We were very lucky on our recent safari in Kenya and Tanzania to catch some particularly interesting sightings. These images bring back fond memories.
Just before laying out our picnic blankets, Raphael spotted something unusual in the grass, THANKFULLY! A Puff Adder with a bird partly engulfed, its stiff legs of death sticking out and helping to break the camouflage. How interesting. Puff Adders dislocate their jaws in order to swallow their prey. Although we were trying to be careful, a number of lenses pointing down at him spooked him. Thankfully, this chap had to dislocate his jaw again to spit out the bird, buying us all time to shriek, jump in the air a few times, cling to each other and then withdraw back to the vehicle out of his reach. With the benefit of hindsight, we're still laughing about this.
Lovely sighting of a pair of Giraffe's stretching upwards, their long dark tongues out and reaching for overhead leaves. This Giraffe's dropped a bit.
Got a bit of a fright at shower time one day. The camp's rescued juvenile Buzzard was sitting on the towel rail. Very sweet, at the moment anyway. Not sure I'd trust him when he's older.
A first sighting for us of Grevy Zebras. Really pretty, only found in parts of Kenya and Ethiopia, endangered of course. More white than Plains Zebra, narrower stripes.
This Hyena had obviously nicked a shoe. Keep your tent zipped at night!
A fantastic Cheetah hunt where the young male diverged from his mother and went off on the chase. Just as it was looking to be all over unsuccessfully for the young chap, Mother sprinted in from 'nowhere' and brought the gazelle down. But that wasn't the end. It looked as if the gazelle had escaped. It had, but Mother had let it go so that Junior could have another go, this time successful. Really fabulous to see the young Cheetah being trained.
And we were so lucky to meet and spend time with Joseph who, among other things, is a whizz on tracking Wild Dogs with radio collars!
So, some fun sightings:)
Julie and Adam
January 2013
