Reticulated giraffe with oxpecker, Samburu, Kenya. I had just stepped out of my room at the lodge to find a small herd of giraffes grazing right outside. This one kept watching me, or maybe the big lens, while an oxpecker worked its way along the giraffe's neck. You almost never see these giraffes without their oxpeckers. The birds eat the ticks and parasites hidden in the fur. But this giraffe was having none of it, constantly flicking and shaking to throw the bird off. I tried a series of shots to catch both, giraffe and oxpecker, sharp in the same frame, and got lucky with this shot. As a bonus, a tick popped loose, and the oxpecker went for it midair! Shot on a Nikon Z8, wide open on a 400mm f/2.8 with the 1.4× built-in teleconverter engaged (560mm at f/4), which just melted the busy leaves and brush into a soft wash and isolated the moment.