Freeman Safaris
‘Yesterday’s Safaris Today’
The Mara, Samburu and Nakuru excel again!
Jambo from the Mara,
Well, I hope you all are well!
We’re all great and as usual enjoying life to the full here in the Mara. This month we have also visited Samburu and Nakuru, both of which have been superb. Derek, who has been coming on safari for 16 years and with me for 10 years, wrote ‘This safari, for content, action and variety of species, was probably the best safari we have done in Africa’
Yet it was unfortunate that during Derek’s safari crossings were very difficult, although I have to say we have just experience a few ‘crackers’ with lion kills at the crossings! It is not often that you can turn up and enjoy a crossing virtually immediately. We have often had long waits at the crossings. They always seem imminent but hours later just as imminent!
Today we have enjoyed watching huge herds of wildebeest milling around on the banks of the Mara river to return to our side but as yet they have not made the plunge. Let’s hope they do soon. As I wrote in my previous newsletters the migration has been unusual this year but I am hoping we will still have loads of returning wildebeest left to get us through to November.
The last three months have just been awesome and all within easy reach of the camp. The guys who arrived yesterday were with Olive and her two cubs on a kill within an hour of arriving and 10 minutes from the camp! It has become a regular achievement to see the ‘big six’ by lunchtime. Where else can you experience that in Africa and all out in the open? It’s just so exciting, I can tell you.
First let me start with Samburu which was a little different this September as the river was full. Despite the drought we did experience a little rain but nevertheless the elephants were out in numbers although river crossings were few and far between. The Grevy’s zebras, oryx and gerenuk didn’t fail us. The whole atmosphere of the place is so absorbing and unique and the harshness of the terrain is gripping.
Nakuru, on the other hand, can be extremely good, usually great and sometimes disappointing, all depending on the state of the lake. Derek experienced his best ever wildlife day in Nakuru in early October, seeing lions killing a buffalo from start to finish with the male adding weight to the kill, as you will see below. He also saw lion cubs as well as lions mating. The leopards showed themselves amongst the lovely acacia trees and the few flamingos still managed to show their elegance on the water.
Returning to the Mara, I suppose the most talked about recent experience is the killing of one of the ‘three boys on the block’ by a lion, although I have yet to find out exactly what happened as there is lots of ‘hearsay’ flying around, mostly exaggerated! I have to say it is a sad occasion for me as I have spent so many happy hours enjoying the boys. They have been truly unique. However, when I spent a couple of hours the other day on my own with the remaining pair they didn’t seem to show any concern. Life for survival just goes on. Mind you, they never really showed any emotion when greeting each other. It was all just matter of fact, ‘Oh, you’re back then!’ For me I shall always remember them as the ‘boys on the block’ and I am sure the remaining pair will continue to be characters in their own right.
However, we continue to enjoy many other cheetahs as the Mara is the right place to see them out in the open, walking through herds of game causing havoc. Watching the many kills from start to finish just pure magic.
As mentioned above we continue to enjoy Olive, her son and cub who is getting bigger by the day. The other day the three of them crossed the camp car park, enjoyed by the staff washing the dhobi! I have to say I feel privileged to be in her patch, just have a look at the photos below, what super condition they’re in! The young male is now helping mum out with the odd kill and I have to say he is growing into a really handsome young animal. Let’s hope he continues to mature before he has to move on.
We continue to enjoy other leopards on the Talek and also by my Manyatta. These were caught mating the other day so in January we will hopefully have more cubs.
Well, the lions have certainly been active with many matings so it looks as if January through to March we will have loads of new cubs although we are still enjoying a few cubs now. Have a look at Derek’s pictures.
We have had a few sad lion happenings. A very small cub, shown too early, was ignored by his mum and sadly didn’t last long. A number of other cubs have been killed by the ‘Notch boys’ and mums badly injured trying to save them. However a young lion cub abandoned by its mother after a buffalo attack was fortunately adopted by an aunt.
Notch the dominant male of the Mara is still in control have a look at him below
The Marsh pride have lost their dominate male. He was badly injured in a huge fight and despite the vets being called in there was nothing much that could be done. After all, he had well exceeded his ‘sell-by’ date but nevertheless it was very sad to see him in that condition. I must be getting bloody old and sentimental!
We have been so fortunate with our rhinos this year and they have done us proud. I can’t remember a time when every safari in the Mara has enjoyed seeing rhino not just once but consistently. My feelings are that we are going to have a mating session very soon! Let’s hope so.
In addition we have had wonderful sessions with the smaller game. For example, we have seen both hyena and jackal cubs and it’s always a challenge to get a warthog picture. We have enjoyed the fan dance of the ostrich which always seems to succeed as the female submits instantly!
No newsletter would be complete without bragging about a caracal sighting. After two weeks mum and cubs emerged a couple of days ago, playing in the grass. They certainly were loved by all and are just pure magic. Have a look:
Derek took some really good shots of the birds on his safari and you have to go a long way to beat the huge number we enjoy in the Mara. It’s on a par with Samburu, and the challenge is to catch them flying - thank God for digital!
Well, that’s it for this newsletter. Despite all safaris being full I have enjoyed each and every one and it’s always sad to see you go home. You have all been such lovely people and made it a joy for me. I have loved sharing my backyard with you all and it’s been a real pleasure sitting around the fire in the evening enjoying the odd G&T or Tusker! It is by no means the end of this season as I go on till the 22 November which is also going to be great as I am going to start shooting my 300!
You all take great care and from a dry and sunny Mara,
Kwaheri,
Brian Back to Top
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The Season continues to Amaze!
Jambo from a dry but exciting Mara,
I don’t know about you but I find that writing a Newsletter is one of those tasks that I put off as there is always something else that is a higher priority in everyday life on safari. Once I finally get going, though, it is really enjoyable!
On the 28th we saw the ‘Big 6’ which were leopard (with two cubs), many lions, elephant, buffalo, two cheetahs and two black rhino, all in the area of the camp and before lunch. It truly was a diamond day. The game is in our area, which is great, but this has attracted extra vehicles from other areas. We try to stay away from them but it can be a bit of a bun-fight. It is August too with many families in the lodges and our friends on the two-day wonders from the coast. (Stop being nasty, Brian!)
It is turning out to be a fantastic summer with so many lovely clients. I am so lucky to share my backyard with such like-minded people. Let me quote Hywel after his first safari with us. He has since rebooked for next year and incidentally a number of the pictures in this newsletter are his.
"Now that we have been back in the UK for a few days I wanted to write to you and tell you how much we enjoyed our safari with you and your team. We have been on many safaris and this one was by far the best! The wildlife (including Olive), hospitality and quality of the guides were all fantastic!"
Right, let’s get down to what really counts, the game. As I know from your many emails reminding me of the fact, I am overdue this Newsletter, so ‘poli sana’ (very sorry!)
I must start with the migration which arrived in force and, unusually, decided to move north, circling round to the west and immediately crossing the Mara away from us in huge numbers. Lesley and I enjoyed huge crossings out of ‘Cul de Sac’ which went on for hours. So long, in fact, that we were able to leave the river for our tea and sandwiches under a tree overlooking the columns as they headed down to the river.
It has been an unusual pattern this year as the wildebeest and zebras didn’t hang around and crossed away from us. We still enjoyed seeing many hundreds of thousands here on the plains and have done so throughout. They are now returning, crossing back to our side looking for grass, so we should have some more great crossings to come. The guys are out this morning going to ‘Lookout Hill’ as they are crossing in huge numbers and, despite seeing many, many crossings I still get carried away with the excitement. As Geoff said the other day, the emotion of it all has to be experienced to be believed. It is so much more exciting than seeing it on telly! So far every safari has managed to see a crossing and let’s hope we all will continue to enjoy many more in September and October.
There’s plenty of excitement apart from crossings, though. Let me start with Black Rhino. We have great sightings these days as a male has chosen to stay near the camp although he can sometimes be difficult to find. We have had great sightings on every safari, sometimes on many occasions. You must remember that they are not too social and prefer to be alone. Despite their size they can definitely be the most difficult animals to spot but we are still enjoying great views. Little 6 year old Ben wanted to see the rhino more than any other animal and he did so twice. In my last Newsletter I also mentioned Rhino so they have been here for the last two months and I hope they will be for next two as well.
Next, I think, must be our lovely Caracal mum with her two five-month old cubs. They are very rare and difficult to find but well worth the wait, that’s for sure. They certainly are entertaining, playing out but in the grass. We have had many opportunities to see them and they are just so beautiful! I hear of reports of even younger Caracal cubs but have yet to see these for myself. I will keep you posted. What is for sure is that opportunities to see such rare cats shouldn’t be missed and I am running a special safari in the last week in of October. Unfortunately a family has had to cancel so come on out!
We mustn’t for get our Olive. She is such a wonderful and beautiful leopard. She and her cubs never fail us. I feel so privileged to live in their area as they are often seen both in the camp and at the entrance. She and her male cub from the last litter are greatly benefiting from the migration, often killing large wildebeest.
We see a couple of other leopards down on the Talek River as well as near the Mara River by Elephant Hill. We also see the big male right by my manyatta who killed from of the deck. Most unfortunately Colin and Margaret with family had caught the plane that very afternoon.
The cheetahs are great as usual. The ‘boys on the block’ have returned but, as normal, travel huge distances. They too are benefiting from the migration although recently we have seen kills of smaller animals like Tommies. We are also enjoying seeing the mum with one cub who is very active. We have witnessed her killing this week which was pure magic but she still continues to loose kills to the hyenas. There is a mum who has just shown two very small cubs. Let’s hope they get through the next two months when they are so very vulnerable. In my last newsletter I mentioned the mum with small cubs. Well, she has gone to ground but should be showing them any day now.
It is always important when photographing the cats that you try to capture the eyes. It makes all the difference, especially when they are as beautiful as the cheetah. Have a look at Hywel’s picture. It pleases me so much to see so many of you taking great pictures and makes the effort of getting in the right position so much more worthwhile.
‘Super Mum’ still has her six cubs although they are very difficult to find as she has tucked herself away in an out-of-bounds area. We certainly try looking for her, always in the hope that she has returned to our side of the Talek River. Sighting reports are inconsistent. I think she is waiting to see you, Yvonne and Janet, as you enjoyed her kill under your Landrover last year! The cubs have started cheetah school although they spoil a number of kills by being impatient but as they are such placid cats mum is very forgiving and they will learn!
So we come to the big guns, the lions. The treble Notch boys are around. I say ‘boys’ with tongue in check as they are growing up rapidly with their Dad’s power. Make no mistake, though, Dad is still in his prime and not someone to be messed with! With the migration the lion world has settled down and all is at peace. There is loads to eat, they are all putting on weight and mating is on their minds. There are a number of very small cubs around with a litter being borne every week. The young ones certainly have a huge wow factor, little balls of fluff loved by all and very photogenic. Unfortunately there is a high mortality rate, a result of living within a pride with the older cubs enjoying more than their share of mum’s milk. As rations are shared, lionesses are not particular who they feed and if one is the runt of the litter it’s chances of survival are less than 25%. Larger cubs often bully the younger ones too but the toughies make it through and once they pass the four month mark their chances increase considerably. The question then arises as to what happens next. If their numbers continue to increase do we have the space? The good news is that there are number of new unfenced conservancy areas opening up. Let’s hope the cattle issue can be sorted out and maybe, and it is a big maybe, the game will have space to roam again.
As usual there are many other spectacular wildlife adventures, some good some bad. The hyenas in particular cause a painful death as they start eating before the prey dies. We have seen a Marshall eagle with a Dik Dik and, of course, many different birds while out and about and also many we now find in camp. We have had many experiences from fighting males to births, the full spectrum and too numerous to mention here.
As always I have to mention my manyatta, particularly as it was ready in time for Colin and Margaret to stay with their two children and their partners and three grandchildren, altogether a great success. They told me often that it exceeded their expectations but I didn’t dare ask them what their expectations were! It certainly gets harder to leave every time I visit, that’s for sure. Have a look at the pictures.
Well, that’s it for this Newsletter. I just would like to add that next year’s safaris are up on the website so please shout if your dates don’t match, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Also I have 5 vacancies for the period 21st to the 27th October as unfortunately friends of mine had to cancel. I am offering these days at a special price so please email me for more details. If you would like to spend the time also improving your photography, do come and we can spend time together.
Well, all my rafikis, that’s all till next time. I will try very hard to post so keep hassling me!
Kwaheri for now and if I can be of any help please shout.
Brian Back to Top
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Migration Season Starts
Jambo All
Well, we are back again! I have to say, though, that we never really left except for a short visit to the UK and Spain where I had my passport stolen. They say to take extra care in Africa. Well, I’m not too sure that is right any more!
