Self Drive Kenya Safari - July 2013

[africapurohit]

@@Safari Cal another stunning collection - too many to single out. Love the Batllestar Galacica reference .

[Tdgraves]

Beautiful, evocative pictures. You are a very talented photographer. I am now sold on the Canon 300mm F2.8. Thanks for your trip report.

 

Dear @@Safari Cal - is this the lens that you used in most of these shots (you don't have it listed under the camera equipment thread...)? I think your photos are great, especially the birds - I assume that you mainly use the 1D?

[Soukous]

Great TR @@Safari Cal, LOVE the photos, especially the kingfishers and spoonies.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Soukous

[Safari Cal]

Hi @@africapurohit, I'm a big Sci-Fi fan as is @@laurab, we loved BSG, definite sleep deprivation tv though

 

Hi @@Tdgraves, thats right, the 1DX with 300/2.8II + 2x converter. I flitted between that and the 100mm L macro on this trip and the occasional use of the Sigma 10-20mm. The 1DX/2.8 combo took a little getting used to, but I think I improved as the trip went on.

 

Cheers @@Soukous, the Kingys are my personal faves

[michael-ibk]

@@Safari Cal Love the Batllestar Galacica reference .

 

So Say We All! Love the bird pics, especially the kingfishers!

[Safari Cal]

So say we all @michael-ibk Thanks

[TonyQ]

Great pictures - amazing kingfishers!

[Morkel Erasmus]

Nice report so far @Safarical!

Along for the ride now. Would love to drive through Kenya's reserves one day with my family...but I would probably attempt the whole round-trip thing from SA and then you need to include so many countries that the trip will take years to plan

[Safari Cal]

Thanks @@TonyQ, Kingys are one of my fave types of birds

 

Nice report so far @Safarical!

Along for the ride now. Would love to drive through Kenya's reserves one day with my family...but I would probably attempt the whole round-trip thing from SA and then you need to include so many countries that the trip will take years to plan

 

Thanks Morkel. What an awesome adventure that would be travelling up from South Africa with your family, years to plan and almost as long to do it justice!

[Kitsafari]

 

@@Safari Cal Love the Batllestar Galacica reference .

 

So Say We All! Love the bird pics, especially the kingfishers!

Ditto.

 

@@Safari Cal too many wonderful pictures to single out.....

[Atravelynn]

Your itinerary looks great. Very impressive that YOU drove it all.

 

Did that vervet try to rescue the guinea fowl? Great sequence of shots. You have a marvelous collection of closeup shots including the tawny eagle and his guinea fowl meal. The black and whites are beautiful.

It seems cheetahs are instinctively driven to oversee from a high spot, even if it is an unstable bush.

 

Your encounter with Sam had to be very scary. Do you think he was intentionally messing with you?

Looking forward to the lakes.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Atravelynn

[Safari Cal]

Day 9 21 July 2013

 

Maasai Mara

 

We planned to head out on an early morning game drive this morning but Laura woke up with a bad headache and generally feeling a bit under the weather, so she decided that a few extra hours in bed with the curtains drawn would maybe help her to get over whatever it was more quickly.

 

So as it was to be me on my own this morning I decided not to venture too far. I headed down to the Paradise crossing points to see what was happening in the immediate area, and found plenty of Wildebeest, Elephants and a Hyena Clan (North Clan) who seemed to have taken up residence just to the west of the Paradise crossing points.

 

The youngsters were particularly boisterous, as this shot shows. They must have outranked the female shown in this series of shots and boy did they let her know by nipping at her legs. Apparently the matriarch, Waffles, (her offspring are named after different syrups! Hence the name) is very tolerant of lower ranking Hyenas in her clan in contrast to her counterpart from the South Clan.

