You saved the day and then some for that agama lizard.

Cannot wait to see your photos of the photographable lesser kudu.

When we were at Ithumba Ben had brought a book on spoor that he was studying. Sounds like he kept up his studies and it's paid off.

Lizard Rescue Service. Excellently excecuted!

I've added a note to all my safari/packing/remember notes: a) always check the toilet (thinking of Patty's little frog, too) and b) always carry specialized reptile/amphibian rescue equipment while on safari.

What a pleasure reading this - totally enjoyable. Thank you!

They assured me they set it free, and there wasnt a flush toilet so i believe them ;)

Perhaps my agama ate your beetle, Nikao, thanks to our respective efforts.

We'll have to add SR/ARE to Lynda's packing list.

Ben passed his spoor exam. Seriously, he is a bronze guide.

<u>Sell Me on Meru </u>
In planning this trip, I posted the challenge “Sell Me on Meru in Kenya.”
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...u-in-kenya.cfm

Sold!

<u>Other vehicles, sightings, and photos</u>
During my 4 days and 3 nights I saw 4 other vehicles, all but one in passing. I also saw about 4 patrol vehicles and the patrol plane passed over twice.

A Somali Ostrich family with 13 two-year-old chicks was a highlight of Meru. Ben said the ostriches were doing very well in Meru, even better than in Samburu.

Meru also offered the best Grevy Zebra interactions and photos that I saw on the trip. I believe about 20 were translocated from Lewa in 2002. I saw a few Grevy’s swatting each other with their tails, standing close to ward off the tse tses.

One herd of about 15 elephants crossed the road in front of us and I also saw a separate single bull elephant.

We saw a purple heron sunning with wings wide spread. The dark and light contrasting feathers reminded me of a dark and white chocolate truffle.

We made a stop at the picturesque hippo pool where you can get out and walk on a wooden platform. We saw one submerged hippo, a Giant Kingfisher, and a buffalo that gave us pause, considering we were on foot.

Other antelope besides Lesser Kudu included Grant’s Gazelles, Coke’s Hartebeest, Waterbuck, Dik diks, a few Gerenuk, and a relaxed herd of impala with nursing young.

Meru has Baobab trees and I saw my first Baobab with leaves on it and not just bare branches.

On our third afternoon drive Ben stopped the vehicle and looked at a gazelle bone in the road. “That was not there yesterday,” he replied. We then proceeded into an area where the animals were not accustomed to vehicles and fled at the sight of ours. One young giraffe almost veered out of control and into a tree in its frantic attempt to flee from us.

I requested that we head elsewhere so we backtracked and arrived at the intersection with the gazelle bones. We watched a much more relaxed giraffe in great light. This was a shared sighting with the vehicle from the banda next to ours.

Suddenly a cheetah sat up under a tree. “That’s why the gazelle bone is there,” Ben explained.

The cheetah moved off slowly. We were thrilled with this unexpected sighting and shared a thumbs up with the other vehicle. The giraffe we had been looking at continued on its course and soon giraffe and cheetah were aware of each other’s presence. Then I noticed a Lesser Kudu also taking note of the giraffe and cheetah and of the vehicles. It was a hubbub of activity.

The other vehicle drove off, but we remained to admire the cheetah, giraffe and Lesser Kudu. A second cheetah popped up right next to where the first cheetah had appeared. We watched both male cheetahs head off as the light faded.

I expressed my delight to Ben, stating the cheetah is my favorite animal. He shared that it was also his favorite animal because cheetahs eat only freshly killed meat. I found that to be an interesting reason that is not often cited as a basis for admiring this popular animal.

This is an album of 50 Meru photos. #15-19 are of Kinnas Bandas.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Violette...2Aj_-E1sjTsgE#

<u>Interesting Birds in Meru:</u>
Ben’s two favorites were found in Meru—the Saddle Billed Stork and the Red and Yellow Barbet. Ben is consistent in his color scheme for favorites.

African Blackheaded Oriole at Kinnas Bandas
Aryes Hawk Eagle
Bearded Woodpecker
Black Bellied Bustard
Black Chested Snake Eagle
Black Faced Sandgrouse
Blackheaded Plover
Brown Snake Eagle
Buff Crested Bustard
Chestnut Bellied Sandgrouse
Cut Throat Finch
Fisher’s Starling
Giant Kingfisher at the hippo pool
Golden Breasted Starling
Gray Hornbill
Grayheaded Bush Shrike
Great White Egret
Green Sandpiper
Greenbul
Greenshank
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Paradise Flycatcher, a couple at Kinnas Bandas
Purple Heron in a unique and beautiful sunning pose
Purple Roller that I initially thought was a Lilac Breasted Roller covered in dust from the road
Pygmy Falcon
Red and Yellow Barbet
Redheaded Weaver at Kinnas Bandas
Saddle Billed Stork hunting
Somaili Ostrich family
Squacco Heron
Three Streaked Tchagra
Veraux’s Eagle Owl at Kinnas Bandas
Von der Decken’s Hornbill
Wattled Starling
White Browed Sparrow Weaver at Kinnas
White Crested Helmet Shrike
Wooly Necked Stork

Lynn, perhaps the lack of Meru lions had something to do with the lack of reverence for Elsa. I shall bear that in mind for my upcoming trip, although visiting graves at the best of times is something I consider a chore and downright dismal at worst, being a melancholy person it really is a mood dampener. So perhaps I will resign myself to 'no lions at Meru' as well. I don't think I'll bother with the rhino sanctuary either as I surely will get many sightings at Lewa and Lake Nakuru. Lesser Kudu would suit and avoidance of tsetses as well. Magnificent vistas would be a big plus so any hints on which direction to take for stunning sunrise and sunset photos would be gratefully received.

I like Ben's choice of favourite birds and I will be happy if I get good sightings of either.

If you are asking me for directions such as what faces east or west, you are asking the wrong person. I am direction impaired.

For vistas, scenery landscape, here are some thoughts...

<red>I'm having technical difficulties and can't preview so will submit in small chunks.</red>

<red>Now I can preview, so no need for small chunks.</red>

Aberdare:
The flora makes this place what it is and it changes rapidly as you ascend/descend. I stopped for a lot for wide angle foliage shots. It was hard to capture what I saw, though.

There were some nice moss covered trees, flanked by forest that I took but didn’t post.

In general, I’d suggest keeping your eye on the changing scenery and when good light peaks through the clouds for a nice photo, shout stop to your driver and don’t delay.

The waterfalls offer nice scenery photos. One other thing, in the early morning, the dew on the hanging moss that covered a lot of the vegetation really sparkled. If you can position the sun in the right spot that can be a pretty picture, especially when the moss is hanging over the cliff with the waterfall in the background. All those variables never quite came together for me, but I noted the potential.

Meru:
There were some interesting kopjes that rose out of the flatness. I think near Elsa’s. If you coordinated being there with sunrise/sunset that could be nice, not sure how the sun hits them.

I found the hippo pool (with or without hippos) to be very picturesque in an Amazon-like way. I know wrong continent. You could check on when the light is best there. I went in afternoon, if I recall, and there were a lot of shadows, maybe more because of many tall trees rather than time of day. Be careful of roaming buffalo as you approach the hippo pool on foot by way of steps onto a wooden platform.

There are a lot of rivers, but in Sept they were more like creeks and not compelling subjects, except for the birds around them if you zoomed in. The terrain in Meru was kind of scruffy with some distant hills and I was focused on Lesser Kudu not scenery.

Shaba:
That’s coming up next but here’s the part about photographing scenery. “Near the Uaso Nyiro River it is quite lovely with expansive views, but otherwise the terrain seemed similar to Samburu or Buffalo Springs. However, one cannot fully appreciate the splendor of the copper color cliffs from way over in Buffalo Springs. Picture #4 in the Shaba album shows the cliffs as a hazy backdrop from way over in Buffalo Springs vs. Pictures #1-3 in the Shaba album that were taken in Shaba. While it is only 30-40 minutes between Buffalo Springs and Shaba, the best time to view and photograph the cliffs is near sunset (photos #1-3 in the Shaba album were taken at 6:15 pm and the park closes at 6:30 pm) so an overnight in Shaba is needed to capture the rocky backdrop at its best.”

The album I referred to will be posted shortly.

Buffalo Springs/Samburu:
The river and the vegetation around it offer beautiful material with animals often present. There is a scenic overlook that is the second to last picture in the Samburu/Buffalo Springs album, which will be posted in a few days. I want in late afternoon, but if you went even later or earlier in the morning, maybe you could get a sunrise/sunset. Samburu and Buffalo Springs would offer the most material for vistas and landscapes from my recollection.

Maybe you're doing Lewa instead of Samburu, so the above won't apply.

Mara:
You probably recall spots from last time. Positioning herds in the sunrise/sunset is good. For the Mara and all the parks, you’ll have a few extra crucial minutes to be in the right place at dusk and dawn as sunrise was 10 minutes <i>before</i> the 6:30 am opening and 10 minutes <i>after</i> the 6:30 closing times in Sept. However, in Dec-Jan, sunrise is just <i>after</i> the park opens and sunset is just <i>before</i> the park closes.

If your camp has its own property, then exact opening and closing times are not as big of a deal.

Also you may get some dramatic skies with the occasional rains. The rains in Sept, although uncharacteristic, did provide some nice photo ops in the Mara due to the skies and lighting that resulted.

I'm sure you'll take the lenses needed for scenery.

**************SHABA

From the Meru entrance to the Shaba entrance was 2 hours and 55 minutes and that included 10 minutes of stops to drop off Martin the Chef, who lived in the Meru area. Our shortcut (referred to above as the shortcut to Somalia) was rather bumpy but we did see a Gray Flycatcher and Fischer’s Sparrowlark and the good news is that soon the dirt paths we bounced along will be a paved road. From the Shaba park entrance to Shaba Sarova was another 20 minutes.

Shaba means copper, so named for the towering red cliffs. I wanted to spend a day here to see those cliffs and the scenery the park is known for. Near the Uaso Nyiro River it is quite lovely with expansive views, but otherwise the terrain seemed similar to Samburu or Buffalo Springs.

However, one cannot fully appreciate the splendor of the copper color cliffs from way over in Buffalo Springs. Picture # 4 in the Shaba album shows the cliffs as a hazy backdrop from way over in Buffalo Springs vs. Pictures #1-3 in the Shaba album that were taken in Shaba. While it is only 30-40 minutes between Buffalo Springs and Shaba, the best time to view and photograph the cliffs is near sunset (photos #1-3 in the Shaba album were taken at 6:15 pm and the park closes at 6:30 pm) so an overnight in Shaba is needed to capture the rocky backdrop at its best.

Most people who stay in Shaba do the majority of their game drives over in Buffalo Springs or Samburu, which has a lot more wildlife, and of course more visitors. To get from Shaba Sarova to the Samburu entrance gate takes just over half an hour, with a mile or so on the highway. It is possible spend most of the day in Samburu/Buffalo Springs and arrive back in Shaba for sunset views with ample time to get to the lodge before dark and closing time.

The animal action around Sarova and in the river in front of the lodge was abundant--water monitors scooting across the lawn, troops of baboons and vervets, flocks of Marabou Storks, a few sunning cros, Sacred Ibis, Yellow Billed Storks.

I was so intrigued with the winding paths of Sarova and the birds and animals I encountered that I walked right through several operating sprinklers, covering my camera for protection of course. I ended up a little drippy—but cool and refreshed.

My actions and appearance attracted the attention of one of the security guards who thought this wandering, sprinkler-soaked lady, squatting for a better angle on the baboons might need some assistance. I assured the dear lad that I was just fine and having a marvelous time, then continued on my way, dripping along the path.

At night the staff tossed some vittles over the fence along the river bank. Not only did two crocs haul out to feed, but so did a turtle! They were a congenial trio as they dined. The crowd that gathered to watch was small enough so that views were unobstructed.

I estimated occupancy at Sarova at a little over half.

Shaba Sarova offered a beautiful setting during the day and it had an enchanting feel when it was all lit up at night. It has a stunning location along the Uaso Nyiro River, which during my stay was raging at about a Level 3--if one were to raft it--though rafting is not an option. The Sarova staff explained that the fast flowing rapids were the result of an incredible 30 millimeters of rain in the Aberdares that fell in an approximate 12-hour time frame a few days earlier. I knew firsthand about the 30 mm and 12 hours.

