Serengeti is known for its tree climbing Lions. On the open plains of the Serengeti, the trees are not in groves but are scattered around, with belts of trees and bushes on the fringes of the open plains.  The Balanites and Sausage trees seem to be preferred by the Lions.

“Every living thing is a masterpiece, written by nature and edited by evolution.”

~ Neil Degrasse Tyson

There are apparently four prime reasons for Lions climbing trees in this area. The first is that they are likely to catch any passing breeze higher in a tree rather than lying in the grass. Secondly, they have a good visual of the surrounding area and can see game approaching from afar. Thirdly, seemingly the tsetse flies due not bother them as much up in the trees. Finally, the Lionesses can get away from the cubs and get some peace.

After her stretch this Lioness walked down to the dam for a drink and was inevitably joined by a cub.

 

This female was not impressed with the cubs. She literally walked right over this cub.

“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They came through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.”

~ Khalil Gibran
The irritated Lioness walked away from the pride to a tree about forty metres away. First things first – she sharpened her claws to ensure her grip on the tree trunk she was about to climb. Looking at the muscular shoulders of this Lioness, she was one really powerful cat.

“Your mind is your best camera . . . Go out and take some beautiful pictures.”
~ Daryl Ryman

It is quite clear that Lions are not built for climbing trees due to their bulk. This Lioness, rippling with muscle, used all her strength to get into the tree. It also helps when you have grappling hooks on your feet.

Once in the tree she seemed to visibly relax and after a while looked quite content.

“Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated.”

~ Confucius

After  a decent break the Lioness decided to come down the tree – head first. She was still suckling her cubs so there must have been a call or sound that we did not hear which motivated her to come down. She walked straight over to her cubs and they started to suckle.

 

The next day we returned to the dam where we had found the pride from the previous day. They had moved some way from the dam but were still within easy walking distance of it. On this occasion our timing was good as we watched a number of the lionesses climb a tree in what looked to be an effort to get away from the constant demands of their cubs. One by one the Lionesses climbed the tree.

“If you desire to see, learn how to act.”
~ Heinz von Foerster

Some of the older cubs decided to follow their mothers to the tree and watched as they climbed the tree.

Each Lioness sharpened her claws on the trees trunk before climbing. This very young cub was mimicking its mother but had no chance of getting up the tree trunk

“We do not remember days, we remember moments.”

~ Cesare Pavese

 Peace at last. The Lionesses looked suitably relaxed and seemed to mould their bodies along the shape of the branches.

Lions are big and bulky so do not have the grace and ease of a Leopard in a tree. Watching these lions gingerly move about among the branches highlights their lack of natural tree climbing ability. Their awkward hesitance contrasts sharply with the agility and ease of a leopard’s movements in trees. 

Once up, they seemed to be quite comfortable.

“Learn to see, and then you’ll know that there is no end to the new worlds of our vision.”
~ Carlos Castaneda

The Lionesses could watch the cubs from above with out being constantly pestered by them or the flies.

 

Lion wind chimes!?!

This Lioness does not look comfortable but she lay in this position for over half an hour.

This Lioness looked reluctant to go down the tree to her calling cubs, knowing only too well that their needle-like teeth would latch onto her already tender nipples.

Some trees offer better shade and even camouflage. Comfort is a relative concept in the bush.

Peace does not last long. One of the older cubs decided to copy the adults and managed to get up the tree, then a second cub followed but only two were able to get up the tree trunk. The adults did not afford them any special place once in  the tree. They had to find their own spot.

“We never see anything completely. We never see a tree, we see the tree through the image that we have of it, the concept of that tree; but the concept, the knowledge, the experience, is entirely different from the actual tree.”
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

Once up the tree the cub blended in well with the well feed adults.

One of the two cubs  managed to climb the tree. They were afforded no special positions in the tree.

Not comfortable with its position and no where to lie.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

~ Buddha

It does not look comfortable but this Lion remained in the same spot for an hour and was still there when we left.

Every now and then a Lioness would descend the tree to go and attend to her cubs.

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.”

~ William Feather
Descending the tree was always face first but there was no jumping from great heights.

Slowly the mothering instinct took over and one by one the Lionesses descended the tree to attend to their calling cubs.

Climbing trees is unusual behaviour for most Lion prides, though it seems to be fairly common and repeated behaviour among specific prides. This may indicate that there is a measure of behavioural learning that occurs. Young Lions see older lions climb trees and copy the behaviour so the habit remains in that pride. And like any skill, the more that they do it, the more adept and confident they become. Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

“Life just seems so full of connections. Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.”
~ Colin Neenan

Have fun,

Mike

Serengeti is well known for its herds and predators. I visited the Western Corridor section of the Serengeti in mid-March around two months before the Wildebeest herds were due to arrive. I was surprised to see substantial herds of Zebra, Topi, Buffalo and Eland already heading northwards in the Western Corridor in mid-March. But another pleasant surprise was the variety of our avian friends. This post shows some of that variety.

“Why is it you can never hope to describe the emotion Africa creates? You are lifted. Out of whatever pit, unbound from whatever tie, released from whatever fear. You are lifted and you see it all from above.”

~ Francesca Marciano

White-bellied Bustard adults have blue-grey necks. The adult female has a grey crown, a brown and buff line below the eye, and black speckling on the throat. The adult male has a black crown, black lines on his white cheeks, a black throat patch, and a pinkish-red bill.

This adult female White-bellied Bustard was busy stretching. I did not see the male  but they usually forage in pairs or small family groups.

 

A juvenile Yellow-throated Longclaw with breakfast.

This was an adult Yellow-throated Longclaw conspicuously perched on top of a bush declaring its territory. It was all puffed up as it had just been shuffling its feathers to get them back into place after the bird had been moving in what looked like a puzzle bush, Commiphora Africana.

Male Saddle-billed Stork perched on top of a dead tree getting ready to settle down for the night. It is easy to identify the male as he has a yellow wattle under his throat and a black eye.

This pair of Saddle-billed Storks settling in to roost for the night at the top of a dead tree, out of nocturnal harm’s way. They were busy preening and adjusting to the most comfortable position.

This was also a male Saddle-bill Stork, the female has no yellow wattle under its chin but has a yellow eye ring.

“Nothing but breathing the air of Africa, and actually walking through it, can communicate the indescribable sensations.”

~ William Burchell

At the dam where we found the large pride of Lions were a resident family group of White-faced Whistling Ducks. It was a flock of about 12 birds. They were surprisingly quiet, possibly because of the lions.

The characteristic whistling call of this duck is one of my favourite and an iconic sound along waterways in sub-Saharan Africa. This character was a little muddy because it had rained recently but they are exquisitely coloured ducks. They can comfortably stand dead still on one leg with no wobbling like we do.

At the same dam where we saw the White-faced Whistling Ducks were a number of passers-by. One such passer-by was this Hammerkop. Among certain African tribes the Hammerkop is believed to be the “lightning bird”. Among others the “lightning bird” is believed to manifest itself only through lightning, except to women, to whom it reveals itself as a bird. In these instances the bird is of imaginary nature and may take several forms. The lightning bird is a mythological creature in the folklore of the tribes of South Africa including the Pondo, the Zulu and the Xhosa. The impundulu (which translates as “lightning bird”) takes the form of a black and white bird, the size of a person, which is said to summon thunder and lightning with its wings and talons.

This Wood Sandpiper is a small wader with green-yellow legs. It has a dark brown streaked crown, white eyebrow, and dark line through eye. It also has white underparts with brown-gray streaks and marks on neck, breast, and flanks and a white rump. Its back is a grey-brown and its wings have a pale brown mottling. A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a “bind”, “contradiction”, “fling”, “hill”, and “time-step” of sandpipers.

The Wood Sandpiper can easily be mistaken for a Green Sandpiper which has the same distribution but has darker colouring on its upper wing and back feathers and is lightly larger and dumpier than the more elegant Wood Sandpiper

 

This juvenile Grey Crowned Crane was foraging alongside its two parents quite close to the Grumeti Tented Camp. These youngsters definitely improve with age.

We came across many pairs of Grey Crowned Cranes scattered all over the Western Corridor. These two were performing a ritualised mating dance. This breeding display involves dancing, bowing, and jumping. This Crane has a booming call which involves inflating the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different to the trumpeting of other crane species.

