Not one but TWO!

Sighting Leopards can always be somewhat of a challenge, given their solitary shy and secretive nature. Its true that in some areas of the Mara they are known to be somewhat more habituated to vehicles and are thus seen more often. In the area we are currently in they tend to be a little more illusive. The population here is unknown but given the plentiful riverine forest and luggas the area is sure to hold a very healthy population and still remains a great place to view these amazing animals. Most nights we hear leopard (often more than one) but very rarely do we get to see them for any length of time and often it is just a fleeting glimpse. BUT... yesterday was the exception! To keep it brief we came across a leopard in a tree, some 100metres from our track. It  was tucked happily in the fork of the tree and also dangling across the branch was the remains of a kill (what looked to be a Thomsons Gazelle). At first glance it looked to be a male given the size of its head, but on closer inspection a few 'vitals' appeared to be missing so we concluded it must be an older big female. There was a cool breeze and the remains swayed in the wind, the plains were silent and it made for an eerie and mysterious atmosphere. We had a unhurried amount of time to absorb this truly beautiful cat resting in its lofty retreat. However, its relaxed behaviour was soon shattered when all of a sudden to our right  a SECOND Leopard appeared on the ground, coming through the long grass. TWO leopards...we could not believe it! It's distance from the track and the grass height proved hard to enable us to accurately deternine the sex, but given the thickness of its neck and general build it appeared to be a young male. The second leopard was only 75 metres or so from the base of the tree, with the agility that only a Leopard can possess it shot down the tree and a very brief but aggressive interaction took place between the two Leopards.  It appeared to be more noise than actual contact. Their encounter with each other was then rapidly interrupted by a hyena that advanced toward both Leopards, all of a sudden the Leopard that was originally up the tree was now back up the tree for the second time! In this moment we lost sight of the other leopard, which we think darted into the thickly vegetated lugga. The Hyena had also vanished. So here we were back again watching a leopard up the tree. Some 40 minutes or so then passed as we watched it scan the plains below, the sun was increasing in its strength and the tree provided little shade, so upon deciding that the area was safe the Leopard descended down the tree. This was quite a comical moment at first as the Leopard decided to edge down gradually backwards, looking quite awkward, but then deciding that a forward facing leap was possibly a better idea! As soon as it was on the ground we lost sight immediately. We looked at our watches....had we really been with this leopard for TWO hours?,  what an unbelievable encounter! Whilst the whole sighting was some distance away (these are sometimes the best sightings!)  it probably goes down as one of our favourite leopard encounters given the time we had to take the whole experience in, and not to mention seeing the interactions between the other leopard and also the Hyena.

Also that morning we came across 4 of Notch's boys, relaxing under a tree. Later in the afternoon they were still under the same tree and were doing what Lions do best....sleeping! After leaving them for a while we also came across Notch and another of his boys a few kilometres away, once again sleeping peacefully and no doubt building up some energy for their night patrols. Given we have not seen all the boys together for some time (and since a reported fight and increasing tensions) its possible that they are starting to split. Perhaps they feel that 'dad' is becoming a liability? Howver, given his current good condition he certainly has some mileage left in him yet! Shortly before sunset we returned to the 4 boys, as the sun began to disappear behind the escarpment we watched them gradually awaken, stretch and scent mark. Mobilising with military precison  they sauntered through the long grass up and over a hill, disappearing out of sight.

Another great day in the Mara Triangle?...... I think so!

King of the Mara

Finally we are delighted to report that we have now seen Notch!  He must have crossed back over the river in the last day or two and is located not too far from the lionesses and 9 cubs. Resting beside him was another male, one of his many sons! He is still looking great for a lion of his age (approx 13 years old) Meanwhile, this morning we could not locate the other males seen last night, its highly possibly they have crossed over the Mara, but we are sure they will be back! We are back off to spend some more time with Notch this afternoon and hoping he may join the females and cubs for some family bonding time!

The mighty are rising.

This morning the plains below Serena were filled with testosterone. At around 8am we came across 4 of the Notch clan (the 'sons'). They were a little restless at the entrance to the croton thickets and were glancing around the plains. It was not long until their facial expressions soon changed to a fierce and focused gaze into the distance. Evident quite some distance away was another male lion and these guys were locked on to him. Within moments all four boys started roaring, which echoed across the plains. Leaping into the action the boys pounded across the plains towards the other male. Anticipating the action ahead we moved to nearer the other male to see who it was. It was another of the Notch coalition,  He was not hanging around for anyone and made a beeline toward the Mara. We suddenly noticed the 4 boys made a change of direction and no longer toward the other male.All of a sudden 3 cheetah appeared into view, fleeing from something, it was Sita and her two lovely daughters. They has been disturbed by the commotion and were now being persued the 4 boys, but their speed an agilty ensured they were able to escape the advancing lions. One of the cheetahs (it was not possible to see which one as by now they were at some distance from us) was split from the others by the commotion but only by around 200 - 300 metres or so, Soon the single cheetah was lost from view and the remaining two moved quickly from the area, Later on two were sighted again in the afternoon, the third not visible. However, it is highly possible she was around and close to the other two but perhaps merely out of sight as the temperature was still very hot, maybe she was resting in the long grass (we hope so!) Our attention soon turned back to the fleeing male, he had disappeared out of sight and with the distraction of the cheetah the 4 males stopped and looked around and had lost focus of their original plans. Thinking that maybe the other male had crossed the river we tracked up and down the river. Then across the river bank we saw the male, in a flash he had already crossed over the Mara!.  Walking along the opposite banks he started roaring, was he calling Notch for reinforcement (who we think is maybe still across the river or was he responding to the advancing males?). What was interesting was that the 4 boys did not respond at all to his roars. Given that these boys are part of the same unit this behaviour was incredibly fascinating. Perhaps it was a case of 'mistaken identity' as they were spotted together a day or so ago (we have often seen lions act agreesively to other family menbers at a distance) or perhaps there are tensions that are begining to fracture this strong coalition. Or perhaps it is simply to much testosterone as the boys approach their prime. 
This evening we found the 4 boys again, where we have left them earlier. They were relaxed in their gait and meandered through the bushes, scent marking along the way to reafirm their territory. They moved only a short distance whilst gazing casually over in the direction of the river. Only to then collapse into a pile and fall asleep. It is here we left them. Will they cross over the river tonight,? we are sure the night sounds will reveal all!. Meanwhile as I conclude this blog we can hear a lone buffalo in the thicket nearby, perhaps a little grumpy that tonight he has to share his space with us!

Habari gani?

The days in the Mara have continued to be beautiful and sunny and not too mention extremely hot, the river has dropped considerably which has meant the Notch clan have been hopping backwards and forwards! We have not yet seen the 'legend' himself yet (Notch) but this morning we are fairly sure we saw him across the river near to the main crossing point. The distance was very great to be 100% sure but the walk, the posture and the behaviour, (and not to mention a huge mane) looked to suggest it was him.

Further to my earlier post we are now not 100% sure that the lone young cheetah is actually one of Sitas cubs.We have seen her again and she has been seen looking as if she may want to cross the Mara. We have had further opportunities to take some more close up stills and a few pointers (indicative markings) are now suggesting it may not be one of the cubs. To resolve the mystery we have supplied some photographs to some contacts who have followed this family since the cubs were born. Hopefully the next few days will provide some conclusive evidence. At the same time there has been much talk in the Mara that one of her cubs had succommbed to 'nature' a few days ago and we dearly hope this is not the case.........watch this space for more news.

On a more happier note we can report the the 9 lion cubs we photographed back in December (sired by either Notch or one of the boys) are all still well and alive and have been seen for the last 3 days in the same spot. Given there appears (and reports that we have been given) to be a little tension between the Notch boys and Notch (lots of testosterone!) we think that the females are choosing to keep the cubs in a safe area where they can be well hidden, whilst 'food' and water is readily available.


