Released 2009-06-01

Coracias caudatus and Loxodonta africana

While shooting the elephant that inhabits the background of this photograph, my attention was suddenly drawn to a swishing flutter of wings. When the flash of color finally settled, I was greeted by a lovely lilac-breasted roller taking a momentary rest on a branch sticking up from a fallen tree. Rollers like to quietly perch high on branches in order to better spot the various insects that comprise their usual meals, but they are also aggressive birds that will furiously protect their nests, even against much larger raptors. This particular roller seemed quite undisturbed by the presence of either the elephant or me. If there was a nest around, it was not going to let us in on the secret.

This is a limited edition photograph with a total of 500 photos printed across all sizes, as noted