KENYA – Amboseli

Dry as a bone is the only way to describe Amboseli Nature Park at the moment. We took the better of the two roads across the dry lake bed seeing a wonderful wide mirage that gave the impression it actually held water in it. Equally impressive were silhouettes of Maasai Giraffe, Elephants, Common Zebra and Common Ostriches that walked ‘on water’.

The permanent swamp in front of the Ol Tukai Lodge that cuts a dark green swathe across the middle of the park was teeming with wildlife. Some of the 800 Elephants that reside here were up to their necks in the marsh pulling grasses while Buffalo wallowed and submerged Hippopotamus would come up for air. The waterbirds were excellent with Marsh and Wood Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Long-toed and Blacksmith Plovers, Spur-winged Goose (above left), Squacco Heron, all the egrets, and the biggest two, Goliath Heron and Saddle-billed Storks.

The short grass plains are very flat and completely treeless with herds of Zebras and Wildebeest followed by their young calves, only a few weeks old. Grant’s and Thomson Gazelles are easy to spot. Never too far from their prey, a pride of 5 lions were sleeping close to the road and fully exposed to all the elements. As the afternoon progressed the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro (above) became clear enough to see the remaining snow fields. We enjoyed a troop of Yellow Baboons (below) roaming the landscape turning over elephant dung looking for insects on their way to their evening roost site.

On the lodge grounds we found Taveta Golden Weavers (left), Buff-bellied Warbler, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Cardinal and Grey Woodpecker, Beautiful Sunbird, Willow Warbler, Thrush-Nightingale, as well as Yellow Baboons and Vervet Monkeys. With the help of the Maasai “birdmen”, Joseph and Sapati (below right), we were shown roosting Square-tailed Nightjar.

all photos © adrian binns