African Safari – Serengeti – Morning Drive, part one

Yellow-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus africanus)

African Safari – Serengeti – Morning Drive

This morning out on the Serengeti, we were all prepared to stay on our toes and keep a close look-out for the elusive Leopard.

Instead of a Leopard though, our first major cat activity was the watching of a Cheetah that started a fair distance from the roadway and then wandered past our vehicles to continue to hunt on the opposite side of the road.

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

The Cheetah prey on the smaller gazelles and any number of other grazing animals that inhabit the Serengeti.

Thomson’s Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)

Grant’s Gazelle (Nanger granti)

Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) with Grant’s Gazelle and Thomson’s Gazelle

Plains Zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli)

We continued to see small bee-eaters but I was never quite sure which specific species I was looking at since the differences in size and colour are not huge to the untrained eye (my eyes) so my suggested i.d. for these small birds might be incorrect.

Little Bee-Eater (Merops pusillus)

Some birds were larger and a bit easier to see but not necessarily easier to photograph as they were often on the move or blended in with the tall, dry grasses that they frequented.

White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)

The large Ground Hornbill, however, was very accommodating as it walked out of ht etall grass and past the front of our vehicle. Likewise, a Grey Hornbill decided to fly into an open spot while we were watching the Ground Hornbill wander off on the other side of the road.

Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri)

Grey Hornbill (Tockus nasutus)

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