At dinner someone (not me) was having a birthday and the Jambo Bwana song and dance line was followed by cake for everyone. I was going to skip dessert that night but when a piece of cake was plunked down in front of me, I decided to partake. While an establishment should not be judged solely by the birthday cake it serves, Sarova would come out with flying colors if that were the criteria. This was not just a square of cake for celebration sake. It was a delicious chocolate trifle that could rival that of any fine pastry chef!

The Sarova rooms included a couple of suites near the lobby, then rooms 7-10 were labeled non-smoking (I was in 8), located not far from the croc feeding site. One side of the property had rooms through #46 and the other side had #47-92, with 46 and 92 being farthest away from the lobby and dining area. The configuration of the rooms offered upper balconies and garden level rooms. An upper level would be more desirable than a lower if you can manage stairs well, but all rooms had unobstructed river views, and my lower garden level 8 was great.

When I went in search of the sunrise the next morning, I found that in September the best location to view and photograph it was around Room 74. It’s not like a crowd gathered there though, disrupting the guests of rooms in the 70s; I was the only one out there.

There was a lot of animal activity in the morning at Sarova, including close views of Marabou Storks who picked morsels from the banks where the croc feeding had taken place the night before. Our departure at 7:30, instead of the earlier and customary 6:30 allowed time to observe the goings on.

I thought Shaba Sarova had a real wow factor to it. The general consensus on luxury (and usually pricing) goes: Serena, followed by Sopa, then Sarova. It would be too bad if anyone shunned Shaba Sarova, fearing the facility would fall short in comparison.

<u>Other vehicles, sightings, and photos</u>
I did one late afternoon game drive in Shaba and saw no other vehicles. Our sightings included a couple of gerenuk, some impala, a pair of Red and Yellow Barbets hidden in twigs and branches but unable to conceal their vivid colors, and the flying dust of a digging mole rat though the rodent itself was never seen.

The album contains 15 Shaba photos. The wildlife seen on Shaba Sarova grounds is labeled.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Violette...OhgeizxensgwE#


<u>Interesting birds in Shaba:</u>
Black Headed Social Weaver
Common Scimitarbill
Cut Throat Finch
Golden Breasted Bunting
Golden Breasted Starling—a beauty indeed
Marabou Stork
Northern Crombec
Pink Breasted Lark
Purple Breasted Lark
Red and Yellow Barbets—a pair obscured behind branches, save for the brilliant colors showing through
Red Winged Lark
Sacred Ibis
Somali Courser
Taita Fiscal Shrike
Yellow Billed Stork
Yellow Spotted Petronia

Hi Lynn, great report with amazing detail and information.

We went to Meru about a week before your visit. We spent 4 nights there and stayed at Elsa´s Kopje.
Tse tses where not an issue at all. We did not see one at the lodge during our 4 days there . The lodge is build on top off a big hill ( there are 2 hills together ) and there is a resident female leopard with 2 subadult cubs living in the hills.One day our guide proposed us to look for them and we started to drive around the bottom of the hills but had to get out off there because tse tses where all over !!! Incredible that the lodge was so close and had no tse tses at all.

Looks like cheetah are doing well in Meru , we also saw 2 of them , a female and her adult .

I have pictures of 14 lesser kudus and we saw more i didn´t picture . We were not in a mission like you but i had the impression that Meru is full with lesser kudu and they are easy to find.

We where luckier than you with lions.We saw one family of 4 two different days on top of the same kopje and then a day later a group of 3 different ones in the same spot.

Your list of birds is fantastic , we didn´t have as many.

The ostrich family we saw had 12 chicks same age , we counted them , maybe the same?? Are you sure about the 13 chicks ??

You sold me on Aberdare , it looks very interesting and different . I like your photos of Giant Hog and the Crowned Eagle.

Looking forward for the Mara part.

Paco.

Paco, thanks for the info. Your experience with no tse tse flies at Elsa's bears repeating. NO TSE TSE FLIES AT ELSA'S KOPJE!

The info I got probably was based on the surrounding area. I don't think my guide had stayed at Elsa's.

Congrats on the lions! I do think in a place as vast as Meru that a resident guide, such as what you'd get at Elsa's, has an advantage in knowing territories of predators.

We might have miscounted on the ostriches. I could see how there'd be one less by the time I got there, but not one more. Perhaps a neighbor ostrich chick came over to play?

14 Lesser Kudu pics proves they are out there and can indeed be seen.

Thanks for chiming in.

****************BUFFALO SPRINGS/SAMBURU****************
Distance from Shaba Sarova to Samburu gate is 35 minutes; from gate to Simba Samburu, which is actually in Buffalo Springs, takes another 20 minutes.

The Uaso Nyiro River separates Buffalo Springs and Samburu, but the two reserves offer the same wildlife experience based on what I observed this trip and previously. Driving between the two used to be a quick hop across a conveniently located bridge, but the floods of March 2010 ruined that bridge and as of Sept 2010 it was not yet repaired.

With the bridge out, to get between Buffalo Springs and Samburu, it was necessary to travel about 35 minutes, including a couple miles on the highway to get to the Samburu gate.

Upon arrival in Buffalo Springs, Ben pointed out three Cape Buffalo at a distance. Had I known these would be the only examples I’d see of the creatures that bore the reserve’s name, I would have snapped a few shots. Instead, I missed that opportunity and had to be satisfied with pictures of the attractive White Headed Buffalo Weaver birds that reside in Buffalo Springs. Oddly, not many buffalos live in Buffalo Springs.

The reserve gets its name from the springs created by a bomb dropped during Word War II. A ruse had been devised to confuse Italian bombers into mistaking this uninhabited area for Nairobi. The desolate landscape was lit up with numerous lights, making it appear to be the populous capital, the bomb strike’s intended target. The ploy worked, the bomb was dropped in the wilderness, and it created a spring fed crater. We visited the area and saw giraffes and two species of zebra grazing nearby this handy water source

Simba Lodge had a lot of bird and animal activity going on most any time of the day and the photos taken at the lodge are labeled “on Simba grounds.” A waterhole, viewed from the dining area and most of the rooms, attracted herds of elephant, baboons, vervets, and a variety of antelope. Each morning a gigantic troop of baboons traipsed through, near the waterhole.

My fellow diners and I noticed one baboon carrying something and debated whether it was a stick, a dead lizard, a trap (hopefully not), or what. The next day my photos confirmed that it was the carcass of a dead baby. Ben told me that carrying the corpse around was how the female mourned and that when the smell became too putrid, she’d drop it.

Bird feeders were filled up at noon but attracted a variety of birds all day long that perched on trees at eye level from the dining area.

Herds of elephant were visible from my room and balcony as they headed to and from the Uaso Nyiro River.

Originally I was given Room #60. It did not have views of the river and had more generator noise, though the waterhole was very visible. Because I was staying for 3 nights, I asked for a change and ended up in #30, which was lovely and had picturesque views of the river that flowed about 500 meters away. Like Sarova, these rooms had balcony and garden options and I found my balcony room to be ideal. From what I could tell, Rooms #1-50 were on the river side with #50 being the closest to the river and most distant from the lobby.

The place seemed to be about half full by the attendance at the evening meals.

While a 2-night stay in Samburu is standard, I wanted longer to be able to spend more time with the unique species known as the “Samburu 5,” especially the gerenuk antelope that exhibits the unique behavior of grazing on its hind legs. I also wanted to be able to linger with the plentiful elephant herds found there. I did not find 3 nights (4 nights if you include Shaba) to be excessive and enjoyed exciting encounters with mammals and birds each day. A 3 or more night stay also allows ample opportunity for some cultural interaction with the Samburu, while not compromising safari time. Though I did not visit any villages this time, I recall enjoying a camel ride to a Samburu village on a previous visit.

<u>Samburu Lodge</u>
We happened to make a bathroom stop at Samburu Lodge and what luck that was! I ended up walking around the lush grounds with heavy vegetation for about 30 minutes watching some outstanding vervet grooming activity. This place has been up and running a very long time, which likely contributes to the relaxed attitude of the resident wildlife.

<u>Other vehicles, sightings, and photos</u>
Overall, I’d break down the vehicle encounters in Buffalo Springs/Samburu as:
85% of the time, no other vehicles in sight
10% of the time, other vehicles were visible as we drove
5% of the time, we shared sightings with at least one other vehicle

* Just a few minutes after arriving, we encountered a small herd of oryx (1 of the Samburu 5) and watched a pair of young calves nuzzling each other. They were so adorable I could understand how that lioness a few years back had adopted one. Ben said she actually took in 4 different oryx calves and that well publicized incident led to Samburu’s slogan, “Where Nature Defies Itself.” <b>No other vehicles</b> present for the <b>oryx calves.</b>

* A larger herd of about <b>50 oryx</b> offered great views one early evening, including one mating pair. We shared the sighting with <b>two other vehicles</b> for about 10 of our 20 minutes.

* Gerenuk (1 of the Samburu 5) standing up was something I really wanted to see again and we saw about 40 without any real effort, resulting in at least a dozen good photos, including bikini shots, which I learned about from a fellow poster. Those are shots with unobstructed views of the upright gerenuk’s abdomen to reveal black markings that look like a G-string bikini.

I recall sharing one sighting of <b>two standing gerenuks with another vehicle</b> briefly. Otherwise we had <b>every single gerenuk to ourselves.</b> The stamina of this antelope to remain standing for 10 minutes or longer allowed for some prolonged viewing and good photo ops.

* We were able to spend about half an hour on four occasions with elephant herds and left only when it was time to exit the park or the eles moved away. One of the herds had an approximately 3-week old calf that was still pinky-orange around the ears and wobbly on its feet.

A juvenile Somali Ostrich (1 of the Samburu 5) joined one of the herds briefly for a drink at the river. Along with a distant view of one adult Somali Ostrich, those were our only Samburu ostrich sightings. Ben said that seeing ostriches in Samburu is getting harder. As mentioned earlier, the Somaili Ostrich is thriving in Meru.

At each of those <b>elephant</b> sightings <b>between 1 and 3 vehicles</b> came and went during for about half of our viewing time. The other half of the time we were <b>alone with the elephants.</b>

*From a distance we watched a lone <b>mother ele and a baby</b> that Ben estimated was only a week old. In the 10 minutes they remained visible in tall grass, <b>no other vehicle was in sight.</b>

*Only 1 photo with a <b>hippo</b> as the main subject made the final cut of photos this trip and that was on our only midday outing in Samburu. We went out from about 11:00 to noon at my request and honestly saw very little at that sweltering time of day, including <b>no other vehicles.</b> At the river a couple of hippos were cruising around and we sat and watched. One reason hippo action at Samburu was down was because the river was so high and fast flowing that it was harder to see them. We also had one sunning <b>croc to ourselves</b> on that outing.

* Near the actual springs from which Buffalo Springs derives its name, we watched some Burchell’s and Grevy’s zebra (1 of the Samburu 5) mingle together, which made for a nice comparison, along with some Reticulated Giraffe (1 of the Samburu 5.)

The Burchell’s zebra were introduced and have contributed to the survival of the rare Grevy because Burchell’s are easier prey for lions, which spares the Grevy. The Burchell’s also give the Grevy’s more opportunities to form herds, as these two species of zebra mingle well, but don’t breed. I did not get any Grevy photos I cared to keep from Samburu. There were <b>3 other vehicles near the springs</b>, spread out over about a quarter mile.

* A <b>Tawny Eagle</b> perched in a tree drew the attention of <b>another vehicle besides ours.</b> For all <b>our other bird sightings and photos (except the young ostrich with the eles) no other vehicles were around.</b>

One exciting species was an endemic to Samburu and nearby areas: The Donaldson-Smith’s Sparrow Weaver—and we had a photo op of three. We found the brilliant blue Vulturine Guinea Fowl in flocks with chicks and even mixing with the Helmeted Guinea Fowl for a comparison shot. An interesting behavior exhibited by a White Bellied Bustard and Crowned Plover was tilting the head sideways so one eyeball could look up in the sky and spot predators.

* Our first <b>lion pride</b> sighting of about 5 members, including lionesses and cubs, was shared by <b>up to 4 other vehicles,</b> with some coming and going.

* A pride of <b>6 lions</b> that included one young male also had <b>up to 4 other vehicles</b>, with some coming and going.

* A different pride of <b>6 lions</b> was positioned to attract a whopping <b>8 other vehicles</b>, so we did not linger. This pride was spotted right near the entrance to Sambura Simba about 10 minutes before the 6:30 pm park close. So everybody passed them on the way back and that contributed to the crowd.

* Ben expertly spotted a <b>dead African hare</b> that attracted the attention of <b>another vehicle</b> besides ours.

* The next afternoon we were behind a vehicle, both of us advancing slowly, when Ben stated, “There’s a live hare.” When I asked for more explanation of the term live hare, he added, “to go with our dead one from yesterday.” The vehicle in front of us never saw it and drove on.

We stopped and admired how the light shined through the thin membrane of the hare’s ear. My first ever photo of an <b>African Hare! No other vehicles.</b>

* Of the many <b>dik dik</b> sightings, a few pictures resulted of these shy creatures and <b>no other vehicle</b> was ever present. Photo #9 offers a perspective in how small this antelope is.

* <b>No vehicles around Grant’s Gazelles</b> either. There are no Thomson’s Gazelles in Samburu.

*We saw one distant female <b>Greater Kudu</b> across the river. Meru had been good kudu spotting training grounds for me, as I saw her. <b>Nobody else around</b> to share this elusive sighting with.

* We had finished up watching one of the ele herds when Ben announced, “I have news. Let’s go.” He had heard about a leopard just over the hill. In addition to the radio provided by E&S, Ben had bought his own--at his own expense--for more exclusive communication. I don’t know over which radio the leopard sighting was picked up.

We drove to where a <b>leopard</b> was beautifully posed on a termite mound and pulled up for great views. When we left, about 3 minutes later, I counted <b>11 other vehicles</b>. That’s a lot but all behaved in an orderly manner. As we were leaving, the leopard also moved off slowly.

*A little later in the day we encountered the leopard again. We were alerted by trumpeting elephants who detected the leopard in their midst. The cat was unconcerned with the agitated elephants and was intent on hunting dik dik. Ben expertly maneuvered through the tracks that led around the brush and we watched a couple of chases before the leopard ventured into territory with brush too thick to follow.

I counted <b>10 other vehicles</b> negotiating the maze of tracks through the brush to see the <b>leopard hunt.</b> It did seem to get a bit hectic, but just as the leopard was unconcerned with the bellowing elephant herd it had infiltrated, it seemed oblivious to the vehicles and meandered next to them and between, peeking around the tires. This was one confident cat!

*We had about <b>15 close sightings of Reticulated Giraffe</b> (1 of the Samburu 5) with <b>no vehicles</b> around. Near the end of our stay we found a couple of giraffes sitting down and took pictures. After one got up, <b>another vehicle</b> also stopped for photos of the remaining <b>seated giraffe.</b>

Here is an album of 112 photos. That’s a lot for one location, but I was there 3 nights, 10 photos are devoted to the unique gerenuk in various poses (#18-#28), and 25 shots are of elephants. Photo #9 gives a perspective of how tiny the dik dik antelope is. No Grevy’s Zebra photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Violette...NP3ypj_qM-HNQ#

It looks you had a great time in the Samburu area , many nice elephant pictures , i specially like 13 and 100.
Also nice orix herds with landscape and standing generucks.
The secretary bird shot is fantastic with great light and momentum.

You are becoming and expert getting photos of cats and big animals ( cheetah and giraffe , leopard and elephants ) what is next ...lions and hippos maybe.

It´s curious , we also saw a mother baboon carrying a dead baby in Meru but ,if Ben is right , our mother baboon must have her sense of smell atrophied because the dead baby was skin and bones.
More seriously ,it was very emotional for us to see how protective was the mother baboon going always the last of the troop and not letting other baboons approach the baby.

Paco.

what a great sighting of that leopard? I hope I will be lucky when I go to Selous/Ruaha and have a chance to spot (and photograph!) leopard.

Your pictures are very nice! Especially some bird pictures are outstanding, what equipment do you use?

atravelynn, just a terrific, informative and witty report! I'm just sorry I didn't read your tip about Gherkins not being the best topic for successful mixing. No wonder I was always alone during my late September trip to the Mara. :-)

<b>Paco, </b>
We have very similar tastes in pictures. The Secretary Bird had perfect light. There were some other Secretary Birds in the Mara that posed nicely too. Thanks for noticing.

Only one hippo shot this whole trip. Just an average swimming shot in the Uaso Nyiro River in Samburu. A hippo shows up in the background of a crossing shot.

I suppose the grieving baboon mothers have different motivations and tolerances for levels of decay. It's a sad sight, regardless. Watching the mother not let the other baboons approach the carcass would be very sad.

Somehow the numbering of the album got all messed up. The #s were supposed to be in order because I can count. I fixed it. Picassa seems to have a mind of its own on occasion.

Will your account and shots of Meru and elsewhere be appearing?

<b>Nikao,</b>

I use a Sony DSC H2 with 12x optical zoom and a Sony DSC H9 with 15x optical zoom. The H9 is history though because the sensor on the right side is shot so everything is blurry on the right side at max zoom. I also used a bean bag with Navy Beans. I'll be trying the Great Northern or Pintos next time. Ha ha

Previously you wrote this: "When I was in Tanzania we did a mix of both; in some areas using our own vehicle and guide (also to be in full control what were doing) and in other areas using the camps vehicle."

Did you drive with your guide/vehicle to a location and then use the camp vehicle and guiude instead of what you arrived in?

<b>Sdb2</b>
I would have been happy to discuss Gherkins, Dill, Bread & Butter or Kosher Midgets with you during mealtime. I am also fond of pickled beets and olives--green, black, or burgundy.

atravelynn, clearly you are a woman of exquisite tastes. My forte is fully sour pickles. We could have discussed olives and pickles for days!

Im surprised with some of the bird shots, that you were able to get it from a non-dslr camera.. well done! :)

To answer your question; yes we drove with our guide and own vehicle to the camp, and there we used the camps vehicle and guide. Mainly because our guide hadn't been in that area before (Piyaya region, where we were one of the first to use that camp) so the campguide knew the area (and it's game) better. btw, this was were I witnessed the Wild dogs chasing a wildebeest (twice) and killing it (once out of the two times)

Very nice trip and writeup. Great to see names of bird species.

