CROWs – Quite aggressive…aren’t they.

A black kite flies quite alone in the skies. A pair of pied crows join the kite. But this is not a follow the leader kind of thing. It’s an ambush. The pied crows with their wings and beaks shove the kite of course. The kite now knowing it’s under attack, fights back. There is …

The Black Headed Heron – A town’s Spectacle

My most recent bird crush, well, for quite some time now, has been the black headed heron Ardea melanocephala. Having been observing this birds  nesting in colonies in a tree near where I reside, they have intrigued me as I did not know that they could nest right in the middle of a town just …

Photogenic Hyrax

Small creature, almost the size of a rabbit, mostly confused with rodents, the hyrax is classified together with an elephant and sirenians (dugong and manatees). Hard to believe!!  I know. Hyraxes are classified together with elephants, manatees and dugongs because of their abdominal retained testis in males and two pectoral mammary glands in females.  They also lack …

Yellow Baboon

Yellowish brown body hair, black face and pinkish sitting pads (Ischias callosities), standing at 84cm for males and 60cm for females, averagely, with life spans of 20 to 30 years and with four very close ‘cousins’. The yellow baboon is one of those iconic species I encountered within my short period at Tsavo East National …

The Wildebeest Migration: Part 2

In groups, the wildebeests plunge into the water and run without looking back. With jaws wide open, crocodiles, having targeted the weak among the herd, grasp and choke a couple of them. The fighting and struggling taking place within the waters is captivating.  Some wildebeest even drown as they are trampled on by there kind. Crossing the river alive is a sign of …

The Wildebeest Migration: Part 1

Standing  frail, unaware of its new-found surroundings, a wildebeest calf  has being born into the wild. Location, Masai Mara Game reserve, Kenya.  Around him are herds of its own kind, grazing; pulling the grass with their 'lawnmower' mouths. His mother is standing right besides him with a keen eye protecting her new-born calf with all she's got. …