Bushbuck
There’s what looks like an East African Bushbuck on the forest edge. They’re elusive and solitary and brilliantly camouflaged. It’s unusual to see one out in the open in good light. I love the pattern of black markings on its face and the horizontal white stripe at the base of the neck.
I check out their details. Their scientific name is Tragelaphus scriptus, and they are called Mbawala, Kulungu, or Pongo in Swahili. They are crepuscular or nocturnal and inhabit thickets and dense forest, only emerging to feed on forest edges. Something must have disturbed this one.
As it runs I see it has a wound over its right eye.
Their most distinctive feature is the white speckles on the flanks. I can’t see any white speckles on this one. Have I got my identification completely wrong? Or is this a young one which hasn’t developed it’s white-spot camouflage yet?
I ought to get a move on. I’m meant to be on the institution bus and yet I’m lying down in the dirt photographing an elusive antelope. I don’t want the rest of the volunteers to find out what I’m like too early on our trip.
They’ll find out soon enough.
More adventures in Kenya
Is this Hornbill small or is that caterpillar huge? There's an African Grey Hornbill flying past our 4x4 in the Masai Mara. It's come from behind and is flying… read more
Kenya has many species of Heron Here's a Rufous-Bellied Heron. It's one of the many species of Heron in the wetlands here. It has a beautiful… read more
African Green Pigeon There's an African green pigeon, Treron calvus, at the top of this tree. I can hardly believe its colour. What a… read more
The Long-Crested Eagle awaits us I'm glad that I've learned never to turn my camera off or to put my lens hood on until I'm… read more
A Lilac-Breasted Roller perched and waiting Lilac-Breasted Rollers are chunky birds. They also have unusually large heads. I particularly like the long tail streamers which the… read more
A Saddle-Billed Stork and its dangling wattles The Saddle-Billed Stork or Saddlebill, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, is a truly huge bird. It's 4' 9" to 4' 11" tall. That's taller than my… read more
A Yellow-Throated Longclaw There are many yellow birds here in Kenya. It's a brighter world. Red, orange and yellow pigments are ones which… read more
A fluffy young Zebra Seeing Zebras at a watering hole in the Masai Mara is a pleasure. It's dry work munching the parched vegetation… read more
A Striped Skink I expected to see many more reptiles in Africa. I thought there would be snakes and reptiles with four legs… read more
Common Drongos Today's another chance for me to appreciate Common Drongos. They have distinctive forked tails and intense red eyes set in… read more
Lilac-Breasted Roller attack Sometimes there's such an extraordinary moment and it seems impossible that you could have captured it. There's a dispute between… read more
Grey Crowned Crane It's one metre tall and has a two metre wingspan. It has a ridiculous crown. It has an inflatable red… read more