Milvus milvus ... Red Kite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes or Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Subfamily: Milvinae
Genus: Milvus
Species: M. milvus
Binomial name Milvus milvus

The Red Kite Milvus milvus is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa. It is resident in the milder parts of its range in western Europe and northwest Africa, but birds from northeastern and central Europe winter further south and west, reaching south to Turkey. Vagrants have reached north to Finland and south to Israel, Libya and Gambia.

Red Kites are between 24 to 26 inches long with a 69–70 inch wingspan; males can weigh between 28 to 42 ounces, and females 35 to 46 ounces. It is an elegant bird, soaring on long wings held at a dihedral, and long forked tail, twisting as it changes direction. The body, upper tail and wing coverts are rufous. The white primary flight feathers contrast with the black wing tips and dark secondaries. Apart from the weight difference, the sexes are similar, but juveniles have a buff breast and belly. Its call is a thin piping sound, similar to but less mewling than the Common Buzzard.

Adults differ from juveniles in a number of characteristics:
- Adults are overall more deeply rufous, compared with the more washed out colour of juveniles;
- Adults have black breast-streaks whereas on juveniles these are pale;
- Juveniles have a less deeply forked tail, with a dark sub-terminal band;
- Juveniles have pale tips to all of the greater-coverts (secondary and primary) on both the upper- and under-wings, forming a long narrow pale line;
- Adults have pale fringes to upper wing secondary-coverts only.

The Red Kite's diet consists mainly of small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, young hares and rabbits. It feeds on a wide variety of carrion including sheep carcasses and dead game birds. Live birds are also taken and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Earthworms form an important part of the diet, especially in spring. As scavengers, red kites are particularly susceptible to poisoning. Illegal poison baits set for foxes or crows are indiscriminate and kill protected birds and other animals.

Adult red kites are sedentary birds, and occupy their breeding home range all year in the United Kingdom. Each nesting territory can contain up to five nest sites. Both male and female birds build the nest on a main fork or a limb high in a tree, - often over 40 feet up and beyond (to 60 feet!) above the ground. The nest is made of twigs and lined with grass or other vegetation and sheep’s wool. They inhabit broadleaf woodlands, valleys and wetland edges, to 250 feet or so ..... They are endemic to the western Palearctic, with the European population of 19,000-25,000 pairs encompassing 95% of its global breeding range. It breeds from Spain and Portugal east into central Europe and Ukraine, north to southern Sweden, Latvia and the UK, and south to southern Italy. There is a population in northern Morocco. Northern birds move south in winter, mostly staying in the west of the breeding range, but also to eastern Turkey, northern Tunisia and Algeria. The three largest populations (in Germany, France and Spain, which together hold more than 75% of the global population) declined between 1990 and 2000, and overall the species declined by almost 20% over the ten years. The main threats to Red Kites are poisoning, through illegal direct poisoning and indirect poisoning from pesticides, particularly in the wintering ranges in France and Spain, and changes in agricultural practices causing a reduction in food resources. Other threats include electrocution, hunting and trapping, deforestation, egg-collection (on a local scale). According to a report by the Welsh Kite Trust, the UK is the only country in which the Red Kite population is increasing. In 1999 the Red Kite was named 'Bird of the Century' by the British Trust for Ornithology. It has been unofficially adopted as the national bird of Wales. As of July 2011, non-breeding birds are regularly seen in all parts of Britain, and the number of breeding pairs is too large for the RSPB to continue to survey them on an annual basis.

Sea Eagle Safari

http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/Experiences/Excursions/southbound/9c-sea-eagle-safari

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_eagle

A sea eagle, also called erne or ern - mostly in reference to the White-tailed Eagle, is any of the birds of prey in the genus Haliaeetus in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.

Sea eagles vary in size, from Sanford's Fish Eagle averaging 2–2.7 kg to the huge Steller's Sea Eagle weighing up to 9 kg. At up to 6.9 kg, the White-tailed Eagle is the largest eagle in Europe. The White-bellied Sea Eagle can weigh up to 3.4 kg. Their diets consist mainly of fish and small mammals.

There are eight living species:

White-bellied Sea Eagle (H. leucogaster)
Sanford's Sea Eagle (H. sanfordi)
African Fish Eagle (H. vocifer)
Madagascar Fish Eagle (H. vociferoides)
Pallas's Fish Eagle(H. leucoryphus)
White-tailed Eagle (H. albicilla)
Bald Eagle (H. leucocephalus)
Steller's Sea Eagle (H. pelagicus)

The tails are entirely white in all adult Haliaeetus except Sanford's, white-bellied, and Pallas's. Three species pairs exist: white-tailed and bald eagles, Sanford's and white-bellied sea eagles, and the African and Madagascar fish eagles, each of these consists of a white- and a tan-headed species.

Haliaeetus is possibly one of the oldest genera of living birds. A distal left tarsometatarsus (DPC 1652) recovered from early Oligocene deposits of Fayyum, Egypt (Jebel Qatrani Formation, c.33 mya) is similar in general pattern and some details to that of a modern sea eagle. The genus was present in the middle Miocene (12-16 mya) with certainty.

Their closest relatives are the fishing eagles in the genus Ichthyophaga, very similar to the tropical Haliaeetus species. The relationships to other genera in the family are less clear; they have long been considered closer to the genus Milvus (kites) than to the true eagles in the genus Aquila on the basis of their morphology and display behaviour; more recent genetic evidence agrees with this, but points to them being related to the genus Buteo (buzzards) as well, a relationship not previously thought close.

The origin of the sea eagles and fishing eagles is probably in the general area of the Bay of Bengal. During the Eocene/Oligocene, as the Indian subcontinent slowly collided with Eurasia, this was a vast expanse of fairly shallow ocean; the initial sea eagle divergence seems to have resulted in the four tropical (and Southern Hemisphere subtropical) species found around the Indian Ocean today. The Central Asian Pallas's Sea eagle's relationships to the other taxa is more obscure; it seems closer to the three Holarctic species which evolved later and may be an early offshoot of this northward expansion; it does not have the hefty yellow bill of the northern forms, retaining a smaller darker beak like the tropical species.

The rate of molecular evolution in Haliaeetus is fairly slow, as is to be expected in long-lived birds which take years to successfully reproduce. In the mtDNA cytochrome b gene, a mutation rate of 0.5–0.7% per million years (if assuming an Early Miocene divergence) or maybe as little as 0.25–0.3% per million years (for a Late Eocene divergence) has been shown. A 2005 molecular study found that the genus is paraphyletic and subsumes Ichthyophaga, the species diverging into a temperate and tropical group.

2013 May - Norway

2013 May - Norway

The Kingdom of Norway in Bokmål is "Kongeriket Norge", whilst in Nynorsk it is "Kongeriket Noreg.

First day - 8th May: Manchester to Oslo - We left home at around 09:30 and did Manchester Airport's 'Meet & Greet' (not without difficulty!). Checked in OK but internet site for Norwegian Air needs sorting out - had seats but not Checked-In! Flew to Gardermoen (OSL) and got the Airport Express to Oslo S (Central), then a taxi in rush hour to the Clarion Collection Hotel Savoy, where we had a double room from that night until 10th May. Our deal included breakfast and a free light evening meal in the loft. (Spurs away match at Chelsea was 2:2!).

Day 2 - 9th: We walked to the City Hall and particularly the Tourist Office to find out what was open on this Ascension Thursday - all was - and we caught a City Panoramic tour bus. Took in Vigeland Sculpture Park - the largest sculpture park in the world made by one single artist.



In 1924 the City of Oslo invited Gustav Vigeland to take charge of the architectural layouts and design of the park as a setting for his life work, right in the centre of the larger Frogner Park. Although the first area of the Park – the Bridge – were opened up for the public in 1940.



Containing over 200 sculptures in Granit, Wrought Iron & Bronze made, the rest of the Vigeland Sculptural Arrangement, as it is also called, were not totally completed until 1949....

