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

[Tom Kellie]

3 hours ago, CDL111 said:

. Very enjoyable to look at your report after a leisurely breakfast. Struggling with the internet on the Dudu.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/news/case-study-dudu-safari/

 

https://www.amazon.com/Mama-Dudu-Insect-Meja-Mwangi/dp/1548288179

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6365437-mama-dudu-the-insect-woman

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

Samburu National Reserve,

Is near Archers Post, a small town,

Whose residents work to preserve,

The wildlife of global renown.

 

 

 

Archers Post, Kenya, As Viewed From Within Samburu National Reserve

 

[CDL111]

Thanks for your help @Tom Kellie

[Tom Kellie]

A lean trio quietly browse,

With dark guineafowl at their side.

Any sudden noise their ears rouse,

Local red dust covers each hide.

 

 

 

Warthog Trio

 

 

Lean and Delicate

 

 

Warthog Profile

 

 

Time to Move Along

 

[Game Warden]

Hello there @Tom Kellie So glad to see you back and posting again. I had missed your contributions. Hope you are well

 

Matt

[Tom Kellie]

My first Namaqua Dove sighting,

Was one cold morning in Meru,

Few photos due to poor lighting,

At such moments what might one do?

 

 

 

Long Tail Feathers

 

 

Two Namaqua Doves in an Acacia

 

 

Oena capensis in Afternoon Sunlight

 

[Tom Kellie]

Wildlife lives here, it is their home.

Scaring them for any reason,

Is flawed...this is no hippodrome, 

They remain through every season.

 

 

 

Litocranius walleri in Hiding

 

 

Browsing Gerenuk

 

 

Fully Extended

 

 

Startled Reaction

 

 

Gerenuk in Flight

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

Leopards lack immortality,

Medical care isn't a choice.

That's the wild's harsh reality,

They groan with a loud, plaintive voice.

 

 

 

Leg Stretching

 

 

Boulder Outlook

 

 

Stone Mattress

 

 

Slow Twirl

 

 

Solitary Lifestyle

 

 

Loudly Wheezing

 

 

Ailing Leopard

 

[Tom Kellie]

Yawning is an art cats know well,

Opening wide to let yawns out.

Leopards yawn widely to dispel,

Tense feelings within and without.

 

 

 

Fangs-baring Yawn

 

 

Less Drama

 

 

Curled Tongue Version

 

 

The Maw Exposed

 

 

Release of Stress

 

[Tom Kellie]

Samburu's distinctive landform,

Ol Doinyo Koitogorr is tall, 

Rising above the local norm,

It's a pyramid seen by all.

 

 

 

Ol Doinyo Koitogorr

 

[Tom Kellie]

There's no dignity for a cat,

When it's time to enjoy a nap.

Resting, turning this way and that,

Who wants to sprint for a fast lap?

 

 

 

Male Acinonyx jubatus in Samburu

 

 

Sleepy Boy

 

 

Drowsy Cat

 

 

Layabout

 

 

Faux Dalmatian

 

 

Lasso

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by Tom Kellie

[Tom Kellie]

KUSAMA Yayoi loves all dots,
Her artwork has dots of all sizes.
How she must admire cheetah spots,
One of nature's best surprises.

 

 

 

Feet First

 

 

Paws Pause

 

 

KUSAMA Yayoi's Dream

 

 

The Full Effect

 

 

Well, It Has Been a Very Tiring Day

 

 

Taking Life Easy

 

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by Tom Kellie

[offshorebirder]

Thanks for the photo of Ol Doinyo Koito Gorr @Tom Kellie.   And the spotted cats you encountered are choice!

 

 

 

 

[amybatt]

HA!!  I went to Los Angeles to see the big Kusama show last year, so you're SPOT ON!  (Pun intended!)

 

Love your cheetah!  And again with the palette. It's always difficult to explain to people who've only ever seen cats like this in a zoo (usually against concrete or green grass) how their pattern is really camouflage.  You can see it so obviously with this cheetah and the leopard on the rocks.

[Tom Kellie]

Getting started is the hardest,

Flaccid limbs flex, reactivate.

Moving around is for the best,

Cease to fruitlessly contemplate.

 

 

 

Are There Greener Pastures Elsewhere?

 

 

Maybe It's Time to Move Along

 

 

You Can Do It

 

 

Rise and Shine

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

Supple, with such abundant grace,

A simple stretch is wizardry.

With a casual look on that face,

Cheetah's living geometry.

 

 

 

One Step At a Time

 

 

Beginning of a Yawn

 

 

Stretch!

 

 

Living Geometry

 

 

Nature's Flexibility on Display

 

 

Yes?

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

No single place is ever best,

Relocation is regular.

Hence for cheetahs no one fixed nest,

Lest they become too familiar.

 

 

 

No Unwanted Followers

 

 

Poker Face

 

 

Setting Out

 

 

Reconnoitring

 

 

It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

 

 

Slow Amble

 

 

New Venue

[Tom Kellie]

Anthony stops us with great skill,

The jackal appears undisturbed.

Is it sensing a nearby kill,

On breezes heavily scented?

 

 

 

On Track

 

 

Canis mesomelas

 

 

Two by Two

 

 

Trotting

 

 

Levitational Dance Step

 

 

Healthy Coat

 

 

Offroader

 

[Tom Kellie]

Jackal restlessness clearly shows,

Anxious glancing this way and that,

All senses are used so it knows,

It's not hunted by a big cat.

 

 

 

Epitome of Vigilance

 

 

Jackal Essence

 

 

Long and Lean

 

 

Selective Predator

 

 

Avoiding Unwanted Attention

 

 

Passing Through Long Grass

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

This was to be her final night,

Reserve staff found her cold remains.

Whatever stilled a leopard's might,

I hope she passed without stark pains.

 

 

 

Unchanged Position

 

 

Not Feeling Well At Nightfall

 

 

A Final Portrait

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

Dusk images tend to be dark,

Fewer photons to register.

Yet sometimes here and there a spark,

To remember the day's grandeur.

 

 

 

Weaver Nests At Dusk

 

 

Acacia Branches as Silhouettes

 

 

Dim Tracery

 

 

[CDL111]

Lovely photos of the jackel, sad to hear about the leopard, but that is nature running it’s course.

[Tom Kellie]

Post-dawn sunlight is warm and soft,

Providing rich coloration,

To any birds perched or aloft,

Caused by solar radiation.

 

 

 

Morning Has Broken

 

 

Passer gongonensis at Sunrise

 

 

Daybreak Coloration

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

Small fruit on branches, filled with seeds,

Are this morning's breakfast buffet.

For a bird's nutritional needs,

A nice way to begin the day.

 

 

 

Testing the Fruit

 

 

Task Focussed

 

 

This One Will Do

 

 

Pesky Photographer