Our first 36 Hours in Canada. Happy faces all around!

The day for us to leave the UK and depart for our Canadian adventure finally came on September 7th and so here is our first blog of what we hope will be an action packed 2.5 weeks of wildlife and wilderness adventures. If the start of is anything to go by I don’t think we will be disappointed and so far Canada is exceeding our expectations in many ways!

This is not our first trip to Canada, having been here approximately 4 years ago whilst snowboarding in Banff but it is our first time to British Columbia and to we looked forward to seeing some of the Canadian wilderness without being shrouded by a a blanket of snow.

The morning after we landed in Vancouver we were straight on the early ferry to Vancouver island, where we are spending around 8 days focusing on Whales and Bears across 3  different areas of the island, starting with three days in Tofino, a small town located on the west of the island and nestled amongst stunning tree covered mountain peaks.

Of course we had ‘googled’ before we left about the areas we were visiting but nothing, and I mean nothing could have prepared us for the spectacular scenery that unfolded as soon as we arrived in the island and so far has continued way beyond what we ever imagined. Traveling along the highway from the ferry immense forests dominated everywhere we turned, impressive mountain peaks covered with a dense blanket of green, and some still with a small covering of ice and snow that clearly never melted. Everything in Canada was big! The mountains, the trees and not to mention huge great gas guzzling trucks!. As we traveled further west the roads became windy, the scenery became more and more spectacular as we passed crystal clear lakes and thick forest with huge Douglas Fir trees. Huge great granite boulders that jutted out from the mountains and lay strewn along the many many creeks we passed over. It was clear that the 3.5 hour journey to Tofino was going to take considerably longer as we could not help by stop of the roadside and take in the awe that was the Canadian wilderness, including places such as Cathedral Grove Provincial Park.

Eventually we arrived in Tofino, tired but excited about our next few days ahead. Our self catered studio accommodation was just perfect, located right at the waters edge with more amazing views that you just could never get tired of. Already, less than 24 hours in BC we were in love with this place!

We had some time in the afternoon to investigate the area more and spent some time along the Pacific Rim National park. We headed straight for the beach, knowing it was a known surf spot we also wanted to check out if there were any clean ‘barrels’ to be had!

To see the temperate rain forest come right to the edge of the ocean was just fascinating and it felt like a scene from prehistoric times with huge ferns and trees that seemed to be never ending in height. There was something truly mystical about this area. The surf was ‘up’ but rather messy so we were in no desperate rush to go and hire boards and jump on a wave. Driftwood covered the coastline as far as the eye could see on every beach we stopped at. It felt like every piece of wood had a story to tell. All different shapes, sizes and textures moulded by the power of the Pacific Ocean. I (Sarah) especially seem to have become obsessed with driftwood, come to Tofino and you will see what I mean!! 

Added to this amazing scenery was the fact that we were now well and truly in Bear territory, but not only bears as we soon found out. Signs dominated the parking areas warning that Wolf and Cougar sightings were on the increase. Ok, so now we were well and truly in predator heaven!!!

Our first adventure was to hopefully see Gray Whales, that could have consisted of either migrating whales or some of the resident population. We boarded a 12 passenger Zodiac with comfy seats for what was to be a trilling ride (as we were sat at the front of the zodiac, the bumpiest and most exhilarating place to sit!!) We travelled up the Clayoquot sound for a considerable distance, concentrating hard all around for the tell tale spout of water from a blowhole that would pinpoint the location of the our target mammal for the morning. Over 1.5 hours and still no luck, the swell was picking up and ride becoming bumpier with each minute that passed. Our guide was clearly getting a little anxious, keen to find some whales. As we started to accept that today was not going to be our day for spotting a whale we had ‘word’ that a Humpback Whale and her calf had been sighted. Our guide ‘hot footed’ to the area where they had been seen, still with no guarantee that we would see them. Then in the distance we saw several boats, they must still be in sight. By now the swell was gathering momentum, making it hard to see what was over the next crested peak. We arrived to where the Whales were and there she was, mother and calf. It was impossible for photography and almost impossible to see them over the undulating sea, but wow what a sight as she slowly glided under the surface, occasionally revealing her location with a spout of water from her blow hole, and every now and then revealing her immense size with a glimpse of her back as her calf followed closely. We stayed only 15 minutes or so with the Whale before we had to head back, pleased at least that we had seen a whale, even if it had not been the species we had expected to see. Any sighting of any animal in the wild especially a whale in such a huge area is a privilege. On the way back we also saw two large bald eagles nestled high upon a tall Douglas Fir, simply stunning!

We arrived back to the dock at 1pm feeling like we had done ten rounds with Mike Tyson after being hurled around in the front of the Zodiac! As we arrived back to our apartment we then found out that whilst out on the ocean at 12:41pm Vancouver Island (VI) had suffered an earthquake, just a little further north from our location. Reaching 6.4 magnitude it was by no means a small quake but fortunately not enough to cause any structural damage, the quake was felt all across Tofino, the whole of VI and also on the mainland. As we had been out in the ocean we were shielded from feeling the effects and there was no Tsumani warning in effect  as the epicenter of the quake was technically very shallow, just 25km down (Along the Pacific Rim we are in the ‘Tsunami Zone’ evident by the many signs showing evacuation routes). 

So that was the end of our first morning in Tofino......time to ‘regroup’ ready for our first bear watching adventure later that afternoon. 

Little did we know it was not just bears we were going to see! Check back later for our next update later today/tomorrow of what we saw!

The view from the Ferry leaving Mainland BC and toward Vancouver Island

En Route to Tofino

En Route to Tofino - Cathedral Grove Provincial Park

En Route to Tofino

One of the beautiful lakes en route to Tofino

Tofino - Tsunami Zone!

View from our studio apartment

Our studio apartment - bottom level, 2nd from the left

Signs along the Pacific Rim National Park in Tofino....Awesome!

Amazing Coastline - Pacific Rim National Park , Nr Tofino

Drfitwood

Canada: The next trip ahead!

Normally in August/September Andy and I embark on our usual trip to see the `wildebeest migration in Kenya. This year things have changed! As much as it 'pains' us to say it this year the 'wildies' will have to carry on without the Skinners! Thats right, this September we are off to Canada! 

Masai Mara, I promise we WILL be back soon, just not for a little while. Let the crowds ease first. We have another migration in mind for now........

So, we have talked of going to photograph bears for about 4 years now and every year we could not help but go to the Mara "Oh just one more migration"!  This year it just seemed the right time, enough talk lets just get on with it. Now its booked we cant wait! (Although admittedly now the house refurbs will be a little more delayed now, oh well, it will have to wait! )

The trip will involve 3 locations around British Columbia in Western Canada, to hopefully view Grizzly and Black Bears feeding along the rivers as well as seeing Canada's other endemic wildlife, including Orca and Humpback Whales and Bald Eagles.

In short our self drive itinerary looks like this: Start from Vancouver, by car/ferry to Vancouver Island, visiting Tofino, Port McNeil, and Campbell River over the course of 8 days. Focusing on Bears, Whales and Eagles. Travelling back on to the mainland we head on the long drive to Bella Coola for another 5 days, where we hope to see bears fishing in the Atnarko River in Tweedsmuir National Park during the annual salmon migration before heading back to Vancouver and home. 

You see a migration had to come into our trips somewhere. A September without migration, nope, I don't think so!

Unlike the Skinners normal accommodation style 'ala' roof tent we are staying in small local B&Bs, and self catering wilderness cabins. We may even take the night remote camera, bears around the cabin, now that would be something! 

See the 'black dots' on the maps below for our planned destinations for Sept 2011

The excitement always continues after dark!

One thing about camping is you are immersed in the bush 24/7, this means sharing your space with its regular inhabitants and accepting that you often get curious visitors into camp, its all part of the fun for sure! To capture what's going on while we sleep (and in the case of this Bull Elephant while we were trying to cook up dinner!!) we always put up one or two remote cameras and get really excited every morning about what may have passed by. Attached below is the best of our June 2011 trip, creatures both large and small!

"lesser Spotted Sarah'

Spotted Hyena

Elephant

 Elephant

 Scrub Hare

 Genet

The last few days of our African Adventure....

It was now time for us to head back over the the South side of the Mara, to the Mara Triangle. We were still keen to get a view on what was happening with the Mgoro females as after all we had only so far found 2 of the 4 females (originally 5 but we fear that the 5th possibly perished defending the cubs when the new 4km males appeared a few months back)  

Before we left we spent a little more time with Shingo and cubs. During which one of the cubs decided to rather cheekily and intentionally approach our vehicle, stretching up on the bonnet and then moving around the back of the vehicle to chew on our back tyre! As more cars arrived we decided to leave the cheetahs. After all they had hunting school to continue and the less vehicles the better. We had another brief amble along the Olare Orok River and again came across Nkayioni. Once again we were alone as many of the game viewing vehicles had headed to Shingo and Co. We soon found him again, enjoying the morning sun in the long grass. He remained relaxed and sleepy for around 15-20 minutes, occasionally glancing around and shifting his position. By now the sun was increasing in intensity and it was not long until he retreated back into the vegetation and this signaled our time to head over the Talek and Mara river and back to the Mara Triangle.

Once back in the Triangle we again caught up with some of the 4km males and much to our delight we found KB (Killer Bogey) with her daughter, Junior Bogey (ok, so no bonus marks there for original names!). So now we had accounted for 3 of the Mugoro females now. We still wanted to hopefully leave having found the 4th. 

On the last afternoon Andy was left to his own devices as I went out on evening ‘obs’ with our friends. the Hyena researchers. Three adorable cute Hyena cubs popped their heads out of one of the study dens and I was lucky to see them suckle, revealing vital information to Dave and his student researchers that confirmed this particular mother had 2 cubs and not just one. As darkness fell it was quite a sight to see so much activity around the den. Whilst we concentrate a lot of our efforts on the lions. understanding the pride structures/compiling ID charts etc it was really interesting to view so much behavior, quite a contrast to spending time with lions! I have to admit that ‘Hyenas rock’ and I will happily debate this subject with anyone who disagrees!

It was the last morning and our last opportunity to find the 4th Mugoro female. As we started to ‘wrap up’ and think about heading back to Nairobi we were distracted by some movement coming from the long grass near the ‘4km sign’ toward Serena. One lioness pops out, then 2, then 3 and then 4. How is that for last minute luck! We confirmed it was KB, Junior Bogey and the other two remaining Mugoro lionesses. They ambled along the road for a few hundred metres before taking a right turn and into a low lying area below the airstrip which they seem to love. This put the final piece of the puzzle back together and we had now taken the ‘register’ for our females. Happy days! Now we could travel back to Nairobi having caught up with many familiar faces from the Mara and having spent a great time with our good friends across the Mara (of the two legged variety!)

Curious Shingo Cub

Tasty Tyre

Killer Bogey (KB) and her daughter 'Junior Bogey. Must have been a good night!

Spots before our eyes!

The evening before we were due to leave back to the North side of the Mara we were keen to try and find Shingo and her 6 cubs again.  Fortunately it did not take too long to find them but unfortunately they were still in an area that was really not the best place for them to be. They were just a few kilometres from Talek town and hemmed in between some of the Olkiombo lions and the area where cattle have been coming into the reserve to graze at night. They had moved a little further into the reserve which was good but we still hoped soon they would move away from where they were as it was really not ideal cheetah territory. Overnight many more Zebras had appeared (Loita Herds) so the plains above Fig Tree Lodge was now dotted with many more plains game and probably one reason that the some of the Olkiombo lions had suddenly reappeared and crossed back from the North side of the river.

It was again cloudy and relatively cool so they were fairly active and ‘played’ around a lugga,  inaccessible to cars, (with Cheetahs we cant help feeling this is usually a good thing as not all drivers/guides have ‘ethics’ when it comes to approaching animals!) While watching them we saw them trying to catch a scrub hare, but with no luck, all the same it was good hunting practice for the cubs. 

It was not long until all of a sudden we saw the cubs dart across the plains on a mission that was a little more serious, with Shingo in tow at the end of the long line of cheetah.  She was clearly trying to get them to take more control and learn vital hunting skills that will be crucial for their survival. By now there were a few more vehicles present and everyone was agasp as they moved with lightening speed after a tiny Impala fawn that had suddenly appeared with its mother from over the brow of the hill. 

They carried on, slowing a little, then up and over the hill, weaving across the uneven ground that was heavily populated with Croton thickets. Zebras darted away as the Cheetahs were on a mission. We all soon lost sight of the cheetahs so we moved to then find them still chasing on the other side of the hill, having by now moved a serious distance. They must have now chased for at least 1.5km from where they had started. Incredible for an animal that can run fast but not for prolonged distances. Although not running at full speed due to the terrain and distance you could see the cheetahs and indeed the fawn were starting to tire as they weaved around the bushes still, neither the cubs or fawn relenting.

Then they all stopped abruptly as they successfully cornered the fawn, it now found itself in the middle of 7 Cheetahs. The cubs clearly lacked the experience or confidence to finish what they had started. As the fawn stood in the group of cheetahs some of the cubs ‘playfully’ nibbled at the the Fawns neck as it stood there. They had their quarry, now what to do? Shingo still refused to intervene. It was a surreal moment and had the light not been fading fast and the cloud increasing it would have been one of those awesome photographic moments! Although we still managed to take a few shots. Given the fawn was so far away from its mother we now hoped that the Cheetahs would now dispatch the fawn quickly, after all it would now not survive, even if it got away from the young spotty gang. It would also be good to see the cheetahs get much needed nourishment after so much energy had been expounded. 

The fawn took advantage of the Cheetahs in-decsion and inexperience and darted off again, until again it was cornered near another bush. However, the chase and occaisonal bleats of the fawn had alerted two Spotted Hyenas who without hesitation moved in to the scene to see what was ‘up for grabs’. At this point the Cheetahs, including Shingo then rushed away, suddenly the fawn was no longer the priority as the Hyena approached. The fawn, by this point was hiding in a tiny thicket. No one so far had managed to catch the fawn. 

For a few moments the cubs, with bristled fur and defensive posture stood facing the Hyena. Shingo carefully but confidently moved them away, but still only 20 metres or so from the Fawn, they had unfinished business. With that the Hyena seemingly went out of sight of the Cheetah and the vehicles.

When it seemed that the Hyena had relentented Shingo and cubs gingerly went back toward the bush they had left the fawn .By now everyone just wanted it to end, the Cheetahs needed food, the fawn was not going to survive, so best for all that it ended sooner rather than later. Within moments of them approaching the bush the Hyena suddenly appeared again. Except this time in a flash it grabbed the fawn and ran off away from the Cheetah, darting past our vehicle in the process. So the suffering ended for the fawn but the cheetahs faced an night without food. Clearly there is more work to be done for the Cheetahs to home their hunting skills.

By this point is was not far from getting dark so the Cheetahs moved away from the area with some purpose, they could hear the bells of the cattle arriving so they needed to find somewhere safe to ‘bed’ for the night. Another failed hunt for the Cheetah, but in the process another valuable hunting lesson.

