From Ol Pejeta to Tsavo West (Kenya) (page 7 of 15)

that was my first thought too because of its neck, beak, and stature. But I didn’t/don’t want to be all alone—it’s not always easy 😛

But like Blesl already said, a second photo (or more) would’ve been great.

I love all the photos and stories in these travel journals so much—I definitely wouldn’t want to be the one correcting the final work, haha!

Thanks again for treating me to all this. I can hardly go out anymore (long walks with photos and interplanetary trips), so all these memories really warm my heart 🙂 Well, there—I said what I didn’t mean to say

Good evening Anne-Marie,

We’re all so honored and touched that these travel journals—including this one—appeal to you and spark your imaginary getaways and wanderlust 🙂... But it’ll be the Yellow-billed Egret, though!

Gorgeous lioness...... too bad we didn’t get to see her cubs...... 😉

Hi Sylvie,

We didn’t have your luck, it’s true—nor the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 ;). But we still made some great observations, enough to feed the memory machine ;). Speaking of those little ones, the question I’m asking myself is: how long can this lioness’s cubs stay hidden, considering they also have predators? Maybe this female still hadn’t given birth?

Alright, hostilities resume! We're leaving Samburu for Meru National Park, near the town of Meru—the largest settlement in the highlands where miraa (or khat), a stimulant plant allowed in Kenya, is grown. It's widely used by long-haul truck drivers crossing Africa. Our driver-guide will stock up for himself and/or his friends.



Meru is an 870 km² park that sees few visitors. While it’s opening up to tourism, the battle isn’t won yet. During our two-night stay, we didn’t see many people. The reason for this tourist abandonment? Its reputation as a lawless zone—poaching was rampant in the 80s. Today, Kenyan authorities have taken control, and the area is more secure, though not for everyone. In fact, our guide refused to go beyond a certain perimeter, which seriously limited our playground. What’s more, he’d never been to Meru before. His usual stomping grounds are the wildlife parks in the south, not this one—big letdown, especially since game drives are regularly organized here. Turns out the local agency provided our agency with a guide who had very little experience on this route, as well as others.

Getting to Meru NP isn’t complicated: a paved road followed by a long, boring, rocky track that’s not very busy before you reach the lodge that makes the trip worthwhile:



We’ll really be in our element here, surrounded by hyraxes. The food will be exceptional too. We’re super satisfied with this choice—all thanks to ourselves since we picked this place without any help, except for the booking😉. It’s the "Elsa Kopjes" lodge, named after the lioness raised and reintroduced by the Adamsons. This couple did amazing work in protection and conservation before being murdered by poachers.

Meru has beautifully diverse landscapes: riverine forests, grasslands with doum palms, marshes, and savannah.

The wildlife is elusive—present but not in large numbers.

You can spot felines:



Antelopes and equids:



A reticulated giraffe calf



Birds: Yellow-necked Spurfowl (Yellow-necked Francolin), Francolinus leucoscepus



And even buffaloes



Plus this gerenuk, proving Samburu still has a bit of Meru in it



Time to head back to the lodge and relax! :)



Before hitting the trail again

Good evening, everyone,

I have another translation for the Yellow-necked Spurfowl / Yellow-necked Francolin‽ ??? (Oiseaux.net) Never seen one—gorgeous bird and photo! 😎

Same goes for the Lion, the rarely seen Reticulated Giraffe (there aren’t any in South Africa), the Topi/Lechwe, and even the "dagga boys" (solitary, dangerous buffalo). 🙂

Wow! Elsa Kopjes Lodge is pure luxury there... Too bad you couldn't enjoy the game drives organized by the lodge. They have excellent guides who know the park inside out (and for good reason). We know this because our guide once stayed at the lodge with some tourists. He kept their phone number and now, when he goes to Meru (with us, for example), he contacts them to exchange information, especially about the location of big cats.

As someone used to the lions of the Kalahari, I must admit I'm a bit thrown off by these mohawk lions with not much on the rock 😉 ... maybe it's because they're older?

Loving this travel journal, following along with great pleasure—bravo 😎

Hi Jean François,

There’s a rumor going around that these punk lions are balding because of the heat!... not proven.

Hi Sylvie,

Oh, but as we’ll show later, we saw plenty of big cats in this park... and without any luck from our guide. That said, it’s true that the lodge guides knew the area well, unlike ours who just followed them around without success. The "good sightings" were thanks to the "bush telegraph" and John’s opportunism. We really regret not being able to explore the park more thoroughly, but John didn’t want to take the risk. Speaking of big cats, those ones were being tracked by the "Born Free" association, from the book of the same name by Joy Adamson.

Hi Safrou,

I have another translation for the Yellow-necked Spurfowl / Francolin à cou jaune… ??? (Oiseaux.net) never seen it, such a beautiful bird and photo 😎

Confirmed! It is indeed a yellow-necked francolin. Thanks for the compliment.

I’m continuing the inventory of this park with a few birds:



Fiscal shrike, Common fiscal, Lanius collaris

Lappet-faced Vulture, Torgos tracheliotus



African White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus



Portrait of a Lappet-faced Vulture



Lilac-breasted Roller, Coracias caudata

hi there, what a stunning series of birds and close-ups—great job! 🙂

The unknown one is definitely a shrike, I’d guess a Common Fiscal.

The Ruppell's Vulture looks to me like an African White-backed Vulture. The "Rollier à longs brins" is a Lilac-breasted Roller, or "LBR" for short (Coracias caudatus).

Hi Anne-Marie,

The unknown is definitely a Shrike, I’m thinking Common Fiscal / Fiscal Shrike.

The Ruppell's Vulture looks like an African Vulture (White-backed Vulture) to me. The "Rollier à longs brins" = Lilac-breasted Roller or "LBR" for short (coracias caudatus)

Suggestions approved! :)

Re-

John’s route was simple. He drove in concentric circles around a landmark—specifically Elsa Kopjes—which gave us some photo opportunities. But the savanna radio was silent, and so was the Wi-Fi😛. Poor John must’ve been suffering, since he’s usually glued to his smartphone (no joke!).



Wildebeest



Vervet monkey, Chlorocebus sabaeus



Burchell’s zebras, Equus quagga burchellii, quenching their thirst

But most of the time, his driving circles bored us stiff. Luckily for him, he got a chance to entertain us in the end.

I’d never seen (or noticed) the back of a zebra before… it’s gorgeous, just like the photo, by the way! 🙂

Hi Éric,

Great additions, but we feel for you... I admire you for managing not to strangle John at times and for being able to take your (beautiful) photos without shaking with rage... T.I.A., right?

For the shrike, it's undoubtedly a Long-tailed Fiscal, Lanius cabanisi.

We’re waiting for John’s surprise...

Have a great day, happy writing!

BL

PS: Anne-Marie, for a few years now (nearly 10, actually), there hasn’t been a Fiscal Shrike in Kenya for purist birders (yes, they do exist...). The species was "split" into Southern (South Africa, which remains Lanius collaris) and Northern Fiscal (which becomes Lanius humeralis, Black-backed Fiscal). Here’s what HBW says:

French: Pie-grièche fiscale German: Fiskalwürger Spanish: Alcaudón fiscal Other common names: Uhehe Fiscal (marwitzi) Taxonomy: Lanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Recent analysis supports division into “Northern Fiscal” and “Southern Fiscal” as outlined in HBW

And this, even though the *Birds of East Africa* by Stevenson (2011 edition) still uses the old taxonomy... It’s so simple that a little extra confusion can’t hurt, right?

For the shrike, it's undoubtedly a Long-tailed Fiscal, Lanius cabanisi. BL

Totally agree! 🙂