Up up and away…

DV3E7589, originally uploaded by andyskelton-a Blog a day http://andrewskelton.net.

Twenty four hours (no, not from Tulsa) from now and all being well I should be en-route to Mombasa – though it still doesn’t seem real, it will of course when I try and shoehorn all the gear I have amassed on the back bedroom bed into my flight bag. I’m thinking of filling the rucksack with helium so that it weights less! Needless to say, all camera equipment is essential, but unfortunately it’s that that weighs the most – my clothes hardly amount to anything.

I forgot to mention in yesterday blog, probably the best part of an already great day occured on the way home only a couple of miles from where I’m currently seated. Passing a field at around 9pm, with at least another hours worth of daylight left, I happed to see movement above the high grasses being farmed in it, a flash of white. Well, there can only be one thing it could be, especially at that time of the evening… a barn owl. We sat in the car watching the bird patrolling the field, every now and then it would drop down and remain out of site before reappearing to patrol once more. The bird did finally disappear over the road, presumably back to it’s barn with food for any young it may be raising.

There are a couple of owls I’d love to see in Kenya, Vereaux’s Eagle Owl and the Milky Eagle Owl. Both very impressive birds, and quite capable of taking out large birds of prey – they’re certainly not something to be trifled with – but it’s their solid black eyes that are quite unnerving.

Today’s image, taken at Barnes yesterday, is of a female White Faced Duck; I love these birds, they constantly keep you on your toes when trying to photograph them (even if you’re laying down – which I was when taking this photo). One minute they won’t come within 15 feet of you and the next minute they’re right in front of you. As long as the lions don’t have similar ideas this week.

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