We left the Cheetah and went to see the Hyena that had captured the fawn, within what seemed seconds the Fawn was ‘gone’. It was fascinating to watch how quickly it had devoured the fawn. It was indeed a real shame that having worked so hard Shingo and Co were left hungry again. However, the fawn had not 'perished in vain' and had at least given the Hyena a good feed, even if he did not have to work too hard on this occasion. It’s often seen that the Hyena are the ‘bad guys’  (We blame the ‘Lion King’!) but it really is unfair title to bestow on them, even if during this sighting it seemed so unfortunate that the Cheetah lost their meal to a Hyena. 

So sadly tonight was not the night for a successful hunt for Shingo and Co, but it was a truly amazing sighting and one that neither of us will forget! Fingers crossed that tomorrow brings a better day for them all  and that they get some decent nourishment and manage to move to a more suitable area. 

Nkayioni, we meet again

The morning after spending the afternoon with Notch (28th June) we decided to dedicate some time to ‘Operation Leopard’ and to hopefully catch up with some more familiar ‘faces’. We decided that we would take the opportunity and look for Olive and her most recent cub and/or perhaps even Paja or Nkayioni, both around 2 years old and Olives previous set of offspring. Whilst we did not want to just concentrate our Leopard ‘efforts’ on this trip to just finding Olive et al (after all there of course MANY other Leopards in the Mara and not just the known ‘personalities’!) we decided that as most of them had been seen recently it was a good place to start and we wanted to catch up with her and her offspring at some point during our time on the North side of the river. 

We make it sound as if finding Leopards is easy, it's most definitely not!, you often have to ‘do the time’ before you have any success. We knew that if we concentrated our efforts in prime/typical Leopard habitat, ‘thought’ like a Leopard and stuck to the area that they were all last seen we would increase our chances! It’s true also that sometimes you can also just ‘get lucky’, but we were happy to ‘put in the time’ and hope for success, if not we had tried our best. Even if we did not find Leopard there is always something of interest to see in the Mara even if its not the spotty kind, you never know what you may come across in paradise!

We had seen and heard recent reports from both Paul Kirui and Jackson that Nkayioni was often seen still ‘loitering’ around Olive. He is clearly not quite ready to fully break the bond with mum even though Olive now has more pressing concerns raising her one surviving cub [who we think must now be circa 6 months old and the only surviving cub from her original litter of two]. Indeed his relationship with Olive seems rather reminiscent of how Chui was filmed/documented as a true ‘mummy’s boy’ and stayed with Big Cat Diary ‘Star’ Bella for sometime before finally venturing out into his own new territory, possibly over in the Mara Triangle.

Paja on the other hand has embraced independence a little more and from what we understand is now in an area still close by to Olive, and we believe (although we could be wrong) has not been seen with Olive for some time. Although a little while yet she will hopefully, in the not to distant future be starting a family of her own. 

So, back to “Operation Leopard’. We had been given information that Olive and Co (that had included Nkayioni) had last been seen a day or so ago around the Olare Orok river and more specifically an area known as ‘Smelly Crossing’. For those who don’t know this area it is so called as when the river is low and lacks any decent flow or recent rainfall it kicks up quite a stink that is a real attack on the nasal senses and with a strong aroma of Ammonia/festering Hippo dung is certainly not a pleasant one!. We had heard that Paja on the other hand had been seen much further upstream and quite some time ago so traveling upstream from this area seemed a good place to start. It was around 7am that we got to the Smelly crossing area. We moved in an upstream direction and as slowly and as close as the tracks would allow us to the dense riverine foliage. Whilst also casting an eye over back over the plains in case one of the Leopards were returning from a hunting ‘sortie’. Giraffes, Impala, Jackal and Warthog but no Leopard. The forest was quiet apart from the sound of many bird species, the animals grazed and browsed peacefully and there was not an alarm call to be heard. That was until we turned a bend, around 1.5-2km from ‘Smelly Crossing’.

There sat a Leopard, as we drew in closer we could see it was a young boy, around 2 years of age and one that we soon recognised after a few moments. Mission accomplished we had found Nkayioni. We stopped at a distance that would hopefully not spook him or alter his behavior. It’s true that this handsome young chap is now somewhat habituated to vehicles compared to leopard found in other areas. Even still treating him with the respect he deserved we virtually moved in slow motion within the vehicle as we endeavored to mobilise the cameras as quietly (but as fast) as possible before he could retreat back into the thick vegetation. 

However, he was undisturbed by our presence, just us and Nkayioni!  Did it get any better than this? As he cast his eye across the plains, with the sun rising behind the hazy cloud he was now showing signs he wanted to hunt. It was not long until his gaze soon became locked onto two warthogs. The grass was so long you could only see just their ears. He wanted breakfast and Warthog was now on the menu. He soon rose from his placid state and limbered up with a long stretch before he moved slowly with stealth and patience toward his quarry on the plains. As he did he calmly walked within just a few feet from our vehicle, barely even giving us a passing glimpse. He was focused with absolute precision on the Warthogs.  Moments like this don’t always come along very often, sharing time with him, without other cars and seeing a Leopard so relaxed are just pure bliss. This is the time to put the camera down and enjoy being so close to such a beautiful and magnificent animal as he as sauntered calmly past the front of our car.  He soon disappeared into the long grass and until just a few feet away the Warthog had remained totally unaware that they were next on the menu.

