Lewa conservancy and safari camp a place of the heart and soul

[COSMIC RHINO]

The elephants  at  Lewa  are often relaxed,  this is attributed to good security  

 

Grevy's and plains zebras  are not seen in distinct groups  ,they easily mix  together

 

both varieties have had many recent foals

 

territorial male Grevy's  zebras being all alone in a well watered area are at greater  risk from predators

 

from the state of their bellies  there are many female Grevy's zebras  expecting foals  

[offshorebirder]

I apologize for the delay - @COSMIC RHINO sent me some PDFs of scanned printouts to convert to JPEG last week.   But I was in the middle of a week-long "Gulf Stream safari" off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (subject of upcoming Trip Report). 

 

Anyway - here are some images Andrew sent.

 

This is a lovely scene of White Rhinos (perhaps an adult, an adolescent and a calf?) that was titled 'The Special Three'. 

 

 

 

This one is "Grevy's Zebras"

 

 

These two were titled 'Anna and Calf'

 

 

[COSMIC RHINO]

wonderful  things happened every day  and 2 weeks was not too long 

 

my best elephants   seen on the  morning of my last full day

 

a whole family  group  went into a muddy waterhole and used  it as a mud bath , then  rubbed  on the soil nearby  

 

it got a bit crowded so some of them went to another waterhole nearby and did the same thing

[offshorebirder]

Here are some more photos I helped @COSMIC RHINO process.  It is a delightful series of elephants at a watering hole and a sundown silhouette shot. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[COSMIC RHINO]

• I am really keen on seeing different  animals  together especially  rhino, elephants, reticulated giraffe and Grevy's zebras , who are the focus of the reserve 
• I was delighted to see white rhinos, retic giraffe and Grevy's  zebras all together at once
• I also got to see Grevy's  zebras with white rhino  , G Z with black rhino and  white rhino with elephants  , all were relaxed  together 
• the elephants  at the muddy waterhole were superbly relaxed   and accepted the vehicle at close distance 
• all the more reason to go to a reserve which does not have many visitors  , we had this delight all to ourselves

[COSMIC RHINO]

however long you can spend at Lewa  is worthwhile  . I chose  to just go there  for a number  of reasons  

 

to  others  I would  recommend  at least 3 nights  without  sundowners  and with  a normal gamedrive  and picnic box  on the final morning

 

the  second time I came  the manager told me that they took special care of those who spend a good period of time with them 

 

not having  the sundowners  is as simple as saying I don't want them when the orders are being taken in the bar at night

 

the reserve  does not allow night drives  , getting out to have drinks  and snacks  which  would be easier to have later in the bar is a waste of good animal viewing time 

 

they are  likely to bring out snacks  anyway when it is getting dark , there are animals  and the lovely land to see

 

I am a man with a special purpose  and  I am not wasting  the time I am here  

Edited June 15, 2018 by COSMIC RHINO

[COSMIC RHINO]

on game  drives you get  what you  seek 

 

I have a special interest  in the high profile  endangered species  who are relatively easy to find

 

if you want lions  they will try to find them  but there  is around 1 lion per 3,000 acres

 

there are much better places to go to see lions

 

I find the game drives  a delightfully unhurried affair  , if something is of serious  interest to me the minimum stay is 20 minutes

 

as before  there are  plenty  of buffalos  around  both in larger  breeding  herds , and the grumpy  old dugger  boys 

 

there are quiet  a lot of younger calves around , I can't help but think perhaps  that innocent looking youngster will end up becoming a mean angry dugger

[COSMIC RHINO]

the mud in the waterholes  was explained  to me as a result  of  rain washing loose soil into them

 

one effect of the heavier rains  was having waterholes looking mainly muddy ,sometimes looking clean  

 

there were none of them  looking that odd shade   of  green from accumulated  animal waste    

[offshorebirder]

Question for you @COSMIC RHINO - have you ever visited Ngare Ndare Forest on the southern border of Lewa?  I am very intrigued by the bird and primate possibilities there, and wonder about accessibility. lodging possibilities, etc.

 

If nothing else, perhaps I can camp there with @Zarek Cockar on an upcoming trip to Kenya.

