Entries about shrike

Birding
Yesterday morning as we walked to the restaurant for breakfast, I noticed a few birds hanging around the hotel gardens. I wished I’d had my long lens with me at the time, so this morning I get up early to do some birding before breakfast.

White Spectacled Bulbul

Tristram's Starling

Red Backed Shrike

Spotted Flycatcher

Arabian Green Bee Eater

A couple of nice little lifers there (birds we have not previously seen).

After yesterday’s frustration and disappointment at having to explore the sites on a group tour, we decide to give the Al Ula Old Town excursion this morning a miss. Instead, we ask Bacha, our lovely driver, to take us to see some ultra-modern architecture that I have read about, as an alternative.

Maraya
We encounter the first problem before we even get near the building – there is no entry to the site unless you are on a group tour organised by the tourist office. Groan.

Bacha, having previously spent some time in Al Ula, knows another way. That road too, is blocked off so we cannot enter. Looking at google maps, Bacha explores yet another possible way in, and it turns out to be third time lucky. This is the route taken by the construction vehicles, and Bacha sweet-talks the supervisor by talking to him in Urdu, the official’s native language (and one of several that Bacha can speak). The guard agrees to let us pass, but gives us only eight minutes inside, just about enough time to be able to drive around the building without stopping.

Trucks travelling to and from Maraya on the dirt road cutting through the mountainous desert scenery

So what exactly is Maraya? This is the world’s largest mirrored building (Mataya means mirror or reflection in Arabic) with 9740 mirrored panels, and is designed to blend into the desert landscape and rise from it like a mirage.

As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan of greatness on the world tourism scale, Maraya has been coined the centrepiece of Al Ula’s growing cultural scene. The building features a restaurant (we were even told that foreigners are permitted to drink alcohol there, but whether that is true or not I have no idea), a concert auditorium, a wedding venue, a conference centre, and a place for art exhibitions to name a few.

This award-winning architectural masterpiece was completed in just 2½ months in 2019, and is constructed so that it can “move and adjust itself” to the wide range of temperatures in the desert.

Like a mirage, Maraya plays tricks with my mind – I struggle to make out what is the background and what are reflections as the building seemingly appears and disappears while we are driving around it. It really is quite extraordinary.

Much as I love history, seeing this unique reflective cube that has ostensibly been plonked amongst stunning rocky outcrops, adding to the beauty of the desert scenery, is of more interest to me this morning. I am so glad we had the opportunity to work around the rules and get a quick glimpse.

Spotting our car on the mirrored surface

By the time we get back into town, I am desperate for the loo and am grateful for the recent expansion of Al Ula to attract world tourists as I enter the modern toilet with a ‘proper’ western seat in the new bus station. I have never enjoyed having the ‘squits of the squats’, but with my bad knee, it could be pretty disastrous. I take some Ciprofloaxin (antibiotics that 'should' help clear up any diarrhea), just in case, for the long journey ahead.

Old Al Ula Town
This is where our itinerary was supposed to be taking us this morning, but when I see the large groups of people getting off the buses at the edge of the town and walking to the ruins of the old city, I am even more glad we opted out of the old and into the new this morning.

It’s an extensive site and not much is left of the once-important city.

It is said that Mohammed came through here on his way from Mecca and stayed for three days, which attracts a number of Muslims who come here to pray.

I sleep for a while as we make our way towards our last destination of the day: Medina. When I wake up, I am in dire need of a toilet. This. Very. Minute. Explaining my urgency to Bacha, he looks out for service stations, which are few and far between on these long-distance roads. He spots one and pops in to check it out for me. Closed. The second one is also closed. It is now becoming so desperate that I no longer care whether there is a seat or a hole in the ground, I just need to go!

Bacha pulls up at a mosque and finds the attached ablutions building open, with a communal toilet block. Hurrying as carefully as I can to avoid any sudden jerky movements, I rush in. As I open the door, my bowels scream “can I let go now?” with me pleasing “no, no, no, not yet!” I will spare you the gory details but suffice to say that for the first time ever on all our many travels, I don’t make it to the cubicle in time.

After changing all my clothes and cleaning up the mess (this was not the day to wear white trousers), I collapse with embarrassment in the car and immediately go back to sleep.

Al Anbariah Restaurant
On the outskirts of Medina we stop at a traditional restaurant where we meet up with our local guide, another Ali. As a traditional hospitality greeting, the manager brings out an incense burner – thankfully it is only symbolic, as both David and I can feel our eyes stinging and noses running as soon as the smoke hits us.

Ali orders a selection of dishes for our lunch. What a spread! The plates just keep arriving, there must be enough food to feed around 20 people.

I really shouldn’t eat much, if anything, but I don’t want to offend, either, so I take just a very small helping.

Fattoush - a salad of tomatoes, cucumber, mint, parsley, and toasted pitta bread

Hummus

Shorba - a complimentary soup offered by the management as part of the hospitality

Selik - rice with milk served with chicken in a spicy sauce

Another different type of rice with chicken

Molichia - a green vegetable sauce to go with the chicken and rice, which is made from a vegetable known in English as jute mallow

Bamya - a chicken and okra stew

Camel kebabs with bread and a yogurt sauce

After all that food, a dessert is brought out.

Echestraya - a pudding made from bread, milk, rosewater, sugar, and date honey. It is similar to a crumble and absolutely delicious!

And there is Arabian coffee to finish, of course.

Medina
Medina is the second holiest city for Muslims after Mecca, and I am requested to wear an abaya and hejab as we tour the holy sites this afternoon.

Ali, our local guide here in Medina

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi AKA The Prophet's Mosque or the Grand Mosque
Along with thousands of other people, we head to the Grand Mosque in time for the afternoon prayers. As non-Muslims, we are not permitted to enter the mosque compound, but Ali finds us the perfect viewpoint where we can observe the many different nationalities who have made their way here to pray, some of whom have come from afar.

We see people from Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, other Arab nations, and more, all heading for the Tomb of Mohammed to pay their respects. Muslims believe that the rewards of praying in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi are better than 1,000 prayers in any other mosque.

The large courtyard in front of the mosque is covered in the most amazing and ornate umbrellas that are being lowered automatically as we arrive. I would love to see the courtyard from the inside with all the umbrellas up.

Umbrellas being lowered

According to the internet, this is what it looks like:

Photo: King Eliot, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Of course, that is never going to happen, so I make the most of soaking in the incredible ambiance that surrounds this place. Despite still feeling pretty rough, I am totally mesmerised by this place, with its peaceful and reverent atmosphere.

