From Ol Pejeta to Tsavo West (Kenya) (page 9 of 15)

Hi Jean-François,

Thanks for your kind words... I'll get started on the next part! :)

Here we are in Amboseli National Park at the foot of Kilimanjaro, which rises 5,895 meters above a vast 400 km² wildlife sanctuary. The park is a complex ecosystem of plains and marshes fed by glacier waters during the dry season. A lake swollen by seasonal rains floods part of the area for much of the year. There are also brackish waters forming large ponds where dozens of flamingos feed. Finally, a regenerating wooded area crowns this landscape. We didn’t see any giraffes, but we did spot elephants, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, felines, canids, hyenas, birds, antelopes—and plenty of tourists!





What struck us right away was the dust—swirling clouds of it kicked up by animals, cars, and local winds, forming mini tornadoes, much like in Samburu but even more intense. The air is thick with it, noticeably reducing visibility.

The animals we saw are mostly the same as elsewhere, with a few exceptions we’ll be sure to note. In the marshes, it’s bustling—animals are everywhere and active:



Savanna elephant, Loxodonta africana cyclotis





Hippopotamus, Common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius

In the open areas, animals are scattered everywhere—zebras, wildebeest, antelopes, buffaloes—some resting, others active.

This buffalo (with its massive horns) is ruminating and dreaming of fresh grass.



Thomson’s gazelle, *Gazella thomsoni*, at rest.



What’s this? A common reedbuck, *Redunca arundinum*, spotted in the Serengeti.



Blue wildebeest, *Connochaetes taurinus*—we hadn’t seen any in the previous parks.



A scene mixing zebras and wildebeest.

Birds are also incredibly abundant here, with over 450 recorded species. We only spotted a few, presented here from the largest to the smallest:

Common Ostrich, Struthio Camelus



Goliath Heron, Ardea goliath



Black-headed Heron, Ardea melanocephala



Hunting



Great White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus



One more little cutie 🙂



And the colony that comes with it



Yellow-billed Stork, Mycteria Ibis



And the colony that goes with it...

The shores of Lake Amboseli are also very busy. Along its banks, you can easily spot ducks, waders, and geese:

Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Phoeniconiais minor



Immature Lesser Flamingo



And the colony that goes with it



Egyptian Goose, Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiacus



Adult African Spoonbill, African Spoonbill, Platalea alba



Red-billed Teal, Anas erythrorhyncha

African Jacana, African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus



Squacco Heron, Common Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloïdes

Hi Éric,

So I’d say:

Lesser Flamingo, Phoeniconaias minor, Lesser Flamingo (not very pink, but the top of the beak is black)

Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca, Egyptian Goose

African Spoonbill, Platalea alba, African Spoonbill

Red-billed Teal, Anas erythrorhyncha, Red-billed Teal

African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus, African Jacana

Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides, Squacco Heron

Great shots, well done!

BL

PS: It’s Black-headed Heron, Goliath Heron (watch out for autocorrect adding an unwanted capital letter) and African Sacred Ibis

Hello, hello,

Love all these birds 😇

I have another translation for Yellow-billed Stork: Ibis Tantale??? Egyptian Goose: Egyptian Goose

For the flamingos, I’m not sure… Lesser… Greater???

African Spoonbill / Spatule d'Afrique, you found that one 🙂 Red-billed Teal / Red-billed Teal Common Squacco Heron / Squacco Heron, nice spot 🙂 African Jacana / African Jacana, good catch too 🙂

Wow, I’m still loving this!

Hello, hello,

Amazing all these birds 😇

Wow, I’m still loving it!

Mitou, mitou!

Shows how a great safari really gives the birds their due!

BL

I forgot, among other things, the elephant photo at Amboseli is amazing! Great job, Éric!

Anne-Marie, regarding the flamingo, it’s certainly less pink than one might expect for a Lesser Flamingo, which we know is pinker (and smaller...) than the Greater Flamingo, but it’s its uniformly black beak that makes me lean toward it being a Lesser Flamingo.

yes Bernard, that’s also what I was thinking… thought, just 😉 , about the flamingos

Hello birding folks on VF,

You're quick... Didn't even have time to post the pictures before you already added details and corrections (brotherly ones, right!😕!). But don’t laugh too hard—I’m about to hit you with a tough one😎

Hi Anne-Marie

For the flamingos… I’m not sure… Lesser… Greater ???

I’d say Lesser, but I prefer Phoenicinaiais 😉

Re-

I have another translation for Yellow-billed Stork: Tantale Ibis ???

That seems possible according to Wiki, which cites other authorities like oiseaux.net😄

Re-

I preferred the one with the reedbuck. It was such a joy to find it there. To each their own, as they say... Even John was amazed.

Let's just say the elephant is inseparable from Amboseli, which makes for a more "typical" photo—but I get that you prefer one that's also excellent (hence the "among other things") and more original.

Re-

Yes, the elephant, but with Kilimanjaro in the background under a beautiful blue sky (pretty rare, all the same)😉;

But there are also beautiful big cats, like this one:

Serval, Leptailurus serval

Bernard, Anne-Marie, and the others

Could you possibly help me identify this bird?

I preferred the reedbuck one. It was such a joy to find it there. To each their own taste, as they say... Even John couldn’t believe it.

Yeah, you're right—I missed that one. It’s pretty rare and hard to spot in Kruger, but there are two. Which one is it? I’ll go look 😛

I think the bird is a Dark Chanting Goshawk, with its yellow legs, so probably a sub-adult.

EDIT: Redunca arundinum (the other being fulvorufula)

This seems to me to be nothing other than an immature goshawk, or Grey-winged Goshawk or Dark Chanting Goshawk. I’d lean toward the Grey-winged Goshawk because the beak of the Dark Chanting Goshawk becomes fairly quickly bicolored with age... I’m asking a higher authority on Oiseaux.net...

EDIT: The yellow legs aren’t diagnostic, Anne-Marie.

HBW cards favor the poliopterus...