Memories of Kenya -

"Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky" 

Kahlil Gibran

FRICA awaited. . . . . . . 

September 2016 - a safari in beautiful Kenya.

This time, five years ago, we were readying today for another trip to the African continent. 

Our first time to Kenya, and sadly our last most likely, it was another fantastic safari to remember.

The animals were unbelievable, however I was also struck by the trees. 

So few scattered across the plain, so little shade provided, but sometimes

 a home to birds who wove incredible colonies of hanging nests; whose trunk

 hid a sleek cheetah waiting to make that lightning speed run to grab its meal

 for the day; and a place for the leopard to climb and hang its prey across

 a branch out of the reach of other predators, then returning and climbing

 the tree for several days to eat.

This was one of several Maasai Mara 'desert date' trees (Balanites aegyptiaca) 

 I photographed. Here you get the true feeling of how few trees there are across

the vast Maasai Mara plain.

Today I'm looking out at our trees here in the cottage garden.

Still green and beautiful but soon to change color as autumn weather

arrives. Leaves will fall, carpet the garden in gold, orange, rust and red.

There will be few hiding places in the bare branches for the visiting hawk;

beloved garden birds will be more visible coming to the feeders; 

squirrels, unimpeded, will perform gymnastics, gather acorns, and

 fatten up for winter.

Maasai Mara - Kenya 2016

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a

 singing bird will come"

Chinese proverb

Let's fly away. . . . . .

Flying is really on my mind right now.

In my email this morning there's a lengthy detailed missive

from American Airlines regarding their plan for future flying.

It caught my eye with the promise of earning many extra points -

only thing is when will we ever be able to use them!

Following were reams of information detailing what the airline will

be doing to keep us safe from the virus, both in flight and at the airports

they serve. Goodness me, just getting onto a plane had become hard enough

 prior to COVID-19, now it appears it will be much, much more difficult. . . . and

then one will still sit in that seat and remain afraid both during and after the 

flight is long completed.

Personally I don't think I can fly anywhere yet - especially overseas which is

where I want to go!

I snapped this photo in Kenya in 2016 as our plane came in - and yes, that is the 

runway! - to the Mara to fly us back to Nairobi.  

 I also recall many other wonderful flights in very small planes when visiting African 

countries - it's the main transportation to get about.  

I wonder how those little airlines will cope in the months ahead.

The safari business is suffering just like all other forms of tourism.

All these photos were taken by me during that Kenyan visit.  

The beautiful animals are still there I'm sure, perhaps living life a little quieter

 without Range Rovers and camera-laden tourists bothering them.

Night time curfew has been lifted here but we'll still remain at home. 

Visiting and eating in a restaurant would be a real treat, but staying

 healthy is more important!

Heavy cloud cover, very hot, no rain due today - thinking of baking, 

soup making, with garden watering later.

Anything exciting planned for your day?

Kenyan birdsong. . . . . . .

I'm still sorting through my Kenya photos from the October safari.

I have so many and will eventually need to transfer them to my

 portable drive to free up more storage here on the MacBook.

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite bird photos, all taken with my

bridge Canon Power Shot SX530 HS point and shoot (the one which was just

 repaired after the Thanksgiving gravy spill!). I did not carry the heavy DSLR

 on the trip, and had not yet purchased the Sony Cyber-shot DSC HX400V

 which I'm now using and enjoying immensely.

As well as capturing shots of the mostly beautiful birds captured here, I love

 viewing their resting places and seeing how well some are camouflaged on

 the ground. Vegetation in the Masai Mara area of Kenya is much different from

 what we're used to, especially the often painful looking thorny branches many

 birds seem to pick for preening, mating, singing a song, or searching for the next meal.

Rüppell's Vulture

Bataleur Eagle Pair

African Fish Eagle

Lilac-breasted Roller

Long-tailed Fiscal

Little Bee-eater

Yellow-billed Stork family

Secretarybird

Sharpe's Longclaw

Black-winged Kite

Tawny Eagle

Rüppell's Vulture

Marabou Stork

Although on the ground here, these huge 5 foot tall, 20 pound birds are often

 perched motionless on tree tops, silhouetted against the sky. Prevalent in

 the city of Nairobi, and nicknamed the 'undertaker bird', they appear quite

 terrifying on rooftops. They are scavengers and known to live off human

 garbage and will devour anything from waste tips and slum areas.

They are called "one of the ugliest creatures of the world".

All I can say is that I'm glad they're not in my garden.

Black-and-White Casqued Hornbill

Due to the wide variety of habitats, there are said to be an amazing 470 bird species
 in the Masai Mara Game Reserve - perhaps I need to go back and find a lot more!

More Kenya Memories. . . . . . .

We met two bright and friendly young Qatar Airways flight attendants in London.

They sat at the table next to us in the pub on the chilly evening prior to our flying 

out the following morning. Learning they were Kenyans from Nairobi, we enjoyed

 chatting with them about our visit to their country in September. It was surprising

 that they had never actually been to the Masaai Mara area - not that far from their

 city - for a visit or on a safari. They had not seen these beautiful animals up close

 in their natural habitat, the bush and plains of their amazing homeland.

I realized that evening that although the world has become smaller due to

the ease of travel by air, people often have to do what is necessary to see places

whilst making a living. That elegant talkative young woman, and the quiet smiling 

young man, had obviously worked hard to reach their goals. . . . . . . completing

 their education, training with one of the most prestigious airlines in the world, 

and now holding jobs which will take them to wonderful places on the planet.

I really hope some day, even if only once, they will have an opportunity to take

 that tiny prop plane from their heaving, bustling hometown, and fly low across

 the Mara to see the stunning landscape, nature's African beauty, and the

 incredible wildlife roaming almost in their back yard.

All photos taken on my September 2016 safari trip to Kenya.

A very happy New Year to all my readers and friends around this amazing world.