We had another leisurely start and a slightly different
route through the park, although the first two hours is about the same each
time based on where we are located. Today, we headed to the Masai Kopjes, a set
of low rocky hills favored by the lions. It was also much further into the
treeless area and reminded me of what the American Great Plains must have
looked like before it was settled by Europeans.
We saw small herds of hartebeast for a change instead of
singletons, spotted lions several times, and watched two small groups of
elephants all seek shade under a single tree. We had lunch in our trucks in the
shade by a kopje and spotted the red-headed agama again on a rock above us. Although
we did not see any lions there, it was not safe to get out and roam around.
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| Widowed Dik-Dik. They mate for life. |
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| Dik-Dik husband, apparently hit by a truck. Most go about 25mph and can stop in time for animals, but some, including rangers, speed thru at twice that speed. |
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| White-bellied Bustard -- very different from the Kori Bustards we have been seeing - smaller and cuter. |
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| A large herd of Cape Buffalo -- this is less than a third of them. Apparently, they don't migrate. |
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| Heron and stork |
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| Hartebeest in the buffalo vicinity. Animal types mix for greater safety. |
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| Black Crake |
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| Finally a lion going somewhere. |
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| More typical lions: resting in the shade. |
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| As we neared the kopjes, the trees thinned out. |
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| Elephants trying to find shade. |
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| Two vultures. The one on the right is probably feeding the kids. |
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| Red-headed agama at lunch |
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| Elephants headed to water |
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| Zebra rolling in the dust to scratch its back. |
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| Secretary Bird |
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| Lion resting after lunch (barely visible at the left) |
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| Another lion in the vicinity, probably the same pride, with a tracking collar. |
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| Elephants in the shade, and on the road. |
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| Yearling nursing. |
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| Elephants crowding around a small watering hole |
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