From the Archives

Black-faced Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops)

Black-faced Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops)
"...black face, white ruff, pale belly, and superbly unapologetic bright blue scrotum"
Description from a (no longer in my possession) wildlife guide to Tanzania

Tanzania - Feb. 2011
Nikon D300S with 500mm f/4 lens, bean bag support
1/250 sec at f/5, ISO 800

David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.