7/23 -- Lake Nakuru

We started out at 7am to get to Lake Nakuru, about an hour drive from our lodge. Our new vehicles offer significantly less visibility than those in the south half of the trip, but they are much more comfortable for long drives since they are fully enclosed. This part of the trip involves longer drives too. Once we reached the park, we popped the tops so we could stand and improve our view, but from the front seat (lowest) I was a bit short to shoot over the framework.

New drive vehicles are better for warm driving than viewing.

Our cabin

The terrain here is very different from the south -- lots more open space and even the woods have better visibility because there is shorter and less undergrowth. In addition to a bunch of animals, including a couple new ones, we saw birds, lions, rhinos and flamingos at a distance, a new kind of zebra, and bigger herds  of buffalo.

Hamerkopf -- first saw this in Kafue, but missed the photo that
demonstrated the reason for the name. Has a HUGE nest. It is
the size of a smallish crow.

Cape buffalo and egrets

Another lion

Baboon and baby

Young baboon snacking

Plover

Grant's gazelle

Yet another roller

Trees drowned by rising water levelss -- lake extends a half
mile inland from former shore.

Superb starling (vs the brilliant one yesterday)

Hoopoo

Two Black-shouldered kites

Zebra in the road

Herd of buffalo

waterbuck

Zebra reflections

Young Grant's gazelle, imitating a Thompson's gazelle
which is smaller with stripes -- makes predators think
it in an adult

Baby zebra -- no shadow stripes, babies start off dusty colorored

Imapala and brand new fawn -- they stay away from the herd
the first couple days to bond.

Secretary Bird -- it stoomps its prey to death.

In the afternoon, Jim went for a walk around the local area with a guide while I got a pedicure. They encountered this girl, Angel, who invited them to meet his mother who asked them into her home.  He was impressed by how proud they were despite having absolutely nothing.