In January, we are already planning to spend 3 days in Samburu (Ashnil Camp) and 1 at Sweetwater (after several days in Serengeti area). We have 2 more days to spend before returning to Nairobi. What would you recommend for getting a variety of birds and animals? Meru sounds interesting for Lesser Kudu or Aberdare for Giant Hog and forest species.

Nikao thanks for the additional info and Sdb2, I'd relish the opportunity for such a discussion. And I apologize for the pun.

Az3,
Recommendations for a variety--You've already taken care of the biggest recommendation, just book the trip. Next, if you are able, choose a privately guided trip so you can concentrate on what interests you and maximize your time in the bush and not cater to others who want 3 hot meals or time at the pool. Then, in your preliminary communications with the safari provider and at the outset with your guide, state your interest in birds and variety. The guides really want to conduct the safari according to your wishes, so let those wishes be known. Finally, take advantage of wildlife/birds around the properties. These are often more relaxed around people and offer nice viewing and photo ops.

Take binoculars of course, so you can appreciate the details of the variety you see. You'll have a great trip.

<U>Flying out of Samburu</U>
Ben emphasized the need to arrive an hour early at the airstrip because flights were known to arrive and depart well ahead of schedule. He recounted some frantic passengers (not his clients) that got left behind because they were merely on time and not early. Too soon it was time to say goodbye to Ben with parting gifts of chocolate covered cranberries from Wisconsin<red>†</red> and the purple towel I had bought in Nairobi for Kinnas Bandas. Ben had provided a wonderful first half of the trip.

<red>†</red> Wisconsin produces enough cranberries to provide every person in the world with 26. Ben got more than 26 AND they were chocolate covered.

<u>Interesting birds in Samburu:</u>
African Orange Bellied Parrot—all over Simba grounds
African Silverbills—at airstrip
Augur Buzzards—courting and mating
Black Faced Sand Grouse-- watching the families of these beautifully marked birds was a highlight
Black Shouldered Kite
Blue Napped Mouse bird
Brown Hooded Kingfisher
Burchell’s Starling—Simba grounds
Chestnut Bellied Sand Grouse—watching the families of these beautifully marked birds was a highlight
Chestnut Weaver
Common Bulbul-Simba grounds
Common Waxbill—Simba grounds
Crowned Plover—including a fluffy chick
D’Arnoud’s Barbet
Donaldson-Smith’s Sparrow Weaver
Fisher’s Sparrow
Gabar Goshawk
Green Barred Woodpecker
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
Kori Bustard
Malachite Kingfisher
Red Billed Hornbill—Simba grounds
Red Headed Weaver
Rufous Chaterer
Rufous Crowned Roller
Secretary bird, including a juvenile
Somali Courser
Sooty Falcon
Speckled Pigeons—Simba grounds
Square Tailed Drongo
Taveta Golden Weaver—Simba grounds
Tawny Eagle
Vulturine Guinea Fowl
White Bellied Bustard, alone and in pairs—It was fascinating to see the male tilt his head, focusing one eyeball up at the sky in search of flying predators, then calling to alert his mate across the way to be cautious.
White Browed Sparrow Weaver—Simba grounds
White Chinned Prinea
White headed Buffalo Weaver—Simba grounds
White Headed Mousebird—Simba grounds
Yellow Billed Hornbill
Yellow necked francolin

************MAASAI MARA, TALEK RIVER AREA*********
The flight from Samburu to Olekiombo Air Strip was about 2 hours and included a stop at the Keekorok airstrip. Once we reached the Mara, endless lines of wildebeest could be seen from the air, but did not photograph well.

Raphael was there to meet me and had been the first vehicle at the airstrip. We confirmed that by phone before I even left Samburu. And he had postcard stamps. Securing postcard stamps to the US was a major undertaking that Ben and I were not able to accomplish despite numerous attempts. So in one of Ben’s conversations with Boaz back in the office, I requested that Raphael bring 10 stamps, which I bought from him. Ben, Raphael, and Boaz all did their part, but a glitch somewhere in the mail means the stamped postcards are still on safari.

<u>Fig Tree</u>
This is a beautiful tented facility along the Talek River with a covered bridge from the parking lot to the camp. Raphael said they had done a good deal of renovating which included the driver quarters, which he said were now very nice--as was everything from the tents to the indoor and outdoor dining rooms to the pool area to the treetop viewing platform. Really lovely!

All tents have a river view. I was in #4 and I thought 4-10 were ideal to minimize noise and traffic. Really, other than Tents 1-2 next to the lobby area, any were fine.

There was entertainment in the dining room each night at Fig Tree, alternating nightly between a comedic musical routine and traditional Maasai dancers. When it came time for the Adumu jumping dance by the Maasai, even the chef wanted a turn and participated in his white uniform and giant chef hat.

Having missed the opportunity to photograph a buffalo in Buffalo Springs, I wanted to make sure I got a nice Fig Tree photo at Fig Tree. I was thrilled to get a Common Bulbul perched neared some figs, with its tongue visible!

The huge central Fig Tree attracted a variety of birds but I thought I’d see more birds in the area and wildlife near the river. A herd of zebra grazed across the river from my tent one afternoon, some vervets occasionally hung around in the trees, A genet and bush baby came some evenings for fruit offerings, and a troop of baboons (mentioned below) were active at times.

Raphael said Fig Tree was not fully booked because for several nights he did not have to share with a roommate in the driver quarters.

One nice thing about breakfast at Fig Tree was that despite the posted hours, there almost always was an early hot breakfast to accommodate those driving to Nakuru. Fig Tree catered to those who drove to/from the Mara in addition to flyers. So our early departures at 6:30 am (when the park opened) were usually on a full stomach.

<u>Aggressive Baboon Encounter</u>
My plans for an early departure on Day 2 were thwarted by a troop of baboons. I had just exited my tent, zipped it up, and stepped onto the raised wooden porch when I was confronted by two large male baboons from a passing troop. At least one hopped up on my wooden porch. I shouted and waved my hands to send the baboons off.