However, today was their lucky day, just in time they caught sight of Nkayioni and bolted down a nearby hole. You could almost read the frustration on face. Nkayioni looked around, looking somewhat ‘bemused’, but other than the warthog the plains were bare. So a few moments later he retreated back toward us and to where we had first found him, the grass being so long that at times all you could see was his tailing flicking in frustration! 

So, Warthog was not on the breakfast menu today for after Nkayioni. Stopping for one last glance around the plains he then continued into the thick wooded area, stopping for a quick wash under a shady bush where we could just about make out his beautiful coat which seemed to merge seamlessly with the environment.  We knew that we were now going to lose him and soon enough we did. 

He had paraded in front of us, he had given us a good show, all without other vehicles. This was now Nkayioni’s time and time for us to leave him be. Maybe he was off to find a shady tree for the day. All of that excitement meant we were hungry by now to and off to find a nice spot to cook some breakfast ‘ALA’ Skinner style’ (Sausages and egg sandwich by the river!) 

Smelly Crossing

Another afternoon with Notch

On the afternoon of the 27th we had heard that Notch had been sighted again, this time across the other side of the Talek from where we had left him the day before and quite a few kilometres away. We had very little information to go by so to a certain extent it was going to be like looking for the proverbial ‘needle in a hay stack!’. That’s all part of the fun so off we trundled. As we looked under what felt like every croton bush and ever Gardenia bush we saw grey ‘Cumulus Nimbus clouds again forming, another storm was on its way. So the grey clouds were again bad news for photography, the evening sun was not going to show its face (and the clouds were not even dark enough to give that dramatic ‘mood’ but instead a bit of a dull look!) Our only concern was that it may rain too much for us to cross back over the river and toward our camp for the night. Luckily this was not the case as the heaviest rain just missed us and came later in the evening.

A good hour or so had passed as we then came over the brow of a hill and saw two vehicles parked by a bush, given the area it had to be a lion! Ambling up to see what was of interest we saw the tell tale dark mane of none other than Notch again. Although this time he was a lot closer than the previous sighting we have blogged about a few days ago. 

At this point we cared little about the cloud, after all it was our ‘good friend’ Mzee Notch. Any chance to see him on this trip was gratefully received and was one of the reasons we had travelled to the North side. It gave us the chance to get a much better look at him this time. It became even more apparent that he was really showing his age, he looked ‘tired’, not surprising to be fair considering he had travelled some distance since the previous afternoon. 


On the positive, although he was now looking like more like an ‘old lion’ he moved with ease and not as stiff as we have seen him look on previous trips. He was confidently surveying the area with the majesty you expect from Notch and as far as he (and we) were concerned he was still king of the Mara and by no means ready to give up the thrown. Just 30 feet or so away we then saw a lioness with cubs, although we could barely see them in the long grass. Given the area and their age we suspected and deduced that they must have been the same cubs that we had seen him with on our last trip in February. There was no sign of Grimace or the other boys, they had quite possibly gone on a foray even further away and we had a feeling (which the next day proved to be right) that 'Grimmy' was still over the south side of the Talek with another female.

Soon after the cars left so we now had him again to ourselves. We sat with him for the entire afternoon, just enjoying his company from a little distance away. Deep down we knew that this may be the last time we would see him on this trip as we were leaving back to the South side of the Mara in a couple of days to spend more time looking for Cheetah and other game. After all the Mara is about more than just Mzee Notch.

However, given we are not back to the Mara for at least 3-5  months ‘reality bites’ that it could possibly be our last time seeing him for good. Truth is it looks like he has more than a few months left ahead of him but there is never the guarantee that we will always find him every time we come to the Mara. We both like to think that the 'inevitable' is long time away yet. Yes, he looks old and has deteriorated in the last few months but he is by no means on his ‘last legs’ at all, just looking old quite fast now. After all, look at Claude from the Marsh pride, who despite looking like he was falling apart in late 2010 is still going on and on! Even so, despite our optimism when it was time to leave for camp we said our ‘goodbyes’ just in case. I have to admit this time it was a more teary goodbye than normal Andy stood by with the tissues for me! [Sarah]. Really we should not be sad, he has already reached a grand old age for a wild male lion and has gone on to rule many prides. Tears soon turned to laughter as we could only laugh at what Notch must think (“Get a grip” came to mind!) His strong genes will still live on in the Mara for some time yet.

So we, (mostly Sarah!) admit that we have broken the ‘golden rule’ of getting ‘attached’ to a wild animal (something we always try and avoid!) but make no apologies for having a true love for wildlife, both big and small. Sometimes its hard not to get attached when you have followed their trials and tribulations for so long and he is after all the biggest four legged celebrity in the Mara! Lets hope we see you on the next trip big man. 

Bizarre twist of fate!

