Monday, October 31, 2011

Lioness- Nairobi Park Kenya

Keen eyesight. She was watching a group of Kongoni on a ridge almost one kilometer away. This was taken in Nairobi Park earlier this month (Oct 2011).

Friday, October 28, 2011

Hyena Pups- Amboseli Kenya

Lounging around the den on the Amboseli plains, these three half-grown Hyena pups are part of a large group located close to the swamps.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Lesser Egret- Lake Baringo, Kenya

Quite the costume here- what with the yellow feet & accessory feathers on head & breast. A Lesser Egret from Lake Baringo.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Urban Eland- Nairobi Park, Kenya

The dichotomy of Nairobi park is fascinating; on one side you have hundreds of square kilometers of wild savanna leading though to the expanse of the Great Rift Valley (yes, migratory corridors are still open). On the other side you've got downtown Nairobi with it's increasingly prickly skyline. Long Live Nairobi Park!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Male Lion- Masai Mara Kenya

This big fella was keeping a close eye on my activities from his vantage point on a small hill in the Mara Triangle.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Wooly-Necked Stork, Masai Mara Kenya

An odd bird and not very common to the Mara, the Woolly-Necked Stork is most often spotted along lagoons at Kenya's coast.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Hermit Crab- Lamu, Kenya

This 3-inch Hermit Crab protects his intertidal territory with a (relatively) fearsome weapon.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Two Little Bee-Eaters, Nanyuki Kenya

There must be a suitable caption for this.... just couldn't find it! 
Two Little Bee-Eaters on a Bottle-Brush tree near Nanyuki, Mt. Kenya.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Swamp Elephants- Amboseli Kenya

From my Amboseli archives: The daily routine of trekking back to the acacia forests after a morning wallowing (and grazing) in the swamps.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Crested Crane- Nanyuki Kenya

Up close and personal- Crested Crane- Nanyuki Kenya. Every once in a while one has t ask "Why???". Or- as an ecologist "How did THAT happen???"

Friday, October 14, 2011

Hippo- Masai Mara Kenya

Keeping cool in the Mara River. Note the lower canines- tusks- that are kept sharp by the matching upper set. These ever-growing teeth can grow out of control if the upper canines are missing, mis-aligned or damaged.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Green Headed Sunbird- Mt. Kenya

When descriptive nomenclature goes wrong. This blue-headed bird is called a Green Headed Sunbird. This one is a male. Females do have green heads.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Lioness- Nairobi Park Kenya

This female had three 6-month old cubs with her in Nairobi Park. Welcome additions to an apparently healthy and expanding wild  population living only a couple kilometers from the center of Nairobi City.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Hippo- Masai Mara, Kenya

A lazy puddle-hog. Often hippo found out of the river (or lake) during the day are males nursing fight wounds. Fish nibbling at open wounds can be rather irritating. This fellow had no wounds I could see and was probably enjoying this comfortable looking mud-hole until the sun warmed him up enough to seek full immersion in the cool river.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Ambolseli Elephant- Kenya

Elephant watching is enthralling- they communicate in so many ways- trunk gestures being one. Subsonic belly rumbles transmitted through the ground & sensed via feet is another rather hi-tech means of of long-distance communication that has recently been investigated.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Carnivourous Pitcher Plant- Mahe Island, Seychelles

This species of pitcher plant, Nepenthes pervelli in Latin is found only in Seychelles. Insects drown and are digested in clear liquid in it's 'pitcher' body.