The closest baboon approached me in an aggressive manner. Fight or flight instinct immediately overcame me. My first choice was flight—back into my tent—but turning around to unzip it would leave me too vulnerable. So the only other choice was fight.

I instinctively did an angry King Kong impression. I bared my teeth and raised my hands in claw-like fashion and started to roar, standing my ground. I think I added a few shouts of, “Get out!” Go!” I must have been a humorous sight, but there was nothing funny about the situation.

The two baboons continued toward me undeterred, as if they were stalking. This encounter lasted only seconds, when two security guards pounced onto the scene. They appeared so fast I looked to see if they were wearing capes and maybe a big letter on their chests. One had a bow and arrow and the other had a club, but the weapons were not needed because the baboons fled at the first sight of these guys. I have to give them credit for handling the situation well.

Aggressive baboons (especially the males toward human females) can be a problem anywhere. The quick response is a plus for Fig Tree. The remaining mornings the baboons used a different route for their morning walk and I had no problem. But I did carry a big stick when exiting my tent after that.

Fig Tree had several Maasai Warriors and guards that continually patrolled throughout the premises and were quite pleasant to visit with as they stood guard. Fortunately they were not always engaged in battle with the baboons.

The first animals Raphael and I saw the morning after my baboon incident were members of that same troop, meandering along. There were some nice photo ops but all the photos I took were blurry. Despite the image stabilization device on my camera, my hands were shaking too much for decent shots. Not to get overly dramatic, I was fine within 15 minutes and completely composed for the coalition of three cheetahs later that morning.

I love watching baboons, but wouldn't have wanted a close up encounter like you had Lynn.

atravelynn,

I am so impressed with your bird sightings and identifications (and the beautiful photos). Do you make all the IDs yourself? with help from your guide? I'm assuming you have a bird book - but as a rank amateur bird watcher it always takes me a very long time to find the right page...Any bird watching tips for my safari in Sept?

Raelond,
The baboons were indeed too close for comfort in that case. In contrast, a wonderful baboon encounter is the guided baboon walk in Simons Town, South Africa (near Cape Town) with Baboon Matters. I wanted to include my experience, but hope it does not freak out anybody considering a safari. If you research how many tourists have been attacked and hurt by baboons in Kenya, you'll probably find none. Problems arise when food is not not properly guarded or stored, which was not my situation.

I hope you're continuing to plan for close encounters with the chimps in Mahale.

PA Kathy,
Sept was a great time to go. I'm sure you'll have a fabulous trip.

Some of the common birds I knew and recognized. The guide did an excellent job in spotting and indentifying the birds too.

For the birds around the lodge, I ID'd them with my bird book. I've also found it helpful to shoot some photos and then ask the guide later what he thinks it is.

If birds are important to you on a safari, mention that when booking so you can get a guide knowledgeable in birds.

I know what you mean about paging through the book. Add a bumpy road and a need to put on the reading glasses to see the page, and the problem compounds. If you travel with like minded people, or book your own trip, then taking time to ID the birds and looking them up works better. The guide will likely have a bird book and will probably be able to flip to the species quickly.

At the end of each day, or even the end of each game drive, you can review your bird lists. Otherwise it is easy to forget.

What also helps is if you can review the most commonly found birds in an area in advance so you are familiar with what you'll be looking at. Sometimes travel companies will send a list to you in your pre-departure pack. You can even ask your guide at the outset to review in your book what you are likely to see to narrow the focus. Out of a whole bird book only about 5% is what you have a reasonable shot at. Looking at lists from trip reports is another way to prepare.

I've wondered about the birdwatching download or app or whatever it is. That might be useful, but I'm ignorant of that technology. And would it work over there and would it cost a lot every time you looked up a bird?

couple more suggestions--

Those little post-its designed as bookmarks can help for faster location of species in the book if you divide up the sections.

Many camps and lodges have staff that like to share their knowledge and interact with guests. They can be good resources for bird watching or resident animal viewing. You can ask at the desk or sometimes informal conversations can lead to an impromptu midday bird walk on the premises--where an armed escort is not needed. Places like Mara Serena have a formal midday guided birdwalk for a reasonable cost.

Lynn I can't believe I completely forgot that I had a close encounter with a baboon as we stopped on our way to the Crater. As I was looking at the baboons out the left side of our vehicle, a baboon attemped to climb in the open window on the right side. When I noticed him I let out a scream that probably scared the daylights out of him. In my own subtle way I am working on my husband for Mahale in 2013 after I retire.

Waiting patiently for you to reach the Mara Triangle and the Serena Lodge. Would like to get a different perspective on somewhere we just visited.

Will be getting there soon, Indiancouple. Can I use the excuse of being attacked by baboons again to justify my delayed report? Actually I just need to "sync" some photos on Picassa, a process I see you are familiar with. I will get there well before Raelond heads to Mahale.

<i>I fought off the baboons and finished the Mara Talek part. Serena is next. </i>

<u>Other vehicles, sightings, and photos</u>
Overall, I’d break down the vehicle encounters throughout the Mara, with the exception of waiting at the river crossings as:
<b>80%</b> of the time, <b>no other vehicles</b> in sight—pretty good considering the landscape is mostly flat and it is possible to see for miles, viewing vehicles on the horizon
<b>15%</b> of the time, <b>other vehicles were visible</b> as we drove
<b>5%</b> of the time, we <b>shared sightings</b> with at least one other vehicle

* Shortly after departing Olekiombo Air Strip we saw <b>3 vehicles off road</b>, gathered around a clump of bushes. Looking through my binoculars, I saw about 4 sleeping <b>lions</b>. I requested that we continue on and I hoped I wouldn’t encounter a lot of this behavior in the Mara. Fortunately we were able to avoid it most of the time. There really was no need to drive offroad and crowd around to see lions, as we saw lions on every outing except one that was rained out.

* Lioness with a pair of 1-week old cubs. Raphael had heard about this from another guide. Our first outing from Fig Tree was to seek out this special find. It was far away from everything else, which would make sense. After a couple hours of canvassing the general area and one false alarm of a lioness we thought might have been the mother, I saw them in a thicket of grass. We stayed a good distance away and there were no other vehicles in sight. I was pleased that not only did we find the youngest lion cubs I had ever seen, but we had worked on our own to locate them.

