You Know It's Been Awhile ...

Time to change the bird seed methinks.

Bad Day

The zebras on either side of the river were calling. It was a sad call, apparently to group members separated. Some which had crossed. Some which had not.

And despite the fact that there were thousands of zebra on the goal side of the river, the urge to be with the specific group was greater than the threat from the crocodiles. And zebras, in small groups, continued to return to whence they had come.

This was not always a wise choice. The crocs knew the zebra were here. And they cared not for the direction they crossed.

And both zebras got slammed.

Given the size of the crocs it is rather amazing that they made it across.

But not unscathed. If you look closely (after bigafying of course) the larger zebra's left front leg you can see blood spurting out.

But they did make it across. Although I don't think that's the best place for junior to stand. Just sayin'.

Nor was it the best place for mom to rest. Methinks there's a cliche about frying pans and fire that might be appropriate here.

I can only think that junior is in shock here. How else to explain that it does not move away from the leopard?

It seems junior has finally figured this is not the place to be.

Now just when you thought it could not get any worse ...

We thought there would some tug of war action, but the crocs are too big for their own good. They can't lift themselves up over the rocks.

And the prize remained just out of reach.

The leopard ate its fill.

And then washed it down with a nice long drink from the river.

It seems the leopard was rather lucky. Bigafy the image above and look at the cat's left rear leg. It too is injured. An injury that prevents it from running and jumping full bore. This beast will have a difficult time hunting. Thus prey that falls into its lap is a godsend.

We would come back the next morning and the zebra was gone. Did the leopard pull it up into the trees? Did the crocs find a way to get to it? Did lions or hyenas or some other predator claim it as there own? We'll never know. But the fact that there were no remains to be seen leads us to believe the leopard dragged it away.

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To recap:

The grass is not always greener on the other side of the river.

Mama zebra is leopard food.

Baby zebra is an orphan.

Crocodiles do all the work and get nothing for their trouble.
Leopard gets a meal or two, but still is injured and can't run.

You might want to bookmark this page to review the next time you think you're having a bad day.

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My thanks to Laura Keene for the use of her 500 mm lens for some of the above images.

Please Be Extra Careful When Using the Level Crossing

Our second to last day in the Maasai Mara, and we stopped at a river crossing to see what was happening.

We found zebras gathering at the river's edge. Drinking.

And then crossing.

And crossing.

And crossing, in rather large numbers, successfully fording the last barrier to migration's end.

But there was danger lurking.

In the form of very large Nile crocodiles.

Which led to a change of plan. Albeit temporary, as they would all need to cross eventually, to get to the remaining food sources. But it seemed that the zebra were sensible creatures, recognizing danger and reacting accordingly.

Appearances can be deceiving, as some of the zebras, despite the obvious crocodiles in the river, not only decided to cross, be decided to cross back to the side they had just came from. This can't be good, right? But these three made it back without incident.

The crocs aren't just there for a swim however.

To be continued ...

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The title of this post comes from a phrase repeated again and again on the train I rode into the city on my recent trip to Newcastle. It seems to be a bit of a problem across the pond. And it seems zebras aren't the only dim witted species when it comes to dangerous crossings.

Dreams of a Thanksgiving Feast

It's that time of year, when the turkeys gather in flocks.

And visit our yard.

And the newest member of our household is quite captivated.

But I think that ...

... this is an eyes bigger than belly situation.

Anti-Crepuscular Rays

Driving home from work the other night I was presented with this view.

I pulled over, got out my camera, took a shot.

And then I noticed the full moon peaking up from behind the trees. So I moved up and took another shot. Alas, last night we set the clocks back an hour. And for the next few months I'll be driving home in the dark. Goodby twilight sky. See you next spring.

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You can learn more about anti-crepuscular rays, and other stuff up in the sky, here. (But you knew that, right?)