There are two species of Crowned Crane in east and central Africa. The one species, which we saw in the Serengeti and which we see in southern Africa, is the Grey Crowned Crane. There is also a Black Crowned Crane which is found  in northwest Kenya and Uganda. The Black Crowned Crane looks similar in size and shape but its body feathers are black and it has different facial markings and less prominent red facial skin and red throat wattles.

These are exquisitely beautiful birds whose honking or croaking call does not match their feathered finery.

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”

~Langston Hughes

Tanzania and Kenya have an incredible variety of Barbets and Tinkerbirds. This next character is an Usambiro Barbet and found mainly in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.

Usambiro Barbets are usually found in pairs and are often  seen and heard performing a rattling duet. While “duetting” the pair bob up and down with their tails waving up and down.

A frequent visitor around the camp during the day, when we were editing our images, was this Slate-coloured Boubou. It was very inquisitive and would hop onto the tables where we were working presumably looking for food.  The Slate-coloured Boubou is one of four types of Black Boubou in East Africa but the only one found in the Serengeti area. It had that distinctive rich BouBou-like call.

As you would expect there are a huge variety of seed eaters in the Serengeti. This was a male Purple Grenadier similar to our Violet-eared Waxbill in southern Africa but with a much greater covering of purple on its breast belly and tail feathers.

The Silverbird is found in the Serengeti, western border of Kenya and Uganda. This is a Flycatcher which prefers wooded acacia and bushed grassland areas.

This Silverbird, in full plumage, was having a good stretch. Both sexes have similar colouring.

“I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while
I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more
distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any
epaulet I could have worn.” 
~ Henry David Thoreau

This White-headed Buffalo-Weaver was gathering grass for its nest which is a rough construction. The Buffalo-Weavers are weavers but are bigger, and heavier set with thicker bills than their normal weaver cousins. I think the White-Headed Buffalo-Weaver is the most attractively coloured of the three Buffalo-Weaver species found in East Africa

This Northern White-crowned Shrike is similar to its southern cousin but has a darker back and upper wing feathers and its white crown does not extend down its neck like its southern cousin.

These Northern White-crowned Shrikes gather in small flocks. As with many East African species of birds there is an extensive variety and these are one of the six species in the Helmet-shrikes clan.

East Africa has a fantastic array of Starling species which are grouped into Rufous-bellied, Bi-coloured, Glossy Blue, Red-winged and Elegant Starlings. This Superb Starling has a  small insect in its beak. The Superb Starling is similarly coloured to the Hildebrandt’s Starling but the former has a white eye and white colour stripe across its chest. Its nape and back feathers are bluer and not as purplish as the Hildebrandt’s Starling.

Its ordinary name belies the gorgeous colouring of this Grey-breasted Spurfowl. This Spurfowl has a grey chest and belly with black streaking which  is combined with blood chestnut stripes along its underparts.

This lone Grey-breasted Spurfowl was sitting on a branch jutting horizontally out of a large tree and in between extensive preening it was declaring to the whole world that this was its patch.

The Grey-breasted Spurfowl is slightly larger than the Red-necked Spurfowl which looks very similar but the former has  grey breast feathers and no white stripes on its neck and chest but does have chestnut stripes on its belly. The Grey-breasted Spurfowl has grey legs while the Red-necked Spurfowl has orange-red legs.

The white malar stripe is evident in both the Grey-breasted and Red-necked Spurfowl. The Grey-breasted Spurfowl is narrowly distributed in the western Corridor of the Serengeti.

“The very idea of a bird is a symbol and a suggestion to the poet.
A bird seems to be at the top of the scale, so vehement and
intense his life. . . . The beautiful vagabonds, endowed with
every grace, masters of all climes, and knowing no bounds — how
many human aspirations are realised in their free, holiday-lives
— and how many suggestions to the poet in their flight and song! “
~ John Burroughs

There are five woodland Woodpeckers in East Africa and they look very similar but can be identified according to their facial markings, breast spots or stripes and home ranges. The male woodpeckers, in all but the Green-backed Woodpecker, have a red stripe on either side of their throat.

Three species of male woodland Woodpeckers are found in the Serengeti, Nubian, Golden-tailed and Green-backed. The Green-backed does not have a red facial moustache and the Golden-tailed has streaked markings on its breast so I presume this must be a Nubian Woodpecker.

