The first bird we see on arrival is an African Fish Eagle
We’re on our first drive from the camp in Amboseli, on safari in Kenya, when we see the first bird of our …
Johnson and the Ross’s Turaco
The Governors’ Camp in the Masai Mara has been a wonderful place to stay. Having breakfast with Common Bulbuls eating my marmalade …
A troop of Anubis Baboons
It’s my last day in the Masai Mara and my last trip out in a 4×4 here. I’m about to fly back …
A Common Hoopoe appears
I’ve seen a Common Hoopoe before, in Italy. It’s not a bird I’m expecting to see in Kenya, yet there it is. …
Old hairy-ears, the Waterbuck
We’ve happened up on a small group of Waterbuck, Kobus ellipsiprymnus, here in the Masai Mara. They are large grassland grazers which …
Spotting a Brown Parrot
There’s a Brown Parrot, Poicephalus meyeri saturatus, at the top of the tree. They always look such friendly birds, as if they …
Why Elephants love a dust bath
Elephants love a dust bath. I’m sorry, but please don’t scroll past the photograph above without giving that baby Elephant some love. …
Lyre-shaped horns
The Impala is an African Antelope with lyre-shaped horns. The slight problem I have is that I’m so close to it I …
Lion cub playing
Here in the Masai Mara, the Lioness is playing with one of her cubs. She’s very patient and forgiving at the play …
The marvellous Green Woodhoopoe
My safari guide Johnson has spotted the nest of a Green Woodhoopoe in a hole in a tree. I love them. We …
An African Spoonbill
I’ve seen Spoonbills in Somerset and in Italy but they were the Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia. I’m in Kenya now and the …
My new favourite bird is the…
… Green Woodhoopoe! What a bird! My guide, Johnson, is curious and patient with my need to stay waiting for them to …
The Hammerhead
There’s a Hamerkop flying towards me with something huge and fishy in its beak. Hamerkops look like ducks or weird herons, but …
Spotting a Little Bee-Eater
There’s a beautifully coloured bird with vibrant yellow cheeks flitting from perch to perch. It’s a Little Bee-Eater, Merops pusillus. What a …
Is this Hornbill small or is that caterpillar huge?
There’s an African Grey Hornbill flying past our 4×4 in the Masai Mara. It’s come from behind and is flying away by …
Kenya has many species of Heron
Here’s a Rufous-Bellied Heron. It’s one of the many species of Heron in the wetlands here. It has a beautiful facial pattern, …
African Green Pigeon
There’s an African green pigeon, Treron calvus, at the top of this tree. I can hardly believe its colour. What a bird! Apparently …
The Long-Crested Eagle awaits us
I’m glad that I’ve learned never to turn my camera off or to put my lens hood on until I’m indoors. As …
A Lilac-Breasted Roller perched and waiting
Lilac-Breasted Rollers are chunky birds. They also have unusually large heads. I particularly like the long tail streamers which the adults have. …
A Saddle-Billed Stork and its dangling wattles
The Saddle-Billed Stork or Saddlebill, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, is a truly huge bird. It’s 4′ 9″ to 4′ 11″ tall. That’s taller than my old girlfriend. …
A Yellow-Throated Longclaw
There are many yellow birds here in Kenya. It’s a brighter world. Red, orange and yellow pigments are ones which birds can’t …
A fluffy young Zebra
Seeing Zebras at a watering hole in the Masai Mara is a pleasure. It’s dry work munching the parched vegetation here and …
A Striped Skink
I expected to see many more reptiles in Africa. I thought there would be snakes and reptiles with four legs on tree …
Southern Ground Hornbills
There’s a massive bird as big as a Turkey wandering through the close-cropped grass. It has a strange-shaped bill, a large red …
Common Drongos
Today’s another chance for me to appreciate Common Drongos. They have distinctive forked tails and intense red eyes set in deep black …
Lilac-Breasted Roller attack
Sometimes there’s such an extraordinary moment and it seems impossible that you could have captured it. There’s a dispute between Lilac-Breasted Rollers. …
Grey Crowned Crane
It’s one metre tall and has a two metre wingspan. It has a ridiculous crown. It has an inflatable red throat-pouch. It’s …
Can you kneel on your wrists?
Common Warthogs are fabulous creatures. Just look at that hairy face! I love this one’s blonde moustache and perky tail. It appears …
The street performer – a Bateleur Eagle with a rat
We spotted a Bateleur Eagle as soon as we arrived in the Masai Mara. It was distant. All I could tell was …
Black-Headed Heron
There’s a Black-Headed Heron with what looks like a snake. I know they eat fish and amphibians, but I didn’t expect it …