From Ol Pejeta to Tsavo West (Kenya) (page 5 of 15)

Samburu also has humid areas that bring a bit of coolness. Elsewhere in the park, Samburu’s geographical location is hard to forget! It’s also teeming with wildlife:



Waterbucks: Kobus ellipsiprymnus



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Great Egret, Casmerodius albus Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus

Hi Éric,

Great sequence, Léo! Lovely photos of the waders too.

For your wader, I’d suggest the Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus, because of its green legs (ochropus, right?). The beak’s too short for a plover. And it seems too small for a sandpiper.

Have a good evening,

BL

Good evening, everyone, Gorgeous Vulturine Guineafowl, never seen one before 🙂

I’m not convinced about the Black Harrier/Montagu’s Harrier 😕 What am I thinking? No idea—maybe a Dark Chanting Goshawk/dark-morph juvenile Gabar Goshawk??????

The last one is an adult Martial Eagle (the gape extends to the middle of the eye). The two side by side—same eagle, "pale form"???

The tricky IDs are starting 😛 The "sandpiper" one—I’ll have to look it up… after the 7:30 PM GT (feeling sheepish) 😊

Hi Anne-Marie,

A juvenile Dark Chanting Goshawk (the adult has a bicolored beak) would work for me. The Black Harrier isn’t found in Kenya—it’s a species from southern Africa.

Have a good evening,

BL

Vulturine guineafowl are so gorgeous, I didn’t know they existed 😎 Between your travel journal and Sylvie’s, I definitely want to go to Kenya 😛... but not with John 😉. Especially since I’ve already seen plenty of big cats (except for the cheetah, which seems to be avoiding me on purpose 😉).

Evenin' everyone,

It's time to head back to camp, but instead of just sharing this return in the sunset, I suggest we reflect on it through our unpublished thoughts—written reflection on identities tomorrow! :)

I’d suggest Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus

Yeah, I’m leaning toward Green Sandpiper too... but oh boy, I don’t know much about these "waders/shorebirds" 😅

I love those "Gerenuks (Litocranius walleri), also called giraffe gazelles or Waller’s gazelles" (Wikipedia) that I’ve only seen once, in Kenya I think 🙂

The zebra has a nice sway back 😛

Evening Bernard,

For your bird, I’d suggest Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus, because of its green legs (ochropus, right?). Beak too short for a plover. And it seems too small for a sandpiper.

Pretty much agree with the Green Sandpiper. But the beak is too long to be a plover’s, though it works for a sandpiper..

Hi Anne-Marie,

Those Waller’s gazelles are so weird. Total cartoons!

The zebra has a swayback

Makes sense—wildlife life really burns calories😎!

Hi Anne-Marie,

the last one is an adult Martial Eagle (the corner of the beak reaches the middle of the eye) the two side by side the same Eagle "pale form" ???

Not sure it's an adult—its head is way too white, while the rest is the same color as an adult.

Hey Jean-François,

Once your plan is set and if you need a guide, definitely avoid that one—and the agencies associated with him. Actually, the tracks are manageable for an experienced 4x4 driver as long as they know the terrain.

Hi Eric,

The plan would be to do it as a self-drive trip. 😏 Ideally, I’d drive my vehicle up from Botswana to Kenya, but to do that, I need to find a safe spot to leave my 4x4. What also complicates things is the duration of the temporary import permit...

But I’m taking notes, I’m taking notes 😛 🙂

What a pain this guide is, it's unbearable. Samburu is famous for its many birds. All these sightings are just magnificent!

the 2 side by side might be juv. or sub-adult???

Hi Anne-Marie,

I think the two on the same branch are juveniles. The one alone on its branch cleaning a bone is a subadult. But I’m just sayin’, nothin’ official! What do you think, Bernard?

Hi Jean-François,

I was surprised to see so few private 4x4s—not belonging to a company—in Samburu, Ol Pejeta, and other parks. I wonder why? Is it Kenyan protectionism benefiting the country’s safari companies?

No, I don’t think that’s it.

I think there’s practically nothing planned for self-drive. There must be camps for them, but I’ve never seen any. Finding information isn’t easy at all: https://www.roadtripafrica.com/destination-guide/self-driving-in-the-maasai-mara-everything-you-need-to-know

For example, it clearly states that camps operate on a first-come, first-served basis and are mostly empty.

You can find more info here: https://marabookings.co.ke/

Good luck to those who want to do a self-drive—it’s complicated but not impossible

Thanks to you both 😛 🙂

There are pale Tawny forms, dark Tawny forms, middle ones, etc.—pretty much every color. I’ve got a few here:

https://safrounet.piwigo.com/index?/search/93

For example, no. 3122.JPG = light, second page, middle of the row, and no. 1377.JPG = dark, three photos later. Just an example!!!

You have to click on a photo to open it, then click on the name (in green at the bottom of the photo) to enlarge it and see the dates, numbers, etc. The two are right next to each other.

Wow, this is messy. Sorry, I’ve got a terrible cold—my cerebellum must be affected. 🏴‍☠️