On every trip to the Maasai Mara I have seen the oxpeckers fly around the buffalos, and every now and then land on them to eat ticks and other insects. For a long time, I have wanted to catch this photo of an oxpecker holding on to the buffalo’s fur, sitting in the middle of its face, and the bird’s colours interacting nicely with the dark face of the buffalo. The seriousness of the buffalo adds to the mood of the photo perfectly.

By Olli Teirilä in aid of The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust