Finally, the clouds arrive, bringing hope.
Huge cumuli form over the parched savannah and, three years late,
finally release the long-awaited rain.
The time of great changes arrives,
and does so with the extremism characteristic of this remote region;
violently and apparently without measure.
The rains perform a miracle here at the edge of the desert.
In a matter of hours new rivers appear, flowing across the savannah.
It is the annual miracle of the lands of the Northern District,
ephemeral water courses which remain only during the time of rain,
but which leave beneath the ground the water reserves
that will maintain life during the rest of the season.
To the south the clouds release enormous quantities of waters
over the Aberdare Mountains and Mount Kenya
and shortly after arrive in Shaba in the form of violent floods.
The only permanent river in the Shaba region again flows with force,
carrying the sediments to which it owes its name: Ewaso Ngiro,
the river of the brown waters.
Green once more returns to the lands of Shaba.
In just a few days it changes from a hell into paradise.
Like the animals, the plants that survive the rigours of this region
are true specialists in withstanding prolonged periods of drought
and as soon as they receive water they immediately shoot up,
taking the maximum advantage of the time of abundance.
There is now water all around. Impalas and grivet monkeys
lick the fresh leaves in order to obtain all the water they need.
For a few days they will be able to avoid the risk inherent in going to drink at the exposed,
clear banks of a river like the Ewaso Ngiro in which, moreover, there are crocodiles.
Shortly after the first rains, from the ground of the savannah
emerge winged emissaries which will mobilise an army of small hunters.
With the humidity, the termites fly out from their underground homes,
and their presence attracts the avid predators of miniatures.
For many birds they are an invaluable source of protein.
Even those that generally feed on grains, like the turtledoves,
take advantage of the easy pickings, competing with true specialists like the kalaos.
The sunbirds catch some termites, despite the fact their beaks
are designed to sip the nectar from the flowers.
It is so narrow they cannot swallow the termites with their wings still attached so,
unlike the kalaos and other specialised birds,
they have to remove them before they can eat.
Among the mammals of Shaba,
the appearance of the termites does not go unnoticed.
For the dwarf mongooses, the best adapted to arid regions,
these energetic insects form a considerable part of their diet,
so even when the termites no longer come out to fly,
these small hunters armed with powerful claws for digging,
are able to penetrate into their fortified homes and avail themselves of the feast.
The rains completely change the landscape of Shaba.
Not only do the plants turn green and multiply, but the scorched plains,
where previously the only movement had been the wind, now teem with fauna
a sight which just a few days before would have seemed impossible.
The secretary birds are hunters adapted to the open savannah.
Their long thin legs may give the wrong impression.
Because the secretary birds, despite their appearance, are birds of prey.
In other words, they are great hunters.
They will spend most of the day here, strutting elegantly along as they hunt in pairs.
Attracted by the insects that have come out with the rains,
a black kite joins in the feast.
The kites are aerial hunters which from high up locate their prey with lethal precision.
But on land they are clumsy and seem helpless compared to their relatives the secretary birds
whose specialisation has made them experts at hunting on the ground.
The diet of the secretary birds includes everything
from small insects and birds to rodents and even some small felines;
and this pair of timid bat-eared foxes prefers not to take any risks,
and so make good their escape.