Then we went to a cloudy 'Holmenkollen', a large ski jumping hill that has been rebuilt 19 times; important upgrades include a stone take-off in 1910, an in-run superstructure in 1914, and a new superstructure in 1928. During the Second World War, the venue was used as a military installation, but upgraded in the late 1940s.



Further expansions were made ahead of the 1966 and 1982 World Championships, as well as in 1991. Between 2008 and 2010, the entire structure was demolished and rebuilt. As of 8 February 2011, the hill record is unofficially held by Anders Jacobsen at 142.5 meters and the official hill record was set at 5 March 2011 by Andreas Kofler at 141 meters.

We went back to the City Hall and toured around that ... quite impressive ... houses the city council, city administration, and art studios and galleries. The construction started in 1931, but was paused by the outbreak of World War II, before the official inauguration in 1950. Its characteristic architecture, artworks and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, held on 10 December, makes it one of Oslo's most famous buildings.



It was designed by Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson. The roof of the eastern tower has a 49-bell carillon which plays every hour. It is situated in Pipervika in central downtown Oslo. The area was completely renovated and rebuilt to make room for the new city hall, back in the late 1920s. In June 2005 it was named Oslo's "Structure of the Century".



We then walked / caught the 31 bus to the Botanical Gardens .. had a drink and a cake in cafe and checked out the Palm House and Victorian House. Back via a tram (17) and got off too soon ... walked up to the National Gallery (or the Nasjonalgalleriet) to see the Pre-Renaissance and the Edvard Munch (Expressionist) Galleries. Saw one of the paintings of 'The Scream'.



Then back to the hotel and an earlyish dinner. Talked to some pleasant Swedes at the 'central table'.



Day 3 - 10th May: We flew Norwegian Air from Oslo to Kirkenes. Remember the sick woman on the plane! But we got the bus and picked up the M.S. Finmarken.



We got cabin 506 with an outside view (Deck 5) including Full Board. At dinner we met Robyn and Tim Russano for the first time. Robyn was a retired solicitor and 82 years old (missing Rosemary, his wife who had died about 7 years prior); and Tim, who presumably was retired but claimed to be editor of some airport journal - he was living in Edinburgh, (and missing his wife, Margaret, who had died two years or so ago).




Day 4 - 11th May: Breakfast at Nord Cape meant we had to get up early ... Margaret got me an Amazon birthday card and although I thought it 06:15 it was 6 o'clock apparently, so we got on the coach, at the dock in the town of Honningsvåg, with five minutes to spare. Harry was the driver and Frank the guide. We drove to Nordkapp - a cape on the northern coast of the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway.

The cape (although an adjoining one looked further out to me) was atop of a 1,000 feet high cliff with a large, flat plateau on top with views of the Barents Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. We took photos of the place and walked around - got s photo taken of us at the globe. Then we retreated from the cold into the newish visitor centre (built in 1988) that gives panoramic views from the cafe, where we had breakfast and saw an Arctic hare. The construction had a post office and souvenir shop, in it. We briefly looked at the (tatty) souvenirs after we had watched a great movie in their cinema.



The North Cape is reached by the European route E69 highway through the North Cape Tunnel, an undersea tunnel connecting the island of Magerøya to the mainland. The EuroVelo bicycle route EV1 runs from North Cape to Sagres, Portugal — a 5,093 mile distance by land and sea. The North Cape got its name courtesy of an Englishman Captain Steven Borough, of the Edward Bonaventure, which sailed past in 1553 in search of the Northeast Passage. In 1943, the Battle of North Cape was fought in the Arctic Ocean off this cape, where the 'Scharnhorst' was eventually sunk by gunfire from the 'Duke of York' and torpedoes from Norwegian Navy destroyer HNoMS 'Stord', and other ships of the British Navy.

On the way back we stopped off to see Neil - a Sami complete with National Dress and a Reindeer.



Not to mention his wife in similar garb in the souvenir shop! Then we had a longish journey past rebounding slate fields, reindeer herds and broken by a coffee in a local hostelry. We then past a sea eagle languidly flying overhead. We rejoined the ship at Hammerfest.



