Kenya 2011

Behaviour Pt.1

2011-12-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Our apologies for the delay in providing this update. We have been rushed off our feet with work in the run-up to the festive season. Karen has been working on putting together a video sequence featuring some of the animal behaviour we witnessed on this safari but she has not had time to complete that, so rather than not having another update before the year end, we have brought you some still images instead.

This is just a tiny fraction of the behaviour we witnessed from the many animals and birds we met on this safari but hopefully it will give you a flavour.

Young Burchell's Zebra having a dust bath in the Mara

Large flock of Red-Billed Quelea drinking at a waterhole in Tsavo East

Maribou Stork catching fish at Ngutuni

Black-Headed or Village Weaver building a nest

Black-Headed Heron catching a lizard

Spotted Hyena keeping cool in the heat of the mid-day sun in the Mara

Not the most considerate Hippo mother - spraying poo in her bairn's face

Grey-Crowned Crane prances and dances to attract his mate

This Wildebeest was dead within two minutes of being caught by the Nile Crocodile in the Mara

Our final image in this update demonstrates something some of you may not be aware of about the enigmatic and elegant Giraffe. This incredible animal looks like a giant ballerina; it is so graceful and gentle. However, beneath that "classy-lassie" exterior is a seriously HARD beast! Whilst the Wildebeest were wandering back and forward anxiously, looking to see if there were any crocodiles to worry about before attempting a crossing, the Giraffes took one look at the waiting Croc and just walked right over the top of him!

The lead Giraffe just stomped right over the Crocodile visible just behind the second Giraffe!

We hope you enjoyed this update and we wish you all a very happy and peaceful end to 2011 with our best wishes for a healthy and happy 2012.

Our New-Year's resolution is to redouble our fund-raising efforts for Save The Elephants. If you can help, please consider making a donation through our Just Giving page.

One for the Geeks

2011-11-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

As this is a blog about a photographic safari, we thought we should give at least one update over to those who want to know more about the equipment used and the technicalities involved, problems that can be experienced, practicalities of organising and running this safari etc. So here it is...

The KonicaMinolta 5D is an old 6MP DSLR. Our main camera for several years, it still came in very handy on this safari. It was and is the best 6MP DSLR ever made.

Most of the wildlife photography blogs you read and magazine articles you see will no doubt have been shot with the most up-to-date "pro-level" equipment. We have actually heard people complain that, because they cannot afford a Canon 5D Mark II or a Nikon D3s and a 600mm f4 lens there is no point in them considering going to Africa on safari! On the other end of the scale, you will hear others complain that there is too much "equipment snobbery" and the photographer is more important than the camera.

In a sense, we feel that both arguments are right but only partially. If you are not a good photographer, then it doesn't matter what equipment you have but good quality equipment will make it easier for a good photographer to get better shots.

The main advantages of top-of-the-range cameras tend to be in the ergonomics and useability - they may focus slightly faster, shoot more frames per second for capturing action, have better placed controls for easier access to advanced functions, offer a greater range of control etc but these are generally lots of minor tweaks individually that combine to make the camera easier to use for an experienced photographer. They may also be hermetically sealed against dust and water, giving greater protection from the elements and therefore allowing you to continue to shoot in adverse environmental conditions. Whilst the advantages of a "pro-level" camera will help a good photographer get more useable shots, that doesn't mean he or she can't get outstanding shots with less expensive cameras.

Lenses, however, are a different kettle of fish to cameras. Good quality lenses have massive advantages over lesser lenses and even the most expensive camera will struggle to make anything worthwhile with a poor lens. For wildlife photography, where fine detail often makes the difference between a good shot and a great shot, the quality of the lens makes a huge difference. Having said that, whilst we would all like to own a 600mm f4, a 400mm f2.8 etc this is not possible for the majority of people, so our maxim has always been to buy the best quality glass we can afford and a camera body that does what we need it to do.

Another factor in wildlife photography that often gets overlooked is that conditions vary and animals don't tend to sit and pose in the ideal place for a prime lens, so zoom lenses are infinitely more practical. It used to be the case, however, that prime lenses offered significantly better image quality than zooms but that is not always the case nowadays. Lens technology has advanced greatly in the last 30 years and the differences in image quality between good quality zooms and primes have narrowed to the point where for all practical purposes there is no difference that can be seen outside a laboratory.

Now that you know our views on cameras and lenses, what exactly did we take with us? Howard used a Sony Alpha 550 camera, with a Sigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 APO DG OS lens and Karen used a Sony Alpha SLT55 camera with a Sigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 APO DG OS lens. We also shared one of our old KonicaMinolta Dynax 5D cameras, a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro and a Sony 18-55 f3.5-5.6 Full reviews of all of our equipment will be posted shortly on our Safaripics website.

Sigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 APO DG OS lens attached to Sony Alpha 500 body and Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro attached to Sony Alpha SLT55 body. The orange staining on the long lens is safari dust!

We think you will agree that we were able to capture some nice images with this equipment but what problems did we encounter with not using top-of-the-range pro equipment? The short answer is "not a lot".

The pervasive nature of the fine dust in Africa can wreck some equipment and if you have been following the blog, you will have seen one image where the shutter on the Alpha 550 was stopped by dust. This happened for only four images, out of almost 35,000 images taken on this safari! On another occasion dust in the contacts between the lens and the Alpha 550 prevented aperture changing, which was cured by simply switching the camera off and then back on again. The only other problem and also the most annoying, was when dust got into the zoom changing ring in one of the Sigma 120-400mm lenses, preventing it from pulling back beyond 150mm. This lasted for a day, until Howard accidentally smacked the lens on the steering wheel when climbing into the Land Rover and that dislodged the dust!

As you can see, dust can be a major problem on photographic safaris!

Of course, in the digital age, it is not just the camera equipment that is needed but also computers and software. We were also blogging "from the field", so what equipment did we use and what were the practicalities and problems of that?

Blogging from a budget hotel room in Voi

We updated our laptop before we left, so that we would have something fast, reliable and with good storage and processing power. We opted for an Acer, with a an Intel i3 processor, 640Gb hard drive and 6Gb of RAM. It also came with the new ultra-high speed USB3, so we also bought a USB3 card reader for downloading images. This meant we could download images much quicker, which would in turn save battery power in the laptop. We also took an inverter to give us 240 volt AC power from the car's accessory socket for charging batteries in the field. We couldn't afford an extra copy of Photoshop for the laptop before we left, so all the images uploaded during the safari were processed using the free Sony software that came with the cameras, which is surprisingly good. We also took two portable hard drives with 1TB and 750Gb capacities, so that we could have double back-ups of everything.

Blogging by the light of a head-torch from the back of a Land Rover in the bush

The thing that made blogging from the bush possible was the excellent mobile newtork coverage available in Kenya. We obtained a Safaricom USB modem from Ashtech Systems in Voi (Tiju Aziz, the owner, was kind enough to meet us at the shop on the Sunday we arrived to supply the modem, despite her shop being closed). In many places, including the Masai Mara, we had full 3G coverage, which made blogging fast and easy; we were also able to talk with relatives back in the UK via Skype in Tsavo West and Nairobi.

Once we had the dongle, we just needed to pick up airtime vouchers whenever we needed them

The total cost of blogging for three weeks, including the dongle and airtime vouchers was around £55. We encountered only two problems when blogging. At Sekenani, we stayed in a budget tented camp for one night, which was situated in a valley that blocked signals, so we were unable to provide an update for that night. The only other problem was that we had not disabled automatic updates on the new laptop, so the first time we went online, the laptop used all our airtime credit downloading a security update!

To the many people who may read this blog and think that safaris are out of reach and even if they could afford it, they can't afford the photography equipment to make it worthwhile, we would say to think again. Jason, who joined us on safari for the second time on this trip, told us recently that he had worked out that the cost per person, per day on this trip was just over £110, which includes flights, accommodation, vehicle hire, fuel, food, souvenirs and Park entry fees. The equipment we used cost a total of £2,100 each, meaning we could have bought all the equipment brand new and gone on this safari for three weeks for only £4,500! We also spent fifteen days out of the three weeks in National Parks and Reserves, which is more than most off-the-shelf safaris would provide for over £10,000 and we came home with thousands of images and memories.


Elephants in Tsavo East National Park

Don't forget the purpose of this blog is to raise funds for Save The Elephants; please consider making a donation to our fund-raising through our Just Giving page.

That's the geeky bit over - normal service will be resumed in our next post, with a look at some of the animal behaviour we photographed on this safari.

Birdlife Part 2 - Tsavo East and West

2011-11-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

To make up for the delay since our last post, today we have a bumper selection of bird images from both Tsavos. We hope you like them!

Little Bee-Eater with prey

Tawny Eagle close-up

Taita Falcon "bombing" a pair of Tawny Eagles

The bombing run is a success as he knocks one of the Tawny Eagles off his perch

Somali Ostrich

Goshawk

Common Bulbul singing

Hunter's Sunbird

Crested Bustard


Three-Banded Plover on eggs

Pied Crow in flight

Common Drongo

This randy male Yellow-Necked Spurfowl was determined to catch a lady!

...but like the persistent guy in the nightclub - the ladies all went upstairs to avoid him!

Laughing Dove

Crested Francolin

Superb Starling

White-Bellied Go-Away Bird

Long-Tailed Cormorant

Pied Kingfisher

Giant Kingfisher

African Grey Hornbill

African Fish Eagle

Black-Headed or Village Weaver building nest

Collared Sunbird

Tawny Eagle in flight

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to Save the Elephants through our Just Giving Page. Our next post will be one for the techno-geeks, looking at the equipment used.

Saving Elephants

2011-11-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

We decided to run a live blog during our safari as a novel way of trying to raise some money for a charity that has done a tremendous amount of work to improve the survival prospects for wild Elephants. This is why we did it.

In the early 1970s, the population of Elephants in the Tsavo ecosystem was over 45,000. By the late 1980s that had dropped to just 5,000 due to poaching for the illegal ivory trade. With the formation of the Kenya Wildlife Service in 1989, the Elephants of Kenya finally had an effective protector against the poachers. Thanks to the efforts and the sacrifices (often in blood) of KWS Rangers, the Elephant population in Tsavo has risen each year since then and now stands at over 12,000. However, each time a limited sale of ivory stockpiles from those countries who want to release what they see as "tied up revenue" has been allowed, there has been a corresponding spike in poaching due to the market being stimulated by the sale of these stocks.

African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

The inclusion of China as a bidder in the most recent "legal" sale of ivory stockpiles has opened a "Pandora's Box" because China has a massive newly-wealthy middle class population who, for the first time, can afford access to luxury products which were once only available to a few. The stimulation of the market, coupled with this enormous potential customer base has created an explosion of demand for ivory products in China, pushing the price of ivory to record levels, which in turn makes ivory poaching and the illegal trade in ivory a very lucrative business indeed! It is a testament to the efforts of the KWS Rangers that, despite a massive increase in poaching activity throughout Africa, the population of Elephants in the Tsavo ecosystem has not fallen.

The only place ivory should be is on an Elephant

We did see evidence of the recent upsurge in poaching during our safari in Tsavo East. Along one of the less-used trails near the Sala Gate, we found five sun-bleached Elephant skeletons in the space of a few hundred metres, suggesting they had been killed by poachers, rather than as a result of the drought.

Elephants lit up in early morning light is a wonderful sight

Poaching is the major immediate threat facing Elephants today but it is not the only obstacle in the way of a secure future for these magnificent animals. Conflict with humans over resources and habitat loss are two other factors that need to be managed if the Elephant is to survive into the second half of this century.

"Here's lookin' at you, Kid"

The Elephant is a keystone species in the ecosystems it inhabits. As an "environmental engineer" the Elephant changes the landscape, making it possible for other species to thrive and its removal can have a devastating effect on many other species. It is also a long-distance pollenator, distributing seeds through its dung. However, if the Elephant's range is restricted then this "engineering" becomes too concentrated and destructive, so they do need plenty of space to range over. When human population expansion takes over areas of land used by Elephants, this can cut off migration routes and lead to over-concentration of Elephant activity, which damages the remaining habitat. Isolation of populations can also have damaging effects on genetic diversity.