Sita (Shakira) and her two cubs are doing well and have been hunting daily and have remained in the same area for the last 3 days. Hyena have been following their movements closely so sadly they have not managed to keep all of their kills but they are still looking well fed and healthy. This morning they caught an adult impala, we left them alone to to feed on it so not too alert any hyena to their presence. Black Rhino sightings have also been particularly good here, one monring we were lucky enough to have a great view of a rhino on the open plains and this morning we could again see another across the river at the main crossing area. We have also enjoyed some lovely moments of Hyena and their young which have, as always been fascinating to watch.

Of course the animal encounters are not restricted to just the day time and every evening we have had some interesting vistors to our campsite, including Buffalo, Elephant and a very cute Genet!

Thanks to all who are following this blog and we will report more news as it comes through.....

You've been framed...

For a few nights Andy and I have been putting up a infrared night camera in camp to see what night time visitors we can capture. Last night we had an interesting image, take a look below and you will see that we managed to capture a hippo as it came out of the Mara river to graze. (located on the right hand side of the frame)

Sita and the Girls

Fortunately the clouds have lifted in the Mara (for now!) and a brisk wind is keeping the temperature reletively cool and pleasant. For the last two days we have spent some time with Sita (cheetah.....AKA 'Shakira') and two of her cubs. In fact as I start to write this we are parked 100metres or so away as they rest under the bush so we thought we would take this opportunity for a quick update from the Mara.

Sita actually has 3 cubs that have survived to adulthood and they are now around 20 months old. Given their age independence for the cubs is imminent. The latest on Sita and her cubs is that only two cubs are with her at present. The third appears to have either left, or was possibly split from the family unit a few days ago. Whether this is temporary or permanent is a little early too say, the location of the single cub is not too great a distance to possibly 'reunite'. The good news is that yesterday we saw the single cub in ther evening with a fully belly, having taken down a young Impala & Thomson Gazelle fawn earlier in the day. She did have a rather close call with a group of 8 sub adult lions (3 females and 5 males) who were only 150 metres away, who spotted her returning to feed on the second carcass. Fortunately she was being vigilant enough and ran away immediately upon their advance. Even if this split is now permanent she has demonstrated that so far she is able to fend for herself.

Coming back to Sita and the girls......yesterday also provided some interesting interaction with a hyena who persisted in moving incredibly close to them as they rested on the plains, Perhaps waiting for them to make a kill so the hyena could steal it!  Hissing and spitting while advancing toward to Hyena the gutsy cubs showed that the hyena's presence was not wanted and it finally it gave up.

Meanwhile, this blog has taken some time to write!! being interrupted on two occasions by the cheetahs trying to hunt, the first an attempt to catch a scrub hare, the second a failed attempt to take a male Thomson Gazelle. Despite it coming only 20 feet from the bush where they hid they were not successful and have now retreated back to the confines of a croton bush some 200metres away to see out of the afternoon sun. its now 4.20pm and we have been with them at a distance since 10am.... lets see what happens and if they will be third time lucky before night falls?

Spots before our eyes

Not the best photo of a Serval I admit, but this morning it was spots galore on the cat front (minus the Leopard of course....that's for another day perhaps!)

"Dont mind me, just passing through"

Camping in the Mara is always an awesome experience, but last night proved it just gets better and better! After a long day and a much needed cool beer it was time to retire to the comfort of our rooftent. Just as we were about to climb up our ladder. Christian (a good friend who is with us at present) suddenly picked up movement in the camp and low and behold the flashlight revealed it was a BIG male lion! (It was one of the Notch son's) With excitement we stood and watched as he NOTCHalantly sauntered through only 50 feet from where we stood, with just a quick glance to let us know he was aware of our presence  His posture revealed he was on a mission, and totally uninterested in us. He soon disappeared as quick he appeared! What an awesome first night and again we are happy to be back in the magical Mara!!!

