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Of Old Friends and New: Kenya Revisited - February 2016


Safaridude

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@@Safaridude,

Stunning images, beautiful writing and a moving, poignant story on your unlikely quarter century later reunion with Spit. Im sure if Steve McCurry reads this he will love it. Thanks for sharing.

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Incredible story, really! She is beautiful and I'm so glad you were able to reconnect. Thank you for sharing.

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@@Safaridude

One can enjoy the sights of seven wonders of the world, or rare moments or even rarest animals sightings yet the encounters that resides deepest in the memory are of those with another human!

 

Your trip report is not a trip report, it is a study book of nature and wildlife photography! So much to learn from your photos.

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February 23, Part II: Flying with Flamingos – Lake Bogoria

 

Squack talked me into it. It was supposed to be a simple mobile camp on the shores of Lake Bogoria. It might be too wet to put a camp in, he said. The proper way of viewing flamingos is to fly over them in a chopper, he said. That sounds really expensive, I said. It will be one of the best experiences of your life, he said.

 

We are at the Kiboko Star Beds in Loisaba for two nights. One of the two afternoons, depending on the weather, we are to take a helicopter ride over Lake Bogoria from here to see the flamingos. This first afternoon at Loisaba, we are drenched in sunshine. It seems like a “go”.

 

Andrew, the helicopter pilot, is based out of Ol Malo, just minutes away by his chopper. At 4pm, Squack and I meet him by his beautiful new machine parked within walking distance from the Star Beds. After some last-minute safety instructions, we are off floating – free as a bird.

 

Hartebeests and zebras flee as the chopper sails over them at top speed westbound. After a few minutes in the air, the scenery changes from rangeland with wildlife and livestock to farmland. About 30 minutes later, crevasses of the Rift Valley appear on the horizon. The Rift, at least this part of it, isn’t so abruptly delineated: from the top of the escarpment, the land plunges down to the valley flats not in one felt swoop but in a series of waves.

 

Finally, the shimmering Bogoria… Andrew, Squack and I squint, hoping to spot pinkish hues on the Lake. One never knows how many, if any, flamingos one might encounter at Bogoria. Flamingo movements from one Rift Valley lake to another depend on various factors such as rainfall, water salinity and availability of food. It appears, as we get closer, however, that we’ve hit the jackpot.

 

From high aloft, a colony of thousands of both lesser and greater flamingos, appears as a single, amoeba-like organism. With closer approach, edges of this organism begin to ripple (flamingos taking off) and the ripples slowly spread toward the interior – the scene reminiscent of a halftime card stunt show at a football game. One particular colony takes flight all at once and cruises at the same altitude and speed as we. The beauty is overwhelming. Merely hours removed from my emotional “Nat Geo Afghan Girl” moment, I find myself wiping away tears from my cheeks again. Some non-descript, (disco?) music is playing on the headset. It’s a good thing Andrew has horrible taste in music. If it had been Bowie, Harrison, Armstrong or Wagner, I would be a basket case. I will not further dilute the beauty of the flamingos with more words.

 

February 23, 2016 goes down as my best safari day ever.

 

 

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The Rift Valley from the air

 

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The shores of Lake Bogoria is strewn with sensual colors and patterns

 

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Flamingos!

 

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Edited by Safaridude
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@@Safaridude truly some of the best flamingo photos I've seen, and I've seen a lot. Certainly worth doing, Squack was right.

 

Some of the light on them is extraordinary and the graphic patterns superb. If they had numbers on them I'd be more specific.

 

What I find most interesting is how, after so many safaris and extraordinary sightings, the simple pleasures of observing not hunts or river crossings or rare species, but birds, somewhat delicate and strange birds in all their glory should bring you to tears. Such is the power of nature. How wonderful.

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@@twaffle

 

Thank you for your kind words. To be honest, I found that photographing from a moving helicopter really consists of holding on to your camera for dear life (it's windy!), using a fast shutter speed and hoping something good comes out of it. You are not really in control of your shots...

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@@Safaridude

 

"Best Safari day ever" that's quite a statement coming from someone as experienced as you. The pictures of the shores of Lake Bogoria are particularly stunning. I can only imagine how beautiful the views were in person. How long did the flight last and did you have any noteworthy sightings on the way to/from the lake?

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Glorious flamingo images from above. Having shot pictures from a helicopter with the doors removed, I know precisely what you mean about hanging on and shooting with a fast shutter. Your pictures remind me of some of Michael Poliza's work but unique in their composition and light.

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@@PT123

 

Thank you.

 

The entire helicopter ride was three hours (roughly 4pm to 7pm). It took about 35 minutes from Loisaba to Lake Bogoria. The Rift Valley crevasses were quite interesting, but other than that, the ride is mostly over uninteresting farmlands. The first 5 minutes or so and the last 5 minutes though, you are going through Loisaba and neighboring ranches where there is wildlife. Unfortunately, the first 5 minutes I was getting used to the windy conditions and trying various things out with my camera; and on the way back… even though we saw good wildlife, the light was fading fast because the clouds had rolled in.

 

I may post an image of two of the wildlife I saw from the air on Loisaba and the neighboring ranches later in the Loisaba section of the TR.

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More photos from Lake Bogoria...

 

 

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Edited by Safaridude
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@@Safaridude

The flamingo pictures are exceptional - absolutely superb

The pictures of the landscape are also superb.

You have given us a real treat

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@@Safaridude

 

Eagerly awaited your trip report, and it is another fantastic one! Loving it!

Thanks for sharing your special moment with Spit and your best safari day ever. It looks amazing!

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@@Safaridude, now we need either a "love" or "I'm insanely jealous" button here on the forums. Incredible. I can't find the words to say how palpably amazingly you managed to convey your experience to us. This so far is one insanely emotionally charged safari. So happy for you.

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michael-ibk

Absolutely magical - thank you!

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Ben mosquito

@@Safaridude

with the samburu part of you trip , you made my day. your flamingo pics are just amazing.

thanks for sharing.

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Your last 3 installments have me almost welling up just reading them!

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SafariChick

Wow @@Safaridude - fantastic! Very touching story about Spit, and the flamingo experience sounds beautiful. Makes me want to do it too!

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@@Safaridude

I am speechless. And I am going back to enjoy the beauty ... Again ... And again ... In silence.

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You are going to be getting a lot of "likes" all at once, sorry about that!

Absolutely gorgeous photos of the line of elephants on page 2. Also appreciate the way you got a bottle of Tusker and its namesake in the same shot.

But your story of meeting Spit again is really remarkable...an experience to remember for both of you.

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@@twaffle

 

Thank you for your kind words. To be honest, I found that photographing from a moving helicopter really consists of holding on to your camera for dear life (it's windy!), using a fast shutter speed and hoping something good comes out of it. You are not really in control of your shots...

 

But you held and hoped so very, very well! Beautiful. Like the kudus too.

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madaboutcheetah

@@Safaridude - absolutely amazing scenics from Lake Bogoria!!!!

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@@Safaridude - such grace, beauty, colour and symmetry and the contrasting harshness of the shores and lakeside.

 

Captivating!

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Safaridude, your photos are absolutely stunning. I especially like the ones taken from the helicopter, the flamingos are amazing and the scenery just beautiful. And of course the elephants, lions, leopard,... Looking forward to the next parts of your trip report, thank you for sharing your experience with us!

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