Meru, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Kenya — October, 2014

[Tom Kellie]

The Sesamothamnus flowers,

Attracted a pair of sunbirds,

Seeking food with all their powers,

Of probing action minus words.

 

 

 

Watching Her Mate

 

 

Probing Sesamothamnus Blooms

 

 

Female Chalcomitra hunteri

 

 

Chalcomitra hunteri Seeking Breakfast

 

 

Sesamothamnus Blooms with Chalcomitra hunteri

 

 

Samburu Sopa Sunbird

 

[Tom Kellie]

Resting in bushes by the van,

A flycatcher and two sparrows,

Their plumage shades of grey and tan,

Survivors with joys and sorrows.

 

 

 

Bradornis microrhynchus

 

 

African Grey Flycatcher

 

 

Passer gongonensis

 

[Tom Kellie]

Golden light reaches down to play,

Finding surfaces to reflect,

Photonic energy each day,

Providing a pleasing effect.

 

 

 

Botanical Texture

 

 

Glowing Bark

 

 

Samburu Web

 

[Tom Kellie]

To balance like an agile lark,

With elements of verve and grace,

Success or failure would be stark,

I'd probably fall on my face.

 

 

 

Solitary Lark on a Curving Branch

 

 

Equipoise on a Slender Perch

 

 

Fawn-colored Lark

 

 

Mirafra africanoides

 

 

Serenity in the Morning

 

 

Anthus similis

 

[Tom Kellie]

Top of the Morning to us all,

Fresh hopes and possibilities,

With active wildlife great and small,

May soon be our realities.

 

 

 

Setting Out from the Lodge

 

 

Browsing Upper Acacia Foliage

 

 

Raptor Atop a Tree

 

 

Morning Slog

 

 

Top of the Morning

 

[CDL111]

9.5 months is a long time until we are back in Kenya, so nice to look at what we might see.

[Tom Kellie]

Small herds, remaining together,

Watchful eyes and vigilant ears.

Seasoned in pitiless weather,

Stylish striped manes untouched by shears.

 

 

 

Unshod Hoof

 

 

Horses at Heart

 

 

Robust Health

 

 

Remember the Mane!

 

 

Grévy's Zebra Trio

 

[Tom Kellie]

Individual expression,

Unaffordable in a flock,

Which depends on group cohesion,

Wherever they forage and walk.

 

 

 

Acryllium vulturinum Flock Feeding

 

 

No Breakfast Buffet

 

 

Heads or Tails?

 

 

Milliner's Delight

 

[Tom Kellie]

Taking a stand requires courage,

Bringing unwanted attention.

A short ground squirrel can manage,

To reach another dimension.

 

 

 

Xerus rutilus on a Sloping Stone Surface

 

 

Vehicle Tire Tread Tracks

 

 

Unstriped Ground Squirrel Standing

 

 

Impromptu Biped

 

[amybatt]

I had no idea there were squirrels in Kenya.  Very similar to ours too.  I like your Grevy’s shots too, you caught the stripes well!

[Tom Kellie]

This Plocepasser mahali,

Was happily perched by its nest,

A sound design, not a folly,

Does the mate like it? That's the test.

 

 

 

Plocepasser mahali with Woven Nest

 

 

Edited August 25, 2018 by Tom Kellie

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

What's that sharp sound...what made that screech?

That bird up there, at the tree's crown,

So high up that it's out of reach.

For better photos, please fly down.

 

 

 

Squawk Source

 

 

Black Mask, Grey Plumage

 

 

Solitary Poicephalus rufiventris

 

 

Where's the Parrot?

 

[Tom Kellie]

What fun to watch a parrot fly,

Unrestrained by wire, free to go,

Up and up to a perch most high,

There to rest watching life below.

 

 

 

Male Parrot Plumage

 

 

Impressive Black Beak

 

 

Touch of Green

 

 

Majestic Poicephalus rufiventris

 

 

Pirate Squint

 

[Tom Kellie]

If they only saw what we saw,

They'd have skedaddled far away.

The danger above them was raw,

Yet they lived for another day.

 

 

 

Walking Beneath a Predator

 

 

Three Male Impala Alert Together

 

 

Checking Backward

 

[Tom Kellie]

Parked by a road fork for three hours,

We observed life around a ledge,

Far above us stone, no flowers,

A leopard — nature was on edge.

 

 

 

Parked at a Fork in the Road

 

 

Unstriped Ground Squirrel Above a Leopard

 

 

Resting in a Boulder's Shade

 

 

Edited August 25, 2018 by Tom Kellie

[Tom Kellie]

Who doesn't fear the Leopard's jaws,

With impunity coming near?

It's the Tree Hoopoe because,

Strong wings protect it free and clear.

 

 

 

Phoeniculus damarensis Near Resting Panthera pardus

 

 

Violet Tree Hoopoe with a Leopard

 

[Hads]

Great stuff thanks @Tom Kellie.

Trying to find the leopard in the last post was like playing "Where's wally" with my kids.

Love the 2 lizard as wall paper.

[Tom Kellie]

A new tenant arrives on scene,

Does it have air conditioning?

This one prefers not to be seen,

Admiring the snug opening.

 

 

 

Prospective Tenant

 

 

This Could Work

 

 

Enter the Leopard

 

 

Taking Possession

 

 

Looks Comfy

 

 

Snug Redoubt

 

[CDL111]

@Tom Kellie, l need to buy another book of birds, the Red Bellied Parrot is not in Birds of Kenya. the wife and l managed to spot the parrot photograph.

[Tom Kellie]

34 minutes ago, CDL111 said:

@Tom Kellie, l need to buy another book of birds, the Red Bellied Parrot is not in Birds of Kenya. the wife and l managed to spot the parrot photograph.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-bellied_parrot

 

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22685312/0

 

https://www.parrots.org/encyclopedia/red-bellied-parrot/

 

https://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/poicephalus/RedBelliedParrot.php

[Tom Kellie]

When Leopards nap or go to sleep,
What dreams do their minds entertain?
Do they stalk in slumber so deep,
Or feline Nirvana attain?

 

 

 

Settled In

 

 

Drowsy

 

 

Catnap

 

 

More Comfortable Position

 

 

Nap Break

 

[Tom Kellie]

Hours of rapt concentration,

Watching the Leopard in repose,

Alternating rest and motion.

Enjoying its ease, I suppose.

 

 

 

Shady Nook

 

 

Rosetted Coat

 

 

Nearing Midday

 

 

Dark Spots on a Light Background

 

 

Beauty Becomes A Beast

 

 

When Observation Is Mutual

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

With the fiery Sun overhead,

Elsewhere might be more congenial.

What bold adventures lie ahead?

Stalk, pounce, eat — it's seldom final.

 

 

 

Large Lizard and a Leopard

 

 

Tongue Bath

 

 

Sinuous Vertebrae and a Lizard

 

 

Shade Gone, Time to Depart

 

 

Farewell for Now

 

 

[CDL111]

Looks like the leopard had enough of being photographed.