We had a fairly quiet day 'cat wise' on Sunday, but nevertheless its still lovely to be driving around and taking in the surroundings, and there is always plenty of other game to enjoy. Sometimes just siting by the river and relaxing is just the tonic!  The quest to find 'our' Mgoro females continued with no luck, but we did come across one of the '4km males' (those that are now associated with the Mgoro girls) under a tree in a deep sleep and we heard some females had been sighted earlier in the day. The male barely moved an inch in the hour or so we were with him, and with a nice full stomach and shade who would in those circumstances! Shortly after we came across two females, one around 7+ years and another no more than 4 years. They were not ones we 'recognised' instantly, the older female was big and bulky and she looked like a real powerhouse of a lioness.

We decided that on Monday we would move over to the North side of the Mara River, after all no trip to the Mara is ever complete without finding a certain male lion, we all know that we are talking about Notch!

However, first we spent Monday morning on another 'Mgoro mission' and game viewing on the south side of the river by 9am we decided we should 'mobilise' for our trip over the river. As we are headed along the main road near Serena Airstrip to get water and fuel before starting the 2 hour journey we were suddenly stopped literally dead in our tracks by the loud roar right by the vehicle, when we say right by the vehicle we make no exaggeration and it was exactly at the moment was passed.  Instantly we knew it was a female lioness, but where on earth was she, close that was for sure. Then suddenly just 3 feet from the road we saw the top of a lioness head pop up from the long long grass. We were totally aghast as to how hidden she was, whilst she was so close to the road the grass was so high making her invisible.

We could only see ears so could not ID the lion, was it Killer Bogey (KB) or one of the other members of the Mgoro pride?  After just a few seconds she flopped down and then again disappeared into the grass. It was amazing as to how close she was but you could not see her, not even a tiny faction of skin or tail. Guides stopped to ask what we were looking at and as we explained but they to could not see her at all. Driving off from where the lioness was Andy and I were convinced they did not believe us when we said there was a lion there! We sat patiently for some time waiting to see if we could get a better look. Then again she moved but that was revealed was a belly, this was not helping! Moments later we suddenly saw more movement, there was 2 lionesses! Quite something to see how one such a large creature can just disappear, let alone two, but as the grass was around 3foot+ in this area so it was hardly surprising. Time pressed on and we knew we had to get water, on the way back we would pop by again in case they had moved.

Returning back they had not moved as hoped, the occasional flick of a tail was all we got to know they were still there. That was until the bush plane from Nairobi came over! Startled by the noise of the low flying plane suddenly the two lionesses were rudely awoken from their slumber and leaped out of the grass and onto the road. At this point in unison Andy and I both excitedly proclaimed "its Killer Bogey'!. Yep, that's right we had found her and one of the other members of the Mgoro pride. Had it not been for the load roar and the plane overhead we would have been none the wiser. Ok, yes its coincidence but even still quite amusing!. Sadly we have no photos of her as she then retreated back to the grass fast, but we had seen her so that was good to see she was doing well. Hopefully when we go back over we will see them again.

The bizarre twist of fate continued on the next leg of our journey.... 'finding Notch'. Just an hour into the journey to the North side we came across 2 female elephants and their older calves. Always being cautious of elephants and especially mothers and calves we stopped around 125feet away, they knew we were there so we decided to sit quietly sat with the engine off and watched as their posture was relaxed.

They started to very slowly move along away from the road and we decided a little after to slowly move forward to pass. We had not even moved 5 feet at snail pace that without any warning one the larger of the two females suddenly bolted full speed at us, this was no mock charge and we were given no warning at all so the moral of the story is don't always think you will get a warning! Andy had no option but to slam into reverse as we watched this elephant run toward us, at this point we could see she was secreting fluid out of her temporal glands on the side of her head. She was not happy about something as this is often a sign of stress (caused by many things) and us turning up was obviously for some reason been'the straw that broke the camels back'!  To say the adrenalin was pumping is a pretty accurate description! She closed the gap slightly as she did not relent toward us, but as we had already some distance away she never got too close, this was lucky we had not decided to get too close and retain a healthy respect and distance. We were lucky in that we were on a nice bit of even and dry track so made it easy to reverse.  After running for around 150 metres she finally stopped. Without panic we then had the opportunity to turn the vehicle around and face the direction of travel in as calm manner as possible and take a different route. However, she decided that even though by now we were a considerable distance away and still moving away from her she was going to start running again after us! We drove slowly knowing at this point we had no need to panic, she continued to run for again another 150 metres. What had upset her was a mystery and the first time we had experienced this. We have come across elephants before who are a little 'stroppy or sensitive' but knowing the signs we have always avoided any issues, but this girl gave us no warning!

So, after this little episode we continued to re-route on another track, it would still get us to where we needed to be eventually, just a slightly different way. The mystery of what had upset the elephant then became a little clearer when we soon came across a large bull elephant nearby, stomping around the plains, testosterone filled. Perhaps this guy had been upsetting the herd and was why she was easily agitated, one possible theory!.? Or perhaps she had just awoken the wrong side of the 'bed' or decided she did not like green Land Rovers!

So here comes the second 'twist of fate'......continuing the journey we then saw up ahead a lone acacia which clearly had some feline inhabitants underneath. It was indeed lions, two, a male and a female. As we approached closer it took only moments until we both proclaimed "its Notch". Yes, indeed this was the old Mzee himself and in an area we had actually not expected to find him.  He was some distance away but enough to see his familiar face, he looked well fed (having heard that he and his boys had been feeding on Hippo just days before). I hate to say this but now he looked old now and not quite as good as he had done in February when we last saw him. You could see this in his face and his skin condition was changing and certainly showing his age.

