Kenya Discovered. A Safari Talk Inspired Safari Part 2

[penolva]

The next day we explored more of the park and finally saw the Besia oryx. We were not at all sure its ears were any different than the oryx we had seen before in Namibia etc!

 

 

We spotted a lovely baby impala with its mother, some baboons using a branch as a diving board and some zebra down at the beautiful river.

 

 

 

We even spotted some birds before the sky started to look very stormy so we went back to the lodge.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2018 by penolva

[Ginny]

34 minutes ago, penolva said:

The next day we explored more of the park and finally saw the Besia oryx. We were not at all sure its ears were any different than the oryx we had seen before in Namibia etc!

 

 

We spotted a lovely baby impala with its mother, some baboons using a branch as a diving board and some zebra down at the beautiful river.

 

 

 

We even spotted some birds before the sky started to look very stormy so we went back to the lodge.

 

 

 

 

 

What fabulous photos!

 

 

[penolva]

7 hours ago, Ginny said:

What fabulous photos!

 

 

Thank you 

[KaliCA]

I just absolutely love these Gerenuk shots, well done! What a strange creature and what amazing adaptations. 

Even the vulterine guineas look beautiful. Like you, I can’t see a difference in the oryx either. 

We will certainly have to include Samburu in a future Kenya trip, just to see a big river and all the animals that live around it sounds amazing. 

Thanks for posting, it’s fun traveling with you. 

[penolva]

12 hours ago, KaliCA said:

I just absolutely love these Gerenuk shots, well done! What a strange creature and what amazing adaptations. 

Even the vulterine guineas look beautiful. Like you, I can’t see a difference in the oryx either. 

We will certainly have to include Samburu in a future Kenya trip, just to see a big river and all the animals that live around it sounds amazing. 

Thanks for posting, it’s fun traveling with you. 

@KaliCA thank you once again for following along and commenting! 

[Zarek Cockar]

@penolva 

Just for future reference, if you're interested:

- Your spurfowl-type bird up in the Aberdares is a Jackson's Francolin, which is endemic to the highlands of the Aberdares, Mt. Kenya, the Mau, and Mt. Elgon.  At the campsite and the KWS cottages up at the top of the aberdares, they get very used to people and walk right up to you, especially if you have crumby food.

- The "old man's beard" you saw up on the higher slopes of the aberdares is technically a lichen, from the family Parmeliaceae.  It certainly does resemble the Spanish Moss from the Southern US. They're from the same family, but different genus and species.  I always erroneously called it moss, but technically it's a lichen.

- the finches at Sopa are Speckle Fronted Weavers.  Very cute little things.

- What we in Kenya have always called Beisa Oryx, is now officially split from the Beisa and I understand it is now called the Galla Oryx (Oryx gallarum).  This is just a technical side note and nothing you need to worry about.  I'm sure @Safaridude can add more.

 

Somehow I missed Part 1 of your trip.  I'll have to go back and find it as I've very much enjoyed part 2.  Your stay at Sandai, with visits to Solio and the Aberdares are reminiscent of my trip with @twaffle last year.

[penolva]

2 hours ago, Zarek Cockar said:

@penolva 

Just for future reference, if you're interested:

- Your spurfowl-type bird up in the Aberdares is a Jackson's Francolin, which is endemic to the highlands of the Aberdares, Mt. Kenya, the Mau, and Mt. Elgon.  At the campsite and the KWS cottages up at the top of the aberdares, they get very used to people and walk right up to you, especially if you have crumby food.

- The "old man's beard" you saw up on the higher slopes of the aberdares is technically a lichen, from the family Parmeliaceae.  It certainly does resemble the Spanish Moss from the Southern US. They're from the same family, but different genus and species.  I always erroneously called it moss, but technically it's a lichen.

- the finches at Sopa are Speckle Fronted Weavers.  Very cute little things.

- What we in Kenya have always called Beisa Oryx, is now officially split from the Beisa and I understand it is now called the Galla Oryx (Oryx gallarum).  This is just a technical side note and nothing you need to worry about.  I'm sure @Safaridude can add more.

 

Somehow I missed Part 1 of your trip.  I'll have to go back and find it as I've very much enjoyed part 2.  Your stay at Sandai, with visits to Solio and the Aberdares are reminiscent of my trip with @twaffle last year.

