A lot has been going on in the reserves over the past 2 weeks. Elephants are still here in their hundreds. All the big bulls are in musth and following the oestrus females keenly. The lions are trickling back with regular sightings of Nashipai and Naibor. Cheetah and leopards have also been seen. Yesterday I saw 4 hippos which was a real treat as they are almost never seen. They were lurking in the swamps at Maji ya Chumvi and I got a brief glimpse of them. And this morning I saw a caracal run across the road with a squirrel in its mouth!
Some more special moments:
– 48 reticulated giraffes in the river a few days ago. This was such a beautiful sight as you can see in the photo.
– 20 Somali ostrich – mama in the lead, followed by 18 young ones with the male bringing up the rear. Ostriches are only seen in a few places in the reserves and at times I go through weeks without seeing them.
– Mt Kenya has been visible and clear over the last 2 weeks. I have had spectacular sights of Mt Kenya (shown in the photo below with elephants in the foreground), the Nyambene Hills and Ol Lolokwe (the Samburu sacred mountain) every morning.
– 105 Beisa oryx on the plains in Buffalo Springs!
The Ewaso Nyiro is drying up quickly and all the animals are beginning to congregate along the river once again. I think there will be a long dry spell this year…