A family on the move

People who live in the vicinity of Elephants often come into conflict with them: a small family of Elephants invading someone's shamba can devastate an entire year's crops in one night! As a result, some Elephants have been shot or speared and some people killed by the Elephants whilst trying to defend their crops. All of these factors need to be considered when trying to find an effective strategy for the preservation of wild Elephants in their natural habitat. To work, any plan must account for the need to protect people from Elephants as much as to protect Elephants from people.

It is a priviledge to be this close to an Elephant but will future generations experience this?

Traditionally, preservation efforts have concentrated on reserving areas for the wildlife and stepping up the anti-poaching efforts but these methods don't take account of the Elephants' need to move between ranges or the pressures of habitat destruction or encroachment due to human population expansion and infrastructure developments. It became clear several years ago that a more holistic approach will be needed if the Elephant is to survive into the late 21st Century. Detailed research into every aspect of Elephant life and behaviour would be needed and new approaches to dealing with Human/Elephant conflict explored. In addition, education within Elephant states to increase understanding of the need for conservation and also in the consuming countries to reduce the demand for ivory products is needed. A recent investigation by a Chinese/American journalist revealed that the vast majority of Chinese ivory buyers believe the lie that ivory traders tell them that Elephants shed their tusks every year and these are harvested without harm to the Elephants! This is where organisations like Save The Elephants come in.

40 years of rampant slaughter for ivory has caused an evolutionary effect reducing average tusk size

Several organisations have carried out a variety of long-term Elephant studies which mean we now have a much greater understanding of Elephant movement patterns, society and relationships. We also know that Elephants have one of the most complex communication systems of any creature, including over 70 different vocalisations and 160 gestures, expressions and other tactile communication methods already identified (language and body language). If you want to know more about these studies read books like "Silent Thunder" and take a look at the work of the Amboseli Trust For Elephants.

The trunk has more muscles than the entire human body and a highly sensitive prehensile tip

Save The Elephants has raised funds for many research projects and has also contributed to or run many others. In addition, the organisation provides a variety of educational resources, including an outreach project and mobile education unit that travels all over Kenya. Save The Elephants has also begun to tackle the poaching problem at source, by working with other organisations to provide education on Elephants and conservation in China, thereby targeting the demand for ivory.

Elephants bathing at a waterhole

One study run by Save The Elephants looked at migration patterns and associations between groups of Elephants using GPS tracking. This led to the construction of Elephant corridors, which provided a safe path for Elephants between ranges. Several other innovative projects have been spawned by this research, including a project where GPS collars are fitted to Elephants, along with mobile phone technology, enabling text messages to be sent to researchers when there are unusual changes in an Elephant's movements, or to village elders if an Elephant is approaching their village!

The Elephants are coming!

Another project looked at how Elephants react with fear to African Honey-Bees and this led to the use of Bee-hives as Elephant deterrent fences, which give villages not only increased protection from Elephants but also a bumper crop of honey, which is now being marketed as "Elephant Friendly Honey"!

Mother and Baby Elephant

One Elephant corridor near Mount Kenya even includes a $1Million underpass to allow migrating Elephants to cross safely underneath a highway!

Suckling baby Elephant

It was innovative projects like these, which combine ground-breaking research with novel solutions to problems that benefit, rather than penalise the Human communities living with Elephants that persuaded us that Save The Elephants should be the charity we would try to help with our fund-raising efforts.

Will this feisty young Elephant have a chance to have grandchildren someday?

We hope you have found this post interesting and enjoyed some of our favourite Elephant photos from this safari. Our next post will be the second part of our look at the bird-life we encountered during our safari.

If you haven't already, please consider making a donation to our fund-raising on behalf of Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Birdlife Part 1 - Birds of Tsavo East

2011-10-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

The terrible drought that has affected East Africa over the last three years has had drastic results for the flora and fauna all over the region and Tsavo East National Park is no exception. Having seen such a huge variety of bird-life in Tsavo East on previous safaris, we were unsure of what to expect on this visit. Would the dessicated landscape have reduced the incredible bird numbers and variety that the Park is famous for? Well, we did notice some reduction in numbers but the spectacle was still as breathtaking as ever. The images below represent just some of the ones we were able to photograph and there were many more we saw but didn't capture in an image.

White-Headed Buffalo Weaver, stained orange by Tsavo dust

Parrot-Billed Sparrow

Pair of courting Red-Billed Hornbills

Superb Starling foraging for food

Crested Francolin

Little Bee-Eater with prey

Yellow-Necked Spurfowl - just for a change not on the ground!

Helmeted Guinea Fowl

Tawny Eagle

Crowned Plover

Long-Tailed Fiscal

Bateleur Pair

African Pied Wagtail singing its heart out at Luggard's Falls

Woolly-Necked Storks

Red-Billed Quelea - the bird equivalent of locusts!

Taita Falcon with Red-Billed Quelea for lunch

Lappet-Faced Vulture

White-Browed Sparrow-Weavers

Northern White-Crowned Shrike

Lilac-Breasted Roller

Kori Bustard

Secretary Bird

The Spice Girls of Tsavo - four female Somali Ostriches

Chestnut-Bellied Sand Grouse

Maribou Stork catching fish

African Mourning Dove

Male Somali Ostrich

African Orange-Bellied Parrot

As you can see, Tsavo East is still a bird-lover's paradise! We will have more birds later but as the purpose of running a live blog during our safari was to raise money for Save The Elephants, our next post will be a collection of some of our favourite elephant images from the safari.

Thank you for reading this post. We hope if you have enjoyed it, that you will consider making a donation to Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page, if you haven't already.

Cuteness (Pt2)

2011-10-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the next installment of images from this year's safari, with the emphasis once more on cute things. We hope you like them.

Baby Yellow Baboon

Baby Spotted Hyena at the den entrance

Little Thommy

Play-time in the pool

"Peek-a-boo" Rock Hyrax

Crowned Cranes Kiss

Baby Impala

More training for the Vervet tag team

Mother Zebra with her very young foal

A comfortable seat for an Elephant

Young male Lion

Time for a drink!

Baby Topi finds its feet

And finally, one for all the Jungle Book fans...

"I'm the King of the Swingers" ~ baby Yellow Baboon

We hope you liked the images. Our next post will look at some of the amazing bird-life we encountered on this safari.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Putting Life in Perspective

2011-10-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

We all have those moments when we feel things are too much of a struggle, when the task seems too difficult or when it just seems too much effort to continue. How many times do people back away from challenges they fear are un-beatable, or give up on dreams because they fear failure to achieve them?

Today we'd like to share with you an incredible story of strength, determination, bravery and unbelievable fortitude in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Next time you fear the odds are stacked against you, take heart from this story and maybe you will find the strength to carry on. Please note that some of the images in this post may be distressing to some people.

On October 9th we watched as around 2000 Wildebeest gathered near one of the regular crossing points on the Mara River. For several hours they moved up and down the river bank, attempting to gauge the best place to cross. Several times they were startled by something in the water and stampeded back up the hill.

Gathering at the crossing point

Eventually one Wildebeest made the decision to cross and this caused the charge to start...

The race is on...to cross the Mara River safely

Before long, hundreds of Wildebeest were hurtling towards and across the river en-masse, desperate to reach the other side.

"Don't leave me behind!"

Soon the water frothed as thouasnds of hooves splashed through it

As the river filled with Wildebeest with just one thing on their mind, unseen beneath the waves, a silent danger lurked. Several Nile Crocodiles, some with heads almost half the length of a Wildebeest's body, were patiently waiting for a chance to strike. The Crocodile can stay submerged for up to 45 minutes, so even though many of the Wildebeest had already reached the other side of the river without any sign of their enemy, there could be no complacency from those still to cross.

Suddenly there was panic, as one Crocodile surfaced right among the crossing herd and succeeded in separating two Wildebeest out from the rest. With incredible speed, it twisted its scaly body and latched its powerful jaws onto the nearest of the two Wildebeest.


Isolating the target

The Croc holds on as the Wildebeest tries to get to the river bank

The Wildebeest fought hard to free itself and at one point it almost reached the bank, as the Crocodile tried to pull it out into deeper water where it could be drowned. However, the Crocodile was not alone and pretty soon there were several Crocodiles converging on the hapless Wildebeest.

As one Crocodile holds the Wildebeest, another grabs at it's face, whilst two more close in

Incredibly, the Wildebeest fought off the Crocodile attached to its face but no sooner had it done so than another Crocodile sank its teeth into the Wildebeest's flank. Between them, they managed to loosen the Wildebeest's footing and started to drag it into deeper water.

The power of two Crocodiles becomes too much for the Wildebeest

It seemed certain to all of us that it would not be long before the Wildebeest succumbed and the Crocodiles had their dinner; especially after they reached deeper water and the Crocodiles managed to pull the Wildebeest under water.

Surely only a matter of time before the Wildebeest resigns to its fate?

Amazingly, the Wildebeest emerged again from the water and continued to fight, only to be pulled under again. Six times it re-surfaced, having freed itself from at least one Crocodile each time. At one point it had two Crocodiles attached to its flanks and a third around its throat but still this incredible Wildebeest refused to give up.

Torn and bleeding the Wildebeest re-surfaces again, minus one of the Crocodiles

Doomed? Not me!

In one bizarre scene, the Wildebeest drifted down the river with two Crocodiles attached to it, past a somewhat bemused Hippopotamus.

"Hmm...Now that's something you don't see every day!"

After drifting over 100 metres downstream from where they started, with five Crocodiles involved in an attack lasting over half an hour and up to three Crocodiles attached to the Wildebeest at times, something absolutely astonishing happened...The Crocodiles gave up!

The Wildebeest finally breaks free from the last exhausted Crocodile

Through sheer willpower and determination, when its fate seemed set and the Reaper's scythe was poised, this incredible Wildebeest had beaten seemingly insurmountable odds to survive.

After one last look at his tormentors...

The bloodied Wildebeest heads back up the bank to cross another day

Next time you feel like things are getting too much for you and you want to quit, think of the plucky Wildebeest who survived a half-hour fight with five Crocodiles because he refused to give up.

We hope you found this story as inspiring and uplifting as we did. Our next post will return to more of the cute things.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a small donation to our chosen charity Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Cuteness (Pt1)

2011-10-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our favourite cute images from this year's safari. Some are cute because of what they are and some are cute because of what they are doing. We hope you enjoy them...


The gorgeous little Dik Dik

Coke's Hartebeest Mum takes the kids for a drink

Lunch time for the Zebra foal

The pretty Jackal

Little and Large

Mum an Baby Vervet

Mummy Yellow Baboon brings sleepy baby up for a kiss

Baby Topi still getting used to those gangly legs

Playful young Elephant

More to come later but in our next post we will have an awe-inspiring photo-story of incredible strength, bravery and resilience...

In the meantime, if you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Out-takes & Funnies (Pt1)

2011-10-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a selection of some out-takes, mistakes and mildly amusing images from among the 30,000+ images we took between us on this safari.

Ever wanted to know how an elephant scratches an itchy bum?

The Tsavo East Vervet Tag Team in training for Kenya's WWF season

Sometimes you're just too tired to shut your mouth after you yawn!

Autofocus is not always your friend!

Junior gets a shove to help him out of the waterhole

Zebras have an amazing ability to show their best side when presented with a camera!

Meditation in Tsavo East

It's a hard life being a wildlife photographer Jason!

Fine Tsavo dust gets everywhere ~ even the camera's shutter!

This poor guy got himself stuck in our sink in Ngulia Bandas and had to be rescued by Karen

Ever seen a speeding Leopard Tortoise? This guy is up on two wheels!

"Has that bloke with the camera gone yet?"

Banded Mongoose lovers get caught out ~ Oops!

Dave modelling his new hat

Even the Elephants find some shelter in the heat of the day!

Next stop ~ cuteness!...

In the meantime, if you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Day Twenty Two: Back Home

2011-10-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

We left the Backpackers at 5am yesterday for the Kenya Airways flight to Amsterdam. The flight was delayed by almost 45 minutes, which we didn't mind, as it would shorten our stopover in Amsterdam.

We arrived in Amsterdam at around 4pm local time (5pm Kenyan time) and headed for the comfortable area. The water-massage thingy was not operating but nearby, a young man was playing some popular tunes "elevator-music" style on the grand piano. When he finished one medley, some people started to applaud so we politely added our own applause. After the second, one woman applauded vigorously with a big smile and we realised that the lad's family were the group of people applauding his every effort.

