From Panthera leo to Panthera pardus

As mentioned in the last blog Andy and I are now across the river after a sweltering 2 hour drive across the south of the reserve, the plains around 'look out hill' were devoid of any plains game. Just a handful of giraffe and a worthy of a mention HUGE heard of Buffalo seeking shade in a deep lugga. It was not until we neared the centre of the reserve that the numbers of Impala, Thomson Gazelle and Topi increased.

After leaving our campsite for some well needed shade we met with our good friend Jackson Looseyia, it was great to see him after so long. We chatted with Jackson on what was going on in the 'bush telegraph' in the local area and knowing that we were in the middle of one of the best places to see Leopards (very habituated!) we were greeted with the news that Olive's older male cub was often seen nearby where we had met Jackson.

After chatting on other news we left for an afternoon drive. It could not have been any more than 90 seconds after saying farewell that Andy casually says "oh, there he is". Momentarily I (Sarah) was rather confused at what he was talking about, wandering if the heat had done some lasting damage! I then looked straight ahead and to the right and there was a leopard, 2 metres from the track and under a small croton thicket (and of course we did not park that close, holding back further up the road) The Leopard failed to move a muscle as we sat quietly expecting it to dart away any moment. However, it was not the young male we had just talked about and expected it to be. We are almost 100% sure its our lovely lady 'Olive'! The car was silent as we took this in, for a moment it was quite surreal. In total we had 15 minutes with this beautiful cat until other vehicles arrived. Not long after she casually glanced at the vehicles and slowly and confidently moved into the thicket, in a split second the Olive was as gone.

Later we checked whisker/spot patterns (albeit on some low res images which were not overly useful!) and still as we write this are fairly sure it was Olive, looking regal as ever and in good health. Later we will check the identity to be sure with Jackson, so if we have made any 'school boy errors' here we will update accordingly! Where her small cubs were we are not sure, but likely to be stashed out of harms way until Olive returns after a well earned break from the kids!

Lets hope sightings like this continue throughout the week!

Mugoro pride, habari gani?

The weather continues to bring very hot dry days, and in the last 48 hours temperatures in of 37 degrees have been recorded in the Mara. Today is by no means an exception and by 8.30am this morning the intensity of the heat was already beginning to start building for what is no doubt going to be another scorching day in the Masai Mara.

Andy and I are now across the other side of the river and continuing our quest to catch up with 'old' friends, those of the two and four legged variety. However, before we update on the latest happenings on this side in the last twenty four hours its time to provide an update on the Mugoro pride since the last post.

The morning after we found KB mating with 'Male 3' we returned again to the same area and scouted it high and low looking for both the males and the Mugoro pride females and cubs. After around one hour we spotted a shape that looked like a termite mound far far in the distance, however on closer inspection with the binos it revealed this one was moving! It was clearly a male lions head that stood out from the parched red oat grass that gently blew in the magnificent orange morning light (sadly this awesome light never hangs around for long!)

Scanning the area more lions could be seen so off we trundled n that direction. As we approached we were not surprised to see the 3 female lions, two cubs and the 'new male ('Male 2') that belong to the Mugoro pride. We were also not surprised that KB and 'Male 3' were not there and obviously still engaging in a bit of feline love elsewhere and hopefully creating a new generation of 'KB's'!

Less than 2/3 minutes of being at the sighting and as we continued to scan the area Andy suddenly exclaims "theres another male". Low and behold out from the long grass popped another male lion head that until now had been totally hidden due to his horizontal state! Questions were starting to get answered - it was 'Male 1' (who we had seen the day before acting subdued and some distance from the main body of the Mugoro pride) and so yes he was part of the same 'coalition' as we had suspected. The 'new' Mugoro pride has now two males and highly likely a third ('Male 3' mating with KB).

The females and cubs were restless so they soon decided to mobilise and wander in the direction where the game was a little more plentiful and where there would be more shade for when the sun become too intense. With some reluctance the males decided to arise from their seemingly comatose state and so too followed the females. 'Male 1' continued with his threatening stare at the cubs if they so much as caught his eye, the females keeping them in between them and the males and at a healthy distance. 'Male 2' walked with the posture of a dominant male, stopping to scent mark often and also smelling where the females had walked through, obviously looking for signs they may be approaching oestrus.

However, 'Male 2' was not exhibiting quite the same authoritative behaviour and no did we see any signs to scent mark, given his behaviour the day before we are starting to piece together that he was certainly the less dominant male and I would not fancy his chances against 'Male 2' when the other females are ready to mate (assuming they have not already?) However, its early days and more time would be needed with them to really understand the dynamics here.