We had lunch and let the afternoon slip away gently as we sunbathed (well wrapped up!) on deck. We met Robyn and Tim for dinner at 7pm but the table numbering threw us .... 507 we thought was mis-labelled (we were 506), but it turned out that was the Rossano's cabin, and the number '214' was the one that was wrong!

Day 4:- Through the Lofoten Islands ... Just north of the Trollfjord I transferred to a RIB while the vessel was still underway! The M/S Finnmarken only entered Trollfjord and turned around and motored out!



Only metres to spare each side - pretty impressive though a Search & Rescue boat stood by!



The stars were the beautiful, rare birds of prey – the Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) - circle the boat a few times, and then drop down for the fish into the sea - thought the gulls were pretty impressive!



Day 5: - Up at 08:30 for breakfast and then Deck 8 for the Observation Room during the morning. Certainly until lunch although I had some time on deck outside as we glided carefully through the Straits of Risøysundet - a strait between the islands of Andøya and Hinnøya in the Vesterålen archipelago - located in the municipality of Andøy (in Nordland county) this 15 mile-long strait has only one road crossing - the Andøy Bridge - and the strait flows between the Gavlfjorden / Sortlandssundet (Southwest) and the Andfjorden (Northeast).



In 1922 a 2.8 mile long channel was dredged to allow the Hurtigruten ships to pass. We had a lazy late part of the morning on bow sunbathing until it was time to have cod liver oil to celebrate the passing of the Arctic Circle on our way south.



Luckily we got to keep the spoon! Coffee needed after that though, to take away the taste. We had lunch then we sunbathed all afternoon, then had dinner.

Day 6: - Another lazy day ... breakfast, sunbathe, lunch, sunbathe then dinner ... Gosh, it's a hard life!




Day 7: - Like Day 6 although Margaret told me that it got rough at about 3am!

Day 8:- 15th May - Up, packed - left bags near the lift and had breakfast. Deck 8 for Observation and I walked the deck. Had lunch and disembarked. We stayed in the Augustin Hotel, Bergen in a double room including a breakfast.



We walked (in the rain) and caught the Fløibanen - a funicular in Bergen, which runs up the mountain of Fløyen.



The cars and machinery were last totally renewed in September–November 2002. Each car is named and individually painted - Blåmann is blue, whilst Rødhette, (equivalent to Little Red Riding Hood in English), is red.

For the evening meal we went to the Enhjørningen Restaurant (at the Sign of the Unicorn) on Bryggen, Bergen`s traditional wharf.



Dating from the early Middle Ages, the whole building has been reverently restored to its condition in the 18th century, when it was occupied by a Hanseatic merchant who used this deep, narrow building as both business and living quarters, and for storage - a Norwegian fish restaurant of unique character.



We had halibut and I started with their mussels. Margaret had a superb crème brûlée dessert. We had walked there and back, past the fish market which seemed staggering for choice and freshness.

Day 9 - 16th May. We travel from Bergen to Oslo today. Up and walked up to the train station - though it seemed to be a long way it was the way I took us! Then we did it for real with the suitcases and it was easy. Had a coffee in the station waiting for the train and then caught it to Oslo - from 11:58 to 19:05 (Komfort Class) - a long, but stunning journey - climbing up to pass snow covered skiing areas and descending near river torrents.





Got in the Clarion Savoy hotel to enjoy a meal in the loft and then turn in for the night, in our double room luxury suite! (5th Floor!).

17th May Oslo - We spent most of the day watching the Constitution Day parade and walked miles.



Then went to look around the Opera House.



On the way back, Margaret giving me stick for taking us way out of our way at the finish but we had plenty of time to Manchester - set off at 19:00 and landed at 20:10 - got home about 10:30 pm - all well.