 

 

It was great to watch the behaviour of the Hyenas as they interacted in the early morning light and to see how the hierarchy actually works in practice. The cubs must belong to Waffles or another higher ranking female, but the poor adult female shown here definitely was nearer to the bottom of the pile! There were Hyenas everywhere, but as the youngsters were causing mayhem there was one wily adult that had settled down away from the rest of the clan who seemed to me to have the right idea.

 

 

After watching the Hyenas for a while, I drove on towards the Hippo Pool view point stopping briefly to watch the Yellow-billed Storks fishing for breakfast, the light was lovely on their feathers but they didn’t appear to be having much luck!

 

 

As I drove on I saw something running along the side of the Mara riverbank back towards the small lugga where the Storks were fishing, and in the direction of the Hyena Clan. It was another Hyena, but it was heading straight across the face of the sun giving me an opportunity of a nice silhouette shot. It never quite worked the way I intended but I like the series of shots anyway.

 

 

To my left the Elephants were enjoying their breakfast as well, around 10-15 of them were walking towards me in the golden morning light giving me a chance to take a few shots, of which my favourite was this quirky ear shot which reminded me of someone indicating in which direction they’re going to turn.

 

 

 

 

I then headed up to the swamp near to Ndovu Campsite seeing plenty of Wildebeest, Zebra and Herons drinking in the swamp.

 

 

 

 

A young Zebra foal really caught my eye because of the wonderful hairstyle it was sporting, very punk looking Mohican effect going on here!

 

 

As I drove back to the paradise crossings heading south past the hippo pools viewpoint I noticed a lone Warthog posing nicely.

 

 

and before I knew it I was back at one of the crossing points watching the White backed, Hooded and Ruppell’s Vultures tucking into the carcasses of unfortunate Wildebeest.

 

 

There was one particularly poignant scene where an adult Wildebeest and calf had been washed together at a rock, what do you think? Doesn't it give the appearance of comforting the young, even in death?

 

 

In terms of Wildebeest action there wasn’t really much happening, so I decided to head back to the lodge, have breakfast and check on how Laura was doing.

 

Next part coming soon...

Edited November 15, 2013 by Safari Cal

[Safari Cal]

Many thanks @@Kitsafari

 

 

Your itinerary looks great. Very impressive that YOU drove it all.

 

Did that vervet try to rescue the guinea fowl? Great sequence of shots. You have a marvelous collection of closeup shots including the tawny eagle and his guinea fowl meal. The black and whites are beautiful.

It seems cheetahs are instinctively driven to oversee from a high spot, even if it is an unstable bush.

 

Your encounter with Sam had to be very scary. Do you think he was intentionally messing with you?

Looking forward to the lakes.

Thanks @@Atravelynn

 

I used to live in Kenya so know the roads quite well and really enjoy the self drive part of our safaris, although it can get tiring at times!

 

I think the Vervet might have got as big a surprise as the Guinnea fowl and that as a reaction to that it decided to attack the Eagle. But I'm not sure about it at all. Anyone else???

 

Sam is a boisterous young bull and I think the camp may have problems with him in a few years time when he's grown a bit. It's always dangerous when a aid animal becomes habituated to humans, and there are at least 2 elephants that are named (Sam and Obama) and regularly visit the camp. He was letting us know who's boss for sure

[Atravelynn]

The fish eagle and pelican encounter is terrific. You really caught the action! You've taken the black background to a whole new level with the spoonbill photos. Yellow billed stork and fish! Such outstanding bird photos. Any theories on the reduced flamingo numbers?

[Safari Cal]

Hi @@Atravelynn, I think.... hit the nail on the head in one of his posts. It's all to do with the rising lake water levels.

 

The increase in water level, by up to 6m, has reduced the salinity of the lake water thereby reducing the algae they feed on which needs an alkaline environment. The freshwater influx has rendered the lake unsuitable for them at the moment, hence the Flamingos have headed north to Lake Bogoria to feed for the time being.

 

These things go in cycles though, and it was only 3 or 4 years ago that the lake water was so low that a similar event happened caused by the lake being too alkaline.

