Friday, June 26, 2015

Concealed Leopard, Masai Mara Kenya

We very nearly drove underneath this concealed leopard in the Mara Triangle. The leopard's skill in blending into what appear to be scrawny and sparse tree canopies never ceases to impress. When asked 'have you seen any leopard?' a perfectly correct reply is 'no, but several have seen us'.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Elephant Family Unit, Amboseli Kenya

Bwana is in attendance.  Normally the elephant 'family unit' doesn't include mature males, but in this case the young female to the left of the bull is in heat, as evidenced here by her scuffed side.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Mara Storm

Typical afternoon rainy season weather over the Mara. Long grass now await the wildebeest, who are currently hovering along the Mara's southern border with the Serengeti.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Elephant Dust Bath

This Male is performing a display 'dust bath' during a semi-aggressive encounter with a rival. A receptive young female was not far off.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Amboseli Elephants

Amboseli Elephants. The Mature female is 'dust bathing', which helps remove or discourage insects, but with elephants may also be a method of scent-marking territory by broadcasting oils from the musth glands located between the eye and the ear. This dusting behaviour is particularly common during aggressive encounters between males.

Friday, June 5, 2015

Immature Bataleur Eagle, Masai Mara Kenya

Mature Bateleur Eagles are impressive birds; large and fierce-looking with graphic black and reddish brown colours. The young? Well, they are large and always hungry....

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Wildebeest, Masai Mara Kenya

Very much looking forward to the annual wildebeest migration- it should start early August, give or take a month, with the herds charging back and forth across the Mara for 6 to 8 weeks. This photo was taken last year.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Gerenuk, Amboseli Kenya

A browser adapted for browsing at levels just above competitive plains game like impala, the Gerenuk gains additional height by standing on it's hind legs and pulling branches down to feed using it's long forelimbs.