Entries about vervet monkey

Elephants

We finally find the elephants we went out looking for this morning – or rather: they find us, crossing the road all around us.

Giraffe

This giraffe is being pestered by Yellow Billed Oxpeckers, and keeps trying to shake them off.

White Headed Vulture

Black Faced Vervet Monkeys

Egyptian Geese with chicks

A little less flooding

Hopefully this is a sign that the surface water is receding and some sort of normality can be restored on the roads here in the Serengeti. Providing we don't get more rain, of course.

Or maybe not.

Nile Crocodile

On the far bank of a small lake, a huge crocodile exposes his predator teeth. The reason crocodiles lie around with the mouths open, is to catch birds. The food left in the teeth attracts insects, and the insects in turn attract birds: the lazy approach to hunting.

A Cape Hare unintentionally wanders into the proximity of the crocodile, and freezes to the spot when she realises.

Meanwhile, another crocodile is coming our way.

They are such prehistoric looking creatures.

A third croc fancies his chances with a Black Crake.

He is way too slow for the birds (yet too fast for the camera, or rather my reactions)

Black Headed Heron

Black Faced Vervet Monkeys

I am forever fascinated by their blue balls.

She looks almost human here

White Bellied Busard

Lions

We'd heard on the grapevine that there was a lion close to our lodge, and there, in the fading light, just before we turn the corner into the lodge's parking area, is a big cat under a tree.

Here you can see our tent from where the lion is.

You can see where numerous cars have driven around this tree earlier today. Now we have the lioness to ourselves.

She's on the move.

She joins two others under another tree.

We leave them to it and drive the few metres to our camp, feeling a little nervous as we get out of the car.

I don't think tonight is the night to have sundowners around the camp fire outside, sitting between the tent and the lions.

There are three lions under one of those trees in the distance

The grass is so long beside the path to the tents that a lion could easily hide in there for later on when we go to dinner...

Tsetse Fly Bites

I have been itching like mad all afternoon, and when I get undressed for the shower, I find my shoulder and back are covered in bites, some of which have turned into large blisters.

Dinner

Tonight's dinner is pumpkin soup, followed by beef and pork kebabs with ugali (stodgy grits-like local dish), pilau rice, spinach, pilipili (hot sauce) and salad; followed by rhubarb tart.

Yet again I offer my thanks to Calabash Adventures for this fabulous safari.

The plan this morning is to take the path from the Observation Deck, through the mangroves, onto the main road and down to the bridge.

Village Weaver

Hooded Vulture

Long Tailed Glossy Starling

The trail meanders along the edge of the creek and heads for the road, but ends in a builders yard, obviously private property. There is a gate, but it is locked, so there is no way for us to join the road here, so we end up having to walk all the way back to the observation deck and through the hotel again.

In the hotel grounds we spot some Green Vervet Monkeys, including a very young baby clinging to his mum.

Out on the road we are amused to see a sign for Tesco Mini Market – in reality a small shack selling bottled water, ice cream and a few essentials.

Having spend the last four days almost exclusively in the company of birds, Kotu is proving a bit of a culture shock. Outdoor cafés are full of fat, middle aged cougars with tattoos, piercings, bleach blonde hair and the obligatory toyboy Gambian hanging on their arms. We hurry past to reach the bridge over Kotu Creek, a well known bird watching spot.

Pink Backed Pelican

The place is teeming with the gorgeous little Long Tailed Cormorants:

Pink Backed Pelicans, African Spoonbills, Long Tailed Cormorant and Great Egret

Grey Heron, Sacred Ibis and Marsh Sandpiper

African Spoonbills

Common Redshank

Pink Backed Pelican

Sacred Ibis and Grey Headed Heron

Senegal Thick Knee

We are approached by a couple of guides offering their services, but we are pleased to find they are much more likely to take “no” for an answer than the people we encountered during our visit to The Gambia 23 years ago.

Lunch

Back in the hotel, I request my food “extra spicy. Gambian spicy, not tourist spicy”. It still only arrives as a 2-3 on Grete's scale of 10.

Cheese and chilli omelette

Burger and chips

Refreshing fruit juice - youki?

