From Ol Pejeta to Tsavo West (Kenya) (page 6 of 15)

Thanks Anne Marie

No worries, I got it all... Off to look for the info. In the meantime, get well soon! 🙂 I just got over a nasty rhinopharyngitis. Inhalations, syrup, antibiotics—took about ten days to shake it off, so I totally feel for you.

Anne-Marie: I found this comment on oiseaux.net (Bernard’s gonna love it!) https://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/aigle.ravisseur.html

Good evening,

John was still buzzing from spotting the leopard the day before. He was driving along the tracks, determined that if he found one this time, it’d be all on him—no sneaky credit card tip-offs or under-the-table intel. If there was a leopard around, it’d be his discovery… and ours. While driving, he scanned every tree from left to right, hoping to strike gold.

Meanwhile:

We were taking in the scenery.



Admiring these dik-diks, so delicate and prey to both leopards and martial eagles. There are plenty of them in Samburu.



This elephant here has that ochre color. There are quite a few in Samburu, but they don’t form large herds like you see in Chobe, Botswana, for example.





This African buffalo. Didn’t see any massive herds here either, unlike in Ruaha, Tanzania.



And those Waller’s gazelles—always so hilarious.



Suddenly, the car screeches to a halt: *there*… over there on the right-hand side. John’s voice trembling, he cuts the engine. His arm rises, fingers pointing at an acacia…

A second leopard! Maybe it’s the same one? He or she is just chilling on its branch, and they’re all quietly watching it sleep on its acacia branch:



They watch as it wakes up:



Then a little grooming session:



Before it heads back out to hunt:



And disappears into the bushes:



Honestly, John only has himself to thank for this discovery. We didn’t believe it, but now we’re forced to admit that when John puts his mind to it, he can. With a smile, our driver gets back on the road before the radio starts crackling again.

and a leopard too! 🙂

What’s that white bird in front of the elephant? Doesn’t look like a cattle egret to me, or am I wrong? 😛

Hi Anne-Marie,

Not sure it’s a Red-billed Oxpecker. The photo isn’t clear enough to say for sure, but it does look like one!

It's an egret, but which one? I think the elephant's size is really throwing us off. White feathered legs, yellow beak—there are two possibilities in the area: Yellow-billed Egret and Great (White) Egret. I'm leaning more toward the first one, shorter neck 😉

There’s *something* in this prairie that looks so empty. Would you know how to protect yourself if you ever found yourself dropped in this open space? ;)

Oh yeah, if no chemistry 😛

What amazing camouflage with the wildlife. On my smartphone, it's hard to tell if it's a lion or another big cat. But I think it's a lion

More like a lioness, right? 😉 Muriel

I can barely tell if it's a lion, let alone the sex! :-)

It’s just because I don’t see a mane... but it could be a young male, and I might’ve seen it wrong too 🏴‍☠️. Muriel

Hey friends,

Eric, for the bird, I'm torn between Great Egret and Cattle Egret. Do you have any other photos of the bird? The leo was well spotted, and on top of that, it reassured John—what more could we ask for? A lioness?

Car, Muriel, I think like you—it looks like a lioness, seems adult-sized. Eric will give us the answer.

Cheers to everyone and kisses to the others,

BL

PS: And no, I don’t want to be dropped in the savanna without at least a lighter, a flashlight, a compass, sunscreen, water, a good hat, and good shoes. And while I’m at it, in broad daylight with a solid 4x4 and a good driver...

Hi Anne-Marie,

There are two possible ones in the region: Yellow-billed Egret and Great (White) Egret. I’m leaning more toward the first one—shorter neck 😉l

So I’ll leave the choice up to you😎!

I’m also thinking of a lioness.

Have a good evening!

according to my guidebook: Yellow-billed Egret Distinguished from the larger Great Egret by its noticeably shorter neck and shorter bill. The gap doesn’t extend behind the eye but ends just below it.

Yellow-billed Egret 61–69 cm Great (White) Egret 85–92 cm

an elephant’s foot ??? 40... 50... cm ??

let’s go with Great Egret 😉 that way we’ll be two 🙂

Good evening everyone,

You're right. There's a big cat in the grass. You've got sharp eyes, you know🙂 and that's probably why you're still alive 😉. It's a lioness with her cubs hidden somewhere. She's carefully scanning the area for prey (not us🤪).



Having spotted something, she stands up and goes into stealth mode.









Then she disappears from our view. Our visit to Samburu ends on this stunning sunset. Our thoughts? It was good despite a few hassles, and sometimes it was exceptional. We enjoyed this park, but if we were to return, it would be with different accommodation and guidance. On to our third stop: Meru National Park.

Evening Bernard

PS: and no, I don’t want to be dropped in the savanna without at least a lighter, a flashlight, a compass, sunscreen, water, a good hat, and good shoes. And while I’m at it, in broad daylight with a solid 4x4 and a good driver...

And... today’s travel journal, huh! ☕ with the little coffee that goes with it! 🙂

I’d say Yellow-billed Egret ;) because of its small size. A Great Egret would be way too big.