Silva Vaughan-Jones

Elephant herd Amboseli NP, Kenya

The dominant Female leads the herd, the young always protected near the rear.

Leopard Okavango Delta, Botswana

Leopard in the evening light starting to hunt for supper.

Sleeping Leopard Okavango Delta, Botswana

Leopards spend most of their day snoozing in the heat, hunting in the cool of the early morning or late evening.

Female Leopard with two cubs Masai Mara, Kenya

Very late, almost dark, this mother is taking the babes out with her while she looks for supper. Mother and cub leopards are considered the 'holy grail' in wildlife photography!

Malachite Kingfisher Chobe River, Botswana

This iconic and brilliantly coloured Kingfisher is plentiful and very tiny, almost actual size. Much sought after by photographers.

Male Elephant Amboseli NP, Kenya

Egrets, I've had a few, but then again......

Giraffe and Yellow-billed Oxpecker Okavango Delta, Botswana

I love the symbiotic relationships between animals and this one was irresistible.

Carmine Bee-eaters Zambezi River, Namibia

Special trip to photograph these stunning Bee-eaters nesting in the sandy banks of the Zambezi.

Baby Hippopotamus Chobe River, Botswana

This young Hippo protected by the adult females, enjoys the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Female Elephant with calf Masai Mara, Kenya

Sometimes the shape of things is just irresistible.

Chacma Baboon baby and mother Kruger NP, South Africa

The primate resemblance does not escape us and the maternal protection is universal

Cheetah and cub Serengeti Plains, Tanzania

The open plains of the Serengeti is the ideal place for Cheetahs to use their speed ability for successful hunting,

Yellow-billed Oxpeckers and Giraffe Serengeti Plains, Tanzania

This shot has been taken by many but I simply had to do it!

Brothers Okavango Delta, Botswana

Younger males will often hang out together and are very affectionate towards each other.

Shower power Chobe River, Botswana

Hippopotamus will float in the same spot for hours, intermittently blowing the excess water through their nose to create this impromptu display of territory and power.

Hyena pups Masai Mara, Kenya

Hyena pups are very smart, they have been told to stay here till mum gets back, they are very obedient, three trucks have gone past and they are still here!

African Wild Dogs Kruger NP, South Africa

African Wild Dogs are now seriously endangered, approx. four thousand left, photographers are always very excited to find them as they are becoming so rare.

African Wild Dog pups Okavango Delta, Botswana

African Wild Dog pups are even rarer than the adults, very high mortality rate, so it was a real treat to get these pics.

Chacma Baboon baby Chobe River, Botswana

This Chacma baboon baby was enchanting with her antics and play, very young and totally uninhibited, Mum and the rest of the troop close by.

Pied Kingfisher Chobe River, Botswana

Pied Kingfisher is common in this district, seen fishing on the banks of the Chobe River.

Young male Giraffe Masai Mara, Kenya

Standing in the evening light, this young male is waiting for us to leave so he can come down to the water hole.

Lesser Flamingos Serengeti NP, Tanzania

Lesser Flamingos feeding at dawn with Common Sandpiper standing in the middle of the 'sun'.

Lion Masai Mara, Kenya

Rim lighting is always challenging, trying to get it to land in the right places on a moving subject! Almost as challenging as getting up this early!

Carmine Bee-eater Zambesi River, Namibia

I couldn't resist the complementary colours of this one.

Lioness Masai Mara, Kenya

Lioness at dawn, they like to hunt in low light, so dawn or dusk are popular times. The low light angle shows up her muscular profile.

Leopard back view Okavango Delta, Botswana

Getting a better view as to where supper might be. I loved the totally relaxed attitude this one had towards being photographed, the body language says it all.

Lionesses Masai Mara, Kenya

Mother and daughter at dawn, the low light angle creates a wonderful outline of shadow along the top and side of the subject.

Cape Buffalo, Serengeti Plains, Tanzania

Cape Buffalo can be quite dangerous and charge if threatened. The birds sitting on his nose and back are Oxpeckers and have a symbiotic relationship with the buffalo by keeping the tick population under control.

Hippopotamus with Black Crake Kruger NP, South Africa

Hippo with Black Crake is a symbiotic relationship, the Crake is cleaning up the ticks from the nooks and crannies of the Hippos skin, the Hippo tolerates the intrusion in the hope of parasite eradication.

Giraffe portrait Serengeti, Tanzania

Blue and orange complementary colours help this portrait.

Black Rhino Kruger NP, South Africa

I never believed that I would personally see this heartbreaking sight. Black Rhinos now almost extinct due to greed and ignorance.

Agile Wallaby Broome, Western Australia

Agile Wallaby coming to drink at the waterhole, early evening, after the extreme heat of a Northern Australian summers day.

Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo Atherton Tablelands, Queensland

Lumholtz Tree Kangaroos are now quite rare and also very shy, I was very lucky to get a shot of this one.

Feather-tailed Glider Pappinburra, NSW

Fast moving and tiny, it was not easy getting a shot of this, very delicate and prone to jumping, it is one of Australia's smallest nocturnal marsupials.

Fur Seal and cub Stewart Island, New Zealand

On a small boat in a rough fast running narrow channel with the cliff behind me, a Fur Seal mother was protecting her cub. I had to take this very quickly. This district has the highest number of Great White Sharks in the world!

