Tsavo West, Amboseli, Meru & Samburu — January, 2015

[Tom Kellie]

Dendrohyrax arboreus

Several Dendrohyrax arboreus, Southern Tree Hyrax, live around the Trout Tree

restaurant's central Strangler Fig tree. This Dendrohyrax arboreus was yawning

when we walked past. Although there's an intimidating display of its dentition, it was

a yawn which ended moments after we saw it, returning to its quiet, low-key ways.

Dendrohyrax arboreus Detail

Yawning Dendrohyrax arboreus

Dendrohyrax arboreus on a Cool Tin Roof

[TonyQ]

@@Tom Kellie

I have only got up to post 31(we have been away in Borneo) - the Vulturine Guineafowl is beautiful! I have loved your photos -lots of interesting details at the start and I find your writing very engaging. I am really looking forward to savouring the rest of this report.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie

I have only got up to post 31(we have been away in Borneo) - the Vulturine Guineafowl is beautiful! I have loved your photos -lots of interesting details at the start and I find your writing very engaging. I am really looking forward to savouring the rest of this report.

 

~ @TonyQ:

 

Welcome back from Borneo!

I'm so glad to know that you liked the Vulturine Guineafowl image. There may be more as the report continues.

Your warm encouragement is highly appreciated. Having read your multiple-leopard report, I was inspired to write mine, albeit without the leopards, although one or two may appear before it concludes.

Five days later I'll return to Kenya for another safari, so the trip report writing will be interrupted for several days.

It's an honor for me to receive your very kind comment.

Tom K.

[Atravelynn]

; do not fret about rules. There are none. Except be nice. No bullying and advise everyone of the upcoming safari plans as you go move further along

While not a rule ON the forum, I think whooping in the vehicle might be frowned upon, even if it is for a black shouldered kite!

 

But please continue to post pictures of this bird and everything else!

Edited April 26, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

Just fabulous Ele-Kili-pictures, really love these! Such a quintessential safari image!

My thoughts exactly.

 

Do you think the time of year you went contributed to such good luck seeing the mountain? I think I asked you before why you chose January but I missed your reply. Pardon!

Edited April 26, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

 

Unexpected Lunch Guest

The trout lunch had begun when an unexpected visitor arrived. The Trout

Tree restaurant is situated on a stable wood plank platform surrounding

the massive trunk of an old Ficus thonningii tree. A head poked through

the rope fencing — it was a Colobus guereza, Guereza Colobus monkey.

It was a well-mannered impromptu lunch guest, making no sound,

causing no trouble, doing no more than breaking bread with us

before leaving as quietly as it had arrived.

Silent Visitor

 

Very funny. I've had worse dining companions.

[Tom Kellie]

 

; do not fret about rules. There are none. Except be nice. No bullying and advise everyone of the upcoming safari plans as you go move further along

While not a rule ON the forum, I think whooping in the vehicle might be frowned upon, even if it is for a black shouldered kite!

 

But please continue to post pictures of this bird and everything else!

 

 

~ @Atravelynn:

 

Very true!

My only audible whoops are generally when seated in front of the computer screen at home in Beijing, when a safari image appears for the first time and it's a beauty!

There are frequently images and comments by Safaritalk members which elicit a sound of recognition at a truth revealed.

While in the vehicle I eschew much in the way of sound, with the music running through my thoughts unexpressed by my cracked voice.

When any particularly compelling wildlife is spotted, I'll often say to myself below the hearing of Anthony or any students with me something like the following:

• ‘Here we go!’

• ‘Showtime!’

• ‘Oh, my!’

• ‘Well, well, well...’

• ‘Now that's a mama!’

• ‘C'mon, Tom, get your camera up!’

The last one seems to be the most frequent.

I'll attach an image taken of a sign in the Hong Kong Wetland Park 香港湿地公园, outside of a bird hide, which reflects my own feelings when out on a game drive.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

 

Just fabulous Ele-Kili-pictures, really love these! Such a quintessential safari image!

My thoughts exactly.

 

Do you think the time of year you went contributed to such good luck seeing the mountain? I think I asked you before why you chose January but I missed your reply. Pardon!

 

 

~ @Atravelynn:

 

Thank you to both you and @@michael-ibk for your generous compliments about the elephants and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

When we parked and watched the elephants passing by in an orderly file there was a strong feeling of being an eyewitness to one of our planet's classic spectacles.

As to why we were blessed with such fine views of Mt. Kilimanjaro, I'm not sure that I have enough experience to assess that.

Last evening @@Safaridude kindly referred me to current Kenya weather maps, explaining to me that rainfall has been seriously reduced of late. That being the case, it's possible that phenomenon has resulted in less shrouding cloud cover over the volcano's summit.

It was my third visit to Amboseli in as many years, yet it was the only occasion when viewing Kilimanjaro was the dominant impression of the game drives.

Perhaps it's telling that my guide, Anthony, and the staff at the Amboseli Sopa Lodge were themselves taking photos on the mountain, which is unlike the previous two visits.

• Why January?

As much as anything, my travels are shaped by China's academic calendar for universities and graduate schools.

I serve on the faculty of two research universities in Beijing, where life science and medical students are granted vacation periods in two major seasons and two brief interludes. Accordingly, that's when I'm able to go on safari.

There's a Summer vacation in late July and August, short vacations in early May for Chinese Labor Day and in early October for China's National Day. Various safaris correspond to those times, which is why I'm flying to Kenya at the end of this week.

The Lunar New Year ‘Spring Festival’ shifts each year. This year it was in mid-February, which meant that there was a prolonged break from mid-January to the latter part of February.

The second half of January seemed ideal. I'd planned to return to Venice, Italy for a week, as I enjoy Winter visits there, but finally opted for Kenya.

In retrospect the late January timing was ideal — few other visitors anywhere, gorgeous weather and ample sightings of birds, wildflowers, reptiles, insects and mammals.

I'd liked to have gone earlier this week, but on Thursday I'll be in the classroom from 8 am to 5 pm, on Monday Montblanc has invited me to give a staff training, and on Wednesday one of my former students, who is now a UC Berkeley chemistry professor, will have lunch with me. All of these are important, thus the departure for Kenya has been pushed back to just past midnight on Friday.

Any visit to Kenya is a joy, thus I take what's available. I'll discuss with Anthony the possibility of a safari in late July.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Very funny. I've had worse dining companions.

 

~ @Atravelynn:

 

While it didn't pick up the check, the colobus was tidy, well-mannered and admirably reserved.

What's not to like?

Colobus are always welcome at — or under — my table.

Tom K.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Tom Kellie

[Tom Kellie]

Nursing Mother

A mother Colobus guereza had given birth a few days before we

arrived at the Trout Tree restaurant. She remained in the upper

branches of a jacaranda tree, nursing her all-white infant.

Much of her baby's fur will turn black as it gets older.

Holding Her Infant

Nursing Mother in a Jacaranda Tree

Colobus guereza Mother Nursing Her Newborn Baby

[michael-ibk]

Very special sighting, lovely to see. Made my morning.

 

P.S.:

 

And welcome back, Mrs. Q ( @@Thursday's Child) and @@TonyQ , hope you both had a fantastic trip and we will be hearing all about it!

Edited April 26, 2015 by michael-ibk

[Tom Kellie]

Colobus guereza at the Trout Tree Restaurant

We were invited to visit an outbuilding near the restaurant where the caretaker

who specializes in the locally resident animals let us photograph several

Colobus guereza. He remembered me from prior visits, very graciously

enabling us to photograph the monkeys from a fairly accessible location.

Agile Climber

Colobus guereza Portrait

A Distinctive Shawl in Black and White

Braced on a Tree Trunk

Rapt Attention

[Tom Kellie]

Very special sighting, lovely to see. Made my morning.

 

 

~ @michael-ibk:

 

You've made my evening by telling me.

Severe Internet and site access problems have aggravated the uploading process.

Without intending to, an odd site software glitch caused a comment to appear thrice on @@Safaridude's current active trip report.

Before seeing the Colobus guereza newborn, I had no idea that they were born without the characteristic black fur of adults.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Colobus guereza Portraits

One Colobus guereza descended from a jacaranda tree to perch on

a flat-topped post. Its calm demeanor allowed me to slowly approach

until I reached the focal limit of the Zeiss Apo-Sonnar T* 135mm f/2 ZE

manual focus telephoto lens. These handheld portraits were made at a

distance of slightly more than one meter, thanks to one of the most

cooperative subjects I've ever photographed.

Perching Colobus

Colobus guereza in Profile

Visionary

Burguret River Denizen

Colobus guereza Close-up

Colobus guereza at Close Range

[Atravelynn]

 

Very funny. I've had worse dining companions.

 

~ @Atravelynn:

 

While it didn't pick up the check, the colobus was tidy, well-mannered and admirably reserved.

What's not to like?

Colobus are always welcome at — or under — my table.

Tom K.

 

Had I scrolled down further, I would have seen a truly wonderful Colobus sighting--the nursing mother. Now that's a mama! In every respect.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Atravelynn

[graceland]

I love the photo of the nursing mother and baby @@Tom Kellie

( I need to re-learn my copy skills;the last two I've tried to copy simply disappeared. )

 

 

 

 

 

 

And to think you are at a restaurant. Africa is full of surprises

Edited April 26, 2015 by graceland

[TonyQ]

Still catching up and enjoying your bird photos

@@Tom Kellie

Post No.48

Photo of your breakfast.

I love the advertisements that ask "What does your watch say about you?". (I have the same cheap Timex watch). It tells me you can check the time in the dark and that you don't need to impress people with your watch!

[Tom Kellie]

 

Had I scrolled down further, I would have seen a truly wonderful Colobus sighting--the nursing mother. Now that's a mama! In every respect.

 

~ @Atravelynn:

 

Thank you so much!

 

I'm very glad that you liked it and laughed at what you wrote.

 

Owing to unexpected nationwide foreign Internet disruption where I live, I've been unable to access the Safaritalk Web site for over 30 hours.

 

That's also true of numerous other Websites.

 

The only workaround was proposed late this evening, which was to disable JavaScript. I'd never heard of that much less done so, but it enables me to return, albeit with severely curtailed functionality.

 

I've yet to determine whether or not in this mode I'll be able to upload images.

 

I'm writing this to explain my absence.

 

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

I love the photo of the nursing mother and baby @@Tom Kellie

 

( I need to re-learn my copy skills;the last two I've tried to copy simply disappeared.

 

And to think you are at a restaurant. Africa is full of surprises

 

~ @graceland:

 

Thank you very much. I'm glad that you liked the nursing mother, as did I.

 

She was fairly calm, despite our presence.

 

Who knew that at a restaurant such sights might be seen?

 

Please forgive my delayed reply, which is a consequence of a severe and comprehensive new blocking of the Internet here, including Safaritalk.

 

I'm typing this without JavaScript, as there's no other means of accessing SafariTalk. Therefore I'm limited in what's possible in terms of style.

 

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Still catching up and enjoying your bird photos

@@Tom Kellie

 

Post No.48

Photo of your breakfast.

I love the advertisements that ask "What does your watch say about you?". (I have the same cheap Timex watch). It tells me you can check the time in the dark and that you don't need to impress people with your watch!

 

************************************************************************

 

~ @TonyQ:

 

Thank you so much!

 

Sometimes the meal photos express part of the nature of life on safari.

 

Ha Ha! We share the same taste in wristwatches for identical reasons.

 

I'm coming to grips with writing in Safaritalk without JavaScript enabled. Much of the site functionality is lost.

 

That's the tradeoff for being able to access the site. Were I to restore JavaScript functionality, the authorities here would instantly redirect my computer to a useless Web site, which is their latest blocking technique against foreign Web sites.

 

What I'll soon try is uploading another section of the trip report. What I'm afraid of is that without Java Script functionality, it may look like a mess. Nonetheless I'll try.

 

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

~ Unfortunately, the continuing situation where I live makes Safaritalk unavailable unless JavaScript is disabled.

 

At present, there appears to be no alternative for reaching most overseas Web sites for Internet users in this country.

 

The unhappy consequence of disabling JavaScript is that much other functionality is thereby lost, including the ability to upload images or format text.

 

Therefore, until the current, abrupt blockage of access to Safaritalk and most other international Web sites concludes, I'm unable to resume posting the trip report with images.

 

Heres a link from Reuters with details about this situation:

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-foreign-website-malfunction-drives-141103887.html

Edited April 28, 2015 by Tom Kellie

[Alexander33]

@ Tom Kellie

 

I'm a little late to the party, but I'm enjoying your report very much. Count me among the masses who love your Kirk's did-dik portrait way back at post #66.

[Tom Kellie]

@ Tom Kellie

 

I'm a little late to the party, but I'm enjoying your report very much. Count me among the masses who love your Kirk's did-dik portrait way back at post #66.

 

~ Hello, @@Alexander33!

 

Thank you so much for your kind remarks.

I'm glad that the Kirk's dik-dik portrait pleased you, as it did me.

It was such a cooperative subject, as if it had been waiting for it's turn in a Safaritalk's trip report.

Thanks to a workaround called “Adblock Plus”, I'm once again able to use Safaritalk, despite the serious Internet blocking occurring here.

I bought new CF memory cards in preparation for the safari which begins on Friday.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

The long drive from Naro Moru to Meru National Park was during late

afternoon to the twilight of early evening. The route took us northward

through lush farms and then eastward toward the city of Meru, before

ultimately passing over the rough, pothole-filled road to the Murera Gate

of Meru National Park. We arrived at the Murera Springs Eco Resort after

dark, grateful for the warm welcome and dinner by candlelight awaiting us.

Driving Northward

Jitegemee Estate

[Tom Kellie]

Morning at Murera Springs Eco Lodge

Before breakfast, I carried the Sony RX1 R camera while strolling around the

forested grounds of the Murera Springs Eco Lodge, http://murera.se/en/.

Sykes monkeys jumped through trees, birds sang and the sound of fallen

leaves being swept were signs of day's arrival. As the Murera Springs

Eco Lodge is situated beside the headwaters of the Murera

River, the air was cool near the flowing brook.

Murera Springs Eco Lodge Pool

Around the Pool

Our Chariot Parked at Murera Springs Eco Lodge

Path to the Stream

Tanglewood

View Back Toward the Safari Van

Graceful Spacing

Where Breakfast Will Be Served