Early morning in the Serengeti, we were positioned quiet well to watch the animals that are often fall victim to the several species of carnivores living on these savannah plains, the Wildebeest. It was good to see quite a lot mixed with some Zebras as they moved toward steadily in search of numerous grass and water, journeying along age old migration routes.
A White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) swoops down to devour a Wildebeest carcass, and the Southern ground hornbills looking for food were a few minutes before a pride of lions has eaten a wildebeest. This is in the northern part of Serengeti where the grass is still good so the herd stops to feed and rest for a while.
Then, our attention turns to a lone hyena passing hurriedly, carrying a head of its kind with her mouth. It was funny though to watch, like holding a dead spare head but still smiling. I could not understand whether a hyena has eaten its own species which refers to cannibalism – an act of consuming another individual of the same species as food.
The savannah wind blows through the long grass revealing the sudden flash of bulk of furry. It was beautiful to see miles of undulating grasslands intermittent hills and valleys, patches and clumps of thorny bush. A beautiful landscape not seen anywhere in the world.
Nearby on the grass the hare looked very inquisitive at us for a good few seconds and then carry on about her day amid a crackling sound from the as the Green Wood-Hoopoe who were making loud crackling calls and acrobatic intimidating postures, defending collectively and strongly its territory against other flocks. Then one of them caught a bee leaving a cloud of pollen above it, and the bee was tossed around in the bill.
In the wild everyday is a battle for survival—a fine line between life and death. We watched the comical antics of these Green Wood-Hoopoes as they glistered in the warm sunlight. Their color was magnificent – very striking metallic green bird with a long curved red bill, glossy green and blue plumage and long white tapped tail. They would take a prize for the showing. The Green wood hoopoes are clever and cooperative engaging in communal care for the young.
Nearby on a dry tree we saw a woodpecker drilling to get out a large and meaty wood grub which it swallowed. Wood is no obstacle for the woodpeckers since their tongue wraps around its skull to shield their brain from daily pecks and they have cleverly developed a strategy to stay put when drilling for food.
It was now a bit cold and I put my jacket on to avoid any discomfort. But the Red-billed Hornbill, Pygmy falcon, Grey breasted Spurfowl, White bellied Bustard were busy and they didn’t even seem to notice the cold. Most birds had downing, insulating feathers, and they fluff them up a bit in cold weather to trap more heat. They also eat more to burn more calories which act as a little internal oven.
In the distance we saw a beautiful and comical display, a true love dance on the savanna, meant to impress and win the female heat. It was a dance of a male Ostrich.
