Friday, May 9, 2014
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Identifying Animals in the Field: Collection of Wildlife Books
Trying to identify wildlife you encounter can be hard. Especially if your knowledge about certain animal groups is still limited. For instance: I'm not a real birder (vogelaar).
So what do you do?
You make sure you can identify those animals. Preferrably on the spot, when you still can see and remember more details than weeks or even years later with only a photo as reference. That's why I always use field guides. And if there are no compact field guides available, I get a good reference guide.
I always bring them along. So my daypack for a hike or safari will consist of a bunch of photographic equipment and one or more field guides to help me ID those critters. I do not travel light ;-) But it saved my pursuit of getting an ID many times. Just write down what animal you saw when and where (and in what order). And in the future you will be able to identify what animal was in that picture. Even though you can't make up much of an animal out of a small dark blob on your picture.
Quite handy. Below you'll find a list of the field and reference guides for wildlife I use. This list is also in the left column of my blog. The region nobody ever takes a look at.
I still have a bunch of books on my wishlist for e.g. marine animals, insects and other arthropods of several regions of our planet. But I should be able to manage for now.
So what do you do?
You make sure you can identify those animals. Preferrably on the spot, when you still can see and remember more details than weeks or even years later with only a photo as reference. That's why I always use field guides. And if there are no compact field guides available, I get a good reference guide.
I always bring them along. So my daypack for a hike or safari will consist of a bunch of photographic equipment and one or more field guides to help me ID those critters. I do not travel light ;-) But it saved my pursuit of getting an ID many times. Just write down what animal you saw when and where (and in what order). And in the future you will be able to identify what animal was in that picture. Even though you can't make up much of an animal out of a small dark blob on your picture.
Quite handy. Below you'll find a list of the field and reference guides for wildlife I use. This list is also in the left column of my blog. The region nobody ever takes a look at.
I still have a bunch of books on my wishlist for e.g. marine animals, insects and other arthropods of several regions of our planet. But I should be able to manage for now.
 |
Bradt - East African Wildlife |
 |
The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals |
 |
Helm Field Guides - Birds of East Africa |
 |
Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar |
 |
Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide |
 |
Madagascar Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide |
 |
Rode Zee Riffengids (Red Sea Reef Guide) |
 |
Field Guide to the Birds of the Atlantic Islands (Helm Field Guides) |
 |
Handboek Vogels van Nederland (Reference Guide to Birds in The Netherlands) |
 |
Veldgids Europese Zoogdieren (Field Guide to European Mammals) |
 |
Veldgids Amphibieën en Reptielen (Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in West- and Central-Europe) |
Sunday, May 4, 2014
African Buffalos at Sunset - Lake Nakuru (Kenya)
Sometimes it is just fun to add a beautiful picture. Not because it is best to identify all characteristics of an animal. No, just because the whole look and feel is lovely.
These photos were taken on Day 6 of my trip through East Africa, on 6 September 2009 at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. We had a long day with in the morning a walking excursion to Crescent Island (where the movie Out Of Afica was shot) in Lake Naivasha, in the afternoon driving around Lake Nakuru. These were the last shots made that day. One more time we drove by the shores with the flamingoes in the back. A great sight, before we headed off to our camping spot.
The pictures almost look like a HDR image, but it was just shot with low light in the sunset. Still love these shots.
These photos were taken on Day 6 of my trip through East Africa, on 6 September 2009 at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. We had a long day with in the morning a walking excursion to Crescent Island (where the movie Out Of Afica was shot) in Lake Naivasha, in the afternoon driving around Lake Nakuru. These were the last shots made that day. One more time we drove by the shores with the flamingoes in the back. A great sight, before we headed off to our camping spot.
The pictures almost look like a HDR image, but it was just shot with low light in the sunset. Still love these shots.
| Biological Classification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia | |
| Animals | Dierenrijk | |
| Phylum: | Chordata | |
| Vertebrates | Gewervelden | |
| Class: | Mammalia | |
| Mammals | Zoogdieren | |
| Order: | Artiodactyla | |
| Even-toed Ungulates | Evenhoevigen | |
| Suborder: | Cetruminantia | |
| Ruminants, Whales and Hippos | Herkauwers, Walvissen en Nijlpaarden | |
| Infraorder: | Pecora | |
| Ruminants | Herkauwers | |
| Family: | Bovidae | |
| Bovids: Antelopes, Gazelles, Buffalos, Sheep, Cattle | Holhoornigen: Antilopen, Gazelles, Buffels, Schapen, Runderen | |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae | |
| Cattle, Buffalos, Spiral-horned Antelopes | Runderen | |
| Genus: | Syncerus | |
| African Buffalos | Afrikaanse Buffels | |
| Species: | Syncerus caffer | |
| African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo | Afrikaanse Buffel of Kafferbuffel | |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
