Blissful Adventures

Tanzania is a nation of world record breakers when it comes to land animals. For example: the African bush elephant can weigh up to 6,000 kilograms (6 tonnes); the giraffes of the Serengeti can reach a lofty 9 metres (19 feet) in height and the world's fastest land animals are the cheetahs: they can reach speeds in excess of 120 kilometres an hour. We have been lucky enough to see all of these creatures here – in fact we have seen many examples of each and have seen all of them in a single day. However, not content with hosting the biggest, tallest and fastest land animals Tanzania also is the place to see the creatures that rule the skies. This is a Ruppell's Griffon Vulture...

This vulture is the world's highest flying bird and can attain heights in excess of 37,000 feet – the same cruising height as a modern airliner. It can spend 6-7 hours per day in the air and lives 40-50 years. It is a critically endangered species and we were very lucky to see this one.
Vultures of all kinds, together with giant maribu storks, are never far away when there are leftovers, and this black-backed jackal didn't get a look in on a dead zebra when thirty or more vultures and storks came for breakfast...

Black-backed jackals are only found in southern and eastern Africa and the two habitats are separated by 900 kms. They are the world's oldest canine species.
Another record breaker found here is the kori bustard...

This elegant, even haughty, bird is the heaviest creature capable of flight in the world and can weigh up to 40 lbs. However, it prefers to spend its time hunting small game on the ground.
But, when it comes to size, nothing comes close to the enormous male ostrich - the world's largest flightless bird....

The ostrich's powerful long legs are used as weapons capable of killing a human or lion with a powerful kick, and don't even think about running away – it can sprint at 70 km per hour. Unfortunately the ostriches' nests are easily found on the ground and young Maasai boys steal the massive eggs in order to sell them to passing tourists.
Another fast mover on the ground is the secretary bird...

This elegant creature has the longest legs of any bird of prey and gets it name from the crest of long quill feathers which gives it the appearance of a secretary in the 1800s. Although secretary birds can fly they spend much of their time on the ground.
Many of the larger birds stick to the ground unless escaping predators and this southern ground hornbill is no exception...

These are the largest of the hornbill species and they live on snakes, tortoises, lizards and small birds. Hornbills can live up to 70 years and are one of the longest living birds, however they only have two chicks every 9 years and only one of them will survive.
Another hornbill found in the Serengeti is the Von der Decken's hornbill, named after the German explorer...

These birds can live up to 20 years and survive on small animals, eggs and fruit.

This yellow billed stork was keeping a healthy distance from a 12 foot Nile crocodile on the banks of a hippos bathing pool.
These storks use one foot to stir up water and flush out prey. They have very quick muscular reflexes which enable them to catch the food and, presumable, to keep clear of the crocodile's jaws,

This is a pretty brown headed kingfisher. Although part of the kingfisher family it is a bit of an imposter. It doesn't usually eat fish and is not dependant on water. It lives on insects, spiders, small reptiles and even birds.

Another pretty bird is the stunningly coloured greater blue eared starling...

This one joined us in the restaurant for breakfast one morning. Male and female look alike to us but the birds have four colour sensitive cones in their retina as opposed to our paltry three. The additional cone enables them to spot the difference between a competitor and a mate at a glance.

That's all for today. The sun is shining and we are going hunting for one of the biggest, and rarest, of the big game. We will let you know if we bag one.

As this post is all about the baby animals which we have seen in the Serengeti you may wonder why we are starting with this picture of a cheetah...

The answer is that we saw four of these beautiful animals today and just couldn't wait to show you one of them.
Now back to the babies. While it isn't in our nature to anthropomorphize wild animals we couldn't help wondering what these young creatures were saying and thinking as we took their photos. What about this baby baboon...

"Look Mum - I'm riding sidesaddle one-handed."
Seconds after we took this picture the baby fell off - Lesson learned - Don't show off to the humans, you will only get hurt.

Adult topi are not the most photogenic of the antelope family but their offspring are cute. This calf was saying,

"Just pretend you didn't hear him say that Mum. I think you're lovely."

This mother and baby hippo were in a stagnant pool along with twenty other hippos.