@Zarek Cockar thanks for letting me know the bird names, confirming the lichen and the oryx name or rather change of it. I can now say we have seen the Galla Oryx ? Pen

[Safaridude]

@penolva  @Zarek Cockar

 

Don't mean to hijack this thread...

 

Indeed some "splitters" now consider the oryx occurring from north of the Tana River in Kenya to southern Ethiopia to be a separate species called "Galla Oryx", leaving the oryx population occurring in central/northern Ethiopia still as "beisa oryx."  This is based on advanced DNA work done by gentlemen named Colin Groves and Peter Grubb.  The problem with this sort of "splitting" is that the DNA analysis was necessarily done with small sample sizes and that in any case speciation or sub-speciation is subjective in the end.  For whatever it's worth, the IUCN does not recognize this splitting.  The IUCN has stayed with besia oryx (anything that occurs north of the Tana River in Kenya) and fringe-eared oryx (south of the Tana River... easy to tell apart because it has tassels on the ear tips and are stockier and darker) as related subspecies, and the gemsbok (occurring in South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe) as a separate species from the beisa/fringe-eared.

 

Interestingly, there is a tiny bit of morphological difference between the population occurring in central/northern Ethiopia (what the "splitters" still call beisa oryx) and the rest (what the "splitters" now call galla oryx)... it's in the facial stripes.  The former type shows slightly thinner black facial stripes.  But that's about all the difference.

 

There is a mountain range in Ethiopia that divides the proposed galla oryx population from the beisa oryx population.  But I am sure that the two populations would readily get along and breed very happily (which, in itself is also not a determining factor in speciation).  Personally, I would go with IUCN's conservative approach... to me they are all beisa oryx.

 

Awash National Park, Ethiopia (what the "splitters" still call beisa oryx).  Note the thin facial stripe.

 

Awash National Park, Ethiopia.  Note the thin facial stripe.

 

 

 

Meru National Park, Kenya (what the "splitters" now call galla oryx).  Never mind the reddish coat color... that's the color of the soil.  Note the thick facial stripe.

 

Sosian Ranch, Kenya.  Note the thick facial stripe.

[Zarek Cockar]

@Safaridude thanks for that! I tend NOT to consider myself a 'splitter', so I'm actually quite glad you cleared that up.  Happy to keep calling it Beisa and leave it at that.  Well-explained, and great accompanying photos.

[penolva]

Thanks @Safaridude so these two are happy to be called Beisa do you think?

 

 

On our way to the river we found some mating lions which was a surprise as no one at the lodge had mentioned lions. The female was hiding in the bushes.

 

 

 

It rained hard during the night and by the time we reached the river it was very high. The lodges beside it looked in danger of flooding.

 

 

The little zebra and its mother were enjoying the water and the baby seemed intent on drinking the river dry. 

 

 

There were plenty of photo opportunities as all the animals seemed drawn to the river

 

 

 

We found some very relaxed elephants and followed them to the acacia bushes. The bushes are so full of thorns yet the elephants love them. There were some examples of the many muscles in an elephants face and trunk used for breaking off the branches.

 

 

During our evening drive we met the people with their camels which were illegally grazing. They were not keen on us taking photographs of them but the camels didn't mind.

 

 

One I forgot from yesterday which should be in the 'show us your bums' but the number of baboons was spectacular.

 

 

The following morning we left for Sandai Farm. On the way we stopped at a village where its just women living there with their children. Most have been thrown out of their own villages because they are single mothers. The school was wonderful and the children made us welcome. We usually avoid these visits as they are often put on for tourists but this was very real and the people there were happy to tell us all about their life. A real struggle lately as their cows had been stolen a couple of days before.

 

Edited March 21, 2018 by penolva

[KaliCA]

So many great photos. The gerenuk in front of the dark background. Also love the people pictures, so elegant. 

[Treepol]

@penolva I am really enjoying your TR especially the sandai details and the wonderful photos of Samburu. Great sightings of gerenuk, vulturine guineafowl and oryx - well everything really.

 

I think that is the largest group of baboons I have ever seen!

