My guess would be "sounding" was a typo or a dictation app error and "surrounding" is what was intended.

Now you can rest easy & enjoy your trip!

Speaking from personal experience when traveling without a laptop, I use both of the 2 slots in my camera - a Z9 (also a high megapixel). Slot #2 is used as a back-up. Basically what you plan to do. When the cards are full, one card goes to hubby to keep in his money belt & I keep the other in my money belt. Prior to hopping on the flight home, I always remove the last memory cards from the camera(s) and keep them (the cards -not the cameras) in the money belts.
For a trip such as yours, I'd take 64 or 128GB cards. I would not use larger cards even though if one went bad you'd still have the one in the other slot. A possible danger of using a large card & leaving it in the camera is the outside chance that your camera (with the memory cards inside) is stolen or otherwise lost. You might want to consider that possibility in deciding on the capacity of the memory cards.

OMG - a big dose of cuteness from a little angel. Thank you!

I have no experience with adding feet to an existing monopod, however I have, love, and use a monopod with 3 retractable feet. Mine is a since discontinued Vanguard model. It's a few years old, was inexpensive, has been to 3 continents, takes a beating, and keeps on keeping on. It came with a ball head, which I gave to a friend. Ball heads just don't work for me. The feet are easily retracted and just as easily moved back down into position to give added stability. My model has some sort of ball bearing-type thing between the bottom of the shaft of the monopod and the feet. This allows for easy tilting. Do NOT even think of getting one without that little goody.An added plus of having feet on a monopod is that you can add stability by putting your own feet on its feet.

IMO, it goes without saying that you would NEVER, EVER stand a footed monopod up & attempt to use it as a monopod. You MUST hold it!!

I usually mount my Nest gimbal head with a Nikon Z9 and long zoom lens on it with no issues. Wildlife and birds are my subjects 90% of the time.

Just go on the B&H site and type in "Vanguard monopods" in the search box. There are a couple of good options there.

It's actually "B+W". Note that it's an actual plus sign between the B and the W. A B+W filter is a high quality, often recommended brand lens filter.

Oops! Just noticed someone beat me to it!

I'm 99% plus sure that it's a Cooper's. I can see the banding on the tail & I don't recall banding like that on a Red-tailed. Also, the chest markings in your shot look like Cooper's, not a Red-tailed.

Jo, that is absolutely beautiful. The horse looks so alive - ready to race off the sweatshirt & jump a fence.

Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City (Broward County) is your closest option for the adorable Burrowing Owls. They are absolutely adorable.

One of our members, mickmates, had one for sale in mid-August, 2022. I was considering purchasing it as a second D500 body to take on a trip to Africa. As I recall, it was low shutter count and priced VERY well. As a long shot, you might want to check with him to see if it's still available. I did purchase a second D500 from a member here, and was very happy with it. It was between the one mickmates had up and the one I purchased. Both were good deals, though. Unfortunately, neither of my D500's will be going up for sale any time soon.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

Absolutely outstanding images. Your first one is over-the-top perfection.

Great shots. My favorites are the 1st and the last are my favorites - the eye and the foot have it!

On a more serious note, back at the end of October into November, 2023, my husband and I did a 22 day expedition trip to the Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica. We were the first ship to land at many of the locations. Unfortunately for those who followed and for the wildlife, we were also the last ship to land at some locations. That was due to the findings of avian flu that caused the governments to close down landings. As an aside, there were a couple of locations that had already been closed by government agencies just prior to our arrival. After we arrived home, we discovered that many more locations where we had landed had been closed due to avian flu. Avian flu had also been found in sea mammals in the area - mainly the Elephant Seal population. It was/is a very sad situation.

Same here.

That made me laugh! So true.

BOTH