Dazzles of zebras wildebeest and a group of old male buffaloes were watching us malevolently and on the grasses I spot a Nairobi Pipit on top of a small stone definitely looking for insects. We passed through a section of forest which contain many rare plants and dense trees of African olive and variety of figs that form canopy. I was with a game ranger and opted for a trail in Meru forest.
The forest was alive with liquid sound birds and flickers of brightly coloured butterflies and we were lucky enough to see the Gold-banded Forester, Forest Mother of Pearl and the Green-veined Charaxes. In about an hour of walking the weather was a bit hot so we cool down by splashing into the water in a small lake and a nice break before continuing our trek.
Moving on we came to a very close encounter with a snake, the Black-necked spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis) right on the path. It is highly venomous with the ability to spits and bites. I got a big fright but I gave the snake a fright too. In a split second it took him to jump up displaying the huge hood. It was terrifying since snakes do not know if a human is a friend or foe and it will attack out of absolute terror and panic.
There was a rustling in the bushes ahead. We stayed completely still as two duikers emerged fast from the bushes and disappear into a forest and the leopard followed simply ignoring us.
“Today I was honoured to spot a striking white wader with bold black marking the Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta). It is a migratory species breeding in temperate Europe across to Central Asia and on the Russian Far East and winter in Africa or Southern Asia.”
On the Momela lake we saw concentration of many waterbirds including Flamingos, Southern Pochard, Maccoa Duck and resident Hottentot Teal. Untouched wetlands are sacred paradise for millions of majestic birds. Today I was honoured to spot a striking white wader with bold black marking the Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra Avosetta). It is a migratory species breeding in temperate, Europe across to Central Asia and on the Russian Far East and winter in Africa or Southern Asia.
With an expert ranger we were now a bit higher face to face with Mt. Meru. It has a snow-capped, wild alpine beauty, rugged landscape and dramatic rock formation and with luck we spotted this rare raptor Lammergeier themalling high above the mountain. Sadly this largest of all the African vultures and an integral part of Meru ecosystem is endangered species.
It has been a kind of magnificent wee-healing of weekly morning walk from Ngongola dog to the forests of Mount Meru that makes stress a thing of the past, nature does not shout yet speaks deeply to those who listen.