The umbrellas are completely folded up now, and blend seamlessly into the rest of the architecture.

The surrounding area is one huge hotel complex, with more springing up by the minute.

Still, they are struggling to meet demand. When I see the number of people here today, just an ordinary day, not even a Friday, I cannot begin to imagine what this place is like during Hajj (the annual pilgrimage).

These images from the internet show the sheer scale of the haram of the mosque (the sanctuary area inaccessible to non-Muslims).

Hejaz Railway Museum
The former railway station has been turned into a museum with artifacts from the age of the railways and earlier.

By now I am suffering from some bad stomach cramps, so I stay in the car with Bacha while David and Ali go in. The museum is very crowded, so they don’t stay long. The following images are screen grabs taken from David’s video.

The foyer

Model of the museum

Museum exhibits

While we are waiting, a man knocks on the window of the car, holding up a bunch of grapes. “Medina grapes,” he says as he hands Bacha the fruits and walks off. The last thing I would want to eat right now, is unwashed grapes. Bacha tries one, screws his face up, and states: “No good”. As I say to Bacha, perhaps that is why the chap is giving them away.

Not long afterwards another man comes along offering grapes – this time Bacha just waves him on.

Quba Mosque
Built in 622AD as the Prophet Mohammed migrated from Mecca to Medina where he made his home, this was the very first mosque to be constructed anywhere in the world. At the time, it had palm trees for pillars and leaves for the roof, and it was built by the Prophet himself and his companions. Over time, various caliphs have renovated and extended the mosque to the super-mosque we see today, with four minarets, 56 domes, and a capacity of 15,000 devotees.

Bacha explains that to Muslims, this is a very special place to pray, and he excitedly asks if he and Ali can go and make their sundown prayers here as he has never had the opportunity before. Right at the start of this tour, we told Bacha that we are very happy for him to stop at any time to make prayers during the trip, and he has briefly done so on a couple of previous occasions. Meanwhile, David and I are left babysitting the car, which is double parked in the overfull car park.

Alia Al Madina Farm
No trip to Saudi Arabia is complete without a visit to a date farm. This place, the oldest farm in Medina, is reached via a long fenced alley; and once inside there is a touristy open-air space that is a peculiar mixture of workshops, a café, shops, and a museum.

The Explore group (a small group tour operator) that we saw yesterday is already here, it seems.

First, we are shown how these seats are made from rope and palm leaves. While the place is touristy in appearance, there is no sales pressure.

The main item produced here is dates. There are so many different dates, and we are shown the best ones in the area. Neither of us is particularly fond of dates, but after being given a taster, we buy some date syrup, at great cost.

In the ‘museum’ part of the complex, we are shown how the farm may have looked in the early days.

Archer’s Hill
There is a lot of Islamic history tied to this hill, mostly because of the Battle of Uhud that took place here in the 7th century between the non-believers of Makkah, and the Muslims. In the battle, 50 archers were posted on Archers' Hill to protect the Muslim army from attack, under strict instructions from Mohammed to stay there. Some members of the army, however, mistakingly believed the battle was over and deserted their post, which led to the Makkah army gaining an advantage resulting in a great loss of lives for the Muslims.

Ali manages to obtain special permission for us to drive around the site rather than walk, because of my knee injury.

Martyr’s Cemetery
Many pilgrims come here to visit the sacred hill, as well as the cemetery next to it, where the bodies of 70 martyrs from the battle are buried. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of disobeying the Prophet Muhammed.

Bacha goes to pay his respect at the cemetery.

Sayyid al-Shudada Mosque
The mosque is named after Mohammed’s uncle, Hamzah (full name Sayed al-Shohada Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib), who was killed in the aforementioned battle. The mosque is a recent structure, completed in 2017, but replaces another mosque structure that was originally attached to Hamzah’s tomb.

Delights Inn
When we get to the hotel, the Explore group is already there, checking in. One lady has a problem, and it takes the single receptionist ages to get through them all.

By the time it is finally our turn, we get the usual dreaded question: “Have you booked?” Yet again they struggle to find our reservation, but eventually, some 20 minutes after we first arrived, we do have somewhere to retire to.

The room is small, but the bed is enormous. I do not feel like eating anything this evening after my mishap earlier, and as there is no restaurant in the hotel itself, we just retire to bed. David ate a lot at our late lunch, anyway.

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this fascinating trip for us.

Every morning Malisa starts the day with “Let's go and see what nature has to offer us today”.

Yes, let's.

It looks like it could be a nice day.

Another daily ritual on safari is naming our 'breakfast' – ie. the first animal we see of the day. Today it is a Black Backed Jackal.

Eastern Chanting Goshawk

Lion

Fast asleep under a tree, all we can see of the cat is his stomach covered in flies.

He has been feasting on a nearby buffalo kill, and a putrid smell still hangs in the air.

In the trees vultures wait for their turn to finish off what little is left of the buffalo.

In the distance, a hyena sniffs the air as he heads for the carcass.

The road is like a quagmire; any more rain we are going to need a boat!

Of course, a lion sighting attracts a huge crowd, which certainly doesn't help.

More and more people are arriving.

We leave them to it and carry on to “see what else nature has to offer us”.

Black Breasted Snake Eagle

Grey Backed Fiscal Shrike

They seem to be everywhere!

Fork Tailed Drongo

Close-up using Big Bertha (my 600mm lens + 1.4 converter + 1.6 cropped body = 1344mm)

Fischer's Lovebirds

A whole tree full of them!

That's a whole lotta loving

White Rumped Helmetshrike

Speckled Fronted Weaver

Rock Hyrax

Lions

Two lions on top of a rock, not doing much.

They both fidget a little, and occasionally put their heads up, but never at the same time.

We move along a little to try and get a better view of them.

We notice one of the females is collared for tracking purposes, but we still can't see them properly, so we move on.

Leopard

Another traffic jam very close by indicates that there is something else about, and Malisa hears on the radio that there is a leopard in a tree.

I have no idea what this guy is doing, but I have to admit that I would not be walking about like that knowing that there is a leopard in the vicinity.

As some of the other vehicles move off, we can get nearer to be able to see the big pussy cat.

When I say “a bit nearer”, this guy is still quite some distance away, but with my long telephoto lenses I can manage to get some semi-decent images. As with most other places, there is some considerable atmospheric distortions when photographing close-ups of objects that far away.

She is most definitely not settled on that branch and keeps moving around.

It looks like she is going to jump down from the tree!

Not so much 'jump' as gingerly making her way down the trunk like a scared y-cat!

