KENYA: A Boat Ride on Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha has suffered tremendously from the drought and the water level was considerably below normal (above). Consequently, we were only able to do the boat ride around the Crescent Island loop, nevertheless it was a most enjoyable hour and half. Of note, Crescent Island was where the non-predator mammal scenes in Out of Africa were filmed, as at that time it was actually an island – making it safe!

The exposed mudflats provided a feast for Ruffs, Spur-winged Plovers (above), Blacksmith Plovers, Marsh and Wood Sandpipers, Greenshank, Little Egrets, Common Ringed Plover and Little Stint.

Sitting on the boulders that line a good deal of the western side were Great (above) and Long-tailed Cormorants as well as the beautiful Grey-headed Gull. Hugging the shoreline in the shallows were Little Grebes and Red-knobbed Coots, while Whiskered, White-winged and Gull-billed Terns patrolled most of the southern edge.

The largest of the Kingfishers, appropriately named the Giant (above), posed nicely for photos, while the diminutive Malachite was far more active as kept its distance from us. Many pairs of African Fish Eagles could be seen as we drifted around this small part of the lake and we could watch and hear them duetting as well as tussle with each other when one ventured into another’s territory.

Our encounters with Hippos were close, but not too close! It is a treat to be able to watch them from a boat, at almost the same level as they are. Since they can spend up to six minutes under water, one never knows exactly how many there are in a pod or where they will surface! Most seemed to be napping, their heads out of the water while most all of their body is submerged. One or two would surface and others would go under. Occasionally one would snort and one even yawned – no it was not bored at seeing tourists – this is threat gesture, though in this case meant for one of her companions and certainly not for us.