   

The Grey-backed Fiscal Shrike looks like the Fiscal Shrike we see in South Africa but has a long tail and has a black mask across its eyes and its fore crown.

These are noisy birds which like to gather and display by waving their tails up and down much like Wood-Hoopoes
 

Down at the Ngokeo dam the bird life was prolific. The Ngokeo dam was around 20 kilometres due east of the Grumeti camp.

I think this is a juvenile Yellow Wagtail. It certainly has the size and shape of a Wagtail. It also had the characteristic tail wag action.

This was a real beauty and a can only imagine how pretty the adult is, even with its highly varied head colouring.

This next little character looked like a juvenile Killitz Plover. It could be mistaken for a White-fronted Plover but the Western Corridor is not its distribution range.

These little Plovers tend to operate alone foraging along the water’s edge.

Again the Serengeti delivers a variety of Plovers and their larger Lapwing cousins. This next image is of a Black winged Lapwing.

This Lapwing, like most of its family, had a harsh, strident and staccato call.

We saw the occasional Kori Bustard in the Western Corridor but they were relatively scarce.

As in Mashatu, these Kori’s do not like you to get too close. The best place to get close up images of Kori Bustards is in the Ngorogoro crater.

Like the Kori, this Southern Ground Hornbill was striding out in the open grasslands foraging for anything from small birds to rats, insects, reptiles and snakes. The male has a bare bright red skin around its eye and has red throat wattles.

 

The female Southern Ground Hornbill looks very similar to the male but has a violet-blue coloured skin throat patch. 

These Ground Hornbills would rather walk away from you than fly but are capable fliers for a few hundred metres. When they do fly their bright white primary wing feathers are clearly visible.

 

“There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the
way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was
before.”
~ Robert Lynd

This pair of Marabou Storks were bathing at Ngokeo dam. They are really ugly storks and tend to hang around on the fringe of all the action at a carcass because they  eat scraps as their beaks are not designed for tearing meat off the bones. Marabous have two inflatable air sacs, one bright red one at the base of their hind neck and a bulbous throat sac.

 

This was an unusual resting pose. It just shows that some yoga poses are very natural. A Marabou Stork’s legs are dark grey in colour but often appear white as they have been splattered with excrement.

On a few occasions we saw small flocks of Yellow-throated Sandgrouse drinking at the water’s edge of the Ngokeo dam. The male Yellow-throated Sandgrouse is a bulky Sandgrouse which has a pale Yellow throat encircled by a black band. Its wing coverts are a chestnut-brown and its belly is a dark chestnut-brown.

These Sandgrouse seemed to arrive at the dam around mid-morning just before we stopped for our coffee and rusk break. They fly in from foraging in the open grasslands for seed.

These Yellow-throated Sandgrouse seemed to always arrive in pairs, The female had a similarly coloured head but with no black neck-band. Her body and wing feathers are heavily mottled with black, brown and buff colouring.

This was a group of Egyptian Goose goslings. There were only five goslings left. The typical clutch size is around eight eggs.

Both Egyptian Goose parents were in attendance. The parents are highly aggressive towards any other birds which are a perceived threat.

A White Stork resting on a log partially submerged in the dam. Most of the White Storks where not “washing powder” white because it has been raining and it was reasonably muddy.

These White Storks, which had migrated down from Europe, spent most of their time foraging for food in the grass plains.

There were lots of Black-headed Herons in the Serengeti. They tended to forage close to water.

These Black-headed Herons are not fussy eaters and will devour frogs, reptiles, terrapins, baby birds and mice if they can find them.

“The bird of paradise alights only on the hand that does not
grasp.”

~ John Berry

We found this solitary White-winged Tern at Ngokeo dam. It would not let us get close but its colouring makes me think this was its non-breeding plumage.

Wattled Lapwing about to land in a patch of shallow water at the Ngokeo dam.

 

There were a pair of Wattled Lapwings at the water’s edge which were very busy defending their turf from lots of other passers-by.

One of the passers-by which was chased off was this Blacksmith Lapwing.

We saw African Hoopoes regularly  and they were usually foraging in the open patches of ground in the grasslands.

It is quite something to be a ground feeder in open Serengeti plains where there are some many animals constantly on the move.

