More Mara Views

One of the prettiest birds we saw during our visit to Africa was the "lilac breasted" roller bird.  In the bright sunlight - it is said the birds has 14 shades of color.  We saw this type of bird frequently - usually alone on the top of a shrub.+



Herds of wildebeest along the plains


The candlelabra tree

Masa Elephant Herd

A large herd of elephants was moving across the plains.  The light was just great this afternoon to catch these photos.

Just a funny fact:  Elephants have 6 sets of teeth.  When they use up the last set of teeth they really are not able to eat.  They stay in soft food areas.  And go to an elephant graveyard.  Elephants respect the dead and sometimes even cover up the bones.

Cape Buffalo - one of the Big Five, and guennias

Cape Buffalo
Sausage tree



Cape Buffalo


Guienna - the "chicken" of the plains

Impala and Hartebeest, in the Mara

The Impala antelope is very prevalent in East Africa.  They are nicknamed "McDonalds" because of the black arches on their rear.  We would pass lone male impala - defending a small territory - hoping to "over take" a herd of females from a herd that would pass by.  A very lonely existence.



Below is Coke's Hartebeest - one of the larger antelopes.  also known as "Kongoni"

Acacia trees in The Mara

The Acacia tree is one of the most recognizable images of the savannah of East Africa.  So I captured some images of the lone trees in the grass land.  The southern part of the Mara park is already showing the signs of dryness and of the fact the herds of wildebeest have already been through this park and have heavily grazed this section.

Cattle Road Block, at Sekenai gate, The Mara

After a fantastic day on a game drive - we returned to the Sekanani Gate to find the Masai villagers bringing their cattle back to the village for the evening.  A Masai cattle road block occurred.

Lioness on the Hunt, in the Mara

We tracked the lioness as she moved from her vantage point across this dry stream bed on the hunt for the evening meal.  She slinks into the grass as she stalks her prey.

We followed her as she made chase - but unfortunately - she is cut off from the herd by a crowd of safari vans full of tourists waiting to watch the hunt.

Lioness on the move, in the Mara

Dikdik, in the Mara

The small timid dikdik is usually found in the bush.  They mate for life and can be very shy

First pod of Hippos at Talek River, in the Mara

A group of hippos is called a "Pod"  We saw several pods in the Mara - This is first sighting of hippo - in a bend of the Talek River

Nile Crocodiles at Talek River, in the Mara

We spent a half day or more along the Talek River watching the activities of the wild life.  These 2 huge African Crocodiles are lying in wait for the wildebeest to cross nearby.

The Talek River in the Masai Mara

Jackals after a kill, in The Mara

Vultures, Eagle, Impala, and Warthogs, in the Mara

Will the wildebeest cross? At the Talek River, The Mara

The Talek River is one of the major rivers inside the Masai Mara park.

The wildebeest start to assemble alongside the river - waiting on stragglers to show up.

However - as we were waiting for the wildebeest to decide to cross - we started hearing bells.  The Masai were moving their cattle along the river.  The wildebeest were scared away from the river for the moment.


Giraffes tower above the bush as they watch the wildebeest and the humans.