Birds are great. But I've never known any personally. I do know that life feels better when there are birds around. Sure, the crows and seagulls can be pesky. But yet they are entertaining too. The birds of Africa are of a style, grace and number that I've never seen before. Here, for example are what I call comedy birds. Others call them Ibis, but to me the squak they make when they fly is like two comedians laughing at each other's jokes.
I tried to tell them a joke, but they just flew away.
So then I tried to tell this stork the same joke. I don't think birds like jokes.
So me and my taxi driver guide just cruised around the lake near Nakuru trying to find a bird that would listen to a joke. Our success rate was low, as these photos show.
I am starting to think that if you have to fight for your life everyday there is not much room for humor. Even so, I have seen the people of Africa laugh a lot. Not all the time. And sometimes never: sometimes their life is too grim. But sometimes, sometimes there is a glimmer of hope from the smile of a child.