It was to be a quite interesting day because of what happened with the zebras later but we began the day with a drive into Nanyuki to leave Jennifer Widner at the airstrip there for her flight to Nairobi and so took a group picture by the rhinoceros and then we took some family pictures in the same place before her plane departed so that we could go back to the equator and pose for family pictures at a spot where Dan bought this souvenir for me and then we drove on to Sweetwaters where the zebra tracking is being done but first saw the waterbucks

and a wart hog

with this impala which seemed happy to coexist with the warthog

until we saw the birds and the waterbucks

before coming to the bridge where elephant crossings are limited and then followed the path to meet Dan's students where the zebras were. Dan was particularly interested in a hybrid between Grevy's and Plains zebra who he students were tracking. We found him in a herd

and all settled in to watch the herd. Soon the hybrid and one of the plains stallions began testing one another by chasing each other around the group

as we recorded in this movie P1030726.MOV The chasing continued

until combat began

as we recorded in this movie P1030781.MOV until the hybrid led away the harem of the stallion

as we recorded in this movie P1030808.MOV until eventually a second stallion came over

and stared down the hybrid which led to much posturing for position

before the challenger backed off and the hybrid went back to claiming his turf (and eventually his harem)

as the expert watched while giving us commentary. as we watched a herd of cows appear (much healthier than those offered to Cadonkey

took some final pictures of the hybrid and his new harem

and then observed Ben atop the Land Rover

before capturing the Grevy's zebras who seemed to be taking all of this in.

including this attempt (as if we hadn't tried enough) of taking a picture of a picture and then headed back capturing these birds before we came across the elephant in the habitat he had partly destroyed

and then catching a group of buffalo

and a few zebras in the zebra net area

who were near the tame rhino with whom we posed as he got interested in eating.

On our way back we saw this giraffe and these zebras

Back at Mpala, this was the night of the cookout by the campground in the rain which meant it was dark but I still managed this picture of Suzanne and then took these pictures of the fire before Sarah insisted that these were better and after a break for a picture of Dan and Nancy I put my picture in competition with hers again