We decided not to follow them as its always good to provide lions with some peace and quiet. There was a degree of cover to where they headed and in no way did we want to alert potential prey to their presence! Although we are no on the 'other' side of the river we may well return in a few days to see if KB and 'male 3' have rejoined. Furthermore to see if the '4th male' appears as we are virtually 100% sure these guys are the from the coalition of four males referred to in the last blog ('4km males')

Below is a photo of the two males, 'Male 2' is in the front, trailed by 'Male 1'

Mugoro Pride...........from destruction to new beginnings?

The lion theme continues to dominate the blog today and whilst sitting with the lions time to update on what we have learned so far with regard to the Mugoro Pride.

As a quick recap the Mugoro pride, located in the Mara Triangle, have had a somewhat chequered past in recent times. Andy and I having never seen the girls (originally 5 lionesses, including 'Killer Bogie' a name we randomly mentioned once due to her markings that has now unfortunately stuck - see photo below) raise any cubs to adult hood in the 2.5+ years or more that we have known them. It is generally considered by many that these females are a 'splinter/satelitte group of the original 'Serena Pride'. This pride having undergone serious 'deconstruction' in recent years, much to do with the fall from power of the old male 'split tooth' (Also known as 'Fang')  and the arrival of Notch and gang.

All looked ready to change last year when the females appeared to be successfully raising 9 cubs (5 females and 4 Males) who had been sired by Notch and Co (one of at least 3 prides that they were holding in the Mara). In September 2010, at the age of approx 9 months all were doing well and feasting on the many wildebeest as they crossed the Mara in the annual migration, hunting school was in force. (see Sept post). Soon after we left it was all to change for the worst. By December, and with the absence of Notch and Co returning to affirm the territory at least 5 of the cubs had been killed by intruding male/s. (we are almost sure these being the four that we had seen in the Mara a few months prior, just a fraction younger than the Notch boys and looking to be 'scouting the area' and reports from the rangers seem to confirm this could be the case...more on that later!)

During our Christmas trip we found the Mugoro pride in a somewhat 'fractured state' and with just 4 cubs left (3 females and 1 male). Our concern was especially for the last remaining male cub, would he too fall victim?. Sadly enough in January he was killed by the same male/s (There is no reliable information that we can get on how many males have been killing cubs).

So we had hoped when we returned on this trip to again find the girls and at least 3 remaining female cubs, who are now approaching being 'sub adults' at the age of approx 15 months (N.B. we had only seen four of the adult females at Xmas).

The good news is that yesterday we found some of them, 3 adult lionesses (including the 'younger bogie girl) and 2 female cubs. Given the prey is sparse at present we were not overly concerned that Killer Bogie (KB) and another cub was not there and could therefore be split due to food availability. However, we wont lie and say that we really wanted to find KB our favourite girl, and a feisty lioness at that, and to also confirm if all three female cubs were still alive. They all looked to have fed recently and relaxed in the long cool grass, seeking shade a short time after we arrived.

So, this morning we continued on a mission to find KB. First thing we found a male lion (called for this blog entry purpose and corresponding photos - Male 1) and at that point could not positively conclude that he was one of the 4 intruding males referred to earlier but we had a feeling he may have been (whisker pattern checks are on the plans for tonight!) He acted quite subdued and circled a small area for sometime before resting in the grass, he had not fed recently as his 'weight index' was quite low, although not to the point that it was of any concern. His posture was not one of a lion that had a huge amount of confidence and was quite nervous in his disposition, remaining extremely vigilant. He bore very few scars of any past fights and looked around 5.5+ years old and a very handsome lion at that!.  So if he was not one of the four new males we concluded he could also possibly be a nomadic lion who was not quite ready for a take over but scouting out a place to hang.

As we watched this guy we noticed far far ahead what looked to be several other lions on and around a mound some distance away and so over we trundled as to see who they were and given the area knew it was likely to be the Mugoro pride. Sure enough as we approached we saw instantly the younger 'bogie' girl and then the two female cubs and other two lionesses revealed themselves, so it was the Muguro girls, those we had seen the day before.  However, this time they were with a male ('Male 2') and it was not a Notch boy. Given their close location to the other male and the fact that he was almost in eye sight of them we felt it was becoming more likely he was on one of the coalition of four male lions. We were still a little curious as to why though he looked a little edgy.

However, still no KB or the other 'third cub' to be found? The posture of this male with the females was a stark contrast to the one we had left, he excuded confidence throughout. We soon noticed he was fixated on the two female cubs, who with a submissive posture were keeping some distance from the male, who quite simply would not stop 'eye balling' them with his head held high. The cubs were separated from the two females and it was quite a tense scene. The cubs looked desperate to reach the lionesses, only 30-40 feet away but every time they moved the male raised his head higher and his stare becoming more threatening, at which point they would freeze in motion. Eventually they made it to the lionesses, over a course of about 5/10 minutes taking the opportunity when the male was distracted by game moving in the distance.