2013 March - Sauze d’Oulx

From Tuesday 12th March until Sunday 17th I went to ski in Sauze d’Oulx. Silvio Scarpanti had arranged it but had to cry off because of his wife's (Ivanna) Mother - who was unwell. Gerard Essink too gave late word that he couldn't come (just been made redundant and moving apartments at the end of the month - poor fella). John Phillpotts had already cancelled due to his operation and Neil Blackburn had declined last year. Markus Hug is still looking for a job. So I joined the other member of our Team - Heinrich Klüwer. We stayed one night in Hotel 'Le Robinie', (near Malpensa airport) and next day headed - in a Fiat Panda 4X4 - for Sauze D'Oulx. It is part of the vast Via Lattea – Milky Way – close to the border with France (about halfway between Briancon and Turin). With around 250 miles of piste and upwards of 70 lifts in total, it’s good for intermediates. There are 7 small villages or towns that share the ski area: all in Italy except for the last - Sauze d’Oulx, Sestriere, Sansicario, Cesana, Claviere, Pragelato and Montgenevre in France. The Val di Susa in which Sauze d'Oulx is present, was once formed the pilgrim way to and from France along the Francigena Road, and later was taken by armies invading Italy. This history has left a legacy of abbeys and castles to which even the most passionate skiers may want to dedicate some time. Today the Valley lies on the key transport link to France via the Frejus tunnel. We got out skis (and Heinrich boots) at Besson Sports in town.



Poor Heinrich - putting up with me for four days skiing ... I thought I was fit but wrong thigh muscles ... did I ache?

We stayed in the Grand Besson in the town and found it OK. The room was fine but the hotel was noisy - thanks to some English girls who made a great deal of disturbance late at night.



We ate in the hotel on the first night ... it wasn't good. We would only have breakfast here in future!

We skied over to Sestriere but made the mistake of skiing all the way - down past the gondola. Then we had a long walk to find a chair to get some height so we could try to get back to the gondola and back up. Next time we will stop at the half way station!

The next night we went into Town and to Bar l'Assietta - which had two restaurants inside it! We enjoyed the food too (I had a wild boar pasta and Heinrich has rack of lamb) - the house red was a Barolo (made from Nebbiolo grape) for five Euros a glass! Heinrich had a really good Sicilian Chardonnay.

Our last meal in Town we didn't find by accident - I found 'La Griglia' on TripAdvisor - however we did find it by chance - walking into Town and looked further then 'Del Falco' - it was a couple of streets off the beaten track. Inside there was lots of locals It was great value for money and good food.

2013 February Tanzania - the rest of the trip ...

Oldupai Gorge is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley that stretches through eastern Africa. A river cuts through several layers of strata with four distinct beds. Bed I, the oldest, is about 2 million years old. It is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in the Arusha Region and is about 30 miles long. It is located about 30 miles from the Laetoli archaeological site. Laetoli is a site in Tanzania, dated to the Plio-Pleistocene and famous for its hominin footprints, preserved in volcanic ash. The location was excavated by archaeologist Mary Leakey in 1978. “The Laetoli Footprints” received significant recognition by the public, providing convincing evidence of bipedalism in Pliocene hominids based on analysis of the impressions. Dated to 3.6 million years ago they were also the oldest known evidence of bipedalism at the time they were found, although now older evidence has been found such as the Ardipithecus ramidus fossils.)

Oldupai is the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria ehrenbergii, which grows in the gorge.



The Gorge is possibly the most important paleoanthropological site and has helped the understanding of early human evolution enormously. Excavated by Louis and Mary Leakey in the mid-1950s the site, or rather group of sites, is nine miles long and 350 feet deep and includes almost 2 million years of occupation. The sites at Oldupai are primarily stream and lake-side occupations, where stone working occurred. A stone-hut structure is in evidence at the DK locality, dated approximately 1.8 million years ago. Other site types include butchery sites, home bases, and storage caches. Fossil hominids identified include Australopithecus boisei, Homo habilis and Homo erectus. Stone tool assemblages recognized there include Acheulean and Oldowan. The excavations at Olduvai were important because they established the African origin of humankind. There is strong evidence that the site was taken by Homo habilis approximately 1.9 million years ago – then occupied by Paranthropus boisei only about 1.8 million years ago.

Finally Homo erectus occurred here just 1 to 1.2 million years ago. It seems that Homo sapiens came to the site as recently as only 17,000 years ago. For Louis Leakey it was significant as he found traces of increased developmental and social complexities in hominins at the Gorge - production and use of stone tools were found, which indicates the increase in cognitive capacities. There is also evidence that the practices of both scavenging and hunting took place too (gnaw marks predating cut marks), and increase occurrence of tool deposits etc. indicates a growth in social interaction and communal activity.



The first great invention - we think - was a hand-axe and plenty were found at the Oldupai Gorge (there's one such example in the British Museum about 1.5 million years old). Hand axes were still in use there some 500,000 years ago & no other cultural artefact is known to have been made for such a long time across such a huge geographical range (even found in Asia .. Korea!) and they were always made from stone and (we think) always held in the hand during use - having a characteristic teardrop shape.



Around 500,000 years ago seismic activity diverted a nearby stream which began to cut down into the sediments, revealing seven main layers in the walls of the Oldupai Gorge. The Museum is pretty rough & ready given that J. Paul Hetty's Museum - during the 1990s & it's Department of Conservation made over and added to the museum - including a new wing for exhibitions and that Tanzania's government's Department of Cultural Antiquities is pretty poor! Its located on the edge the Gorge and the exhibits are centred around the Leakey family and their pursuit of working at Olduvai Gorge and an adjacent hall dedicated solely to the Laetoli fossilized footprints.

Type of occupation: Homo habilis is thought to have occupied the site from 1.9 to 1.2 million years ago. Paranthropus boisei was found to occupy the site from approximately 1.8 million years ago until 1.2 million years ago. Homo erectus remains were found and dated at the site from 1.2 million years ago until 700,000 years ago. Homo sapiens came to occupy the gorge 17,000 years ago.



(the original site being quite some distance away) - with a cast on show, that was made of part of the footprint trail in 1996 (thanks to the J. Paul Getty Museum).

Plantation Lodge is set in Ngorongoro Highlands. It’s tranquil, scenic and in a great spot for easy access to the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. The rooms are simple but luxurious and the food is particularly good as they make use of their fine organic vegetable garden - its located just outside the small village of Karatu - half way between the Crater and Lake Manyara (and a two and a half hour drive from Arusha). We stayed in a suite called 'Helioconia'. We enjoyed the food and drinks - the bar was lovely and the verandah, (where we ate a couple of times as well as the restaurant.



The Lodge is only about 30 minutes from the entrance to the Ngorongoro Crater, and was a short drive from the Tarangire Park. We could easily reach Lake Manyara from here.



The lodge itself is situated amongst the lush sloping valleys of the coffee plantations - it has the feeling of an old colonial farm house - a series of white buildings spread out amongst a beautifully kept grass lawn. The gardens and vegetable patches are all rich, verdant and plentiful.

Lake Manyara stretches for about 30 miles - along the base of the rusty-gold 1,500 to 2,000 foot high Rift Valley escarpment, and is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. Water in Lake Manyara is trapped and subjected to intense evaporation, which has led to salt accumulation and the appearance of distinctive deposits at the water’s edge. Permanent pools on the fringes of the marshes are irresistible wallowing sites for elephant, buffalo and warthog. This waterlogged habitat is also home to the specially adapted reedbuck and waterbuck, and several rarely encountered species, apparently including the serval and marsh mongoose - though we didn't see them.



There's also an abundance of frogs apparently that breed in the marshes and attracts a range of snakes, including the African rock python (Python sebae) - we didn't see the frogs or the snakes either! During the dry seasons, the waters of Lake Manyara recede and stretches of exposed land are covered with tender grasses attracting many grazing herbivores. While most large mammals can be found in the woodlands, extensive shrubby areas provide a protected habitat for the Kirk’s dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) and the tall termite** mounds are often occupied by mongoose, as well as (again unseen!) lizards - most likely the Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus). Birds are plentiful, due to the abundance of insects, nectar and seedpods. Nurtured by a permanent supply of groundwater, a tall, evergreen forest thrives in the park's northern region. Most large mammals avoid the boggy conditions of the forest, but elephant and buffalo occasionally feed here and bushbuck are commonly encountered. Troops of monkeys and baboons forage through the tree canopies.

**taxonomic rank of order Isoptera termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use a self-organised systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence to exploit food sources and environments that could not be available to any single insect acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens. Termites divide labour among gender lines, produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Worker termites undertake the labours of foraging, food storage, brood and nest maintenance, and some defense duties in certain species. Workers are the main caste in the colony for the digestion of cellulose in food and are the most likely to be found in infested wood. The soldier caste has anatomical and behavioural specialisations, providing strength and armour which are primarily useful against ant attack; (they are not true ants though maybe called 'White Ants'). Termite workers build and maintain nests to house their colony which can be elaborate structures - made using a combination of soil, mud, chewed wood/cellulose, saliva, and faeces - which has many functions such as to provide a protected living space and to collect water through condensation. Savannah species build nests above-ground, that usually develop into very large mounds, - sometimes (exceptionally) 30 feet high! Ecologically, termites are important in nutrient recycling, habitat creation, soil formation and quality and, particularly the winged 'reproductives', as food for countless predators. In addition, scorpions, lizards, snakes, small mammals, and birds live in abandoned or weathered mounds, and aardvarks dig substantial caves and burrows in them, which then become homes for larger animals such as hyenas and mongooses.



At Manyara - from the entrance gate - the road winds through an expanse of lush jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong Yellow Baboon (Papio cynocephalus) troops lounge nonchalantly along the roadside, Blue Monkeys or Diademed monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) scamper nimbly between the ancient (but invasive)Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) trees, dainty Bushbuck - the Kéwel (Tragelaphus scriptus) and the Imbabala (Tragelaphus sylvaticus) tread warily through the shadows, and outsized forest African Redbilled Hornbills Tockus erythrorhynchus honk cacophonously in the high canopy. Contrasting with the intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and its expansive views eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes. Large Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer), Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and the Plains Zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli) herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do Masai giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) – some so dark in coloration that they appear to be black from a distance. Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of Acacia woodland is the favoured haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing Lions (Panthera leo) and impressively tusked African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) . Squadrons of Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) dart between the Acacia spp. trees. Pairs of Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) are often seen silhouetted on the rocks above a field of searing hot springs that steams and bubbles adjacent to the lake shore in the far south of the park.



Lower down the birdlife is impressive with 100s of birds around. We saw stunning water holes with the wallowing pods of Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), complete with their helpful Oxpecker Birds - both yellow & red eyed - (Buphagus africanus and B. erythrorhynchus) - being "Commensal' - as well as Yellowbilled Stork (Mycteria ibis), Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis), a Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) , not to mention the Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) and the Palm-nut Vulture or Vulturine Fish Eagle(Gypohierax angolensis). In spite of the water's salinity it has high concentration of algae and attracts an astounding array of water birds - including flamingos - most likely the Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) - though we didn't see any. Groves of tall, ghostly trees grow on the banks of the lake during the dry season, dying off as the level of the lake rises and the tree roots become waterlogged. New forests spring up in the next dry season, continuing the perpetual cycle.



Other flora include the Baobab (Adansonia digitata), the broad-leaved Croton (Codiaeum variegatum), Quinine Cinchonia pubescens, - the so called-Sausage Tree Kigelia africana), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) , the Umbrella thorn (Acacia tortilis) so popular with the elusive tree climbing lions of Lake Manyara, the Wild Mango (Irvingia gabonensis) as well as the (Yellow) Fever Acacia (Acacia xanthophloea) trees.

Went to a nearby Orphanage and Bob left his paper ... and signed the vistors' book as well as made a donation. TO my shame I cannot recall the name but Godlisten did a good job here. I left loads of coloured pencils for him to give to the Orphanage too.





Ngorongoro Crater is the most spectacular largest intact, inactive and unflooded caldera in the world (a basin caused by the collapse or explosion of the centre of a volcano) - and is home to one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in the whole of Africa, including the big five: elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion and rhino. From the rim edge to the floor it is about 2,000 feet!



The largest animals in the crater are the black rhinoceros and the hippopotamus. There are no Impalas (Aepyceros melampus), Topis (Damaliscus lunatus),Oribis (Ourebia oribi), Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis), or Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus).

