Friday, January 27, 2012

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Friday, January 20, 2012

Vulturine Guinea-fowl- Laikipia Kenya

Vulturine Guinea-fowl near Loisaba Lodge on the Laikipia Plateau. They'd not look out of place in the Rio Carnival parade!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Marabou Stork, Nairobi Park, Kenya

Certainly not the most attractive of birds- and carrion eaters as well. Marabou Storks have a 7ft wingspan, are gregarious and can thermal to great heights- occasionally in conflict with aircraft. They are usually silent apart from bill-clattering, but can whinny like a horse during courtship.

Lovely...........

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

'Nairobi Eye' Blister Beetle- Nairobi Kenya

This rather attractively coloured insect (Paederus eximius) is the scourge of the long rainy season here in Nairobi. Blister lesions caused by this 1cm long beetle are like heat burns, spread via itching and can take between 1 and 7 weeks to heal. The best treatment is first aid ASAP with a poultice of moist bicarbonate of soda which seems to reduce toxicity and spread.

Interesting how many toxic creatures tend to advertise themselves via bright colours.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Speckled Sand Snake- Meru Park, Kenya

This thin ribbon of a snake-a Speckled Sand Snake- was pretending to be a stick and waiting patiently for small lizards to happen by....

Monday, January 16, 2012

Doum Palm Sunset- Maru Park, Kenya

Doum Palms were invented by Dr. Seuss I suspect... This pic is for Chui Viv on Manitoulin Island, who made the request when she heard we were visiting Meru Park last weekend.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Grasshopper- Watamu Kenya

A coastal grasshopper from Watamu, on the Kenya coast.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=watamu&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=42.174768,100.546875&vpsrc=6&hnear=Watamu,+Coast+Province,+Kenya&t=h&z=13

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Red Grasses, Laikipia Kenya

I confess to not having identified this grass species. It glows red in the light of the setting sun over the Laikipia Plateau.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Silverbacked Jackal- Laikipia Kenya

Everything about these small Canines is 'keen'- keen hearing, keen sense of smell, keen eyesight...  This was was photographed at Loisaba on the Laikipia Plateau, Kenya

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=laikipia+kenya&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=_M4KT8KrK4ynrAeAsrTxDw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=3&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Vulturine Ginea-Fowl, Laikipia Kenya

Guinea-Fowl have got to be top contenders for inexplicable headgear & plumage. This is the Vulturine Guinea-Fowl, resident of the drier parts of Northern Kenya.

Happy New Year everyone! We've marked the occasion by passing the 10,000 page-views mark here on Pic-a-day Kenya.