[Atravelynn]

You certainly made the best of the flamingos that were present. Very lovely take off shots of the birds. Extra water is one of the more benign reasons for reduced flamingo activity at Nakuru. The backlit shots are perfect for hyena subjects. The "Together" shot is tremendously moving. You've elevated these carcasses to artistic expression!

[Sangeeta]

You have some magnificent photos, SafariCal! The portraits are particularly expressive. So glad you are continuing with this TR

[Safari Cal]

As you enter the Serena Lodge through the new entrance you look straight out of full height glass wall across the savannah, which gives arriving guests an amazing view from the top of the Serena hill. It’s not designed very well acoustically; noise echoes off the walls making the area feel larger and even more impersonal than it actually is. We didn’t take to it at all, and the bar area to the side of reception is just awful, it was quite a sterile environment I thought. I’m not sure who designed it but I think they could have been a bit more sympathetic in their approach. Below the reception area is the new spa and gymnasium, again this is obviously aimed at the emerging markets the Serena are moving into.

 

 

At the moment you have to go outside and walk along the outside of the building to enter the dining room via the old bar area. The old reception area was a boarded off construction site during our stay, with lots of banging and drilling during the day, but when it’s finished you should be able to access the dining room from the new reception without going outside, although it’s definitely worth it just for the view.

 

After breakfast I thought it best to give Laura at least another hour to rest before I disturbed her. I spent some time on the new viewpoint veranda, scanning the bushes for birds. There were quite a few Sunbirds just in front of me and one Paradise Flycatcher that was giving fleeting glimpses of its beautiful plumage.

 

 

 

I bumped into Musa, one of the Rangers I knew from previous years, as I was taking photos of the Paradise Flycatcher. He took me on a tour of the grounds looking for birds, we started at his accommodation and then walked around the hill on a well travelled footpath used by the lodge Naturalist for his guided walks. There wasn’t too much seen during the walk, but I enjoyed Musa’s company and we had a good chat about the current situation in the Mara. He talked about the increase in poaching, which is becoming a big problem and the management issues on the NCC side, with the possibility of the Conservancy Head Warden taking over the management of the NCC side as well. That can only be a good thing, which probably means it’ll never happen!!! Can you imagine what it would be like having rules that are observed on the NCC side???

 

After around 45 minutes we arrived back at the Lodge. I thanked Musa for the tour and headed back to our room to see how Laura was, and was relieved to see she had improved after her sleep, although she still looked quite ill. However, a shower and some fresh air from the open doors soon perked her up and before I knew it she was saying, “Come on, lets go on a game drive”. That’s my girl I thought.

 

We had a spot of light lunch after which Laura felt she needed another couple of hours sleep before we headed out for our evening safari.

 

Not wanting to travel far, we headed back to the Paradise crossings. On the way down to the crossing points we didn’t see too many vehicles, which was encouraging, however there didn’t appear to be too many Wildebeest either.

 

As we sat by the river we watched the few Wildebeest on the far bank approach the river then turn away again and again repeatedly, we were lucky enough to have 3 Little Bee-eaters to keep us entertained.

 

 

 

 

As well as an agitated hippo, who was trying to assert his dominance. I got a few fight shots but they weren't that good all water and no detail!

 

 

Although there was one hippo that was still lazing well up on the riverbank keeping well out of trouble and looking very comfortable and contented.

 

 

The only other action on the river was the vultures feasting on the carcasses of the unfortunate Wildebeest that had drowned during previous crossings. Sometimes these deaths are caused by vehicles parking too close to the regular crossing points, forcing them to cross at dangerous places with no easy exit points. Shortly after we left there were reports of up to 500 deaths during a single crossing, is that something tourists really want to see?

 

We spotted a couple of Water Thick-knee at the river as well.

