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

[TonyQ]

Another Martial Eagle

So why did I put this in – well I confess to not noticing until I looked at the photo – what is that between its talons?

A monitor Lizard

Common Waterbuck (demonstrating the white ring)

Typical Meru Doum Palm

Lesser Kudu female

With baby

We did briefly see a male as it dashed into the bush (as did the other males we saw during the trip)

[Safaridude]

@@TonyQ

 

In a same tree? That's unusual and interesting.

 

Antelope researcher? That's hilarious!

[TonyQ]

Buffalo

Yellow-necked Spurfowl – common along the tracks

And more Buffalo

Then we did go slightly off road (on an old track!) because Stanley had seen

a lion growling away.

Scent marking

As we got a bit closer we saw that he was not alone

 

We had our sundowner (Tusker) watching varying degrees of inactivity.

(Stanley radioed the other Offbeat vehicle as the other guest had not yet seen a lion and he was leaving in the morning. I think this was the only sighting in Meru that we shared with another vehicle!)

 

So two very happy guests returned to camp for a quick hot bucket shower, followed by an excellent meal with good company of Craig and the other guest. An early night would prepare us for another early start tomorrow.

[dlo]

@@TonyQ

 

@@Game Warden and @Michael-ibk trip reports are the reason I'm going to Meru. Reading this seems to confirm I made the right decision. I know the high grasses can affect viewing but the greenery makes the park look quite beautiful. Looking forward to reading more.

[deano]

@@TonyQ - fantastic images especially the elephants. Their eye color is beautiful. I also think I need to spend more time on birds as I usually leave them alone but there are some amazing photographs in yours and other's trip reports. I also like any images of the camps that people stay at and yours have now added yet another place to my list of places to get to which now seems to cover at least half of Africa. In fact, I think I have searched more new camps today on the internet than any other day.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

kind regards

 

deano.

[Marks]

Those Meru eles are gorgeous. I especially love the one flinging mud.

[michael-ibk]

Fantastic shot with the palms - so very "Meru". Really like the Lesser Kudus - how lucky to find even a Baby.:-)

[offshorebirder]

Wow @@TonyQ - super Dwarf Mongoose photos and the Martial Eagle shot is impressively! I had more trouble than I expected getting close to Eagles so that closeup portrait really impresses me.

[Atravelynn]

"Before the trip I could confidently identify an Ostrich (in good light)" ha ha

 

What a thrill to find the monitor lizard in the talons upon further inspection. Such a finding is almost as exciting as seeing the real thing in the wold.

 

That little lesser kudu is so cute.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Atravelynn

[TonyQ]

@@dlo

@@Marks

@@michael-ibk

@@offshorebirder

Thank you!

@Atravelynn we do get to see a healthier monitor a little later!

@@deano we got more interested in birds when we went to the Pantanal - they really do add a lot!

Edited February 8, 2016 by TonyQ

[TonyQ]

Wake up call at 5.30 brings the delivery of a cup of tea, biscuits and a jug of hot water for washing. We then leave at 6.00. It is so much easier to get up early on safari than at home!

 

It is just beginning to get light, birds are singing; it is beautiful.

Grey Heron

Black-Headed Heron

Long-Crested Eagle

White Stork (a migrant from Europe)

Gerenuk

One of our reasons for coming to Meru was to see some of the “Northern species”, and we were particularly keen to see the Gerenuk, a strangely beautiful antelope.

 

[TonyQ]

We were about to move off, but our car was not keen on starting. Stanley radioed base, and we waited while a replacement car was brought out. There are certainly worse places to wait

Gerenuk suckling baby

Male Gerenuk

Beisa Oryx

Common Zebra

We enjoyed just watching what was around us, the car soon arrived, so we swapped and continued on our way

[TonyQ]

Today was a bit overcast. But driving around there were large numbers of birds and many butterflies. The vegetation was very varied, changing over fairly small distances. Different perfumes filled the air, floral and sometimes herbal adding to that feeling that all of your senses are working overtime.

 

Hartebeest (Coke’s or Meru?) with Grant’s Gazelle

More Zebra

 

 

We find elephants in bushes and see them moving, Stanley predicts where they are heading and makes way to that place.

 

We followed them for some time as they came in and out of the bush, crossed the tracks and interacted with each other.

 

We are surrounded by them while we eat breakfast. We hear the low pitched rumbling as they communicated with each other through thick bush.