 

[COSMIC RHINO]

Ngare Ndare Forest  is an area I have not visited myself

 

Lewa  Safari Camp  can book you to go on an organised  walk there  , take you  there and collect you  a number of  hours later

[COSMIC RHINO]

I  really can't understand  guides special  bush eyes

 

at a massive  distance  sometimes from a slightly  raised  area they can tell what  is a long way away  and around corners

 

I asked and was told we are used to the look of the landscape  without animals  

 

so they  know who is where  even to the extent of known rhinos 

 

in one case  I was told that  there was a white rhino and calf , as was taken there  , it was over 1 km away

 

I was amazed 

[offshorebirder]

Here are some more photos I helped @COSMIC RHINO convert and post.

 

This one looks like Guenther's Dik Diks - can anyone confirm that ID?   

 

 

 

This is a lovely photo of a Black Rhino calf peeping around from behinds its mother

 

 

 

Here is one of a Black Rhino browsing while her calf makes funny faces

 

 

 

This looks like a Black Rhino contemplating something

 

 

 

 

[offshorebirder]

These are titled "Anna and Calf"

 

 

 

 

Here are a few shots of Rhino calves nursing

 

 

[offshorebirder]

These are some nice photos of mixed-species game herds

 

White Rhinos and Savannah Elephants

 

 

 

White Rhino and Plains Zebras

 

White Rhinos and Grevy's Zebras

 

This is a Black Rhino named Sonia (after her sponsor) and some Grevy's Zebras

 

[offshorebirder]

Black Rhino walking uphill

 

 

Black Rhino sniffing the breeze

 

 

[COSMIC RHINO]

• the  guide explained  that the black rhino above  post 117 was giving a fleshmen  expression , he was  trying to find a lady on heat 
• the white rhino was seen with plains zebras in front and Grevy's zebras in the rear
• mud on elephants or rhinos  started to dry within 5 to 10 minutes  after being applied
• there is a dik dik couple who live within the grounds of Lewa  safari camp, they normal rush away  one at a time or as a pair  after being seen by anyone  , I  managed to get them on the path  to my tent  on high zoom seeting   

Edited June 19, 2018 by COSMIC RHINO

[COSMIC RHINO]

• breakfast  normally starts around 9 am  in a position  which may have wildlife viewing possibilities  , if anything is likely to happen  the vehicle is parked some distance  away with a good view of things
• the rangers  from time to time trim the horns of the more aggressive  male rhinos  to stop them hurting other males and females  , this is something done for optimal population results

[Zarek Cockar]

On 6/15/2018 at 9:44 PM, offshorebirder said:

If nothing else, perhaps I can camp there with @Zarek Cockar on an upcoming trip to Kenya.

@offshorebirder Let me know when.  We'll make a plan! One option is also to stay at Borana or camp in Mukogodo forest and then go into Ngare Ndare during the day.  Alternatively, there's also a place called Sieku Glamping, just on the border of Borana, which is a very affordable option.

 

 

[offshorebirder]

Here are some more photos I helped @COSMIC RHINO convert and post.  These are from his final game drive at Lewa.

 

Anna and her calf

 

Some Giraffes on the move

 

 

 

 

 

 

[offshorebirder]

Here are some elephant photos alone and with Grevy's Zebras.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2018 by offshorebirder

[COSMIC RHINO]

• I had the most  recently posted photos marked  last drive to emphasise  how good the final drive , to put it mildly  the elaborate camp breakfast is a very silly choice
• Anna the black rhino is named in honour of Anna  Merz  the financial founder of Lewa as a full fledged wildlife reserve
• Anna  and Sonia  have roughly the same  range  and are often seen  at great distance  ,so bring a strong zoom lense be it bridge camera or SLR
• my trip  finished up for a number of days using my spare camera , due to  battery problems with my main camera  ,please see  
• my guide and the manager told me  that not many guests take a spare camera  , then get very displeased when problems happen

[offshorebirder]

The Seduction of Sonia

 

 

[offshorebirder]

@COSMIC RHINO mentioned that Black Rhino (and White Rhino) really like eating wild Hibiscus.   This is the kind of detail about animals' life histories I relish.

 

 

[offshorebirder]

-- Do be sure and look at the last two posts on the previous page - particularly the one titled "The Seduction of Sonia".

 

White Rhinos Wallowing with a Bossy Elephant

 

 

Edited June 21, 2018 by offshorebirder

[offshorebirder]

Grevy's Zebras - mares and foals