We saw Spur-winged Lapwings both close to Grumeti tented camp and next to the Ngokeo dam

  

We saw this Black-faced Sandgrouse also down at the water’s edge of Ngokeo dam.  The various Sandgrouse species do not seem to mingle.

A female Black-faced Sandgrouse about to take off.

“Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy
to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a
very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best.” 
~ Bernard Meltzer

A girls morning out. This was a large “waddle” of female Ostriches. We could not work out why their were so many females together.

On many occasions we saw pairs of Ostriches but only once did we see a gathering of females like this.

The Two-banded Courser is easily identified by its heavily scaled upper parts and  two clear narrow black breast bands. 

These Coursers can be found on the open patches of ground in the vast grassy plains. This particular species of Courser has a call much like a Thick-Knee.

  

A large flock of Abdim Storks was resting along the side of the Ngokeo dam.  They were all standing around and preening themselves. I was intrigued by this congregation.We saw them once and never again.

I hope you enjoyed this narrow selection of the birds you could see in this part of the world. The variety of birds is spectacular.

“Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer’s paradise, a hunter’s Valhalla, an escapist’s Utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one. To a lot of people, as to myself, it is just ‘home.”

~ Beryl Markham

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

After taking our constitutional sunrise images on the Serengeti, the sun begun climbing into the clear blue sky heralding the start of a new and fascinating day on the plains. We decided to drive south towards the Grumeti ranger’s camp. It was sublimely quiet and fresh at that time of the morning. Suddenly Waziri, our ranger, speaking softly told is that there were two young Leopards in the middle distance off to our right. Waziri has the most incredible eyesight. Not one of us picked up the Leopards until we were told where to look. We turned off the main dirt road to drive into a grove of trees and low bushes to have a closer look.

“If intelligence is our only edge, we must learn to use it better, to shape it, to understand its limitations and deficiencies – to use it as cats use stealth, as katydids use camouflage – to make it the tool of our survival.”

~ Carl Sagan

We went to watch “rosettes in the dappled light”.

Two young Leopards were patrolling the tree line and its immediate grass surrounds. One Leopard optimistically decided to stalk a Topi. It was such fun to watch. It did not have a “rosetted” hope of pulling the Topi down and its game was in full view for us. The Topi was not fussed!!!

The optimistic youngster broke off its stalk as the Topi led it further out into the open away from the tree line.

“The only sure camouflage is unpredictability.”
~ Margaret Atwood

The “Topi stalking” Leopard turned its attention onto its companion and began stalking its friend. The two played this game for a few minutes before one made a dash for the tree line.

This was fun photography and something different as you very seldom see Leopards running

The two had such fun cavorting. The early morning light was soft and colours saturated, but our subjects were against the light .

There seemed to be sheer joy in their play!

Once out of the grass and in among the trees, the youngsters settled down. I managed to catch this young Leopard in an open patch of grass among the trees. What gorgeous, lithe, alert creatures. This leopard’s spots on its front graduated into rosettes on its torso and hind legs.

The young Leopards continued to stalk each other into thicker bush where the shade was deeper.

“In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may your proceed with stealth and balance.”

~ Patti Smith

These predators were wide awake, with all their senses “bristling”. This young Leopard stopped to listen with its ears constantly moving back and forth locating the direction of the different sounds.

I loved the rosettes in dappled light but it was that eye that caught my attention!

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Walking quietly in deep shade in the grass wet with morning dew.

We spent a special hour watching these two young Leopards. They must have recently been pushed out on their own by the mother. The Lions and Hyaenas seem so well oriented to the open plains, but these stealth specialists looked to be thriving, while operating in the narrow tree lines between the plains.

“Life just seems so full of connections. Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.“
~ Colin Neenan

Leopard cubs are born without a clear coat of spots. The spots begin to develop after a few days. This also sounds like a metaphor for their unique skills of climbing, stealth, camouflage and hunting. Leopard cubs will stay with their mothers for over two years, this is how they learn to hunt and survive on their own. These two young Leopards must have been between two and three years old and presumably have not been away from their mother long, so still stay together but that will change with time.

Leopards have lost 75 percent of their historic range across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with three Asian subspecies in danger of eradication, a new study says. A three-year review of data published in the scientific journal PeerJ challenges the conventional assumption that the iconic and famously elusive spotted cats are thriving in the wild. It finds Leopards have almost disappeared from vast ranges in China, Southeast Asia and the Arabian peninsula while African Leopards confront mounting challenges in the north and west.

These big cats are threatened by spreading farmlands, declining abundance of prey, conflict with livestock owners, trophy hunting and illegal trade in their skins and teeth. Even today, Leopard skins are sometimes worn as a symbol of power by African chiefs and Presidents!!!!!!! Source: PeerJ

“Woven into our lives is the very fire from the stars and genes from the sea creatures, and everyone, utterly everyone, is kin in the radiant tapestry of being.”
~ Elizabeth A. Johnson

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

After an early morning start to take some images of the sunrise we wandered east towards the Grumeti ranger’s camp  in the Sabora plains.

“Living wild species are like a library of books still unread. Our heedless destruction of them is akin to burning the library without ever having read its books.”

~ John Dingell, Balancing on the Brink of Extinction: The Endangered Species Act and Lessons for the Future

We were watching a group of Topis cavorting around. A Topi is a subspecies of the Tsessebe. They are incredibly quick sprinters which are able to pronk and can do a high knee prance just like a Lipizzaner stallion. At the same time we were keeping an eye on two large female Hyaenas who were guarding their den out in the open at the top of a rise. All of sudden one of the female Spotted Hyaenas got up and started to run down the hill. Our ranger, Waziri, told us something was up and the next moment he shouted “Wild Dogs”.

Down in the shallow valley were a few Wild Dogs, not the whole pack. They had caught a Thompson’s Gazelle and were busy shredding it. When we got down there we found three Wild Dogs, two pups and an adult. The pups were sub-adults but looked strange as their skin was black and they had no hair. No one knew what caused the dogs to lose their hair but it must have been some form of mange.

The pups must have heard the Hyaenas coming. presumably the female racing down the hill had been “whooping” and calling for reinforcements. The first Hyaena arrived at the Wild Dogs just as we did.

The Hyaena came running in but the three Wild Dogs stood their ground, for a few seconds.

The Wild Dogs quickly realised that the Hyaena mob was descending on them.

“Competition has been shown to be useful
up to a certain point and no further,
but cooperation, which is the thing
we must strive for today,
begins where competition leaves off.”
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Within a few seconds, more Hyaenas arrived and the Wild Dogs gave way, being badly ‘outsized’ and outnumbered.

It was amazing to see all these Hyaenas appear out of nowhere. Presumably, the Hyaenas lay hidden in the tufts of red oat grass scattered all over the plain, waiting for the call to intercept.

There was no fighting between the Hyaenas over the carcass.

Two large females were the first to the carcass and the larger one quickly showed her dominance.

The largest female Hyaena, presumably the matriarch, grabbed the remains of the “Tommy” and ran back toward her den at the top of the hill. She  must have had pups at the den.

Having scattered all directions when the Hyaenas had descended on them, the three Wild Dogs quickly reassembled and looked around assessing the lie of the land now that all the Hyaenas in the area had been “called to arms”.

 

It was surprising to see the three Wild Dogs on their own but they quickly regrouped with the main pack.

“The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.”

~ E. O. Wilson

Two Wild Dog packs had been reintroduced into this part of the Serengeti according to Waziri. One of the two alpha dogs had a tracking collar around its neck as presumably research was being done on the new immigrants.

The dogs were quite some distance from us and did not stand still for long. The loss of the meal was quickly forgotten and the pack was on the hunt again. Wild Dogs are nomadic and only den when they have pups which are too young to keep up with the pack.

There were 12 dogs in this pack, two of which were sub-adults. It looked like one or two of the adults were getting mange too. The Wild Dogs ears pricked up when they heard the Hyaenas again.

 

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

~Henry Ford

This time the Wild Dogs turned the tables and gave the Hyaenas a “rev” and chased them away. 

The Wild Dogs never stopped moving and it did not take long for them to move beyond the range of our lenses.

According to the UCIN Red List the African Wild Dog is classified as Endangered with its population declining.  (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12436/0).  There are around 6,600 African Wild Dogs left in the wild. They have been endangered for more than  20 years. The loss of living space is one of the main reasons why this species’ population is in decline, as a pack range can be 900 square kilometres, according to The Endangered Wildlife Society.

The African wild dog has a very different pack life compared to other pack or group predators, they have a very caring and social nature towards each other.Within the pack there is a breeding pair. This means that only one female and male will have pups, but every dog in the pack takes part in raising the young. Unlike other group predators wild dogs let their young feed first, they also rarely show aggression towards each other when feeding or hunting. The hunting dogs will also return to the den and regurgitate food for the pups and those who stayed behind to guard them. (regurgitate means to spit food back up after its been swallowed) Wild dogs are almost never aggressive towards each other, even the hierarchy (this is the order of importance and power within the pack) is decided in a completely non-violent way. Wild dogs are some of Africa’s most successful hunters, with a kill rate as high as 80%. This means they are even more successful than lions. They use different sounds and calls to communicate amongst each other before and during the hunt. Source: http://www.londolozi.com/cubsden/why-is-the-african-wild-dog-an-endangered-species/

“Every creature was designed to serve a purpose. Learn from animals for they are there to teach you the way of life. There is a wealth of knowledge that is openly accessible in nature. Our ancestors knew this and embraced the natural cures found in the bosoms of the earth. Their classroom was nature. They studied the lessons to be learned from animals. Much of human behavior can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe, but most people are too blind to watch and listen.”
~ Suzy Kassem

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

   

 

My penchant for raptors developed at the senior boarding school I attended called Falcon College in Zimbabwe. There was a very active Ornithological Society at the school and one of the extra mural activities was Falconry. My fascination for raptors has remained undiminished for the last 45 years. This Serengeti trip provided ample opportunity to feed my fascination for birds of prey.

“Photography is a love affair with life.”

~ Burt Uzzle

The second morning we were in the Serengeti we drove out north across the Grumeti River past the viewpoint close to one of the two dams in the area towards the the Raho river. Here we found a pride of Lion that had killed and almost completely finished off three Zebras. There were left overs and still some meat on the bones, but not very much.

It was incredible to watch, while the Lions are feeding on the carcass there were one or two Vultures and a Tawny Eagle circling patiently waiting for the Lions to have their fill and leave the carcass. As soon as the Lions moved away, the raptors descended onto the carcasses from everywhere.

The Hooded Vultures were the first to fly in to feast. They are a similar size to a Tawny Eagle, and so have a chance of taking their share of the feast. The size and shape of the bill indicates that it eats the scraps around the carcass  but does not have the ability to mix it up with the larger Vultures and tear meat off the carcass. Like a Bateleur and African Harrier Hawk, the Hooded Vulture’s facial skin  brightens when its excited or alarmed. The adult Hooded Vulture has pinkish facial skin.

The big guns flew past, Lappet-faced Vultures. This particular one was a juvenile who decided there was not enough to make it worthwhile joining the party.

A few White-headed Vultures flew in to pick from the remains but did not stay long.

White-head Vultures are uncommon. Size wise they are considerably bigger than Hooded Vultures but smaller than the Whited-backed  and Lappet-faced Vultures. They are big enough to claim their share but there was not enough to go around.

“Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.”

~ Man Ray

A dark morph Tawny Eagle was the first of the Eagles to arrive.

The Tawny Eagle can be mistaken for a Steppe Eagle during summer when the Steppe Eagle migrates down into Africa. There are two key differences. The Steppe Eagle is much larger than a Tawny and its gape extends past its eye whereas the Tawny’s gap stops just in front of the middle of the eye. Obviously very difficult to tell the difference from a distance.

This particular morning was defined by three different morph Tawnys flying into feast on the remains of the carcasses. This was a buff or blonde morph Tawny flying in. These raptors must watch each other very carefully to see when one has found some food.

“Photography is the art of frozen time… the ability to store emotion and feelings within a frame.”
 – Unknown

Pale morph Tawny Eagle flying in and dominating a piece of meat and pushing a dark morph Tawny away.

The Tawnys are more aggressive than the larger White-backed Vulture and the spreading of its wings is a clear signal of dominance.

A juvenile Bateleur Eagle also flew in having watched the Vultures and Tawnys descending from their aerial vantage point. This Bateleur had been feeding a some scattered pieces of meat away from the main action which is why its feet were blood stained. Carrion is an important part of a Bateleur’s diet. 