I am happy to say that we have a busy season ahead and it is going to be action-packed as the game has proved to be exceptional. With so much happening, the scene is set and conditions are ideal. The Mara is going to live up to its reputation of being ‘The Wildlife Jewel of Africa’
I think I should start with the news that the migration has arrived and in huge numbers. Although there are still herds moving in, conditions are ideal. I received an email from Hilary saying she had read about the droughts in Africa. Well, here in the Mara we are experiencing loads of rain, so much so that it has been difficult and certainly exciting crossing the rivers with water right up to the bonnet. The hired re-supply lorry never made it the other day with our bulk stores so I sent out my trusted big ex-Army 4wd Bedford truck to rescue him and take on the responsibility of bringing in the stores by forging the rivers.
Nakuru experiences a daily evening storm and the huge Ewaso Nyiro River in Samburu is flowing well with the elephants enjoying the water. Now I don’t want you to think your safari is going to be difficult, it doesn’t rain for long, we enjoy the weather and as you will see from a couple of the pictures in this newsletter it adds drama. I have to say that to us it is welcome! You will have sunshine the majority of the time, it will be hot and as long as it keeps raining the migration will remain as the conditions are ideal.
As usual it has been a lean six months for the cats and especially the lions as they have had to rely on warthog and they ain’t huge! I swear I saw the Talek pride smiling as they looked across the plains and saw the small dark dots turn into wildebeest.
Whilst on lions here are a couple of pictures taken the other day. I have to add that the ‘notch boys’, four young males fathered by the famous male ‘Notch’, have caused havoc as other males have taken them on with, I’m afraid, disastrous results for them. I wrote quite a bit on the lions in a recent Newsletter explaining the background so we will see what long term affect it will have but let’s hope they separate soon. The two young lionesses who had four cubs each are coping well as seven of them are turning out to be lovely strong elderly cubs. Unfortunately the runt just didn’t make it. We have enjoyed a number of young lions in the last three months although with the ‘notch 4’ not many have survived so let’s see what happens in the next six months.
I think I should mention the cheetahs next and boy, is it exciting news! Not only are the mum and six going extremely well but we also have a new litter! The exact number is yet to be confirmed but she was seen transferring five cubs in her mouth yesterday. Unfortunately she has chosen an area which is used regularly to den cubs for their first 6 weeks. It’s not a particularly good spot, being is too exposed and frequently visited by lions, but the Mum is known and she was successful with her last litter. I hope we will enjoy her and her cubs throughout the coming months as much as we have the Mum and six for the last year. Have a look at the some of the cubs stalking and chasing a Tommie. Big, aren’t they?
There are several other cheetahs in the plains close by but the three brothers ‘the Boys on the Block’ have moved away, not too far I think, in search of new girls. I am sure they will return to their familiar territory once they get bored looking! Will keep you posted.
Olive and her two cubs from different litters continue to visit us very frequently and, in fact, Chris and Barb spent three days enjoying their company just outside the entrance to the camp. Olive had killed a male impala, extra drama one morning when a young lioness and cub tried to climb the tree to steel the kill. The eldest of the boys is a very frequent visitor to the camp. I watched him the other day on the other side of the river from the mess tent as he sunned himself while I enjoyed my pre manyatta visit cup of tea! Living within Olive’s home range is a privilege and a real treat that I never tire of especially now as she has the attention of a huge young male. We saw four leopards in one tree the other day, can’t be bad!
I know the highlight of Chris and Barb’s safari was the big male black rhino which they enjoyed out on the plains behind the camp for some considerable time, seeing him on least three separate occasions in a week. That was exciting.
As I write this newsletter I can hear a hippo just yards away from my tent munching
away at the grass. I have to say I don’t know how we would cope with keeping the
grass short in camp without their help at night! Have a look at Chris’s photos of
a young male hippo hurling himself down the steep bank opposite the mess tent as
we were enjoying lunch, a sight I hadn’t seen in all the years of living in the bush.
It just shows you there are always new wildlife experiences to enjoy.
I have really enjoyed the huge variety of birds we see here. From the woodland kingfisher in camp to the beautiful malachite and hovering pied kingfishers, the paradise flycatcher, the bush shrike, the little bee-eater, the Schallows turaco, the brown parrot and the raptors, the long-crested and martial eagles, the list is endless and we will share them with you and you will love them too.
No newsletter would be complete without mentioning my manyatta. I am pleased to say we have nearly completed phase one, only two more to go! The three deck bedrooms are completed with en suit bathrooms. The bar, dining and sitting areas are complete although the dining canvas roof and sitting area parachute roof are yet to be completed. The huge deck glass screens are made and it’s just a matter of transporting them to the site from Nakuru, easier said than done on our roads. All the furniture is made and I will take a few pictures for the next newsletters as the wood has to be seen to be believed. Fabrics, cushions, curtains, bedding are all made. The kitchen is now complete with water, gas and electricity installed and we’re just waiting for the fixtures to arrive next week. Colin and Margaret, the schedule is tight but we will be ready for your family next month!
The workshop is fully operational and we have further modified our vehicles, improving the seating, the all round vision and adding special tyres.
Tracy and John who made my original DVD returned to update it and as usual have done a great job. Anyone wanting a copy please don’t hesitate to email Anne on enquiries@freemansafaris.com for a copy.
Well that’s it for the time being. We are looking forward to seeing you all, meeting old friends and making new friends. Remember to shout if I or my crew can be of help.
Take care and ‘kwaheri’ from the Mara where the dawn is breaking and the sky is glowing red. I wonder what my day in the office will produce. One thing is certain, it won’t be the same as yesterday or any other day!
Kwaheri
Brian Back to Top
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A New Season Starts
Jambo sana,
At long last, I hear you say, and very rightly so! I am sorry this has taken so long to get out onto the website. Unfortunately I missed Andy’s deadline before he shot off to Australia and New Zealand for a couple of months.
As a result I have decided to write this in two parts to cover the whole period, my original newsletter and then part two which will cover the period up to the end. I wanted to keep the detail of each period rather than consolidate it into one so get a cup of tea before you start!
I wrote the following dated 18 Jan 11:
Jambo from the Mara,
Well, we all hope you all had a lovely Christmas and managed to see the New Year in. I did, for once, down under in Australia with my son and his family. We had a great holiday although we were often told ‘how lucky we were to see the country so green or to experience rain as they hadn’t seen it for 10 years!’
I am well and truly back in my backyard and up very early as the lions were roaring extremely loudly near by. It’s so good to be back, last night as we sat around the fire enjoying the African noises in a full moon I realised again just why I love living here.
Like the rest of the world the Mara is experiencing ‘out of season’ weather. It’s raining, and loads of it. As I write the river passing through the camp is probable the fullest I have seen it and certainly too fast to cross. On the plus side, though, the hippos are having a great time!
I delayed writing this newsletter as I wanted to report a happy event rather than a sad one. We have lost and found a young leopard cub!. Let me explain. Olive gave birth to two cubs round about mid-November and showed them in December so I and Yuzo, on his first game drive, set out to find them on the 2nd January. We found them under a kill Olive had made not far from ‘Smelly crossing’. It was pure magic to watch although frustrating taking pictures as there was always a leaf in the way! Well, since that day Yuzo has spent many happy hours filming leopard cubs until last week when Olive was surprised by a lion and had to defend her family until the cubs could get away. We saw her later limping with only one cub. It isn’t unusual in these circumstances for the cubs to go into hiding and not surface for a while. Fortunately this was the case this time, much to our relief.
In addition Olive has a gash on her stomach plus one or two scratches - nothing that time won’t heal and each day we see her improving. She is still an efficient killer and the youngest male cub from her previous litter still hangs around to enjoy the free meals and will do so until his father no longer controls the territory. Then he will have to leave and start hunting for himself! However, there is a plus to this relationship as he is getting stronger and bigger by the week and when eventually leaves home he will be better able to look after himself and less vulnerable.
I reported a couple of years ago that I had seen the ‘big 6’ before 0830 one morning, a record for me. Well, now I have another record which Yuzo shared with me, 9 different leopards in one day. I wonder when the next occasion will be! We have continued to enjoy them ever since, both individually and, the real icing on the cake, the two sets of two cubs as there are even smaller cubs by ‘cement crossing’. These leopards are so close to the camp it is just awesome so I am hoping I will be able to share them with you.
I just love this time of the year as it is the season for small cubs. In addition to the leopard cubs we are enjoying many lion cubs, from tiny ones through to well-grown ones and it is all as a result of last year’s migration when it was just so easy for the lions. We have also seen a little unrest in the prides as the younger but more mature males try to make their presence felt - not only with the older males but with the mums who are prepared to defend their young at all costs. It is not unusual to see twenty lions in a day if you know where to look. They are certainly roaring every night!
The three cheetah brothers (The Boys) are still very active, roaming all over the place especially at this time of the year, when food is scarce on the plains compared to when the migration is in. It is usual at this time of the year for the cheetahs to move out into the Masai lands as the numbers of hyena cause them to lose more kills than they eat which is so frustrating for them.
There is still a number around the mum with her two adult male cubs who should have left home some time back. Although they do help in the chase, the youngsters spoil a number of kills as they tend to be too impatient.
There is still the mum with her single cub and of course the real icing on the cake is the mum and her 6 cubs which we all enjoyed so much last year. Yes, she still has all six! What an achievement and just so unusual. I haven’t seen them yet as they are in an ‘out of bounds area’ enjoying peace and quite. But, having said that, they are not phased by vehicles at all as the animals consider them as safe objects. You saw the pictures from last year when mum used our vehicle to protect her kill with the cubs eating right under the Landrover.
Until recently the gullies were empty, the small rivers were just puddles and the Mara river was just a trickle. It is interesting to study the river bed, full of the large rocks which cause the wildebeest to struggle when crossing in fast flowing water.
Whilst down at the main river crossing the other afternoon we noticed a family of Tommies dashing down to the river, running away from a pride of lions who actually had no interest in them as they were more concerned with bigger stuff. The little Tommies’ instinct was to run away rather than face the threat of the lions so they chose to cross. Well, it was suicidal as the big crocs - and you all have seen how huge our crocs are - were in attack formation six abreast. The water was low and it was very dramatic and clearly seen. As the Tommies entered the middle of the river, swimming for their lives, the crocs increased speed and attacked with gusto and, as they were hungry, they fought for every bit of the meat. You can image the action full of splashes, loads of snapping jaws and rolling. It was all very dramatic. I’m not sure whether Lorraine’s pictures captured the scene but it was far more dramatic than anything I had seen during the migration. Nevertheless it was sad as only one Tommy made it across and she spent hours trying to find her little group, even at one point considering re-crossing.
Yes, we enjoy so many magical moments like the one I have just described and that’s what I really love about my office. It is all the small things as well as the big cats that make my work so unique and I just love it!
Well, that’s it for this Newsletter. I hope to write one more in March before we stop for the rains to maintain the equipment and especially the vehicles as they certainly take a hammering throughout the season.
However I can’t sign off without mentioning my ‘manyatta’. Not a lot has changed on the main decking. It still has the shell of the 3 bedrooms as I have concentrated on building and completing the huge underground water storage, workshop, stores, staff quarters, solar and generator rooms as well as tyre bay. The priority is to complete this support area so that we can start using them by the end of March to repair the equipment. Boy, has the build grown arms and legs! Every time I go to site I add another room. The excuse is to get it right the first time as you never return to finish it off otherwise.
The carpenters, electricians and plumbers will then return to the decking area to erect the main roof using hard wood from the coast and local grass. Thanks Paul, for the brilliant idea of using a parachute type roof over the main decking which will only be erected in bad weather as I want the fig tree to be seen and enjoyed. So, as you can imagine, I want to be present throughout this period as it is such a critical but enjoyable stage of the build.
Finally, I have to thank those who have booked to join me in my back yard this year. We really appreciate your custom and will work very hard to match your expectations.
Please let me know if I can be of any further help
Kwaheri
Brian
Part Two
28 Mar 2011
Jambo from Nakuru.
I am writing this from the annexe in Nakuru while waiting for Tracy and John to arrive this morning. I am particularly looking forward to this as they are long standing friends. Tracy is updating my DVD to include the flushing toilets in the tents. What a success this has been with the girls! Every tent will also have an inverter so there will be no more taking turns in the mess. Also the mess area has been doubled.
We move out to the Mara in a couple of days to start serious filming. But I should first mention the lovely house in Nakuru which you all use when staying here. I have to say it has been so unusually dry here in Nakuru for the last six weeks. The grass had turned to brown rather than a lush green but I’m happy to report that it is now green again as we have had a little rain, just in time for the video.
The Mara, on the other hand, has experienced so much rain, particularly out in the Maasai reserve. All the rivers are so swollen that we have to use our big ex-military lorry to cross them. They are just too deep for any other vehicle. It certainly has been interesting times! You certainly need to stock up as the roads outside the park become impassable All very exciting but like Wells Fargo we always get through!
Let me start off with Samburu as we spent nine days up there in February. It was very hot and very dry and the river had no water while we were there, unusual but as I expected, and that makes it such a special park. This time we saw two different cats every day and those of you who have been on safari with me know that I don’t concentrate on cats in Samburu, we go for the elephants and the Northern Species as I call the game unique to that area.
Early one morning as we left the camp we came upon a cheetah mum with her two cubs playing on the dried river bed. The cubs were full of beans, rushing all over the place. Mum crossed to drink when suddenly a lioness roared loudly, emerging from the bushes on the other side of the river. The cheetah withdrew in a crouched position across the river and out on our side followed by her two cubs. They crossed the flat plain about 500 meters wide to the volcanic hillside. The lioness started in pursuit at a fast trot. I knew it was a life and death situation so phoned the warden for permission to intercept the hunt. Cheetahs have a very difficult time just surviving in the harsh conditions let alone bringing up cubs and they need all the help they can get to survive as numbers are dwindling. He agreed, so by driving between the lioness and the cheetah we were able to turn the lioness away, pushing her back to the river. My crew, Esther, Sheila, Steve, Jeff and Carol were hectically waving their hats. However, instinctively the mother cheetah, seeing the lioness retreat, attacked causing the lioness to run away. Luckily no contact was made but just as we though it was over a second lioness appeared so we started again. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that if the cheetah had stopped, deciding that she had no option but to take the lionesses on, she and her cubs would have been killed. Lions show no mercy as I have seen many times before. We were all extremely pleased to be there to help the cheetahs survive to live another day. There is no doubt in my mind what we did was right. We simply don’t have the numbers any more to let nature always take its course. The happy ending to that little story, I heard today, is that she is still with her two cubs. Cheetahs need our help if we want them to survive.
We also enjoyed seeing a large and extremely shy male caracal as well as a number of leopards. What I particularly enjoy about the Samburu leopards is seeing them in the large trees on big branches, totally visible.
The vegetation was extremely dry so the gerenuks were standing well and the oryx were in the riverbed. The animals were focused on finding water, particularly the elephants who in such situations dig holes for themselves and others to drink from. Elephant activity was, as usual, great giving us many photographic opportunities. Hilary is an artist - have a look at her gallery on the website – and was able to secure a commission on the strength her pictures of our big bull elephant Boompa. Occasionally he makes his home in our camp, often startling clients in their tents as he shakes a dom palm for the nuts. He is one of the biggest bulls we have in East Africa
We have had some great trips into Nakuru Park. On most occasions we see many flamingoes, but not recently with the water level high and a lack of algae. The pelicans, or as I prefer to call them the B52 bombers, are in huge numbers and it’s great fun trying to catch them in flight.
We have managed to see both black and white rhino every trip although the numbers are far less these days as many have been relocated. David knows were to find the Colobus Monkeys which are usually high in the tree tops, but nevertheless great to see. And always, of course, the variety of birds never ceases to amaze me.
However, Nakuru Park has experienced huge fires recently resulting in most of the grasslands around the lake and on the hillsides being burnt black and there is ash everywhere! The animals have retreated into the forest/tree areas so it is very disappointing at the moment. This will be short lived, though, as the new grass will come through, the trees will recover and by June it will be back to its normal self.
The Mara is its normal self, just magic. This time of the year is great for cubs whether leopards, lions, hyenas or topi calves. We have huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra about. The other day, sitting on my deck at the manyatta, the huge plain in front was packed just like a migration day!
I understand there have been a number of great TV programs on the Mara, one saying that the lions are reducing in numbers. This is true but the prides we do have are rather concentrated with much overlapping. The distances are not large and are easy for a lion to cover. They do this more frequently at this time of the year in search of game and this has resulted in huge fights. Only the other day, just outside the entrance to the camp, lions were roaring all night as they had killed an old hippo. It was a female and smallish cub plus two good sized males. Well, although they fought between themselves they had loads to eat throughout the day but unfortunately the gang of four up-and-coming boys that hang out in our area got to know about it during the night and there was a huge and vicious fight. The two old males and the female defended the kill which resulted in the female being savagely mauled. The cub was killed and the big boys fought hard to keep their kill and they certainly bear a few more scars now.
This has been common over the last three months. The gang of four have started to make their presence known and to my knowledge they have killed another two sets of cubs. Yuzo enjoyed seeing these cubs playing out in the open as we all did for about a month. Then the gang of four arrived. The big male didn’t stand a chance as he had been wounded from a previous fight and was no match. The girls tried but they too were hurt. Lions are great healers and usually the damage is only skin deep but on occasions it can result in a broken jaw or loss of an eye but very rarely more like a limp.
Down near the Mara river we have two females with four cubs each which are part of a larger pride. They are so sweet and lovely to watch, playing with each other and growing by the day. Let’s hope that some of them make it as, unfortunately, out of the many cubs born in the last four months very few remain.
This situation is made worse as males need to gang up together because they need the extra numbers to protect themselves and their girls. It’s really just the numbers game. There has, over the last couple of years, been an increase in the number of males surviving. For example, down by the main Mara River crossing there was a pride of seven boys. The gang of four is another example of too many males in too small an area. In my opinion this will generally result in fewer lions, a point I have made in a couple of my newsletters. I hope now, with the Maasai opening their land into more and larger conservancies, maybe the lions will spread further afield in time. However, as many of you have seen, the cattle herds are getting larger by the year and this is a problem which does affect the game. The cats will shy away from them and stay in areas that are free of encroachment hence causing overcrowding. It will take time but slowly it’s moving in the right direction.
On a positive note we have been able to watch a couple of lion kills. Have a look at the pictures.
The really sad situation is the loss of three out of the four leopard cubs which Yuzo enjoyed so much in January. You did the right thing, Yuzo, to fly straight out and incidentally it was a great relief to us all to hear from you the other day.
Olive has one small cub as well as the two boys from her last litter. I was fortunate the other day to be working at the desk in my tent and look up to see the young male down by the river. He had crossed over and was enjoying the late sun lying on the bank, just pure magic.
Olive has been harassed by a lioness who has three cubs of her own. She has learnt to patrol Olive’s area, seeking out her kills. This resulted in the first attack in the earlier part of the newsletter and at least two others to my knowledge. The last attack, we think, resulted in the loss of one of her cubs.
The young female leopard down by ‘Cement Crossing’ was surrounded by lions as well as hyenas and I am afraid the cubs didn’t survive very long. They too were killed, I am told, in their little burrow down on the river bank while mum was away. It’s a great shame but that’s nature for you. I do know of other cubs but have yet to see them. This is something I will do before we start in June after the rains.
The really good news is the cheetah mum who I am told now has a name. She has all six cubs and we saw them all the other day. What a handful! They are beauuuutiful, it’s incredible that she has been able to look after them all which is so unusual.
On every safari we continue to enjoy the three boys and have been fortunate to see a kill. In fact I can’t remember a safari in the last 18 months that hasn’t seen a kill.
We have had so many other lovely wildlife experiences too from the black-chested eagle swooping down to kill a grass snake, the marshal eagle taking a dik-dik and a secretary bird stomping a hare.
I would have to write a book to mention them all. I feel my newsletter has become long enough so I think the time is right to end with a few pictures of my manyatta.
Finally I have to thank Graeme for finding me a 300mm f2.8 lens, so now I have no excuses not to start taking pictures which I have to say is great after such a long time. I feel my arm can now take the strain!!
Well, I will close now. Thank you for taking time to read this. I hope it will stop my ‘get on with it’ emails! I know the situation is tight, to say the least, so I am very grateful for the many new and repeat bookings. We look forward to seeing you after the rains and I will write at least another letter keeping you updated as I will be in the Mara throughout, except for three weeks in the UK.
Kwaheri
Brian
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Season’s End
Jambo sana,
What can I say? I’m sad my safari season has ended but very pleased it all went so extremely well. It certainly was a season to remember - the Mara was its usual fantastic self, full of wildlife experiences and we certainly witnessed many exciting ‘happenings’. Some were happy (well for one of the involved ‘party’ at least), others were very sad, leaving us excited but at the same time down and always wondering as to the outcome.
That’s what I love about my office. Every morning I go out not knowing what’s going to happen or what are we going to see. All I can say is that no two days are ever the same, that’s for sure. Some are difficult, others are ‘diamond’ days when we enjoy a number of great wildlife experiences. No two years are the same either. The variety of the game, the cats, the uncertainty of the migration, the weather all make the Mara ‘The Jewel of Africa.’
I can’t remember the number of times we went out looking for the caracals and yet after all of you had departed they took to denning just outside the camp entrance. How about the staff packing up the mess tent to enjoy Olive crossing the river just below the hippo pool? Yes, she is certainly suckling and the exciting thing now is when is she going to show her cubs and how many? Don’t listen to the rumours, no one really knows yet and I hope won’t for at least another month. Yuzo’s ambition is to photograph young leopards which he did very well as you can see from his gallery of a couple of years ago. He has decided to join us once again this January to do just that and we’ll keep you posted!
How about the great excitement of seeing the Pangolin, a first for the Maasai guides and so very rare you could tell by the way they all drove like bats out of hell to get there! Unfortunately I wasn’t there and can’t remember the last time I saw one, it was certainly many years ago.
You have all been great clients and I thank you for joining us on safari. I can honestly say I felt good but sad when saying good- bye to you all as I always asked myself the question ‘did I earn my money’ and I have to say I felt my crew and I did every time. Yes, there were things you wanted to see and didn’t but that’s for next time.
I have a big thank you from the crew who have gone on well-earned leave with a huge tip not only to last them through to next season but also to add to their Shambas or to help with the children’s education.
It has been some time since I wrote and yes, I failed this year to keep you up-dated for which I do apologise. Julia, please forgive me. I have to say it has been a great season, certainly busy that’s for sure. Those of you who know me will know that I need a challenge or a project and this year it is my Manyatta which has grown by the minute! I honestly cannot think of anywhere nicer to live so I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to build my house right on the edge of the park.
Well, that’s enough chatter lets get down to the real reason for this letter!
You know there have been so many exciting happenings and viewings that I can’t mention them all so forgive me if I have not included yours and yes, I know you all want to know about the cats!
I have already mentioned Olive and she will give us great shots next year especially in the first three months. Her two boys have been great and they are still around in the area by the camp down to Smelly crossing. They will remain there until their Dad loses his terrority and then the big male coming in will no doubt move them on. Let’s hope they continue to grow into big boys. We were lucky enough to enjoy a nice big male not far from my manyatta. He certainly looked the man.
Every safari enjoyed our leopards, some every day, others not so often. Some enjoyed leopard kills (read Richard Knight’s newsletter as they had a great leopard kill). Lesley was able to enjoy eight different leopards in all.
This year the cheetahs have returned to feed on the very young wildebeest calves. I think the maximum we saw was 22 different cheetahs on a safari. Certainly 14 was uncommon this last month with more than one kill on every safari. We have enjoyed seeing so many cheetahs with their cubs and it has been so encouraging.
The mum with six cubs is definitely not Shakira. I have spent a few hours looking at the pictures but the good news is that she’s a fantastic mum who has been able to keep the cubs out of harms way. They certainly have grown too and you can notice the changes virtually daily. It’s all the good protein! One day she decided to hide her kill under one of our Landrovers as the previous six kills had been snatched by hyenas. The cubs tucked in to fill their little bellies leaving mum to have the rest.
There are a couple of other mums with cubs. One in particular has two adult male cubs who join in the hunts having successfully completed cheetah school. They may wake up shortly to find mum has left them!
No cheetah story would be complete without mentioning the three boys, the three cheetahs who own the Mara. They certainly have entertained us despite the many hours waiting for them to wake up. In the last month or so we have watched them frightening young single girls as well as making many kills, from adult Zebras to baby Tommies. Have a look at John’s picture of a kill.
Lion cubs have been scarce this year although just a week ago we came across the Double Crossing pride who had recent additions of very small cubs. The two lionesses were on their own the other day having just made a kill when an intruding pride of three young lionesses and two males arrived on the scene. The instinct to protect the kill and her cubs was too much for the two lionesses and they took on the intruders. Unfortunately it didn’t go their way resulting in one of the them being badly mauled, so much so that it was thought she may not recover. What would happen to the cubs was the real concern, but after a day or so she was seen returning, badly limping but in better shape than expected.
Lions have had a bumper year enjoying the migration. The herds have been huge with many young and we have watched lionesses make up to four kills in one ‘sitting’, just out of pure instinct, usually at the crossings but also out on the plains.
We have enjoyed seeing other cats too, like the caracal and serval as well as the thousands of other sightings like the birth of Impala, Topi and Tommy calves as well as the action on the plains. The bat-eared foxes, the baby jackals, sweet hyena cubs – yes, they are sweet when small - as well as the nasty things like the hyenas eating their prey before it dies. But I think that’s enough of that!
Last but not least. No newsletter would be complete without mentioning the migration and the crossings. I am pleased to be able to write that every safari saw a crossing. Some were clean, others were ugly with many deaths, not through crocodile strikes but more out of drowning and being trampled on as they tried to exit. The crocs ate well this year. Unfortunately, with the river high, what strikes took place were difficult to photograph and as the year progressed I noticed a change in their attacks from strikes to patrolling the river bank to pick off the wounded, the exhausted or the struggling youngsters as they fought the current. It certainly was once again different but I have learnt over the years never to expect a pattern or to try to predict things. That’s what I love about it all although it can be frustrating sometimes.
As I have written in previous letters, the migration arrived with a smaller number of youngsters than usual which feed the many cats and others animals
No newsletter can be complete without mentioning my manyatta which I am pleased to say is progressing well, although it has expanded a little in that I have added a large workshop and additional stores with underground water storage. I have also managed to fit three bedrooms on the decking and have decided that my bedroom will be up in the tree canopy – well, that’s the current thinking anyway! The kitchen is plastered, window and doors fitted and now I have to decide on the fittings. If Obi has his way it will be all-singing and dancing and more expensive than the build itself!
It just remains for me to say ‘Thank you’ for reading this, ‘Thank you’ for joining me on safari and sharing my backyard. It has been lovely seeing old friends and making new ones. I am so pleased that so many of you have decided to return next year as well as the new clients who I look forward to speaking to in April and seeing later on in the year. Not, of course, to forget those of you who have booked for the winter. It has been a real pleasure and I can honestly say I have enjoyed every minute of your company
Esther and I are off to Australia in a couple of days for a long break to see my son and his family, a visit we been looking forward to.
All of you, please take care, have a great Christmas and we hope the New Year will be good to you all.
All the very best from us and the crew.
Kwaheri
Brian Back to Top
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Newsletter September 31st 2010
Full House Season!
Well, Jambo from a very exciting Mara,
Yes, I know this is long overdue as a number of you have remarked! But in all honesty it is very difficult for me to remember what has happened and when and with whom.
First of all, thank you Richard for kindly stepping in with your newsletter and your great pictures of the leopard kill at Smelly!!
The fantastic news is that Olive is once again pregnant. I had heard sometime ago on the Mara grape vine that she was, but I wanted to see her for myself. Here she is, out in the open and she went on to kill a young wildebeest for dinner.
Way back in July when Olive was out and about both Steve and I concluded from her scenting that she was out to find her man although no one actually confirmed sighting them mate. So around about December to January we look forward to her showing new cubs and for us the bonus is that she lives around the camp in the area towards Smelly Crossing.
As a finale to Ian and Beth’s safari yesterday we were able to enjoy Olive’s two young male adults out and about the Talek River walking right past us as if to say ‘have a great flight to Oz guys’ Yes Ian, I saw a tear in your eye! Today the smaller of the two killed out in the open above the airstrip only to be hurried when he saw the three cheetah boys approaching.
Ian and Beth’s last day started with 2 young caracals out in the open playing as young kittens do. It wasn’t the first sighting of them as we have enjoyed them on a couple of safaris but always in the shrub with only hurried fleeting shots possible.
A couple of days ago Ian and Beth witnessed the three cheetah boys make a second kill of an adult zebra on their safari, a kill that took them some time to accomplish. They took it in turns to grab the throat with many complete summersaults and it was touch and go for a while. It was an event to watch rather than film as the light was fading fast.
Beth and Ian enjoyed a number of other very exciting wildlife experiences from river crossings to young lion cubs, serval and cheetah cubs. In fact we saw 14 different cheetahs in one day although I have to say we had a mum with six as well as a mum with two all close together. Have a look at Lesley’s pictures further down.
Ian and Beth were very fortunate to see two black rhinos, one right out in the open. On their last afternoon the guy below had showed himself but they elected to stay on the Talek River enjoying the birds and ended with the leopard - not a bad choice.
This is the uniqueness of the Mara. Every new safari has a different beginning with new wildlife experiences. For example, Rick and Jo missed the young caracals yet saw a great leopard kill. That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t matter how many times you return you will never fail to see something new. The remark I hear each time is ‘each safari just gets better!’
Lesley’s last safari of 25 days was full of different experiences, so much so that she has booked up for her usual two safaris a year for 2011. Have a look at her pictures from her last safari
In total Lesley saw 22 different cheetahs and 8 leopards yet since her safaris we have seen even more of each. The migration is the catalyst to all the activity, especially this year, with the unusually high number of very young wildebeest.
No newsletter would be complete without including the migration and boy, we have seen some great crossings! Unfortunately the majority are still crossing away from us, but having said that, I believe that since we have had enough rain this side to fill the gullies and water courses they will return. The numbers here, though, are still very considerable. The Mara River is full and fast flowing but unfortunately littered with carcasses so that it looks like a battle scene from WW1 with the Marabous and vultures getting fat. The crossings have been unusually large and long-lasting resulting in the river exits becoming very slippery and difficult to climb. This is made worse by the fact the animals are exhausted just coping with the current. It is certainly worse for them than it has been for a number of years but, having said all that, it is still a wonder to enjoy as the vast majority still make it. The numbers that fail are still insignificant and each year I have seen the wildebeest numbers increasing.
I chose Lesley and Ian’s safaris not because they were alone, we had full house each time, but it’s just that both worked very hard to send me photos for which I am very grateful. I know I was to start taking pictures again now I have Steve’s 7D. But I‘m ashamed to say is still in the box unused Steve!! In my defence I have been extremely busy enjoying full houses one after another plus on an occasion running two camps simultaneously both in Samburu and the Mara. Colin and Margaret are currently up in Samburu for nine days as they love elephants although today it was a leopard and her cub in a tree enjoying her kill!
Having mentioned my house build in the last newsletter I am pleased to say it is still progressing well, way above budget and getting bigger by the day! Its been my life’s dream to be able to return to the memories of my childhood, sitting on my parent’s veranda enjoying the game. This will certainly do just that and I may be repeating myself but what the hell! So far the construction team have enjoyed the three boys making a kill, a young male leopard killing, three lion kills, one just by the main platform, huge numbers of wildebeest and so it goes on and on! I know it gets harder to leave each time I visit so I am sure we will have a tea break there. Have a look at a few pictures.
Well, I hope I have updated you all. Once I get into the flow the writing is enjoyable but I have to admit its just the starting that’s difficult!
I just want to thank the many of you who taken the advantage of the 5% discount for next year booking early but can I ask you to please bear with me as I will send invoices out shortly – a bit like my newsletters! To those of you who don’t know me don’t worry, take advantage of keeping your money longer but rest assured you are all securely booked!
All I can say its been great sharing my back yard with you all. So far each safari has ended too soon even for me.
Take care, keep in touch and shout if I can be of any help
Kwaheri all my rafikis
Brian
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Rick Knight
Hi All.
As it is all go at present for Brian in Kenya I have volunteered to complete this latest newsletter. I am Richard Knight and this is the second newsletter I have written. The last followed our fantastic wedding (see Newsletter August 10th 2008) and this was our first visit to the Mara since then. In the intervening period we have visited Botswana and Laikipia. Though both were fantastic trips neither could prepare us for for our nine days in the Mara where wildlife sightings proved that the Mara is simply the best place in Africa for game viewing.
We arrived in the Mara just before sundown and had just enough time to take my best hippo pictures to date in the glorious evening light as we crossed Smelly crossing not far from camp.
During our first full day in the Mara we were introduced to the local lion pride who had made a kill during the night. We found them at first light feasting on a zebra. We saw three of the adult males, a number of females and one very young cub as well as two more grown up cubs. Between them all they provided us with great entertainment. With large numbers of wildebeest entering the Mara in June this year the plains adjoining the Talek and those toward the Musiara Marsh are crammed full with zebras and wildebeest. These lions we had found were in great shape, not surprising considering how much food was available.
The pride of lions found on that first morning was one of four encountered during our stay. Another pride that we spent some time with was the Marsh Pride. Over the last few months I have heard much about how the Marsh Pride were no longer the force that they once were in the Mara. Well, let me tell you that they are now at full force again and really impressive. Each time we visited the Marsh we found at least twenty lions including the two large males. But most spectacular were the three tiny cubs. The first day we found them they were suckling from mum. On the second occasion two slightly older cubs were desperate to play with the young ones. Mum gave us an excellent example of why lion mums are not to be messed with.
Liz and Terry and watched some of the pride one morning as they had a hunch that they were going to hunt. They were proved right and were treated to a classic example of team work and cooperation as the lions successfully hunted a wildebeest.
Two other lion hunts were just missed. The prides in and around the Talek and the Marsh are really making the most of this time of plenty and are providing great entertainment and excellent photo opportunities.
Although the Plains are full of game we witnessed two very good river crossings. Both were heading our way across the Mara River. We also heard of a few more so even more animals are joining the masses.
With the Migration providing the big cats with plenty of food there are also huge numbers of vultures. One morning we drove along the banks of the Talek and there were literally hundreds of vultures warming themselves in the early morning sunshine.
We saw a total of fifteen different cheetahs. The first seven were very special. We found a mum with six tiny cubs but unfortunately we have to report that there are now only five left. Let’s hope this mum has luck on her side, though, as cheetahs can have a tough time in the Mara with the number of lions and hyenas about. The Three Boys turned up on three different occasions. Between the first and second viewing of them they were at nearly completely opposite ends of the park. They cover really huge distances. The last two times we saw them they were settled down near the Musiara Marsh and were enjoying hunting the seemingly endless supply of Wildebeest.
We witnessed a Mum cheetah and her two almost mature male cubs hunt a Grants Gazelle. Mum was happy to let one of the youngsters take control of the chase but when he started to flag she took over and made sure that dinner did not escape.
The lions and cheetahs were not the only cats to be out hunting. We were so fortunate to witness a leopard hunt. We found Olive, a well known leopard, within ten minutes of leaving camp. There were a number of Thompsons gazelles and Impala close by and she started to stalk with her belly close to the ground. As she closed the distance it was impossible to keep tabs on her as she used the rocks and grass to her advantage. She closed to within twenty meters and in our Land Rover our heart rates were rising as we expected her to launch her attack any second. You could cut the tension with a knife. This attack didn’t happen, though, as a family of plovers alerted the prey to the leopard’s whereabouts and they slowly disappeared out of view leaving a very disappointed Olive to consider her options. We stayed with Olive for another couple of hours as hunting opportunities came and went. As the morning progressed a number of wildebeest started to appear from over the horizon, slowly making their way down to the Talek to cross. This was her opportunity. We decided to make our way to the river in anticipation of the crossing and the hunt. We didn’t have to wait long. Maybe 25-30 wildebeest crossed before she found her prey, a nearly mature wildebeest, which she caught after a chase that looked as if it could go either way to the end. We were the one vehicle that saw the stalk, the chase and the kill. It was a special moment that that we feel privileged to have witnessed.
This leopard hunt happened on the fourth morning of our stay. The day began when we left camp before sun up. We turned the corner out onto the plains and I spotted a grey shape leaving the bushes at the back of Brian’s Camp. I turned to Jo and pointed out the 'elephant'. Only this was no elephant. In unison we said to each other, ‘black rhino!’ We managed to stay with it for about an hour and were rewarded with good video and photos - a real bonus. What a day the 23rd August turned out to be.
This Rhino wasn’t the only sighting right outside camp. On the afternoon of the 25th we drove out onto the Plains and our expert Masai spotter Taki pointed out a leopard. We got a good view through the binos and identified it as one of Olive’s cubs. Within minutes it was joined by its brother and they treated us to some great views of the pair together before crossing the river in camp!
At times it was hard to plan our day’s activities because there was so much to see
so close to camp. We would often develop a plan, only to completely change our minds
just minutes after leaving camp. I am at home now sorting through images which serve
as a reminder to our great trip.
For Freeman Safaris regulars I must also mention
the new flushing toilets in the Mara and the new super-efficient and super-bright
LED lighting.
On a finishing note. Thank you to Brian and the whole gang for another
stay that yet again has exceeded our expectations. We will be back soon!
Kwaheri,
Rick
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July already!
Jambo,
Yes, I’m late again but promise to improve! Sorry it has been such a long wait for this newsletter.
I’m not too sure where to start or even if I can remember absolutely all the fantastic sightings we have had. What a start to the safari season, although I have to say it just proves that the Mara always matches our expectations.
The Migration arrived a little earlier this year and in full force rather than the usual trickle. I have never seen so many appearing so soon. The grass was just right but unfortunately there is a lack of water in the gullies. After the wet April/June, in their search the wildebeest were quick to reach Topi and Paradise plains, despite many thousands crossing the Mara River by Lookout Hill. We have already seen huge numbers crossing down on the main crossings including thousands of zebra. A few thousand have also crossed back. I have to say the return crossings are the best and I am sure we will experience huge numbers returning once they realise there is no water on the far side of the Mara.
This year as we have experienced a huge number of very small wildebeest calves which is unusual but their journey north has been quicker than normal, following the water, and by the time they usually reach the river the calves are reasonably large. This, as you can imagine, has resulted in many ‘separations’, a lot being carried away by the fast flowing river making the crocs lazy, many separated from their mums and wandering up and down the banks and even out on the plains. Although sad it is invariably a quick death and you have to remind yourselves that it is vital to those who rely on the food chain to feed their cubs.
The lions have lost their sleek look after months of forced diet and they certainly are enjoying themselves now, often killing more than once at a time, with carcases all over the place! I have to say I ve noticed an increase of activity in their daily lives. One or two are in love, the big boys have started to earn their keep although I hear not all is well in the marsh pride!
I think once again the leopards have stolen the limelight. We now have three sets of cubs. Olive and her two still steal the show although she is showing signs of wanting her man. Julia, on her special birthday, witnessed Olive make a kill right out in the open in the long grass. We saw her go in but lost sight of her until she made the final dash catching a young wildebeest. It was a spectacular kill which we were able to witness from start to finish, leaving her dragging the kill into the bushes for her cubs. It was so exciting we just had to go for our morning tea break!!
We have also enjoyed Acacia and her two younger cubs. I was very pleased to come upon her again as the last time I saw her she and her cubs had to make a hasty retreat from a hyena. We enjoyed seeing her and her cubs up a tree with three different kills, out in the open, crossing a stream as well as making a kill. Anne and Val waited till very late and were rewarded with Acacia making a kill and carrying it up a tree.
Esther has just sent me a text message saying that they have come across a third leopard who has just shown her cubs. We knew this particular one had gone into hiding, but how exciting! Let’s hope we will be able to enjoy them as we did Olive and her cubs last year. Yuzo, who specialises in leopards, will have a great safari in September watching so many leopards. I will keep you posted
No newsletter will be complete without mentioning the three boys who are still out and about. So far every safari has been able to enjoy at least two chases/kills, not just by the boys but a young mum and son. I am also told that a cheetah has given birth not far from the camp. Esther has seen this but is unable to verify the number of cubs. It seems likely that a number of cheetahs are returning to the park from the Maasai lands now that conditions are improving, especially as the hyenas have sufficient to eat finishing off the half-eaten lion kills.
We have enjoyed many more spectacular happenings, the huge numbers of zebras passing through with one or two stand up fights, giraffe babies as well as the serval mum and her kittens just to name a few.
As some of you know I have started to build my new house literally on the boundary of the park and within 10 minutes of the camp. The house is being built around three large fig trees and will be built mostly out of wood. It will be raised from the ground and open plan with my office in the tree canopy giving views over the plains. John, a great friend, has flown out from the UK for 3 months to take charge of the daily build.
I have to say it has been my life’s dream to be able to once again enjoy the bush and the game from my veranda as I did with my parents all those many years ago. As it is we live in the Mara most of the year and now Esther and I are going to live here all the year round. What could be better than that?
Well, the next newsletter will be forthcoming within a couple of weeks. Till then, from the Mara,
Kwaheri
Brian
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Season’s Start
Jambo everyone,
I know - I have failed to get this done on time again from the many emails you sent and Andy continually badgering me ‘What, still no newsletter Brian?’ Well, here goes!
After a longer than planned stint in the UK I am back out in the Mara and I have to say it is fantastic to be home again in my backyard. The Mara is looking superb as we have had loads of rain starting way back in March, although for the last week it has been dry with great light. The rivers have been full with the Mara river deeper than I have seen it for many years and flowing fast. It’s just a pity the migration isn’t here - only kidding ladies!! The grass is tall and browning off and will soon be golden, the grazed areas are green and the plains game are well. The cats are lean and mean waiting for the migration to return, so all in all the stage is set for yet another great event. I hear on the grapevine that they are on the move heading north towards us but nothing is for sure until they actually arrive. You know, that’s what I love about my office. Despite being out all day and everyday now for more years more than I care to remember, no two days have ever been the same.
I know most of you want an update on our key players so here goes.
Firstly, Olive and her two cubs. Before I update you, though, I have a wee confession to make. The smaller shy cub is a male - my excuse is he developed late, sorry Steve! Those of you who know Olive or have kept up to date with my newsletters will know that she tends to disappear for long spells without showing her cubs and is often seen out and about on her own. Well, she has just had one of those spells of not showing herself but yesterday on the river down by Smelly Crossing she appeared again with the cubs. However, I am just so excited by last nights events which occurred just behind my tent at about 0130. I was woken by a couple of loud thumps which I later learnt was Olive killing a female impala which she was able to stow away before a young lioness arrived. At the time I had only seen the lioness. Later on, when the cookhouse was up and breakfast was being prepared, Obi the chef noticed that there was more hyena action than normal. At first light we investigated, saw a leopard disappearing into the undergrowth and found the kill. Have a look at the pictures.
For the last five days the three cheetah brothers, who I prefer to call ‘the boys’, are acting as usual but with a difference as they had captured a young lady cheetah, sticking to her like glue and, believe it or not, feeding for the whole duration! Well, today enough was enough, they had given her chance, got bored and left to do what they do best - act as the boys on the block! As I write they have once again disappeared but I am sure will turn up again on Topi Plains, their favourite haunt at the moment, to live on the topis.
I have not seen the young female cheetah and cub that we enjoyed last year and the beginning of this year, but heard she has moved onto the Masai land. Let’s hope she returns. Shakira and her cubs are on the other side of the Mara and we saw them last April from afar. I’m not sure what their story is but will find out in due course. I have to say the current cheetah numbers are concerning me although, to be fair, some have moved out of the area as hyenas are pinching virtually every kill. It has got to the stage where hyenas are hanging around the cheetahs waiting to pinch their kills. In greater numbers they are even pinching from the cheetah boys. I wrote about the hyena threat last year. I’m not too sure of the long term effect on the cheetahs but let’s hope they are still around and that I am being too pessimistic. Time will tell.
The lions are their usual selves although the other day they turned the tables on the hyenas who had killed a topi at about 3 pm out on Topi plains. One became aware that something was happening when the normally dozy lions woke up and charged off across the plains. On following them they lead us to a pack of hyenas eating their kill and in no time at all the lions had chased the hyenas away and made claim to the kill. All very exciting but over in a flash although the battling between the lions went on for some time. They have such dreadful table manners!!!
The lions are generally looking leaner and fitter as they tend to grow very fat during the migration. The smaller prides usually hunt warthogs in the long grass with the odd topi kill. This last four months there has been very little of the larger plains game about other than topi. The resident wildebeest and zebras migrated some time ago to the northern conservancy just out of the main park. Without wishing to be blood thirsty, I believe the stage is set for some great action once the migration moves in!
All the places I have mentioned other than Olive’s action are just outside the camp and certainly no further than a mile away. So you can see that we are right in the middle of the action. As I write this newsletter Olive has returned to her kill and, once they have eaten again, she will store it in a tree for the night out of reach of the hyenas. It’s just so amazing watching three leopards from my tent. I’ve seen single animals many times from here but three together is a ‘first’!!
Well that’s it for now. The staff are working hard to get everything ready in time. We’re slightly behind as I overstayed in the UK but it will be all right on the night!
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any help for your safari plans. We have a few slots for July and August so please don’t wait as they are great months to visit.
Kwaheri
Brian Back to Top
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Jambo from a wet Mara!
Everyone talks of an early rainy season as it is raining throughout Kenya and has done so for a while now. We are certainly enjoying huge rain storms here in the Mara where all the rivers are flowing well. At the beginning of March the camp river was so high we couldn’t cross at Smelly crossing so we had to go to Governor’s airstrip to collect Tony and Anne. Mind you, we were rewarded with a leopard in a tree with an impala kill within an hour of them landing. There were elephants as well, about 200 in all, with many young. They too were held up in the swamp by the swollen Mara River.
You may have heard of Samburu’s dreadful news. The area experienced a huge River Tsunami where the level rose from nothing to over 30 feet almost instantly devastating everything in its path, a situation never experienced before. All the lodges and camps along the river were destroyed, some of which had only just been opened. They will certainly take time to rebuild. As for the game, very little was affected as it happened at night when most animals were away from the river. I did hear, though, that a couple of elephants were swept down with the water.
As for us, we had left the week before with all our kit so someone was looking after us! So many of you made contact to check up on us. Thank you, it was very nice of you all to think of us. Frances and his family are all well as their manyatta is well away from the river although they did suffer a food shortage in the initial stage.
Have a look at what was on the BBC news at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8551459.stm
Since the beginning of this month we have been in the Mara and loving every minute of it, rain and all!! Let me try to catch up on the news.
I did write in an earlier newsletter about the lions killing hippos. Well, in the first two weeks we experienced two hippo kills, on each occasion the whole family of lions joining in the feast with cubs on the top. It is at this time of the year that lions struggle to kill simply due to lack of game in their area (remembering that they are territorial animals) But, having said that, it is a great time to come as you see keen and mean lions hunting. They still do what cats do best though and sleep most of the time!
Whilst on the subject of lions, the other day Esther rescued a very young impala from drowning as it had been chased into a water hole escaping from a jackal. She released it near its mother but it ran the opposite way, straight into the jaws of a huge male lion, which saddened her terribly! Esther’s only consolation was the fact that the lion could hardly walk as it had a very bad hind leg, probably the result of a fight. But at least it had a free snack.
During the first three months of this year we have been able to enjoy more cheetahs than during the last year’s migration. It is a good time for the young mums to return. They find it easier to hunt as they are less likely to be seen in the long grass. We continue to enjoy cheetah hunts every safari. They are not always successful but nevertheless just as exciting. We never fail to enjoy the wait, the stalk and then the dash. Only yesterday we watched a mum with a young cub hunt right out in the open scaring the Tommies in all directions. Her tactic was to walk out amongst them, alter course for a couple of hundred yards, then change direction again and again. So it went on until the Tommies got bored and suddenly, like a rocket, she was off. She had seen a soft target which resulted in a meal for the two of them. I hate to admit it but she fooled us too. Have a look at these pictures from a couple of days ago, a chase right beside us!
The three cheetah brothers continue to be the boys on the block from one end of the park to the other. We had an exciting encounter the other day when they were spotted by the mum and her daughter who, despite being very full, tried to escape. She had no chance, the boys coming down the hill at such a rate that I had a problem getting into position for what turned out to be an exciting half hour. The boys dominated her and her cub, showing her who’s boss. They suffered no injuries though, being submissive and crying out.
It was at the end of the day and the light was difficult so, Tony, I hope you were able to catch some of the action.
We continue to enjoy the leopards, especially Olive and her two cubs. It was the highlight of Anne’s safari seeing all three of them out in the open in brilliant early morning light. I am sure you got the pictures Tony! We have since enjoyed the cubs on their own a couple of times. When you see them together the male cub is considerably bigger than his sister. Olive is leaving them for longer periods and I have a nasty suspicion she will leave them earlier than usual, as she did with her last cubs. It has been two days since she last returned, although I have to say they were out playing last night, climbing a big fig tree right up to the top. They were full of beans!
All the migratory birds are out enjoying the sunshine and are a feature of this time of the year. We certainly have had fun trying to get in close enough to take pictures and the identification discussions that follow are always enjoyable! This morning we had our tea stop under a fig tree with at least 20 different birds. Have a look at a few.
Well, we have now stopped for the rainy season although Andy, Esther and I are out with our cameras when the light is good as I am trying to get into my photography again. So far my hand is coping really well. Now I am just lacking a 300 F2.8 lens, has anyone a spare to sell!!
In the last month I have been very lucky to have a number of bookings so I must get around to altering the availability on the net especially as Andy is off to NZ. However, having said that, please don’t hesitate to email your preference and I will try to accommodate you, but best to give me a couple of options.
The next couple of months will be quiet as I am concentrating on repairing the vehicles, the equipment and the camps, ready for next season. I’m still planning to publish a couple of newsletters, though, as we start the various jobs.
And finally, I will be flying to the UK in late April for a busman’s holiday and will try to ring you all to discuss your safaris.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo from Samburu
The time is 5:30 in the morning and I have to say it is warm. Samburu is always very hot at this time of year and remains so right up till the end of March. The good news is that the Ewaso Nyiro River is full. It has rained hard all week in the Aberdare Mountains where the river has its source, as indeed it has throughout Kenya.
The elephants are down from the hills in huge numbers enjoying the river. It is just pure joy to sit and watch the youngsters playing, from the very young dashing at full speed with ears out and trunks raised to the teenagers lying submerged, trying to right themselves with all legs in the air.
Without exaggerating we were able to sit in camp watching the elephants right in front of the tents throughout the lunch hours as well as enjoying them crossing over to our side to eat in the camp glade, a true wildlife experience. We do tend to visit Samburu mainly for the elephants plus of course the other northern mammal species but, having said that, we have enjoyed a young male leopard, a cheetah and a couple of sweet lions (to quote Rick) this safari!
The Gerenuk haven’t failed us, standing up fully stretched on their hind legs to eat from the acacia trees. The Oryx are coming down to drink in large numbers and the scarce Grevy’s zebra are out on the plains. And, of course, birds from the Marshal Eagle to the very smallest have been plentiful, although we did miss out on the Malachite kingfisher.
Nakuru was also very good. Not only did we enjoy the flamingos and the rhinos but we had a leopard all to ourselves for over half an hour posing in a tree. We all know how beautiful the trees here are and, unlike Samburu, undamaged by elephants. The flamingos have yet to return in their full numbers as the lake is high and the water too fresh to sustain the algae growth. I am sure they will return, though, and in huge numbers giving a pink glow to the water again
This safari started in the Mara so by the time we reached Nakuru we were half way through. It was a very special safari to me as I had my son and his two boys out with me for the very first time and, from their reaction, they really enjoyed my back yard. They will be coming back many times to see Grandpa now they are old enough. It is also special as Rick and Kaye are now on their Gorilla safari, another first for me.
The Mara was just its usual self, fantastic, awesome! Where else can you see a total of 46 lions feeding on a hippo? I tell you, this was a first for me which I was able to enjoy with Louis, Will and their Dad. The kill had all the action, four really big males taking turns and a total of 18 cubs of various ages plus their mums. The males didn’t mind eating with the youngster who climbed all over the hippo as well as inside but no way would they eat with the Mums. They either took their turn slowly and submissively creeping in or having to taking on a male. What I do know is that we were the very last to leave and it was only us at the very end who saw the two Mums with their six very small cubs join the rest of the pride. We were relieved that they were accepted without any fuss from the others. It is always a scary moment when new cubs are introduced. There’s nothing better than a big dead hippo to distract the attention of the pride! I am afraid I have no pictures as yet so here is one of the pride.
I arrived in the Mara a couple of days before the safari started to establish the lay of the game. No-one had seen Olive and her two cubs for five days but our luck was in and we were able to enjoy the three of them on our own for over half an hour crossing the plain in early light. It was just pure magic. One of the cubs had a limp and always hung back. I think her paw was in the process of discharging a thorn which often happens if they fail to remove it with their tongues. I hear all’s well now which I will be able to see for myself very shortly.
We were once again treated to the three Cheetah boys making a kill right out in the open. I am hoping Rick was able to capture all the action on tape, from the stalk coming straight to us to the kill. As usual it was fast and furious and my excited commentary will help to keep up with the action!
I have to say the first three months of the year are great as there is good light, the days are hot and the animals are focused on water. I think the last safari was probable the best for a while. It certainly had more than its fair share of ‘excitements’. It always surprises me how many cat cubs we have and, as I said in my last newsletter, we will have loads more this summer.
The birds were great as usual at this time of the year as we enjoy all those who arrive to get away from the freezing cold. Rick, who is a guide in Churchill with the polar bears, blames us for introducing him to birds!
I can’t end this newsletter without confirming that there is a pack of fourteen African Wild Dogs in Samburu who have until recently been denning on one of the hills within sight of the camp, but way off in the distance. In April I shall go looking for myself. I have heard no more on the Mara pack but will venture out to look at the end of March when Andy joins me.
Kwaheri till the next time,
Brian
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Jambo once again from the Mara,
Apologies to Ian who, in a recent email, told me off for not writing more regularly. He wants to keep track of the animals he has got to know so well during his three safaris with us. Well Ian, we all hope your health continues to improve so that you can join us once more to enjoy what you love so much - the Masai Mara.
This year we have started earlier than normal, laying on a special safari for Iain and Hilary in early January. The Mara has been so very green, the grass continues to grow well, the gullies are full of water, it is as if it has had a new lease of life. I have to say that it’s been a few years since I saw it bearing so much fruit! We all know how difficult it is seeing lions against the yellow/gold grass. Well now they stand out like a sore thumb against the green grass. The grass is still very short after the over-grazing of last year, it is lush and sweet for the Tommies and topi; in fact all are benefiting from the new growth.
Let me just say it is great being back home in my back yard, so full of the animals we have got to know and love plus a few strangers which always adds excitement in the compound!
Olive and her two cubs are well and still around the camp near ‘Smelly Crossing’ although the cubs are not showing themselves too often. I have noticed that an unusual pattern has developed as they are big enough to follow Mum but don’t show themselves unless it is to feed. Olive is leaving them for longer periods, moving around her patch. There is little danger for them, though, as they rest high in the trees. I have seen the cub’s father, the big male, as he is very vocal and occupies the same area, often taking over Olive’s kill. Maybe the young male cubs are starting to see their father in a different light? I will keep you posted.
It was only at the end of the safari that we were able to cross the Talek River. The high water had ruined the crossings. Can you image that, deep sand and soft mud! I have to admit that on a couple of occasions I did look hard, think twice and decide to wait to live for another day. It was only after a Toyota tried to cross and was stuck for three hours that staff were deployed to recover and make good the crossing. I think a Landrover would have crossed!
Finally we did cross and spent a lovely evening with a young leopard that was resting in a tree next to where she had stored her kill. We waited until she emerged and Ian had her in great light, four leopards in one day!
The three cheetah brothers, ‘the boys’, are on the block and are their usual selves. One minute they are here, the next minute miles away; one minute with full bellies touching the ground, the next empty and on the hunt. Iain and Hilary waited until last light to catch them walking, scenting and moving off to hunt. Unfortunately it got too late to see them kill. We spent time with a cheetah mum and her single cub who, whilst we were watching, suddenly took off as she had seen lions miles away. They were difficult to see, even using the bins.
Those of you who know me hear me going on about how the cheetahs cubs are very vulnerable, the most vulnerable of all the cats. I see so many who survive till nine months and then disappear. When I ask around am told they have probably moved out of the area. I don’t think that is the case though and would love to have the time to spend with them, just as the film crew did with Shakira and her cubs. I am told she is now near Lookout Hill, having returned from Tanzania. I am going to find her this safari to see for myself. I’ll keep you posted as I know so many of you would like to know how she is getting on.
The lions continue to dominate the Mara. It will be particularly interesting this year as we have so many young males maturing. The older big black males are in for a rough time defending their girls! It is for that reason that the prides have more than one male, in some prides up to four and this is a characteristic of the area. Only one is the boss, though! It is always interesting and dramatic watching a ‘confrontation.’ I have to say I am always tempted to interfere but nature must take its course for the sake of the future of the gene pool.
.
Bat Eared Foxes
I can’t end this newsletter without mentioning the lovely bat-eared fox cubs. Their dens have been so exposed in the short grass and it has been fun watching them playing, often coming right up to Landrover. Mind you we have a number of different cubs, hyenas and jackals, all very sweet.
Wild Dogs!
Everyone is very excited as wild dogs have been seen in the Northern Mara and Samburu. Frances, the longest serving member of my team, has seen wild dogs for the first time in his life and he has lived in Samburu for 50 years. I have yet to see the packs but rest assured we will be out looking, especially at the end of the month when I will be in Samburu for eight days with John and Alan. Watch this space!
Finally I would like to thank all who have booked with me since the start of this year. I have been pleasantly surprised as we have more bookings at this time of the year than ever before, all very encouraging. As always,we will work hard to match your expectations and make it an adventure you will never forget. For those of you still to book, we have the availability but please don’t hesitate and do take advantage of the cheap flights that are available now.
From the very green Mara
Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo everyone,
Once again I apologise for not keeping my Newsletters up to date so that’s this year’s resolution! I had great intentions of writing about my last day in the Mara as it was without doubt the best morning of the season so I’ll come back to that morning later.
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and celebrated the new year in style. We spent Christmas in a very wet Samburu and New Year’s eve at home in Nakuru.
All over Kenya it is raining and even Samburu is nice and green. Nakuru is experiencing daily storms and as for the Mara, well, I am told the rivers are high making crossings exciting. As I travel round I see that the affects of the drought have disappeared although in the Mara where the grass was over-grazed by the cattle it is still short but nice and green making photography grass free!
In the Mara the game is out on the plains grazing on the green grass, the lions continue to breed well and bat-eared foxes have cubs sitting on their mounds. We have new leopard and cheetah cubs which I am sure we will be able to enjoy during the coming months. Olive still has her two cubs and they are growing by the week. They are now very adventurous and exciting to watch and photograph although at times you have your heart in your mouth as you watch their antics. They have taken up residency right by my camp so I just can’t wait to move out to the Mara on the 6th January to set up the Camp for the coming season.
Let me return to the last day of last season. I wrote much about the migration and how it was so unusual due to the lack of water. Well, in early November the migration re- crossed the Mara River back to our side in their millions and the plains were chocked full of wildebeest.
For over an hour and half we watched a young leopard stalk and make a kill in brilliant early light out in the open. We then enjoyed probably the best river crossing of the season with wildebeest crossing towards us in their thousands. There was just us and one other vehicle!
That’s what I really enjoy about my work - you never know what the day will bring. I can’t imagine there is an office anywhere else as exciting, as rewarding as mine. It’s just pure magic being out amongst the animals. This year is not going to be any different! If anything I think the early signs are very encouraging as the wet weather is setting the scene so that conditions should be ideal for exciting wildlife experiences. I know you will think I am biased but in all honesty this year we will benefit from last year’s over-grazing. The game is out in huge numbers, the cats have stacks of cubs, the rivers are full, conditions are perfect, but as we know nothing is predictable with wild animals and that’s what excites us!
We continue to improve our equipment and camps. Last year I introduced the Photobuggy, improved the Defender rear opening windows for greater visibility and made new mess furniture, including a big solid 12 ft table, amongst many other changes.
This year I am introducing a number of improvements to the sleeping tents. We will be using LED lighting to give more light using far less battery power. We are installing ‘proper loos’ and new bathroom furniture - little enhancements to make life more comfortable (despite the majority of you who stayed last year saying you found the facilities were great as they are).
I would like to thank those of you who have already booked. If you are about to book, please don’t hesitate too long and if in any doubt please email me for further information. I purposely don’t update the ‘Availabilities’ often as concurrent safaris give me the flexibility to react to your preferred choice by reducing capacity on other safaris. So don’t worry if your proposed numbers exceed the availability stated. Please remember there is a maximum of 12 in camp at any one time, usually less. For example, last year there was an average of only 7.
Well, we all hope 2010 will be a year of calm, a year of stability and a year that has no sudden surprises - a year you will enjoy.
We all here look forward to welcoming you to our backyard. Come and enjoy our world with us and one thing is for sure - we will work hard to match your expectations.
Kwaheri
Brian Back to top
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Season’s End
Good morning from the Mara. This is probably the last time till next year as sadly we end our safaris very shortly for this year. I am planning to spend Christmas here, though. What an amazing year we have had!
I think I should start with the weather. It has remained very dry in the Mara but not in Nakuru, Nairobi or the highland areas. Fortunately the Mara River has flowed throughout and continues to do so although it has been low for most of the summer. The smaller rivers like the Talek are just a series of pools which are shrinking by the day; the gullies are all dried up, some of which I have never seen in this state.
The game has therefore concentrated in particular areas and not, as normally, throughout the park. Huge numbers of cattle entering the park haven’t helped as they have grazed the plains bare. So where there are springs, for example Topi Plains, there is no grass and no game.
But, having said all that, the Mara is still producing its very best everyday. We continue to enjoy the many cats, the migration and the crossings. I predicted that we had yet to see the best and boy, has that been the case! There have been a few huge crossings in the last fortnight and, believe it or not, many returning. The wildebeest are confused this year by the weather patterns and it just takes a whiff of rain for them to change their minds.
The cats continue to delight us and will continue to do so. Our faithfuls never disappoint us and, whilst we joke that they do what cats do best a lot of the time, they nevertheless never cease to surprise us.
Take Shakira for example. We came across her and her three cubs hunting when they come across a big male cheetah. Well, rather than running the four girls adopted an aggressive attitude and in perfect light and all in line started to approach the male. He waited until they got close and then went for them and boy, did he shift! You’ve never seen four girls scatter so quickly. It ended with mum having to be submissive but not allowing the male to have it all his own way and the young ladies, well they started to cry.
Mark and Jacky enjoyed the cubs and their first big Tommy attack as they have now successfully mastered the art of killing the very small youngsters. This time they knew what to do but didn’t know have to proceed after tripping the poor Tommy. They turned to mum for help but she wouldn’t interfere, letting them get on with it. It is if they are attending finishing school as I think by Christmas she will suddenly get up and leave them.
The ‘Three Boys’ are still on the block roaming throughout our area. We watched a young but mature girl kill just by the airstrip, a nice finale to Ian and Jan’s safari as they flew out an hour later!
I have just heard of a young cheetah giving birth to a litter so we wait for her to show them. Who knows, she may produce another Shakira family, something to look forward to.
The leopards are just a joy to be with, particularly Olive and her two cubs who are now little characters. There are days when they are not seen and the longer the period the more concerned we all get. Everyone wants to see them into adulthood. The mating pair that we enjoyed at the beginning of the season have produced two cubs, I hear, but we have yet to see them.
And, guess what Graeme? We found ourselves a caracal a couple of days after you left! She was very difficult to get close to and the shots were hurried but for those of us not taking pictures it was just pure magic, a joy to see.
No newsletter would be complete without mentioning the lions. Only yesterday, whilst watching three lionesses on the Talek by the big rocks, we caught a glimpse of a little fury ball being carried by mum. It was so small that it couldn’t have been more than a couple of days old. The mums down by the main crossing now have three sets of cubs. We have enjoyed the first set throughout this season, the second showed in August and now we have the new arrivals. This story is repeated throughout our part of the Mara and still the big males continue to perform, ensuring that the story continues. Just a couple of days ago, though, an older lioness really went for a male who took a few liberties, a real hind legs performance!!
As usual there have been many other exciting happenings - the Egyptian goose family fighting off a Tawny eagle, Topi giving birth and the Marshall eagle unable to fly as his kill was so big. It’s all these and many other happenings that really make our days complete.
Iain and Jan who have just completed their first safari with me, which was for only four days, said as they departed, “We have enjoyed our safari so much, much more than we ever thought we would. We have seen considerably more than we have ever seen elsewhere and we will be back”. That’s music to my ears for two reasons. We were able to exceed their expectations and once again it just proves that the Mara is the ‘Jewel of Africa’.
Well, you all take great care and I hope to hear from those of you who have promised a photo gallery. Come on Yuzo, your pictures are just fantastic!
Kwaheri,
Brian
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October 3rd 2009
Jambo sana
I am writing this newsletter early in the morning, prior to the early game drive, from my tent where I am currently enjoying the roaring of a pride of lions that have chosen to spend their nights near here. I can also hear our big male leopard coughing as he patrols his territory.
Lets start with him. He is the father of Olive’s cubs and if they grow up to be as big as him woe betide the other leopards. I am not sure if it’s well known but Olive is the daughter of Bella and, just like her mother, she has turned out to be a great mum. We have been watching her and her two cubs for the last three days down in the Talek River. The cubs are about two months old and in the last week they have grown from just keeping up with mum to climbing up a fairly high slender tree. They climbed to the kill that Olive stashed away high up in the green foliage with confidence. When we first saw them climbing it was true to say our hearts were in our mouths. After the third day of climbing it is becoming second nature to them and they have taken to sleeping high up. They still spend most of the day hidden, though. I always feel relieved once they have grown to this stage. Their chances of survival are greatly improved as they can climb out of danger.
A couple of days ago we were following Shakira and her nearly-grown cubs across Paradise plains, just above the main Mara River migration crossing points, when out of the blue the three brothers arrived - exactly a year after their last encounter. Boy, was it tense! The boys had a reputation to maintain as the guys on the block and they were determined to show it. Although they meant business it would have been far worse had they been lions as they would have had a real fight and no holds barred. Having established that Shakira was not sexually interesting they periodically set about each youngster in turn. You can picture the scene, the four in two pairs, crouched low, being stalked and pounced on. Shakira was giving that submissive call whilst the cubs were crying out loudly each time the boys moved in. I am not too sure how long all this went on but it must have been a good hour. You can image the rapid fire from the cameras which were red hot by the end
The boys eventually grew tired and walked off, having established their reputation not only with the cheetahs but with all of us who were fortunate enough to have witnessed the skirmish. That’s what I love about the Mara, this all took place right out in the open where it was extremely easy to see and follow and it shows the Mara at its very best. Once the boys left a couple of the cubs crept off ahead of mum .Unfortunately one took all day to meet up with her during which period she was very vulnerable. All real wildlife drama!
Lions are still continuing to produce cubs nearly every week giving us great opportunities. However, I did receive a report yesterday that buffalo had been seen very near to a lioness who had three very small cubs. She was seen calling them but they failed to respond and I must check that out today.
No newsletter will be complete without mentioning the wildebeest who are still slowly meandering down to the river. Each day we experience small crossings and say ‘it will happen tomorrow!’ I was excited a couple of weeks ago as the migration had gathered in huge numbers on the opposite bank. They appeared to be returning but, alas, it didn’t happen except for a couple of smallish crossings. It has been a different year due to the lack of rain but I believe the best is still to come!
Well, once again my back yard is just awesome, absolutely fantastic. It never fails me and, guess what? I am about to go out and enjoy another day in my office.
Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo once again from the Mara
Had I been on the ball it would have been Jambo from Samburu at the beginning of the month!
I am afraid it has taken a little while this time as we are just completing a very full Best of Kenya which started in Samburu and I just have to say that they were a lovely bunch, I don’t think I have laughed so much. Thank you all for making my job so easy!
As you may have read Kenya is experiencing a drought which has affected most areas, especially the North which at the best of times is very dry at this time of the year. But I am happy to write that we are now enjoying rain in a number of places such as Nakuru, the Aberdares and particularly the Mara where it is raining in the nights, the gullies are filling and the short grass is greening up.
Let me start with Samburu. Despite the lack of water in the Ewaso Ngiro River we had a great safari - different to the usual but nevertheless very enjoyable. I have to say that I haven’t seen it so dry for many years. The elephants were very few as they had moved elsewhere but the other Northern species were more plentiful than usual. The gerenuks were standing up to feed and the oryx and grevy zebras were in large herds all down in the river rather than scattered throughout the bush. The reticulated giraffe were in large numbers and just stunning. We certainly enjoyed them all as well as the many different birds and it certainly was all action packed. Despite the dust and heat Samburu was enjoyed by all, some even wishing they could stay a little longer.
To those of you yet to join me on safari in the Mara I just have to say that we are experiencing the first of many return crossings this week and they are returning in huge numbers. The migration herds have until now been crossing away from us in the Eluai Plain where they have stacked up in huge numbers without much to eat. However, the rain is now drawing them back and we enjoyed our first huge return crossing yesterday, the first full of croc strikes, the second with huge leaps into the water.
Due to the lack of rain this year (until now) the migration pattern has not been as normal. Last year we enjoyed crossings in both directions in August but this year we are yet to see the crossings in full. I am expecting huge crossings in both directions from now until the migration moves on and that may even be late this year. Fantastic! - and to those who know me I could use my favourite word to describe such an exciting event.
I always love listening to those who visit the Mara for the first time, especially those who have been south for many years - and I include Tanzania to South Africa as being down south. It is music to my ears when they say without any hesitation that the Mara is the best without any doubt, and that is said by many who have been on safari in Africa for many years.
Let’s go through what we have seen!
I must start with the leopards. We have two small cubs which we first started seeing about a month ago. We all know how difficult it is to see leopards, although I have to say we have been seeing them most days. Seeing little tiny cubs is very rare though, something I see once every two years or so and it’s so often just a fleeting glimpse. John, a professional wildlife photographer, was able to capture mum and cubs down on the Talek River - have a look at his fantastic picture. Thanks very much, John, and I already have requests for it and they will emailing you direct. For those who would like a copy please go to Johns web site at www.ophrysphotography.co.uk
I daren’t complete a newsletter without including the other cats! Lets start with the serval who we found just outside the camp early one morning. What a beautiful cat!
How about the lions? We have so many young cubs around at the moment and still more arrive by the week. We all criticise the big male lions for being lazy but they certainly have been very active and we still enjoy watching their mating every 20 minutes for 3 days. I have to admit, though, it is usually less active by the third day and who would blame him!
The three cheetah boys continue to enjoy roving the Mara, hunting as a pack. About two weeks ago they killed a wildebeest around midday, taking it in turns while eating to shelter from the sun under the Disco just two feet from me.
Shakira continues to look after her 3 very adult cubs who will soon be undergoing cheetah school as I am sure she will be leaving them before long.
The cubs, not much smaller than mum, are now being impatient and showing themselves too early. This has spoiled a number of her hunts. Only a couple of days ago we watched her try at a kill but it failed due to one of the cubs sitting up. Within ten minutes, though, we watched a completely separate young lady make a successful run and kill.
There are many other wildlife experiences to be enjoyed out and about on the plains. Have a look at these young hyenas at their den.
The last Best of Kenya safari started with an impala birth and ended with a Tommy birth but in between we saw so much. Every day is action-packed with the Mara, as always, coming out on top.
Despite the economic and weather problems this is turning out to be one of the best Mara years yet and the enquiries for next year are already coming in thick and fast. So, with best wishes direct from the Mara,
Kwaheri,
Brian
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Jambo from the Mara,
Well, the lack of rain still persists although it did try to rain once or twice in the evenings, enough to put the hatches on but no more.
We have just completed a safari for Mike and his family group, twelve in all. Apart from Mike himself, none of them had visited Africa, I just loved sharing the Mara, my back yard, with them all and I’m looking forward to their DVD.
The Mara crossings were particularly action packed with croc strikes despite the river being so low. The first crossing that we saw was late in the evening, going away from us, when a croc come out right out of the water to strike. Then all hell broke loose with up to twenty big crocs fighting for a piece of the wildebeest. It was so fascinating we were once again the last to leave, making a late dash back to camp.
The second crossing took place at midday. It was a large crossing with a large number of wildebeest but many were also drinking as they went across. It was more of a dash up and a stroll across! Well, we had a real ‘learner’ of a croc! He was right in the middle of the action and we all lost count of the times he attempted to bring down his prey. I don’t think fifty times would be an exaggeration, but he failed no matter which direction or angle he come in from. I must admit, though, that the pictures and video were good. When the croc did eventually strike it was on the wildebeest’s flank and this resulted in a long battle. The wildebeest did manage in the end to get away but was unable to walk out of the river over the rocks. Sadly it was a long death but I know that bad wounds at the time cause little pain so it didn’t suffer too badly!
The cats were once again the stars of the show and, above the camp on the side of the hill in an area full of rocks, a young lioness had her cubs. We managed to drive up and spent an hour with her late one evening. It was their first outing and they were so lovely and cuddly!!
The cheetah Mums and their cubs were not to be seen anywhere. I think they had moved well away from the cattle, but we did enjoy the Boys, coming across them with bellies to the floor. We waited one morning with a young cheetah mum to make a kill. She lay in the grass well concealed and even the wildebeest passing within ten feet didn’t see her. Her favourite meal is the Tommy but they were all far away. She did get up at one stage to move in their direction but was seen early and boy, did the Tommies run for it! At the time we were just starting our tea break, well away from her but near a number of Tommies. We rapidly returned everything to the picnic box and dashed off to follow her. After lying in the grass watching them the cheetah decided enough was enough. She was hungry and had seen the Tommies down by our tea stop so she started to trot in that direction. As the distance narrowed she got faster, spooking the herd. It’s a tactic they often use to find the weakest animal which in this instance was a youngish baby. Well, once she found her target she increased speed and took off! It was a good long chase with many turns, great for photographing and videoing. We left her to complete her snack as she would have to eat again later or the next day. But we did enjoy the chase!
We had a number of leopard sightings and spent some time waiting. All were difficult situations and you had to take every opportunity, but I have to say that Mike got some great shots. On the last morning we were able to film a young female out in the open, walking across the plain.
We hunted for Rhino one morning but, alas, failed to find one despite searching in every bush. It was a morning everyone enjoyed as it meant really looking hard, leaving no stone unturned. We did, however, have an exciting chase as we spotted an Aardvark out in the early morning. Despite driving very fast we didn’t managed to get close to it before it disappeared down its hole. They certainly can run and the drive up to it woke everyone up, that’s for sure! That’s only the second sighting in the last three years so we were very lucky.
We enjoyed loads more from elephants, buffalos, baboons to the bat-eared foxes. Once again the Mara didn’t fail us despite the dust and lack of water.
I think the migration is here for a while yet. Wildebeest are scattered all over the plains, crossing and re-crossing the Mara River, where the action, despite low water, is still very good and different. Once we have a little rain to fill the gullies they will be here for some time.
