Dinner on the Fly! ©

 In the right place at the right time!

(Copyright 2014)

The Second Family of Owls ©

Just about ready to leave the nest...

Three babies ready to fly the coop!

(Copyright 2014)

The Rest of the Story...©

 Found in Chobe National Park, Botswana

 The Northern Banded Groundling isn't an easy species to capture--the coloration blends in with the earthy background where it is normally found.  Goundlings are well named as they are so often found around the feet of cattle and wild animals.

The Rock Monitor or Tree Leguaan--there are over 59 different species in this monitor lizard family, including the fearsome Komodo Dragon. A few of these are commonly found in the pet trade.  Rock monitor lizards inhabit woodlands, dry savanna, evergreen thickets and swamps in central and southern Africa and are not found on the pet list.

Victoria Falls Mosi-oa-Tunya (meaning "Smoke That Thunders") National Park,  Zimbabwe  

When is the best time to visit the falls?

A tricky question because it depends on what you are looking for.  If you want to see the falls at its most impressive, you'll want to see it when it is flowing well--in the wet season.

In the dry season you can get closer to the falls. You will miss the showers from the mist off of the falls, but if the sun is shining you will see a rainbow in every picture!

The Vervet Monkey is an arboreal monkey--meaning it spends most of its time in the safety of the trees. They do venture down to the ground in search of food and water but wander no more than 500 yards since they are vulnerable to a variety of predators--including the baboon...

Vervet monkeys that live near areas inhabited by people can become pests, stealing food and other items.  They are good climbers, jumpers and swimmers.

Baboons are common in Victoria Falls where they have learned they can have an easy life living off the scraps left by their messy relative, man. 

The first month, an infant baboon stays very close to its mother.  The mother carries the infant next to her stomach as she travels, holding it with one hand.  After the young baboon is five to six weeks old it will ride on her back, hanging by all four limbs, and after a few months it rides jockey style, sitting upright.  When four to six months old the young baboon begins to spend most of its time with the other juveniles.

New friends and home away from home for three nights.  Four days and three nights in the beautiful Okavango Delta.

Each camp that we arrive at the staff are awaiting our arrival and ready to welcome us!

Leopard Tortoise, one of the Little Five.
The rest of the Little Five:  Lion Ant, Buffalo Weaver, Rhinoceros Beetle, and Elephant Shrew

 

Flame Lily, national flower of Zimbabewe, but facing extinction.
It is illegal to harvest or trade, pick or sell but a flame lily poacher from the slum of east Harare says that he makes a good living from it.

Arriving at Lufupa Tented Camp in the Kafue National Park where the the Lufupa and Kafue Rivers meet in Zambia.

The Blue water lily (Tswii) is common in the waterways of the Okavango and other waterways and rivers in Africa.  It has many medicinal uses-- helping with bladder problems, asthma, blisters, diabetes, infertility and skin problems are a few.  Closely associated with the water lily is the African Jacana, a medium-sized brown bird called the lily-trotter or the jesus bird.  The Jacana's foot distributes its weight so evenly that it can walk on the floating lily leaves and stems, so it appears to be walking on water.

A few foods prepared in the remote tented camps--

Southern Ground-Hornbill with its striking red facial and throat skin is the largest hornbill in the world.  It is named for its habit of walking on the ground as it feeds and rarely is seen in flight.

The Nile Monitor or Water Leguaan is a large member of the monitor lizard family, and can grow to about 3 feet 11 inches to 5 feet 3 inches in length. 

The Spotted Hyena is known as a scavenger and often dines on the leftovers of other predators.  But they also possess great intelligence and hunting skills.  Spotted hyenas are quite vocal, and make a wide variety of sounds, including the "laughing" that has been associated with their name.

Ostriches are flightless birds that are built for running.  They are the fastest bird species, with a maximum running speed of about 40 mph, and can cover 10 to 16 feet in a single stride.  An Ostrich can weigh as much as 400 pounds and its kick is powerful enough to kill a lion.

Ostriches are omnivores, chowing down on whatever is available--mostly plants, leaves, seeds and roots.  But they also eat insects and small animals like lizards.

Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand.
If an ostrich nest is threatened, the ostrich will flop to the ground and remain still, laying its head against the sand to try to blend in with it.  So only the body is visible from a distance and it does look like the ostrich has buried its head in the sand.

The Wildebeest are antelopes that look like no other antelope.
It is said that the wildebeest were assembled from all the spare parts--they have the forequarters that could have come from the ox, the hindquarters from the antelope, the mane and tail from the horse.  They have also earned the name "clowns of the savanna" from the antics they display during breeding season.

The Golden Jackal is a shy animal, mainly nocturnal, but is commonly seen during the day in protected areas like game reserves and national parks.  

The Kori Bustard is the largest bird which actually flies, and is noted for  

the elaborate display of the male during breeding season: inflating his esophagus (commonly known as the gullet) to four times the usual size, erecting the neck feathers and fanning the tail to expose their white under-tail coverts, along with a deep booming call.  His display can last for several days--but once a female has chosen a male the actual copulation is brief, lasting only seconds.

The Massai People's livelihood and social structures are based around the management of livestock.

Traditionally, the roles of individuals in Maasai communities are "age-group" determined.  The most celebrated male age-group is the Morani (warrior group) serving for approximately 10 years beginning in their late teens or early twenties.

Body modification by piercing and stretching of the earlobes is common among the Massai.  Both men and women wear wooden bracelets--the women regularly weave and bead the jewelry which plays an essential part in the ornamentation of their body. 

The last four nights and five days were spent at Serengeti Simba Lodge, in Tanzania.
www.simbaportfolio.com
Five weeks of safari--what an adventure!

(Copyright 2014)

Hippos in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania ©

The Hippopotamus, or hippo, from the ancient Greek word "river horse" is shaped like a barrel and is quite bulky.  

They have enormous mouths and teeth,

and their bodies are nearly hairless,

with stubby legs...

Despite its stocky shape and short legs the hippopotamus can easily outrun a human.  Hippos have been been clocked at 19 mph over short distances.

The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive animals in the world and ranks as the most dangerous in Africa.  Even with their tremendous size, they are still threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and IVORY canine teeth. 

The hippopotamus is semiaquatic, inhabiting rivers, lakes and swamps.   Territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river along with groups of five to thirty females and young (a group is called a pod, herd, dale or bloat).  They remain cool by staying in the water or mud during the day (even reproduction and childbirth occur in the water).  They emerge from the water at dusk to graze on the grasses.

(Copyright 2015)