Not long to go......

Andy and I will be back in the Masai Mara in a little under two weeks, after what has seemed like only 5 minutes since we returned from our last trip in early January. Check back soon for the latest updates from the Mara.......

Kwaheri Kenya

Apologies for the lack of blogs in the last few days....recently every day seems to have been filled with lots of excitement, leaving little time to catch up! Sadly Andy and I are now leaving Kenya so this will be the last blog until our next trip in March.

Sadly I have bad news to report, the young cheetah cub that we had spent some time with has been killed/died. We are unsure as to the exact cause of death but given the proximity of the mother and cub to lions the night previous we can only assume it may have been a lion attack, although one cannot rule out buffalo, hyena or even a snake bite. Just 12 hours after we left them the night before we found the mother lying beside the motionless body in the same spot, in the middle of the plains near the migration crossing points.. It was truly a very sad scene and especially so given that she had raised it to such an age that one would usually assume its survival and one would have thought was old enough to have escaped an attack from another predator. Andy and I agreed it was possibly one of the saddest moments in all of our African trips to date, but we also both know how vulnerable cheetahs are and that sometimes nature can deal a harsh blow.

On a more happier note the ‘Notch Family’ lion cubs are still doing well, 8 cubs became 6, then 6 became 9! The mothers have had to continuously move the cubs away from the dangers of the terrible rains that have been continuing to fall in the last few days, that have been affecting much of Kenya. Torrential downpours have caused luggas to fill up within minutes and the roads becoming more like rivers.  Notch crossed over the river to the ‘Narok’ side to ensure that all is in order in the ‘other part’ of his territory, and could be seen mating (again!) with another lioness not far from Paradise plains. Perhaps this lioness was simply in false oestrus or perhaps more notch cubs will be sired!. While Notch took a ‘sabbatical’ his 4 handsome sons chose to stay in the Mara Triangle and to our delight were joined by the ‘5th son’, the one which we had always heard about but never yet seen. There appears to be a very strong bond between 4 of the boys in particular, with the 5th son seeming to be slightly more detached from the group. Given the rain and cool weather the lions have been particularly active and we have seen some incredibly interesting behaviours over the last few days. One morning we were treated with quite possibly one of the most awesome spectacles ever, a lion fight involving 2 lioness and 3 of Notch’s sons. Although all from the same pride the protective nature of one of the lionesses was seen in full force one morning when one of the sons greeted 2 of the cubs who had been slightly separated from the rest of the group. His intentions were harmless but this did not stop the lioness reacting in a ferocious manner. Within in a split second she launched upon the male with incredible force and what ensued was a huge fight that saw 2 of notches sons come to defend the brother and a further lioness getting involved. The noise of the lions fighting was deafening and the fight lasted some 20-30 seconds before all calmed down and the mother had enforced some boundaries to the males. Although the fight had concluded the tension lasted for long into the morning amongst the pride, fortunately later that afternoon all was a little more relaxed in the pride.

The most fitting way to conclude this blog is to finish with our experience on our last night, it does again involve lions, but is something we will never forget. It was nearly 10pm and we were camped high on a hill. The moon was full and seemed so close that we could touch it. Huge storm clouds billowed into the sky all around, filled with lightening so bright it light up the clouds like we have never seen before. The thunder echoed loudly against the escarpment and seemed to resonate all around. During a break in the thunder we heard something that was truly amazing, the sound of 5 male lions roaring simultaneously close by. The power in their roars was incredible, no other male lion would dare to challenge such a united force. Shortly after this united show of strength the males appeared to split and could all be heard all around the hill as they each patrolled their territory and asserted their dominance over the new pride that is forming.

Although incredibly sad to leave the Mara we depart knowing that soon we will be back again and look forward to providing more updates on the blog and look out soon for the photos on our website.....Kwaheri Kenya (for now!)