The giraffe in the Meru conservancy are a different variety than ones in South Africa...they are called reticulated giraffe, and have a very distinct pattern and very white, clear delineation between patches of red/brown.
I mentioned that we were with some very serious birders from the UK at Meru--they have been everywhere from Borneo and New Guinea to the Amazon looking for various species. Bud soaked up a lot more than I did, but here are some shots...Noreen probably knows what they are.
We learned that the term antelope is a general term for for many, many plains animals. The eland is the largest (and slowest), the impala the most plentiful (and main food for lions) and the dik-dik the smallest. Here are shots of a water (or maybe bush) buck, two male impalas hanging out in what the Masaii call a "boys club", and a strange looking giraffe-neck antelope. At the end of our stay we were just beginning to learn how to identify all the species.
I also want to get the cape buffalo entered into a regular blog post. The herds here are quite large, and they look very healthy now--though back before the rains in November (the worst since 1954), the camp staff said they were all skin and bones. This fellow sported scars from a severe lion attack a few weeks ago--staff were amazed and pleased that he survived.
What a face!
We have just checked in at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Security in the city is very strict. Our hotel, the Fairview, is right across from the Israeli Embassy, so we ran a gauntlet of armed (but very friendly) checks before getting to the reception area.
Check in at the airport was very smooth and quiet at 2:00 am--we have a 4:30 am flight to Cairo. But the first class lounge is open, staffed, and outfitted with coffee, juice and and snacks. There is free WiFi and they even ask what your flight is so they can wake you if you fall asleep--tough to do in a old-fashioned and cramped area...but better than being out on the concourse.
More later...I want to describe the 6 hour drive through the country from Meru to the Sosian Ranch.
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