After forty-five minutes of trying to watch Scrubs, playing silently with subtitles in Dutch, whilst being subjected to the monotony of the young man's piano-playing (interespersed with his mother's exuberant applause), we were starting to grow weary. Thankfully the water-massage operator came back and somebody went on that. The noise made it pointless to play piano, so the young lad stepped off for a break, much to our relief.

When the water-massage thingy stopped, another young lad went on to the piano and played a much better set of blues and jazz, played with real feeling and it created a great atmosphere for most people there. The "elevator-music" lad and his family were furious, however, and shot the new pianist a gaggle of icy stares, before grabbing their belongings and storming off. Everyone else in the lounge smiled at one another.

After five hours in Amsterdam we boarded our flight for Aberdeen and arrived just before 10pm Scottish time (midnight Kenyan time). Lianne and Neil had turned up to meet us and gave us a lift home. Not only have they looked after our house for us, cleaned, fed and entertained the animals and dealt with the death of poor old Bob for us whilst we were away but they brought us home to a fridge full of fresh food too. We are so lucky!!!

Today we are washing clothes and starting to look through the images in more detail. Tomorrow's post should be quite entertaining, as we plan to post a collection of out-takes and funnies.

Our safari is over but hopefully we have inspired some people to consider arranging their own safari in Kenya.

If you have enjoyed our blog, please consider making a donation to Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Day Twenty - Preparing to Leave

2011-10-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Having a couple of days at the Backpackers has given us a chance to wind down, do some souvenir shopping and to catch up with Dave, who stayed in Nairobi for the last week whilst we were in the Mara. Dave visited Nairobi National Park whilst we were away and had a great time. He managed to photograph Black Rhino and Lion and decided to go back again this morning. When we returned from souvenir shopping he showed us the stunning Lion shots he had managed to take today in Nairobi National Park. He loved it so much he says he would happily come back for a week in the Backpackers and just go to the Nairobi National Park every day.

We spent the morning in Nairobi shopping for souvenirs and have now packed ready for our early departure at 8am. We should arrive back in Aberdeen at 10pm on Saturday night after a five-hour stopover in Amsterdam. We may have to try out the weird water-massage thingy again!

We would like to say a big asante sana to all of Kenya. Once again you have been spectacular, beautiful, friendly and welcoming. We would like to say a special thanks to Tiju Aziz for helping with the internet access and to Patrick at Roving Rovers, who got a replacement vehicle to us in Tsavo West all the way from Nakuru by 7.30am after we called him at 4pm the day before. We would also like to thank the staff at Milimani Backpackers, who have been great again and also the people of rural Kenya, who make the sacrifices that enable the wild animals we came here to see and photograph to continue to live their natural lives. Last but by no means least, we would like to thank the men and women of the Kenya Wildlife Service, who put their lives on the line daily to protect the wild animals of Kenya from poaching.

We hope you have enjoyed the blog and will continue to enjoy the updates we will be posting in future.

If you haven't already, please do consider making a donation to Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page. They do a tremendous amount of work to ensure that these magnificent creatures (and everything else in the ecosystems they are part of) can continue to live in an ever-changing human-controlled World, by thinking “out of the box” to find new ways of managing Human-Elephant conflict that benefit, rather than penalise the communities which have to live with them.

Kwaherini

Karen and Howard

Day Nineteen - Chill Time

2011-10-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

We spent the day relaxing in the Backpackers, got some washing done and emptied everything out of the Landrover ready for it being collected today. We got chatting to Amy, an American girl who is planning to head down to Mombasa in stages via matatu. We showed her the Rough Guide and she was very impressed, saying it seemed much more comprehensive than the Lonely Planet Guide. She spent some time making lots of notes from it and Karen suggested we just give it to her, as we are about to head home anyway and will be buying the newest version before our next trip anyway. We also gave her the 5 gallons of drinking water we had left and handed all the spare tinned food to the chef in the Backpackers.

Jason demonstrated his Trangia cooker to Amy, the chef and anyone else who showed interest (we think he has a secret second job as a Trangia salesman).

We also met Klaus, a Danish student, studying African Politics in South Africa. He was surprised to see a Trangia in Africa.

Scooby the dog has grown quite a bit since we were here in 2008 but he is still the same people-friendly character' we have been feeding him scraps of bacon fat, so he is very friendly with us.

In the afternoon we were joined by Kevyn-Kato, a student in Environmental Studies at Kenyatta University and later Henry, a charity worker looking to set up a local NGO project. We spent the afternoon and evening discussing environmental issues and Henry picked Jason's brains on soil science for his planned agro-project. Kevin is going with Henry on Saturday to look at some potential land for the project.

It has been a very relaxing day, after the stress of last night. Tomorrow we shall be doing some souvenir shopping and probably visit the National Museum of Kenya, then we fly home in the early hours of Saturday.

Keep an eye on the blog – our safari may be over but there are loads more anecdotes to share and we have many more photos to share once we have time to have a proper look at them. We will also keep you up-to-date on future events we are planning to assist our fund-raising on behalf of Save The Elephants.

If you have enjoyed reading our blog, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Day Eighteen (Pt2) - It started so well - then the Highway to Hell

2011-10-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

OK, so you're probably wondering why we have managed to post an update today after all – we reached Sekenani by 11am so we just decided to carry on to Nairobi.

When we left the campsite this morning we were still elated and talking about yesterday's events. As if the Mara wanted to tell us to stay, she gave us a very special treat as we left; just as we turned out of the campsite, we came face-to-face with an African Painted Dog (or Wild Dog)! There was shock, excitement and much fumbling with cameras as we desperately tried to get some photos before it scarpered. The Dog eventually wandered up the track and left the reserve via the Oloololo Gate! We did wonder if the Wardens checked its ticket.

Our gorgeous morning surprise

Can I see your ticket Sir?

About ten minutes later, we came across a heavily pregnant female Spotted Hyena. Things just seemed to keep happening.

One very pregnant Hyena!

We made good time and near the Mara Bridge we found a pride of Lions resting up after their night-time exertions, then completed our Mara experience with a group of Vultures squabbling over a carcass.

Sleeping like a baby

Argy-bargy at the carcass

We reached Sekenani by 11am and decided just to keep going all the way to Nairobi. Things seemed to be going very well and we were looking forward to a meal in the Backpackers as we approached the Muthaiga area of Nairobi by 3pm. We had survived the horrendously bumpy road to Narok but we were not prepared for the horrors that were about to descend upon us. Just when we thought we were on the home straight, we hit the mass of roadworks that indicate the new Thika Road bypass. With no adequate signage (in fact virtually no signage at all) and heaving city traffic swerving from lane to lane and traffic jam after traffic jam we were soon completely confused and ended up spending five hours trying to find our way into the centre of Nairobi, via Thika! Tempers frayed and by the time we got to the Backpackers it was 8pm and we were very hungry and exhausted. Message to Nairobi Roads Department: your shiny new bypass is useless unless you put adequate signs up so that people know where they are going.

We are now showered, fed and chilling in the Backpackers. The Mara was as magic as always and we now have a couple of days to relax and do some souvenir shopping in Nairobi before we head home.

If you have enjoyed reading our blog, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Day Eighteen (pt1) - Sounds in the night

2011-10-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

We went to sleep last night to the sound of lions either side of camp roaring their challenges. This morning we awoke in the early hours to even more drama. About 500 metres away from camp, in the darkness at 5am, we could hear the snarling of Lions on a kill. Shortly afterwards we heard another Lion snarling about 200 metres the other side of camp. The snarling continued for about 45 minutes, with the Zebra around our tents becoming very agitated. We are waiting until it is fully light before emerging!

We have a long drive through the Mara to Sekenani today, and we will have no signal there to post our second update for today, so watch out for that on Thursday.

Day Seventeen - Bonus Day becomes Bonanza Day

2011-10-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

With shots of a Wildebeest crossing and lions, our last full day in the Mara was bonus day – everything we saw today would be a bonus. We eventually saw so much that it turned into a bit of a bonanza. It had started so poorly but by the end we were ecstatic.

When young couples come to the Mara on honeymoon, one of the things they really fancy is that romantic balloon ride across the savannah. They take off at dawn and fly gently across the Mara for one or two hours before landing at a pre-arranged spot for a champagne breakfast and a game drive back to their lodges. There are rules and regulations to prevent danger to passengers or distress to animals, which are generally adhered to but occasionally some companies get greedy and flout the regulations. This morning at dawn, we watched them take off, then half an hour later we saw two balloons flying far too low. One of these came to an unintentional landing just below the Oloololo Escarpment and it was no surprise, as it was clearly overloaded, with people jammed like sardines all around the basket. The second flew so low that it startled a Secretary Bird!

We headed back to where we had seen the lions but did not get there, as a family of Elephants came right up the track towards us. Most of them, including the two older females and many youngsters, simply walked around us but a young female with a very small calf was bringing up the rear and made it very clear she did not wish to deviate from the path, so we backed up and left them to it.

Elephants make a convincing road block

Hippos don't really do a lot, so they don't often make good photographic subjects. We had even commented after yesterday that the most interesting Hippo we had seen was the dead one being eaten last night, so we went to see what it looked like today but it looked no different. We were in for a surprise though, as we passed a mud-wallow near the track where a pair of Hippos usually spend the day like muddy boulders, the big male yawned and showed his impressive tusks. He wallowed around and then got out and came to drink from a puddle not ten metres from us.

At last a photogenic Hippo pose

We then found a couple of Grey Crowned Cranes and stopped to photograph them. As we did so, the male began to entwine his neck with the female's, then he began to dance around her. The courtship ended with a gruff grunt from the female and they went back to eating. It was fascinating to watch and almost as balletic as the Ostriches.

The Crowned Crane did a beautiful dance but the lady was not interested

After lunch, we decided to head round to the crossing points and see if anything was happening. To our surprise, we were the only people on the side of the river that a large group of Wildebeest were crossing to, whilst there were eleven vehicles on the other side. This gave us plenty of photo-opportunities without other vehicles to worry about. We settled down for a long wait and opened some biscuits but we had no sooner done so than the animals started to cross. We headed down to the crossing and managed to photograph lots of incidents. Today, like before, one of the Wildebeest was grabbed by a Crocodile but this time it was not so lucky. The poor animal let out a series of heart-breaking cries and struggled for about 2 minutes before it succumbed.

The race is on to cross safely

The Crocodile grabs his victim

The Wildebeest makes one last desperate effort before the Crocodile drags him under

We all had mixed emotions about what we had just witnessed. It was a thrill to be there to see such an incredible event and we were delighted with the photographs we took but the death of that poor Wildebeest was truly shocking and brutal.

We decided that Bonus Day has become Bonanza Day and elected to head back to the campsite early to download and back up our images before supper. However, the Mara and Bonanza Day had other things in store for us. As we drove back, we saw two vehicles stopped so looked to see what they were watching and realised it was a pride of Lionesses setting out in what appeared to be a hunt, with different animals taking the lead and then spreading out across the plain. They then lay down and waited. About a thousand metres away, a small herd of Zebra and a similar number of Topi were heading directly for the Lionesses. We parked and waited for about an hour, as the Topi led the way into the ambush. Just as the lead Topi climbed a Termite mound for a better look ahead, one of the Lionesses raised her head and was spotted. The Topi scarpered, followed by the Zebra.

Finding five Lionesses setting out to hunt was a real bonus!

We were almost back at the campsite, talking excitedly about the day's events, when we came across a massive male Lion. It really was Bonanza Day and a great way to end our stay in the Mara. Then as we were eating supper and compiling the blog, a rival male Lion started roaring in the night. We now had one male Lion 800 metres from the campsite and another roaring from about a kilometre the other side, so discretion being the better part of valour, we adjourned to the tents to finish!

At Dusk, the King heads off to work

Tomorrow we head back to Sekenani and the next day back to Nairobi. We will not have a signal at Sekenani, so the next update will probably be on Thursday.

If you have enjoyed reading our blog, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Day Sixteen - Another tick on the list

2011-10-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

When we decided to return to the Mara, we did so because we still did not have some of the iconic Mara images we wanted to take. We agreed at the start that the things we wanted to photograph most of all on this visit were a Wildebeest crossing and a full-maned male Lion. Well today started where yesterday left off because around 7.30 this morning we found not one but two big full-maned Lions!

Two Kings

Although the day did not continue in such spectacular fashion, we were able to concentrate more on taking shots of Giraffe, Elephant and various antelope, focusing on showing them in the landscape, rather than in close-up.

Elephant family near Oloololo

Giraffe in woodland

We also came across two Ground Hornbills fishing for frogs in the ditch beside the track. These amazing birds have a hierarchical society where only the dominant female breeds. Once females reach maturity, they are expelled from the group, so they actually mimic males to avoid expulsion!

Ground Hornbill hunting frogs

Towards the end of the day we found a dead Hippo being eaten by Crocodiles and spent the last hour of good photographic light trying to find the Lions again without success.

Crocodile does the "Death Roll" to tear a piece of flesh from the bloated corpse of a Hippo

We now have two more nights in the Mara and already we have succeeded in the photographic goals we set ourselves.

Finally today we have some good news and some bad news.

First the good news: we would like to thank Alex Ingram for donating to our fund-raising for Save The Elephants.

The bad news is that we received a message from Lianne last night to say that Bob, our 11 year-old ferret has died peacefully in his sleep. RIP Bob.

If you have enjoyed reading our blog, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

Day Fifteen - Lust and Drama in the Mara

2011-10-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today started straightforward enough, with Superb Starlings and a pair of Ruppel's Long-Tailed Starlings, but quickly developed into a day of lust and high drama that sums up all that the Mara is famous for. We had not gone far, when we came upon one male and two female Masai Ostriches. As we photographed them browsing, the female began to display, followed soon afterwards by the male. After about two minutes of wing-flapping and swaying, the female lay down and the male mounted her, continuing to sway. Ostriches have the most balletic courtship and this was a pleasure to see.

The flirty female Ostrich

The flashy male responds

The beautiful mating ballet of the Ostrich

Further on we found some Zebra that were very distressed and fighting among themselves and Thomson's Gazelle fighting too. All this before 9am!

Zebra fighting

Thommy in full flight as Zebra looks on

Thomson's Gazelle fighting

We then headed round some of the Wildebeest crossing points until we found one that had a herd of Wildebeest massing nearby. We were very pleased to see the Rangers moving everybody back to allow the animals to do what comes naturally. We were especially pleased when a Landrover full of Chinese (complete with parasols!) and diplomatic number plates steamed right past us and down to the crossing, that the Rangers gave them what for and sent them packing. Big thumbs up to the Mara Rangers. We continued to wait for the crossing to start and we waited and we waited and we waited. Eventually, after three hours baking in the mid-day sun, the crossing started and it was as spectacular as anything we have seen.

The crossing starts...

The charge is under way

Almost all of the Wildebeest made it across un-scathed but one poor animal was grabbed by a large Nile Crocodile. He put up a terrific fight for over twenty minutes, as up to three Crocodiles grabbed him, trying to pull him into deeper water and tearing at his flesh.

Crocodiles grab the poor Wildebeest

He fights desperately as they drag him to deeper water

Torn and bleeding, he continues to fight for his life

Against all the odds, this plucky Wildebeest battled free from the Crocodiles and finally found safety on the shore he had left from, over 100 metres downstream. It was a breathtaking finale to a fantastic day in the Mara.

Against all the odds, our plucky hero survives!

Back at the Oloololo Campsite, we made our fire and enjoyed the company of some Zebras as darkness fell.

Jason relaxing by the fire with some stripey company

If you have enjoyed our blog, please consider making a contribution to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants via our Just Giving Page.

Day Fourteen - Welcome to the Mara

2011-10-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

We left the Mara Springs around 8am and headed through the Sekenani Gate to the Masai Mara National Reserve. Almost immediately we were photographing Zebra, Giraffe and Wildebeest. We were also welcomed by a family of Elephants, which included a very young baby and saw large numbers of Topi.

Topi sparring

There were some very large Wildebeest and Zebra herds between the New Mara Bridge and Mara Serena Lodge.

Masses of Wildebeest

Later we also photographed Warthogs with babies.

Warthog with hoglets

We then found a Spotted Hyena den and photographed a shy baby Hyena.

Curious but shy, this baby Hyena couldn't resist checking us out

At the Oloololo Campsite, we set up camp next to a mother and baby Elephant and a small herd of Zebra.

If you have enjoyed our blog, please consider making a contribution to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants via our Just Giving Page.

Day Thirteen - The long and winding road

2011-10-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay with this instalment, we could not get a signal at Sekenani. We intended to leave Nairobi by 9am but Karen needed to get money out of the bank and the machines were down at one branch so she had to find another and queue for ages, so we didn't get going until 11am. We stopped to fill up with fuel and also fill the two 20 litre Jerry cans. We checked the oil and the car also needed a couple of litres of oil. Here's a tip for travellers: be careful if you fill up at the Oilibya garage on Nakuru Road in Nairobi. We thought the price was a bit higher than expected but it was not till we worked it out later that we realised we had been billed twice for the two litres of oil!

The newly re-surfaced road from Nairobi to Narok is a pleasure to drive and the views from the Rift Valley Escarpment are truly spectacular.

View from the Rift Valley Escarpment

However, once you leave Narok you have a couple of miles of partially repaired tarmac before you find yourself on a bone-jarring, pothole-infested nightmare of a road for around 35 miles until it changes to a rocky gravel surface that is equally rough, all the way to the Sekenani Gate. The road is so bad that the regular safari drivers have created parallel tracks through the bush beside the road, rather than risk their vehicles.

Just after Narok, we picked up a young Masai lad who was heading home to Talek to visit his family. Joseph is studying Hospitality Management in Nairobi. We don't know long he had been on the road but when we gave him a litre of water, he downed it in one. We also gave him some biscuits to sustain him on the rest of his journey from Sekenani to Talek.

After exactly six hours on the road, we finally arrived at the Mara Springs Camp, just outside the Sekenani Gate to Masai Mara. Although a budget camp, the tents are very good quality, with built-in showers and toilets. The beds are four-poster with good mosquito nets and they even supply a multi-socket for charging phones, batteries, laptops etc. We have been here before and love it.

Relaxing outside the fixed tent at Mara Springs

Tomorrow we enter the Mara and head for the Public Campsite at Oloololo.

If you have enjoyed our blog, please consider making a contribution to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants via our Just Giving Page.

Day Twelve - Farewell to Tsavo West

2011-10-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today we said our farewells to Tsavo West and headed for Nairobi but not before we took one final drive along the waterholes on the Mukui River, where we found Oryx, Impala, Waterbuck and several birds. The highlight, which provided a fitting end to our visit to Tsavo West, was watching an Egret, a Spoonbill and a Yellow-Billed Stork fishing. It was fascinating to watch the different strategies they employed in trying to catch their prey.

Spoonbill doing the Spoonbill Boogie

Black-Faced Sand Grouse

Egret Landing

Spoonbill and Yellow-Billed Stork fishing

We then headed for the Milimani Backpackers in Nairobi, negotiating the infamous Nairobi traffic along the way. Our Kenyan friends will know what we mean when we say Nairobi traffic is as much of an adventure as any safari!

We survived Nairobi traffic and made it to the Milimani Backpackers
L to R Howard, Karen, Dave, Jason

Tomorrow we head for the Masai Mara, stopping overnight just outside the Sekenani Gate. We will also be saying a temporary farewell to Dave. He has decided to stay in Nairobi for the week, so we will see him on our return from the Mara.

We don't know what the signal will be like in the Mara but we will try our best to give our usual regular updates.

If you have enjoyed our blog, please consider making a contribution to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants via our Just Giving Page.

Day Eleven - Back on Track

2011-10-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

True to their word, the guys from Roving Rovers arrived with a replacement vehicle at 7.30 this morning. As they arrived, we were just heading out on a foot safari with Kayan. This was a fascinating walk, as he showed us how his people make cups from Elephant Fruit, took us to the cave where he saw a Hyena with cubs, pointed out tracks of Lion, leopard and Baboon and took us to a viewpoint where we could look down on the whole Rhino Valley and Ngulia Bandas.

Kayan leading the bush walk

You've seen the waterhole from the Bandas - this is Ngulia Bandas from the waterhole

Sharpening his spear on a flat sandstone

Kayan demonstrating how the Masai make cups from Elephant Fruit

Once we got back to the Bandas, Kayan demonstrated making fire the traditional way, then had all the guys try it out.

Jason getting a lesson in making fire the traditional way

It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning, especially being out on foot instead of in a vehicle. After lunch, we walked around the Bandas, photographing Lizards, birds and Rock Hyrax.

Rainbow Agama and friend

We then decided to take a drive along the line of waterholes that follows the Mukui River and park at some of them to see what came along. We ended up with photos of Buffalo, a Masai Giraffe with a wonky horn, several species of Plover, an Hadada Ibis, a pair of Yellow-Billed Stork, Eland, Kingfishers and a Tawny Eagle to name but a few.

Wonky Horn eating his lunch

Buffalo wallowing in the mud

Hadada Ibis

Courting Go-Away Birds

Herd of Eland

Giraffe and Zebras

We then headed over to the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, where part of the National Park has been fenced off to give Black Rhinos there extra protection from poachers as part of a massive breeding and reintroduction program that has seen over a dozen Black Rhinos successfully reintroduced to the wild from the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is only open from 4pm till 6pm, so we arrived just before it opened. Unfortunately we were not able to find any of the 77 Black Rhinos currently in there but that's life, nothing is guaranteed.

Tomorrow we leave Tsavo West for Nairobi and the next day on to the Mara. We have had a fantastic few days here. Ngulia Bandas (Rhino Valley Bandas) is a wonderful place to stay, with friendly, helpful staff, beautiful scenery, amazing wildlife and being almost central, is within good reach of everywhere you might wish to go in Tsavo West. We cannot recommend this place highly enough and will be very sad to leave.

If you have enjoyed our blog, please consider making a contribution to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants via our Just Giving Page.

Day Ten: From the Sublime...

2011-10-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Before blogging today's adventures, we would just like to revisit yesterday. After the amazing elephants at the waterhole experience we were buzzing last night and decided to go to the bar for a celebration. The barman told us off for not flashing a torch to get one of the askari to escort us in the dark. He said there is a Leopard that lives in this area and frequently wanders round the Bandas at night. We didn't think for a minute the experience we were about to have would happen. Shortly after we returned to our banda, we suddenly heard the Leopard roar from somewhere near the waterhole. A little later he roared again, much angrier sounding this time and closer to us. Then we heard an Elephant roaring, followed by splashing in the waterhole. There was nothing else for a couple of minutes, then we heard the chairs on our balcony move and the Leopard roared a very angry and prolonged roar from right outside (with just a canvas sheet and a mosquito net between us! The Elephant and Leopard then spent the next 30 seconds exchanging angry roars before it went silent. It was an awesome experience and a fitting end to a great day.

If yesterday was the sublime, then today must have been the ridiculous. We started off with a drive around the Rhino Valley and then headed back to Mzima Springs to see if we could have more luck at getting shots of a Hippo with open mouth towards the camera. On the way across, the sky was so clear that we were able to see Kilimanjaro clearly and we also photographed Rock Hyrax and Helmeted Guinea Fowl

Kilimanjaro from Tsavo West

Helmeted Guinea Fowl

When we arrived, the Rangers called Howard over to fill in the Visitor Book. They looked at his camera and commented that we were there for nearly two hours yesterday and have come back again. The were concerned that we were a professional crew, working without a permit, especially as Karen's camera has a facility to shoot short video clips but the microphone is useless, so she had tried an external microphone out yesterday. Howard explained that we are all keen photographers, who are members of a photography club and we have expensive equipment because we want to take the best photographs we can. Although they eventually accepted the explanation, they did not seem convinced and it gave Howard the impression that we would not be accepted back there on this safari without a professional photography permit. We took a few photographs of the Hippos and an African Fish Eagle, then left.

African Fish Eagle at Mzima Springs

Although it was disappointing for us, we did understand that we did not behave like most tourists and we do use professional equipment, so it is not unreasonable for the Rangers to be suspicious.

