Ruaha and Zanzibar - September / October 2014

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

After observing the activities of a troop of Baboons at the bank of Ruaha River for a while, we moved on.

Two shots of my favorite Candelabra tree (Euphorbia Candelabrum) with grazing Impalas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A tree broken by elephants:

 

 

 

 

... and here are the elephants themselves:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this time I saw several huge flocks of large birds coming towards us. Initially I couldn't recognize them, but when they came closer it was obvious that these were pelicans. What a sight!

 

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2015 by FlyTraveler

[Kitsafari]

Love the reflections of the baboons in the waters.

[Tom Kellie]

 

 

Tom, there are several trip reports about Ruaha on this website, all totally fascinating and most of them with better photos than mine. At least three or four reports are about walking safaris with Kichaka Expeditions, an absolutely amazing venture for discriminating safari lovers. I would strongly advise you to go through these reports in details when you have time and you will see that a different world will unfold in front of your eyes... I don't mention the authors just because I am afraid that I might miss someone.

 

 

~ @FlyTraveler:

 

Thank you for the most helpful suggestion.

I've yet to go on a walking safari, so what you've endorsed is an interesting possibility.

Your photos certainly are effective in arousing my interest in Ruaha.

I'm learning that Safaritalk has the effective of gradually increasing one's awareness of prime safari destinations.

Without your report and others, Ruaha wouldn't stand out in my thoughts.

Many thanks!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

 

@@Tom Kellie,

 

I don't think Fly would mind me inserting a link for you ...my walking report (Not NEARLY the pics, its difficult for a "newbie" at walking, to walk and click the camera at the same time! But gives another perspective of Ruaha..

 

 

http://safaritalk.net/topic/11573-kichaka-expeditions-first-walking-safari-sept-2013/

 

(Thanks Flytraveler-- I am always promoting Moli's skills in the bush)

 

 

~ @graceland:

 

Thank you for that link.

Clicking a shutter while strolling along, watching one's step must be a delicate balancing act.

I respect those who do it well.

Your endorsement of a walking safari increases my interest in doing that, whenever feasible.

Tom K.

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

Continuing with the morning game drive on Oct. 04 and the flocks of Pelicans. Some of them were flying in geometrically perfect formation like WWII bombers on a mission:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Others were trying to break into the formation like enemy fighter planes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the pelicans were still flying above us another breeding herd of elephants came closer:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

Some Masai giraffes after the elephants. These two species can be found in Ruaha NP every step of the way. Still we stopped and took photographs almost every time we encountered them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later on Alphonce found a dead Impala and we were wondering what had happened to her. Our hope was that the Impala was killed by a cheetah which for some reason left the prey with the idea to return to it later. We could not see any signs of a kill, but still waited for about half an hour, then drove around for another half an hour with the hope to see a cheetah. This was the ideal cheetah habitat at Ruaha NP - the open plains. We had not seen a cheetah since our Kenyan safaris in 2013 and this animal has become for us more valuable than a leopard. Unfortunately we did not see a cheetah during our entire six days stay in the park.

 

An oxpecker on the Impala carcass:

 

 

 

Life goes on for the other Impalas - grazing peacefully under the shade of an acacia tree (the presence of the Impala herd was a clear indicator that there weren't any predators around):

 

 

 

A group of Impalas with a Baboon picking on elephant dung :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Marks]

Really like the shot of the giraffe about to cross the track.

[Atravelynn]

The pelicans are fabulous! I was referring to those in post #330, but then went back to some previous missed posts and those are full of pelicans too, along with yellow-billed storks. I'd be in that cheetah more valuable than leopard camp too.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Atravelynn

[FlyTraveler]

The pelicans are fabulous! I was referring to those in post #330, but then went back to some previous missed posts and those are full of pelicans too, along with yellow-billed storks. I'd be in that cheetah more valuable than leopard camp too.