We concluded only one thing that was becoming very obvious, this was highly likely to have been one of the male(s) that had killed the other 5 cubs and this was now the new pride male who was ready to be the guardian and protector of the Mugoro pride, in time siring his own new generation - the ultimate reason to have killed the cubs. This also strengthened the theory that the male 1 nearby was somehow connected as he was so close.

One of the females soon moved the two cubs away as they sensed his displeasure, in time it looks as he will slowly accept them as part of the pride and see them as no threat to his ruling of the pride. We hope his killing spree (or that of his companions?) will now cease.

So having witnessed the complete natural destruction of the Mugoro pride was it now time for the building of a new family and some stability for the Mugoro girls? lets really hope so. This is one pride that Notch and Co have chosen not to visit for over three months now (according to most reports and our own trips) and now its probably for the best that they don't return. Though its terribly sad to have lost so many fit and healthy cubs that were developing so well. However, this is nature and the process of an new incoming male is not all 'sweetness and roses'

Still, where was KB?! We left the Mugoro pride to as the heat grew and happy to see that we could be witnessing new beginnings. As we chatted about it we soon were distracted by an object in the distance that looked remarkably like another lion, and then there were two! Needless to say we had to investigate, as we came closer we could see it was a large adult lioness and a male (Male 3!). One thing came straight to our mind....it was a mating couple and only 2km from our last sighting. Sure enough, they exhibited all the behaviours that they were mating, except at that point the obvious act itself! As we got a better look at them both the words "its Killer Bogey" were voiced in unison and it was really great to see her, so slowly we were finding the cats we have followed for so long.  So who was THIS male? part of a coalition perhaps that Male 2 (and possibly Male 1) belonged to.......and in turn part of the 4 males that have been seen in the area a few times (and who most say were the perpetrators of the cub killings). It would all make perfect sense of course and this is the common process following infanticide, but nothing is ever conclusive until checking ID patterns from the 4 coalition males that we referred to earlier.

Later we found KB and the male again, this time in the cool evening breeze they mated two or three times, perhaps given the infrequency of the matings the 'honeymoon' was coming to an end. What we would love to see is how this all works out in terms of the dynamics of the pride and how many males will now potentially rule the pride and who was the dominant one?  It will be interesting to see how this all pans out and whether we will see more than one male with the females whilst we are here, somehow we think thats going to be very likely!

The only sad piece of the puzzle that we have now also put together, (having found KB with a male and not with another young lioness) is that it looks as if the last female cub we have not yet seen is perhaps 'no longer with us'. So in truth its looks like 9 cubs eventually became 2 and not three as we had hoped.

Below are photos of the three males (the light has played tricks with these 'point and shoot' photos and the manes are actually all reasonably similar in colour)

Male 1

Male 2

Male 3

KB and 'Male 3' mating

Return to the Mara

Its hot, dry and dusty. We can see endless plains, sprinkled with a dusting of creatures large and small seeking shade from the intense afternoon sun under the tall acacias. By this description it should not be too hard to guess that we are back in our 'second home'; the Masai Mara and looking forward to some low season' game viewing. There has certainly been very little evidence of rain here of late as the natural waterholes and luggas are looking somewhat sparse.

Before I indulge in an update of the tawny feline variety its noteworthy to give a bit of an update on the game as whole. The Mara changes all the time and the movement of game is always of interest, especially during the seasonal changes. Coming in to the Mara there were large amounts of wildebeest around the Aitong/Mara North area, certainly more so than in December and there seem to be a plethora of giraffe poking their heads out of the bushes, both coming into the Mara and also in the Mara Triangle where we are currently located. A few small herds of elephant were seen in the riverine areas as we banked around the Mara in the 'Traingle' and of course many of the 'usual' ungulate species commonly found in this area.

Arriving through the Oloololo gate at one of the hottest parts of the day we were somewhat surprised to see within 15 minutes a Black Rhino mother and calf out in the open and totally relaxed. Some times we often wander how much the behaviour of the animals changes from high to low tourist seasons and it certainly seems as if the animals are often more 'obliging' and less secretive and tolerant when the number of vehicles is lower. So, that was a great start to our trip and a bonus that we did not expect after the long bone shaking drive in to the Mara. Of course our Land Rover is built for these type of roads and Andy rebuilt it with heavy duty parts in just about every place possible, but I still seriously wandered several times if the poor thing was just going to disintegrate as it was pounded for 2 solid hours on what is becoming a ridiculously bad 'road' (I use the term road loosely!) I am sure we must have both arrived in the Mara concussed!

So onto tales of Simba, those who read the blog from our December trip know that we had the first 'Notch free' trip in many years so of course on this trip we REALLY wanted to see him. So, Notch and Co plus the Mgoro (Sp. Mugoro?) females were one of our priorities for the trip and of course the spotted and 'rosetted' variety, all part of our extended feline family!

Having trundled down to an beachy area of the Mara yesterday we were keen to see if there was any sign of the Notch boys, we had spoken to the rangers in the Triangle and they confirmed that he and boys have not (knowingly) been back now to the Triangle for months and we have been reading reports of their activities across in the Narok side of the reserve. So with all intense purposes we knew that it had been long enough to conclude they had 'given up' on the Mgoro cubs and females (Killer Bogie et al). It did not stop us wandering if we would find them within 'eye sight' on the other side of the Mara, close to where they often used to cross the river and also a favourite haunt where they seem to have now grown a speciality in hunting hippos.

Its fair to say that gut instinct is always nearly right and this was no exception (coupled with the growing knowledge we have gained of the area). As we came down to this part of the Mara we could see across the river several dark shapes at the bottom a Gardenia bush and most definitely a bundle of male lions. Given it was 150-200 metres away it was hard to tell and conclude if this was indeed the boys we were looking for or how many were there in the 'mass of fluff' that we could see!  So we waited in anticipation for the dark shapes to move, and soon enough they did! There was no mistaking that  as they rearranged themselves under the tree it was Notch, Grimace, Notch Junior and one of the other males who is also looking remarkably like Notch (Notch Junior V2!)

Not bad for the first day in the Mara and great to be 'reunited', even though it was some distance away and just pointless trying to get any images. The week is still young so I am sure and hoping we will get to see them closer and have made a plan to cross to the other side soon enough to catch up with them and bring more news of Notch the other 'stars' of the Mara. We decided to again return later to this amazingly beautiful stretch of the Mara River in the hope that the heat would drive the need for them to visit the river and quench their thirst as the sun fell and the temperature cooled. After three hours of waiting we decided to retreat as the sun disappeared leaving the boys in the long grass and having barely moved a muscle the entire time. Apart from shifting while we were away to some long cool grass, making it impossible to see them, except for a flick of a tail. That's male lions for you!

It was great to see the bond between the boys is still strong and they tolerated each other in close proximity. However, poor Grimace was still denied a decent spot in the shade (something the poor guy has suffered from since the day we started following them around 4 years ago) The top spot and the best shade was of course reserved for the grand old man himself,  Mzee Notch!

We do have more news on the Mgoro pride but as its time to mobilise for our afternoon drive that's it for now and hope to bring you more news later! Below is an image of the Rhino and calf as we entered the Mara

The Hyena with eyes bigger than its stomach!

Both Andy and I are slowly getting better and it appears as if the symptoms we have suffered could have been attributed to Swine Flu, although we cannot be sure. Neither of us have been ill for the entire year and then BAM! it had to be when we went away didn’t it! 

For the last two nights we have been able to get back to bush camping which has been a tonic in itself. The plains at night have been fairly quiet, except for the giggle and whoops from the Hyenas and the occasional roar from what remains of the Serena Pride (Disney Lions)

Yesterday we took a trundle further south toward the Tanzanian border and soon came across a pair of  ‘Honeymooning Lions. Not even the scorching midday sun stopped ‘proceedings’ and you could practically set your watch by the regular 30 minute mating frequency. Neither Andy or I recognised this male, he looked to be only around 6 years old and the female a little younger at around 5.

We sat with them for a little under 4 hours and then felt it was appropriate to give them some privacy as the evening cooled. Not too far from the lions we ambled along a lugga to the look out for any additional lions. We soon came across 2 other cars, of which the occupants were contorting their bodies at angles that were pretty impressive. We enquired as to why they were practically doing yoga in the vehicle and soon found out the reason why......a Leopard, somewhere in the bush! 

Those of you familar with this blog will know that Leopards in the Mara Triangle are extremely shy, much more so than across the Narok area of the river. So any Leopard in the Triangle is worth staking out. However, sadly these vehicles decided patience was not an option and raced around the lugga to try and get a look. Andy and I stayed put, and although we could not see the leopard we felt that moving the vehicle every two minutes was not going to be conducive to encouraging the Leopard to be calm, so we pulled right back and watched the circus as the other vehicles sped about. If the Leopard was not happy he had space our side to make an exit and thats what we hoped for. The Leopard then darted up the tree and gave us a nice view just for a few moments. The incessant chatter from the other vehicle did not abate, the Leopard was non to impressed and sure as ‘eggs are eggs’ the Leopard decided it wanted some peace and rather conveniently jumped down the tree our side and as expected out over the lugga on our side. We barely got a chance to shoot any images but its always so awesome to see a Leopard.  We decided not to follow it, he was a big male, very shy and clearly did not want to be bothered so we left him be. 

Just as we thought seeing a Leopard was impressive this morning gave us something that was just plain crazy! Leaving as we do at first light we travelled slowly along by Mgoro lugga when Andy all of a sudden spots a Hippo running to the water. This is nothing unusual in itself and at first light its common to see them getting back to their comfort ground of the water. However, there was something about this Hippo running that was rather more frantic than normal and then we saw why....it was being chased by a Hyena! The Hippo was none to impressed as the cheeky Hyena was hot on its heels. Then they both stopped on the road and what ensued was probably one of the strangest things we have probably seen so far. The Hyena seemed to have desires that were not entirely innocent as it began circling the Hippo and a stand off took place. This went on for many minutes and fortunately I managed to video some of the scene (attached). A few minutes later another 3 Hyenas turned up and made attempts to again surround the Hippo, could they really be trying to hunt a Hippo?... the way in which they were encircling the creature seemed very much as if they were trying to wear it down and although not captured on the video at one point one of the Hyenas tried to latch on to the Hippos tail. The Hippo soon managed to escape, but just as he belted to the water suddenly Andy shouts ‘Leopard’....The Hippo jumping back into the water had obviously spooked a female Leopard and she darted in a flash along the river bank and back into the Croton thicket as quick as she had appeared. Sadly no photos or video of this but this morning is now imprinted on our brains as one of the best (and in a strange way most comical) sightings of this trip!! 

Back to now....The good news is we have FINALLY found our 4 Mgoro pride females together with some of the 13 month old cubs. The bad news is that only 4 cubs now remain (of the original 9) and have now moments ago just had confirmation through a reliable contact that not just one cub was killed a few weeks back but sadly 5 in total. We are really saddened to hear this news (although deep down I think we were both expecting to hear this given we have tried so hard to find them). At least some are still surviving, but we are deeply concerned for the one remaining young male cub left. ‘Killer Bogey’ and ‘Little Bogey’ are in the group we are sitting with now and what’s really interesting is one of the distinct marks below their noses (and why they have their names!) is also evident on one of the cubs, this confirms our original thoughts that the marks on the females are a hereditary trait. This little one has now been rather unimaginatively named ‘Baby Bogey’ and will later be recognised in life by the fact that the birth mark is on the opposite side of the nose to the other ‘bogeys’. Andy and I just hope that the 4 strong male coalition does not return and that Notch & sons do! 

It pains us to say we have only a very short of time left in the bush so its going to be time soon to say goodbye again to the Mara. We decided against going on a ‘lion hunt’ for Notch the other side of the river, one day we are going to have to break ties with our favourite lion and this is a way in which to make that a little easier, even though deep down we are both terribly sad not to have seen him. 

Thats it for today and we hope you enjoy the video of the gutsy Hyena, sorry for the poor quality but internet speeds in the bush are a tad limited!

Happy New Year to all

Solitude in the bush....

So finally I (Sarah) have started to improve from feeling pretty terrible in the last few days and have managed to get out most of the time and enjoy some nice game viewing. Sadly, whatever virus I managed to acquire has now passed to Andy (and embarrassingly so onto a few of our friends in the Mara - I am REALLY sorry guys!) Fortunately its not stopped us game viewing too much and we have both battled through.

We have still yet to find the Mgoro cubs, which is all very odd and suggests they may still be split or just choosing to be hidden and Mzee Notch & Co are still yet to revisit the pride. Bogie and the girls are certainly capable of looking after themselves but a bit of territory affirmation from the boys would not go a miss!! 

We found 'Killer Bogie' alone yesterday morning and looking somewhat shattered and with a few superficial wounds on her back, but no sign of the other females or indeed the cubs.  We later heard that a dead Hyena was found nearby and given 'KB's' exhausted state later wandered if she was possibly involved in an interaction between the two species which resulted in not such a positive outcome for the Hyena.

Later that afternoon we again found the two cheetahs, laid out resting in the long grass. As other vehicles at the sighting left the female soon turned to hunting mode and roamed through the grass looking for an opportune scrub hare or hopefully something larger on the horizon that may give them a hearty meal. However, in the time in which we with them before the sun disappeared behind thick clouds and night fell they had no luck and so they looked to bed down for the night.

On returning to the lodge (where we had extended the stay due to Andy becoming sick) the rain pelted down with ferocity and the thunder felt like it was shaking the ground beneath. Andy soon tumbled down a metaphoric hill and turned into a walking, talking 'Lemsip advert. At this point it clearly become apparent that he was not going to be making a 5.30am start for the next day and the best place for him to be was the comfort of the huge bed. We agreed that it was pointless for me to also be holed up in the lodge for the morning so permission granted for Mrs Skinner to take the landy keys and the cameras and set off on my own in the morning, happy days!

