As the sun sinks below the horizon and
the last few beams of light tear through the clouds in an attempt to
light up what little bit of the savannah it can, the scenery
gradually begins to transform. Within a few minutes, nothing seems
like it was during daylight.
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| Sunset Giraffes in Tsavo East |
A beautiful tall standing acacia is now
but an eerie figure in the shadows. The temperature begins to drop,
herds of zebra congregate and impala sit submissively low in the
tallest blades of grass, not because of the cold, but rather because
the unknown and unseen sounds brings a chill of its own. This is not
a place for the faint hearted.
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| Midnight Buffalo at Taita hills |
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| Late night peek in Ngutuni |
The savannah at this time reveals some
new secrets. A diversity of unseen wildlife come out of hiding while
the sleepy diurnal predators are now alert and on the hunt. Field
mice and hare who would have been easy target for the martial and
tawny eagles now traverse the plains with the added sense of security
the darkness offers.
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| Owl hunting in Taita Tills |
The big cats however, use the cover of darkness
to their advantage, the eyes of a lion are six times more sensitive
than ours at night, allowing them to stalk closer to unsuspecting
prey like buffalo and zebra.
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| Evening Leopard at Shimba Hills |
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| Night time Lion in Lumo |
With the circle of life completed, and
the sun slowly makes a come back from the east, the nocturnal
wildlife return to their hidden burrows and resting spots away the
sun, while the ungulates alternatively, become more at ease and begin
feeding on the fresh blades of grass which are now covered in morning
dew.
Article and photos copyright Shazaad Kasmani
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