Roars and Big Paws

Our first night back was filled with roars from the plains below and the sound of a few zebra stallions snorting and munching close to our tent, together with the often comical sounds of large wildebeest herds close by. After our usual ritual of making hot drinks with a very tame Scrub Hare nibbling grass just feet away it was time to see what the day would bring.

There is a huge amount to see in the Mara and its certainly not just the predators that command our interest. However, first we had a mission that we needed to complete. We had found Notch, we had found his pride (one of them!) and we had found the cubs. BUT, there was one thing missing. What about the Notch sons?  We had seen them during our last trip in March and of course were keen to find them again. Given the tension we had witnessed between the sons and Notch earlier in the year, that started from around Dec 2009 we were keen to see for ourselves how things were fairing. (given that these lions have already broken all the 'text book rules').  

It didn't take too long to find out! Although a fair distance from where we again found Notch & Co this morning (who were feeding on several wildebeest that they had procured during the nights stormy rains) were 4 of his boys with a single lioness. It looked as if one of the boys was possibly 'coveting' the female (although we had no actual sight of this), whilst the other three laid motionless for most of the sighting, but long enough to confirm that it was the Notch sons, with the most magnificent of the sons (the one we un-originally call 'Notch Jnr') included in the 'role call'. His name contributed to his likeness to Notch in terms of build, face and mane colour. All looked well, although one of the chaps did have a superficial wound on his spine, maybe caused by an internal fight, perhaps over mating rights (again!). This was nothing to worry about and we had seen lions with worse injuries than this. Other than being a little stiff he was fine and no concerns there. We had noticed that one of the males, who was always a slight outcast was not around, this is the guy that has an old injury to his jaw causing his lip to hang slightly and we affectionately call him 'Grimace'. Again this was not a huge concern as they often go off on the 'rounds' for days and we had after all been in the Mara for less than 24 hours!

They all rested peacefully, sadly due to cloud and poor light we were unable to get any good images but attach one below for those who are keen to see 3 of these impressive guys. What will be the most interesting thing is to see how they are now interacting with the rest of the Mgoro pride and of course dad!

The rest of the day was filled with cute bat eared foxes, Notch and Co (again!) and long lines of wildebeest that are still migrating through the Mara toward the Mara river. At the risk of lion overdose it is impossible to leave todays blog without mention of Notch and his roar. Those who know Notch will know he has a distinctive gurgle to his roar and of course any lions roar sends goosebumps to your skin!. We had heard his roar, along with the females long into the night, but lucky for us to we were greeted this morning with another rendition. Albeit a slightly less powerful version that seemed to imply "Oh must I roar I am tired and I am comfortable so I will do this sitting down thanks"

Apologies for the poor quality of the video, but I thought it was rude not to include as I know there are many fans of Notch our there! Enjoy......