 

 

The other side of the river was starting to fill up with Wildebeest, and we became optimistic that they might cross, but as the light started to fade we were left with no option but to head back to the Lodge before it got dark. It had been one of those safari days when there had been plenty of possibilities, but many just hadn’t come to fruition, leaving us hoping for more tomorrow, which would be Laura’s first full day on safari in the Mara.

 

Our fingers were crossed that we’d get the Wildebeest crossing tomorrow.

[Soukous]

Great stuff Cal, anticipating even more to come.

[Safari Cal]

Thanks @@Soukous, I probably could have done a bit better with the last section but was burning the candle at both ends! It reads as if its a bit rushed.

[Safari Cal]

Day 10 22 July 2013

 

Maasai Mara

 

What a sunrise to wake up for!

 

 

We started off the day with a beautiful sunrise, what a welcome to our second morning in the Mara. After taking in this awesome view we headed north and almost straight away we saw a kill. A hyena was feeding on a Wildebeest carcass being harassed by Maribu Storks and various Vultures, yum yum, nice breakfast!

 

 

The Wildebeest seemed to be moving into the area in vast numbers this morning, they had basically taken over the plains as far as the eye could see. It’s always incredible to see this sight, and something I’ll never get tired of seeing.

 

The predators must have been rubbing their paws etc together in anticipation of the feast on legs heading their way. We spent some time watching and listening to the noise of the mega-herd, it’s very comforting listening to the Wildebeest grunts with the occasional neighing of the Zebra and even to see the freeloaders hitching a ride like this Greater Blue Eared Glossy Starling.

 

 

As we watched the herd, we heard the approaching burners of the safari balloons as they approached at low level, and at quite a speed. Having done a balloon safari a couple of years ago with Laura, we know how the excited the tourists on board must have been, getting a birds eye view of the Mara's flora and fauna. Well, when they got a bit of altitude that is!

 

 

We headed to the north of Olpunyata Road towards Oloololo Gate trying to spot the Oloololo Pride but they weren’t around and there were no indicators to their presence, so we turned back south on a different road looking for anything of note. We did get lucky with a new species to add to the list, it was a lovely Grey Kestrel, whilst on the ground below were a cheeky group of Banded Mongoose and then a Black Bellied Bustard flew in to keep them company.

 

 

We retraced our steps heading back into the savannah and were rewarded with a pair of mating Lions. We stayed with them for a while watching the regular 20 minute or so ritual of the male tapping her legs, sniffing her scent using his vomeronasal gland, and then getting down to business. It’s always great to see the future in progress like this. It’s that feeling that there’s hope for the next generation. Fingers crossed. In photography terms it's all about the end of copulation though, that's when you normally hear the camera shutter going into overdrive.

 

 

As it turned out the lions were from different prides, so there may be a reckoning when she eventually gives birth! I believe the female was from the Mugoro Pride whilst the male was from the Oloololo Pride.

 

We cut back across country heading back to Olpuyata road cutting onto it at the marshy area on a bend where we had been charged by an angry bull the year before, there were lots of Wildebeest and Zebra drinking from the relative safety of the swamp. We stopped briefly to take a few photos but it was almost time to head back for breakfast. We put the cameras down and drove on when out of the corner of our eyes we saw something moving through the bushes, it was a lioness, she looked quite thin and definitely interested in feeding. However, the Wildebeest got her scent and they all ran in the opposite direction leaving her to walk casually down to the water for a drink herself.

 

 

We headed back to the lodge for our bucks fizz and breakfast, whilst we planned the rest of the day and to spend some time in the lodge grounds trying to take photos of the resident birds. For Laura, she wanted desperately to get a close up shot of a Variable Sunbird, whilst for me it was the Paradise Flycatcher, but jeez, these guys just weren’t playing!!!

 

We headed back out after a light lunch and found ourselves parked up by the river waiting for something to happen. We saw a pair of crocodiles rolling a carcass and the ubiquitous Vultures still getting stuck into the carcasses. Quite literally! A hippo family woke up and wandered down to the river to cool down and get a bit of respite from the afternoon sun.

