The African Water Buffalo

I was so impressed and amazed by the grace and beauty of the African Water Buffalo. They're such a proud big ole beast. They know they're big and bad. And I love em for that.

I am an African Water Buffalo.

I am Proud.

Animals matter. Especially this big ole giant of a beast.  

Dining in the Middle of the Great Migration

It's not very often that one can say they've dined out in the open African savannah plains, much less in the middle of the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra. I was lucky to recently have that experience and it's one I'll remember the rest of my life.

After some early morning game viewing, we stopped to enjoy our basket breakfast ... right in the middle of the wildebeest! Everywhere you looked in all directions were wildebeest, zebras, Thomsons gazelles; a 360 degree view of the African savannah's exquisite scenery and animals.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, so to speak, so I've come prepared with photos to share with you. If you love animals and Africa as much as I do, I hope one day you can experience this magical place and the annual migration. With human encroachment occurring at a rapid pace and the threat of the Serengeti highway, who knows how long the migration will be able to continue. I, for one, hope it continues without human interference. We've already decimated many beautiful species of animals and birds. Let the migration continue in all its wonderful glory: the drama, the carnage, the end of many lives and beginning of new hope in the animals born during the migration.

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Animals Matter.

More Masai Mara Shots

A few shots from Masai Mara. I have yet to go through all my photos and videos, but I'll get there eventually and will post anything interesting here.

I watched this handsome male lion for a long time, wondering how he could stand all the flies that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his nose. Finally he yawned and I think you can even see the flies' wings as they buzzed around. I think a few ended up as lion lunch - you can see one or two on his tongue. The female lioness that he was with didn't seem to mind his fly breath at all.

There's a funny story behind this shot. Everyone in our group (mostly professional photographers) was trying to get a good close-up shot of a hippo when it surfaced. I was one of the more inexperienced photographers and definitely more lax in my approach. If I get a good shot, bonus.  I happened to be the only photographer in our group standing where I was and I was just taking in the sights, looking around, laughing at stuff. Then all of a sudden this hippo pops out of the water right in front of me - just a few feet away. I was able to get this shot but after that he became more elusive and wouldn't come as far out of the water as he did in this pic. Here's to quick reflexes and luck. I'm sure there are much better hippo-peeking-out-of-water shots, but I was happy with this one. I especially love that he has a sleepy/lazy look in his eye.

I think this guy is a Cape Griffon or Cape Vulture, but if I'm wrong I'm sure someone will correct me.

I was honestly amazed at the detail in this photo because I wasn't anticipating it to be a decent shot. These are the guys that we'd see swarming around carcasses. The hyenas were constantly trying to chase them off but these guys are pretty quick.

This mother cheetah was very protective of her young 'un and this pose perfectly displays that. 

This was the first time I had seen cheetahs in the wild so it was pretty damn cool for me. The cheetahs would perch on top of these termite mounds that appear all across the savannah so they can get better viewing of any game they want to hunt.

Ah, this big beautiful matriarch elephant was one of my favorite sights. I told our Maasai driver that he could just drop me off with the elephants. I'd hang with them all day and be perfectly happy. Elephants are my all time favorite; their sensitivity and intelligence are just amazing. Rumor has it they're telepathic.

This "cute" little hyena cracked me up because he reeked! Stink doesn't begin to describe it.

It was quite frankly like something out of Satan's ass. Or, what I'd expect something out of Satan's ass to smell like. After seeing the look on his face in this shot, it made it even funnier. It's as if he knew he reeked and was in on the joke.

Animals Matter. Even the stinky ones.

Elephants!

During the first two or three days of our stay in Kenya, we had only seen a lone male elephant from time to time but no large groups of elephants (much to my dismay). Then, on the fourth day, to my delight we came across a family of elephants. I told Wilson, our driver, that he could just drop me off to stay with the elephants and pick me up on the way back. I loved just being in their presence, just watching them. Their social interaction is so fascinating to me because they're highly intelligent, sensitive and social creatures.

Once we saw the first group of elephants, in the days to come we began seeing more and more elephants. Mike, a professional wildlife photographer who was also staying at the camp, was able to answer my question about why there weren't more elephants around. Apparently the elephants don't particularly like the massive herds of wildebeest and zebra that come thundering through and they move to other areas where the wildebeest and zebra aren't migrating. Makes sense to me. Hopefully on my next trip I'll be able to spend more time with the elephants. I was able to get a few decent photos and get my elephant fix.