The Bateleur also had to give way to the Tawny invasion.

“The two most engaging powers of a photograph are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.”
~ William Thackeray

The third Tawny morph was the streaked type. There were two streaked morphs which flew in and they looked much stronger and more dominant, than the dark and pale morphs.

The way these raptors fly into a feeding area is fast and dramatic.

They certainly look intimidating on “finals”.

I love the way raptors’ wing tips spread out like fingers when they are slowing down.

The alula on the wing elbow was still in place suggesting that this streaked Tawny was coming in fast.

This streaked morph Tawny was not going to take any nonsense from the bigger White-back Vulture and pushed it off the piece of bone it was pecking at.

“Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.”
 ~ Duane Michals

  

On a separate occasion, we saw this blonde morph Tawny try to push in between two Hooded Vultures perched on a dead tree branch quite close to the aforementioned dam. The interaction between these two species was the subject of my first post from my Serengeti trip.

This was a particularly handsome character who decided to look for richer pickings.

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
~ Ansel Adams

In the tree overlooking the dam just above where the lions had been feeding on a Zebra carcass, we saw a pair of Verreaux Eagle-Owls. We thought they might have  been waiting to fed on the remains of the Zebra carcass.

Not so, they had other intentions. I did not manage to get a shot of the Verreaux Eagle Owl swooping down to the water’s edge to snatch up a large frog. This pair were hawking frogs from their perch overlooking the dam. I never realised they preyed on frogs. Normally when you see these huge raptors during the day they are in deep shade and their eyes are closed.  They have a diagnostic pink eyelid which is clearly seen when their eyes are closed.

“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
~ Leonardo da Vinci

These Eagle-Owls always look so sleepy during the day but they were clearly watching all the goings on around the dam.

This specie of Owls has especially long talons, similar to those seen on a Pel’s Fishing Owl. It is also Africa’s  largest Owl.

We found this Secretary Bird quite close to the open area near the Grumeti runway. This character was striding through the grass and its mouth was open because it was panting as it was quite hot. This is Africa’s only very long-legged raptor. Both sexes look-alike.

The next second it saw something ahead in the grass and ran off through the grass to catch it but missed. The Secretary Bird has substantial pads on the underside of its feet. It usually stamps on the ground to disturb its prey and then reigns blows on the victim with its feet to kill it. Secretary Birds are partial to snakes, insects, small birds, and small reptiles.

After watching the Lion pride for much of the early morning, we decided to explore further north. In our travels we came across this Dark Chanting Goshawk. It did not let us get too close. The two types of Chanting Goshawk get their names from their melodious chanting calls.

This is only the second time I have seen a Dark Chanting Goshawk, the other time was in Mashatu Game Reserve in southern Botswana. We usually see Pale Chanting Goshawks in South Africa and they are commonly seen in Etosha in Namibia. Dark Chanting Goshawks tend to frequent denser woodland areas than their pale counterparts which is why they are not usually seen as often as their pale cousins.

On our last morning in the Serengeti this Black-chested Snake-Eagle was sitting at the top of a tree with a good view of its surrounding area, minding its own business. These Snake-Eagles are known to be a perch hunter but it also spends considerable time  on the wing in search of prey. They are known to hover frequently and are the largest raptors to do so.

As with Rollers, Drongos and Lapwings, they taunt and harass any raptor close by.

“Distance lends enchantment to the view.”

~ Mark Twain

Raptors have a nictitating membrane which covers their eye when they are washing, feeding or fighting or being attacked. This Snake -Eagle never knew which direction the Roller was coming from but instinctively its nictitating membrane started to cover its eyes during the aerial raid.

After being pestered, and once it had seen some prey in the grass, this Black-chested Snake-Eagle flew down from the tree into the grass but we did not see it catch anything.

We saw an amazing variety of raptors when we were in the Grumeti area of the Serengeti. We had concentrated bouts of raptor sightings. You cannot but hold your breath when trying to capture decent raptor images, it is thrilling.

“And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be crazy, by those who could not hear the music.”

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

One of the more intriguing aspects was the number of colour variations of Tawny Eagle we saw in one morning. All of this took place outside the main migration period showing just how much life and variety remain in the Serengeti outside the migration.

“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.”

~ Ansel Adams

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike