Tsavo to the Mara 2023 Part 2.

The second part of our trip from Ithumba to MasaiMara via the scenic route.
We rejoin at Ngorngoro crater view point.

Ngorongoro Crater.	Lake Mgadi in the distance.	Michael Grzmek's memorial. I always stop here to pay my respects.	Superb Starling	Hildebrandt's Starling.	Grass Rat at the picnic table.
Cape Rook. Serenera	Common Moorhen. Serengeti.	A friendly bull keeps watch on our picnic.	Eland	White-bellied Bustard.	Ikoma Camp. Our home for three nights.
My bed.	View to the loo.	Paradise Flycatcher in Camp.	Spotted Morning-thrush.	Red-fronted Barbet.	Impala
Usambiro Barbet.	African Grey Flycatcher.	Silverbird.	Magpie Shrike.	Masai Giraffe and calf.	Flap-necked Chameleon.
Striped Kingfisher	Kori Bustard,	Green-backed Woodpecker, Ikoma.	Zebra in Ikoma WMA.	White-browed Scrub Robin. Ikoma WMA	Masai (Ex Karamoja ) Apalis. Ikoma WMA.
Chris calls the 'cows' home.	Main road through Grumeti Reserve.	Buffalo in Grumeti.	Sooty chat. Grumeti road. Lots of wildlife as we drive along.	Tawny Eagle.	African Grey Flycatcher.
Beautiful Sunbird .Tempting Emmy to get out for a better view.	Not a good idea. We are being watched. This from a main road!!	Wide open spaaces as we drive along.	Game viewers down at a pond.	We meet a large herd of Zebra on the move.	Estimated at over 200 strong.
They cross the road. Check video at https://youtu.be/-Lnec8KpQm8	My Banda at Speke Bay Lodge.	Lots of space.	Even a mezzanine room.	Clean bathroom.	Battersby's Green Snake (Philothamnus battersbyi) Speke Bay,
Slender-billed Weaver.	Northern Brown-throated Weaver.	Paradise Flycatcher.	African Mourning Dove. Speke Bay Lodge.	The resident Verreaux's Owls welcome us to the Lodge.	Buff-bellied Warbler in the grounds.
One of the lovely Rondovals for guests.	The endemic Grey-breasted Spurfowl is resident here.	View to Lake Victoria from my Rondoval.	Heuglin's Courser is a regular migrant here.	Black Crake in the lakeside reeds.	Malachite Kingfisher.
Verreaux's Eagle Owl has Hedgehog for lunch.	Fiery-necked Nightjar roosts in the Lodge grounds.	This is either a Green-backed Woodpecker WITH a red Malar stripe OR a Nubian with spotted back.	Dwarf Mongoose are resident.	Silverbird	Zebra Waxbill. A lifer for me. All at Speke Bay Lodge.
Spotted Morning-Thrush	We spot some wildebeeste as we skirt the west of Serengeti.	We cross the Mara river with some interesting reed beds that forms an idea for a return visit	My tent at Tayari Camp in Masai Mara at the end of a long drive.	Into the 'Park' next morning we come upon a lion with three cubs.	She gives us a hard stare.
They wander away and we leave her to it.	Ostrich.	Purple Grenadier.	Our first elephant encounter is friendly enough.	They just stroll by us.	We see a leopard. The Mara is living up to its good reports.
Sadly it lives up to the bad one too as the idiots try to find the leopard.	Chris checks out something prior to brunch.	Brunch in the bush. Interesting table cloth.	Chris and Emmy start whilst our nightwatchman/guide from Tayari has a bite too	Distant shot of why I don't like Masai Mara.	Later on we find a quiet spot where some animals may cross.
Led in by some bold Zebra the crossing starts.	So far so good.	Then the waiting crocs strike.	The herd scrambles for the bank.	And most make it.	She is not looking happy.
Another line up of migrating herds.	A Topi declines to get involved.	On the border of Kenya and Tanzania.	Emmy does his bit for his country too.	Gladys shows how near we are to Ikoma where we stayed last week. 50miles?	Crowned Lapwing.
Coqui Francolin	Lions sleeping off a Zebra lunch.	It would not be a good report without a Cisticola to brighten things up..	Cars join a cheetah kill.	Gory scene.	Time to leave them. Not my idea of wildlife viewing.
On our own we spot a leopard on a river bank.	Much better views.	Lots of Wildebeeste around.	Our last ellies of the trip.