2017/09 Part 6 Samburu - Mon pm Camel & elephants |
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We returned to the camp for lunch. There always seemed to be a crowd 
of oryxes around the parking area. Sandie found that the staff had a baby oryx in a pen.
It had been abandoned by its mother and the staff were trying to keep it alive.
We had time to look around our tent and take some pictures of the internals and the art. The vervet monkeys were looking at us too, maybe hoping we’d leave the zips open. I took a swim in our 
plunge pool, actually more of a crouch as it was tiny, covered by a Velcro’d tarp. The day was in the mid 30s C, (mid 90s F), so the water felt good. 
After lunch we spotted another ground squirrel under our deck. Sandie wanted a picture and I was racing around the deck looking through the lens when I strayed onto the plunge pool’s tarp. 
The Velcro gave way, my left leg plunged, and my right knee smacked into the deck, but I 
didn’t actually fall in. The only permanent damage was to my lens which no longer zooms smoothly. I did get the squirrel’s picture though. Sandie also captured this red-beaked fire finch while I was floundering around and cursing.
The first bird on our afternoon safari was this African harrier hawk; even prettier when it took off
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Samburu Monday PM game drive (2.10) |
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Along the river, this was one of a number of elephants come to drink, shower, and add 
sunscreen.
The two weird little birds on stilts and standing beak to beak are spotted thickknees and the one on the tree top is a white-bellied goaway bird, first seen in Amboseli.
Nzuki drove away from the river and up into the hills. We think he was hoping to find lions, but we’d seen so many already we weren’t bothered.
The scenery was certainly interesting. To his surprise we found a camel instead. We thought it was most likely an escapee rather than a migrant from the Sahara.
The light was going as we headed back towards camp.
We found this African hare, not our first but nice to see one with its ears up.
We stopped to take some pictures of the sunset and soon found ourselves surrounded by elephants. This mother looked to be feeding her calf, trying to get it to eat its greens perhaps.
The sunset was worth waiting for.