| On safari-- wildlife and nature photos |
Kenya's spectacular Samburu country: a bull elephant crosses a grassy plain while warthogs watch; a doum palm against a backdrop of beautiful hills; and an acacia tree adorned with weavers' nests
Samburu National Reserve is known especially for its elephant herds. Here, a bull elephant in musth, a condition of increased irritability and sexual excitement which makes him extremely dangerous; next, a scene of peace, as a herd drinks in and crosses the Uaso Ngiro (river)
A safari breakfast on the river bank is interrupted unexpectedly when a matriarch elephant and calf leading a herd find us blocking the way to the water. As the herd makes its way around us, a young bull shows his displeasure across a screen of bushes. Then he turns to have a final silent word before crossing the river beach to the water
The herds are always accompanied by young. Two young bulls test each other, holding up road traffic. But their herd is not to be delayed-- it moves on without a backward glance at the adolescent antics More elephant images can be seen on my Botswana and Zimbabwe pages, and there are a slideshow and a separate page both devoted to elephants. See the menu below
Another impressively horny resident of Samburu, an impala buck. Such animals have an exhausting task guarding sometimes large herds of females from rivals. Bachelors often try each other in practice bouts. Herds have 'nurseries' where the young stay together while the adults feed
Among the browsers and grazers of the north are the distinctively marked reticulated giraffe and Grevy's zebra; one of the smallest antelopes, Kirk's dik-dik; and the Beisa oryx with its formidable spear-like horns. Like many African rivers, the Uaso Ngiro is home to the Nile crocodile
A herd of forest elephants emerges from the mist in the Aberdare Range, north of Nairobi
Two of the alkaline lakes of the Great Rift Valley: Lake Elmenteita and Lake Nakuru. Beyond the far shore of Elmenteita is the interesting feature known by some as 'the sleeping warrior'. In the far background is the cloud-covered Mau escarpment. This part of the Rift Valley was home for much of wildlife artist Simon Combes' life. He came here as a boy, and died here. See my Links page
Lake Nakuru NP is famous for the flamingoes which often cover the lake's surface in their thousands. It's also a rhino sanctuary, but there's much other wildlife as well. Who's to argue with the lion?- "It's my shade and I'll stay if I want to"; or with the lawn-mowing 'white' rhinos; then there's the lawn-destroying warthog
 | Equipment used in Kenya: Pentax Z70, with Sigma 70-210 af zoom; Pentax Spotmatic, 135mm lens; film, Fuji Superia 200, 400 & 800 & Kodak 1000. The Maplink on the left will show where the photographs were taken. Go to the menu below for more images from Africa and from Australia |
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