 

Thanks, Lynn! There will be plenty of birds in flight, landing and taking off (Yellow-billed storks and African spoonbills) on the next day in Ruaha (our last), I just need to get to that point with the report Ruaha is a paradise for bird lovers.

[TonyQ]

@@FlyTraveler

The pelicans in formation are superb - and great to see the elephants and giraffe!

[Atravelynn]

Those baobabs in #260 are gorgeous.

 

Beautiful leopard in #280. Your instincts were right about the cat. How nice you got to watch it for 2 hours.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Atravelynn

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

A very rare for us sight - four Kirk's dik-diks together. Up to this moment we have seen them only in pairs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suddenly they decided that it was time for a run:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A female Masai giraffe with an oxpecker:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2015 by FlyTraveler

[michael-ibk]

Very nice Dikdik shots! Was this a family?

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

Masai giraffe and Impalas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zebras and baobabs:

 

 

 

A female zebra with a foal:

 

 

 

 

 

...and another Masai giraffe:

 

 

 

 

[Caracal]

@Fly Traveler - Love your description of the pelicans' flying formation to accompany those great shots and I'm quite taken with those dikdik shots including the leaping one.

[FlyTraveler]

Very nice Dikdik shots! Was this a family?

 

Thanks Michael, I didn't know if this was a family. Usually they hang out by pairs, not sure what happens when the young ones become "teens", until what age/size they stay with the family and how do we recognize a "teen" dik-dik

[FlyTraveler]

@Fly Traveler - Love your description of the pelicans' flying formation to accompany those great shots and I'm quite taken with those dikdik shots including the leaping one.

 

Thanks @@Caracal, that was quite a sight for us (the flying pelicans).

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

It was about time to justify the name of the safari company that we hired for our trip to Ruaha NP - Warthog Adventures. Most of the warthogs would run away when approached at a close distance, but this extended family looked very calm:

 

 

 

 

 

A curious one:

 

 

 

A stand-off:

 

 

 

More Elephants in the Mwagusi dry riverbed:

 

 

 

 

Pride of lions using the shade at the edge of Mwagusi dry riverbed. Could not get a good angle for shooting (images). The restriction for driving off-road didn't help either:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2015 by FlyTraveler

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

More Masai giraffes under an acacia tree:

A close-up of a female Masai giraffe:

A close-up of the male counterpart:

Here is one of our favorite animals that that we have not seen since our safari in Kenya - the Grant's gazelle, actually a group of Grant's gazelles. Most sightings of Grant's gazelles that we have had up to this moment were at Selenaky Private Conservancy in the ecosystem of Amboseli National Park (on daily basis), I still can not remember if we saw any in Masai Mara and the private conservancies to the north of the national reserve. I knew that there were Grant's gazelles in Ruaha NP and was even kind of surprised that we saw them just once for 7 days stay (six full days, since we arrived at noon and departed in the early afternoon).

Grant's gazelles and Masai giraffes:

Running Grant's gazelle:

 

Edited April 30, 2015 by FlyTraveler

[FlyTraveler]

Oct. 04, 2014. Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Morning game drive

Another sequence of running Grant's gazelle:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the last sighting of our morning game drive on our last full day in Ruaha NP. Still two game drives to go and plenty to see before our departure for Zanzibar.

[TonyQ]

It is very interesting to see the gazelle's legs as it is running - frozen! It reminds me of those very early photos where they discovered the way that horses run.

[pault]

I know what you mean about the gazelles. So common in places you barely notice them but I really miss them when they aren't there.

[graceland]

Love the dancing gazelles! When I observe impalas and gazelles running, I always think of ballet - the grace, the legs, the quickness and some good muscle tone!

 

Great shots!

[Marks]

Great sequence of the Grant's gazelles. The last shot in particular is very crisp, with nice shadow along its neck.

[Atravelynn]

Great running gazelles! If they only are showing up once a week, at least they put on a decent show. And nicely grouped warthogs. The no-off-road can thwart a few shots, like the lions, but you have not missed very many.