She's gone, lost in the long grass. We head back to the lions for another look.

Time for our breakfast, and as we make our way to the picnic site, we stop for a couple of little birds.

Willow Warbler

Stout Cisticola - another lifer.

And some giraffes.

Thank you Calabash Adventures for making this safari happen.

Lake Manyara National Park

Not being one of the major parks, we have only visited here twice before in our six previous safaris, the last time being in 2011, so it will make a nice change to see what it is like now.

Common Waterbuck

Every day on safari, we call the first animal we see “our breakfast”, and today it is a waterbuck.

Southern Ground Hornbill

I am just telling Malisa that the very first park we visited on our very first safari in Tanzania, was Lake Manyara; and the very first wildlife we saw was a couple of Southern Ground Hornbills; when the very same species of bird appears!

Grey Hornbill

Lilac Breasted Roller - one of my favourite African birds

Grey Crowned Crane

We see fresh elephant poo on the road – so fresh we can smell it – and follow it for a while before the trail goes cold.

Malisa is not sure if it will be possible to cross this river, but he gives it a go.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy, as Malisa says.

Zebra

Impala

D'Arnaud's Barbet

Common Fiscal Shrike

Grey Backed Fiscal Shrike

The road is certainly impassable at this point, and we end up having to turn around and try a different route!

Black Faced Vervet Monkeys

We stay with a troupe of monkeys for a while, as they try to teach youngsters how to climb.

The baby gets very nervous when going out on a branch on his own.

Mountain Buzzard

Another lifer!

Red Billed Hornbill

Bushbuck

Mum and her three-month old offspring.

Olive Baboons

We first spot the baby clinging to mum. Malisa estimates that he is less than two hours old.

He is not always graceful in his actions.

After falling straight off on his previous attempt, he seems to have mastered the hanging on now; although he does look absolutely terrified!

That's better!

Holding on tight.

A mother's love.

A male baboon turns up and mum feels threatened.

It's tiring being a new mum.

A friend comes around for a cuddle.

They stay and chat for a while, comparing notes on babies and sharing secrets.

Constantly caressing each other's babies.

Such a privilege to be allowed to watch their heart-warming interactions.

The bushbuck wanders over to where the baboons are, but neither party take any notice of the other as they go about their business as usual.

There are now baboons all around us, and we feel as if we have been accepted as part of their troupe. Such an honour!

The children are getting to know each other and learning to play together.

And riding on mum's back.

Even at just a few hours, baby baboons have an old man's face.

Other times they look like something out of a horror film.

As they get older they become cuter.

Daddy is always watching.

Big brother.

When another car turns up, breaking the magical spell, we reluctantly leave the baboon troupe behind and go to “see what else nature has to offer us” (Malisa's favourite saying).

Southern Ground Hornbill

As is suggested by its name, this, the largest species of hornbill worldwide, spends over 70% of its time on the ground.

At up to four feet tall, it's a big bird, and very striking with its black and red colours!

Yellow Billed Stork

It's time for breakfast, and time to close off this blog entry. Thank you to Calabash Adventures for organising this safari for us.

Marakissa River Camp

Abdoulie takes us to this delightful camp for refreshments and bird watching. The camp is set on the riverside (there is a hint in the name), and features many different species. We spend a couple of delightful hours here, nipping between the covered terrace overlooking man made water pools, and the river below.

Abyssinian Roller

Yellow Billed Shrike

Beautiful Sunbird, preening

Purple Glossy Starling

Yellow Throated Leaflove

Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu

Lesser Honeyguide

Piapiac (AKA Black Magpie)

Scruffy Looking Village Weaver

Western Plantain Eater

Black Crake

Giant Kingfisher

Kingfisher Diving

While we are down at the river's edge, I spot a Pied Kingfisher in the corner of my eye, just about to dive into the water. I swing my camera around and manage to grab a quick shot as he carries his lunch away.

Having devoured the fresh snack, he comes back, sitting on a nearby branch, contemplating his next move.

Feeling hungry again, he hovers over the river, hoping to spot a fish.

Bingo! Not only did he manage to catch one (just – he is barely holding on to it by the tip of its head), but he also speared a dead leaf.

Which is now stuck on his beak.

Speckled Pigeon

Palm Nut Vulture

Western Reef Heron

African Black Kite

Great White Egret

Back up at the terrace we are joined by the two Dutch ladies we met at Brufut and Tanji. It seems that we are all doing a very similar birding circuit.

African Thrush

Blue Bellied Roller

Beautiful Sunbird

The female sunbird is nowhere near as colourful as the male

Orange Cheeked Waxbill

Red Billed Firefinch

A squirrel joins in the fun

Having had our fill of birdies this morning, we head back to the lodge, getting stuck in a very hot car as we hit a traffic jam along the way.

Lunch

It is lovely to see lots of people have come for lunch here at Tanji today – a big birding party plus a few other couples. We get a very warm welcome from our favourite waitress Awa, who throws her arms out and shouts our names as soon as she sees us. She has drastically changed her appearance from yesterday by going from long, black hair to extremely short, pillarbox red! It suits her. Mind you, she is such a pretty girl she'd look good in anything.

Butter fish in a delicious spicy sauce, served with chips.

We are watched during lunch by a troupe of the local Green Vervet Monkeys, as well as a couple of birds

Red Billed Firefinch

Grey Backed Camaroptera

After a delightful siesta, we spend the rest of the afternoon chatting to Haddy, the owner of Tanji Eco Bird Lodge, hearing all about her plans for the property as well as solving all the world's problems. As you do.

Dinner

Dinner is a low key affair again as usual, with just the two of us and staff.

Chicken Yassa

After dinner we retire to our room to let the staff go home while David and I share a few drinks on the balcony, going over the delights of the day.

Yet again Lariam (malaria prophylaxis) upsets my sleep with a series of bad dreams: while faced with a plethora of colourful birds, my camera refuses to operate despite repeatedly and frustratingly pressing the shutter. I wake up agitated and distressed, realise it is thankfully just a dream and return to sleep. And the dream. The same horrid dream. This repeats itself time and time again and by the time the alarm goes off at 6am, I am exhausted.

Birding Pool

Knowing we are too early for the breakfast, and will be out for most of the morning, we grab some snacks from our bags and head to the bird pool to wait for the guide to arrive.

As it is still fairly dark, photography is almost impossible, so we just sit and enjoy until Malick turns up.

Police Check Point

We pre-booked Malick – Chris Packham's birding guide of choice - through The Gambia Experience before we left home, just to make sure we had a couple of days of serious birding organised. Having someone who knows where to go and the transport to take us there is half the battle.

