Birds of a Feather Push Together

 

The diameter of Ngorongoro crater is around 10 miles. This view of the lake where the flamingos stand around on one leg was pretty far away.

 

 

These photos of multiple forms of wildlife are especially good. I forget what kind of bird this is.

 

 

I tried to catch this rumbling elephant's ears in mid-flap.  We were told that with each flap of the ears, the elephant can lower his body temperature several degrees.

 

 

Here's your endangered species of the day: the black rhinoceros. We saw three of them in the crater and all from an extreme distance. Our guides were really good at spotting animals from an extreme distance. I looked at this with my naked eye and only saw a darkish blob. Daudi gleefully declared, "it is a black rhino!" These creatures are protected around the clock from the ridiculous poachers working for old men who think the tusk has aphrodisiac properties. There's a little blue pill for that--leave the rhinos alone.

 

 

Who doesn't like a lioness on the prowl? This gal was in the extreme distance, too. I never would have seen her on my own. I think she made the kill (maybe a wildebeast?). . .

 

 

enjoyed some lunch (her mouth looks a little bloody), and is now waiting for her pride to show up to have their fill. She probably can't leave it unattended or the spotted hyenas will move in for sloppy seconds.

 

Here's Brandt, John, Bill, and Mark pushing the Land Rover to get it to start while I photographed the whole process.  The next day Daudi and Kisani replaced the starter at the lodge.  This was the day that the men and women split into separate vehicles.  I think this was done to give some of the wives some time off from their annoying husbands.  I scored some points by asking the guys, "does anyone else miss his wife?" They laughed at me of course but then told the ladies.  Advantage Doug.  There was another incidence of engine trouble with this same vehicle on the way out of the crater.  Some gear got stripped making it only possible to drive with the four wheel drive on and only at a limited speed.  We ran into another guide from our safari company at a petrol station who happened to have the correct replacement part in his truck.

 

 

The male ostrich is black because the he sits on the eggs at night.  Apparently the female takes her turn sitting on the eggs on grey and overcast days.