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

[amybatt]

I don't think I've ever noticed a rhino's tail before that last sequence of photos!

[optig]

That's a magnificent rhino. I'm glad that there has been no rhino poaching at the sanctuary in Meru. I was very impressed by the security which I saw there. I so know that the elephant population keeps growing. Meru is truly an East African conservation story.

[Tom Kellie]

Nature at its most absolute,

No follies, fandangoes or frills.

A male rhino so resolute,

Proximity both awes and thrills.

Redoubtable

Standing Firm

No Need to Sing The Blues

Stepping Forward

Full Profile

Welcome Sight

Ultimate Saunterer

On the Upswing

[Tom Kellie]

Thoth's incarnation in a tree,

Noble, comical, aggressive,

It's on display for all to see,

A baboon's stares are impressive.

Digital Baboon

A Nibble or Two

Baboon Pose

At Ease in High Limbs

[Tom Kellie]

Picking out a path in bushes,

Step by step, making no loud sounds.

Moving forward, a branch pushes,

Hidden by the growth that surrounds.

Scarcely Concealed

In a Small Clearing

Pause to Decide

Lesser Kudu Shuffle

No Path Required

[Tom Kellie]

Were one to share a leopard's view,

Of a male lesser kudu's back,

The spiraled horns and long stripes, too,

Best reconsider an attack.

Neither Gerenuk Nor Giraffe

Higher Browse

Let's Try the Other Side

Ears Aimed Backward

Repositioned Lesser Kudu

Leopard's View

[Tom Kellie]

Not every sighting is perfect,

As birds and mammals tend to hide.

Predator fear has its effect,

Thus at every bush look inside.

Clandestine

Three Views

[Tom Kellie]

As far as birds go, they're full-size,

Having long legs and a long neck,

Meeting them a welcome surprise,

As if finding a giant lek.

Struthio molybdophanes

In Fine Fettle

Steppin’ Out with My Babies

People Will Say We're in Love

Prima Ballerinas

[Tom Kellie]

Where form and function are the same,

Odd looks are matched with good design.

Normal may simply be a name,

For what others regard as fine.

Ostrich Browsing

Form Follows Function

Male Somali Ostrich

Bluish-grey Legs

Unruffled

[Tom Kellie]

Together heads bobbing along,

Searching out morsels from the ground.

Lady ostriches can't go wrong,

Sharing whatever food they've found.

Side-by-side Feeding

Female Somali Ostrich Trio

Flexible Neck

[Tom Kellie]

Driving on a track in hot sun,

One stays in shade but keeps looking,

For spotting something is great fun,

Even if the temps are cooking.

Mirafra hypermetra

Red-winged Lark

[Tom Kellie]

Spines, thorns and needles are widespread,

A pointed fact of life out here.

One looks all around and ahead,

Due more to caution than from fear.

Small Horns, Big Ears

Count the Stripes

Spines

Reminiscent

[Atravelynn]

I like the "leopard's view" perspective from you and for the leopard. Of course lesser kudu are a favorite of mine, and maybe of the leopard too.

[Tom Kellie]

Animal babies in the wild,

Are vulnerable many ways,

For any feathered or furred child,

Must be cautious through all their days.

Attention to Detail

Masquerade

Large Ears from Childhood

Reassurance

Kudu Chimera

Unprotected

Quadruped

[Tom Kellie]

I like riding on my mom's back,

It feels safe, protected by her.

I hold on tight in an attack,

And I whisper when we confer.

On the Move in Shade

Crook of a Tree

 

[Tom Kellie]

If painted by a Dutch Master,

A Martial Eagle would never,

Become lovelier or faster,

With grandeur that lasts forever.

Martial Eagle Surrounded by Foliage

Edged in White

Africa's Largest Eagle Species

Meru National Park's Avian Apex Predator

Ruffled Eagle Plumage

Formidable Legs

Polemaetus bellicosus

[Tom Kellie]

Might any species be called ‘grand’?

It implies the exceptional,

Which suits any common eland,

The antelope sensational!

Doum Palm and Eland

Eland with Two Grant's Gazelles

Nanger granti

Eland on Parade

Meru Eland

Gazelles and Eland

Gazelles Tussle as Eland Depart

[optig]

@@Tom Kellie You were fortunate to see eland in Meru National Park. I also adore your photos of the martial eagle.

[optig]

@@Tom Kellie I forgot to say that I also just adore your shots of the baboons.

Edited December 29, 2016 by optig

[Tom Kellie]

Even mighty elephants fall,

Their sun-bleached bones testify so.

It's the common fate of us all,

Who down death's quiet path will go.

Elephant Jawbone

Smooth Surface

Remains

Structural Support

Decorated Arch

[JohnR]

@@Tom Kellie The bone in the bottom half of the last picture looks like a mini dinosaur with its mouth open.

 

I'd never have thought of photographing all those bones. You're so much more observant than I.

[Tom Kellie]

Yes, wires do have consequences,

Barriers keep out and keep in.

More reason to question fences,

Which understate the fear within.

Quandary

Tail-flick

Off the Ground

[Tom Kellie]

Meru's elephants aren't sedate.

Seemingly always in motion,

Perambulations indicate,

Their effortless locomotion.

Collared Elephant Stirring Up Dust

Active Group

Tall Acacia and Doum Palms with Elephant

A Small Meru Hill

Elephant, 2 Raptors, Warthogs, Herons, Bones

Elephant Oblivious of Vulture Hijinks

Two Raptors and a Vulture Group

[optig]

@@Tom Kellie Your'e bring back memories of seeing the skeletons of elephants in Gonorezhou . It was fascinating to watch Ant Kaschula put the skeletons back together, I appreciated the elephants even more when I got to see their

skeletons; they were most impressive.

[amybatt]

The shots of the elephant bones are very compelling, they tell a story almost. I agree with @@optig on how impressive it is to see. I remember reading a story about a guide that reconstructed the skeleton, maybe it was optig's story? How interesting!

 

Tom, what happened with that impala (?), did it get through the fence? Or over/around it somewhere? Was it meant to?