Waking early the next morning I was looking forward to the drive, whilst its lovely to both go out together its also really nice to have some quality 1:1 bush time so off I went at 6am. I decided again to look for the Cheetah pair and started where I had left the night before. There were no other cars on the tracks around, something thats always a special treat! Only 20-30 minutes after leaving the lodge I was rewarded with making the right decision and found the cheetahs in tall grass not too far from the previous 12 hours. The male still followed the female with intent, stopping to sniff where she had sat and then flehmen. She led the way, it was obvious again that she wanted to hunt and would turn and glance at the male as if to say "Are you still here?". She moved from termite mound to termite mound and then they both peacefully and totally relaxed walked closely past the Land Rover. I could see they were headed to higher ground so I decided I would wait until they were well away from the vehicle to start the engine and move far ahead of where I felt they would go. Just as I could see they were 100metres or so away and behind me I went to reposition. Before I could even have the chance to move (or grab the camera!) suddenly an Oribi darted out of the thicket, suprising the cheetah as much as I. With lightening fast reactions an impressive chase ensued and almost out of sight. Into the long grass they ran and then it was clear, they had been successful. I watched out of the hatch as the Oribi was dispatched and decided that despite my current poor position for photography to just sit and watch. Any movement  from me in starting the engine, even at this distance could spook the cheetah. This was one of the moments when putting the animals first is absolutely critical. I sat feeling content, happy knowing that: 1) I was still alone and no-one else had managed to find me or the Cheetahs and 2) they had acquired a good meal. 

However, point number 2 was short lived. Just minutes after they had successfully suffocated the animal a male Hyena appears on the horizon, it must have actually seen the chase given that the Oribi had let out no cries at all at the point of its capture. The Cheetahs knew they would be unsuccessful in any effort to ward the hyena off. As it loped toward the kill they reluctantly moved away a few metres to where they sat and watched the Hyena enjoy their spoils. Its always hard to see such a fragile animal work so hard in an effort to provide food for itself but its natures way, and I can never illicit any bad feelings toward the Hyena even though yes it was a shame to see them lose their kill.

With a few minutes to continue gaining their composure and breathe back after the chase they moved further away and it was soon clear the female wanted to move to another area to rest and then inevitably try to hunt again. At this point I felt it right to leave them to it. Whilst the light was golden and the morning still crisp it was the Cheetahs that needed their space and thats exactly what I wanted to give them. Off I trundled, feeling happy that I had such a special time alone with these guys. 

Before returning to recite my  morning exploits to Andy I took another drive around to again look for the Mgoro cubs but sadly no news to report here.......

Festive season in the Mara

After wandering if we would ever actually make it to Kenya due to the problematic weather conditions in the UK I am now happy to say we are back ‘reporting’ from a lovely hot and sunny Kenya. Its fairly dry here with some afternoon rains, certainly a vast difference to the sub zero temperatures that we have just left!

Whilst we have experienced the Mara many times at different times of the year it still never  ceases to amaze us how desolate the Mara can look after migration season. Whilst we saw a few resident wildebeest herds whilst driving all that remains of the ‘wildie’ herds in the Mara Triangle is a handful of yearlings who have formed a small group on their own as their mothers likely perished in the frantic and chaotic crossings that we blogged about on our last trip in September. 

Unfortunately within 12 hours of arriving in the Mara I (Sarah) was struck down by an onset of a fever and cold/flue like symptoms which soon made camping not such a pleasant experience so after two nights camping in the bush we were forced to break a ‘Skinner tradition’ and check into a lodge and unbelievably for the first time ever whilst in Africa we got up after 7am one morning! Although temporarily in lodge accommodation it certainly does not limit our exposure to the wildlife (which camping gives us 24/7) as when we returned back to our room earlier we had a beautiful female bushbuck standing just a few feet from our room and them only 30 minutes later a Leopard rasped close by.  A night or two in the lodge to shift the bugs (that I probably acquired on the flight over!) and then it will be back to camping for us. 

So in the first 36 hours we bumbled around to get a feel for where the game and predators were hanging out.  Of course one of our priorities was to check on the Mgoro pride, especially since there have been significant issues due to reports of intruding males coming in to try and kill the cubs a few weeks back. On the first afternoon we found some of them, but it was not quite the happy family scene we had left in September. We found 7 of them in a fairly inaccessible part of the Mara Triangle. 4 lionesses and 3 cubs were walking with purpose, but very edgy and the lionesses sporting some minor wounds on their flanks and spinal area. Given the cubs are now around 13 months we were not overly concerned that some of them may be on their own and indeed as the game is sparse and thus the food source more limited prides will often temporarily split to ensure food is shared by less individuals. What was clear that the recent events had left the pride volatile and edgy and in some ways ‘displaced’ within in their own territory. Sadly we did hear that just over a week ago on December 18th one of the 9 cubs (a male) was killed by one of the intruding males and its likely the lionesses had sustained their injuries in trying to ward of the males. We are hoping that the remaining cubs we have not yet seen are safe and just keeping a low profile. It may even have been the case that the missing cubs were hidden from view or this was where the 7 we found were heading to. 

