News Flash ©

She's back,

Same place but perhaps a new Mama Owl.

You can find mom sitting here--in the same broken-off saguaro, around the same time of year--for fourteen years the owls have made this their nesting place.

She is sitting on three babies this year!

Three little faces trying to look down at you!

I'm trying to keep my eye on you!

Come back and watch us grow....

(Copyright 2014)

Mount Kilimanjaro ©

Amboseli National Park

We leave Lake Nakuru and the Great Rift Valley behind, and travel overland to Kenya's Amboseli National Park, near the border with Tanzania. In the background is the majestic snow-covered flattop of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is actually in Tanzania

(Copyright 2014)

Lake Nakuru National Park ©

The park is home to a relatively large population of black and white rhinos.  And sure enough the first animal we spot off in the distance was"our first" black rhino.  The black, or hook-lipped rhinoceros is one species of rhinoceros and even though the rhino is referred to as black, its color varies from brown to gray.  The black rhinos are considered more solitary animals and stay their distance--the one we found was too far away for a great picture.

The other African rhinoceros is the white rhinoceros--the word white is a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word wyd, derived from the Dutch word wijd for wide, referring to its square upper lip.  White rhinoceros are more social and can be found in groups or roaming closer to other animals, hence the great pictures.  The color of the white rhino also varies from brown to gray.

The waterbuck passing by in the distance gives you an idea on how big this guy is up close and personal!

If you look closely, you can see the Red-billed Oxpeckers having a free ride, taking the ticks and flies from the body of this mammal.  This big, ugly, host rhino seems pleased with the oxpeckers' work, holding still and hoping the oxpecker won't get too rough in his ear.

Everything seems peaceful in the bush even though this huge guy is passing by.  The Gray Crowned Cranes don't even look up and the ducks are happy playing in their space in the water, but the impala may be a little concerned.

A content rhino and best friend!

(Copyright 2014)

Africa con't ©

As we are on an afternoon game drive in Tanzania's Lake Manyara National Park, we come upon a small Parade of Elephants.  

They are in their glory, sucking up the red water in a Kalahari sand bottom stream...  If these gentle giants aren't tossing the Kalahari sand on their backs for protection from the sun, they are rolling in it, blowing it and just enjoying it!

What a beautiful sight to see these huge animals in their world!

They are just moseying along at their own pace without a care.

And then it is time to go! 

(Copyright 2014)

African Birds, in Color! ©

Top Little Bee-eaters

Bottom left White-fronted Bee-eaters

 bottom right Carmine Bee-eater

                                                                       Woodland Kingfisher

Chestnut-billed Kingfisher                                    Malachite Kingfisher

Double-collared Sunbird

                                 Variable Sunbird

                     European Roller

                           

                                Crested Hoopoe

Eastern Paradise Whydah

Yellow Weaver Nests                                                               Yellow Weaver

      White-headed Buffalo-Weaver                          Yellow Weaver weaving a new nest!

 Common Bulbul

 Silverbird

Red Bishop                                 Fisher's Lovebirds

(Copyright 2014)

                                     

                                 

                                                                 

Africa Con't. ©

Chobe National Park and The Okavango Delta,
Botswana

The small and beautiful--the Lilic Breasted Roller, the most photographed bird in Africa.  There is a story about this beauty--it doesn't fly away when you approach.  The question is why?  The colors of this bird are so beautiful and colorful that the flying insects think it is a flower.  So all it has to do it sit still and dinner is delivered!

  

Above to the right is the Carmine Bee-eater, which feeds while sailing up to 330 feet in the air.

Paradise Whydah male has a large "bump" near the base on its tail which makes him distinctive in flight.  He seaches for seeds on the ground by scratching with both legs and then hopping back to see what has been uncovered.  Jacobin Cuckoo feeds on caterpillars, foraging by hopping from branch to branch snatching insects from the foliage.

The Little Bee-eater is often seen in pairs perched in tall grass or twiggy bushes.  The Kori Bustard, on the right, is one of the world's heaviest flying birds but in fact it rarely flies.  It feeds chiefly on grasshoppers, dung beetles, small reptiles, rodents, seeds, roots and wild melons.

The big and ugly--the White-backed Vulture will gorge itself on more than two pounds of food.  At some carcasses up to 200 of these vultures may gather.  The African Fish-Eagle hunts from perches over water.  It feeds on large fish that swim near the surface.  The Fish-Eagle will also take young flamingos, ducks, nesting waders, crocodile hatchlings, monitor lizards, and turtles.  It is a pirate, and will snatch fish from herons, pelicans, storks, and even kingfishers.

We can't forget the Red-billed Oxpeckers, always looking for a free ride, taking the ticks and flies from the bodies of short-or sparse-haired mammals!

Doesn't matter how tall, big or ugly, the host animals seem pleased with the oxpeckers' work, holding still except when they get too rough in their nostrils and ears.

The 4x4 takes us through the bush, down the trails and around a corner where we run right into this lioness!  We watch her with curiosity as she watches us watching her.  The next thing we see is the male lion also looking at the lioness but not with curiosity!  We were really, really lucky to see both the male and female together.

And our luck continued as we came upon the Painted Dogs--they aren't seen by many.  Not only did we see the Painted Dogs-- we witnessed their kill.

Not pretty at all... But it is nature.

(Copyright 2014)