As we now had more time than expected before lunch, we decided to take the road towards Finch Hatton's Camp, on the premise that the most pricey lodges will be built in areas with the highest concentration of predators. We got to within 12km of Finch Hatton's and the Landrover began to make a strange scuffing sound. We stopped and looked but didn't see anything obvious. We did, however, feel it prudent to turn around and head back to the Bandas to check it out. We had not gone far, when the noise became increasingly loud, so we tried to isolate whether it was an engine or running gear problem. We narrowed it down to the engine. We then stopped with the engine running and popped the hood. The noise when we opened the hood was deafening; the flywheel spindle on the alternator had broken and the blades were scuffing against the alternator casing. We had no choice but to continue and hope it would hold out but we still had 20km to go. After about another 3km, there was a thump and the screeching stopped, followed by a red flashing battery warning light: the alternator had disintegrated and taken the drive belt with it. As we carried on in a more pleasant sounding but deadly sick vehicle, we hoped it would last the distance. We kept a close eye on the temperature gauge, which rose slightly but stayed in the “normal” range, so we assumed there must be a second drive belt for the water pump. Eventually we made it back to the Bandas in one piece. When we stopped, we popped the hood and the water clearly was boiling out, indicating that the temperature gauge was faulty too. It is a testament to the toughness of the old Landrover 110 that it made almost 20km across game tracks without a water pump and survived.

Once we were at the Bandas, Howard borrowed a phone from the receptionist (because Orange still have us locked out of Global Roaming and are going to get a very nasty letter when we get home) and called Roving Rovers to ask for the vehicle to be replaced with the one we had originally ordered. To his credit Patrick, the owner, called back twenty minutes later to say that a replacement vehicle had been dispatched and would be with us at the latest by tomorrow morning. So big thumbs up to Roving Rovers for sorting the problem in a timely fashion.

Dave became a Masai warrior tonight, as Kayan presented him with a Masai spear and shield.

Dave with his Masai spear and shield

With no vehicle, we spent the afternoon at the Bandas and photographed the Elephants as they came in to the waterhole again. Speaking of Elephants, we would like to thank Jane and Leon Bourque and Dave Watson for their contributions to our fund-raising for Save The Elephants.

If you have enjoyed our blog, please consider making a contribution to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants via our Just Giving Page.

Day Nine: Day of the Elephants

2011-10-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a very special day; we are writing this blog to raise money for Save The Elephants and today the Elephants gave us our best photography day yet. We started the day with a leisurely breakfast and headed up to Mzima Springs to photograph the Hippos and Crocodiles. On the way we saw a large herd of Impala browsing at the side of the road, a male Lesser Kudu with magnificent horns, as well as several bird species, including Francolin, Superb Starling and more than one species of Hornbill. We are regretting leaving the bird book at home now but never mind, it gives us something to look forward to.

Francolin

Once we had got to within 5km of Mzima, we saw several safari vehicles go past us at speed, so decided to follow them in case they had found a big cat, imagine our disappointment when we realised they were just heading for the gate at Mtito Andei. Mzima springs was busy with people but sadly nowhere near as busy with wildlife. The severe drought of the last three years has left only thirteen of the original forty-plus Hippos alive. We did enjoy photographing them but we will be back again, as we still feel we can get better shots and it is a lovely, peaceful spot.

Yawning Hippo at Mzima Springs

Whilst we were returning to the Bandas for lunch, we came across a herd of Masai Giraffe and got some lovely photographs of them.

Herd of Masai Giraffe with Ngulia Bandas behind

Once we had eaten lunch, we decided that instead of spending the afternoon at the Rhino Sanctuary, we would just relax on our balcony, which overlooks the waterhole. When two families of elephants decided to join us we were extremely happy we had decided to stay.

Elephants at the Ngulia Bandas waterhole, as seen from our balcony

And here they are on video...

Heading off to the bar now for a well earned dram and meet up with some of the other visitors to this picturesque place for a chat.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to out chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving Page.

Day Eight - Welcome to Tsavo West

2011-10-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

We had a leisurely morning at Ngutuni lodge, photographing Warthogs, Zebra and the courting antics of Yellow-Necked Spurfowl. We got some lovely reflection shots on the waterhole and Karen got a lovely photo of a bird we need to identify. If any of our Kenyan bird-watching friends would like to identify this bird, please do.

A Dazzle of Zebra with reflections at the Ngutuni waterhole

A very randy Yellow-Necked Spurfowl with his more than a little concerned intended

Dave and Jason shooting wildlife at the Ngutuni waterhole from the restaurant terrace

We couldn't fit our book in the luggage, so please help identify this gorgeous bird

We then left Ngutuni to head for Voi to pick up supplies before heading to Tsavo West National Park. At the Voi Gate of Tsavo East National Park, we tried to load a Safari Card so that we could enter Tsavo West via the closer, Tsavo River Gate but the system was down and could not write the data to the Safari Card. The lady advised us that we could still pay at the Tsavo River Gate but when we got there, we found that we could only pay by Visa, as cash payments can only be made at the main gate. As none of us had a Visa card with sufficient credit to pay for all of us for four nights, we had no option but to head for the main Gate at Mtito Andei. We spent some time (and a reasonable sum of money) in the gift shop and photographed a delightful Unstriped Ground Squirrel.

The speedy little Unstriped Ground Squirrel

We then headed into the reserve towards the Ngulia Bandas (or Rhino Valley Bandas). Along the way, we photographed some very attractive Masai Giraffe at close range and were delighted to be greeted by two young Lesser kudu at the entrance to the bandas. We also photographed several lizard species too. Karen cooked us all a very nice meal of fried chicken with pasta, sweetcorn and peas, followed by pineapple and pear fruit salad, whilst we photographed the spectacular view from the bandas, including a lone elephant at the waterhole below. We were serenaded by the sound of frogs from the waterhole in the evening.

Part of the view from our balcony (click to view slightly larger)

We are here for four days and tomorrow we are looking forward to the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary and Mzima Springs.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to out chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving Page.

Day Seven - Luxury Moment

2011-10-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the Ngutuni Lodge to be met with damp facecloths to remove the grime and freshen us up and a glass of fresh pineapple juice; then we sat on the balcony overlooking the waterhole whilst our rooms were prepared. Dave and Jason immediately decided that luxury becomes them. We certainly intended to enjoy ourselves here but there is no substitute to us for being out in the bush with the animals. The waterhole is only about 40 metres from the balcony of the Lodge restaurant, so we had a front-row view of the goings on there. A group of Pied Crows were constantly being harassed by a pair of Spur-Winged Plovers, which were nesting in a scrape close by. Elsewhere, a flock of nine Maribou Storks were resting, drinking and trying to catch fish from the waterhole.

Maribou Stork catching fish in the waterhole

Jason and Howard watching the action at the waterhole

After a lovely lunch of gammon and stir-fried chicken with vegetables and potatoes, followed by a selection of sweets, Dave went to his room to photograph whatever came to the waterhole, whilst the rest of us sat at the veranda of the restaurant to do the same. A few other birds came in at various times but the one which gave us the best shots was the Bulbul, which also serenaded us as we sat there with feet up, camera in one hand and drink in the other...Bliss!!

Our Bulbul Pavarotti

After a while, we decided to take a drive around the sanctuary, leaving Jason and Dave watching the waterhole. On our drive around, we photographed Masai Giraffe, Oryx and a surprisingly relaxed family of Warthog, who let us take several photographs before they wandered off. These attractively ugly creatures are usually very shy and are most often seen with tails in the air, going full-steam away from you, which is why they are sometimes referred to as the “Tsavo Express”.

Warthog - The Tsavo Express

After a lovely dinner Jason, Karen and Howard took a night game drive through the sanctuary and saw a large herd of Giraffe, Zebra, a Mongoose, several Impala and a Jackal.

Although it is not our normal safari choice, preferring a more “back-to-basics” camping, Ngutuni Lodge has provided us with a welcome moment of luxury. For people who prefer a less hard-core safari, this place offers great service, lovely rooms with private balconies overlooking the waterhole, excellent food and friendly staff all at a fraction of the price of the up-market lodges in the National Parks and Reserves. If you are looking for a budget safari experience but don't want to rough it in a tent, Ngutuni Lodge would be an ideal place to consider.

Next stop Tsavo West National Park, where Rhino prosper and crystal-clear water bursts from the ground to create an oasis in the middle of semi-arid scrub land.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to out chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving Page.

Day Six - Farewell to Tsavo East

2011-09-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today we said goodbye to Tsavo East. Every time our Tsavo East experience comes to an end we get the feeling that we have unfinished business but that's what makes us keep coming back.

Our KWS Safari Card ran out at 10.30am, so we got up early and packed everything into the Landrover, before heading to the Pipeline Road to see what might come in to the waterholes.

Unfortunately Dave was not feeling too well, so he was not able to fully enjoy the scenes which unfolded before us. We parked up at one of the waterholes, which has one shallow area and steep surroundings, so that we knew which direction the animals would approach from, for us to get the best photographs.

After a while, a dazzle of Burchell's Zebra came in to drink. They were followed shortly afterwards by some very nervous Coke's Hartebeest, which scattered every time another vehicle came by. Eventually they felt confident enough to come into the waterhole and we were able to get some nice images of them drinking.

Family of Hartebeest at the waterhole

Later, another Dazzle of Burchell's Zebra came in and afterwards one of the local guides told us that three lions with cubs had been spotted further along the road by about a kilometre. We searched but could not find the lions and headed back slowly, scanning the landscape. As we reached our original location, we saw a Topi.

This is the first time we have seen a Topi in Tsavo East

This is the first time we have ever seen a Topi in Tsavo East, so we were delighted. Further along, we found a family of Elephants, with two babies, one of them very young, enjoying another waterhole.

Splashing about - one happy baby Elephant

Whilst we were photographing this, behind us a Tawny Eagle was getting very agitated by the presence of a huge flock of Red-Billed Quelea, so we photographed that too.

A very irritated Tawny Eagle

We finished our Tsavo East experience with the largest herd of Buffalo we have yet seen, with over 100 animals.

Dave was still feeling unwell, so we went straight to the Silent Guest Resort, so that he could get a rest. Whilst Dave was resting, the rest of us took a trip along to the Ngutuni Private Reserve. We checked out the Ngutuni Lodge and decided it would be a great bit of luxury to perk Dave up, so we booked for tomorrow night. After that, we shall be heading for Tsavo West.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to out chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving Page.

Day Five

2011-09-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

We made an early start today for the long bone-shaking drive up to the Galana River at Sala Gate. This drive gives you some idea of the scale of the Tsavo wilderness. Along the way we photographed Elephants and a large herd of buffalo. We also tried unsuccessfully to photograph several Sunbirds but were able to find a very obliging Secretary Bird.

Secretary Bird

We covered several of the trails around the edge of the Galana River, looking for the large Lion pride which can often be seen there but were unsuccessful. We later heard that thirteen Lions had been spotted just outside the Park on the Malindi Road! We were, however, able to find a pod of Hippos, who did what Hippos do best – sleep, fart and jossle for space.

Karen chuckles as Jason attempts to photograph Hippos with a bazooka

The aforementioned Hippos

After spending the morning searching this part of the Galana for Lions, we headed back to the campsite for a break, managing to find a Sand-Grouse pair with a chick along the way.

Sand Grouse with almost grown chick

After a rest, we then checked out the Kanderi Swamp and the Pipeline Road again. While we were waiting at one of the waterholes for something to come in, one of the local guides told us where a Cheetah had been sighted. We did find it, but the Cheetah was too far away for decent photographs. We then had one last look at Kanderi Swamp before returning to the campsite to cook supper.

Howard would like it known that he built an excellent fire and started it with one match. As none of the others were there to see this, they have declared the result void.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to out chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving Page.

Day Four

2011-09-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

After last night's shower, dinner and rest in the Silent Guest Resort in Voi, we were feeling refreshed and relaxed, so we stocked up on more supplies and headed into Tsavo East again. The KWS staff at the gate informed us that our information about the injured elephant had been passed on to the relevant team. We were only 10 yards inside the gate, when we stopped to photograph a gang of delightful Dwarf Mongoose. A few hundred yards further on we were photographing Weaver Birds at their nests.

Dwarf Mongoose near the Voi Gate at Tsavo East National Park

Weaver Birds

We then headed for Kanderi Swamp, where we found Elephants, Coke's Hartebeest, Waterbuck, Impala and Warthog. We sat around for a while to see if anything else would come in and were entertained by the arrival of the biggest Yellow Baboon troop we have ever seen, with over 100 animals! There were Baboons of all sizes, from newborns to adults in a massive spread across half the swamp.

We then headed for the Public Campsite for a brew and to give us a chance to cool down in some shade, away from the mid-day sun. After a relaxing hour, we then headed along the Voi River, which looked to be completely dry. We saw Somali Ostrich and took some nice shots of Red-Billed Hornbill here before heading to the Pipeline Road. Here we found more Lesser Kudu and Elephants at the waterholes. We also parked up near one waterhole as a dazzle of Burchell's Zebra came in to drink.

