Lake Naivasha
In the morning of September 12th, we left Lake Bogoria for Lake Naivasha Country Club Resort. On the map above you can see where we were staying(half way down the page on the right hand side). Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, outside the town of Naivasha in Nakuru County. It is part of the Great Rift Valley. The name comes from the local Maasai name Nai'posha meaning "rough water" because of the sudden storms which could arise. The lake is home to over 400 species of different birds and a sizeable population of hippos which we were hoping to see.
Before leaving in the morning, I took a walk around the grounds of the hotel where there were lots of monkeys.
We stopped at where the equator crosses Kenya near Nanyuki. The Equator is an imaginary line on the earth's surface equidistance from the North Pole and the South Pole, dividing the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. In Africa the equator runs along for almost 2,500 miles, passing through 6 countries.
This woman demonstrated the flushing toilet effect called the Coriolis effect. It is a common belief that toilets flushed in the northern hemisphere spin counterclockwise, in the southern hemisphere the water spins clockwise and the water drains straight down at the equator. The woman moved the pail to demonstrate this theory which appeared to be true. However, after reading about it this demonstration it seemed to more about the way the water is actually poured into the basin than the Coriolis effect. After further reading the Coriolis effect is very small and that is why it is apparent in large phenomena like tornados and hurricanes but does not show up in small things like dust devils and sinks. The amount of Coriolis effect a couple of steps away from the equator is so close to zero that this can only be a trick. Still it was fun to watch and believe at the time. In reality the direction that the water takes in toilet bowls is much more determined by the direction that the bowl's rim jets are pointed and it can be made to flush in either direction in either hemisphere by simply redirecting the rim jets during manufacture.
We listened to this man tell us a few facts about the equator which of course I have forgotten. However, one thing he mentioned that I hadn't heard was that hair curled one way on one side of the equator and a different direction on the other side. Now after reading about the Coriolis effect I'm guessing that is not correct either.
After being on the road for a while it was nice to get out and walk and enjoy the scenery. Goats were very common in Kenya.
Guides enjoying their break when we stopped for our picnic lunch.
After arriving at our hotel and settling in we went on a two hour boat ride. We were actually hoping that this boat was sea worthy especially if a major storm came up. We were supposed to go out around 4 but ended up going out sooner as there was talk of a change in weather. Fortunately the weather remained good and the boat stayed afloat.
So we ended up having a great boat ride in beautiful weather and so many species of birds. The first birds I saw were Cormorants in the trees. These birds are medium to large seabirds. They eat small eels, fish and even water snakes.
A close up shot of a Cormorant. Check out their beautiful coloured eyes.
As promised our guide found lots of hippopotamus for us to photograph. After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest type of land mammal. Their closest living relatives are whales and porpoises from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it can easily outrun a human. The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and ranks among the most dangerous animals in Africa.
We came across a few families and our guide got a little too close to them for my liking. At one point we were in a small area surrounded by reeds. The driver did manage to get caught in the reeds while trying to leave and I can tell you that this was the only time I was a little anxious on the trip. I think the guide was trying to do us a favour by getting so close. Fortunately, the families did not seem to take any notice of us.
Hard to believe that these animals are so aggressive as they look so peaceful and happy when they are sleeping.
This Yellow-billed Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae.
These birds fish by standing in shallow water.
A pair of African Collared-Doves.
A Yellow-billed Duck. These birds are Mallard-sized mainly grey ducks with a darker head and bright yellow bill.
A Yellow-billed egret is a medium-sized heron. This bird stalks its pretty methodically in shallow coastal or fresh water. It eats fish, frogs and insects.
This African Sacred Ibis is usually silent but occasionally makes some croaking noises. It feeds on various fish, frogs, small mammals, reptiles as well as insects.
A grey Heron.
Another Cormorant.
A Pied Kingfisher is a water kingfisher and is found across Africa and Asia. Not surprisingly this bird feeds mainly on fish.
The Spur-winged Goose is the largest African waterfowl and are on average the world's largest wild "goose".
A pair of Grey Crowned Cranes. This species and the closely related Black Crowned Cranes are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches.
Scenery from the boat ride.
An African Fish Eagle is the national bird of Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Sudan. This eagle resembles the Bald Eagle in appearance.
African fish eagle in flight. I took very few shots of birds flying since it takes a lot of practice to get them in focus. However, Cathy talked me into trying a few shots which came out ok.
We saw some young men having fun fishing.
The movie "Out of Africa" was filmed on Crescent Island which we passed by on the boat. We had an opportunity to go on the island but it was an unanimous decision to spend our time on the water.
This Hammerkop is a medium-sized wading bird. The shape of its head with a curved bill is reminiscent of a hammer which it is named after.
Another Cormorant that we passed by on the way back.
A Giant Kingfisher.
Our guide who gave us a great show and a little bit of excitement!
Comments
Your bird shots are absolutely amazing in colour and detail! I especially loved the one of the eagles.