Andes | Sebastian Kennerknecht Photography

As is now tradition, I wanted to review the last year and see what goals I was able to accomplish from my bucket list. Last year was another fantastic 365 days! I traveled to three different countries leading to whole new adventures and experiences

I am including only the highlights from this year in this post (for the full list just click the link above). I am also only showing one or two images of each species/location, if you want to see all the pictures from that subject just click that name and the link will take you to the appropriate gallery.

Visit and or Explore
Andes (2015, 2016, 2017)

Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) in dry puna, Abra Granada, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Zambia

Lechwe (Kobus leche) females in floodplain at dawn, Busanga Plains, Kafue National Park, Zambia

Every South American Country (Bolivia 2015, Argentina 2015, 2016, 2017, Chile 2017)

Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) female in front of mountains, Torres del Paine, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

Photograph
African Cheetah

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) twenty-one month old sub-adult female, Kafue National Park, Zambia

Geoffroy’s Cat

Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), habituated female, Ibera Provincial Reserve, Ibera Wetlands, Argentina

African Lion

African Lion (Panthera leo) six year old male smelling air, Kafue National Park, Zambia

1000 bird species in the wild (I am at 294)

Wattled Crane (Grus carunculata) flying over floodplain, Busanga Plains, Kafue National Park, Zambia

Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata), Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) flock taking flight, Amelia Island, Florida

300 mammal species in the wild (I am at 151)

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) sub-adults huddled together and sleeping, Ibera Provincial Reserve, Ibera Wetlands, Argentina

Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) buck feeding on aquatic plants in marsh with Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) on back, Ibera Provincial Reserve, Ibera Wetlands, Argentina

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) three year old male feeding on male Puku (Kobus vardonii) kill, Kafue National Park, Zambia

Every endangered or threatened animal in California (7 out of 130)

Santa Catalina Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) running, Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California

Photographed this threatened Santa Catalina Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) running, Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California last year.

Another spectacular year, which always gives me enthusiasm for making next year even better!

How about you, anything particular that you photographed in 2017 that you are really happy/proud of?

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*

I recently returned from the high Andes of Bolivia and Argentina as part of the Cat in Thin Air project, and let me tell you, it was amazing! First of all, one has to get used to the high altitude of course (I saw one fellow passenger experience extreme altitude sickness pretty quickly in Bolivia as she had difficulties breathing and a major headache). Once you get used to the idea that you will be out of breath just by tying your shoes, you can start to focus on all the awesome nature that surrounds you.

So what does the landscape look like at 13,000 feet or even 14,000, (or even at 15,000 feet)? Probably not what you expect when you think of those elevations in the US.

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

Altiplano at about 13,300 feet, Ciudad de Piedra, Andes, western Bolivia

Beautiful for sure, but there are some places, like the Valley of the Moons in northwestern Argentina, that stand out above the crowd.

Sandstone rock formations, Valley of the Moons, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Sandstone rock formations, Valley of the Moons, Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Once you start to calm down about how amazing all the landscapes around you are, you start to notice the critters that fill those places.

Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) mother nursing cria, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) mother nursing her cria, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) flock flying over miraged lagoon, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Southern Viscacha (Lagidium viscacia), Ciudad de Piedra, Andes, western Bolivia

Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata), Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

Even seeing the domesticated Llamas can be awe-inspiring.

Llama (Lama glama) herd grazing at sunset, Andes, Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina

I was there of course for the cats, but to hear about those you will have to be a little bit more patient. One thing is for sure, I am already looking forward to returning to the high Andes!

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*

Tag Archives: Andes

Reviewing 2017

Photographing in the High Andes