The Munge Stream drains the Olmoti Crater to the north, and is the main water source draining into the seasonal salt lake in the centre of the crater - Makat, (Maasai - meaning salt); and more properly Magadi. The Lerai Stream drains the humid forests to the south of the Crater, and it feeds the Lerai Forest on the crater floor - when there is enough rain, the Lerai drains into Lake Magadi as well. The other major water source in the crater is the Ngoitokitok Spring, near the eastern crater wall. There is a picnic site here open to tourists and a huge swamp fed by the spring, and the area is inhabited by Hippopotamus, Africa Elephants, Lions, and many others. Many other small springs can be found around the crater's floor, and these are important water supplies for the animals and local Masaai, especially during times of drought. Masai are now permitted to graze their cattle within the crater, but must enter and exit daily.

Aside from herds of zebra, gazelle, and wildebeest, the crater is home to the "big five" of rhinoceros, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo. The crater plays host to almost every individual species of wildlife in East Africa, with an estimated 25 000 animals within the crater.

The crater has one of the densest known population of Lions. On the crater rim are Leopards, African Elephants, Mountain Reedbuck, and Cape Buffalo. A large lake in the middle of the crater is inhabited by hundreds of Flamingos, and, from a distance, they appear as a pink border of the lake. There are also Wildebeest, Eland and Thomson's gazelle as well as Cape Buffalo and Waterbuck; (the latter nearer the Lerai Forest). Lions are common in the reserve as are Hartebeest, Spotted Hyenas, and Jackals. Compared with elsewhere the migration in the Ngorongoro Crater is almost non-existent, as it as an abundance of year-round food and water supply - and the precipitous walls of this collapsed extinct volcano discourage (but don't totally eliminate) migrating. The collapsed but unbroken, unflooded crater (or caldera) measures about 12 miles across.



We also saw Bats in the restrooms (near the forest)!

We saw Flamingos in the lake ... then back to the Lodge and ready for our next adventure based in the Serengeti! We game drove towards the park ... seeing lots of animals on the way.



The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa located in north Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya and spans some 12,000 square miles and hosts the largest terrestrial mammal migration in the world, which help secure it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. The Serengeti is also renowned for its large lion population and is one of the best places to observe prides in their natural environment.



By David Dennis from Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain (Zebra in the Serengeti Wildebeest)

Serengeti is derived from the Maasai language, Maa; specifically, "Serengit" meaning "Endless Plains". Approximately 70 larger mammal and some 500 avifauna species are found there. This high diversity in terms of species is a function of diverse habitats ranging from riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, grasslands and woodlands. Blue wildebeests, gazelles, zebras and buffalos are some of the commonly found large mammals in the region.

Olakira, (means “shining star” in kiSwahili), is a classic mobile Serengeti safari camp. It moves twice a year to follow the migration and both spots are fantastic. When in the south, it’s located in the Ndutu plains in close proximity to the calving herds. It was a luxurious under-canvas camp (it moves twice a year - with the seasons, following the wildebeest herds).



It's rustic but luxurious, a small camp with just 10 tents which seemed fully furnished with flushing loos and showers. It's is a fantastic camp in one of the last few remote areas in the Serengeti. It had fine linen / dining yet was an authentic East African safari camp set in the great grassy plains of the south. The camp was near to both Lake Macek and Lake Ndutu so we could see Flamingos too.






The camp was very comfortable and aside from having to ordered hot water for the shower, everything was convenient. On out game drives from here we saw just about everything and of the things we wanted to see the most was Wildebeest en masse and leopards. Both of which Godlisten sorted out for us.



We saw Hyenas causing the herds of wildebeest issues ...





We saw Plains Zebra ...



I loved safari and learnt (most of all) that the Serengeti is massive - in a way I should have known really (given all the beasts that graze on it) but hadn't thought it through. I was also incredibly pleased to have been to Oldupai Gorge too.



We left via a small private aircraft from the Olakira Ndutu airstrip - which was only 20/30 minutes drive from the camp!



Memorably, we saw Wildebeest mothers giving birth - and five minutes for the baby to get used to walking and running!