Wildlife Photography
by Thaddeus Pope
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Home >> Photo Essays >> Wildlife Photography
I would not call myself a wildlife photographer. Even the most modest amateurs in that field bring a patience, skill and dedication to the craft that I have not yet given to it myself. These pictures come from something simpler: a long fascination with the natural world, formed early, deepened by years of watching David Attenborough documentaries, and shaped too by my mum, who first taught me to pay attention to nature.
This small portfolio is a record of encounters that stayed with me – moments outdoors, often brief and unplanned, when it felt worth pausing to look carefully. I am pleased with some of these images, and that is reason enough to gather them here. As opportunities arise, I will continue to add to this page, not as a claim to expertise, but as a keepsake of the remarkable wildlife I have been fortunate enough to witness and photograph.
Perhaps, in time, I will learn to give this craft the patience it requires. For now, these photographs are simply the result of paying attention, and of being grateful for what I have been lucky enough to see. There is, at the end of the portfolio, one small departure from the wildlife theme: Seamus, my dog, who seemed to deserve a place here too.
Text and images copyright © Thaddeus Pope. All rights reserved. No unauthorised use, reproduction, distribution, or publication without prior written permission.
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Gallery
Against a backdrop of vibrant autumnal colour on Mount Arashiyama in Kyoto Prefecture, a Japanese macaque rests in a tree. Mount Iwatayama is inhabited by a troop of over 170 Japanese macaque monkeys.
A Japanese macaque rests in a tree at the summit of Mount Arashiyama in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Inhabited by a troop of over 170 Japanese macaque monkeys, Mount Iwatayama has become a popular tourist destination.
On a frigid winter’s day on Mount Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japanese macaques huddle together for warmth.
Autumn colours on Mount Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan. Located to the west of Kyoto City, Mount Arashiyama is inhabited by a troop of over 170 Japanese macaque monkeys.
A Japanese macaque carefully grooms its fur on Mount Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan.
A gray langur crosses the road as children make their way home from school in Sri Lanka.
A gray langur clings to a tree in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. Gray langurs, also known as Hanuman langurs, are the most widespread langurs of the Indian Subcontinent.
The silhouette of a gray langur monkey climbing a tree in the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
A Bornean orangutan makes its way towards a feeding station at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in the Malaysian Sabah District of Northern Borneo. The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre was founded in 1964 to care for and rehabilitate orphaned orangutans. The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan and Tapanuli orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia. The Bornean orangutan is an endangered species that lives approximately 35 to 45 years in the wild.
A Bornean orangutan swings through the trees at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in the Malaysian Sabah District of Northern Borneo. The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre was founded in 1964 to care for and rehabilitate orphaned orangutans. The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan and Tapanuli orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia. The Bornean orangutan is an endangered species that lives approximately 35 to 45 years in the wild.
Feeding time at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in the Malaysian Sabah District of Northern Borneo. The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre was founded in 1964 to care for and rehabilitate orphaned orangutans.
Young female proboscis monkeys vocalising at the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Malaysian Borneo. Endemic to the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) are threatened by the destruction of their habitat of mangrove forests and lowland forests.
Grooming time at the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Malaysian Borneo. The proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) is only found on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, where it lives almost exclusively in mangrove forests, but can also be found in lowland rainforests. The proboscis monkey is threatened by the ongoing destruction of its habitat.
Proboscis monkeys make their way towards the feeding station at the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Malaysian Borneo. The proboscis monkey, or long-nosed monkey, is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey with an unusually large nose. It is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo. Due to the continued destruction of its habitat, the population of the proboscis monkey is on the decline and the species has been listed as endangered since 2000.
High in the tree canopy along the banks of the Kinabatangan River in Borneo, a wild juvenile proboscis monkey leaps from one tree to another. The proboscis monkey is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, proboscis monkeys are limited to scattered and inconsistently distributed populations throughout their native range. The species has been listed as endangered since 2000.
Salmon make their way upstream near Tofino in British Colombia, Canada.
Black kite (Milvus migrans) in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.
A peacock stands on the branch of a dead tree in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. The peacock, largest of the pheasants, is native to Sri Lanka and India.
Blue eared kingfisher in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.
Three black kites near Ine in northern Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Known for its wooden fishing houses called “Funaya”, Ine has a long and rich history as a fishing village and is regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in Japan. Ine has a large black kite population.
Dockside at Karo harbour in Tottori Prefecture, a single black kite takes flight in the rain. The black kite, or “tobi” as it is known in Japanese, is a common sight in the skies throughout Japan. The black kite is mainly found in Eurasia, Australasia and Oceania and is a year-round resident in Japan. It is thought to be the world’s most abundant bird of prey.
A barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) patrols an estuary at Higashihama in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. Following their winter stay in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Micronesia, barn swallows come to Japan in April, where they spend a summer and raise chicks. Barn swallows breed all over Japan during the summer, constructing bowl-shaped nests from mud mixed with saliva and grass, often in caves and under the eaves of barns and houses. The barn swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world.
