He’s an attractive brute, isn’t he.. for a monkey? He’s a Cherry Crowned Mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus if you prefer to address him formally) and whilst I have photographed other varieties of Mangabeys before, they’ve never been as photogenic as this animal was, not that it was easy to snap him. The whole troupe were housed in a rather impressive enclosure whose centerpiece was a large and complex climbing frame for the animals to scuttle around, mimicking their natural habitat as best as they can. This huge aerial walkway was my nemesis when it came to taking photos though, as it gave the monkeys numerous ways to evade the glare of my lens. Even with AI Servo and high frame rates, the Mangabeys were able to duck behind pillars and posts just as I was about to take their picture – they’re obviously used to the paparazzi taking photographs of them and have perfected the art of avoiding the lens. I took only three photos of these very photogenic animals despite waiting and watching them for over ten minutes but they were a good ten minutes as is any time spend watching wildlife.
I have a new favourite App on my phone, yes.. Dear Reader… another one. This one also utilises GPS as did my previous favourite but works more like Google Navigation to help you reach your destination however Waze utilises data from other registered users to calculate what the traffic is like along your route in real time, helping you avoid traffic congestion. It’s fantastic to use (as a passenger, not sure I would want to use it as a driver) but the best bit for me is seeing the icons of other drivers as you pass them. It does make the insular act of driving much less so, in fact I was even tempted to wave as I passed a couple of the drivers!
Andrew Skelton: 
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