As with so many African countries, The Gambia has its fair share of Police Road Blocks where they check the drivers' paperwork. It also acts as an opportunity to investigate the birds that hang around here, feeling on rubbish left behind.

Yellow Crowned Gonolek

Red Cheeked Cordon Blue

Red Bellied Paradise Flycatcher

Western Red Billed Hornbill

Brown Babbler

Brufut

Our destination for today, however, is Brufut, a community-organised bird sanctuary protected by the West African Birds Study Association.

Before we reach the woods themselves, we stop near some habitation at the edge of a few plantations and take a short walk to see what species can be found around here. We are very excited to spot so many 'lifers' (species new to us, indicated by * below) in such a small area.

Yellow Billed Shrike*

Stone Partridge*

Piapiac*

White Crowned Robin Chat*

White Faced Whistling Ducks

Greater Honeyguide*

Village Weaver

Blue Bellied Roller*

Senegal Wattled Plover*

Black Crake

Long Tailed Glossy Starling

Fine Spotted Woodpecker*

African Jacana

Pied Crow

White Billed Buffalo Weaver*

Greenshank

Spur Winged Plover

Beautiful Sunbird (female)

Bearded Barbet

Splendid Sunbird (female)

Copper Sunbird*

Intermediate Egret

Northern Red Bishop in non-breeding colours*

Variable Sunbird (female) The female sunbirds all look very similar.

Common Sandpiper

Pied Kingfisher

Black Headed Heron

The plantations include such crops as cashew nuts and mango trees.

Unripe cashew fruits with the nuts not yet having developed - they will be hanging down below when ripe

Mango fruits

Brufut Woodland Bar

We continue to an area known as Brufut Woods, where there is even a bar serving drinks. Fearing that they may not be open this late in the season, Malick had already contacted them by phone earlier, to make sure they put the kettle on.

A number of benches are set out, overlooking an area with several bird baths in the trees and on the ground. I notice that rather than putting out food for the birds so that they become dependent on humans for feeding, only water is provided. I like that.

This is the civilised way of photographing the birds.

We spend the next couple of hours watching, photographing, and listening to the birds, seeing their family squabbles, how they interact with each other and some obvious pecking orders.

As before, any lifers are denoted with *

Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu

Senegal Coucal

Black Billed Wood Dove*

I usually have a wish list of birds (or animals) I wish to see when we travel, and this is one of only three on my list this time:

Western Plantain Eater*

Bronze Mannikin

Yellow Throated Leaflove*

Laughing Doves

Common Bulbul

Red Billed Firefinch (female)

Black Necked Weaver*

Greater Honeyguide*

Lavender Waxbill*

Orange Cheeked Waxbill*

African Thrush*

Splendid Sunbird

Hooded Vulture

We employ the services of a local guide to help us go in to the woods to look for the Long Tailed Nightjar which is often found in this area. After a short moment of concern when the bird is not where he saw it half an hour earlier (as nocturnal birds, nightjars don't tend to move far during the day unless they are spooked), he spots it on the ground, very well camouflaged.

We start making our way back to the main road, along dirt tracks frequented by more animal carts than vehicles.

But first, Malick wants to check out some palms on the way.

Grey Woodpecker*

Having seen them here in the last couple of days, this is what he was looking for:

Red Necked Falcons*

And so ends a very productive morning's birdwatching. Now back to the lodge for the rest of the day.

Nicely refreshed after a break to stretch our legs, use the facilities, eat our breakfast picnic packs and photograph the hippos at Retima Hippo Pool, we set off again to “see what nature has to offer us”.

Dik Dik

We don't have to travel far before we see our first animal, These cute little antelopes are within the grounds of the picnic site. Dik Diks mate for life and you usually see two of them together, such as here.

Baby Warthogs

Also at the rest stop is a family of warthogs, including these arorable baby piglets.

Tower of Giraffes

Impala

Mum keeps her 2-3 day old baby close.

Look at those ears! The baby is all legs and ears, it seems.

The baby suckles her mum.

While the rest of the voyeuristic family look on.

Lioness

Malisa stops the car near a few other vehicles. “Lioness” he informs us. We all look in the distance but none of us can spot the cat.

“There” Malisa exclaims with more than a hint of amusement in his voice, pointing downwards, “right by the car”.

She has been out hunting and has returned to where she thinks she left her babies last night, and is now searching for them.

Even the abandoned aardvark hole is inspected.

Appearing to be in distress, she stops and calls out to her cubs, but there is no obvious reply.

"Have you seen my babies?"

Turning this way and that, there is still no sign of her offspring.

On the side of her head a nasty gash is indicative of a much-too-close encounter with the horn of a wildebeest or buffalo.

As she walks from one side of the road to the other between the vehicles gathered here, still calling out, I feel like we are somewhat invading her personal space, meddling in nature's progress. Is our presence preventing her cubs from coming forward?

We leave her to carry on looking for her lion cubs and continue on our way, as we have a fair distance to travel today.

Marabou Stork

Above us a Marabou Stork is circling, creating a striking image against the bubbling white clouds.

An altogether larger bird.

Secretary Bird

White Rumped Helmetshrike

Waterhole

As we pull up at the waterhole, Malisa announces that we have a flat tyre and gets out of the vehicle to put the spare on. Before he can even get anywhere near the jack, he has to get our luggage out, which he then puts of the roof for safety (the green bits you see on the roof are a couple of our bags).

Elephants

In the distance we can see a herd of elephants approaching the waterhole and we become aware that we are right in the path between them and the water, which causes us some concern, especially as we realise that we are unable to move the car anywhere with one wheel off.

As the majestic animals rapidly approach, we urge Malisa to get back in the car; from the safety of which we watch them all walk past and around us in order to reach the water where they spend their time splashing around, drinking and bathing.

Stubs

One of the elephants sports a shortened trunk, probably the result of a crocodile attack (or maybe even a poacher), although it does not seem to hamper him much as he appears to have learnt to live with his disability.

Bath time is over for now, and the large animals clumsily climb out of the waterhole.

I'd love to say they do it with elegance and grace, but the truth is anything but.

Meanwhile there are still only three wheels on our wagon.

There is an unwritten rule of safaris that you don't park between another vehicle and the animal sighting; but some people have no consideration for others. Not only is he blocking my view of half the waterhole, his aerial is dissecting all my photos in the other half. Thankfully this sort of thing happens very rarely, but he is most definitely not a good advert for his company.

I can get rid of the aerial in Photoshop, as I have in the image below, but that is not the point. Malisa asks him politely to move on, and he does.

Once all the elephants have finished bathing, have climbed out of the waterhole and are on their way to pastures new, another driver pulls his vehicle up right against ours to block the elephants' view of Operation Tyre Change.

Malisa, with the help of is mate from the other vehicle, gets out of the car again and manages to complete that tyre change in record time. Phew.

With a fresh new tyre, we move ever further south towards the exit gate of Serengeti.

Thank you Calabash for arranging this amazing safari for us.

After a very nice packed lunch, a stroll around the Visitors Centre, a use of the facilities and a tank full of petrol, we set off for some more explorations of the Seronera area of Serengeti.

Baby Thomson's Gazelle

This little youngster, here seen with his older brother, is less than two weeks old. All together now: “Awwww”.

Elephants

If we thought yesterday's herd was big at 75 animals, today we count 83 elephants. They are, however, technically two large herds in close proximity. Not just to each other, but also to us, walking right by all the cars gathered.

Two males are bonding with a spot of play-fighting, or is it a bromance?

The herd, or memory as a group of elephants is also known, consists of several cute youngsters.

We stay with the elephants for a long time, just watching them make their way across the savanna, heading for an area with palm trees and water.

Cheetah

Under this tree in the far distance is a big male cheetah. Honestly.

He is keeping a close eye on a warthog in the even further distance.

The cheetah gets up, walks around a bit, then lies down again. Too much excitement for one day.

I don't think he fancies his chances against the elephants on the horizon.

We let him carry on with his siesta and continue on our way to “see what nature has to offer us”.

Lilac Breasted Roller

Grey Backed Fiscal Shrike

We see a couple of these birds within minutes of each other, or maybe it is the same one following us.

Different bush, different light

Spotted Hyena

Malisa tells us that a campaign has been in place to thin out the numbers of hyenas in the Ngorongoro crater as there were too many in such a small space. A number of them were tranquillised, marked and moved to the Serengeti; however, within sixteen hours they were back in the crater. I guess it is easier to eat your food in a bowl such as Ngorongoro rather than trying to chase your peas around a large dinner plate like the Serengeti.

Thomson's Gazelles

Two males fight for control of the large harem. The following conversation then occurs in the vehicle:

Malisa: “Thomson's Gazelles are polyandrous, females mate with several males”

Grete: “Lucky girls”.

Chris: “I'd call them sluts”

Secretary Bird and Roadkill

She is eating a hedgehog, although it is unlikely that she killed it herself, it was most likely the victim of a road accident.

Whirlwind

This mini dust tornado barges its way across the savanna with no regard for man or beast in its way.

Giraffe

Just out for an afternoon stroll

He stops off for a snack along the way.

White Browed Coucal

"You looking at me"?

Sausage Tree

You can see why these sponge-like fruits are used as loofahs.

Black Faced Vervet Monkeys

As soon as we stop the car, it is like the dust suddenly catches up with us, and for a while the animals are enveloped in a cloud of brown 'smog'.

It takes a minute or so for the dust to settle. Thankfully on this occasion the monkey didn't make a run for it before the air had cleared.

Thomson's Gazelles

As is often the case when you see Vervet Monkeys, we find Thomson's Gazelles nearby. They have a symbiotic relationship based on commensalism, where the gazelles benefit from fruits dropped from the trees by the monkeys and their early warning signals of impending danger.

Pond Life

Waterholes are always a hive of activity, especially at this time of year when much of the savannah has completely dried out.

Secretary Bird

Bohor Reedbuck

Three Banded Plover

Ruff

Bohor Reedbuck

Secretary Bird

Blacksmith Plover

Three Banded Plover

Lions

Shade created by a tall tree shelters four lions from the midday sun. These are three cubs from two different mothers. One of the females has gone off, leaving the other in charge of the babies. She may be hunting or she may have 'sacrificed herself' by going off to mate with a strange male to stop him from coming into the pride and killing the cubs.

Whirlwind

We hear it long before we see it. It's a strange sound, a bit like tires on gravel or ice, but without the engine noise. The cubs can hear it too, and it seems to really spook them.

One the dust devil has passed, they all gather together and peace is yet again restored to this small lion family.

Troop of Olive Baboons

Young and old baboons are all around us – on the ground, climbing the trees and eating the flowers, riding on their parents' backs or bellies...

Thank you Calabash, the best safari company by far, for another terrific morning in Serengeti.

Having had a lovely relaxing breakfast, it is time to go out and see "what nature has to offer us" today.

Hyena

Presumably injured in a fight for food, this hyena is limping badly.

Coqui Francolin

Rattling Cisticola

Short Toed Snake Eagle (I think)

Magpie Shrike

Black Shouldered Kite

Lioness with cubs

Perched on the edge of a kopje (rocky outcrop), a lioness tries to sleep as her three cubs mill around, suckling and wanting to play and explore their surroundings.

One of the cubs appears to have an eye infection.

Why so melancholy, young man?

Over the time we spend observing these little cats, the different personalities of each of the cubs begins to shine through.

"Mum, I'm bored!"

This guy has a bit of a 'gormless' character, he looks like he is blissfully happy but doesn't know why.

I take over 1,000 photos of the young family, and make no apologies for the cuteness overload to follow.

I would love to get a picture of the lion cubs on my mobile that I can upload to Facebook when we get back to the lodge tonight, and after lamenting that I am unable to zoom in enough to get a decent shot, Malisa takes my phone and tries to take a photo through the binoculars.

While it works reasonably well, the lions have other ideas and by the time Malisa has managed to line everything up and focus both binos and phone, the cubs have moved out of sight. Doh.

Not a bad picture considering it was taken with a mobile phone through binoculars

LBB

The world is full of LBBs (Little Brown Bird), also known as SUBBs (Small Unidentified Brown Bird). On closer inspection this one turns out to be a Rattling Cisticola.

Spotted Hyena

We follow this lone hyena down the road for a while.

Common Morning Glory

Unlike our two previous visits when we have travelled at the end of the rainy season and everything is green with an abundance of flowers; at this time of year seeing flowering plants is a bit of a novelty. Malisa never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge: not only can he identify animals and birds, he also knows the names of the plants we see.

White Bellied Bustards

Doing their best to hide in the long grass.

Black Backed Jackals

There are two of them.

Cheetah

We spot a cheetah mum with two five-month old cubs.

She appears to be a good mum as both she and her cubs look healthy and well fed. This morning she starts to stalk a Thomson's Gazelle for their breakfast.

