Leopard Hills, Sabi Sands, South Africa — October, 2015

[Tom Kellie]

On our way down to a sleeping place,

The mauve flowers brighten the rugged slope.

Our descent takes a fairly slow pace,

The tree wisteria blooms give us hope.

Seen While Descending to the Resting Place

Bolusanthus speciosus

“She's Napping Down There”

Tree Wisteria

[Tom Kellie]

Xikavi is a young leopard mother,

Who rests in a shaded hollow,

With her cub, this, that and the other,

She hopes her young one doesn't follow.

Sleeping Beauty

Slumbering Mother Leopard

Xikavi Dozing

Pardus non Movere

[Tom Kellie]

Vultures overhead, wheeling in the sky,

Taking the wide view of life, as they may.

From their lofty vantage point, up so high,

All that's possible happens every day.

Riding the Air Currents

Swallow and Vulture

Circling Vultures

Ignored by Vultures

[Tom Kellie]

By Inyati Game Lodge there stood,

A nyala ewe with her fawn.

The sighting was especially good,

Then quietly they both were gone.

Nyala Mother and Child

Aware Yet Undeterred

By Inyati Game Lodge

Unobtrusive Pair

[Tom Kellie]

Tragelaphus scriptus do tell me,

Who paints your markings creamy white,

Thereby causing predators to see,

Only passing shadows at night.

Female Bushbuck

Bushbuck Ram

Tragelaphus scriptus

[Tom Kellie]

After months of tedium, grief and strife,

When grace and beauty seemed bereft,

My heart's restored by Africa's plant life,

Sprouting on all sides, right and left.

Aquatic Surface Growth with Blooms

Water Grass

[Tom Kellie]

What a scenic site for an eagle's nest,

Protected by foliage with a fine view,

Yet the aspect which may well be the best,

Is the location — where? — none have a clue.

Wahlberg's Eagle in a Nest

Scenic Nesting Site

[Marks]

 

 

Were I ever to return to Africa for another safari that might change.

 

 

Surely you're not suggesting that this is in doubt?

 

~ @@Marks

 

Where I work and live is becoming increasingly restive, to a degree not presently apparent in the global media.

The reduced stability here is connected to strikingly increased security measures.

It's prudent to ‘wait and see’, thus there are no present plans to visit anywhere.

If and when the spirit whispers ‘Africa’ again, I'd gladly book a flight.

At present I'm maintaining a low profile, fully concentrated on academic responsibilities.

I've been dreaming of a return to Venice, Italy, which I love, but the spirit remains silent.

To everything there is an appointed season.

This season seems to be for writing trip reports and struggling with the dodgy local Internet to post them.

Thank you for your support!

Tom K.

 

 

I'm sorry to hear of these challenges. I greatly enjoy your contributions here and hope that your access (and, more importantly, freedom to work and travel) will not be impeded in the future.

 

Your flying bateleur photos are excellent. Those shots can be tricky, but you haven't sacrificed any color or detail against the sky.

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Marks

 

As ever, your encouraging words are highly appreciated. Thank you!

I'm glad that you liked the bateleur images. It was a thrill to watch it.

As it happens, early one morning last month, on a game drive in Kenya's Olare Motorogi Conservancy, there was a close range encounter with two bateleurs, side-by-side.

For the past hour I've been wrangling with the Internet here, attempting to upload a few images.

There are no signs yet of any let-up in the clamp-down on connections to the “foreign” Internet.

There's a price to be paid for every opportunity. Drastically reduced communication freedom seems to be the coin of the realm here...

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

On a waterhole's muddy margin,

Stork, heron, plover, a buffalo pair,

Watching them interact, I begin,

To wonder what they are all doing there.

Plover, Stork and Heron

Two Resting Buffalo

Stork and Plover

Buffalo and Stork

[Tom Kellie]

Starling with feathers so darkly blue,

Your vivid presence gives the game drive,

Ample good cheer and energy, too.

Springtime makes us both feel so alive!

Idyllic Sabi Sands Spring with Nest

From the Deep End of the Visible Spectrum

Starling Blue

[Tom Kellie]

Game drive over, all feel satisfied,

Suddenly a white rhino — Big Five!

It was making no effort to hide,

We're elated to see it alive.

White Rhinoceros in Shade

Staying Cool in a Warm Morning

[Tom Kellie]

Each rugged, grey part makes a greater whole,

Of Ceratotherium simum's mass,

Its hide and feet are worn – life takes its toll,

With time's unhurried pace, all comes to pass.

South African Rhino's Back

Front Right Leg and Foot

Lunar Landscape

Sound Funnels

Back Legs and Tail

Battle-scar

Back Feet at Rest

[Tom Kellie]

Two eyes, two ears, two horns — wow!

What magnificent animals rhinos are.

Could they be improved — how?

The most one-of-a-kind animals, by far.

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Face-to-Face with a White Rhinoceros

Adapted to Ground Grazing

Such Small Eyelashes!

