Johnson and the Ross’s Turaco

The Governors’ Camp in the Masai Mara has been a wonderful place to stay. Having breakfast with Common Bulbuls eating my marmalade and wild Warthogs grazing the lawn next to my breakfast table has been an exceptional experience. Last night there was a loud munching sound outside my tent on the high banks of the river and a scratching against it. I followed the sound and pulled up the blind in the tent’s bathroom area. There was an Elephant immediately outside. There’s only canvas between me and an Elephant in my tent’s back yard.

I’ve spent most of my time out in the Masai Mara in a 4×4. This has been my view for the last two days:

Johnson has been my guide.

I booked a safari in Kenya through Mbiti Africa Safaris, after my trip volunteering with Kenya Connect. Mbiti were excellent and I’ve loved being in Mara Ngenche and Governors’ Camps. I booked shared game drives, as the outings in a 4×4 are called, worried about what the other people would be like and whether I would get the chance to photograph the wildlife without interruption. Mbiti Africa Safaris have clearly got the message through to each camp that I’m a long-lens wildlife photographer with a strong interest in birds. My guide, Johnson, shared that I would like to photograph birds with the two travellers I was meant to be sharing the game drives with and they very kindly refused to go out with me. I’ve therefore had his sole and uninterrupted company for two days. I’m grateful I didn’t spend my time irritating the other guests.

Here’s Johnson, taken in Governors’ Camp.

It’s our final game drive together and Johnson says that when we get back to camp we can look for birds there. I’m not expecting anything interesting.

I’m wrong.

There’s a Turaco, one of my favourite birds, up a tree in the grounds of the camp. I’ve only seen them in captivity before.

It’s a Ross’s Turaco, Tauraco rossae.

It’s an intense dark blue with a red crest and a bizarre yellow shield, beak and eye-ring. I absolutely adore seeing it. It’s a perfect way of finishing this part of my safari.

It’s time to fly back to Nairobi and then make my way to Amboseli, for a different kind of Kenyan wildlife experience, amongst the wetlands and marshes of Amboseli, with a distant view of Kilimanjaro.

Thanks so much Johnson, you’re been great.