After having asked for our food “extra spicy” at lunch, we are amused when we return to the room to find this large pack of toilet rolls sitting on our patio table. Are they trying to tell us something?

We are chilling in the room with a drink and some snacks when we overhear someone outside mentioning the name “Mandina Lodges”. Our ears prick up, as we are waiting to hear about what time our transfer to Mandina will be tomorrow. Yesterday we waited for 45 minutes for the rep to turn up (at the advertised time), but he didn't show. This afternoon, however, he is here, although he's knocking on our neighbour's door instead by mistake, so we go out and ask if he is looking for us. At least we now know that we are leaving here at 10:30 in the morning.

Dinner

Chicken Saté

Seafood mornay with crepe

We spend the rest of the evening chilling on our private patio with a few drinks.

The Gang

All ready to go to see more wildlife this morning:

Ngare Naironya Springs

After breakfast we return to the waterhole, which is now full of zebras coming and going, splashing about, drinking and generally being zebras.

Clouds of dust swirl around in the air as the zebra are spooked by our car or each other at different times.

A hyena appearing on the horizon sends the skittish zebras into a mass exodus.

Warthog

Once the zebra have vacated the bar, a couple of warthogs saunter down to take a drink.

Hammerkop

A couple of Hammerkops also make the most of the fresh water.

We move a short distance to another part of the springs where a steep-sided natural depression with water in the bottom is surrounded by trees. I guess this could be a bit of a death trap if a predator or two were to appear, as there is no easy escape route. The zebra seem acutely aware of the potential danger too – even just the shadows of a hammerkop flying above is enough to spook them.

With the zebra safely out of the way, a couple of Olive Baboons brave the waterhole.

This amazing place is a wildlife-watcher's paradise, and at times it is difficult to know which direction to look – and point the cameras – as there is something exciting going on all around us at all times.

Frisky Impala

Male impala are territorial, although usually only during the rutting season. You can tell these are two guys, as only males have horns. Impala are extremely agile and can jump up to three metres in height, covering a distance of 10 metres.

Meanwhile, the zebra think it is very much a laughing matter.

Topi

Zebra

As I said in the title, here on these plains the stripes really are the stars. There are zebra everywhere, thousands of them, including some very young foals. Mummy zebras are fiercely protective of their offspring and will fight off any other strange adult who gets too close to her baby.

There is also some love in the air.

These zebra are part of the Great Migration – they tend to be out the front, before the other ungulates, as they will chomp on the taller grass that the wildebeest are unable eat, leaving the shorter grass for them. Easily spooked, thy are constantly on the move, and once one zebra runs, lots of zebra run. I spend ages and take hundreds of photos practising my panning skills, with varying success.

The heavily pregnant zebra on the right looks like she might give birth any moment.

Cape Buffalo

Cape buffalo doing what cape buffalo do best: stare! I do find their gaze rather unnerving.

The buffalo will migrate too, but they don't do the complete circuit as they are unable to cross the biggest rivers.

Being slightly short-sighted, the buffalo are often spooked by warthogs as they confuse them for lions. I can see how the outline, size and colour of the two animals can appear slightly similar if your eyesight is not good. Try squinting at the picture below and you may be able to see what I mean.

Warthog

Hooded Vulture

Black Faced Vervet Monkeys

Tse Tse Flies

Despite smothering ourselves with Avon's Skin so Soft lotion, which greatly reduces the number of insect bites, we are hugely bothered by the tse tse flies here in this forest. This is the worst swarm of these pesky flies we've ever encountered, and when we stop the car, we can hear them as a constant buzz.

Ostriches

Swollen Ankles

My ankles feel sore and tight, and I soon discover why – the top of my socks have really been digging in to my legs. Oops.

Buffalo lying down

You can see their horns are starting to wear down. Unlike antlers, bovine horns are permanent and do not fall off and regrow.

Rough Track

Malisa goes off the 'main road' along a track that can only be described as 'basic'.

Warthog

Initially their short stature makes the baby piglets invisible in the long grass (which is why they run with their tails in the air, so that all the members of the family can see each other), it is only when they cross the dirt track behind us that we spot the cute little family.

Spot the Elephant

It is astonishing how easy it is to lose such an enormous animal.

There he is: a large bull elephant appears from behind the bushes.

He is eyeing us with suspicion as he walks along, grabbing some grass to eat as he goes.

Maybe suspicion wasn't his perspective, as he seems to be rather more excited to see us now.

Such an amazing organ, the elephant's trunk (you thought I was talking about something else there, didn't you?) has 150,000 muscles, helping it to eat, pick things up and communicate among other things.

Cheetah siesta

Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. It seems this cheetah most definitely got that memo and has no intention of moving from his shady comfort zone.

The Affectionate Tree

I love the way the trunk of this tree appears to caress the round shapes of the rocky outcrop, bringing a whole new aspect to the expression 'tree hugging'.

His mate was a slow developer and only discovered the appeal of rocks in later life, resulting in a swift U-turn in his growth pattern. Not so much a hug as a desperate grab.

I will leave you with that rocky embrace for this time. Thank you Calabash Adventures, you're the best!

As often happens here on the south-western rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, a heavy mist hangs in the air as we leave this lovely camp behind and head off to “see what nature has to offer us this morning” (one of Malisa's favourite sayings).

Malanja Depression

After a season with abundant rain this year, this part of Malanja Depression has been transformed into a lake. Malisa tells me this is the first time surface water has collected here like this since 1997. There must have been a terrific amount of water here after the rains, seeing as we are now right at the end of the dry season and yet a considerable sized lake remains.

Giraffe

Spotted Hyena

It seems that in my drunken stupor last night, I left my camera on Tungsten White Balance and EV+2 from shooting the stars (or rather attempting to), resulting in a rather blue, overexposed image this morning. Thankfully it can be largely corrected in Photoshop.

Grant's Gazelle

Ngorongoro Crater

As we head towards the Lemala Descent Road, we see the crater bathed in a glorious sunrise.

We are heading down into the crater this morning for a second visit.

By the time we get to the bottom, the caldera is shrouded in mist and full of dust unsettled by vehicles and animals.

Grant's Gazelles

Red Billed Queleas

Helmeted Guineafowl

Laughing Dove

Ostrich

Egyptian Goose

Thomson's Gazelles fighting over a female

It's pretty serious stuff with a lot of effort and loud crashing of horns. They often fight until death.

They look so cute and harmless, but they can be quite ferocious when the affections of a female is at stake.

Wildebeest

Male wildebeest have specially modified glands situated under the eye called pre orbital glands, and here he is rubbing his face on the ground leaving a scent to mark his territory.

He seems rather pleased with himself

African Spoonbill

Wildebeest

They remain totally unperturbed by the hyena in their midst.

Lions

Two males and one female, just lying around doing absolutely nothing.

Occasionally one lifts his head to see if there is anything worth getting excited about before settling down again.

Spotted Hyena

There are a few of them dotted around.

Lerai Forest

Once an area of dense forest, Lerai is now more like a woodland glade, mostly because of the destructive actions of elephants such as this guy.

We spend ages watching him decimate everything in his path until a ranger on foot comes along and (unintentionally) scares him away.

Olive Baboons

Elephants aren't the only animals who live in Lerai Forest.

Scraping at the bark of the tree to get to nectar or maybe insects

Strangler Fig

It is hard to believe that this mass of hanging branches is all one tree.

Little Bee Eater

Bateleur Eagle

A colourful raptor with a large wingspan and very short tail, although this guy does look like he has even lost what little he had from before.

Nubian Woodpecker

Black Faced Vervet Monkey

Call me infantile, but I am forever fascinated by their blue balls!

And evidentially, so is he.

Elephant

As we try to make our way to the Lerai Picnic Site for breakfast, we are waylaid by a youngish (some 30 years old maybe) bull elephant on the road.

He munches his way right past our car – if I was so inclined I could reach out and touch him. He seems completely unfazed by us.

We finally manage to get to the picnic site for our breakfast. And so ends Part ONE of today's adventures. Thank you Calabash Adventures for this great opportunity to see such amazing wildlife.