An elephant in the Mara in sepia

An elephant mom and her calf

A small elephant family procession

Africa and Its Wonderful People

I often write about the beauty of Africa and the amazing animals and scenery, but it's also the wonderful people of this continent that make it so memorable. At our camp, which is on Maasai land, we had Maasai guides who also served as bodyguards of sorts. If it's after sunset, they'd walk us to our tents, carrying their spears and a flashlight to illuminate the pathway. They were always there to greet us when we returned from our game viewing drives and would ask how our days went and what we saw. I'd honestly be hard pressed to find friendlier people anywhere in the world.

We had four Maasai drivers - Dominic, Henry, Jackson, and Wilson. They're so knowledgeable and can quickly point out animals hiding in bushes or in the tall grass. I love talking to them and learning more about their heritage, their customs, and their love of the land. Before leaving Austin, I made sure to download a Swahili app to learn a few phrases (although many speak English as well, plus other native languages). I learned the basic phrases, like "please," and "thank you," and "how are you today?" And of course the greeting "Jambo!"

The other people who worked at the camp included the cooks, the wait staff, the camp managers Toby and Maxine, and other Maasai who fulfilled various other duties around Entim. They were always extremely courteous and able to help in any way possible. I'm from the South and we consider ourselves to be very friendly and warm, but everyone I've spent time with in Africa has been equally nice and hospitable.

After returning from afternoon drives, we'd congregate around the fire with a drink in hand and share stories about our day, stories from back home, jokes, anything that came to mind. I was fortunate to be sharing this experience with a wonderful group of people from all around the world and it was wonderful to sit around a fire laughing at jokes or stories. By the time the trip was drawing to a close, we had all become good friends and were sorry to have to say goodbye. Maybe we'll meet up again one day in Africa. Fortunately, with Facebook and social networking, we've been able to locate each other, share our photos, and keep in touch.

The tents were on a double occupancy basis unless you wanted to pay extra to have your own tent. Another traveler was a female from Austin and although we didn't know each other prior to the trip, we shared a tent and had a great time swapping stories. The tents are, well, tents ... so you can hear each other at night when it's quiet. Bethany and I would return to our tent each evening and one thing or another would send us into gales of laughter; this seemed to be a nightly occurrence with us. We called ourselves the Two Hyenas because of our laughing bouts and silly antics.

The food was so good that Valerie and I had to go check out the chef's tent to see where he created all these dishes we enjoyed every day. I was surprised that it wasn't a large tent; it was actually smaller than the tent Bethany and I shared. But it had all the workings of a professional kitchen and they did a great job of keeping us well fed and happy. We even had steak one night, although it seemed to curse Bethany and me later that night in the tent which (of course) sent us off into more laughing fits.

If you left your tent after dark, as soon as you zipped up the flap one of the Maasai guards would magically appear in front of you. We found this humorous since they really seemed to appear from nowhere, even when we thought we were being as quiet as mice.

One night when walking on the pathway back to our tent after dinner, I looked down and saw these tiny little things glowing in the grass. Much like fireflies except they didn't fly but they did twinkle. They're little glowworms, about a centimeter long. One of the Maasai told me that they absorb the ultraviolet rays during the daytime. They were absolutely beautiful and yet another magical thing about Africa. Even the tiny glowworms were quite beautiful.

Me outside our tent

The female photographers in our group

L to R: Valerie, me, Susi, Vanessa and Bethany

David Lloyd, our tour leader posing with the camera equpment

Masai Mara 2012 Photos

Here's a few preliminary photos from my recent trip to Masai Mara. These photos have very little, if any, post-processing done to them. I need to learn Lightroom or Photoshop!

http://www.flickr.com/people/wildfolio/

Cheetah mom and her young

Giraffe strolling by

One of my favorites - an elephant matriarch - a beauty!

A big beautiful male lion and lioness of the Marsh Pride

Our group of photographers and our Maasai guides

Cheetah and Cub

Here's a shot of the mother cheetah with one of her cubs. While the cubs ate the dinner their mother caught for them, she paced around nearby on the constant lookout for other predators to ensure the cubs could eat uninterrupted.

Africa - Finally!!!