As reported recently we also saw for ourselves that Notch has lost a lower canine. Even still  there was still plenty of strength there so we are not writing Notch off yet by any means, he has been like a Duracell battery so far so long live Mzee Notch! Soon he will be feeding on a glut of wildebeest, that will keep him going for sure. The female he was with also looked a little battered with a large older injury to half of her face and was having some issues with her eye as it streamed and barely opened. They really looked a right pair of bruisers! So we have to say thank you to the elephant for having charged us, without this we would have taken a different track and totally missed where the big guy was. Sadly he sat up for only moments and not long enough to get any great images but there was fine with us as it was good to see the old guy again. We decided that after lunch we would return as he was not going to be moving anywhere that was for sure and we knew that his 'bodyguard' (Grimace/Bob) and the other boys could be near by.

Headed back a few hours later he was in the same spot, having moved about 12 inches! They were still flat out and looked almost comotose! Leaving him we headed off to look for the others, just a couple of KM away we came across another familar face, it was Grimace (Bob).  He lay on the open plain with another female and as we cast our eyes around we could see they were not too far from the remains of the hippo that had been their substiance for the last few days but now teemed with three different species of vulture all fighting over the best morsels of meat left over. Grimace was also not 'playing ball' for the cameras but we managed to get a couple of shots but nothing that would make it to the website I doubt!. Enough to see that he has now also lost an upper canine, probably embedded in a hippo somewhere!

So now it was off to try and find the three other boys. We spoke to a guide who mentioned he thought they had been seen a couple of kilometres away so off we went. We soon approached the area and saw three cars under a tree, this meant two things, lions or given the area a cheetah. The flick of a tawny tail with a black tuft gave it away as we moved closer, and then two tails and then three. So we knew we had lions and we knew it was likely the boys. The grass was again long (and in this instance frustratingly long!) so we saw the odd head pop up quickly and then flop back down. It was enough to see that it was the Notch sons (Including the tell tell dark maned 'Notch II') It was incredible to see (albeit briefly as they re-adjusted their position) that they really did look like Notch in his younger days but now even bigger than dad for sure. This had been a great day so far, but in terms of photography was not great given the long grass but we had set a mission to find Notch and his boys and we had succeeded so no complaints there, sometimes that is just the way it happens on a trip. Given the light was rather dull anyway it was hardly an issue and we are happy just to see these handsome and rather 'famous' lions and to see how they have grown up in the years we have followed them.

As our day came to an end our last twist of fate ends with Cheetahs. Saying goodnight to the boys it was time to head back to camp (having still not moved!)We had made plans for a particular site but for a few reasons we had to make some last minute changes late that day as to where we would stay which was fine. In Africa we 'make a plan' day by day so this was not an issue at all. As we headed to the different site the sun had almost gone and a dark light prevailed. We made out vehicles in the distance, the way we were headed. As we came nearer and in front of the cars we suddently saw two cheetahs running, then three, then four, then five, then six and then SEVEN!!!! It was 'Shingo' and her six cubs, and it seemed almost unreal to see so many Cheetahs together, let alone for a mother to have raised all her cubs to such an age. (I am not sure of their exact age but they looked around 12-15 months old). It was our first time to see these cats in the flesh. They all looked in great condition and well fed, this really was some sight. We backed off as they were obviously chasing something which the cars masked for a few moments, until we saw they had taken down a 'Tommie' fawn. The cheetahs then instantly huddled around the kill and it was dispatched quickly, each one of the cheetahs getting their own piece of dinner.  The cameras were away! (given the fact we were about the exit the park and it was getting dark) but out in enough time to boost up the 'ISO' and try and get at least something to remind us of the fact we had just seen 7 cheetahs. Well done mum, you are a clever girl!

And so that ends our day that was brimming with either many coincidences or a bizarre twist of fate. We had caught up with old and new feline friends so we were pretty happy that night as you can imagine. Welcome to the Masai Mara and all is wonderous glory (except for the bad light and rain!!)

Grimace (A.K.A Bob)

Notch

Storms of Africa

There are many things about Africa, other than the amazing wildlife that we are always in awe of no matter how many times we visit. The skies always seems 'bigger', the stars brighter (no light pollution!) and the storms more dramatic and impressive to those experienced in the UK.

Due to the relative 'proximity' of Lake Victoria in Tanzania and the high Siria Escarpement on the Western edge of the Mara there is always plenty of interesting weather and cloud formations to experience here in Kenya's Masai Mara. This trip being no exception!. So far nature has treated us to some quite spectacular night shows from our campsite and on our afternoon drives so far. Its true that rain and camping really do not mix and it can be particularly unpleasant!. However, the 'inconvenience of rain' is far outweighed by all the other reasons of why we love to camp (when its dry!)  and there is nothing more impressive than an African storm. On both our first and second evening here we have seen some quite 'brutal' weather, the first night was incredible. I can only describe it as saying that you could literally see the build up of pressure in the clouds that were super changed up with energy. Lightning was coming from all directions, vertical, horizontal and hitting the ground on multiple occasions with a load crack not too far from our campsite. The thunder was almost deafening and together with hail meant it was impossible to hear or see anything. Watching the animals behaviour change and as the impending weather approached late in the afternoon was quite something. The wind spiralled in different directions as the gazelles pronked, and the Topi and Eland ran around in what can only be described as a state of confusion/excitement In the same area some cute Hyena cubs played around their den in a frisky manner. 