[penolva]

2 hours ago, KaliCA said:

So many great photos. The gerenuk in front of the dark background. Also love the people pictures, so elegant. 

@KaliCA thank you . Appreciate your kind comments as always ?

[penolva]

@Treepol thank you. Sandai is a lovely place to stay. I was very impressed with the baboons . It’s that kind of sight that shows us how amazing nature is. Pen

[penolva]

Back at Sandai we met up with everyone, some new and some who were still there a few days ago. Several people seemed to stay at the farm to relax and just enjoy the scenery, walk and maybe go horse riding. Its such a lovely peaceful place and Petra also holds yoga sessions and arranges special events. Its always worth checking out her website. 

 

That evening we were sitting outside our bungalow when the night guard came over and asked if we had seen/heard the elephant? We shone our torch and just across the path was an enormous tusker quietly eating Petras plants. As usual with elephants he had crept up so quietly we had no idea he was there. What a thrill! He wasn't bothered by us at all.

 

Petras garden elephant but we saw a real live one!

 

Next morning we went to Ol Pejeta for the day. To be honest we were very disappointed. Perhaps its better if you stay there but it was the most expensive place for park fees USD80 per person!!! They didn't even give us a map for that. We were unlucky that we only saw one distant rhino and a few other animals including a very small elephant. It was a dull day and perhaps we were tired but we left early. The most depressing part was the chimpanzee enclosure. There were two chimps near the fence. They obviously had mental health problems as they were showing all the signs of distress. The guard made a joke that one was constantly simulating a mating act with the ground. We thought it extremely sad and not at all funny. We left without taking any photographs of the chimps. Here are a couple of record shots but we wishes we had gone back to Solio for another visit as for one thing its a lot nearer to Sandai.

 

 

 

Next morning we packed up and said goodbye to Petra, Paul and all the staff. It was sad to leave.

 

We stayed in Nairobi at Purdy Arms again before we set off for the DSWT lodges at Umani Springs and Ithumba. As I said before I will cover those in my last trip report of our time in Kenya. After Ithumba we went to Amboseli for three nights so that comes next.

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by penolva

[michael-ibk]

Thanks so much, Pen, for taking me back to Sandai, Solio, the Aberdares and Samburu. Great places, and you had beautiful sightings and captured them expertly. I need to ge back, I really miss Petra, Paul and Charly & Co.

 

@Safaridude

 

Good to see one of your TM "Antelope guy" posts again.

[Zarek Cockar]

@penolva I don't think I have ever seen Kudu down by the river before in Samburu, and I don't remember seeing many photos from other people, so in my book, you should count yourself lucky!

Sorry to hear your trip to Ol Pej was a bit of a disappointment.  Ol Pejeta is usually VERY good, second only to Solio for rhino, and generally very good for elephants and predators.  But yes, it's better to stay there so that you can be out at first light and then have an afternoon drive and stay in the core game-viewing area until last light.  It IS very expensive.

The chimp enclosure certainly isn't for everyone.  Those chimps are all very traumatized and do not behave normally because of their past.  The one solace is that they are living the most "normal/wild" life that can possibly be given to them after what they've been through.  They're not suitable candidates for reintroduction into the wild in their natural habitat, unfortunately.  I hope the guide who took you around showed you around the information centre first and explained each chimp's story to put it all into context.  Usually the guide/rangers based there are very good and I have never had one make inappropriate jokes about the chimps before, so that's a little sad.

 

I look forward to seeing the rest of your report!

[penolva]

@Zarek Cockar Thanks for the info. Who would know we saw the rare elusive Samburu Kudu  I appreciate your remarks about the chimps. I do think it was the rangers attitude that soured our visit. Pen

[penolva]

17 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Thanks so much, Pen, for taking me back to Sandai, Solio, the Aberdares and Samburu. Great places, and you had beautiful sightings and captured them expertly. I need to ge back, I really miss Petra, Paul and Charly & Co.

 

@Safaridude

 

Good to see one of your TM "Antelope guy" posts again.

@michael-ibk And thank you for recommending such a lovely place. Pen

[penolva]

We were picked up from Ithumba by another company and their driver George. Another great guide and he had the biggest smile. We had been so lucky with all the guides and drivers this trip.

