Capturing the Moment

Maybe the shot of the day. Lilac-breasted roller showing off its colors. We woke up this morning with the realization that today was going to be our last day in Tsavo National Park. We have made so many great memories here, and had so many incredible wildlife encounters, but there is more of Africa to see. But before we left, the group decided to wake up early and squeeze one more morning game drive in. After a quick cup of Kenyan coffee of course. Excited for a new day, we piled into our vehicle. Right out of the gate we came across four black backed jackals, which we hadn't seen yet. It was also necessary to stop and take pictures of our first sunrise in Africa. It has been so overcast that we haven't had the pleasure of those famous African sunrises and sunsets. It was a good start. We continued on past some very large birds which turned out to be white backed vultures and a tawny eagle. The early morning golden hour just made everything we came across more beautiful and pho...

     Located six hours of hair-raising drive southeast of Nairobi, Tsavo East National Park is where we begin our Kenyan safari. The park is massive, and famous for its dust-red elephants and its history of man-eating lions. Another incredible feature of the park is that over 500 species of birds have been recorded here.      Our group stayed at the intimate Sentrim Tsavo camp. Individual tents and a main dining area both overlooked a very active water hole. During our two nights we saw tons of elephants, waterbuck, zebra, impala, hyena, and giraffe at the waterhole. That was when we weren't out on game drive which we would do in the mornings and afternoons. We covered a lot of ground on our animal searches, but with constant stops for wildlife viewing we were only able to scratch the surface of the massive park.     Cheetah watching us as we watch it Wild dogs in Tsavo East!  Some of the animal highlights included a group of three cheet...

Bird Watching in Kenya   With over 1,000 species of birds East Africa can be a birders dream trip. You can find them in all sizes from the tiny ruby breasted sunbird to the heaviest flying bird, the kory bustard. They come in every color imaginable and some you have probably never imagined before. The experienced birder will be in birding heaven, but what I also see happen here time and time again is novice birders get hooked on bird watching and gain a lifelong passion. Bateleur Eagle Combing birding and photography is also a wonderful challenge in a place like Kenya. You may end up seeing six different species of eagles on one game drive. The birds-of-prey are often out hunting over the plains and perched up in the acacia trees. The brightly colored bateleur eagle ( Terathopius ecaudatus ) is always a favorite with its orange and yellow beak contrasting its dark body feathers. Lilac Breasted Roller European Roller   My ultimate Kenyan bird species to ...