August - Ngorongoro and the Migration in Serengeti

Lake Magadi, Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro Crater, a cold, cloudy morning. A lioness lies by the road, hidden from a nearby wildebeest herd by the slope of a drainage ditch. She focuses on 3 animals that are drifting closer to her as they feed. Their path changes subtly; decision time. If she waits, they may walk out of range, but if she charges, she risks missing them as they are still a good distance away. In the end, hunger drives her to make the attempt, and the startled gnus run panic-stricken from her. Her presence is now known to all, so she decides to move on, try pastures new. She walks surprisingly fast. It is warm, approaching mid-day, an indication of how hungry she is. She spots a lone zebra out in the plain. Lone animals are easier to approach than herds, which have the benefit of lots of eyes all looking out for threats; alone, the zebra must rely on its own senses to survive. She starts her stalk along a small gulley. The zebra, unaware of the danger, moves onto more open ground. Suddenly he spots her approach and stares at her, snorting. She realises the game is up and moves off once more. From a small rise, she spots a line of wildebeest on the move. She moves fast to intercept them, getting into position in a grassy thicket close to their line of march. The herd keeps coming – it seems that they must tread on her. Suddenly, a tawny blur, wildebeest scattering in all directions. When the dust settles, she is left standing there. She has missed again. Frustrated, she lies down in the grass and begins to groom. It’s not as easy as it looks being King (Queen?) of the Jungle.

Hunting lioness

Kogakuria Kopje, north Serengeti. A dead spider lying on the path. Suddenly a shiny blue-black wasp emerges from a small hole, looks at the spider then continues excavating once more, showering earth particles backwards like a dog digging. After a few minutes, the wasp returns and drags the spider into the hole, which looks far too small. Somehow the wasp manages. The spider isn’t dead at all: the wasp has paralysed it’s prey with a careful sting; it will now lay a single egg on the spider – and the grub will be provisioned with plenty of fresh food when it hatches, a neat solution to the problem of food storage. Not a great outcome for the spider though…

Midday, north Serengeti. It’s hot. In a thick tangle of branches atop a nearby rock, we can just make out a patch of patterned fur. A resting leopard. We wait. There is a rustle in the bush and a lithe shape emerges onto the rock nearby, followed by second animal. With a mix of flirtatiousness and much snarling and apparent ill will, they mate in the typically perfunctory manner of large cats. Within minutes, they mate again – and then again. But the level of hostility doesn’t abate one jot.
(Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa9Kk2nZmeo)

Crossing season is in full swing, with herds lining up on the river bank, jostling and shoving, pouring down the bank and into the water.  A chaotic scene of dust and pounding hooves, the animals hurling themselves into the river, eyes wide with fear during the swim, then emerging dripping at the far side before running off once more over the plain.  Some youngsters decide to cross back again - a croc slides into the water, easily overtakes a straggler... there is a lunge, a brief swirl, and the brown water closes over the swimmer's head.

Mara River - crossing

Crossing the river

(Crossing video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p12X9nmdBI)

Kogakuria, early morning. We heard lions roaring as we set off, so we are trying to track them down. We try one set of rocks, where we estimate the sound came from but no joy. Then Jairo spots them, distant specks in the huge Serengeti landscape. They appear to be on the move - hunting? But all have full bellies. There is a fresh kill nearby and one small lioness has blood on her neck. One by one, the ladies move off, until we are left with two adult males and the small lioness. Suddenly, mayhem – the males attack the female, who defends herself ferociously, lashing out at them. They circle her, looking for an opening, as she crouches, ears laid back against her skull, snarling and spitting. They move in again and she launches herself at them, a blur of whirling claws and teeth. The males roar at the morning sky, then move off, leaving her to lick her wounds.
(Lion fight video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ4dak3Qoxw)

Martial Eagle on Egyptian Goose kill

Lamai Wedge, North Serengeti

Rewarding June

By Richard Knocker







My season kicked off the other day with a 4-day trip to Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro.  

Lake Manyara is looking great this early in the season, with plenty of water still, and lots of Lesser Flamingos too.  Much of the lake is fringed with pink and flocks can be seen flying from point to point a lot of the time.

A herd of 19 giraffe comes thundering out onto the lakeshore, then turns to stare back into the woodland.  We scan and scan for lion, but the bush is just too dense.

As we enter camp, we are surrounded by a herd of peacefully munching elephant, shattered trees lying all around.

During the night, the peace is broken by a troop of baboon, barking out in alarm as a leopard does the rounds.

We leave at first light for a leisurely morning in the southern part of the park. Breakfast is on the lakeshore with a dense wodge of flamingos barely 30m away.  More keep flying in and, as we eat, there is a constant babble of goose-like honking.

Probably the highlight of our Manyara stay is a large tom leopard strolling along the road ahead of us.  He disappears into the trees as we approach and we catch a glimpse of spotted coat in the bushes, before he melts into a thicket.  We sit quietly for 20 minutes or so, hoping he will re-emerge or climb a tree, but no joy.  Another group saw him later, and a female crossed the road nearby – most likely a mating pair.

***

 A wonderful sight on the descent into the crater: a caracal, the most beautiful of all the African cats. She is carrying a mouse, and as we watch, a well-grown kitten comes out of hiding and proceeds to eat.  They aren’t at all shy and we have a wonderful few minutes with them.

Up before 1^st light so as to make the most of the early morning in the Crater.  There is a thick fog and as we make our way around the rim, we almost run into a buffalo on the road.  In the weird light, its dark body is almost invisible and we all but nudge its bottom before stopping.

On the descent, there is the caracal pair again.  The kitten is once more feeding on a mouse, presumably caught by the mother.  The light is very uncertain, but we get close-up views of the wonderful facial markings and long tufted ears that give this cat such an exotic look.  Gorgeous…

On the Crater floor, a large bull elephant comes walking along the road towards us; we pull up and wait for him – he walks right by, pausing to glare and flare his ears at us, just in case we haven’t grasped quite how massive he is.

Not long after, a pair of hunting lions.  They are in a good position, with plenty of game nearby.  A wildebeest walks right towards them, oblivious.  A short rush… and the lion stops dead.  It turns out that he is a youngster, still short of his 2^nd birthday, and probably lacks the confidence to take on a fully-grown bull wildebeest like that, with scary looking horns!

And to round it off – a magnificent Martial Eagle atop an acacia, plucking and eating what looks like an Egyptian Goose.  What a fabulous bird….

Leopard, and more leopard, December 2011

       By Squack Evans




During the course of 12 days or so, we travelled through Manyara having some phenomenal elephant viewing at close quarters..... some of the best I have had in Manyara for some time.

Following on from there, we went to Ngorongoro and on to Moru kopjies.

We had a lot of rain so were a little bit constrained due to mud, in some areas. However, we had phenomenal sightings. The leopard viewing started here and we saw, in one morning, 3 leopards. One at a distance had just killed and climbed a tree with a dikdik. We managed to find one of the resident lion prides as well as a Black Rhino.

We moved on to the northern Serengeti and the leopard sightings continued in earnest! A mother and adolescent cub with an oribi kill giving us some amazing shows. The cub had attitude; with a snarl and a hiss almost on the end of my camera lens and then it hopped up on to the bull bar of the car.

The next day we found the mother again hunting and climbing trees in the heat of the afternoon. In the evening, she had moved some distance again and gave a phenomenal modelling shoot!

Lions were plentiful as was other game and, being slightly out of season, there were very few other cars out and about.

Our send off at the end was 4 Black Rhino and some interesting interaction as it appeared that a female in the group was in season. Great trip..... and the leopard stole the show.

Misty mornings, Ndutu, November 2011

By Squack Evans

A wonderful week-long safari with the Wilderness Mobile Camp in Ngorongoro and the southern Serengeti with guests who have become firm friends over the years.

The first few nights we spent on the Crater rim, the campsite is already some way down the descent road so you are set to be first in to the Crater, with a good head start. We had some quality game viewing in the golden morning hours, while the late afternoon on the Crater floor is equally magic; everyone had headed home and we enjoyed the last light in glorious isolation.  

 As we arrived in Ndutu so too did the wildebeest, a few weeks earlier than we expected! The beauty of having a lighter-weight mobile camp and  travelling out of season means you can change plans on the move. As the wildebeest had arrived so early, we decided to stay put for the rest of the week. What a great time! The morning mist was so thick we couldn't see further than 40 yards ahead and what a  rare treat to be drifting slowly through the mist and watching shapes slowly appear and begin to take form as you approach, and then drift back into nothingness as you pass. 

Being on the plains as the mist finally burnt off was great. Suddenly, huge vistas of grassland and wildebeest opened up to accompany our picnic breakfast and tea.

We also spent a lot of evening time with a Striped Hyena and her pup. So rare to get good views of them and even more rare to watch behaviour between mother and pup.  

We had a cheetah mother and her cubs having a standoff with a few opportunistic Spotted Hyena, a lioness taking advantage of the sudden abundance of food among many other fantastic memories. 
The short grass plains in southern Serengeti in early season were both tranquil and beautiful! Next November anyone?

Drama in the African Bush

By Halifa Suleiman

Clouds ! Mist ! Fog !

Halifa ! ARE WE GOING TO SEE ANY ANIMALS TODAY? this is the question from my guests. The Ngorongoro half day trip was the start of our safari and the fog was heavy. But down on the Crater floor it cleared up. At the first sighting, we saw four lioness hunting a buffalo. These girls took about 45min to bring down the buffalo bull, after breaking its front left leg, but it was not easy.

A good morning hunting with the Hadze at Lake Eyasi.  Breakfast is a male vervet monkey before they set off again hunting. The luck of the day was on their side. After a long walk, stopping to pick some cordia fruit and catch some mouse bird, they shot the egyptian goose with their bow and arrows .

It is hot and dusty in Tarangire but another wonderful day with elephant heading towards the river, zebra under the tree and wildebeest near the river bank. On the other side, a lion hiding in wait. In the three days of our stay, we saw orxy, kudu, eland, python, leopard , lion and many more. A martial eagle caught a dwarf mangoose and took it up to a tree branch, what a meal !

Three Safaris

Three Safaris and photographs  by Kennedy John

Lamai, Northern Serengeti, August 2011 - an extraordinary weather pattern of rains. Luckily, the burning on the Tanzanian side of the Mara/Serengeti boundary facilitated the return of lush green fields. Hence, the swing of the migratory herds to and fro was a key characteristic of the safari. We saw lots of the concentrations of wildebeest

..........and general game: a coalition of 3 brother cheetahs around Nyamalumbwa, killing yearlings and calves born in last March; rhinos along the Sandriver and the 2 main lions prides the Nyamalumbwa Pride and the Kopjes Pride.

Because the grass was short on the plains around the Mara River, we witnessed some good crossings though, as is more usual nowadays in peak season, a large number of other vehicles around these areas. It is something to worry about, as the park regulations seem to be pushing more towards crowding rather than spreading the tourist load and, as the a result, the exclusive experience is becoming more compromised.

September in Serengeti. A brand new lodge, still settling in to its place, but we were there at best time for the area. Fantastic sightings of lion,cheetah and leopard not to forget crocs and hippos.The grande finale of the safari - hours and hours of the great Mara River crossings, to and fro, within a span of just a few hours.

Then, into the wilderness of Western Tanzania: Chada Katavi. Thousands of hippos crowded together in small, muddy pools in the drying river beds. Hundreds of crocs piled together in the caves on the banks of the Katuma River, probably having slowed down their body metabolism to survive through the hard times with minimum energy required.

Mahale Mountains: beautiful lake, the spectacular Nkungwe Mountain ranges, were it is said the savannah and the tropical rain forests meet and hence, it is a haven for primates....But the most unusual thing was a coup d'etat when the then Alpha chimp male was deposed and brutally killed by the other chimps - a thing which has never been observed even by the Japanese researchers in their 40 plus years of research. For more than 3 days after the saga, it was like a curfew had been declared and it was difficult to spot a chimp anywhere. But, as usual, sanity came back and the Great Apes were around the camp on our last day.

 

A safari through the Serengeti in March 2012. Memorable sightings:the rocks between Sayari Camp near the Mara River and Lamai Serengeti camp  are probably one of the best cat habitats in the area. This time, we had the resident lion pride with their 8 cubs so close to a leopard with its cub to such an extent that we enjoyed a drama of the large pantherines chasing around their smaller spotted cousins around the rocks. It is worth noting that this area is now rich in rhinos and we were lucky to see 5 very close around the Sandriver. Southern Serengeti was dry, despite it being March and the migratory herds had moved out to around Simba Kopjes and Seronera, but, as usual, there were some nice suprises for us. A shy striped hyena and its cub and the usual large number of cheetahs made the day there very enjoyable..

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