Entries about togoro

Breakfast Picnic

We are unable to get into the actual picnic site as the ground is too sodden and muddy, so we set up our table and chairs on the side of the road instead. We are the only people here, so it doesn't really matter.

New for this year, are the posh chairs, with little foldable tables attached, complete with cup holder.

Another great breakfast provided by Matawi Serengeti Camp

What a great idea to have a shape cut out to include the cup handle.

We may be the only humans here, but a couple of lions have walked right through the site this morning.

On the other side of our table are fresh hyena prints. We are definitely out in the wild here.

Butterflies

We have seen more butterflies on this trip than any other safari in the past, with some places featuring literally hundreds of them. They are very difficult to photograph as they rarely hang around for very long, although I managed to catch this one as it landed for a few seconds.

Tiger Butterfly

Swallows

Swallows dart around, pausing briefly to pick up crumbs left on the ground.

Lesser Striped Swallow

White Rumped Swift

In the distance we see a car being helped out of the mud by several other drivers.

Martial Eagle

This huge eagle is easily recognisable by its relatively short tail. Such a powerful bird, it has been known to just fly down and pick up baby antelopes. Farmers fear it as it will attack livestock, which in turn makes it one of the most persecuted eagle in Africa. It is classed as 'vulnerable', heading towards extinction as a result.

Here you can better see the short tail without the confusion of the branch behind

Marabou Stork

These really are such ugly birds.

Nile Crocodile

Hippos

Dwarf Mongoose

Lilac Breasted Roller

He's found a bug

He briefly lands on the road

Then takes off again

The roads are still very muddy

Sausage Tree

Named for the huge sausage-like fruits hanging down, which in fact are poisonous when raw. They can, however, be dried, roasted or fermented to make an alcoholic beverage.

Eastern Chanting Goshawk

Lobo

Malisa suggests we head north towards Lobo, partly to get away from all the crowds in Seronera, and also in the hope of seeing some elephants. I have been very surprised at the lack of pachyderms on this trip.

We need to get out of this mess

Another flooded river crossing

Cape Buffalo

The first thing we see is a large herd of buffalo; although all we can really see is the top of their backs sticking up over the long grass.

Olive Baboons

A large troupe of baboons walk past our car on the road.

Little Bee Eater

Pin Tailed Whydah

Fan Tailed Widowbird

Orangi River crossing

Apparently this was full and overflowing yesterday. It's amazing how quickly it dries out in this heat.

Red Billed Hornbill

Lilac Breasted Roller

Topi

The landscape is very different up here.

Impala

Grant's Gazelles

Eastern Chanting Goshawk

Turtle

Malisa spots the tiniest little turtle, his shell not much bigger than my thumbnail, trying to climb the mountainous (to him) tyre track in the road. We stop and make sure he gets out of the way before we carry on. He's heading for a small pond at the side of the road.

As soon as we stop, we get eaten alive by the &*%@# tsetse flies!

White Headed Vulture

The rare and endangered White Headed Vulture beaming down on us.

It seems the only animals around here are the tsetse flies. We take a joint decision to return to Central Serengeti

Another turtle

Topi

Klipspringer

Yet another Lilac Breasted Roller

Pallid Flycatcher

Little Bee Eater

More Klipspringers

He's not happy with us!

Another turtle – the water here is incredibly clear!

We meet a ranger who tells us there elephants the other side of the kopje. We check it out, but they are so far away that I don't even bother to try and take a photograph. Instead we stop for our lunch picnic. More in the next blog entry.

Thank you Calabash Adventures for organising this safari.

Because we are moving on from Lobo to Ndutu today, we load up the car with all our luggage this morning. A troupe of Vervet Monkeys takes that as an opportunity to check out our car to see if we have any easily accessible food. We don't, and they are shooed away empty-handed.

Hartebeest

Elephant

I see an elephant close to the road in front of us, but find myself dismayed and terribly embarrassed when it turns out to be a tree. Doh. For the rest of the day I am teased mercilessly about it.

Zebra in the Sunrise

Hyena in the Sunrise

Togoro Plains

Having had some good sightings here a couple of years ago, we take a detour to Togoro Plains to “see what nature has to offer us today” (one of Malisa's favourite sayings).

Lions

On the top of a rock at Togoro Kopjes, two mamas with their seven babies are sunning themselves.

They are a fair distance away, so we move to try and get a closer view, but that means the sun is in the wrong direction for good photos.

After a short while they leave their original rock and head to another. First one of the adult females, then the rest of them, one by one.

Their destination is another kopje nearby, and while the mums easily make it to the top, many of the cubs are struggling to climb the rocks.

"Are you coming kids?"

"Mum? Where are you?"

"I think she went this way guys"

"Wait for me!"

They get so far, then hang around exploring the rock while they try to work out their route from there to the top.

Meanwhile, mum wonders where her babies are.

“It's obviously not this way lads, I've had a look”.

Watching their different personalities as they try to follow their mamas up the steep slopes of the rocky outcrop is such a delight.

Yay! The first cub has made it to the top to join his mum.

He is soon joined by the next little lion to brave it all the way. Mum doesn't look too pleased to see them, however.

"What took you so long boys?"

And then there were three.

Meanwhile, back on the lower rock...

One particularly timid little scaredycat is really unsure and has to be coaxed from the top by the adult female. It never ceases to amaze me how these cats communicate – we have seen it in so many ways and incidents now.

"But, but, it is slippery...?"

"C'mon, you can do it. Be brave!"

“I guess that just leaves us then, bruv”

As soon as all the little ones make it to the top of the second kopje, one of the lionesses goes off to see about getting the large brood some lunch. We surmise the hartebeest we see in the distance are on today's menu.

Meanwhile, the kids explore their new playground.

Klipspringers

Spooked by the lions, these small antelopes prance from one rock to another. Their hooves have a rubber-like coating to give them a better grip on rocky surfaces.

The lions seems to have spotted them too but appear too lazy to do anything about it. Not that they would stand much a chance of catching the fast-moving klipspringers, not would they provide much food for nine hungry lions.

This has been such a heart-warming and entertaining encounter, one of the highlights of our trip so far.

Dark Chanting Goshawk

Pallid Flycatcher

Lappet Faced Vulture

Cheetahs

These three cheetahs under a tree in the distance flatly refuse to do anything other than chilling in the shade, however long we hang around. Don't they know who we are?

Crocodile in the Orangi River

Retima Hippo Pool

Retima Hippo Pool is a bend in the river where numerous hippo gather together for safety in protecting their young.

There is a lot of yawning, grunting, belching, farting, pooping, bickering and splashing going on. But mostly just sleeping.

A crocodile does some sunbathing while he is waiting for the opportunity to grab a snack of baby hippo.

That is why the hippo snuggle close together around their youngststers.

The spot has been created into a rudimentary but popular viewing area over the years, with picnic tables and a toilet block.

While we have visited here a few times in the past, this is the first time we have stopped here for a picnic.

Blue Eared Glossy Starling

As is usual in an area where humans gather for food, a few opportunist birds hang around; this time the large and colourful Blue Eared Glossy Starling.

Thank you to Calabash for yet another amazing morning of safari.