Another 3 several hour searches yielded 2 more opportunities to view the <b>lioness and hidden cubs</b>. <b>No vehicles</b> were in sight during any of our visits. When we were departing from our last visit, another car approached to see what we were looking at.

*<b>Courting lions</b> in the shade-<b>no other vehicles.</b>

* Two 2-year old <b>lion cubs</b> out for a stroll—no other vehicles during our viewing, <b>1 other vehicle</b> approached as we left.

* About a dozen sightings of pride members of the lioness with young cubs and of members of another pride. Each <b>lion</b> sighting was <b>alone or shared with one other vehicle.</b>

* A pride of <b>6 lions</b> with up to <b>8 vehicles</b>, spread out nicely so as not to interfere with the cats and allowing everyone good photos. When everyone behaves and disperses, then 8 vehicles does not overwhelm the sighting.

*In 4 outings searching for a coalition of <b>3 cheetahs</b> we were successful twice. Once we joined about <b>12 other vehicles</b>, all behaving very well, remaining on the track. The cheetahs were permitted an unobstructed view of well over 180 degrees in front of them. Unfortunately for the cheetahs there was nothing to catch their attention, nor was there anything behind them. The entire area was devoid of prey. While some of the dozen vehicles came and went, we had about half an hour of civilized, quality cheetah viewing and photographing.

It was when the cheetahs began to move out in search of better hunting grounds that all hell broke loose and vehicles started driving as if they were in a parking lot, right next to the cats. The worst offender was a Tanzanian vehicle with no company name displayed. Next was a green van with the name Moyo. Even a couple of Southern Cross mini vans were in pursuit of the cheetah.

Raphael told me that usually rangers would prevent such antics, but in their absence, it was obvious the drivers were taking advantage. I later reported my observations to the rangers who were stationed outside Fig Tree and they apologized, explaining that the vehicle normally patrolling that area was unavailable that day but would be back in service the next day.

As time passed and one by one the other vehicles left, we rejoined the cheetahs, staying on the road or track, and sharing the sighting with 2 other vehicles, then 1, then <b>just us</b>. At that point, one <b>cheetah</b> was sitting right next to a track and we drove up next to him, took a few photos and moved away.

*For the second encounter with the <b>3 cheetah</b>, we discovered them simultaneously with<b> 2 other vehicles</b> and enjoyed them for about 15 minutes before it started getting crowding with <b>10 vehicles</b> and the <b>cheetah</b> started heading out, hopefully to better hunting grounds.

*On one of our cheetah hunts, we did not find the cats, but did see a sizeable herd of buffalo quenching its thirst in the Talek River. The count was about <b>300 buffalo and no other vehicles.</b>

*I was pleased that <b>5 other vehicles</b> pulled up along with us just before sundown to view a <b>Secretary Bird</b> in a tree top. This was a picturesque photo op and it was nice to partake in this non-predator sighting with others.

* <b>Private viewing</b> for <b>all other birds</b>, except one <b>ostrich family</b> with about 15 2-month old chicks, where <b>another vehicle</b> passed by briefly.

*While watching a <b>pair of jackals</b> for about 10 minutes, <b>another vehicle</b> stopped for a moment and then moved on.

*I wished I could have shared my bat eared fox pair sighting with other vehicles. During the 30 minutes that we sat with them and took many photos, at least half a dozen vehicles passed by these highly visible creatures that were conveniently sitting near the road. Only one vehicle even slowed down to check out what we were looking at. So, <b>bat eared foxes had no other vehicles.</b>

* We drove along the Talek River in an area that Raphael knew was good for leopard. We searched with no vehicles in sight for about an hour when a relaxed leopard on a limb came into view and photo range. For 20 minutes we enjoyed the sighting <b>alone</b> as the <b>leopard</b> occasionally changed positions, opened and shut his eyes, and eventually stretched and hopped to the ground. About that time two other vehicles approached on the opposite side of the river. We tried to point out which way the leopard went, but it had disappeared.

* Later in the day we joined <b>7 other vehicles</b> watching a <b>leopard</b> on the move. That was too many for me and besides, the leopard was heading into thick brush. I managed one photo. As we left, I counted <b>15 vehicles</b> converging on the scene of <b>where the leopard had once been.</b> I remarked at the stark contrast between the 15 vehicles and our peaceful morning sighting of a leopard.

* We watched a huge troop of <b>banded mongoose</b>, all scattered over flat terrain. <b>One other vehicle</b> approached, stopped for a few seconds, and did us a huge favor. It caused a group of 5 mongoose of all ages to assemble in picturesque form as they observed the other vehicle.

* <b>Zero vehicles</b> encroached on our <b>antelope and wildebeest</b> sightings.

* <b>Occasionally one other vehicle</b> was around for <b>giraffe and zebra.</b>


<u>Mara Sarova</u>
Enroute between Fig Tree and Serena we used Sekennai Gate and made a stop for fuel at Mara Sarova. What a huge place this is with lovely grounds, bridges, and a place to go fishing. It was nearly 100% occupied so the only room they could show me entailed a 15 minute stroll through the expansive property. The tented camp room looked great and views from it were of brush covered terrain. On the roads we took that passed near Sarova, we saw hardly any vehicles—maybe 2 at most.

The album contains 80 photos of the Talek area. #11-16 are of Fig Tree or wildlife on the Fig Tree grounds.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Violette...wE&feat=email#

cant believe other vehicles didn't stop for the bat eared foxes! they are a lovely sighting!
Very nice that you had the opportunity to enjoy such a nice leopard sighting! I can only dream and hope I will encounter one as well when I return to tanzania ;)

I know what you mean about the Bat! Eared! Foxes! They're a gem of a find.

I really hope we see the Bat-eared Fox! What about Ground Hornbills? Has anybody seen them?

az3; ive seen many Ground Hornbills in Manyara, not so much elsewhere if I remember correctly

Let your guide know of your interest in these fascinating birds. I saw some about every 4-5 days in the Mara. There was a nice family that I saw one time around Fig Tree.

Early mornings and late afternoons are good times for the bat eared foxes.

Wonderful report and photos! Great photos! Been meaning to chime in. Really enjoying your adventure. Thank you!