East Africa 2010

We get off the plane in Nairobi and are quickly transported to our hotel, Nairobi Safari Park lodge. After a comfortable nights rest, we start to enjoy the local birds in the gorgeous hotel gardens. On all Mass Audubon tours, hotels are selected because they are locally owned, well located with good birding nearby and, of course, very comfortable and clean.

After departing from the Mountain Lodge, we drive northeast to the dry, semi desert Samburu Reserve where ostrich are easy to spot.

The gerenuk was only observed in Samburu. This has to be one of my favorite antelopes. Long and slender, they stretch and stand to browse on the leaves that other antelopes and giraffes miss.

Large, colorful hornbills, like this red-billed hornbill, were also favorites of many in our group.

Leaving Nakuru, we have a long drive into the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Here we scan the far distance for raptors and hornbills, as well as warthogs, rhinos, elephants, and more.

As we watched, something spooks the cubs and it's a rhino on the move. All this activity happens before breakfast in the early morning light.

...leaving the cheetah and the waiting vultures and storks disappointed because there was no kill today.

A young male lion glares at us as we pass during one of our game drives.

The Mass Audubon East Africa travelers were a most companionable and good humored group. We appreciated the additional expertise of our local guides and drivers.

The lilac-breasted roller is very common in this part of Africa, but nevertheless, quickly becomes a favorite "oh wow" sighting.

Large or small (here a tiny bee-eater), common or rare, the birding was outstanding on this trip with 412 species seen.

Great food, fine company, and a beautiful setting - what could be better?

We left Samburu Reserve and headed west to the Rift Valley stopping along the way to watch these zebra.

This trip was timed to witness the Great Migration. The Wildebeest are on the move as we drive into the Maasai Mara National Park. Wildebeest are large antelopes that migrate annually in a 300-mile clockwise direction through the Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem. This is the largest mammal migration in the world.

We admired the grace and elegance of both the Maasai and Reticulated giraffes in Kenya.

On our last game drive in Kenya, we find a family of elephants along the rivers edge. As they cross, the matriach helps the young.

Large bustards are found daily on the Serengeti.

After leaving Nairobi, we headed north to the forested slopes of Mt. Kenya where we stay 2 nights in the Mountain Lodge. Mt. Kenya is the second highest peak in all of Africa. Our hotel here was located next to a popular waterhole where we could observe elephant, Syke's monkey, and other mammals.

Throughout Kenya we traveled in vans. Much to my delight, the pace of the trip allowed us plenty of time to simply watch and enjoy long, quiet views of the wildlife.

A young Samburu man at Larson's Camp in the reserve has a critical job: armed with a slingshot he must shoo the monkeys away from the dinner table! In quieter moments, his music entertains us.

Acacia trees are an important food source for giraffe and many other creatures, despite its painful thorns.

Our hotel in the heart of the park has expansive views. http://www.serenahotels.com/serenamara

Our daily dose of elephants were always awe inspiring.

Not far away, a huge hippo pool with well over 100 animals catches our attention with roaring vocals. They are a hard to ignore.

Although they don't look it, our accommodations in the Serengeti are very luxurious chalets. Imitating the local tribal buildings, they are elegantly outfitted and surrounded by birds, bushbabies, and other wildlife.

The dense, cool, moist forests on the mountain slopes are home to special species such as the black-and-white colobus monkeys who flew from tree to tree with long dramatic jumps!

During one of the many games drives in the Samuru reserve, we watched a lone leopard sun herself for over an hour. And no other people around.

The accommodations were perfect. Larson's Camp in Samburu consists of high luxury tents right on the river.

Our Kenya trip started in the mountains, then we spent time in the desert region, and now arrive at Lake Nakuru National Park, a paradise for birders. In addition to the thousands of flamingos, we also found African fish eagle, spoonbills, great white pelicans, blacksmith plover, and many other waterbirds.

Just outside the hotel window is the vast Mara-Serengeti grassland. The waves of animals and hills resemble the rolling sea.

Impala are a medium size antelope that range the savanna. Other antelope seen on the trip include Waterbuck, Lechwe, Bushbuck, Eland, and Kudu.

A mating pair of barbet's are noisy and colorful.

While here, relaxing on my hotel room porch, I found myself face to face with two baboons.

On an easy hike along the mountainside, we found African paradise flycatchers, Hartlaub's turaco, and several species of brilliant sunbirds. But Chris Leahy, the Mass Audubon leader, delights in all aspects of nature, including the dramatic march of army ants.

I quickly discover birding in East Africa is much easier than the tropics. Wide open views and landscapes make this coucal (and other birds) easy to spot.

Kenya is home to entire families of birds that are new to me - babblers, mousebirds, bulbuls. But starlings? This blue-eared glossy starling is a dramatic change from our local species.

It is a distinct advantage to travel with other birders. In addition to their good humor and company, I also see so many more birds when there are many eyes helping to spot and locate each species.

The migration of Wildebeest are followed by the predators. A lioness and her cubs take their fill.

On the second day in the Mara, I spotted a cheetah stalking an impala. It was a wish come true to watch her run. (This is the super-model of big cats). But as we watched, the impalas, baboons, and birds set up a din and warning calls...

As we leave Kenya and drive over the border into the Serengeti grassland and Tanzania, we stop and spend a few hours at a local Maasai village, visiting homes and schools, talking to the young men, and admiring the woman's beadwork.

Our last day of our 3 week trip through Kenya and Tanzania was spent exploring the Ngorongoro Crater (the world's largest intact cauldera at 12 miles wide). A fitting end to a very special trip.