On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
swiftfox
We spent the next day and a half at Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is unique in that it has a bit of everything – zebras, giraffes, baboons, elephants, various antelopes, the big cats and a large diversity of bird species. Our safari guide told us that safari companies are dropping Tarangire from their itinerary to focus on the “name” parks – Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. It’s our gain and their loss. Most of my pictures came from Tarangire.
Our first stop was for a group of zebras and elephants. Our photo guide told us to temper our enthusiasm – there would be plenty more of both.
The red-billed hornbill uses it’s beak to eat insects, seeds, fruit, and rodents.
These dik-diks were photographed in an area that was part of a prescribed burn. One in our party thought they were rabbits. Their elongated nose is an effective cooling device.
Magnificent starling. What – starlings can look like this? After awhile they become ubiquitous around people much like “our” starlings. But what an initial appearance.
We shared this pair of cheetah brothers with 20 other Land Rovers.
Change of pace – here’s a yellow-collared lovebird. We saw several of these. They feed on seeds, fruits, grains.
This giraffe repeatedly picked up what was left of the leg of an impala, probably for the calcium and other minerals.
A black-winged kite in the middle of breakfast.
You can see why GM/Chevrolet named a model after the impala. Very sleek and a bit more character than most of the antelopes.
MagdaInBlack
I neglected to thank you yesterday for your pictures, so thank you today.
And thanks for the explanation of the carnivorous giraffe. My first thought was wtf.
eclare
Great photos! So glad you got to see so much wildlife, including cheetahs, just chillin’.
Baud
Cheetahs could be an album cover.
Winter Wren
Nice pictures – that one of the giraffe seems pretty unique! Thanks for the tip about keeping Tarangire on the itinerary for those who might visit in the future.
Mai Naem mobile
Nice pics. Thanks for sharing.
EarthWindFire
Beautiful pictures! Thank you.
Betty
The love bird is adorable. Thanks for explaining the giraffe picture.
Elma
Sharing an interesting animal sighting with 20 land rovers was what we experienced in South Africa and Botswana. All the guides were in radio contact with each other and any sighting (even of what our tour guide called a “comatose lion”) would set off a mad dash to get a good view. We did get to see a mating pair of lions; but we missed out on the leopard strolling down the road because we were too far away to get there in time. The other half of our group in the second truck did get into position and got good pics which they shared, but not quite the same thing.
Albatrossity
Beautiful! Tarangire is a lovely place, and indeed, has a bit of everything. Except lions; as I recall we did not see a single one in our two days there!
Minor quibble, I think that is Superb Starling (not Magnificent). I dunno if there is such a thing as Magnificent Starling; the eBird site does not have one. But there are plenty of Superb Starlings!
YY_Sima Qian
Nice photos!
Tarangire was my 1st stop during my trip to Tanzania 10 yrs ago. Magical place!
YY_Sima Qian
@Elma: Ah, the modern Safari experience! However, there are still solitude to be had if you are willing to get up very early, or stay outside in the mid-afternoon heat (while most people are taking a nap). At least I have found that to be the case in Tanzania, Bostwana & Zimbabwe.
SuzieC
Gorgeous animal photos!
pieceofpeace
Immensely enjoyed the photos and your explanations and comments. More are welcome!
swiftfox
@Albatrossity: believe one of the safari guides came up with the name. I purchased two ID books but did not bring either one (Birds of East Africa was too heavy). I just never checked the books on the name!
lashonharangue
Great pictures. I love dik-diks. Their eyes seem so big for their head I think they look like something out of anime.