For this collection of photos, we have left Samburu and headed to the Maasai Mara. We stayed at the Little Governor's Camp which is right next to the Mara River. Had we been at this camp in July or August, we would have been near where the wildebeest cross the Mara River and swim the guantlet of crocodiles. The is one of the great spectacles in nature and I have a feeling I will have to make a trip back someday to see it. However, in February, the wildebeest are well into the Serengeti (two camps ahead of this one) for the calving season. Seeing hundreds of thousands of wildebeest cover a plain is quite a sight - even without crocodiles. But I get ahead of myself.
#1 These are eland - the largest of the African antelope. They are most easily recognized by the large flap of skin that hangs from their throats. Also, as I learned last year in Namibia, their steaks are quite tasty!
#2 Next we have a pair of ostrich. The black is a male, the brown is a female. I think that's about as insightful as it's going to get with this photo.
#3 This was our first cheetah sighting. Although I had many wonderful cheetah encounters and experiences at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, there's still an added thrill that comes from seeing a wild one - even if it's doing nothing more than resting under a tree. Fortunately, this was just a hint of things to come.
#4 This little mud baby was a cape buffalo. The buffs, big and small alike, were rolling in a large mud hole to stay cool and try to control the flies.
#5 These are Maasai giraffe. They are easily distinguished from the reticulated giraffe we saw at Samburu by the pattern of their marking. The brown spots on these giraffe have irregular, jagged edges whereas the reticulated have much smoother edges on their brown spots.
#6 This baby baboon was literally clinging to this adult for comfort. Although it stopped to look at me long enough for me to take this photo, it spent much of the time we watched it holding on tight to the adult's fur.
#7 This beautiful cat is a serval. It is comparatively small - not much larger than a housecat. As such, it easily gets lost in the grasses and so they are difficult to find. We were lucky in that this one was not as shy as they typically are and so we were able to watch it for 10 -15 minutes before it moved out of sight.
#8 This waterbuck was auditioning for The Hartford financial company. Unfortunately, he missed the part of the memo that explained that The Hartford uses elk, not waterbucks, fot its symbol.
#9 This golden green marsh was the view from our camp. It rained one afternoon and we were treated to this nice afterdinner rainbow. We also were treated to have a family of elephants living in the marsh (and in our camp), but that's something for next time.
More nice images Jay. You were really lucky to get a view of the Serval. I have yet to see one. The Waterbucks are really pretty and make a great picture. I love their Valentine shaped noses and the well placed white hair above the eyes and surrounding the nose. They definitely give you a look.
Hopefully the migration will be about peak when I get to the Serengeti June 1st and for Jeffrey in May.
You have some gorgeous images here and I'm sure some incredible memories. What a treat to view all of these animals photographed so beautifully. Keep them coming.
Jeffrey wrote:
Great images from an exciting trip. I look forward to the next round. I'll be in east Africa in May.
Thank you. I may get the next round ready over the weekend, but probably early next week. I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time in Africa. I look forward to hearing about your experiences.
Hersch wrote:
More nice images Jay. You were really lucky to get a view of the Serval. I have yet to see one. The Waterbucks are really pretty and make a great picture. I love their Valentine shaped noses and the well placed white hair above the eyes and surrounding the nose. They definitely give you a look.
Hopefully the migration will be about peak when I get to the Serengeti June 1st and for Jeffrey in May.
Grant
We were very lucky with the serval. We were traveling with several photographers who had made multiple trips to Africa. Two have never seen one before and the rest had only caught a fleeting glimpse. We got a chance to watch this one for a good 10-15 minutes and he was within 50 feet of the vehicle the whole time.
Good luck with the migration. However, whenever you catch up with it, it is a sight to behold.
