SOUNDS OF A KENYAN NIGHT
By Jim Foster
Standing at the window in the rock, i felt a cool breeze touch my face. The warmth of the day was giving way to the cool of the African night. The setting sun was creating mystical images on the distant clouds and mountains.
A rock hyrax moved effortlessly from one rock on the window ledge to another. Disturbing a large blue lizard with a very red head and shoulders.
The hyrax was searching for a nightspot while the lizard was just catching the last shards of warmth from the setting sun. Soon it would be dark in the valley below and on the kopje (hill) where I was to spend the night.
The setting was several hours after the evening meal in Meru National Park. The location was where the real Elsa of Born Free fame was released on the location of the lodge bearing her name ELSA’S KOPJE LODGE.
A large portion of the day had been spent along a dry riverbed watching and photographing a pride of lion moving and resting after a successful hunt. This fact was on my mind as I watched the sun disappear behind the hills.
In spite of being located on a steep rock wall overlooking the valley, the idea of not having a hard type window of some type of construction separating the room from the wildlife was a bit discomforting – especially when from the darkness of the valley below a male lion roared making a sound only a male lion can produce, telling all the area was his. This lion was answered quickly by another lion somewhat closer and off to the south.
Looking closer at the ledge I noticed the hyrax and lizard were nowhere to be seen. Below the thorny bushes and wooded grasslands stretched for miles down the valley to the river. The night creatures were beginning their hunts while the prey creatures became more aware and alert.
In addition to photographing lion there were cheetah, elephant, giraffe, oryx, hartebeest, and gazelle that had kept me busy during the day and now would keep me at my computer downloading my digital images and packaging my film for transport to Nairobi. As I worked the sounds of the night grew louder
The sounds of the lion did cause me to glance up several times from my work and some time later filled my dreams that night.
This was Africa.
Tomorrow would be another day driving to the town of Meru and later to the Samburu National Park and a visit to a Samburu village and it’s people.
But that’s another tale for another day of Kenya.
If you have comments or news for Jim Foster please email him at: jim@jimfosteroutdoors.com
