Kenya after the Rains (mostly): Meru, Ol Pejeta, Olare Motorogi

[Kitsafari]

that subadult male lion really looked skinny. is it,as you mentioned, the lack of prey in the long grass? i noticed that in your long shot, the area close to the ridge appeared to be shorter in grass.

 

I've not seen bat eared foxes in the day time too so I'm so appreciative of your shots of them.

 

Lovely head shot of the topi - again, i've not seen such a close up of the topi.

 

love those shots of the hyena - one of them looks like its ears have been chewed up.

[TonyQ]

@@Tom Kellie

Thank you for your kind comments. I am pleased you like the bat-eared foxes - we were delighted to see them. I am glad you like the hyena and their intelligence. I think they are fascinating creatures.

@@Zim Girl

Thank you - it was great watching the lion tip-toe across the stones!

@@mapumbo

Yes, one hyena does have short ears (I confess I didn't notice at the time so didn't ask about it). Perhaps chewed by something?

@@pomkiwi

Thank you for following and your kind comments

@@dlo

I am a fan - so I am pleased you are. Following a recommendation on Safaritalk (a thread on Top 10 Africa Books), @@Big_Dog recommended Innocent Killers by Jane Goodall and Hugo van Lawick. It has sections about 3 much maligned animals - Hyena, Jackal and Wild Dog. I got a second hand copy from Amazon. A really good read and fascinating about Hyenas!

@@Kitsafari

Thank you. There are some areas of shorter grass, but some of those are in the territory of a different pride. Some of the lions were certainly very skinny. I am glad you liked the Bat-eared Fox - it was the first time we have seen them (there may be some more later in the report )

[TonyQ]

OMC First full day continued….

As we continue, we spend some time with small things

 

A Dik Dik with the grass towering over it

A very young baby Impala with beautiful big eyes

Gets to its feet and looks around - showing off its long legs

Impala baby with mother

 

Apparently, the mothers have the babies away from the herd and spend a couple of days with the baby as it becomes imprinted on the mother and they can recognise each other. I know they are often ignored, but I think they are very beautiful animals.

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Martial Eagle

 

We also saw a Grey Heron, a masked weaver and paid a brief visit to some hippos.

[TonyQ]

We then found a group of lions resting on the top of some rocks

They settled down to sleep so after a while we left them to it

Next we enjoyed spending some time with a family of elephants

They are one of the few animals that like eating the long grass (buffalo will also eat it)

 

Though it is not as easy as it looks!

A bit of reassuring interaction

Splashing some mud

[TonyQ]

Yellow-billed Oxpecker waiting for business

Handsome Buffalo

With Oxpecker – you can see the height of the grass in this photo

 

As we headed back to camp for lunch, Charles swerved off the track and stopped. He then drove round and showed us on the track

Leopard Tortoise

 

How on earth he saw it I do not know. There was another Kicheche vehicle a bit behind us and he alerted them to wildlife in the track

[TonyQ]

After a very good lunch and a brief rest we went on our afternoon drive

Grey-backed Fiscal (I think)

 

We saw giraffe, a Batleur

Lappet-faced Vulture

 

We spent a fair bit of time looking for leopard, and eventually found. There were a number of vehicles, but they were quiet and well behaved.

Deep in grass

At the base of bushes

 

It went deeper still, and as the light was fading we left it

 

But we did see another Impala with a tiny baby.

It was very touching.

 

Grant's Gazelle

[TonyQ]

As we drove, we heard a sort of howling noise from a Jackal. Charles told us it was trying to find its mate.

Shouting

Still looking

 

The light was fading and we headed home – but Charles saw something in the distance, at the top of a small ridge. So we went to have a look.

 

Light was poor by now, but it was an excellent way to end the day.

(Well actually we had a very nice meal and a glass of wine to end the day, but it is a safari report…..)

[pomkiwi]

@@TonyQ I share your affection for impala. I think they are lovely to watch and beautiful to photograph in a good light.

[dlo]

@@TonyQ

 

Thanks for the book recommend, I just got it second hand on Amazon as well though it feels weird not buying an E-book. I've been well rewarded by sitting with hyenas before and I just find them very interesting to watch. Every single time I show pictures to someone and hyenas come up the same preconceptions come up and I have to enter pr mode and start selling how amazing they are!

[Big_Dog]

Awesome photos!
I admit my guilt here in that I missed a lot of this. It's down to a lot of work I have to do for uni and also ST just having so many trip reports it's very hard to pick and keep up with them!
But there's no way I could resist such well short, daylight hyaena photos with some lion action thrown in too!

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@TonyQ

 

Ho Ho! Those baby elephant eating shots are exceptional!

The image where it's experiencing difficulty in managing its trunk is lovely.

That oxpecker image may well be the finest oxpecker portrait that I've ever seen.

Not to mention the sweet impala babies.

When you and @@Thursday's Child returned from the game drive for a meal, you certainly didn't lack for conversation topics!

Thank you for posting the very pleasing images.

Tom K.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Tom Kellie

[PT123]

@@TonyQ

 

I'm just getting caught up on this report. You really did hit the jackpot on your first drive cheetah, leopard and serval cat. The lions in posts 271 and 272 do look pretty thin. It is my understanding that grazers such as zebra and impala will move to areas with shorter grass so that they can more easily spot predators. This means that the there's less chance for a meal for the lions and sometimes they go after cattle/sheep.

[PT123]

Also, great shots of the snoozing lion on a kopje in post 282 - quintessential East Africa!

[michael-ibk]

Really fantastic Bat-Eared-Fox encounter - I have yet to have a "good" sighting of them. Appreciate the Impala shots a lot, fully agree with you, they are beautiful and graceful animals.

