beentouring's Guestbook

Boy, I wouldn't think that crop of dried grasses offered any nutrition for the gazelles (as seen in the video). The "garden" photo makes better sense to me: at least some of the ground cover is green! On the other hand, it looks almost staged - so many animals. and so numerous. What an experience. On other matters, I didn't know that ostriches run a communal nest. I know that ducks here (and geese, maybe?) sometimes "gang up" their ducklings/goslings in little water-borne flocks of 20 or more, but I've never heard of any that go that extra step of sharing nest space. Interesting.

Wow. What a spectacular day. Your photos are excellent; your videos are exceptional. I love how the cub "asks" for more head-licking, leaning into it.

The scale of it is hard to get, isn't it -- both spatially and temporally? Imagine the volcano whose ejecta "filled in" (covered over?) the adjacent area to make the plain. And I wonder when the wind erosion will get around to finishing off those remnant red pillars sticking up in the middle. As for the dancers, I wonder how long it takes the women to get proficient at shimmering their necklaces without seeming to move any other part of their bodies. In a way it looks simple but I bet it ain't simple.

Excellent shots of many birds I've never heard of! The brown snake eagle, the white-bellied bustard (although I know you've posted others of these or similar), the lapwing, that amazing stork. And the cousin to the long-necked stilts I see in Phoenix. Lovely. Am I seeing spikes along the branches of the tree in which the eagle is sitting? As for this "40% of the land surface is grasslands", I remember hearing that for the first time sometime in the last few years. It wasn't something I'd ever wondered about, and I sure wouldn't have had any basis for making a guess. Just another area where my knowledge is sorely lacking.

I had no idea what hippos sound like, and had never thought to rectify this omission. Their behaviour looks to me like a "safety in numbers" strategy, although of course it could also be social. Floating/standing in water would also present a barrier for many predators. (Apparently sandhill cranes stand in marshy areas or ponds for protection from coyotes.) The lion cubs are, indeed, cuteness personified (animalified?). Cuteness made tangible, I guess.

UP, UP AND AWAY!
I am so glad that you chose to partake in the hot air balloon ride. I have not travelled as extensively as you have (although I have done my share over the years) but I have been blessed with the opportunity to go up in a hot air balloon (none holding as many passengers as yours) multiple times. It is one of my favourite modes of travel (probably tied with helicopters for #1). The farthest away that I experienced this mode of travel was in Australia - another opportunity to view unique animals (such as kangaroos) below us.

Great videos, showing the seeming nonchalance of leopards and lions. You're right - they do seem unconcerned, even confident. (I remember reading a novel where someone said that human infants must be all the scarier to other animals for being self-evidently completely helpless and yet unconcernedly loud in their squalls. It was like "I'm not afraid to attract your attention. My mom and dad are the biggest, baddest things you can imagine!") I think I'd be finding shade (if shade were available anywhere) instead of lying on top of a termite mound in full sun, but I suppose they know their own business best.

Happy Yawn
Gotta be "the Money Shot" that wildlife photographers wait for. I have posted it in TB's "Animals with character" thread in the Photography Forum. Check it out.

More fabulous shots. It's so fun to see the seemingly casual maternal care by the elephants. And did I know that gnus are aka wildebeests? I don't think so. I'm curious about your escorts to/from the tent. Were they armed with anything to deter animals?

I admire your restraint at the border. Sometimes the best we can do is to wait quietly, but it's not my forte. Your seen-in-passing street scenes are fascinating, as are the kopjes (which are new to me). They look OLD. And with the Serengeti now coming into play, I hear Toto's "Africa" playing in the background. :-)