Jambo! Welcome to Serengeti

Welcome to the Serengeti, an area that covers
14,763 square kilometers of Tanzania.

Grasslands, rivers, rocky outcrops
Birds, animals, reptiles
The daily struggle of life and death.

People, looking for adventure and a sense of place use land rovers, vans, small aircraft and walking to build their country's infrastucture.

Looking out onto the vast expanse of the land with its flat topped acacia forests, comes a feeling of solitude.  Dirt roads wind and cross each other and I know there are others driving in the area but I see no one.  It is quiet and still. (An excerpt from my handmade book.)

The Serengeti was my favorite area in Tanzania.  The landscape was grassland and dry acacia forest (much like Arizona) with rivers supporting a variety of  wildlife. The birds were breathtaking. (Being a birder I got over 300 new species of birds.)  The exotic animals chose when to let us see them or were in herds.  The people were friendly and colorful and the lodging was delightful.  The combination of colors, shapes, textures and emotions will keep my idea backlog full for years. 

Lilac-breasted Roller

The Lilac-breasted Roller is a pretty common bird in the Serengeti.   It was usually perched in the open on branches showing it's colors.  The color combination of the feathers was definitely eye-catching.
  
Buffalo Weavers
 We stopped for lunch under a large tree and were surrounded by Superb Starlings and Buffalo Weavers.  We could not stop ourselves from feeding the birds from our lunch boxes! 
Me feeding the Superb Starlings














The hyena was never at the top of my list of animals to even wonder about until I saw this one.  This pregnant spotted hyena sitting beside a water hole enjoying the sun, stretched, and leaned over to touch the green plant with her nose.  She looked up and over toward me.  My preconceived image of the hyena changed from “vermin” to “powerful hunter” who had a gentle quality. 




Tomorrow I’ll share my story of The Dancing Elephant!
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  1. AnonymousAugust 3, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    Well told tale! Make one sense the wonder of nature and the reality of survival. Great pictures!
    Maybe we ought to be a bit closer to the reality of their survival in order to make better use of our time and make better collective decisions! Just a thought after reflecting on the circus of politics we've just witnessed this last week. daves

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