Mother, "Yes dear, I know the water is full of poo but just close your nose and dive. You'll get used to it."

These rock hyraxes are the size of large rodents...

Baby hyrax,"Mum, that man said I looked like a rat." Mother, "Take no notice son. Just remember your cousin is an elephant."

Giraffes are easy to spot on the plains but we only saw one young baby so just had to get a photo...

Baby giraffe, "Mum. Can you see from up there if that man is taking my picture?"

Vervet monkeys are mischievous little creatures. One of them stole a yoghurt from the breakfast table this morning - however, it was a banana yoghurt. The Mbuzi Mawe Safari restaurant is the only 5 star restaurant we have eaten in where the waiters carry catapaults to fend off the monkeys. We wondered what this protective mother was saying...

"Oy. If you shoot my kid I'll bite."

We have seen an incredible number of lions - some as close as five feet away from our vehicle. This lioness had four cubs of varying ages and would have to be a skillful hunter to feed them all.

Lioness, "Right. Stay here you lot and keep quiet. I think I've just spotted lunch."

Whereas this impala calf is saying...

"Mum, there's a lion over there giving me a very funny look."

This baby elephant was only a few days old when we saw it in Tarangire National Park.

" Slow down Mum. I've only got little legs."

O.K. Folks. That's all today. We hope you will join us again tomorrow when we will bring you more amazing scenes from the Serengeti.

This post is about the millions of prey animals in the national parks of Tanzania, but we can't resist starting with this handsome creature...

We saw thirty one lions today along with cheetahs and leopards. There are simply hordes of animals for the predators to choose from, but for the prey there is nothing safer than playing the numbers game. No need to outrun the predators - just keep ahead of the herd. And when it comes to safety in numbers, nothing beats the wildebeest. More than a million of these large herbivores constantly migrate around the Serengeti and the Great Rift Valley as they follow the annual rains through Kenya and Tanzania in search of fresh grazing. One of Africa's most incredible spectacles is the mass migration of wildebeest, but you have to be in exactly the right place at the right time...
Today, as we drove across the Serengeti, (a Maasai word meaning land without end), the entire horizon was blackened by a moving wall that slowly morphed into a fast moving river of wildebeest flanked by zebra outriders...

The seemingly endless living tsunami was pouring across the road just ahead of us and seemed to be blindly following the herd irrespective of obstacles...

“How do we get past?” we asked Charles and he said “Hakuma Matata” (meaning 'no problem' in Swahili) and just kept driving. At the very last minute there was a biblical parting of the seas as the tide of fast moving flesh and bones turned back to let us through. To see hundreds of thousands of migrating wildebeest on the run was an exhilarating experience but when we returned the next morning for a second look it was all over. The wildebeest were calmly grazing on the fresh grass. Timing is all...

Another creature playing the numbers game on the Serengeti is the cape buffalo...

These huge animals, weighing upwards of a ton and armed with massive horns, make a formidable fortress as they stand shoulder to shoulder. However, size doesn't always ensure safety. Young hippopotamus can be a tasty treat for the many Nile crocodiles here and the fact that their massive parents have powerful jaws and an aggressive disposition doesn't always ensure safety. Even a giant crocodile caught between the jaws of these three ton monsters would have a bad day...

The numerous giraffes are gentle giants and are usually above the fray...

However, even giraffes have to come down to earth to sleep and that's when the predators can attack. The giraffe's long legs can deliver a lethal kick to any would be predator. - but only when they are standing and running.
Speed is the preferred method of escape for many of the Serengetti's herbivores. These zebras are fast, they also have good eyesight and their stripes are designed to confuse any would be attacker.

Perhaps the fastest prey animals are the various antelopes and gazelles. These young impala have an impressive turn of speed when in danger...

All young animals, even the offspring of predators, are at risk, and tomorrow we will show you some of the many cute babies we've encountered on our safari in the Serengeti.