Unfortunately the Tommy spots the hunter and makes a dash for it; so no breakfast for the beautiful cats this morning.

Instead she leads her family to find some shade – a single tree next to a low kopje.

Mum has a good sniff around to make sure they are not settling down on the patch of a rival cheetah family or other obvious danger.

The cats are quite some distance away (the photos are taken with a 600mm lens and significantly cropped in the post processing stage), but here in the Serengeti off-road driving is not permitted so we can't get any closer. We are therefore rather dismayed to see several cars blatantly flout this law. Shame on them.

When the cats settle down under the tree we leave them to it and move on.

Eurasian Roller

White Rumped Helmetshrike

Ficher's Sparrow Lark

Elephants

So far on this trip we haven't seen many elephants, but that is about to change as a herd - or memory as they are also called - of 15 elephants walk past.

They have some very small babies too. Aww.

Having a herd of elephants just strolling by your car as if you are not there is a magical experience, making you feel like you are part of some wildlife documentary.

Mwanza Flat Headed Rock Agama

You'd be forgiven for thinking these are two totally separate species of lizards, seeing the flashy and vibrant male against the terribly drab female.

Little Bee Eater

More Elephants

Colourful as they are, it is not the lizards that are the star attraction here at this kopje – there are nine elephants dotted around, between and on top of this rocky outcrop. I have to say that it is the first time I have seen rock climbing elephants!

These enormous creatures are surprisingly quiet as they walk – the soles of their feet have built in 'sponges', which not just makes them 'light' on their feet, but they also use their feet to communicate. One elephant will 'talk' with his trunk on the ground, which others can pick up by putting more pressure on one leg than the other. When you see elephants leaning to one side, they are basically having a chat with their mates. Pretty cool eh?

Copying the older elephants, the five-month old baby tries to pick up smaller stones from the kopje in order to get to the essential minerals.

A couple of other trucks have gathered here too, including one containing an overexcited Asian female, squealing in an infuriatingly high pitched voice “OMG OMG OMG, those red things” when she sees the rock agama, followed by “OMG OMG OMG he's smiling” and “OMG OMG OMG he's peeing” referring to the elephants. Thank goodness she is not in our vehicle.

Nothing can mar the magical experience, however, of having a herd of nine wild elephants walk right around the car, a mere ten feet away.

It seems everywhere we look there are elephants.

One of the youngsters squeezes through a gap between the rocks, but when his older sister tries, she gets stuck for a while before wriggling herself loose.

The youngster is still suckling.

We stay with them for one-and-a-half hours (taking hundreds of photos) until they walk off into the distance. What a special time that was!

Tawny Eagle

Two Banded Courser

Lappet Faced Vulture

Amazingly, this is the first vulture we have seen on this trip, when we came before we encountered so many kills left on the ground with the remains being devoured by a variety of scavengers. Not so this time.

Lesser Kestrel

Time to stop for lunch after yet again spending an exciting morning in the Serengeti. Thank you to Calabash Adventures for another terrific safari.

Ngoitoktok Springs

Probably the most popular picnic area within the Ngorongororo Crater, there are always a lot of people here, but it is a large enough area to find a spot to get away from the crowds.

Here you can see the crowds

And here we are away from them all

Not only is this place popular with humans, but we also share our breakfast with a number of different birds, who come for the rich pickings where guests drop food on the ground. They have become quite tame and will perch on your car, or sit on the ground below your chair, looking up with pleading eyes.

Helmeted Guineafowl

Little Egret

Black Kite

Great White Pelicans

Rufous Tailed Weaver

Egyptian Geese

Village Weaver

Blacksmith Plover

Superb Starling

Southern Masked Weaver

Little Egrets

Southern Masked Weaver

Black Kite

Litle Bee Eaters

I could stay here for ages, just watching life unfold around me – there is always something going on. We see zebra, elephants and wildebeest wandering through the outskirts of the site, and hippo frolic in the small lake, as well as numerous bird species as these pictures, all taken during our lunch stop, show.

An elephant saunters by

Wildebeest and Zebra

Hippo in the lake

Hippo poo floats to the surface of the water

I love seeing pelicans flying

Eventually we have to tear ourselves away from this beautiful place to explore some other parts of the crater.

A lone wildebeest

Grey Crowned Cranes

Kori Bustard

Common Fiscal Shrike

Zebra

Secretary Bird

Malisa spots a few feathers sticking up from between the thorns on the top of the acacia tree and stops the car.

She looks like she has stuck her talons in an electric socket ~ or maybe she is just shocked to see us.

Initially there is not much to see, but we hang around just in case she decides she is going to fly away, or at least maybe stand up.

Our patience is rewarded as after a while she decides to rearrange her nest a little.

Hippos

As well as the ones we see in the water, there are a few hippos out on land too.

Eurasian Avocet

I have never before noticed avocets eating the same way as spoonbills – pushing their long beak from side to side in the water.

.

Lions

We come across a small dinner party, with two females and four cubs feasting on the carcass of a young zebra.

We stay for a while (although not as invited guests, more like gatecrashers), watching their eating habits and interactions.

This little lad may have bitten more than he can chew.

He's not really getting anywhere with the zebra's head.

He tries a different tactic.

But eventually he gives up.

Gradually, one by one, they've had their fill of fresh meat and wander off for a siesta.

Or maybe just a poo.

Children are such messy eaters.

Mum needs cleaning too.

“Play with me mum!”

Time for us to move on and “see what else nature has to offer” (Malisa's favourite saying).

Blacksmith Lapwing

Hadada Ibis

Superb Starling

Tree Pipit

Marabou Stork

Hildebrand Starling, often confused with the Superb Starling. The difference is that the Superb has a white line between the blue and the orange areas on the chest and a yellow eye against the Hildebrand's red.

Yellow Billed Stork

When we leave the crater by the usual Lerai Ascent Road, but at the top turn left down a private road rather than right towards the hotel on our planned itinerary, we realise that this is another one of Tillya's surprises. Tillya, the owner of Calabash Adventures, is constantly trying to exceed his customers' expectations and we often find ourselves upgraded to a different lodge than the one we thought we were staying in. Today is obviously going to be one of those occasions.

View of the crater from near the top of the Lerai Ascent Road

Ang'Ata Nyati Camp

The whole team of staff appear to have come out to greet us as we arrive at a small clearing. One by one they introduce themselves by name, handing us a very welcome wet flannel and a soft drink. The complexities and rules of the camp are explained to us and we are shown to the tents. The camp is very similar to mobile camps we have stayed in previously, but I am told that this is a permanent tented camp (rather than a 'mobile' camp that moves every few months, following the annual migration of animals), having recently relocated to the Nyati Special Camp Site from the other side of the crater. A small and intimate affair, the camp has a mere eight tents and tonight we have the 'palace' to ourselves as we are the only guests staying.