We found the Mgoro girls earlier again today (Including or favorite girl ‘Killer Bogie’ - a huge relief and contrary to reports we had heard earlier that she too had been killed). This time the girls were minus any cubs at all, again its possible they were close by. 

Notch and sons are still over on the Narok side of the Mara and we believe have been absent in the Mara Triangle for some time. We are really hoping they get back to the Mgoro pride soon (one of their many prides!) to reaffirm this part of their territory again and thus warding off any further attempts by the other intruding males. Whilst its natural for pride take overs to happen we are so desperate to see the Mgoro pride raise cubs to an age which will ensure their survival and allow the current males to sire at least one generation before the next males come in (something we have not yet seen for them in three years of following this pride) Every day that goes by with the absence of pride males leaves the Mgoro pride extremely vulnerable and in danger of another attempt by the intruding males to try and take over the pride. 

On a happier note we have found the Oloololo pride doing very well. The resident male looks healthy and well recovered from his ‘close call’ with the Notch sons back in September. Two of the females have some very cute cubs, three of them very young at around 3-4 weeks old and 4 others who are a little older at around 6-8 weeks old. The younger ones still being denned.

It’s been quite an improvement on the cheetah front since our visit in September with many more around. The mother with 3 cubs (2 males - one of which has a broken tail and 1 female) are still doing well and of an age now that it may not be too long now until they seek independence. We had a lovely sighting with them as they tried to hunt but sadly failed. Later we heard they had taken an Impala, a relief as they had somewhat concave stomachs and in serious need of nourishment.

Whilst taking a drive toward to Tanzanian border we also came across an old male cheetah with a full stomach and resting happily with a great vantage point over the plains. Shortly after we spent some time with some cool fluffy Hyena pups, ‘sacked out’ at the den with the mother and watched as they interacted with some returning members of the clan.

As I write this post we are also rather excited to report that we are sitting right now with what looks to be a mating pair of adult Cheetahs. We have not yet witnessed the ‘act’ itself yet and its unlikely that we would be that lucky,  but so far they are exhibiting every behaviour associated with mating cheetahs, including all the vocal communication and even trying to  hunt together, this is a first for Andy and I. 

So as I sum up for the last few days it proves to you can come back to the same place time and time again (nearly 20 times now!) but always, and yes I mean ALWAYS see something you have never seen before. In fact I would  go so far as to say that every day you see something new. In fact today has provided two examples of this, whilst game driving early this morning we happened to see a Hamerkop dive from the sky and grab a large frog from a puddle formed from last nights rains and then fly of with legs dangling from its beak. There is always something in the Mara and indeed Africa as a whole, be it large or small that makes us go “wow.....never seen that before!” and I dare say when we are old and grey I hope we will still be saying the same thing!

Apologies for the delay! Migration Season shots now added onto our website

http://www.imagesofwildlife.co.uk/gallery_220868.html

3 weeks have passed and its time to say farewell (Until December)

Sadly this will be the last post of our recent 3 week photographic expedition to the Masai Mara, The time has passed so fast with days of endless excitement to look back on. It never gets any easier to say goodbye to the cats we follow as the last night is always marked by puffy eyes! Andy and I, in all of our 5 years of coming here have grown to see the Mara as our second home. In the time we have known the cats we follow you just can't help but get attached as you get to know their characters and we will especially miss "killer Bogie', Notch and the two little gutsy female cubs who have grown remarkably in confidence and technique along with the other 7 cubs from the Mgoro pride.

We spent some time today again with 'our girls' (Mgoro pride) who relaxed on the plains as there was again another big crossing at Cul De Sac. We had another good look for Notch and boys but we are fairly sure (and a few sources confirm) that they are still the 'other' side. still. A shame that we have not seen them in the last three days but the boys clearly have business to attend to elsewhere.

Just two days ago the plains around Rhino Ridge and Paradise plains had become empty of wildebeest. All of a sudden and overnight (probably driven by the rains in the central Mara area) a huge mass of wildebeest has gathered back on the plains and are slowly heading south. We can only think that these herds have come from the Keekorok area/Look Out Hill area and are making there way through the Narok side and now south back into the Mara Triangle. There is certainly going to be plenty of excitement in the next few days and today the size of the crossings at Cul de Sac and Upper main had grown in size in comparison to the last two days. We are sure there are going to be some BIG crossings over the next 2-3 days.

Sadly Andy and I will not be party to this excitement as tomorrow we make the 6 hours drive back to Nairobi, a few jobs to do in town and the land Rover to clean we leave in the happy thought that in December we return back to Kenya.  We look back on what had been an incredible trip, thank you Mara Triangle for such an adventure and we cant wait to be back to see how our cats are fairing and of course just to be back camping in the bush.

