I checked out the spots owned by the local conservation groups. Usually the hides there are pretty bad (they are made for observation, not for photography), but the spots are pretty busy. Other than that: hiking and weekend trips with a car modified as a mini camper. For me it works out to stay at one place for a longer period(like visit it regurlarly) observe the flight patterns and the behavior. Helps to get ideas what to shoot where and how.

Parks. Nature reserve. Reservoirs and marshes.

One way I cheat is to look at tours that offer bird watching and study their itinerary.

Bird sanctuaries, several here, 500-acre wetlands.

I've gone to some hiking trails for most of my shoots

Kruger National Park. It’s about a 5 hour drive from Johannesburg. Normally go a couple times a year. Though haven’t been this year as we have a 7 month old baby and not advisable to take him just yet.

they look so majestic

Beautiful pic.

I went to Attenborough nature reserve this week and enjoyed it there. They have quite a few hides there and I only managed to explore a small portion of it. Would recommend.

So lucky to see a leopard!

Thank you! I know, it’s a real tragedy what’s happening to these animals

You should ask in a sub about wild life spotting. You'll probably get a lot more answers there.

A thing I do when I am working a new area is get in touch with your local hunting community. Normally really nice people, all conservationists, and very knowledgeable about the surrounding area wildlife. If you don't know any outdoors people this can be done generally through the local registered Sportsmans Clubs via email or message boards (if their sites have them). Always be cautious when dealing with people online, especially at 13. Clear any communications or meetups with your parents.

Also, try volunteering at your local wildlife rescues. You will get a great intro to the animals in a live environment, and again some very knowledgeable people who are very familiar with wildlife habits in the area.

The term “upstate” covers a huge mass of land. My relatives in Ulster County (under 2 Hours from NYC) frequently see:

Deer, black Bear, red Fox, Fisher, raccoon, Beaver, opossum, ground hog, coyote, E. diamond back rattlesnake, turkey, red Tail Hawk, Kestrel, bald eagle, owls, chipmunk, squirrel, mole, vole, turtles, frogs fish, herons, egrets, and many more.

Be patient, they are out there.

what time of day do you go out? you might need to modify your shooting times and locations based on when animals are active

It might not be technically “wild” life but could your parents take you to the zoo? Other tip is just patience, animals take patience. Sometimes you get lucky, but most times you must sit and wait. I know one woman that hung out near a den of fox pups every day for weeks. They got so used to her she got some amazing shots out of it.

Unfortunately it's virtually impossible to see a bear on the Avalon. As for the rest of the island I don't think I've ever heard of any bear hot spots, they're pretty solitary and it's estimated that there's less than 10k on the island so they tend to be pretty spread out

I wouldn't know what direction to point you in.

But I do know that I really like your photos. I hope you share more in the future.

Bay d'Espoir has lots of black bears. They're often seen at the dumps and walking along roads. There's cubs, too if you go during cub season. It's far from Avalon but if you really want a bear experience then hey. And the South Coast is wildly beautiful with lots of wildlife to offer.

On the Avalon, I've heard of them on the Renews area while out hiking but never seen for myself.

Lots of bears in the summer time between Goose Bay and Sheshatshiu on the highway.

My wife and her group were chased by a polar bear in the Torngats a few years back.

Bears are easy, go to a dump.

Yeah, bears are hard. Quite solitary and will hear/sense you before you see them usually.

One of the best national parks in the world, no doubt. Great accommodations too. Sort of like the people being locked up instead of the animals :)

Awesome photos. Ill never forget the time in Kruger when my vehicle got stuck in a ditch next to a pride of lions. We were there for about 30 minutes before we were pulled out. Lions were looking pretty freakin edgy about our presence towards the end.

Definitely not a relatively small area haha but agree on the rest! Beautiful place!

The painted dog is gorgeous!

Why did that read like ChatGPT🤔

Anyway, off there soon!

Wow awesome wildlife 😎

"Highest point is 2,760 ft. That's not even a hill where I'm from, so that can't be a real national park." /s

These photos are phenomenal and it makes me so happy to learn that this giant, beautiful ecosystem is being preserved. What was your camera setup for these shots?

Fantastic wildlife shots; thanks.

It's a wonderful park. And I think it's well worth visiting for the scenery as well as the critters. Excellent management and amenities; I was very impressed when I was there.

I love the chameleon pic! 

I went here in January of 2020. It was the trip of a lifetime! Hopefully I'll make it back someday with my family. 

Thanks for sharing!

They have a couple dozen live wildlife trail cameras set up at africam.com. I like to keep one on as background noise sometimes.