Zebra drinking

After the left a second group came towards the waterhole but they became nervous at the sight of a tour group's minivan, which approached between them and the waterhole. They moved around to approach from a different direction but were startled and galloped off when one of the people in the minivan either dropped or threw an empty plastic water bottle out of the van.

One of the tour guides told us that a Cheetah had been spotted near one of the pumping stations on the pipeline road but we could not see it anywhere. However, we did see a Jackal drinking at one of the waterholes.

Thirsty Jackal

As evening drew in, we headed back to the campsite to pitch camp and prepare dinner. Karen would like it to be known that she built a wonderful fire, much better than Dave's sausage infested fire and infinitely better than Howard's non-fire.

Tomorrow we shall head up to the Galana River.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity, Save The Elephants through our Just Giving page.

An Apology and more...

2011-09-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

First the apology: we had intended to blog at least daily when possible and even arranged to buy a Safaricom Dongle and airtime on our arrival in Voi. Tiju Aziz was kind enough to come down to her shop on a Sunday to make sure we had the dongle for day one. Unfortunately Safaricom neglected to say that the dongle requires a SIM card to actually work and that a SIM card was not included with the dongle. We only discovered this in the evening at Ndololo Public Campsite in Tsavo East, so we had to wait until we came back out before we could get a SIM card.

By way of an apology, the clip below was taken today.

Now that we are back online, we should update you on the safari so far:

Day One:

We left our homes just after 3am and headed for Aberdeen Airport for the KLM flight to Amsterdam. We had 12 hours to waste in Schipol Airport before our Kenya Airways flight to Nairobi, so we ate pizza, wandered around, ate pasta, wandered around and then finally found a special area for people with long stop-overs. This was a treat to be sure! Comfy seats, free wireless broadband and television. We tried to sleep but couldn't, so we each took turns on a bizarre water-massage thingy. It looked like some kind of cryogenic chamber as it closed around you but the massage it gave was both relaxing and invigorating and we all agreed it was five euros well spent.

Eventually the time arrived for our flight to Nairobi, which was somewhat delayed by a strike in Greece and the no-fly zone over Libya. By the time we had cleared Nairobi Customs, it was after 8am. We picked up the Landrover hired from Roving Rovers and headed south towards Voi. Only once we were on the road did we realise we had been given one with a single roof hatch, big enough for two people, despite requesting one with two roof hatches because there are four of us on this trip.

We reached Voi around 2pm and picked up supplies, booked our rooms for Tuesday night in the Silent Resort and headed round to Ashtech Systems to meet Tiju and collect the dongle. Unfortunately we couldn't phone her, as our phones had been blocked from overseas usage – despite having had “global roaming” set up on the account for six years – Big thumbs down for Orange!

With all the hassle of the long journey and things not going according to plan, we were looking forward to getting into Tsavo East National Park and starting our safari proper. After a brief run around the Voi River Circuit, we headed for the Ndololo Public Campsite, to be greeted by a family of elephants. Dave commented that this was a very appropriate way to start the safari, as our blog is intended to raise money for Save The Elephants. In our short run round before pitching camp we saw several bird species, including Superb Starling and Yellow-Necked Spurfowl and a few we will have to identify from books when we return; we also saw Grant's Gazelle, Burchell's Zebra and plenty of elephant. Not a bad start to the safari!

One of the welcoming committee at Ndololo Public Campsite

Howard provided the entertainment for the evening by making such a hash of starting the fire that the camp watchman came over and started it for us, much to the amusement of Karen, Jason and Dave.

Day Two:

We started Day Two with more elephants, then some Coke's Hartebeest and Waterbuck on a trip round the Kanderi Swamp. The swamp, which used to be a watery haven for many creatures has been parched almost dry by the dreadful drought that has hit East Africa over the last three years. We still managed to see many different birds, including Red-Billed Hornbills, a Secretary Bird, a Glossy Starling and one below, which we have not identified (perhaps some of our Kenyan bird-watching friends can tell us before we look it up at home?).

Must look this up when we get home!

Whilst we were hanging around Kanderi Swamp, one of the local tour groups arrived but quickly left, they then reversed back at speed and the guide told us he had a report of lions on the radio so we could follow him to them. Big thumbs up to you Sir, whoever you are! Asante sana!

One of four lions we were taken to by a kind local tour guide

After photographing the lions, we headed for Aruba Dam, hoping to find lots of wildlife at the waterhole there but to our shock, it too was dried up! We still saw plenty of wildlife along the way, including the strange looking but surprisingly graceful Gerenuk, Dik Dik, Elephants and Masai Giraffe, as well as a large herd of Buffalo. However, the highlight of the day had to be the pair of Bee-Eaters we watched. They would sit watching intently from their perch, then swoop like lightning and return with an insect prey. The male also caught several large moths, which he presented to his mate

We spent ages watching these two as they swooped like lightning on their insect prey

We ended the day photographing the comical antics of the resident Yellow Baboon troop in the campsite. This time it was Dave who gave a fireside comedy turn, as he dropped four sausages into the fire, one after the other, from the sharpened stick he was holding over the fire to cook them. He eventually gave up and used a frying pan.

Day Three:

Today we headed to Mudanda Rock, where we had previously seen lots of activity at the huge waterhole the rock creates at its base. However the waterhole was completely dry! On the way we photographed elephants, beautifully lit by early morning light. We also stopped to photograph the carcass of a recently deceased Giraffe. Jason provided the entertainment this time, by shooting several identical images of the Giraffe with his camera on motor-drive, to which Dave responded “it's nae moving that fast!”. We also photographed zebra, Somali Ostrich and a family of Black-Faced Sand Grouse. From Mudanda Rock, we headed for Luggard's Falls, where we were delighted to find one of our favourite antelope, the Lesser Kudu.

A Beautiful Female Lesser Kudu at Luggard's Falls

We spent the late afternoon along the Pipeline Road, where we found many Elephants, Storks, Tawny Eagles and a huge flock of Red-Billed Quelea. As Karen, Jason and Howard regailed Dave with tales of the Taita Falcon they had witnessed hunting Quelea at Kanderi Swamp on a previous safari, two Taita Falcons appeared! They first chased off the Tawny Eagles, then dove repeatedly into the flock of Quelea, occasionally catching one.

The Taita Falcon looks his Quelea prey in the eye

We ended the afternoon on a bit of a low, though, as we spotted a badly injured Elephant bull, with what appeared to be a broken leg. We returned to the Voi Gate and informed the KWS Rangers, then headed into Voi to pick up supplies and check into an hotel for a rest and a much-needed shower.

This poor bull Elephant was clearly struggling to walk with what appeared to be a broken leg

We hope you have enjoyed this post and will consider donating to our chosen charity Save The Elephants through our Just Giving link.

Day One - Getting there...

2011-09-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

...or should we say “getting there...slowly!”

The flight from Aberdeen to Amsterdam Schipol was on time, though we were not impressed with the in-flight snack, which consisted of two slices of over-processed cheese between two slices of dry bread and a tiny glass of fruit juice.

Approaching Schipol, we passed over several large offshore wind-farms. It was no surprise to see more wind-power turbines on the land too; after all, this is the land of the windmill!

The airport at Schipol is huge, with a multitude of shops and restaurants to keep you busy but 12 hours in this place is too much for anyone...especially as it has taken us almost 8 hours to find free wifi!!!

12 hours in an airport makes Karen take silly photos!

Next stop Nairobi!!!

World Rhino Day September 22nd

2011-09-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today is World Rhino Day! This event was established to raise the profile of rhino conservation and to encourage awareness of the issues facing rhinos today.

We designed our posters from images taken on previous safaris of White Rhino

All round the World, people who care about the desperate plight of rhinos have been doing their bit to make more people and Governments aware of the grave situation facing rhinos today. We made our posters available for anyone to download at http://www.photoclassic.co.uk/temp/worldrhinoday/. We also printed some of them out and put them on our car.

World Rhino Day posters on our car in Aberdeen ~ Scotland supports rhinos!!!

So why should people care about the rhino? What is so desperate about their situation and does it really matter?

There are several species of rhino in the World today. Most experts list five surviving species of rhino; the White Rhino and Black Rhino in Africa; the Indian Greater One-Horned Rhino, the Javan Rhino and the Sumatran Rhino. However, recent genetic research has indicated that the Northern White Rhino and Southern White Rhino may be seperate species. There are only three Northern White Rhino known to exist in the World today, although there may be a small number still hanging on in Southern Sudan. Whilst habitat loss has affected the rhino substantially, the greatest threat has been the increase in demand for rhino horn in countries where traditional Chinese medicine is practised. The economic rise of China, has created a massive wealth boost for middle class Chinese, leading to huge demand for products previously only available to a wealthy few. This has led to a surge in poaching of rhino for their horn.

The Rhino's horn consists of little more than keratin, the same protein that makes up hair and nails

Although extensive scientific research has produced no evidence for any beneficial effect from the consumption of rhino horn, this has not stopped traditional Chinese medicine practicioners from advertising it as some kind of panacaea for everything from irritable bowel syndrome, to high blood pressure and even several forms of cancer!!! Goodness some people are really gullible and deserve to be swindled of their money but that doesn't mean the rhino deserves to die in the process!!!

The only remaining Black Rhino in Masai Mara with her semi-adult calf

Rhinos are important species in their environments. They have very large ranges and as a result, are vital pollenators through seed distribution in their dung. They also have a role as environmental engineers, creating change in habitat structure that benefits other species.

White Rhino in Lake Nakuru National Park with Egret companion

Whilst several countries have made great efforts to conserve and protect their rhino populations, they are struggling against the increasing commercial demand for rhino horn, which has led to levels of poaching that have not been seen since the 1970s and 1980s. In 1970 there were 65,000 Black Rhino in Africa, with over 20,000 of those in Kenya. By 1987, poaching had reduced the population in Kenya to just 387!!!!! In 1995 the total African population of Black Rhino was just 2410, a reduction of 96 percent in only 25 years!!!!!!!!

In 1984 the Kenya Wildlife Service started conservation projects in Tsavo and Nakuru initially to try to arrest this catastrophic decline and some success was achieved with a moderate increase in population by 2005 to 539. Similar efforts were launched to preserve the White Rhino population in Southern Africa, resulting in one of the great success stories in conservation, as the population of Southern White Rhino increased to such an extent that in 2006 CITES downgraded the animal's listing to Appendix II in South Africa and Swaziland. The IUCN also took them off the threatened list. However, the optimism this encouraged was to be short-lived, as the growth of China as an economic power has led to a massive increase in demand for traditional Chinese medicine in recent years, leading to a huge increase in not only the level but the sophistication of poaching operations.

A White Rhino pair we were lucky to meet on foot on our first safari

The Chinese Government has recently imported a large number of White Rhinos from South Africa, with the intention of farming them for horn, to supply the traditional Chinese medicine market. Some Southern African countries have suggested that farming rhino for their horn may help reduce poaching. However, we feel this is a mistake, as it costs thousands of dollars to keep one rhino, which will produce around one kilo of horn per year. However, for the 25 cent price of a bullet, a poacher can take a 3-5 kilo full horn from a dead rhino, so there is no way that a legitimate market for farmed rhino horn can meet the demand and reduce the level of poaching, when the rewards are so high.

Howard photographing White Rhino on a foot safari in Kenya

Meeting White Rhino for the first time, we were struck by how docile and tolerant these immense creatures are. As you can see from the photo above, they were quite comfortable with us approaching very close; in fact, on one occasion in Lake Nakuru National Park, Howard accidentally leaned on the car horn whilst attempting to shoot round Karen, with a pair of White Rhinos no more than ten feet away and they did not even twitch!

On this, World Rhino Day, our greatest hope is that enough people will become aware of the precarious survival of the different rhino species to ensure that Governments will do their part in working to educate the rhino horn consuming nations and work towards preserving these unique, intelligent and magnificent beings.

HAPPY WORLD RHINO DAY 2011

Westward Ho...a brief look at Tsavo West

2011-09-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Less than a week to go now and today we will look at memories from a previous visit to Tsavo West National Park.

