Species: Hornbill | Location: Okavango Delta, Botswana
I got the photo on a Nat Hab trip to Botswana in late September, 2013. The camp was in the lush Okavango Delta of southwest Africa, which was formerly a British colony. Once the British handed it over to the native people, the residents finally let it be known that they own two of the world’s largest diamond mines. But the tour was not about diamonds, we focused on the Delta’s rich populations of wildlife – huge numbers of elephants, crocodiles, birds, baboons, lions and leopards, sometimes just a few yards away from the safari vehicle. The trip – only 7 travelers – was superb, comfortable and very rewarding in terms of photography. It was led by an experienced and versatile guide, David Luck.
These hornbill birds are common, but this one landed atop a fence post right in front of me, then tipped his head over to give me the evil eye, while I was able to grab a few photos.
About The Photographer
Robert Cooke is a retired journalist living in Stow, MA. In retirement he is devoting major time and effort to travel and all sorts of photography – landscape, wildlife, still life and almost anything else that gets in front of the lens. As with everything else, he still has a lot to learn, which is what makes life great. He spent 40 years in newspaper work, most of it as a writer covering multiple area of science and medicine. He has published three books, one on genetic engineering, the second on the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the third on the research and teaching of Dr. Judah Folkman, a renowned cancer researcher at Harvard and Children’s Hospital, Boston. He’s currently working (very slowly) on a fourth book. The book royalties are keeping him well-fed.
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