Ol Pejeta - Hyenas and Zebras

The next morning we saw a few ostriches. They have had no chick for at least ten years. It seems the hyenas are eating their eggs.

Male

Female

Before heading back to camp we stopped for a bird walk. The “Hippo Bird Walk” has its own guide to protect us from any of the animals that might take exception to us. We saw eleven birds and two hippos on the walk.

Lilad-breasted Roller

Little Bee-eater

Martial Eagle

Our typical days include lunch and a few hours rest before heading back out for the afternoon drive. This afternoon we searched unsuccessfully for lions, but still had two interesting encounters. The first was an opportunity to watch a dazzle of zebras at a watering hole. While most of the dazzle stood up above the river to watch, three or four would venture down to get their drink. Before too long all of them had their drink and they could move off.

We also saw a couple of old male Cape Buffalo. These old guys are no longer strong enough to defeat the younger males so they have to leave the females. Of they are fortunate, they are gather in a herd. Staying together provides them some protection for the lions. As you can see from the pictures, they have definitely aged.

Notice the oxpicker picking his nose

Then on our way back to camp we came upon six hyena cubs playing by their den. As we watched in the evening glow of the sun, they slowly decided we were worth checking out. First one, then another, and finally all of them came up to our vehicle. Duma told us they would eat the tires if we let them so we moved several times to keep them from enjoying the rubber. Meanwhile we enjoyed watching them up close and personal.

A tawny eagle looking good in the evening light