A local 'askari' (security guard/escort) takes us to our 'room', a basic tent with a wooden floor, large double bed, hanging space and a rudimentary en suite bathroom. Hot water is brought to the shower by request, in a bucket. I understand from their website that you are given 25 litres of hot water plus the same amount of cold. Mixing the two, the water temperature is just right, and if used sparingly, ample for two people to shower. As always in an area where water is a scarce commodity, I wet my body, then turn off the water while I wash and apply shampoo. Water back on again, rinse and repeat with conditioner.

We meet up with Malisa in the cosy and comfortable lounge/dining room for dinner. The food is superb and the staff is wonderful.

40th wedding anniversary celebrations

There was no doubt in Lyn and Chris' mind where they wanted to celebrate their special milestone, and I feel very honoured that they asked us to share this celebration with them.

When David's phone rings in the middle of dinner, he is surprised that he has a signal and worried that it may be bad news from home. The concern soon turns to indignation when he realises it is just an advert!

The camp staff make such a fuss of us, and after dinner the whole crew come out, bringing a cake and a complimentary bottle of wine, while walking around the table singing and dancing. We don't have the heart to tell them that the anniversary is not for another couple of days.

.

.

.

Originally released as a record back in 1982 by a Kenyan band called Them Mushrooms, the Jambo Bwana song is now adopted all over East Africa and sung to tourists at every celebration. Each lodge have their own version incorporating local details (such as the name of the camp) and I am sure they make up some of it as they go along, especially as I distinctly hear Malisa's name being mentioned in the words. These are the lyrics ~ and translation ~ to the main part of the song.

Jambo, jambo bwana (Hello, hello boss)
Habari gani (How are you)
Nzuri Sana (Very good)
Wageni, wakaribishwa (Welcome visitors)
Ang'Ata Nyeti (Ang'Ata Nyeti ~ name of camp)
Hakuna Matata (No worries)
Okenda Serengeti (Going to Serengeti)
Hakuna matata (No worries)
Okenda Ngorongoro (Going to Ngorongoro)
Hakuna matata (No worries)
Okenda Tarangire (Going to Tarangire)
Hakuna matata (No worries)
]Jambo, jambo bwana (Hello, hello boss)
Habari gani (How are you)
Nzuri Sana (Very good)
Wageni, wakaribishwa (Welcome visitors)
Ang'Ata Nyeti (Ang'Ata Nyeti ~ name of camp)
Hakuna Matata (No worries)

After dinner we gather around the 'Bush TV' (the local expression for a camp fire), where we have a sing song, introduce the locals to the joys of toasting marshmallows, and attempt (very unsuccessfully – I blame the Duty Free rum and four bottles of wine) to photograph the awesome night sky. After a fabulous day in the crater, we have a phenomenal evening in an extraordinary setting.

When we get back to our tent we find the staff have been in for 'turn-back service' and there are a couple of much appreciated hot water bottles in our bed. At an altitude of 2310 metres, this area can get bitterly cold overnight. Still on a high from the earlier revelry (not to mention the copious amount of alcohol), I slip into a deep sleep, oblivious to the cold and any noises from the surrounding jungle.

Yet another marvellous day organised by Calabash Adventures, the best safari company by far!

It is still dark when we leave the lodge this morning, just as it has been every single morning since we arrived here. Today is our last day in Tanzania, so it won't be long before we are able to have a lie-in once we get home.

There is no sign of the lion from last night around the hotel grounds this morning, but we do see a lot of giraffe close to the lodge today, as well as a couple of waterbuck.

The weather is still pretty murky by the time we reach the Tarangire National Park gates, hence the quality (graininess) of the first handful of photos.

These girls belong to a harem. Male impala sometimes have as many as 50 or so females in his harem, here there are nowhere near that many. Where there is an impala harem, there is usually a bachelor herd nearby waiting for the polygamous husband to retire (or maybe just tire, with so many females to service) so that they can move in.

Tarangire is famous for its incredible bird life, especially at this time of year, with nearly 500 species recorded in the park. We see quite a few this morning, including a few species that are new to us (known as a lifer - a new addition to the life list)

Ashy Starling

White Winged Widow Bird (a lifer)

Brown Parrot

Yellow Necked Spurfowl

D'Arnaud's Barbet

Speckled Fronted Weaver

Broad Tailed Paradise Whydah (another lifer)

Lesser Masked Weaver (above) construct elaborate and fanciful hanging nests (below)

Magpie Shrike

A rather wet and bedraggled Wattled Starling

We're having to put the roof up, down, up, down this morning as the showers come and go at various intervals. I think you could call the weather changeable.

White Browed Coucal

Black Faced Sandgrouse

White Headed Buffalo Weaver

Brown Snake Eagle

Brown Snake Eagle

Yellow Necked Spurfowl

Yellow Necked Spurfowl

While the mongooses we saw earlier were quite some distance away, these are really close by the road, where an abandoned termite mound has been converted into social housing for a family on mongooses.

As we stay to observe them for a while, small, furry heads pop out of various orifices in the mound, including some cute babies.

And angry little not-so-cute adults.

You can distinguish the Common Waterbuck from the other species found here, the Defassa Waterbuck, by the white markings on its rump, commonly referred to as the toilet seat.

Tarangire National Park is famous for its huge herds of elephants, so we are quite surprised to not have seen any yet this morning, just damage caused by these large animals as they passed through.

Not long afterwards, when we are on on our way to the Matete Picnic Site for breakfast, we see a lone elephant, as if on cue.

Then a large bachelor herd appears.

Time for morning ablutions, in the form of a little dust bath.

The mood suddenly turns nasty, with an unfriendly mob marching angrily towards us. Malisa proves that he is just as capable (and safe) a driver backwards, as he has to quickly reverse the car out of the way of the bullies. Never argue with an angry elephant.

It's not all anger management issues this morning, however, there's a bit of bonding session going on here with two teenage brothers butting against each other.

When they have finished showering each other with affection, they walk right past out car, so close I could reach out and touch them. I have to really restrain myself not to.

I feel so incredibly privileged to be here so close to these majestic giants, watching them go about their daily lives and be party to their family interactions, I almost cry with happiness.

All around us are elephants, in every direction we look. I have to pinch myself to make sure this is really happening. To think I was only complaining a couple of minutes ago that we hadn't seen any elephants yet.