I finally arrived in Kenya after a three hour delay sitting on the Tarmac in Amsterdam. I can't complain since I'm on my way to Africa.  Africa, my beautiful beloved Africa. I can already smell the familiar smells, hear the sounds of wild animals all around me, and transport myself there in my mind. I've looked forward to this for so long that even sitting on a tarmac in a crowded plane is okay. Because I know I'm en route to The Best Place on Earth. I know when we land in Nairobi, my senses will auto-adjust to the overwhelming wonderfulness of Africa. They seem to do that when I arrive because I don't want to miss a single thing  These are all the memories I'll relive over and over in my mind when I return home and find myself homesick for this magical place. Although it's a long haul from Texas, I don't even mind it because I know when I land I'll be back where I feel most comfortable. This is my love letter to Africa.

In the meantime, I'm stuck in a plane on a tarmac. The delay was the result of a perfect storm: our plane arrived late from another location due to weather and had mechanical failures that required repair, the planes had to be swapped out so there was a gate change, and lastly we had a large group headed off on a cruise ship.  Since they were going to be going out to sea, all their luggage had to be taken off the first plane and reloaded into the replacement. Each bag had to be individually verified against the manifest.  So all connecting flights were tight to catch, if at all.  Fortunately for me, I had a layover but still with the delay I had to run through the airport to catch my connecting flight. 

Arrived at Kenyatta airport but no sight of the man who was supposed to take me to the hotel. Wound up hanging out at the airport for three hours before finally getting picked up and taken to the Serena. And looking back, I honestly didn't  really mind. Because I was in the Nairobi airport. In Africa. If you ever are lucky enough to find yourself in Nairobi, I highly recommend the Serena.  Great food and lovely rooms, plus the nicest people you could ever hope to meet  The next morning we woke early to make the drive to Wilson Airport and then a short 50 minute flight on a little 12 seater prop plane out to the Mara.

After landing in the Mara, we all had huge smiles on our faces and could barely contain our excitement.  I felt bad for those people who were headed home - out of the Mara and away from Africa. After grabbing our bags we met the Maasai guides who would be with us for our entire stay and then headed to our camp (Entim). After only about a ten minute drive we encountered two lions relaxing under a tree.  These two were trying to escape the heat and were lounging under a tree, noses covered in the ever-present flies. Where else in the world can you land, jump in a LandCruiser, and ten minutes later spot lions relaxing under a tree? This is what makes Africa so wonderful. But there are many, many more things ...

After checking in, we were briefed and shown to our tents and I was very happy with the accommodations. They're very nicely furnished so guests are comfortable but you still feel as though you're camping. Entim Camp sits close to the Mara River, which at various crossing locations plays host to an epic annual drama known as The Great Migration. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebra, and Thomsons gazelle come through on their annual migration in search of water and more abundant food sources. And of course you have the villains in this drama: the crocodiles and other predators who pick off the young, weak or injured (or just plain unlucky) animals.  The migration is a huge clockwise movement of animals that makes up a megeherd once it's in full swing  And this trip would surely provide plenty of opportunities for drama, fantastic photo opportunities, and of course the carnage of Mother Nature's villains. 

During the camp briefing we were told that a lioness had made an appearance between two of the tents two nights earlier.  Animals coming into camp isn't something to be taken lightly, especially when that animal is a lion.  These are, after all, wild animals. There were also hippos very close to the camp and their deep throaty sounds could regularly be heard especially after dark. There were narrow crushed rock pathways to the tents and along the path were huge piles of hippo droppings. You were always aware that wild animals lived all around you (loved it!)  After dropping our bags in tents, we set off for a late afternoon bush drive.  As luck would have it, we ran across a female cheetah and her four kittens.  Apparently this particular cheetah had originally given birth to a litter of five, but lost one, I believe to hyenas.  After posing on one of the large termite mounds that are scattered throughout the Mara savannah, the cheetah took off for a hunt. The kittens were left in the brush so they'd be safe from any other predators that may decide to join the hunt.  After successfully bringing down a Thomsons gazelle, the cheetah mom called out to her kittens to come eat the fresh kill with a high pitched chirping that sounded more like that of a bird than a big cat. All four sprang into action and headed towards the now motionless gazelle. Cheetahs are known for their clean kills and this was no exception.

By this time if was almost sundown and there are strict laws in Kenya to be in camp by 7:30 pm. Being out after dark isn't something to be taken lightly and the game rangers are out in force to ensure the rules are followed. It's just entirely too dangerous to be out wandering about, even if you do have a Maasai with you.  