[Marks]

Really sharp look at that oxpecker - its beak looks too big for its head!

Hyena shots on the last page were excellent; looks like the one has seen some tough times.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Marks

[Safaridude]

Excellent trip report and photos! If you want to increase your checklist you actually spotted 2 more mammal species:

 

The warthog with red dust is actually a Desert Warthog, one of the least known bigger mammals. Look at the earend pointing backwards.

 

And the species of "Grantish" gazelle found in Meru is a Bright’s gazelle.

See this article from Natgeo:

Bright’s gazelle (Nanger notata), Meru National Park. This species was previously referred to as ‘Grant’s gazelle’ (Nanger granti).

http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/08/01/warthogs-and-primates-in-the-meru-conservation-area-central-kenya-and-the-decline-of-kora-national-park/

 

..but don't mention this as the classification of Grant's gazelles is a hot topic here and not everyone agrees as they look exactly the same and only DNA differs.

 

 

The bit about the Grant's gazelle in the article is misleading. The designation of Nanger notata as a separate species is not universally accepted… rather, the ones in Meru are more commonly referred to as a subspecies, Nanger granti notata, of the Grant's gazelle. And this subspecies is not unique to Meru. They are found in other places in Northern Kenya like Samburu, Shaba and Laikipia.

[offshorebirder]

Wow @@TonyQ - that is a nice photo of the Martial a Eagle - I never did get a good shot of one on my 2.5 week Safari. Always too far, backlit, partially obscured, etc.

 

Also a much better photo of Northern White-crowned Shrike than I was able to obtain.

 

Your T.R. has me really wanting to visit OMC! So many places, so little time (and funding).

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@offshorebirder

 

I enjoyed one full week in Olare Motorogi Conservancy several weeks after @@TonyQ and @@Thursday's Child were there.

It's a superlative location in all respects. The terrain, the plants, the predators, the grazing and browsing animals — all outstanding.

Ah, yes...the birds?

Beyond wonderful!

You don't want to know about the Kori Bustard and newly hatched chick sighting I had.

By all means, do give very serious consideration to OMC. Ask @@TonyQ, @@Thursday's Child, @@amybatt, @@bettel or @@madaboutcheetah. They all know what a productive area it is.

Tom K.

[TonyQ]

@@pomkiwi

Thank you - I am pleased you like them as well!

@@dlo

We should start a hyena fanclub!

@@Big_Dog

You can join the hyena fanclub as well. I am glad you enjoyed the pictures of them

@@PT123

Thank you - there were more game animals in the shorter grass areas - but I think it was anarea the "belonged" to a different pride.

@@michael-ibk

Thank you (a few more Bat-eared foxes coming up )

@@Marks

Thank you - yes that hyena looked like it had been through a lot

@@Safaridude

Thank you for that extra information

@@offshorebirder

Thank you - OMC was great - but so were the areas you visited! As you say, so many places......

@@Tom Kellie

Indeed a great area (but I haven't been anywhere else in the Mara area so I have nothing to compare it to)

[TonyQ]

OMC Continued

 

After our usual early start, we headed towards an area of plains. The morning was misty and the sun was beginning to come up.

 

There were many Masai Giraffes around and we enjoyed watching them for some time.

Youngster with stylish hairstyle

Group of Masai Giraffe

Video Clip: Giraffe Group (41 secs)

 

We drove around some areas of bush looking for leopard (unsuccessfully) but did see

Woodland Kingfisher

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Red-necked Spurfowl

Eurasian Bee-eater

[TonyQ]

We then headed to an area we had visited before and were delighted to see

A family of Bat-eared Foxes

 

There was a mixture of adults and youngsters. They seemed relaxed about our presence

 

Bat-eared Foxes (38sec)

We stayed watching them for about 45 minutes – eventually they headed off into the long grass. It was a wonderful experience watching them interact with each other. Close physical contact and mutual grooming seemed to be important to them. This was a real highlight for us!

[TonyQ]

It seemed natural to break for (excellent) breakfast at this time.

The Kicheche Bush vehicle.

 

Canvas roll-up sides (with see through sections) and canvas roll-up roof.

 

There are platforms for resting cameras, heavy bean bags are provided. There is plenty of storage space, and the ability to re-charge batteries while in the vehicle. This is very well thought out for game viewing and photography.

 

As we continued

Red-collared Widowbird (male)

 

Giraffe with Yellow-billed Oxpecker

Portrait

[TonyQ]

Next up was

Male Tree Agama

 

After a few minutes it got down from the tree – and changed colour

 

– camouflage mode rather than displaying to female mode. It was amazing to watch the change in such a short period of time

 

Next we saw some birds in a distant tree. We headed towards it

Two Secretary Birds

They were courting, bowing their heads to each other.

It was really enjoyable to watch

 

We visited a pool in a river where hippos would float to the surface and then return to the deep. The noise they made was amazing.

 

Hippo

Hippo with baby

[TonyQ]

As we drove along, Charles spotted something on a rocky cliff in the distance. We headed towards it and saw

Two very handsome male lions

After a while, one decided to get down

Charles worked out where he was likely to be heading and placed us so that he would head towards us.

 

The long grass was a challenge photographically but I think it provides a beautiful backdrop to these magnificent animals

 

[TonyQ]

The second male also decided to come down. Periodically Charles moved us again so the lions were headed towards us.

 

They were headed in the general direction of these

 

But Charles thought it more likely they we heading to a small stream for a drink.

 

 

After a while they both flopped down next to each other and lay there, enjoying the company and contact.

 

Eventually they headed off together into the distance

And we started heading back towards camp for lunch...