Pups on 2-24-19 (Born 1-30-19)

Hippos- Africa

  As nocturnal grazers, hippos tend to follow timeworn feeding paths from the lake shore up into the forest and nearby clearings where they feed at night.

Unpredictable and surprisingly fast, hippos account for more human deaths than any other African animal, trampling and biting unwary pedestrians (and/or women washing clothes in the river) that come between them and their routes back to the water.

They weigh 2-3 tons when fully grown.

All of their most important sense organs (eyes, ears and nose) are located on the top of their head so the vast majority of their body can remain under water while they remain vigilant to their surroundings.

These “yawns” are actually threat displays to try to intimidate other hippos without actually getting into a fight where injury might result.

Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow

Deck shots

Next door doggies

Most of our wintering American White Pelicans have left the area 2-3 weeks earlier than usual, perhaps due to warmer waters and not as many fish to eat.

Brown Pelican

Tufted Titmouse on Screechie’s nest box

Incoming White Ibises

Fingernail Moon

Great Egret, one of 5 species of birds we have here and that we saw in East Africa

Tufted Titmouse

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker storing seeds and nuts in our oak

Africa

Masai Giraffes

Tanzanian sunset

Rotary Club in Arusha, Tanzania provides a means for travelers leaving the country to drop off extra Tanzania money that they don’t want to exchange and don’t want to take home with them.

White-headed Buffalo Weaver

Fork-tailed Drongo: these birds have a highly variable song which incorporates a long rambling and rather coarse mixture of nasal, twangy notes, none of which are clear or pure

Warthog info

Happy children in the Hadza tribe

Africa

Eland

Cheetah Brothers

The fastest land mammal able to attain speeds of close to 70 mph bu they can only maintain that speed for 100 meters.


Ashy Starlings, endemic to Tanzania

Baby Mountain Gorilla in Uganda

Deck shots

Osprey flyby with a Speckled Trout in its talons

Brown Pelicans on their way to Bird Island for the night

Pups next door

Snowy Egret: Adults have greenish-yellow feet for most of the year, but at the height of the breeding season their feet take on a much richer, orange-yellow hue. 

Sunset over St Pete

Turkey Vultures