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Category Archives: Travel
Samburu National Reserve
Samburu was one of my favorite stops. It was very dry, the river was actually dust. But, it was a scrubby environment with vehicle height bushes and huge River Acacias. This was great because it hid the animals and you could be surprised with every turn.
From Wikipedia:
“The Samburu National Reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro river in Kenya; on the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve in Northern Kenya. It is 165 km² in size and 350 kilometers from Nairobi. Geographically, it is located in Samburu District of the Rift Valley Province.
In the middle of the reserve, the Ewaso Ng’iro flows through doum palm groves and thick riverine forests that provides water without which the game in the reserve could not survive in the arid country.
Samburu Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the best selling book and award winning movie Born Free.
Samburu Reserve is also the home of Kamunyak, a lioness famous for adopting oryx calves.”
Grevy's Zebra Canon 50d, Lens (mm): 500 ISO: 400 Aperture: 4 Shutter: 1/2000 Exp. Comp.: +0.3
The Grevy’s Zebras were beautiful. They made the Burchell’s Zebra almost seem plain.The Grevy’s have a tighter striping and larger ears.
Canon 5d2, 100-400, Lens (mm): 310 ISO: 400 Aperture: 6.3 Shutter: 1/500 Exp. Comp.: -0.3
Reticulated Giraffe, Canon 5d2, 100-400, Lens (mm): 220 ISO: 250 Aperture: 8 Shutter: 1/800 Exp. Comp.: -0.7
Canon 5d2, 100-400, Lens (mm): 340 ISO: 400 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/1600 Exp. Comp.: -0.7
The giraffe subspecies in Samburu is the Reticulated, which has a more defined pattern. At first I liked it best but have come to appreciate each for their differences.
Vervet Monkey, Canon 50d, 500 f4, ISO: 400 Aperture: 4 Shutter: 1/100 Exp. Comp.: +0.7
These guys were running around most lodges we stopped at. Always getting in to trouble. Local Masai “warriors” were even hired as monkey chasers in a few places. They were pretty good with homemade slingshots made out of tires and such.
Red-Billed Hornbill, 5d2, 500 f4, 25mm ext. tube, ISO: 800 Aperture: 4 Shutter: 1/160 Exp. Comp.: -0.3
Superb Starling, 5d2, 500 f4, ISO: 800 Aperture: 4 Shutter: 1/160 Exp. Comp.: +0.7
The birds knew when meals were and always came to the lodge looking to steal some bread.
Little Bee Eaters, 5d2, 500 f4, 1.4x, Lens (mm): 700 ISO: 800 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/200 Exp. Comp.: -1.0
Oryx, 5d2, 100-400, Lens (mm): 400 ISO: 400 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/2500 Exp. Comp.: -1.0
I was happy to see the Oryx, as they aren’t the most common or accommodating animals.
Grant's Gazelle, 50d, Lens (mm): 500 ISO: 200 Aperture: 5 Shutter: 1/2000 Exp. Comp.: -0.3
The vast landscape
The gingerbread or doum palm is one of the few that has a branching trunk
We also visited the a Samburu tribal village. They make their huts out of goat dung, mud, and branches. It was actually nicely insulated to the heat.
5d2, 16-35, Lens (mm): 16 ISO: 3200 Aperture: 2.8 Shutter: 1/80
Elders doing the wedding dance
Also posted in Africa, Images
Tagged Africa, Doum palm, Elephant, Gingerbread palm, Giraffe, Grant's Gazelle, Grevy's Zebra, Hyphaene thebaica, Kenya, Mud hut, Nanger granti, Oryx, Red-Billed Hornbill, Reticulated Giraffe, River Acacia, Samburu National Reserve, Superb Starling
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Amboseli National Park
Well I have returned from Africa safe and sound. Found out about the Swine flu about 1/2-way through the trip and I figured we were safer in the bush for the time being. Anyways, our first stop was Amboseli. We arrived an did and afternoon game drive and then a morning drive. Our guide then left for about an 8 hour drive to meet us at Samburu National Reserve. We flew out the day after that.
From Wikipedia, “Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is in Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province in Kenya. The park is 39,206 hectares (392 km2; 151 sq mi)[1] in size at the core of an 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The local people are mainly Maasai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy and intensive agriculture along the system of swamps that makes this low-rainfall area (average 350 mm (14 in)) one of the best widlife-viewing experiences in the world. The park protects two of the five main swamps, and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semi-arid vegetation.”
This is the dry lakebed with a lone giraffe, he seemed lost.
A few elephants in the marsh. 50d, 500 f4, 1.4x, Lens (mm): 700 ISO: 800 Aperture: 6.3 Shutter: 1/400 Exp. Comp.: +1.0
A tawny Eagle with prey, the guide thought, probably a cuckoo. 50d, 500 f4, ISO: 640 Aperture: 6.3 Shutter: 1/400 Exp. Comp.: +0.3
5d2, 100-400, Lens (mm): 220 ISO: 400 Aperture: 8 Shutter: 1/400 Exp. Comp.: +1.0
Yellow Baboon. 50d, 500 f4, 1.4x, Lens (mm): 700 ISO: 800 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/500 Exp. Comp.: +0.3
A mother Yellow Baboon and baby. 50d, 100-400, Lens (mm): 200 ISO: 640 Aperture: 5 Shutter: 1/320 Exp. Comp.: -1.3
I was able to jump out quickly for this one. Scanned for lions first. The guide called every kill a "Lion Restaurant". 5d2, Canon 16-35 2.8 II, Lens (mm): 16 ISO: 800 Aperture: 8 Shutter: 1/125 + 1/40 Exp. Comp.: -1.3
We left the lodge, turned the corner and bam, this is what we got. A stunning scene and great way to start the safari. 5d2, Tamron 28-75, Lens (mm): 75 ISO: 800 Aperture: 7.1 Shutter: 1/30 Exp. Comp.: -0.7, 2 stop gnd
A pair of Crowned Cranes. 50d, 100-400, Lens (mm): 390 ISO: 400 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/2500 Exp. Comp.: -0.7
A young hyena at the den. 50d, 500 f4, 1.4x, Lens (mm): 700 ISO: 400 Aperture: 5.6 Shutter: 1/400 Exp. Comp.: +0.7
Lone Wildebeest
Also posted in Africa, Images
3 Comments