We have only made one brief two-day visit to Tsavo West before, so we are looking forward to spending much more time there and exploring further. One highlight from the last trip was the magical Mzima Springs, a crystal clear volcanic spring, which creates a beautiful oasis in the middle of semi-arid scrub. The waters of Mzima Springs are home to a fascinating collection of wildlife, from Crocodiles and Hippo to shoals of Barbel. Around the fringes of the Springs, Pied Kingfishers wait to dive in and catch the smaller fish. There is even an underwater viewing area, where you can watch the action beneath the water and enjoy the strangely balletic appearance of swimming Hippos! Mzima Springs is definitely on our visit list this time!


From the viewing area on the top right, you can see what happens underwater at Mzima Springs. Image by Jason © Icarus Images


The Pied Kingfisher waits for his dinner to swim by. Image by Jason © Icarus Images

Our first new encounter in Tsavo West was with a pretty little bird we had not seen before, the Fischer's Starling. We also met the beautiful and enigmatic Lesser Kudu, one of the most stunning antelopes.

Fischer's Starling

A work of Nature's Art ~ The Lesser Kudu

On our only previous visit to Tsavo West, we did not have time to visit the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, an enclosed area of the Park, where Black Rhino are bred for re-introduction to areas where they have been previously wiped out by humans. This is another area of Tsavo West that we are really looking forward to visiting. As we will be staying nearby in the Rhino Valley Bandas, there will be no excuse for not visiting this time!

We did have something of an adventure in our short stay in Tsavo West last time, as the "airport road" had been washed away in flooding, which gave the little Rav4 we were driving a serious workout on the way to the Public Campsite near Chyulu Gate. Having spent over an hour bouncing around as we navigated what was left of the track, it was quite amusing when we reached the flatter track at the airstrip, to find a sign warning us about bumps in the road!


After bumping and bouncing our way along the Airport Road, we finally reached a smooth track only to find this sign! Image by Jason © Icarus Images

The campsite itself is in an area full of sharp volcanic pumice, thrown out thousands of years ago by Kilimanjaro, so it is not only rough on tyres but also impossible to pitch a tent on. To get over this, Kenya Wildlife Service has built some custom tent pitches, complete with roof canopies, to put your tent up in. There are also decent areas for building your cooking fires. In such luxury, Jason and Howard felt it only fair that they should relax and let Karen cut the firewood.

Cutting firewood is no mean task with a blunt panga!

We are all really looking forward to seeing a lot more of Tsavo West National Park on this safari! In the next pre-safari blog we will look at memories from our other wildlife destination for this safari ~ the Masai Mara.

Memories of Tsavo East

2011-09-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

With just two weeks remaining till we depart, let's take one more look at some more magic moments from previous visits to Tsavo East National Park. With so many wonderful memories from previous visits here, it is difficult to know what to include and what to miss out, so we decided the easiest way to start would be to look at some of the places in Tsavo East that we have not already mentioned.

Galana River

The Galana River is the only continuous source of water in the whole Park. It forms just outside the boudaries of the Park at the confluence of the Athi and Tsavo Rivers. Being the only permanent water supply, it is a haven for all sorts of wildlife, including some of the largest Nile Crocodiles we have ever seen and pods of Hippos.

Some of the crocodiles in the Galana are HUGE!

There are many hippo pods along the Galana

When photographing crocodiles, it is very easy to think that they are lumbering, slow creatures but it is not wise to let your guard down, as they can launch themselves out of the river with lightning speed with just one flick of their tails! On land they are much less mobile and they are quite thrilling to photograph. It is amazing to think you are photographing a creature that has outlived almost every other creature on this planet, as they are virtually unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs!

On land you can get close but if crocodiles are in the water, they can launch themselves 20 feet up the bank with a flick of the tail, so it is not a good idea to get too close to a crocodile in the water!

Along the banks of the Galana we have also seen a multitude of birds, Masai Giraffe, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, Impala, Grant's Gazelle and the delightful little Dik Dik. These tiny foot-tall antelope are unique in the antelope world, as they usually mate for life.

The pretty little Dik Dik mates for life

Having such an attraction to all these animals, means that the Galana River is also prime hunting ground for predators and we have been fortunate to meet, not only several Lions in this area but also a pair of Cheetah. Tsavo actually has one of the largest populations of Cheetah outside of places like Etosha in Namibia but the often dense scrub can make them very hard to find.

Finding Cheetah in Tsavo East is a rare delight, despite the healthy population, they can be very difficult to find

Shortly after the Galana River enters the Park, it reaches Luggard's Falls. During a long day in the vehicle, searching for wildlife around the Park, it is refreshing to be able to take a break and get out at Luggard's Falls to explore the fascinating patterns which have been carved into the sandstone over millenia.

The water has carved some bizarre patterns into the rocks over time

A chance to stretch the legs and explore the artistry of the Galana River on its way through Luggard's Falls

Mudanda Rock

Mudanda Rock is a massive sandstone rock near the western border of Tsavo East National Park. Looking like a miniature version of Uluru, it forms a massive dam, creating an almost permanent waterhole at its base. The first time we visited Mudanda Rock, we did so on the recommendation of some South African friends we had met at the Ndololo Public Campsite. They suggested it would be wise to take our pangas (machetes) with us if we climbed the rock, as it is a prime Leopard or Lion lookout. We arrived at the bottom of the rock, grabbed our cameras and did not forget to take our pangas. The view from the top was breathtaking, as the Park spread out before us, as far as the eye could see. We had not been there long, when we heard a noise behind us. Spinning round and fearing the worst, we discovered that the distant growl belonged to a minibus. Within moments, a dozen women in flowery dresses and high heels were hiking up the rock towards us. Sheepishly we dropped the pangas! They turned out to be a group of school teachers from Nairobi on a staff day out and they a had a good few laughs as we explained how we had been duped by our South African friends. We shared our binoculars and long lenses with them so that they could get a better view of the animals below, then just for a change, we became the photographic subjects, as they proceeded to take photographs of the crazy Scottish people they found on top of Mudanda Rock!

Karen looking down from Mudanda Rock

Pipeline Road

The Pipeline Road is actually a contractors' road to allow servicing of the water pipeline that runs all the way from Mzima Springs in Tsavo West to Mombasa, passing through Tsavo East along the way. The pipeline springs leaks frequently, creating impromptu waterholes along the road, which attract plenty of wildlife, including Burchell's Zebra, Coke's Hartebeest, Eland and Buffalo.

Burchell's Zebra drinking at a small waterhole created by a burst water pipe

More than a cow! The Cape Buffalo is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa

Cousins

There are several primate species in Kenya but the two most common in Tsavo East National Park are the Yellow Baboon and the Vervet Monkey. The Vervets are pretty little monkeys, which generally don't bother humans, although they are not adverse to raiding tents or stealing unattended items.

The pretty Vervet Monkey is delightful to have around ~ until it steals your dinner and runs off with your underwear!

The Yellow Baboon, on the other hand, can be a pest! It only takes one irresponsible tourist to throw food to a Yellow Baboon and a whole troop can become a serious problem for other visitors! Baboons, like all primates, are intelligent opportunists; they can count and they know when they out-number you! During one safari at Ndololo Public Campsite, Karen had taken the dinner dishes to the stand-pipe to wash them, whilst Jason and I tidied the food away. The Baboons immediately recognised that Karen was alone and began to crowd in closer and closer towards her. I grabbed my panga and walked towards her slapping the blade on my boot as I went, which quickly dispersed the baboons. However, they immediately recognised that Jason was now on his own and began to crowd around him, shuffling to within 18 inches as he packed up the food. Just when he was starting to worry, he dropped the retaining strap for his Trangia cooker and the Baboons immediately scarpered, screaming in terror. Baboons are absolutely terrified of two things: Leopards and snakes. They obviously must have thought a snake had just emerged from Jason's cooker!

Young Yellow Baboons can look very sweet but they can grow into big troublemakers!

A full-grown adult male Yellow Baboon can be an imposing sight

Adult male Yellow Baboons have a peculiar way of showing dominance
This is one of our friend jason's photos.
Image © Icarus Images

All-Time Favourites

We couldn't conclude a look at previous memories from Tsavo East without mentioning bats. As a zoologist, Karen's particular area of expertise is in bats and we have been fortunate to find and photograph three species of bat in Tsavo East. These fantastic creatures make up one fifth of all the mammal species in the World and they perform functions that no other species does. Without bats the problem of disease and illness spread by biting insects would be so much worse, yet these delightful little animals get a terrible press. They are regularly portrayed as evil in both movies and folklore, when in truth they are more helpful to us than we could ever imagine. During one safari in Tsavo East, we entertained a local safari guide's guests in the evening by letting them hear the different calls of bats, using Karen's bat detector. They went away knowing how to differentiate between communication calls, normal echo-location and hunting echo-location. If you want to see bats in Tsavo East, a good place to start looking is in the Makuti roofs of the tourist lodges!

The African Heart Nosed Bat emerges in early evening and hangs from low branches, listening for the footsteps of its favourite beatle prey! If there are no beatles about, it will use echo-location to hunt moths and other flying insects

Sundevall's Roundleaf Bat eats insects like mosquito, using echo-location

Possibly Ruppel's Pipistrelle, this bat is a beautiful and dainty little insectivorous bat

We will conclude this post with one final Tsavo East moment, which has been frozen in our memories for all time. In the still of dawn, as the orange light of morning peaked over the horizon, we sat in wonder as a small family of elephants quietly browsed by. The only sound was the chewing of foliage as they passed not twenty feet from us, with the first rays of dawn light silhouetting them and illuminating the flies around their heads. The sights, sounds and smells of that moment will live with us forever!

Magic moments like this are what makes life worth living!

That takes us back to the start, and the reason we have chosen to do a "live" blog from our safari this year. We hope you have enjoyed this post and will consider making a donation to our chosen charity Save The Elephants through our Just Giving Page.

Our next pre-safari blog will look at memories from the second location on this year's itinerary, Tsavo West National Park.

Today is World Charities' Day

2011-09-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

We are going to take a slight deviation today. Although we promised the next entry would be a final look at our experiences in Tsavo East National Park, we thought it appropriate on World Charities' Day to take time out to give some insight into why we have chosen to blog from the field during our forthcoming safari.

We have had the very great pleasure to share brief moments in time with some of Nature's most iconic species. But these amazing creatures, which once roamed over most of the land now occupied by humans, are so much more than the classic stereotypes of "majestic", "noble", etc. Animals like the elephant and lion are an essential component of the great African ecosystems. They are what is known as "keystone species"; that is to say that without them, the entire ecosystem cannot continue. The lion is an "apex predator", meaning that it is at the top of the food chain. This position gives it a unique importance, as it serves the role of regulator. Without the lion and its ability to expand in numbers in a short space of time, population growth in the large herbivores would reach catastrophic levels, where the only option to prevent complete collapse of the ecosystem would be mass culling. We see this happen in Scotland with the Red Deer, whose main natural predator the wolf has long-since been eradicated. Without "management" their numbers would increase to the point where they cause irreparable damage, leading to the complete collapse of the ecosystem and a mass die-off of the majority of species. The only option to prevent this in Scotland is for thousands of red deer to be shot every year. That is the fate that awaits Africa's wild places if the lion is allowed to disappear.

Likewise, the elephant is an essential component too. Elephants are "environmental engineers"; they not only alter the landscape, creating opportunities for other species to thrive but their long migrations lead to extremely effective seed dispersal and fertilisation. In very dry areas, many species rely on elephants to seek out and create access to water sources. Without the elephant many areas would simply be barren desert. We are only just beginning to learn about the complexity of elephant communication and relationships. Long-term studies are now bearing results that are increasingly pointing to elephant social structures and communications being every bit as complex as those of humans, with equally diverse emotional lives. We now know that elephants communicate over long distance in sound frequencies below the level of human hearing; that they have the ability to collaborate and plan ahead together and that they grieve over loss in a similar manner to humans. The simple fact is that elephant intellectual and emotional functioning is so advanced that they cannot be considered by any reasonable person as "just a dumb animal".

In the time it has taken us to save for another trip to Kenya, we have had plenty of time to think about how lucky African countries are that they still have areas of relatively intact wilderness where nature's work is carried out with very little impediment. However, we are also acutely aware that it is easy for us in our comfortable European homes to point out how important it is to protect these creatures and places, especially when we have not done as we preach in our own lands. From the vantage point of hindsight and the overview of distance, we can see the big picture and bear witness to the effects of destroying the environment in which we all live. It is not so easy to see the big picture if you live in the picture though and there is a danger that conservation pressures from outside can be seen as interference and as attempts to prevent progress and economic competition from emerging African states. Try explaining to the man whose cattle have been eaten by a lion or the family in their shamba whose entire maize crop has just been gobbled up by an elephant family that it is essential to protect the lion and elephant. Those arguments just don't carry any weight unless they are backed up by viable alternatives to killing.

There are many organisations within Africa that are trying to do just that. There are compensation schemes for livestock predation, education schemes and local game conservancies, where people can make a living from the tourist influx their wildlife provides. These help in the short-term but other long-term strategies are needed to protect habitat and to manage the potential for conflict where human settlements border protected areas or human expansion encroaches on wild areas.

This is where organisations like Save The Elephants come in. We have chosen to link our blog to a fundraising drive for Save The Elephants because we are so impressed with the "holistic" approach to the task that underpins their work. They don't just campaign to protect the elephant; they get out there and study the elephant with a view to devising new ways to manage human-elephant conflict, both in terms of personal conflict and conflict for resources and land. Some examples of their innovative work have included creating underpasses, so that elephants can still follow their traditional migration routes where roads have bisected them; collaring elephants with GPS collars that trigger a text message when they approach a village to alert the villagers; research that showed elephants' extreme fear of even just the sound of African Bees, which evolved into a project where villages have been taught how to keep bee hives to dissuade elephants from approaching the village, with the added bonus that the village gets a bumper supply of honey as well as safe crops!

We wanted to give something back to these conservation efforts through our safari, so we came up with the idea that we would blog as we go, allowing other people to follow what happens in near real time and link the blog to a Just Giving page, where people who follow the blog can make a donation to help the work of Save The Elephants.

We sincerely hope that if you find our blog interesting you will join with us in supporting one of the new breed of conservation organisations that takes a long-term view and looks at the realities on the ground and explores the practicalities of sustainable conservation instead of just ramming an idealistic viewpoint down people's throats. Without organistaions like Save The Elephants these amazingly intelligent and social creatures would simply disappear from our planet.

Please help to ensure this century is not the last for the elephant!
You can donate by clicking here or on the Just Giving link on the right.

Wings over Tsavo East

2011-08-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

We continue our pre-trip reminiscing about previous safari experiences with a look at the bird-life of Tsavo East. For bird-watchers and photographers alike, Tsavo East National Park is an absolute paradise! There are over 450 species of bird which can be seen here, some as visitors but most as residents. The sheer number and variety of birds which you may find in a short space of time is quite staggering. The Crowned Plover above is just one of around eight different Plover species which can be seen here. There are birds in all the shapes, sizes and colours you could imagine, from the tiny Fire-Finch to the enormous Somali Ostrich (identified by the blue legs and neck on the male instead of the pink seen on the Common, or Masai Ostrich)

We could put you to sleep with a full list of just the birds we have seen in Tsavo East but we're not that cruel; so instead, here are a few photographs of some of them to give you an idea of what you can find.

Yellow-Billed Hornbill

Long-Tailed Fiscal with Locust prey

Black-Headed Plover

Superb Starling

Rosy-Patched Bush Shrike

Tawny Eagle

Yellow-Necked Spurfowl

Von Der Decken's Hornbill & Superb Starling

Lilac-Breasted Roller (beautiful bird with a raucous voice!)

We could go on and on but you probably get the idea by now and we don't want to bore you! We would like to finish this post with one particular story that illustrates perfectly just how abundant and varied the bird-life in Tsavo East National Park is.

We stopped to photograph the Tawny Eagle in the photos above and ended up staying there for over an hour because we were treated to an incredible spectacle. A flock of Red-Billed Quelea, numbering probably 50-100,000 arrived and filled the air with noise.

As they swooped around in formation and we stared in amazement, something whooshed past our ears at terrific speed, so close that we felt the vortex from its wings. A rare Taita Falcon plunged into the flock of Quelea and snatched one to eat.

As we continued watching, astonished, the Tawny Eagle stole the Falcon's kill and the Falcon charged back into the flock of Quelea several more times as they swooped and whirled in a massive cloud. Eventually he caught another one and a second Tawny Eagle arrived and stole his second kill. Then a third Tawny Eagle arrived and started fighting the other two for their stolen kills, which gave the Falcon time to make a third kill and actually eat it! While all this was going on, an African Fish Eagle caught another Quelea and an Augur Buzzard arrived and tried his luck unsuccessfully, watched by a Long-Crested Eagle. Meanwhile, high above, a Secretary Bird, a Lappet-Faced Vulture and a Yellow-Billed Stork flew over and on the ground a Yellow-Necked Spurfowl walked straight past us with her five chicks. All of this happened within the space of one hour!

We will conclude our look at past experiences in Tsavo East in the next post. In the meantime, we hope you enjoyed this entry and urge you to consider making a donation to Save The Elephants to help them continue their ground-breaking research, which has increased our understanding of elephant society and also to devise new ways of preventing human/elephant conflict that benefit, rather than penalise, the human populations who share land with elephants.

The Countdown Continues...

2011-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Seven weeks and counting! Our safari draws ever-closer and preparations are almost complete. In the weeks leading up to departure, we hope to keep the blog interesting with anecdotes from previous safaris and bits and pieces about the areas we shall be travelling. In our last post, we spoke about some of our memories of encounters with the elephants in Tsavo East National Park. This time we will talk about the lions of Tsavo.

The movie "The Ghost and the Darkness" takes a healthy chunk of artistic licence in presenting the amazing story of the Maneaters of Tsavo but the truth of the story is no less incredible. In the last few years of the 19th Century, Britain was attempting to create a railway link from Uganda to the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. In actual fact the railway was never intended to reach Uganda but would run to the shores of Lake Victoria at what is now known as Kisumu, where freight and passengers would be ferried across the lake to Uganda. Thousands of workers were brought in from other colonies, especially India, to create what was referred to at the time as "The Lunatic Line". As the line progressed through Tsavo, work on it ground to a virtual halt because the workers were gripped by a terrifying fear. Lions in Tsavo had begun to prey on the railroad workers and as the number and frequency of deaths grew, panic spread through the camp. In one particularly audacious incident, Superintendant Lyall was pulled from a railroad carriage and devoured. It took several months before the lions responsible were eventually shot by Colonel Paterson. The two enormous males responsible for the killing spree were both around nine feet long and, like many Tsavo males, had no mane. You can see the stuffed corpses on display in the Chicago Field Museum.

Tsavo lions have many peculiarities: they are extremely large; very few males have manes and many of those that do have little more than a beard and a Mohawk like the fellow pictured above; unlike many of their cousins elsewhere, the males take a very active role in hunting, allowing the prides to regularly bring down large prey like buffalo.

Our experiences with lions in Tsavo East have thankfully been no more than thrilling. We spotted the male above by the Galana River where, judging by his bulging belly, he was happily digesting a very big meal.

We have also witnessed a failed attempt to hunt zebra at Kanderi Swamp (the place where we saw the huge elephant gathering mentioned in our last post) by a group of five lionesses, three of whom lined up nicely for Karen's shot below.

We found another pride with several small cubs resting up in the evening light at the lookout rocks near the Voi Safari Lodge. These lions were almost impossible to spot until we scanned the rocks with binoculars.

Once we found an adolescent male looking very sorry for himself. He was making plaintive contact calls but there were no other lions around and he looked too young to have left the pride unless his pride had been taken over by new males, who would have killed him if he didn't leave.

Some of our best memories of the lions of Tsavo, though, have come through instances when we haven't even seen them. There can be few things in life more thrilling than to lie in your tent, listening to the insects and the sweet hoot of the Scops Owl, with just a sheet of nylon between you and some of the World's most powerful predators. Your first night in a tent in the African bush is always a thrill. As the darkness draws in, the lions stir. Night-time is the time for hunting and also the time for patrolling and guarding their territory against intruders. The males roar across the wilderness and in your tent, you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. A lion's roar will carry several miles and to the uninitiated, a roar half a mile away can sound like it is only yards away. However, if a lion does roar only yards away from your tent, your whole body will vibrate with its power and you will freeze in terror; your senses will become hightened as adrenalin rushes through your body, triggering your "fight-or-flight" responses. It is a truly awe-inspiring experience!

Probably our most bizarre lion experience in Tsavo East happened at the public campsite at Ndololo. During the night, we were woken not by a noise but by a feeling; a feeling that something was very close by. Straining to hear what it might be, we could only vaguely perceive the faintest of footfalls. We thought nothing of it and were soon back aspleep. In the morning, we were packing up the tent and detected a strong smell of feline urine on it; then we spotted the footprints! Unmistakably the prints of a very large lion, they were almost the size of a tea-plate across. It seems we had been marked by a lion in the night!

We will conclude this post with one final little snippit from history. When the lunatic line was finally completed and the first train arrived at the station on on the shores of Lake Victoria, there were many dignitaries there to celebrate. A speech was made by the Junior Minister for Transport in the Colonies to commemorate the occasion. I doubt many of you will have heard that speach but you will be aware of some of his other speaches, for he was none other than Winston Churchill.

If you have enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity Save The Elephants to help with their ground-breaking work in understanding elephant society and helping to prevent human/elephant conflict in ways which benefit rather than penalise the local population.

In our next post, we will be sharing some of the amazing experiences we have had with the 450 plus species of bird that can be found in Tsavo East.

Countdown...

2011-07-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

With just eight weeks to go, we have started our countdown. This week we have been checking the equipment and picking up any bits and pieces that were missing or needing replaced. As well as the little things like sunscreen and wet wipes, we have also had to consider things like the larger file sizes of the cameras we shall be using and make sure we have sufficient storage. Next week we visit the doctor to make sure our vaccinations are up to date and to get our anti-malarial medication. The only thing we still need to pick up after that is a Safaricom dongle, so we can update the blog as we go. That will be bought after we arrive in Kenya.

As a prelude to what is to come, we thought we would share with you some of the magic moments from our previous visits to the three National Parks we shall be visiting on this safari, Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Masai Mara. Starting today with the first of them, Tsavo East.

The signs at the entrance to Tsavo East National Park have some interesting things to say; the main sign refers to the Park as "The Theatre of the Wild" and that is not an exaggeration. Coming from Scotland, where we have to jump through hoops and go to extraordinary lengths just to see what little remains of our wildlife, I have described Tsavo East to people here as a place where "you are tripping over wildlife". When Jason (pictured above in Tsavo East with Karen) joined us on safari in 2008, one of the first things he said to us was "I see what you mean now about tripping over wildlife!". Another sign says "Speed limit 40Kph but don't worry if you exceed it, the elephants will soon let you know", adding a touch of typical Kenyan humour to a serious warning message.

Elephants are a major part of what makes the Tsavo ecosystem so special. There are lots of elephants here - over 12,000 but it wasn't always so. Poaching in the 1970s and 1980s reduced a population of 40,000 to less than 5,000 before the Kenya Wildlife Service came into being and well-trained, well-armed rangers began to take on the poachers. Thanks to the work of the Kenya Wildlife Service and the ultimate sacrifice paid by many of the Rangers, we can again enjoy the spectacle of large gatherings of these highly intelligent and socially aware creatures.

In July 2008, we were priviledged to experience a major elephant gathering in Tsavo East, counting over five hundred in attendance with more still arriving as we left at sundown. As each new family arrived there would be much trumpeting and friends and relatives would rush to greet them, with trunk-wrapping and ear-flapping. Adolescent males were playing push-me-shove-me, in preparation for the time they would battle in earnest for the right to mate in later years. To witness such an event, especially in an era when elephants are extinct in many African countries, was a true priviledge! Unfortunately I only had a 70-300mm lens on the camera at the time, so could not zoom out enough to catch the full glory of the gathering but the photo below shows a small portion of the elephants there.

More about the elephants later but in our next post, we will talk about another creature for which Tsavo is famous, or rather infamous, the lion! In the meantime, please consider making a donation to our chosen charity Save The Elephants to help with their ground-breaking work in understanding elephant society and helping to prevent human/elephant conflict in ways which benefit rather than penalise the local population.

Just Giving

2011-06-21T04:28:00.000-07:00

We have now set up our Just Giving Account to enable us to raise money for Save The Elephants, please take time to look at some of the amazing and innovative work that is being carried out by this fantastic charity.