The next morning after the first storm we found what looked like a perfectly healthy impala, dead, with no signs of predation lying on top of a mound. In the same area that bore the brunt of the fierce lightning. Could he have been a victim of a lightening strike? like many other animals fall victim to in Africa? As we write this again on Day 3, we can see more ominous storm clouds moving in again, another wet afternoon approaches! One thing is for sure is that if the rains and thunder continue this will certainly get the wildebeest moving from Tanzania (depending of course what the weather is doing there).

On to the game update......the grass is long here in the Mara, as you would expect at this time of year and it feels like the 'lull before the storm' before soon the pounding hooves of the Zebra and Wildebeest etc will arrive for the Mara leg of the 'Great Migration'. There is very little plains game around on the side of the Mara we are on at present, aside from a handful of resident Zebra herds, There are reasonable numbers of Topi, Grants and Thomson Gazelle, Impala that are occupying some areas of the plains, but in large there is a vast expanse of empty plains with Red Oat grass that is up to 6 feet tall! 

The first 24 hours in the Mara were busy with some nice cat sightings, not ones where we were able to get any good images but still its not always 'about the shot'. Within minutes of entering the Mara we came across 3 males lions, around 4-5 years old and not too far as the crow flies from the Musiara Marsh area. Along with two other females they were mating. We think its quite possible that these handsome guys were the same males that have recently left the Marsh pride. Just fifteen minutes later and some 50-75 metres from the track we saw the remains of what looked like an impala dangling eerily from the branch of a tree. This meant only one thing.....Leopard!. We scanned wardering if he or she was nearby. It was in an area that was closed to any off road driving and in this instance there was not a track nearby so we looked hard through the binoculars. There was definitely no leopard in that tree, as we scanned we were alerted to another tree, even further away, another 100 metres or so behind the first. There it was, what we could just about make out to be a male Leopard, simply awesome to see!. Reaching for the cameras we stopped and decided it was a little pointless given the distance so we sat and gazed as he made himself comfy with a huge rotund and full stomach! I have attached an image below taken with a 'point and shoot' camera, can you spot him!? Normally we would have waited for him to come down, as inevitably he would as the afternoon cooled, but having just driven 6 hours from Nairobi, the distance away and the unlikely event that he would come onto the plains rather than back toward the Mara river we decided it was probably not the best course of action to wait. 

Only another 20 minutes later and not too far from the Migration crossing points opposite Paradise Plains we then came across another male lion, this looked to be 'Male 1' (we really must give this guy an identity!) from our Feb trip. 

Our Leopard luck continued into the evening with another Leopard sighting, just perched high up on a rock at the base of the tree line on a large hill south of the Mara river. This guy was HUGE and looked quite a mature Leopard, again it was way too far to get any decent images for the website but we took a couple of shots. Its always hard to see Leopards in the Mara Triangle but 2 in one day, amazing!!! 

Having followed the Mgoro pride of 5 females for some time now we are always keen to relocate them when we return. When we left them in February they had two remaining cubs (from the nine that they had in Sept 2010) and the females were mating with the new males. We had heard that shortly after we left in February one more cub was killed by the new males so we knew by now we were probably back to looking for just the females now. So far in the three days we have been here we have neither seen or heard them in their normal area, hunting high and low no sign at all, including no evidence of any pug marks, old kills or other tell tale signs. We still have some areas to cover but so far no sign, there are around for sure somewhere we are sure.  This is not unusual either as they would often go 'missing' for  a few days at a time and their territory is a big area with many places to hide and the grass long right now.  Their biggest issue is that within their usual territory there is literally no game so its quite likely they have become a little more transient and have had to expand their area in search of food. This would also explain why at night we are hearing very few lions, far less than 'normal'. A lion/group of lions that is forced to cross into the area of another lion pride does certainly not want to advertise its presence and when the prey is sparse we have seen that lions in the Triangle seem to affirm their territory far less than in times such as the Migration period when they are fiercely protecting their abundant food source by the Mara river against any lions that may 'follow' the migration..."My Land"! Also given some of the Mgoro lions  were mating on our last trip (110 day day gestation period) its also very possible they some of them are either denning cubs or shortly due to give birth, another reason why we or no-one else has seem them for a little while now. Its still only day 3 so we may be lucky and find them.

No sign so far either of the Serena/Paradise pride, they often cross the river so it is likely they are either in an area that is not accessible by track or as they often do may have crossed the River to the North side of the Mara river. So aside from the males and females that we encountered on entering the gate to the Mara Triangle it is quite sparse on the lion front at present in this particular area. One thing is for sure is that being back in Kenya is making for a happy Mr and Mrs Skinner indeed.

Can you spot the Leopard!

Storm Clouds forming