 

 

 

 

An Italian couple, also self driving, alerted us to the fact that a crossing was probably going to occur at the next crossing point, so we resolved to get there and wait it out until something happened.

 

Not long after we parked up at the next crossing point we watched a group of Wildebeest approach the river, we thought 'this is it' and so it was, our first crossing, and it consisted of… a single Wildebeest!!! Followed shortly after by a further two Wildebeest! Hmmm, we hadn’t counted on the rest of the herd being such a bunch of chickens.

 

 

A while later a herd of Zebra approached the river and a stallion got straight in and crossed to the other side, but again, the rest of the herd didn’t follow. As the stallion tried to get the rest of his herd to follow, he crossed the river four times. It's a tough life at times being a bloke I thought!

 

 

 

We noticed a film crew on the NCC side and were surprised to see one of them walk down to the waters edge to pick up a rock, it was then I realised it must be Anup Shah collecting his camera which is disguised as a rock, you can see him holding it in the shot below.

 

 

It wasn’t till much later that we actually got a decent crossing, but not in the vast numbers we had dreamt about. But the thing that sticks in your mind is just how hard they make it for themselves! There was such an easy crossing point just a few yards away where the Zebra stallion had crossed earlier, but in the end they chose one that had a very tough exit point, having to clamber over large rocks then climbing up the steepest part of the river bank.

 

 

There was evidence of earlier crossings all around us, with dead Wildebeest littering the river and the injured and dying in the muddy scrapes where their struggles became too much. The crocodiles were also much in evidence in the river and lazing on the riverbanks.

 

A young Wildebeest got its second wind and escaping the thick mud that had trapped it, struggled back to its feet and stumbled into the river. We all willed it to get out as it reached the first exit point, but it turned back and sadly straight into the jaws of a waiting croc. We watched as it was dragged under, struggling against the inevitable end. It was sad to watch as its bleats stopped and its final breaths bubbled up from beneath the ripples.

 

We decided that we needed to end the day on a happier note and headed away from the river and caught up with our mating Lions again, so we just had to have our obligatory glass of red wine, which has become a bit of a tradition whenever we come across mating Lions. Sorry about the title of the next photo, but it did seem to fit!!!

 

 

Now, to really put a smile on our faces, we noticed something in the distance, a couple of fair sized shapes, we looked at each other, ‘No way!’ it was a mother and adolescent Black Rhino. But some distance away and with no tracks leading to the area they were in. We had plenty of time left so we decided to take a chance and hope to get a better viewing on another occasion.

 

 

What a cool day it had been. We watched as the Wildebeest headed away from the river in a long line following the butt in front of them. Now we felt happy again, and felt like we were really back in the Mara.

 

[Kitsafari]

thanks @@Safari Cal for sharing your wonderful stories. i particularly find the picture of the hippo family most heartwarming, with the adult hippo turning aside seemingly to reassure the baby hippo.

[Geoff]

Good stuff. @@Safari Cal lovely bustard in flight shot.

[Soukous]

more great photos and stories @@Safari Cal. Magic to see black rhino as well.

[Safari Cal]

Thanks @@Kitsafari, moments before the 3 hippos stopped what they were doing to watched a Wildebeest carcass float slowly past, it was a strange thing to watch and appeared to be some kind of cognisance of the fate that had befallen the unfortunate animal.

 

Thanks @@Geoff, I was taking shots of a Grey Kestrel when I caught sight of it, had to quickly readjust and rapid fire a series of shots as it came in to land around 30 yards away.

 

Thanks @@Soukous, we got lucky with the Rhino on a couple of occasions, we had them all to ourselves a couple of days later when a mother and calf walked right past our vehicle, it was incredible, too close to get in the frame, so we just watched and took it all in