Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Sunbathe

We first spotted her when she slowly strolled across the grassland as the sun was about to rise. She walked toward our vehicle elegantly and confidently. What was on her mind and what she wanted to do was not clear to me. But she certainly knew very well her territory as she navigated from the grassland through the vehicles to the bushes and the ditches. When she eventually emerged from the ditch, she picked the spot where she had clear view of the grassland and sat down. The sun was rising behind her casting a golden rim light around her. She surveyed around her area for a few moments before starting to relax and gave herself a good groom. When she eventually got up, it signaled the time to say goodbye. She patrolled again her territory before going into the bushes and disappeared in the ditch for her nap until the end of the day.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Kenya
Camera: ILCE-1
Copyright: © Elizabeth Yicheng Shen