2020-Photo Contest- Flora and Fauna

Elephants at Kilimanjaro, Kenya
Most of the time Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain of Africa, is shrouded in clouds. As luck wanted it, in the late afternoon the top of the mountain cleared, the remaining clouds just took on the colors of the setting sun and a herd of elephants crossed in front of Kilimanjaro. The perfect moment for a dream shot.

Great Egret looking at his reflection on a Tchefuncte River Pond

Road Block in South Africa

Cuddly Lion Cubs
Within an hour of arriving at the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya we locked eyes on these adorable and beautiful lion cubs. They were the perfect welcome party!

An Oregon shoe tree ready to be harvested
This photo was taken while I was traveling through central Oregon. As I came around a bend in the road, I was baffled by this odd looking tree that was covered with shoes. There was no sign or plaque of any kind to explain this strange phenomenon, it was just there. However, I did feel that this tree certainly had some soul. . .or rather sole
to be precise. 😊

The art of nature

Great Blue Heron having lunch on the Tchefuncte River in South Louisiana

Osprey looking for lunch on the Tchefuncte River in South Louisiana

A Purple Gallinu on the Tchefuncte River in South Louisiana

Hungry alligator on the fairway behind our house on the Tchefuncte River, South Louisiana

Donkeys in Switzerland, near the Austrian border

Yacare Caiman
We toured a wildlife rehabilitation center outside Iguazu Falls, Argentina. This Caiman was being rehabilitated and part of the captive breeding program. I thought he had a very devilish look.

Indian Paint Brush Amongst Dead Wood
On one of our many hikes in the high desert region of Oregon we came upon an area of these beautiful Indian Paint Brushes.

Beautiful Bug Flower

Flower Bee, Singapore

Malaysian Mischief
This Malaysian monkey was thoroughly engaged and utterly oblivious to my presence. Shot at Batu Caves, a gigantic statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity, provided the golden background.

Coming at You!, Chari River (near N’Djamena), Chad
While living in N’Djamena (in the late 2000s), one of my favorite pastimes was to go up and down the Chari River on a small boat, with an equally small outboard engine. And my cameras, of course! On this occasion, we were looping in front of a pod of hippos on the river, not too far from one of the banks. We would turn the engine off upstream of the hippos; float past them as close as we dared with me taking pictures; and then, once downstream from the pod, we would turn the engine on, go back by the other side of the river until we were upstream of the hippos, and start all over again! We did this three or four times. …And then this guy had enough. He looked at me, and submerged. Three or four seconds later, he was next to our boat with his huge mouth wide open. What saved us from a different ending was the fact that our “captain” new precisely what was about to happen, and when he saw the hippo looking at me, he immediately started turning the little outboard engine on. And the engine started just in time, and we escaped, with a huge hippo chasing us on our wake…

Hamel’s Alley
I’ve traveled to over 40 countries, but somehow I always end up back in Cuba. I’ve visited about a dozen times since 2013, including every province and the “special municipality of the Isla de la Juventud. I even lead trips there through Complete Cuba, a boutique travel company my husband, Keith R. Sbiral, and I founded to share Cuba with curious Americans who want to go off the beaten path. Ironically, this photo is from an area many American tour groups visit in Havana, but I’ve never seen a photo like this before. My photographs are usually taken on my phone very early in the morning, and have been chosen as the Havana Times photo of the day multiple times. This particular image (which was unstaged!) was taken on my Leica D-LUX and shown in a gallery show in Chicago in 2018.

Giant Frigatebird circled overhead of boat among Galapagos Islands. 2 photos included in case the close-up is too difficult to appreciate his body shape. Takes 45 minutes to inflate his throat pouch or gular pouch – use to attract females

Giant Frigatebird circled overhead of boat among Galapagos Islands. 2 photos included in case the close-up is too difficult to appreciate his body shape. Takes 45 minutes to inflate his throat pouch or gular pouch – use to attract females

Blue-footed Booby in Galapagos Islands

Tall Tale in South Africa

Gorilla Trecking in Rwanda
I have run half marathons, but climbing a volcano in the mud to spend an hour with a Gorilla family was the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done. The thrill was worth the exhaustion! This photo was taken with my i-phone.

Beautiful Bougainvillea
Taken in the Royal Botanic Gardens, about 5.5 km to the west of the city of Kandy in the central Province of Sri Lanka.

Penguin-Covered Beaches
Antarctica

Looking out for Lions on Safari—Maasai Mara National Reserve