More family snuggles. This is like reality TV but with animals. Much more interesting.

For some reason this next picture reminds me of Colonel Hathi in the Jungle Book cartoon.

I have heard of 'pink elephants', but never 'red'. These eles have obviously been rolling in the mud. Or maybe it's the latest must-have face mask.

She has a young baby with her, probably around four months old. We can only just see the top of his back over the long grass.

In places the grass is shorter so we can see him better.

On the other side of the car is an even younger baby, this one is less than 2 weeks old. All together now: “awwwww”

Look at the difference in size!

We leave the elephants behind (pun intended) and (yet again) try to make our way towards the picnic site. This could take a while, depending on what we see on the way.

We finally make it for breakfast, to a completely empty picnic site. This place has changed beyond all recognition since we were first here ten years ago: back then there was one squalid long-drop toilet. Now there is a very modern facilities block with clean flushable toilets, lockable doors, water, soap and toilet paper.

Check out my next blog entry for more animal encounters with Calabash Adventures, the best safari
operators by far.

Another early start in the dark today, complete with luggage as we are moving on to pastures new. Leaving Mbuzi Mawe this morning, we are all feeling the cold.

Lilac Breasted Roller

Much as I really enjoy leaving at the crack of dawn to make the most of the day on the savannah, this first hour or so is not conducive to photography. Darkness = high ISO = grainy and dull images.

Wildebeest

This morning we appear to be in the heart of the migration, with wildebeest all around us. Unfortunately, with the animals come the tse tse flies. Nasty little buggers and they are particularly numerous and bothersome where there are trees, such as here.

Hot Air Balloon

A hot air balloon glides gracefully over the savannah as we make our way through the park.

Grey Headed Kingfisher

Flooded River

I think it must have rained heavily during the night, as the river is flowing over the causeway this morning.

Lappet Faced Vulture

Zebras

Everywhere we look there are zebras. A huge herd – or dazzle – of zebras. Long lines of zebras. Adult zebras. Baby zebras. Lactating zebras. Mating zebras. Eating zebras. Zebra crossings. And more zebras. And then some.

Cheetah

Two young brothers can barely be seen above the long grass. Having just eaten (we missed it), they saunter off into the distance.

Olive Baboons

We follow a troop of baboons along the road for a while.

The baby is very young - no more than two or three days old at the most.

But I still think he looks like an old man.

Such a tender family moment!

That moment when your dad has got you by the scruff of the neck but mum is looking out for you.

Giraffe

Located in Seronera in Central Serengeti, the visitors centre is a good place to stop for several reasons:
1. they have new and very clean / modern toilets (I have a problem again today)
2. there is a nice picnic area with lots of semi-tame birds, hyraxes and mongooses
3. an intersting exhibition displays information about Serengeti in general and the wildebeest migration in particular
4. there is also a nice little nature walk on elevated wooden walkways.

Banded Mongoose

Sadly the boardwalk is closed for crucial repairs today, but we are given a guided tour of the information centre.

Hippo Jaw

Buffalo Skulls

Those of you who have been following this blog from the beginning, will know that I have a wish list, and that aardvark is on that list (and has been for the last four safaris here in Tanzania - it became a running joke with our previous driver Dickson). I still haven’t seen one, so I have to make do with a mural on the wall.

Rock and Tree Hyrax

It is very hard to tell the difference between these two different animals – the tree hyrax has a lighter stripe down the back, but it is not always obvious.

And I guess the Tree Hyrax is more often found in …. yes, you guessed it … trees.

But not always.

Although the hyrax, also called rock rabbit or dassie, are similar to the guinea pig in looks, its closest living relative is the elephant! They are present throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa, and in some places they can become quite unafraid of humans and are considered a pest!

A hyrax with ambition: pretending to be a wildebeest.

Grey Capped Social Weaver

The Gowler African Adventure

On previous holidays with Lyn and Chris (canal barge cruising) we have always had a themed day where we all dress up for a bit of fun, so this time I made these T-shirts for us all to wear, with the ‘team logo’. This safari has been in the planning stages for well over a year, and along the way we have had a lot of fun.

After our usual packed breakfast at the picnic site here in the Visitors Centre, we continue our game drive, exploring more of the Serengeti.

Black Faced Vervet Monkey

Hippo

Although we can only just see the tops of their backs, we can certainly smell them!

Black Headed Heron

Spotted Flycatcher

Wire Tailed Swallow

Giraffes

Q: What do you call a group of giraffes?
A: A tower, journey, corps or herd.

There’s a bit of trivia for your next pub quiz.

Suddenly they all turn to face the same direction and continue staring that way for quite some time. I wonder what they have spotted?

We'll never know.

Olive Baboons

Elephants

They’re everywhere. So many of them – we count 31!

One of the older ladies appear a little ‘eccentric’, carrying grass on the top of her back.

Having a good scratch.

You know the grass is long when you can lose a couple of baby elephants in it.

For the next half an hour, the herd of elephants (also known as a memory or parade) slowly meander all around us – sometimes very close - as they munch their way across the savannah.

Lion

A lone male lion tries to hide in a prickly bush.

Giraffe

Earlier we saw an almost white giraffe, whereas this one is very dark. I had no idea giraffes vary so much in their colouration!

White Browed Coucal

Impala

Tse Tse Flies

This area seems to be teeming with these pesky little flies, and I get bitten around fifteen times in as many minutes. They hurt when they bite you and itch like **** afterwards.

Lions in a tree

Just like I was complaining about the tse tse flies a few minutes ago, lions sometimes climb onto tree branches to get away from them, but as you can see from the photo below, it doesn’t seem to make any difference.

On the other side is another lion in another tree.

After a while, another car pulls up. As usual, we can hear the Americans before we see them. They take a few shots with their mobile phones and numerous more selfies before they move on again. They are not even here for three minutes.

We, on the other hand, stick around to see what the lionesses might do, and are rewarded with a bit of action. If you can call it that – at least it is some movement rather than just photographing sleeping lions. Or photographing ourselves with sleeping lions in the background.

The lone lioness from the other tree decides to join her mates.

There is a lot of shuffling going on, they never seem to find a particularly comfortable position. I can see why you'll never see a male lion in a tree!

Look at the number of flies on this poor girl's face! It's no wonder she is not comfortable.

Well, that was certainly worth enduring the tse tse flies for!

Time to stop for lunch, and a convenient time to break this blog entry. This afternoon’s game drive will feature in a new entry

Thank you so much to our guide Malisa and Calabash Adventures - the best safari company by a long shot.