There are around thirty species of mongoose. These guys are banded mongooses. Yes, the plural is mongooses (not mongeese) and a group of them is called a mob (or sometimes a pack). They look a lot like meerkats and are, in fact, in the same family. This mob of mongooses was photographed in the Maasai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second.

These are the most commonly seen geese while on safari in Kenya. They were considered sacred by ancient Egyptians and appear in lots of their artwork. This one was coming in for a landing toward the end of the day. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

These two lions were part of a very large pride we saw in the Maasai Mara of Kenya. I think there were fourteen or more. That’s how many walked right by us as they headed up a hill to take an afternoon siesta, not even looking at us as they passed. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO , f/2.8 at 1/4000th of a second.

The superb starling is a pretty common bird on east African safaris. That said, I still love seeing these colorful little guys as they fly from perch to perch, or, more often, from ground to perch. I photographed this one at close range in Samburu. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.

I’m going to keep the Kenya/Uganda pics going for another week or so before mixing in posts from the rest of the world if you don’t mind. This was a young spotted hyena that we think was lost and trying to find its mother. The day was coming to a close and the little guy seemed to be running as fast as he could to get to wherever he was going. Photographed in the Maasai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/250th of a second, graduated neutral density filter.

Here’s another one from Samburu in Kenya. And another from the comfort of our camp. The hornbills, like the vervet monkeys and baboons, would regularly visit us while eating lunch. For those that are familiar with The Lion King, this is the real life version of Zazu. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/60th of a second.

Besides baboons, vervet monkeys are the most often encountered primates on an east African safari. They can be encountered just about anywhere, but more often than not, around camps. This mom and her baby would come around at lunch time each day hoping to swipe a few scraps from their human relatives. Photographed in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.

Even Africa has squirrels. In this case, the unstriped ground squirrel from Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Apparently, all the other ground squirrels in the area have some form of stripes. This guy, clearly none. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

The waterbuck is a large antelope found throughout sub-Sahara Africa. This is the male of the species — doing what waterbucks do best — resting in the grass. Photographed in the Maasai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second.

I was hoping to get a lion or a leopard up on this rock while the sun rose over the Kenyan landscape, but settled for this guineafowl. These guys were actually pretty cool looking. Tough to tell in this near silhouette, but I’ll post another pic soon. We were up in the foothills of Samburu National Reserve and it was a beautiful morning as the savanna’s diurnal residents were just starting their day. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/1250th of a second.