There's eight of us in our group: Our host David Lloyd (New Zealand), Susi (China) and her husband Jakob (Germany), then Vanessa (Singapore) and her boyfriend Bill (UK), then Valerie (Switzerland), Bethany (Austin) and me (Austin).  Valerie, Bethany and I will be in the same Landcruiser with our trusty Maasai driver, Wilson.  The first full day of our stay was eventful, starting with a drive to see whatever we could.  On our way out we stopped briefly at a water crossing where hippos were known to congregate. They appeared to be enjoying a sauna of sorts. Steam rose off the water and the hippos moved about slowly, surfacing every now and then before submerging again. All of these massive animals' movements always seem to be very slow and deliberate, as if they're taking their time and in no particular hurry to get anywhere  I tried to count how many hippos were congregated and came up with  thirty. It was fairly shallow water, probably not more than 5-6 feet deep. A little baby hippo swam along behind its mother and would occasionally playfully snap at her backside as if to say, "hey, wait for me."

We spotted some lions lying in the shade, then more hippos lounging in nearby water.  Our Maasai drivers brought box breakfasts for us so we could stop somewhere scenic to take a break and eat. After driving for an hour or so, our drivers located a huge heard of incoming wildebeest. They were all around, in all directions, a 360 degree circle of wildebeest as far as you could see. We stopped and ate breakfast right in the middle of all the wildebeest migration! Talk about an amazing way to start your day. It was absolutely unbelievable. You could look in any direction and all you'd see was wildebeest and zebra; it was incredible.  Our box breakfasts were very cleverly thought out and able to withstand the drive: a hard boiled egg, toast with butter and jam, some fruit, a juice box, and some kind of sausage. 

After breakfast we head back to camp to relax for an hour or so, then head out on our afternoon drive. Today we spotted a different mother cheetah and her little baby. The cheetah babies are very cute - they have a little white punk rock Mohawk thing going on with the fur down the back of their neck. And again, the mom would make the chirping sound whenever she temporarily lose sight of her young or just to hurry him along to join her. 

On our afternoon drive Wilson, our Maasai driver heard on the CB that the animals were getting ready to cross the Mara river, so we raced off to that location to see it. And what a sight - pure drama and carnage! There was a huge crocodile - about 15 feet long - that was a wildebeest and zebra killing machine. And I don't even think the croc was eating any of them! He was a sport killer from the looks of it. Dead wildebeest and zebra bodies floating in the water (yuck).  Two hippos lounged in the water about 30 meters (or about 100 yards away) downstream.  Valerie and I were standing on top of the vehicle watching the action. MegaCroc (as I refer to the giant killing machine) slowly swam up to a hapless wildebeest and then snapped his teeth around it, we couldn't help but scream. It was just a natural reaction to watching the poor wildebeest unknowingly swim right towards the partially submerged MegaCroc. They do look like a log. After about two hours of the MegaCroc Show, one of the hippos decided he'd had enough and swam over to give MegaCroc a piece of his mind.  He reminded MegaCroc in no uncertain terms that he was the real killing machine in these parts. Then he stayed around and acted as Crossing Guard for awhile which allowed more wildebeest and zebra to cross the river without fear of certain death from MegaCroc.

After watching the carnage for a few hours, we'd headed off to see if we could spot any lions, leopards or cheetahs. We were rewarded with a leopard who had recently killed a wild hare and was playing with it like a domestic cat would.  He kept throwing the now-limp rabbit in the air and rolling around. He was a beautiful cat and didn't seem to be too hungry, but was having a great time relaxing in the shade with his toy. 

After this, it was time to head back to the camp. Toby and Maxine, the boyfriend/girlfriend team of camp managers would greet us and always have a campfire going. As soon as th sun goes down, the temperature really starts to drop fast.  After throwing our camera gear in our tents and grabbing a drink, everyone would meet up around the camp fire to talk about the day and anything else that came to mind. It was a great time to relax and replay the day's events and compare notes on what we had seen. You can hear the hippos splashing around in the water, the chatter of the monkeys in the trees, and the crackling of the fire, all interspersed with spontaneous laughter from our group as we tell jokes about the day's events. Oh Africa, it's so nice to be with you and wrapped in your arms again.