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There are an estimated 600,000 zebras that participate in the Mega Migration in the Serengeti. Their symbiotic relationship with the wildebeest (complementary sensory assets that help protect each other, and their non-competing preference for long / short grasses) make them natural partners. Occasionally we encounter a herd of primarily one or the other species as we did in Feb of this year. The herd of almost only zebras we experienced was in the thousands (hard to count when we are on the ground at the same height). Watching them move toward and in the water and communicate with their almost donkey like whinny is always a fascinating experience. The mothers somehow keep track of the babies partly by the pitch of the sounds they make.

"Join me in Africa… 2012 & 2013 trips now available"

space still available on 2012 trips

In all my trips, I have never had such an intimate encounter with a leopard as we did in February.  90% of the time, when a leopard comes down from a tree, it is off in the brush in a hurry. Occasionally we see head off on a hunt or climb a neighboring tree, but this time she stopped right in front of the car and posed and preened for more than 40 minutes.  It is important to note that these shots would not have been possible in the Serengeti National Park where cars must stay on the roads. This encounter happened in the adjoining Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where one may drive off road to within 50 meters of an animal as long as it does not block the normal movement / habits of the species (one of the advantages of learning where to be and when to be there). In this case, we parked near the tree and the leopard came even closer.

"Join me in Africa… 2012 & 2013 trips now available"

The hyenas of the Ngorongoro crater are becoming so aggressive that they are hunting in packs to take down their own prey. We witnessed (from a distance), hyenas attack and kill a young zebra (maybe 18 months old) and then eat it. Taking this leg back to the den for the pups is one of the spoils. We also witnessed an unsuccessful attack on a wildebeest that although severely wounded, survived by jumping in the hippo pool…. the hyenas did not follow. Many of the lions in the crater looked skinny and hungry.  When asked, our guides said that the hyenas are running lions off so many kills that they are going hungry.

 Space available in 2012 & 2013 safaris

This tawny eagle which is coming in for a landing and the martial eagle flying overhead are just 2 of the 4-8 different eagles we see on every trip to the Serengeti. Everyone knows about the mammals… but few are aware of the plethora of bird life we see each time.

"Join me in Africa… 2012 & 2013 trips now available"

Intimate encounters with…..
In 3 days.. 2 cheetah kills (have only seen 4 ever)….. 13 cheetahs … including 4 little fuzz ball babies…. 2 amazing close leopard sightings,  21 lions and we still have 9 days to go. (this is truly a special trip)  All this in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (part of Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania).  Check out our luxury camp (tents like a 4-5 star hotel).  The chef prepared dining has been the better than any of the 4-5 star lodges. Off to the Serengeti next.

Visited a Masai women's cooperative where women are trained to better care for their family (ope fire chimneys, healthcare, etc), then on to Lake Manyara National Park where we encountered their infamous tree climbing lions (6 of them) … jumping ahead abit but we have seen 14 tree climbing lions since we arrived. This photo set includes a male vervet monkey in season… notice the blue.  A yellow breasted barbet… one of those days when the evolutionary designers was on drugs? A large bull elephant that approached our car to see if we were ok… and he deemed us to be such. In all an awesome half dayy on safari.

Beautiful dinner in the garden. 82 degrees, no bugs, full moon and good food. Pureed banana soup with chicken (awesome even though it did not sound good), samosas, bbq chucken, and great fruit. Walkabout tomorrow. Sent from my BlackBerry

The African Adventure Exhibition at the Troy Public Library has been extended through the end of February 2012.

The 36 prints in this exhibit provide an exciting overview of the Serengeti… the most amazing natural wildlife wonder of the world.

"Join me in Africa… 2012-2013 trips now available"