As with so many things in life – timing is all, and we have often been fortunate to witness scenes and events that most others have missed. Today was no exception. In fact, we witnessed a scene that our guide, Charles, has only seen once before in his entire seven year career. More of that later, but first - one of the most elusive creatures on our safari bucket list – the leopard. Leopards are solitary hunters and their success lies in their camouflage and their ability to move stealthily through the undergrowth. They are very rarely seen by man or prey. However, this male had just made a kill and was being suitably rewarded by a passionate female...

The pair of them were naturally shy but thanks to the sharp eyes of our guide we
had a grandstand, though distant, view.
With such an abundance of prey it's not surprising that there are many predators here – both on land and in the air. This is a spotted hyena...

And this African fish eagle was happy to let us watch as he enjoyed a fish lunch on an island in Lake Manyara...

These white pelicans at Lake Manyara had had their fill for the morning and were drying off in the warm breeze...

Vultures are really scavengers, not predators, but they certainly make short work of any leftover meat. However they are dwarfed by the equally voracious maribu storks. We saw these two heavyweight storks muscling in on the remains of a baby wildebeest....

Baboons and other primates also like a bit of meat with their fruit and veg and this troupe leader was taking his pack on a the hunt as he slipped across the road ahead of us...

However, it is the lions who are the kings of the beasts in this neck of the woods and we had already followed a couple of lionesses as they unsuccessfully stalked herds of zebras. Only the lionesses hunt and then the much bigger males barge in and take their fill. The dominant males also get the pick of the harem when it comes to mating and we caught this big guy in the act on the Serengeti plain...

Lions are the biggest and heaviest of the African cats and, unlike most other felines, do not usually climb trees. However, we read that around Lake Manyara, in The Great Rift Valley of Northern Tanzania, a few lions had mastered the ability and on very rare occasions could be seen in the trees. Charles had only once seen a lion in a tree in more than 7 years so we weren't hopeful as we set out for our morning drive. After a morning filled with hippos, giraffes and elephants we were running a little late for lunch and the sky was beginning to darken when Charles decided that we should visit the hot springs some 30 kilometres away. We almost said, “No,” but he seemed so keen and, just as we approached the springs this is what we saw....

Not just one – but two lions resting in one tree.. An incredibly rare sight.
And then the heavens opened with a spectacular tropical storm and we fled back to our lodge for lunch.

Fearing that our Lumix compact camera wouldn't get us close to the action. and would leave us with camera envy. we had seriously considered buying some flashy equipment with telephoto lenses for this trip. In the end we stuck with our little compact rather than lug around a monster and just hoped we could get close enough to a few of the animals for some captivating shots... . Then this happened...

Whoa – a bit too close for comfort. A whole herd of elephants, including a week old calf, just 15 feet away. Let's step back a bit. That's better...

But it wasn't just the elephants that got within spitting distance. What about this lioness with her four cubs? ...

This fabulous feline was no more than 20 feet away from us and posed proudly as we took photo after photo from the safety of our safari jeep. Then there was this little chap...

This adorable little Kirk's dik-dik – the smallest member of the antelope family – wasn't the least bit scared of us and we could have reached out and touched him and his mate.
Herds of impala surrounded us from time to time and, although a little skittish, were often within a few yards of us...

The eland is the largest of all the African antelopes and this elegant fella with spiralled horns was quite happy just to stand a few yards away to pose for a lengthy photo shoot...

Cape buffaloes are some of the largest, most formidable and unpredictable, of all the animals here and an adult male would have no difficulty knocking over our jeep with his massive horns and armour plated head. This big guy probably weighed at least a ton and thankfully showed no interest in anything but his lunch...

Zebras are a dime a dozen, (that would be a shilling a dozen in Tanzanian money), and we could have taken a thousand close-ups of them as they made little effort to get away from us. (Actually we probably did take a thousand photos). This one was particularly curious...

While the big animals are easy to spot it is the babies that are most adorable. This little vervet monkey was just a few days old when we saw him playing in the grass by the side of the road...

While he was cute enough to cuddle, the rest of his troupe kept a close eye and would have soon seen us off.
Now we have moved from Tarangire to the Great Rift Valley and today we were incredibly lucky to witness one of the rarest sights in sub-Saharan Africa. We look forward to letting you in on our big surprise tomorrow.
Tutaonana Baadae