October 6, 1995
We left Masai Mara for a long drive to Lake Naivasha. We arrived at Fishermen's Camp, upper level with the wonderful little bandas (huts). Critters galore: big spiders, tarantula, walking stick, scorpions, and so many birds! We had a slow morning (after a night of drums and singing nearby), then went to the Country Club to take a boat to Crescent Island (a peninsula actually which juts out into the lake). I bought cards and stamps at the lodge while we waited.
On the island Kent and I went for a walk on our own. We went directly across the island to hang out with a herd of giraffe we knew were frequently in that area. There were 3 little ones, several adults and a huge old male. They let us approach slowly, though made clear they preferred us to stay at the tree line, so we did. At one point a pair of shrikes and a pair of Superb starlings repeatedly attacked the large old male while he ate at their nesting tree. The giraffe was totally unconcerned. Later we walked toward the point, past sheep, horses, waterbuck, Thonmpson's gazelle, zebra, Grant's gazelles, flamingos, fish eagles, osprey, lilac-breasted rollers. A pair of bat eared foxes tried to melt flat onto the ground as we passed so as to go unnoticed, with their ears flat out parallel to the ground. A dung beetle had just finished making its dung ball, a couple inches in diameter, and hurried off pushing its prize. A pair of plovers dive-bombed us several times as we must have passed near their nest. A wonderful morning!
After lunch a Swedish couple on holiday from their solar project at Amboseli came over to give us their speech about what we and everyone else should do to correct the ills of the world. Foreign wazungu (white people) who know all the answers for Kenya. He in particular of the very worst ilk in my humble opinion. Good for the group to get a chance to hear that, material for discussion.
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