We are of course looking forward to going home to be united with our own cats (of the smaller variety!) and have a massive 125GB worth of pictures to deal with on our return. All of the best shots from this trip will be posted on our website (imagesofwildlife.co.uk) in the next 2-4 weeks and a post will be placed here when they are 'live'. Dont forget to also check back on the blog late December for our next trip.

So as we prepare our tent for the last night in the bush its time to say kwaheri from the Masai Mara and a huge thanks to all those who have patiently read our often rather lengthy posts, we hope you check back on the photos and there will be a feast awaiting Notch fans!

I will leave with a final video of some cute lion cubs who we came across today for the 2nd time on this trip and when we return home to our 'ID shots we will be able to confirm if this is the 5th Mgoro female or one of the Serena females, regardless its highly likely these guys are both offspring from Notch or boys, given they have mated with both of the aforementioned females. Just after this video was taken a third tiny cub rejoined the family making three tiny cubs.

Thanks all and we look forward to showcasing the photos from our trip.

A noisy night followed by a Rhino extravaganza

Last night was certainly quite a cacophony of sounds. As we fell asleep to the lullaby of the hyenas whooping we were suddenly woken at around 1am by the sound of two hippos close by to our tent/Land Rover. It sounded like two males who had come across one another whilst out grazing and were having a 'stand off'.  They bellowed and growled each other for some time, sounding like neither was prepared to walk the 'other' way and carry on with grazing. It seemed to last forever and was so loud that it was impossible to get back to sleep. However, no complaints from us as: A) we were not prepared to ask the hippos to be quiet! and B) we are actually quite happy to be woken by the amazing sounds of the bush, no matter what time.

Shortly before the alarm went off at 5.45am Andy and I had already woken up, again by something VERY close to our tent. As we were a little 'drfity' from waking it was hard to tell what it was. It was certainly large with quite heavy footsteps and had a large bladder!, which it duly emptied next to our vehicle. You could clearly here the sound of snapping branches and sounds as if it was pulling at trees. It was at the side of our roof-tent so we could not see what it was and did not want to start shining torches around so not to surprise the visitor, although given how close it was it would have clearly smelt our human presence so must have known we were in the tent.

Initially it made sense to think it was an elephant, (although did perhaps seem to be a little heavy footed for an elephant, who are surprisingly quiet on their feet). To be safe we resided ourselves to the fact that if it were an elephant that close we were tent bound until it left or moved further away. The noise however, soon passed and Andy ventured into the darkness to check all was clear, and it was. As the light began to improve I began to have a look around the area to see what it was that had been there. Mmmn, there were no discarded branches and little other sign of elephant damage, it could not have been an elephant after all and the sound of snapping branches sounded too 'high' to have been a buffalo or even Rhino and it was definitely not a Rhino.  Seeing no tracks anywhere were were none the wiser until we left the camp and then saw giraffe droppings nearby. So the mystery was solved, it was a giraffe and our initial diagnosis was a little wrong!. We collected the remote camera that we had placed at the entrance to camp and also had photographic confirmation. I must admit I had set it at a height to catch small to medium size animals so apologies for half a photo of a giraffe! The night before we also stuck it lucky with a Hyena on the remote camera which we have also attached below.

As we made our way for a stop to catch up on the Mgoro pride (and again to see if Notch/boys had returned from their trip across the river) my attention was soon diverted to a large obscured dark shape in the tall grass 250 metres in the distance and near the river. Initially my brain went to process the object as a hippo that was returning to the river, a second later I could see that no it was not a hippo as its back was too concave and walked with the gait of something I knew was a rather special and rare creature. Andy quickly stopped and then out from the long grass (which covered nearly all of its body height) came a Rhino, a large female, a second or two later it was then revealed it was not one rhino but two, she was followed by a lovely little calf and likely to be the same one we had seen last year in the same area with a younger calf.

Wow!, two Rhino and no cars and a lovely glowing light casting over the grass tips. We made a quick apology to the Mgoro ladies for not stopping (who we spotted a moment after)  and drove far ahead over toward the lugga toward where the Rhino may be headed, this way we did not follow the animal and if it moved where we expected it to do so it meant we could get a shot of it without 6 foot high grass and let it come to us if she wished. Which she very kindly did. By this point a few other vehicles had arrived and all gave the Rhino the space they needed. Not only are these animals rare they are also very shy, getting too close not only spooks these animals but would just force it into cover or make it a little aggressive, especially as she had a young one with her. Although we were amazed how calm she was as she plodded with her calf at her own pace and gave a good show to all who were at the sighting.  From our initial sighting we had over 45 minutes watching the rhino, what a massive treat and sorry lions but this was pretty special and you were clearly still sleeping!