Perched on the Rim

View from the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.

That tall plant in the foreground is member of the aloe family, perhaps an Aloe arborescenes. On the crater floor in the distance you can make out the outline of the shallow alkaline body of water, Lake Magadi. The steep drop from the rim to the floor is about 2,000 feet (and is a breathtaking experience by 4-wheel vehicle on a switchback road!).

Ngorongoro Crater is world’s largest intact volcanic caldera.

I shot this image on the occasion of my first visit to the region back in 2017.

Savvy Scavengers

Clean up patrol. A spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) finds and feeds on a hippo carcass on the edge of Lake Magadi, Tanzania.

The hyena is a clever and opportunistic scavenger. In fact, did you know that the spotted hyena is capable of outsmarting a chimpanzee in laboratory problem-solving tests?

I guess these creatures just need a better PR representative.

This Bustard is a Bruiser

The Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori) is a bruiser. A mature male can weigh up to 40 pounds, making it the heaviest bird in Africa capable of flight. And like a rumbling C-5, that flight is not pretty. The slow beat of a 9 foot wingspan takes time, but eventually lifts this big boy aloft.

I spotted this specimen in the Ngorongoro crater, Tanzania. Wish I had a scale to show size. I went black and white to highlight its complicated markings.

See a Kori Bustard for yourself. Come with us on an African safari.

Clan Behavior

Here's one of about 550 spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) that call Ngorongoro crater (Tanzania) home. These carnivores are organized into eight identified clans with a strict linear hierarchy. At the top each clan? A alpha-female. Yup, hyena society is matriarchal in structure.

Female hyenas tend to remain in their clan for life. Young males often emigrate and join another clan.

See (and hear!) a spotted hyena for yourself. Join us on safari in 2026.!

Stilt

I spotted this Black-winged Stilt in the slapping waves of Lake Magadi in Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania. The sharp beak, black-white contrasting feathers, and long spindly legs make this bird memorable--and well suited for mud foraging.

Lake Magadi is a soda (or alkaline) lake, favored by stilts and other African waders.

(I wish you could see how goofy long his legs are. You would know why he is called a "stilt"!)

Home with the Herd

Home with the herd for a breather. After a bit, it's back to Africa. We'll be on the trail of "The Great Migration" for a month.

Super Drumsticks

Did you know that an ostrich can sprint at speeds beyond 40 miles an hour and can kill a cheetah with just one kick. On the end of each foot are two toes, armed with sharp 4-inch claws.

I photographed this male in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Our 2026 African safaris are full, but will be opening seats for 2027 soon. Stay tuned.

Gossamer Wings

Three ibises hover around the edge of a waterhole in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. Buffaloes lounge in the background.

I’ve posted shots of the African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) before. The “forward assembly” of this large wader would make a vulture blanch: bald, dull, wrinkled; unblinking eyes sit behind nostril slits on a downward bending beak. However, I am attracted to the beauty of the ibis wing. it’s gossamer-like feathers with black tips fan open and close elegantly. Viewed in black and white, the texture may be appreciated.

Safari with us in Africa next year. There is a seat in a knobby-tyred 4x4 waiting for you.

Gnu-uuu-uuuu!

Herds of blue wildebeest or brindled gnu (Connochaetes taurinus) spread across the floor of Tanzania’s Ngorongoro crater. Although they look like a frankinstein of animal parts, the wildebeest is a member of the antelope family.

During the rut (at the end of the rainy season) the bull will tirelessly protect his herem of cows, preventing other would-be suitors from approaching. Bellows and snorts (which sound like “gnuuuu”) are issued, ground is plowed with hooves or horns, and if all that display doesn’t work, charges and horn thrusts are exchanged.

There’s never a dull moment in Africa.

Can play Offense or Defense

The behavior of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is unpredictable. Unlike its cousins, the American bison, yak, or Asian water buffalo, this animal has never been domesticated. In human whispers, buffalos are called "black death" and may kill more people than lions or hippos.

A big bull, like this one in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, weighs as much as a small car.

To protect themselves from predators, a herd of African buffalo play team defense. The young, elderly, or sick are encircled by the others, butts in, horns out!

Come safari with us in 2025 or 2026! We'll keep our distance from the African buffalo. Promise!

Fearless Parent

Do you know that this boldly-colored bird will risk everything to protect its young? The lapwing (or plover) will attack raptors, rollers, or even an elephant perceived as threat!

Its call--"tink, tink, tink"--sounds like the hammer of a blacksmith, hence the name: the Blacksmith lapwing (Vanellus armatus).

Big Boy

Easy there, big boy!

This photo doesn't offer a sense of scale, but realize that this dude is more than a meter tall! That makes the Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori) the largest flying bird in Africa (the ostrich is bigger, but doesn't fly). Mature bustards can weigh 40 pounds and are possibly the heaviest creature capable of flight today.

Kori Bustards are rare outside of protected areas. The species is considered "vulnerable" on the endangered list. I was delighted to find this one striding along (like a T-Rex!) looking for a meal on the edge of Lake Magadi (Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania).