the most spectacular creatures have become commonplace
Since time is short, I will go for the shock tactics. Here is the list of animals we have seen:
(We have seen MANY of each.)
Elephants
Giraffes
Hippopotamuses
Baboons
Vervet monkeys
Hyraxes
Mongooses
Hares
Squirrels
Impala
Thomsons gazelles
Grants gazelles
Dikdiks
Cape buffalo
Water bucks
Bush bucks
Oryx
zebu cows + normal cattle
goats, sheep
donkeys
grevy zebras
plains zebras
bushbabies
jackals
possibly more that I am forgetting. Most of them have babies - the baby elephants follow their parents around, waving their thin trunks and tails; the baby baboons cling to their mothers' backs and ride along, odd humped tails aligned with their mum's, looking around with their devious baboon faces; the baby zebras have spindly legs, perfect tiny stripes, and fuzzy brushes of mane; the baby impala are like flawless, slender miniatures, meticulously stepping where their mothers step, grazing.
This list does not include the birds, which have been magnificent, varying from enormous Marshall eagles (we saw one winging off, prince of the sweeping sunset bowl beneath mt. kenya, with another bird caught in its great talons), to flitting, bright yellow weaverbirds, to the pied kingfisher, which hovered like an oversize hummingbird above the river and then plunged down to catch a small fish. The Kenyan assistants who maintain our camp fill a birdfeeder in a stand of trees every morning, and flocks of superb starlings (brilliant, irridescent deep blue, with carmine bellies) come to feed. The starlings are everywhere, anyhow; the most spectacular creatures have become commonplace in the space of 6 days. It no longer seems odd to see a giraffe's graceful head and liquid, long-lashed eyes rise out of an acacia to peacefully watch the land rover cruise by. I've been standing with my head out of the safari top, just opening my mouth as wide as I can and breathing wind.
We also do work. Measuring stuff. Ecology. Lectures. In fact, we are sort of "in class" from about 8-8, every day. But it don't seem much like work to me.
Digestive system at about 80%. I remain hopeful that they won't have to get a doctor for me.
Hope you're all doing well! Leave me a comment letting me know what's up.
Jenn
(We have seen MANY of each.)
Elephants
Giraffes
Hippopotamuses
Baboons
Vervet monkeys
Hyraxes
Mongooses
Hares
Squirrels
Impala
Thomsons gazelles
Grants gazelles
Dikdiks
Cape buffalo
Water bucks
Bush bucks
Oryx
zebu cows + normal cattle
goats, sheep
donkeys
grevy zebras
plains zebras
bushbabies
jackals
possibly more that I am forgetting. Most of them have babies - the baby elephants follow their parents around, waving their thin trunks and tails; the baby baboons cling to their mothers' backs and ride along, odd humped tails aligned with their mum's, looking around with their devious baboon faces; the baby zebras have spindly legs, perfect tiny stripes, and fuzzy brushes of mane; the baby impala are like flawless, slender miniatures, meticulously stepping where their mothers step, grazing.
This list does not include the birds, which have been magnificent, varying from enormous Marshall eagles (we saw one winging off, prince of the sweeping sunset bowl beneath mt. kenya, with another bird caught in its great talons), to flitting, bright yellow weaverbirds, to the pied kingfisher, which hovered like an oversize hummingbird above the river and then plunged down to catch a small fish. The Kenyan assistants who maintain our camp fill a birdfeeder in a stand of trees every morning, and flocks of superb starlings (brilliant, irridescent deep blue, with carmine bellies) come to feed. The starlings are everywhere, anyhow; the most spectacular creatures have become commonplace in the space of 6 days. It no longer seems odd to see a giraffe's graceful head and liquid, long-lashed eyes rise out of an acacia to peacefully watch the land rover cruise by. I've been standing with my head out of the safari top, just opening my mouth as wide as I can and breathing wind.
We also do work. Measuring stuff. Ecology. Lectures. In fact, we are sort of "in class" from about 8-8, every day. But it don't seem much like work to me.
Digestive system at about 80%. I remain hopeful that they won't have to get a doctor for me.
Hope you're all doing well! Leave me a comment letting me know what's up.
Jenn
posted by Jenn at
12:17 PM
1 Comments:
jenn in africa. wow. i feel like you are officially part of all those african memoirs i have in my biography section. i am envious of your list of animals. though i did see a bald eagle soaring over downtown victoria the other day. no comparison though.
caitlin
poor you. in regards to your digestive system that is.
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