One Magnificent Organism

Quiet Dignity

White Rhinoceros Portrait

Putting Everything in Perspective

[Tom Kellie]

The urge to rest affects us all,

Whether white rhino or safari guest.

When to snooze is kind nature's call,

Where to lay down rhinos surely know best.

After a Long Morning

Resting Rhino

Settled Down for a Snooze

Hindparts at Rest

Even Rhinos Feel That Enough is Enough

Shaded Comfort

[Tom Kellie]

Being out on safari is more than enough,

To shake off life's doldrums and unhappy times.

Game drive conditions may be hot or sometimes tough,

Yet my heart yearns to unwind in such bright climes.

Male Impala in Shade

Weathered Battlement

Forested Land

Assorted Trees with Spring Foliage

[Tom Kellie]

Giraffe are a safari constant,

A sure sighting wherever I go.

Spotting them it's clear in an instant,

That they tower above earth below.

Browsing in a Forested Area

Dead Trees and an Old Termite Mound

No Menace Intended

Differing Shades

Two Giraffes in Sabi Sands

Striding Giraffe

A Personal Favorite Giraffe Portrait

[deano]

@@Tom Kellie - you appear to be having more luck with uploads and we are all the more grateful for it. This one was an especially nice one with that white rhino sequence being a particular favorite of mine. And you also included a Sabi Sands road for me (Impala in shade). Thank you and looking forward to more.

 

kind regards

 

deano.

[Tom Kellie]

Waiting to go out on my first game walk,

Enjoying the lodge in morning light,

To my sight, the bright colors seem to talk,

Of things that they saw and heard last night.

A Splash of Yellow

Green Strokes

Awaiting the Rains

Amidst the Spines

Heavenly Sunshine

Seen in a Mirror

Ostrich Egg Light Fixture

Asparagus Fern in Light Green

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie - you appear to be having more luck with uploads and we are all the more grateful for it. This one was an especially nice one with that white rhino sequence being a particular favorite of mine. And you also included a Sabi Sands road for me (Impala in shade). Thank you and looking forward to more.

 

~ @@deano

 

Had I known of your interest, I'd have taken more scene-setting shots of the tracks.

The track condition throughout the area is fairly good, as the Sabi Sands maintenance crews handle any problems which arise.

From time to time we saw a gentleman using a small tractor to smooth bumpy surfaces.

I'm glad to know that you liked the white rhino images. It was such a lovely sighting, as the rhino was drowsy, hence fairly docile.

I'd heard that the Big Five might be seen there in a single game drive, but was nonetheless delighted when that actually happened.

When you're there, I'm certain that your days will have one wonderful surprise after another. It's that kind of place.

Thank you for your friendly comment.

Tom K.

[pomkiwi]

@@Tom Kellie Good to see some pictures making their way to us - long may it continue. I enjoyed the pictures of small details as it is so easy to overlook them. Your encounter with the rhino was special - it may yet stimulate me to become more excited by them :-)

[Lala]

 

@Game Warden - you sneaky rascal you, creating such a hot spot for us to enjoy!!!!!

 

@@Lala I'm just the bloke who runs the website, it's you the members who make ST what it is.

 

Matt

 

@@Game Warden

 

Jambo, Matt - you might be the bloke who runs the website, but we enthusiasts of the bush would be lost without you and SafariTalk - so kudos, bravos, and go ahead and blush - but we love ST and we love you for giving us this wonderful digital "hangout"!!!!!

and I feel very comfortable speaking for all of us!!!

and here's a special message from me:

I ♥ ♥ ♥ ST

 

: )

 

(for some odd reason, I can't abide using pre-fab happy faces - maybe because I'm a writer...)

 

@@Tom Kellie - thank you!

 

okay, back to the grind - so many deadlines, so far behind, going to be a mad dash...

[Game Warden]

@@Tom Kellie Looking forward to the promised updates Selfies with Blackadder?

 

@@Lala It's very hard to see me blush behind the beard My eyes are sparkling though...

[Tom Kellie]

After the game drive a special treat,

A walk in the bush with an armed ranger.

It sounds like great fun despite the heat,

The rifle will protect us from danger.

Preparing for a Game Walk

Leopard Hills Entrance Sign

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie Good to see some pictures making their way to us - long may it continue. I enjoyed the pictures of small details as it is so easy to overlook them. Your encounter with the rhino was special - it may yet stimulate me to become more excited by them :-)

 

 

~ @@pomkiwi

 

As it becomes feasible, I'm continuing to upload images.

As with nearly all aspects of working and living here, a large measure of patience, forbearance and calm is needed.

The small details enrich the overall setting. They're the visual and conceptual framework for the actions of the larger mammals and birds.

For whatever reason, I'm a rhino guy. They appeal to me, as there's a certain gently quixotic strain in their otherwise formidable character.

Without wanting to be a nuisance, I strongly hint to rangers or guides that rhino sightings are as high a priority with me as leopard sightings.

I do hope that with time rhinos will increase in appeal to you.

Thank you for your kind comment.

Tom K.