Uganda and Kenya Mammals 3-18 Aug 2009
We spent a day in Kibale Forest National Park tracking this group, which was quite active. Our most frequent view was the one immediately to the left of this text... They spent a lot of time looking up as in the top row, because chimps in the trees were constantly throwing things down to the ground.
We also spent a day in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest tracking these Mountain Gorillas. See more photos of the forest and the trek on the scenic and people pages. Our group (Mubare group) had moved quite a bit overnight, so we hiked for about 5 hours to reach them (although not very fast), The forest had trails for part of the way, and the rest of it was some pretty strenuous hiking, but the porters helped anyone who needed it and it was a great time. The gorilla in the top row and second one down on the left is Ruhodenza, the silverback or lead male of the group.
Not a great shot, but a pretty rare canid.
The lioness and cubs series at the bottom was one of the most fun events I have ever had the pleasure of photographing... the antics of the cubs were just hilarious, and for an hour or so we were laughing out loud watching them all. The light wasn't great, but the experience sure was...
In several of these photos the elephants are tossing dust on themselves to help stay cooler.
In the middle image on the right, the one zebra is about to kick the stuffing out of the one on the left, and we could hear the noise of the impact quite far away.
In the bottom shot, note that in this species the calves tend to follow behind the mother while traveling. Another name for this species that is more accurate than Black is Hook-lipped Rhino. This species has been declining at alarming rates for many years, and intensive efforts are underway to conserve the ones which remain.
In the right bottom shot, note the horn is made of hair. Also note in the shot above that one that in this species the calves tend to be in front of the mother while traveling. Another name for this species that is more accurate than White is Square-lipped Rhino.
Those are Red-billed Oxpeckers.
Note two distinct subspecies represented here: Reticulated and Masai. Reticulated are mostly toward the top, with thinner pattern markings..
The herd at lower right has been caught in a rainstorm.
Topi LOVE to stand on termite mounds... you can often ID them from miles off by this habit.
The bottom ten images are of combined Wildebeest and Zebra migration across the Mara and Talek Rivers... quite a spectacle. See bottom of this page for one of the dangers of this crossing, and why the Wildebeest sometimes huddle up on the banks without crossing.
And yes, I know this isn't a mammal... but it fits better on this page.