Outside the Ainu museum at Akanko Ainu Kotan in Hokkaido, Japan, a large crow perches on a statue of Ojizou sama, protector of travellers, firemen, expectant mothers and children.
A single black kite patrols the skies near the fish market at Karo harbour in Tottori prefecture, Japan. Known as “tobi” in Japanese, the black kite is a common sight in the skies throughout Japan and is thought to be the world’s most abundant bird of prey.
As the sun sets in Sri Lanka an Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus) glides through the canopy in the Yala Nature Reserve. Also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, the Indian flying fox is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on ripe fruits, such as mangoes and bananas, and nectar.
Japanese cormorants perch themselves on a rocky outcrop on the shoreline of the Shiretoko Peninsula. Located on the easternmost portion of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, the Shiretoko Peninsula protrudes into the Sea of Okhotsk and is officially designated and registered as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Shiretoko is one of the richest integrated ecosystems in the world encompassing both terrestrial and marine areas.
As the sun sets in Japan, a black kite (Milvus Migrans) rests in a tree at the Karo graveyard in Tottori Prefecture.
A resting spot-billed pelican in the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes. The spot-billed pelican is on the near threatened list of species.
Against the backdrop of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, a grey heron spreads its wings wide before landing on a concrete jetty on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. With the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge links the Japanese mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island.
Tickell’s blue flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae) near the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. Tickell’s blue flycatcher is a small perching bird in the flycatcher family. It is an insectivorous species which breeds in tropical Asia, from the Indian Subcontinent eastwards to Bangladesh and western Myanmar. They are found in dense scrub to forest habitats. The name commemorates the British ornithologist Samuel Tickell who collected in India and Burma.
A green bee-eater perches on a branch in the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. The green bee-eater is a common bird with a beautiful plumage that lives in parts of Asia and Africa.
An Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis) tosses an insect in the air before swallowing it whole. The Indian roller is very common in the populated plains of India and associated with Hindu legends. It is said to be sacred to Vishnu, and used to be caught and released during festivals such as Dussera or the last day of Durga Puja. It is often seen perched along roadside trees and wires and are commonly seen in open grassland and scrub forest habitats. The largest population occurs in India, and several states in India have chosen it as their state bird.
In the early morning, as the first commuters begin making their way to work, a wild adolescent red-tailed hawk takes flight against the backdrop of the Rhode Island State House in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Geckos hunt for insects attracted to the light from a streetlamp, Kinabatangan, Borneo.
A file-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus), also known as the Borneo eared frog, or bony-headed flying frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo where it is widespread and found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, typically in the lowlands but sometimes as high as 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level. This is a larger treefrog species which can be seen in breeding groups above stagnant pools of water where they build foam nests.
Tree frog after a rainstorm on the Kinabatangan River in Malaysian Borneo.
An eight-spotted crab spider (Platythomisus octomaculatus) catches a large cricket near the Kinabatangan River in Borneo. Approximately three inches in length, the eight-spotted crab spider is a rare crab spider from Borneo. Crab spiders do not use a web to snare prey. Instead they typically sit in flowers and wait for pollinators.
A colourful tractor millipede (Polydesmida) crawls across a tree stump in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.
A large butterfly clings to the underside of a leaf in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.
Stick insect (phasmid) in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. There are approximately 373 known species or subspecies of phasmid in Borneo. However, this number changes each year as new species are discovered.
A small Borneo ear-spot squirrel stealthily makes its way through the tree canopy in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. The Borneo ear-spot squirrel is endemic to northern Borneo.
A young male brown bear scavenges for food on the shoreline of the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan. The Shiretoko peninsula is densely populated with brown bears. The population in the Shiretoko National Park is one of the highest population densities of brown bears in the world.
Sri Lankan elephants in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.
Hokkaido sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) grazing on leaves at the Jigokundani National Park in Hokkaido, Japan.
A cow grazes on grass and weeds on Apo Island in the Philippines.
A black bear at sunset on the beach in Tofino, British Colombia, Canada. Black bears are North America’s most familiar and common bears.
Early morning in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.
An Axis Deer runs beside a lake as the sun rises in the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.
A wild Exmoor pony in the South Downs National Park, East Sussex, UK. In recent years, Exmoor ponies have been released to graze across the South Downs in the hope that they will help to support the growth of rare species of wildflower, orchids, grasses and herbs. Exmoors are one of the few native British pony breeds that eat tor grass, which sheep, goats and cattle find unpalatable. Left unchecked it can crowd out the rarer species of wildflower usually found on chalk grassland. With only 1,100 left worldwide, the ponies themselves are listed as an endangered species. By leaving them to range free, it is hoped their numbers will increase naturally.
Our family dog, Seamus, runs through a field of poppies near Woodingdean in Brighton, UK.
Thaddeus Pope
Documentary photographer based in Japan
I’m Thaddeus Pope, a documentary photographer who also works in website and print design. I am available for assignments in Japan and internationally.
To get in touch, please use the contact form or email info@thadpope.com.