stream
Laying motionless at the base of a small set of rapids, and with gaping jaws facing upstream, this crocodile periodically snapped with surprising speed whenever it detected potential prey. The smoke-like effect of the flowing water in this image was achieved using a slow shutter speed of 1/15th second – the crocodile’s “shutter” speed was considerably faster! Tsavo, Kenya

Lion 005 - Lioness at night
Lioness peering through the darkness, Tsavo, Kenya

Thomson's Gazelle 001 - Shallow sprint
Female Thomson’s gazelle sprinting through the shallow waters of Lake Nakuru, Kenya.

Lion 024 - Wind
Contrary to popular belief, lions take little notice of wind direction when hunting. Studies have shown that although success rates are as much as three times higher (depending on the prey species) when lions approach their prey upwind, they apparently do not learn to take this factor into account, and hunt downwind just as often. Most prey species also rely more on visual than olfactory cues to avoid capture - perhaps partly because lion scent is so pervasive and persist in their absence. So for the lion, concealment is the name of the game, not what is blowing in the wind from hunter to hunted.

Wildebeest 002 - The great migration
One of the many obstacles migrating wildebeest face is the Mara River. They have preferred crossing sites, but are naturally wary of entering the river which is usually fast flowing at the time of the migration. Herds may wait for many hours at the river’s edge, while more and more wildebeest arrive behind them, sometimes putting physical pressure on those at the front. Eventually one animal will take the initiative, and the rest follow like sheep, but occasionally some will abort the crossing causing mayhem back on the crowded bank until another decides to takes the plunge. Masai Mara, Kenya

Large Birds 001 - Secretary bird
This secretary bird was hunting insects in open grassland, Masai Mara, Kenya

Insects & Spiders 004 - Busy as a bee on a bottlebrush

Warthog 001 - Getting your hogs in a row
Three little pigs . . . young warthog, Arusha, Tanzania

Leopard 005 - Leaping leopard
I found an antelope carcass suspended in a lone tree early in the morning. Realising that this was a leopard’s kill, I waited nearby in the hope that it would return to feed. After many hours, the leopard suddenly appeared in the tree and began feeding, but was soon disturbed by inconsiderate and noisy tourists who parked right underneath it. The leopard ran for the cover on the other side of the river, leaping over the water at a narrow crossing and straight into thick bush, to resume its meal later.

Lion 032 - Equipment check . . .

Black-backed Jackal 001 - Wet pup
Young black-backed jackal in the rain, Masai Mara, Kenya

Lion 027 - Muzzle and mask
The black spots where the whiskers emerge can be clearly seen on this lioness (but little else !). As I mentioned earlier, these patterns are unique to each lion and can be used to identify individuals in the field. Lioness almost completely hidden in the bush at night, Tsavo, Kenya

Flowers 002 - Orchid

Baboon 005 - Affection
Young yellow baboons, Tsavo, Kenya

Black-backed Jackal 002 - Startled
A pair of black-backed jackals at night. Judging by its gaze, the jackal in front was startled by something above and behind me. It’s always good to have someone watching your back when you are lying down in the bush at night for a low-angle shot, but volunteers are often hard to find! Adult jackals pair for life and both help to raise the young and defend their territory. Even offspring occasionally help with the next generation of puppies. Highly opportunistic, jackals not only scavenge from kills made by larger predators, but also hunt insects, birds, rodents and young antelope. Tsavo, Kenya

Large Birds 018 - Hooked. . .
An immature African harrier hawk (aka Gymnogene). In adults the bare face is yellow, flushing pink/red in excitement and when breeding, and the chocolate brown plumage turns to slate blue/grey. Long yellow legs assist it to catch young from the nests of other birds, particularly tree hole and tunnel nesters including weavers, but it also feeds on rodents, small reptiles and insects. This shot was taken during the early morning - the night-time effect was achieved by using a small aperture, fast shutter speed and high-speed, off-camera flash to avoid the “busy”, distracting background.

Cheetah 001 - Heads up
An alert female cheetah with two cubs looking for potential prey in the Masai Mara, Kenya

Lion 031 - Get down son, I keep telling you . . .
. . . you are a lion, NOT a bear. Masai Mara, Kenya

Leopard 006 - Returning from the shadows . . .
Male leopard at night, Tsavo, Kenya

Large Birds 013 - Marabou stork heading to roost, Tsavo, Kenya

Zebra 002 - Cautious zebra
Zebras need to drink regularly, especially during the dry season when the moisture content of grass is low. Always cautious, a dominant member of the family herd will usually take the initiative. Tsavo, Kenya

Cheetah 008 - Strange bedfellows
The spotted hyena can best be described as an eternal enemy of cheetah - not only will hyena kill and eat young cheetah, but they also frequently steal prey from these cats. I spotted (excuse pun!) this hyena resting in the shade of a lone tree - a little later I noticed a solitary cheetah approaching. At first I thought the cheetah had not seen the hyena, but as it approached it hissed and spat before lying down in the shade as well, but as far from the hyena as the tree shadow would allow (about 10ft). Clearly the cheetah decided shade was more important than the potential threat the hyena posed.

Buffalo 006 - Dusk
Buffalo bull, Tsavo. Kenya

Baboon 009
Olive baboon, male

Gallery Categories

Introduction : 3 galleries with 136 photos

3 galleries with 136 photos

Updated: Mar 14, 2012 2:25am PST

Wildlife : 18 galleries with 243 photos

18 galleries with 243 photos

Updated: Mar 30, 2012 9:29am PST

Nature : 3 galleries with 11 photos

Black & White : 1 gallery with 56 photos

1 gallery with 56 photos

Updated: Mar 27, 2012 6:24am PST

2 galleries with 1 photo

Updated: Mar 15, 2011 3:33am PST

Featured Galleries

Leopard :

Updated: Mar 27, 2012 7:19am PST

Lion :

Updated: Mar 30, 2012 1:33am PST

Recent Photos

All images © Tim Allen-Rowlandson - Wildlife Reflecftions

Available Feeds

Recent Galleries:

Atom |

RSS

Recent Photos:

Atom |

RSS

Popular Photos:

Atom |

RSS