 

Finally, after about an hour of following themand sitting with them, we watch as they cross the trackand head off. What a joy to spend time with elephants

 

 

[offshorebirder]

Great shot of the Long-crested Eagle and how wonderful to see a young Gerenuk nursing!

[TonyQ]

As we continued we saw a variety of birds, including many chestnut weavers and,

 

Wattled Starling in breeding plumage

Cut-throat Finch + Laughing Dove

Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eater

Agama Lizard

White-browed Coucal

We also saw more Waterbuck, Zebra, Kori Bustard

Klaas’s Cuckoo

Vervet with baby

As we headed back towards camp

Warthog (with red Meru dust)

And babies

Dwarf Mongoose (their nest(?), in a termite nest was fairly close to camp, so we saw them on a number of occasions)

Edited February 8, 2016 by TonyQ

[michael-ibk]

Great batch of photos - especially like the Klaas´s Cuckoo (never seen one), the Long-Crested Eagle, the White Storks and that last pic of the Elephant with the palms. Fantastic stuff.

Edited February 8, 2016 by michael-ibk

[amybatt]

After reading yours and @@offshorebirder 's trip reports, now I want to see a cut-throat finch! What a stunning shock of red there on their necks. My eyes are opening to birds!

 

Love the mongoose nest too. They look sweet!

[mapumbo]

Great elephant photos. I especially like the one elephant with the palm trees in the background and the nursing gerenuk.

 

We must have gotten your non starting car what would have been a day or two later. Unfortunately, our breakdown did not include a nursing gerenuk. Dominic and I were able to push the car fast enough for Mama Ndege to pop the clutch and finish our evening game drive. Makes for a good story anyway.

[offshorebirder]

Actually I think the green Cuckoo on Page 2 is a Diederik Cuckoo, rather than Klaas's Cuckoo. Though they are very similar in apearance, Klaas's Cuckoo does not have any white in front of the eye, and much less white on the face / malar region.

 

Diederik does - and it also has the dark little stripe extending downwards from the area between the eye and the bill.

 

@@TonyQ's excellent photo also shows a red eye - which is good for Diederik Cuckoo but not Klaas's Cuckoo. Klaas's Cuckoo has an all-dark eye surrounded by a reddish eye ring...

Edited February 8, 2016 by offshorebirder

[TonyQ]

@@michael-ibk

thank you

@@amybatt

Cut throat finch is certainly a very memorable name!

@@mapumbo

I hope that was the last of your car problems!

@@offshorebirder

Thank you - that won't be the last of my mis-identifications - and I always welcome corrections. I checked the book and agree with you

[TonyQ]

After the game drive (at about 12.00) we spent some time trying (and usually failing) to photograph some of the many different species of butterfly fluttering around the camp (and a few other things!).

 

After visiting our tent, we were returning to the lunch area when we were delayed by a wild animal on the path

Dung beetle

After a very good lunch when we should have been resting, they were watching us as we sat outside our tent watching them. They were on the opposite side of the river

Baboons

 

 

We did have a bit of a rest, then as we sat with a coffee (and cake) before our afternoon game drive we saw

Lizard in the camp grounds

[TonyQ]

Somali Ostrich

White-throated Bee-eater

Grey-Headed Kingfisher

Jacobin (Black and White) Cuckoo

Helmeted Guineafowl

The chicks from a number of different mothers join together. We saw groups of them a number of times - they would run along the road in front of us rather than going sideways into the greenery. We did eventually get used to the idea that they would out of the way.

 

 

[TonyQ]

Meru is a great park for seeing elephant. Again we were very happy sitting for some time watching the elephants coming and going and interacting with each other

As we were thinking of the sundowner there was a brief rain shower, so we sat in our vehicle drinking our Tusker before continuing

Yellow-throated Longclaw

 

We checked out the area that we saw the lions yesterday. We saw the male lion - he hadn't moved much

The male and his mate had carefully planned their afternoon

 

And so we headed back to camp.

And a special mention for the staff. Our visit to Kenya was a little after a birthday of @@Thursday's Child

So a special cake was baked and presented to her (us) at the end of dinner - a very nice touch.

[michael-ibk]

Belated Happy Birthday then, @@Thursday's Child . What better way than to celebrate such an occassion in Kenya?

Edited February 9, 2016 by michael-ibk

[Thursday's Child]

Thank you @@michael-ibk - none that I know of!