Wave meditation Kaikura, New Zealand

This female Fur Seal sat for some time on this rock with the waves breaking around her, she finally got up and slid into the surf.

Baby Fur Seal playing Kaikoura, New Zealand

This young Fur Seal swam up and down upside-down for ages chasing a little leaf and just enjoying the buoyancy.

Fur Seal sleeping Kaikura, New Zealand

How to make a rock look comfortable, I just love the character of Fur Seals, their body language says it all.

Little Red Flying Fox Newcastle, NSW

Whilst photographing something else I spotted a tree full of these Little Red Bats, some of them were actively flying in daylight and so I couldn't miss the opportunity to capture this.

Australian Pippit Port Macquarie, NSW

Only rarely does an opportunity like this happen! Irresistible,

Spectacled Monarch Port Macquarie, NSW

This nesting Spectacled Monarch was found in local rainforest, very limited time to ethically capture this (two minuets) in the broken filtering light.

White-breasted Woodswallows South West Rocks, NSW

Woodswallows like company and doing things in groups but to get a dozen of them in line was more than anyone could hope for!

Eastern Rosellas Barradine, NSW

These Eastern Rosellas are fighting over a nest hole, it is true to say that Eastern Rosellas are always fighting!

Freckled Duck Port Macquarie, NSW

Freckled Ducks are the rarest ducks in Australia, so I couldn't believe my luck when thirty landed in the dam on the golf course.

Juvenile male Superb Fairy-wren in eclipse plumage Wauchope, NSW

Superb Fairy-wrens are just beautiful, small, fast and elegant, this one landed on an old fence post long enough for me to record it.

Powerful Owl Port Macquarie, NSW

Powerful Owls are the largest owls in Australia, standing over two foot, they have enormous feet and are formidable hunters, this one has caught a ring-tailed possum which it is about to eat.

Powerful Owl chick Port Macquarie, NSW

This Powerful Owl chick is almost as big as it's parents, but still wearing its glowing white fledgling feathers.

Tawny Frogmouth and chick Sancrox, NSW

If body language could speak this would be it, spotted in the evening light sitting on a branch just outside a friend's back door!

Tawny Frogmouth chicks Port Macquarie, NSW

Two Froggies still in baby feathers, will take another week or two to fledge and acquire adult colouring.

Osprey Lake Innes, NSW

Young Osprey fledgling trying out a landing for the first time!

Osprey portrait Lake Innes, NSW

Fledgling Osprey protrait, blue and orange, the beak and feathers looking pristine with youth.

Male Osprey landing Lake Innes, NSW

Male Osprey landing on a nest, wingspan up to 1.7 meters. Also known as a 'Fish Eagle' due to the fact that their diet is almost entirely made up of fish.

Osprey with fish Harrington, NSW

The Ospreys feet have a locking mechanism to stop fish wriggling out of their grasp, however if the fish is too big it can pull the bird under water and drown!

Salvins Albatross Kaikaura, New Zealand

Such an iconic bird coping with a collapsing population due to ingesting plastic, surely this must be one of the worst crimes of the century.

Whimbrel Port Macquarie, NSW

Whimbrels are one of the larger migratory waders that visit Australia from Siberia and Alaska, their long beaks probe the sandbanks for deep crustaceans and worms.

Pied Cormorant and Great Cormorant Lake Innes, NSW

Very early one morning the colour of the water reflecting onto the birds made a common sight look extraordinary, I love it when that happens.

Bullers Albatross Stewart Island, New Zealand

Bullers Albatross has a vibrant yellow stripe that makes it very distinctive, however this portrait on an overcast rainy day glowed with contrast!

Salvins Albatross in vertical flight Kaikoura, New Zealand

I love the casual flexibility and dexterity of the amazingly powerful flight of the Albatross, just effortlessly coasting along on the strong sea breezes.

Pied Oystercatcher and chick Port Macquarie, NSW

After many years our local Pied Oystercatchers managed to nest successfully producing two chicks. I took this from a canoe that was getting tossed about in the channel, not easy!

Red-capped Plover Port Macquarie, NSW

Red-capped Plovers are indigenous shore birds, still common however numbers have dropped radically over the last ten years like everything else. They are very tiny and extremely endearing, a joy to spot on the shoreline.

Male Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage Port Macquarie, NSW

Male Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage is about to leave our shores in March and fly unbelievably to Siberia and Alaska to breed and then return in September. He has put on lots of weight for a journey taking a week to ten days with a stop over in China on the way.

Bar-tailed Godwit, Port Macquarie, NSW

Bar-tailed Godwit searching for worms, crustaceans and bivalves.

Godwit with Bristleworm Miranda, New Zealand

Female Bar-tailed Godwit with bristleworm at the Miranda bird sanctuary, these Godwits have even further to fly to Siberia and Alaska!

Bar-tailed Godwits taking off Portmacquarie, NSW

Bar-tailed Godwits taking off, - the challenge of trying to take interesting flight shots is always with me.

Great Egret Lake Innes, NSW

Great Egret looking spiky, enhanced by the casurina it is perching on, the feathers on its back tell us that it is in breeding plumage.

White-faced Heron Port Macquarie, NSW

White-faced Herons are plentiful in my local district and the challenge here is to make something common look beautiful, this one obliged by being in breeding plumage and sitting in the middle of complementary coloured vegetation.