Flehmen behaviour: Impala in Nairobi Park, Kenya

fleh·men

/ˈfleɪmən/ Show Spelled[fley-muhn]

–noun Animal Behavior .

a behavioral response of many male mammals, esp. deer, antelope, and other artiodactyls, consisting of lip curling and head raising after sniffing a female's urine.

Lesser Kestrel. Nairobi Park, Kenya

A small bird of prey, the Lesser Kestral. Taken in Nairobi Park mid January this year. Not a common sighting.

Amboseli Hyena Pup.

Contrary to popular belief, hyenas do spend quite a bit of time grooming themselves and others in their group. This Amboseli pup is probably 4 to 5 month old, weighing approx 15 kg.

The den is quite close to the Amboseli airstrip so when we fly in we don't leave the plane overnight without spraying all lower parts of the plane with dilute perfumed fabric softener, a good toothy-beast repellent!

African Elephant - Amboseli.

The world's largest living land mammal, the African Elephant can weigh as much as 5400kg. Wow.

This guy is huge- must be pushing the 5 ton mark.....

A typical Amboseli scene in the palm thickets that grow on the flood-plain salt flats adjacent to the swamp. Elephant enjoy the palm fruit when in season.

Two Eland- Nairobi Park, Kenya

One of my favorite antelope- Eland can weigh as much as 750 kg and STILL clear a 7 foot fence!

Vervet Monkey, Lake Naivasha Kenya

It's a tough nut to gnaw from the looks of it! A young Vervet Monkey on a Yellow Acacia tree at Little Lake- Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley.

A couple Amboseli Swamp-Elephant with the usual escort of Cattle Egrets. Framed by large Fig trees.

Little Lake colour bands- Naivasha Kenya

I like the 5 horizontal streaks of colour in this one from Little Lake, off Lake Naivasha. 

Reeds, Flamingos, water, grass (with wildlife if you look closely) and forest.

Mara River Crossing- 2010 Mara Migration

Though there are over 150,000 Burchell's Zebra in the annual 'Wildebeest' Migration between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, very few drown crossing (and re-crossing) the Mara River. This photo illustrates how well they can cut through the water. Wildebeest tend to bound around & don't float quite so well (or think things through before diving in....).

You realise just how big they are- and how small YOU are- when this close to a mature Amboseli Bull. Fortunately this one was in a mellow mood at the time.

Blacksmith's Plover, taken at Lake Naivasha in August last year. They nest on the ground near water & try to lure encroaching trespassers away from their nests with a variety of antics on the ground and in the air.

Amboseli Hippo swamp-to-Swamp Sprint.

runrunrunrunrun.....

The Amboseli 300m swamp-to-swamp marathon.

elk

The western aspect of Mt. Kenya catches the light of the setting sun. Taken on January 8th 2011.

elk

A classic Amboseli photo with Kilimanjaro and Burchell's Zebra.

Mt. Kenya forest tree flower

An as-yet unidentified flower from a Mt. Kenya forest tree. Taken in evening light conditions at a high ISO, low speed (hence the graininess).

Goliath Heron, Lake Baringo Kenya

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Goliath Heron. Length up to 60 inches.

Call: a deep raucus koworrth-kowaorrth-worrh-worrh...........

This one, photographed on the shores of Lake Baringo,  shows an unusual amount of irridescence in it's grey body and wing plumage.

Egret- Lake Baringo, Kenya

Caught on the wing- another Lake Baringo Egret photo from my never-ending stock of Lake Baringo Egret photos!

Hope 2011 begins well for you all.

elk