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

[Tom Kellie]

A portrait bust although living,

The male impala turns this way.

The contrast sunlight is giving,

Shows texture and shadows at play.

 

 

 

Impala Portrait Bust

 

 

 

Guest Appearance

 

 

 

Stepping Into the Shade

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

A brisk swirling vortex appears,

Picking up twigs, dust, and fine sand.

Small birds fly away when it nears,

Scouring the surface of the land.

 

 

 

Dust Devil

[Tom Kellie]

No upscale flower arrangement,

Could ever match a hornbill's hue.

Its curved yellow bill so brilliant,

With shining eyes that sparkle, too.

 

 

 

Arrangement in Green, Black, White and Yellow

 

[Tom Kellie]

This old friend known from Tsavo West,

An African Grey Flycatcher,

Doing what it always does best,

A most nondescript observer.

 

 

 

Melaenornis microrhynchus

 

[Tom Kellie]

Male Ostrich plumes vibrant black,

Stand out in the arid setting.

The tall bird turns, showing its back,

With feathers beyond forgetting.

 

 

 

Male Somali Ostrich

 

 

 

Ostrich Ear

 

 

 

Brings to Mind

 

 

 

Somali Ostrich Legs

 

[Tom Kellie]

Not a hibiscus though alike,

Nor a large morning glory bush,

When visited by a bold shrike,

Smaller birds fly out in a rush.

 

 

 

Hibiscus-like Blooms

 

[Tom Kellie]

Xerus rutilus on the ground,

No stripes but glistening dark eyes.

Where there are seeds it mat be found,

Treating each morsel as a prize.

 

 

 

Xerus rutilus with a Morsel

 

[Tom Kellie]

Mama Agama agama,

With your snazzy orange striped fashion,

Your sharp claws may lead to drama,

Should someone seek your position.

 

 

 

Claws of Female Agama agama

 

[Tom Kellie]

They're a Samburu specialty,

Vulturine Guineafowl trio.

They peck for food with energy,

They chat away with loud brio.

 

 

 

Acryllium vulturinum Trio

 

[Tom Kellie]

Looking fully behind, the bird,

Twists its face as I couldn't do,

A reversal that looks absurd,

It's wholly unlike me and you.

 

 

 

Pycnonotus barbatus Looking Back

 

[Tom Kellie]

A Chestnut Sparrow's daily life,

By the lodge's parking spaces,

A quiet existence, no strife,

Active, yet leaving few traces.

 

 

 

In Bushes at the Samburu Sopa Lodge

 

 

 

Passer eminibey

 

 

 

Two Chestnut Sparrows

 

[Tom Kellie]

A wee Batis out by the pool,

A regular frequently heard,

It remains in shade to stay cool,

A charming, distinctive small bird.

 

 

 

Batisian Gimmickry

 

 

 

Pygmy Batis

 

 

 

Perching Batis perkeo

 

[Tom Kellie]

For Samburu Sopa swimmers,

Carmine dragonflies are usual.

Often their reflection shimmers,

Fliers whose grace is natural.

 

 

 

Poolside Visitor

 

 

 

Heads It Is

 

 

 

Odonata in Carmine

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

Every time we drive by that rock,

I wonder how it came to be.

If only those old stones could talk,

They'd sing Africa's mystery.

 

 

 

Botanical Encroachment

 

 

 

Horizontal and Vertical Splits

 

 

 

Over the Top

 

[Tom Kellie]

Vistas in shades of blue and grey,

Distance expressed by softened hues.

This grandeur timeless, fresh each day,

With such beauty, who needs bleak news?

 

 

 

Samburu's Distant Views

 

 

 

Off Into the Distance

 

 

 

Mixed Messages

 

 

 

What Is Calm?

 

[Tom Kellie]

Ol Doinyo Koitogorr summit,

Apex of Samburu's terrain,

To ascend to the top of it,

Seems taboo and almost profane.

 

 

 

Ol Doinyo Koitogorr Summit

 

[Tom Kellie]

Sun-bleached, grizzled wood, grooved, gnarled, dried,

No sap flows, no green foliage sprouts.

What happens when life's gone inside?

Resolution, or only doubts?

 

 

 

Outreach

 

 

 

Eyewitness

 

[Tom Kellie]

Circus pygargus once again,

An old friend seen in a new place.

An appreciation of Zen,

Gives a love for such a calm space.

 

 

 

Circus pygargus with Weaver Nests

 

[Tom Kellie]

An Augur Buzzard will astound,

With agile gliding through the air.

When far above the solid ground,

It flies with grace beyond compare.

 

 

 

Buteo augur on a Bush

 

 

 

Sharply Curved Hook

 

 

 

Augur Buzzard's Face

 

[Tom Kellie]

No pharoah's painted limestone tomb,

Growing free in Samburu's air.

The tall branching palm known as Doum,

I've seen elsewhere, but when or where?

 

 

 

Hyphaene thebaica

 

[Tom Kellie]

This wide-ranging primate cousin,

With an alert child on her back,

Within a group of a dozen,

Digging edibles near the track.

 

 

 

Telling a Tale

 

[Tom Kellie]

For some the pleasure of wading,

Overcomes natural reserve.

Splashing when daylight is fading,

Wet relaxation they deserve.

 

 

 

Dance Step

 

 

 

Wading Pachyderm

 

 

 

Cooling Drink

 

[Tom Kellie]

 

 

A muscular tube so agile,

An elephant's trunk amazes,

As it picks up objects fragile,

And leaves in their tender phases.

 

 

 

Drinking While In Motion

 

 

 

Elephant and Water

 

 

 

Back On Dry Land

 

 

 

Still Wet

 

 

 

Near An Impala Herd

 

[Tom Kellie]

With a wall of palms as backdrop,

Weaver nests show who once lived there.

In such a scene time seems to stop,

Life's wondrous beauty, mine to share.

 

 

 

Riverbank, Palms, Weaver Nests

 

 

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

For once they're seen and not heard,

Hadada Ibis together,

Characteristic Kenya bird,

Which stands out, curved bill, bright feather.

 

 

 

Hadada Ibis Pair in the Ewaso Nyiro Shallows