Greg Lasley Nature Photography
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The Double-banded Courser (Rhinoptilus africanus) is a bird of open, arid country in southern Africa. This individual was sitting over two eggs in the mid-day sun on a parched landscape in Etosha National Park, Namibia, in October, 1998. Rather than keeping eggs warm, desert species often have to shade eggs from the hot sun during daylight hours in this sort of habitat. The photograph was taken with a Canon EOS 1N & EF 300mm F2.8L lens and a 1.4X extender using a bean bag from a vehicle. The Film was Fuji Sensia 100. Fill flash would probably have helped show the shaded face of the bird a little better. Another individual is shown standing on the parched ground. Note the tiny shadow the bird makes from this very erect posture which is an effort to minimize the amount of its body exposed to the hot midday sun.