 

Amboseli is all about the marsh, the hundreds of elephants and other animals and Mount Kilimanjaro. The park lies in the mountains rain shadow and the marsh water is from two underground springs fed by the melt ice. The mountain is notorious for being covered in cloud and during our time there lived up to its reputation!

 

We stayed at Ol Tukai Lodge which is a green oasis amid the arid landscape as the marsh surrounds it. There are palm trees and beautiful flowers in the grounds. It is fenced but you can clearly see the animals as they pass by. We relaxed during the first afternoon and enjoyed the lodge.

Through the fence just opposite our room

 

Early morning we set off on our first game drive. We found some lions that had made a kill but had been driven off from the remains by a group of hyena. They in turn had been joined by other scavengers. The lions tried to chase them off but gave up after a while.

 

 

We then explored the marsh area. Beyond it the land is dusty and dry. Really dry!! It was amazing to see the difference and the animals and birds were making the most of it. 

 

 

I think the crowned cranes are now my favourite bird

 

 

When we drove briefly away from the water there were dust devils everywhere.

 

We found this tiny elephant with its mother just outside the lodge on our way back for lunch

 

 

[penolva]

On our next drive we ventured away from the marsh and towards the other gate. This is where most of the vehicles from lodges outside the park enter and exit. At 6pm when gate closing time was near they drove at great speed and the dust was terrible let alone the risk of killing animals on the road. The amount of dust in the atmosphere at Amboseli did make photography difficult at times.

 

First we saw some lions. You can see how dry it was on that side of the park.

 

Every so often water would appear and form a small pool, Kilimanjaro appeared out of the cloud but was difficult to capture.

We followed some elephants as they made their way to the water. Cheeky egrets were hitching a ride.

We returned to the marsh area and the elephants, zebra and wildebeest were up to their necks enjoying the water. You can see the lookout platform but we skipped that as the sky was so dusty and cloudy. We enjoyed this cheeky youngster using Mum's tail as a climbing rope.

 

 

[KaliCA]

It is so beautiful to see how all the different animals are enjoying the wet lands. Now that we live in FL, I realize more than ever how crucial wet lands are to an ecosystem. 

I can well imagine how difficult it must be to stick expensive camera equipment out the window only to have it covered  by dust. 

At least you did get to see Kili from the Amboseli side, even though it was a hazy day. The days with the huge snow cap on Kili like we used to see it when we were young, seem to be over. 

Thanks for posting!

[Zarek Cockar]

You'll no doubt be happy to know that we've had LOTS of rain here in Kenya over the past 1 month, and Amboseli is now GREEN, GREEN, GREEN.  From what I heard about 2 weeks ago, Lake Amboseli had filled up quite a bit and much of the Western side of the park was inaccessible. Such a change from what your pictures here represent.

[penolva]

10 hours ago, KaliCA said:

It is so beautiful to see how all the different animals are enjoying the wet lands. Now that we live in FL, I realize more than ever how crucial wet lands are to an ecosystem. 

I can well imagine how difficult it must be to stick expensive camera equipment out the window only to have it covered  by dust. 

At least you did get to see Kili from the Amboseli side, even though it was a hazy day. The days with the huge snow cap on Kili like we used to see it when we were young, seem to be over. 

Thanks for posting!

@KaliCA Its true the snow cap on Kili was shockingly small. In my next post we did get a slightly clearer view but judging by @Zarek Cockar message things have changed considerably since we were there. A great relief for all the animals I am sure. We did have our dry bags for the cameras but my DH is terrible when it comes to cleaning his lens so I have to photoshop hundreds of dust spots out of his lovely photographs Pen

[penolva]

4 hours ago, Zarek Cockar said:

You'll no doubt be happy to know that we've had LOTS of rain here in Kenya over the past 1 month, and Amboseli is now GREEN, GREEN, GREEN.  From what I heard about 2 weeks ago, Lake Amboseli had filled up quite a bit and much of the Western side of the park was inaccessible. Such a change from what your pictures here represent.

@Zarek Cockar what good news. I do remember seeing several lodges that had been flooded in the past and abandoned. Has that happened again this year to any of the others. They said Ol Tukai was above the flood line. Pen