Well, that’s it for a while and I’m look forward to meeting those who have booked over the next couple of months. Please don’t hesitate to email if I can be of any help
Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo from the Mara,
Every time something exciting happens I always say ‘I must write that up for the newsletter’ but it never seems to happen! I really must start keeping a daily log in the mess tent. At long last the map is up there now on a proper display board so the time is right to get the log started. I think we need a good, well bound book - any ideas?
Rather than starting with the ‘highs’ this time, I think I first have to mention the lack of water in the Mara - in fact in the whole of Kenya. We had a couple of small showers in the evenings during the last safari but what is really needed is a huge storm. We need it to rain so hard that the gullies fill up which in turn will fill all the tributaries and then the Mara River. I cannot honestly recall it being so dry in the last 15 to 20 years yet at the beginning of the year the conditions were building up nicely. The Mara river is down to a trickle and the herds are paddling across. The crocs are finding it difficult to get in close enough for a strike so the action on the river can be disappointing.
The grass is here but unfortunately so are the huge herds of Masai cattle who have travelled far and wide for grazing. The herds are being driven in during the day as well as at night and in one week I have seen huge plains grazed to nothing. Cattle are very efficient grazers, they leave nothing standing for the next herd. I hear you ask why something is not being done by the authorities. Well, all I can say is that it is all down to politics. The Mara politics are very complicated, very clannish, and as we all know cattle is wealth and the herds are huge.
I think it is worth adding that in periods of drought the game is more capable of surviving than the cattle and already we are seeing very sad pictures of dying cattle.
Despite the lack of water the migration is still with us in huge numbers. Every morning, as we drive across the plains, we see wildebeest carcasses everywhere. The cats and hyenas are feeding well.
Anyway, let’s move on as we have had some fantastic wildlife happenings in the last couple of weeks and the situation is forever changing. Janet, I would just like to confirm that the young female leopard we said was pregnant has given birth to at least one cub. She is yet to show them and won’t do so for a while, so until then we won’t know for sure if she has more than the one which she moved to near our camp the other day.
We have had bumper mating lions in the last month, but that’s the story of the Mara. In Andy’s last week a young lioness showed her little cubs for the first time on a kill and I am sure more will appear.
The Marsh pride’s ‘single cub’ is still progressing well and has had to become a little ‘toughy’ taking on the two older cubs.
We are enjoying the cheetahs who seem to travel all over the Talek area except for the ‘boys’ who act, as usual, as if they own the place! In the recent month we have seen the boys separate, on the first occasion all three had gone their separate ways and we joined them on the plains searching and crying out for each other. We all got into position for a great reunion shot. But it never really happened – that’s boys for you!
The cheetah mum and her two cubs are continuing to do well. Last safari we enjoyed the young cheetah and her single cub. We first came upon her as she crossed the plains on the hunt, taking her time. Way in the distance we saw Tommies as well as a male Grant’s and his two young females. I was explaining how she would usually go for the Tommies or the female Grant’s and that it would be very unusual for her to take on a large male with its straight and very pointed horns. Well, guess what? after an hour or two she went for the group and it just so happened that the male Grant’s was slowest off the mark. Here is what happened.
What a fight mum put up! She mostly attacked from between the male’s horns. Had she put a foot wrong there is no doubt in all our minds she would have been badly injured even to the point of being killed. Her little cub took the opportunity to eat on the hoof! The fight lasted a good ten to fifteen minutes but unfortunately she was unable to get a good grasp of the Grant’s throat to well and truly throttle him. Out of exhaustion she had to let him go with the cub still hanging on.
We stayed with them for the rest of the day during which she attempted another two kills. We spent many periods with her during the next three days witnessing failed hunts. As the days passed there was great concern throughout the area that she had lost her nerve but, as we know, cats have great resilience and are able to survive for days without food. On her fourth day she was successful, finally bring down a young Tommy male and I have since seen her with other kills!
I don’t think any newsletter will be complete without a couple of leopard shots!!
Well, that’s it for now. We are preparing for Mike and his family of 11 who join us this weekend for a week. Other than Mike the rest are all new to Africa so we shall enjoy sharing the jewel of Africa with them.
Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo from the Mara
We are well and truly in safari mode now, out and about with all the game. But before I start let’s catch up on the cats as I know a number of you are waiting for the news.
The very sad news of 14th July was that the young leopard Binti was found dead early in the morning, her wounds indicated that she was killed by a lion. It was such a shame as she would have started breeding soon. But I have since learnt that she had a bad leg wound which had turned gangrenous so it was possibly a blessing in disguise.
Otherwise we have enjoyed many periods watching leopards. On the first safari we saw them nearly every day, only missing them when after ‘other things’. Mind you, not all sightings are good, some are difficult either due to poor light, twigs or grass in the way or rushed walking shots. Nevertheless every sighting was just a joy to experience. One day we spent the evening with a young male, the one you photographed last March, Tony, in brilliant light with the kill.
The young cheetah mum and two cubs are well and looking great. We watched them the other day and they were full of mischief. We have not seen her for a while and hear she has moved out to the Masai Reserve which, despite being full of cattle, is probably safer than where they were as the Talek lions hang out in her area.
Shakira, with her three fully grown cubs are well and we have spent many an hour watching them dashing about. The cubs are joining in on the hunts now but I have to say their enthusiasm on occasions results in more misses than usual. But that’s all part and parcel of their training. Although we didn’t witness Cheetah School, I hear the other day the cubs were given two baby Tommies to practice their hunting skills on.
There are two cheetahs who have yet to show their cubs. One has not been seen for a couple of weeks now, which is quite concerning. The ‘boys’ are as ever, strutting around from one end of the park to the other, enjoying the migration. They are killing easily although I must say, having watched them kill many times, they work very well together, usually making light work of the chase.
The lions in our part of the Mara continue to grow in numbers. Most of the young cubs from last year are growing up to be teenagers and a couple of the prides are now numbering 12 to 14 which is too large for normal family life. I am sure it won’t be long before a couple of the younger females decide to break away. The marsh lions have just shown a tiny little cub for the fist time but unfortunately there is only one remaining out of three as the others were killed by buffalo. Once the buffalo senses there are cubs in the vicinity they don’t give up till they find them, despite the brave attempts of the pride to protect them.
The lions now have no problem hunting as the migration is well and truly in. Recently we missed a chase but saw the kill and feeding with the big male joining in, enough for everyone. Although we didn’t witness the event I heard a huge male actually killed a wildebeest in the Talek river bed!
The pride of six male lions near the main river crossing have found it easier to kill hippos on their nightly foraging treks, rather than attempting to kill the faster plains game!
Well, the migration is well and truly in with wildebeest everywhere. Have a look at the picture.
Huge numbers have arrived and crossed the Mara river. Well, more accurately speaking, they paddled across as the river is extremely low.
We experienced rain yesterday for the first time in a month. Not only are the rivers very low but the gullies are drying up So water is becoming an issue as the migration needs a lot. This year the long rains were short and sharp and although the grass is good, we do rely on rain throughout the migration period. So yesterday’s rain was very welcome and I am hoping for more in the next month - preferably at night, of course!
The migration will cross back at some stage and that will be when we get great photographs of them jumping and swimming towards us, as shown on my Home page. I know most of you want to enjoy a crossing and they will surely happen.
I think the other significant difference this year is that the zebras have crossed in large herds as huge numbers remained behind from last year, rather than leading the wildebeest, who are just so undecided as to who will make the first move.
Andy is about to make a few changes to the website as I will be including a couple of Gorilla Safaris next year to Rwanda as so many of you have expressed an interest, We already have a couple of bookings for a four day gorilla safari starting on the 27th Feb to the 2nd Mar 2010, which I will be running straight after the Best of Kenya safari from 11th to 24th February and which I have extended by two days to the 26th to tie in.
Well, that’s about it for this time - please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any help.
From the Mara ,
Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo Everyone,
We have had a longer than usual rest. Well, that might not be the right word as we have been very busy maintaining all our safari kit and vehicles. We have also been working on the house making every bedroom en-suite. In addition we have continued to make improvements to our camp facilities. The new dining room table needs 4 guys to move it!
We all moved out to the Mara last weekend to start building the camp as this year I want to improve the track into the camp area, the hippo tracks between tents which all get very slippery when it rains as well as the mess and cook areas. Yes, and we have built Obi a super new bush oven as well as a local BBQ oven for cooking in the mess. I know, John, you said as far as you guys are concerned it is already great but when you come on your next safari I hope you will agree it’s even better!!
Out in the bush everything takes a little longer as it all has to be done by hand. For example, so far we have moved 8 lorry loads of stones and 9 loads of marum, all loaded and unloaded by hand, mainly for the track. My recently arrived ex-Army 4x4 lorry is really working hard moving our equipment, building materials and collecting water for the camp. It has not rained for a couple of weeks so it’s a rush to get the material in as in the last couple of years we have experienced rain throughout the year. Heavy tropical storms are not uncommon anymore. I smile as I am recalling our exciting journeys back to camp crossing the rising Talek River and slipping and sliding on the black cotton soil. All real cross-country stuff. The rain is welcomed as it maintains the right conditions for the migration. Huge quantities of grass and water are needed to feed millions of wildebeest and zebras and they in turn are part of the food chain, keeping the cats well fed, which makes the Mara the wildlife jewel of Africa.
As we drove into the Mara on Sunday 7th, just outside the camp entrance we came across the pride of 13 lions that had just killed an old buffalo bull. Jayne, you will be pleased to know your mum and her 2 cubs are fit and not so small now. The lions paid us a noisy visit the second night on their way out, just letting us know who is really in charge. The next night we were joined by 5 elephants that munched the night away. Esther I and took time off to see the young cheetah mum we spent time with in February and March with her not-so-young cubs. They are just at the inquisitive age and very entertaining. The three young cheetah males, the boys, are still together roving all over the Mara, crossing and re-crossing the plains and being boys in action as if they own the place. The mother who showed her young cubs for the first time in March is still around and both cubs are still with her although we have yet to see her.
The leopards are in our area and, guess what?, the boys coming back to camp with a load of stone watched our big male leopard kill just outside the camp, up the little gully. Why are we not there to see it!! The young female leopard who is a frequent visitor to the camp now has a cub although we have yet to see them; their pug marks are seen every morning along the camp track from the staff area to the cookhouse. We all know cats don’t like wet grass and, as the night dew is heavy at the moment, the various cats keep to the tracks. I can’t wait to see mum and cub. What is certain is that we will see her during the next few months.
The grass is very green and plentiful, the water fills the gullies and the rivers are full so conditions are ideal for the migration. I have been told that they have started the final push north to the Mara. I just can’t wait for another migration despite enjoying it for more years than I care to remember. One never tires of being out amongst it and there are so many ‘one off’ experiences. I always say to each safari group that we will enjoy an experience that I will tell others about as every safari has its unique moments. As I drive around I remember those wildlife happenings, hoping they will repeat themselves!!
I can’t end without saying that the Mara, and in particular the areas we operate in, is going to be empty of visitors. It has been all this year so come out and enjoy it, come and support the wildlife. We need the revenue to maintain the infrastructure, the game, the people employed as well as the Masai who all depend on you.
I have vacancies right through this year although I am happy to say that next year is proving to be very hopeful as we have a number of bookings already.
To all those coming out this summer we are looking forward to your arrival and to the many friends returning we are waiting to share more unique experiences with you. In the meantime if we can be of any help please don’t hesitate to email. Finally, please note our new UK address (please see Contact page)
Best wishes and Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo,
This is probably the most difficult newsletter to write as we have yet to return to the bush, and we just can’t wait for next month! The preparation of equipment and vehicles is nearly complete and all that remains is to build our eco camps. So we will go back wondering what we will see, will our resident giraffe, impala, warthog or the big male leopard visit us? What’s for sure is that the hippos will be in force in the pool below the mess tent.
I usually visit the UK to see my family and friends in April/May but chose not to this year. The main reason was to save money which is, of course, uppermost in everyone’s mind with the uncertainty of the present economic situation. Although Kenya seems to be in the limelight because of our politics, which has no effect whatsoever out and about, the country and people are as lovely as ever and desperate to see you. Tourism is down, as in the rest of the world, and times are hard for us too, especially when employment is so low at the best of times. Coupled with the drought up north it’s extremely difficult here to survive as we have no state support system
.
How will this effect you? You probably won’t even notice any difference except, and it’s a very big exception, we will enjoy the parks more for the very reason that it’s us and only us most of the time, so a great time to visit
.
The good news is that the rains have arrived with a vengeance; yesterday we had a terrific storm in Nakuru, probably the worst since we moved here 18 months ago. Everywhere is beautifully green, the flowers are out and the birds are in the garden - everything from the African harrier hawk to the smallest fire-finches. I think the other day we counted 30 different species although I have to admit we don’t agree on the final total!
The Mara is green, the grass is long, the gullies are full of water - all the ingredient for a great migration. We are amazed at the huge herds of zebra who chose to remain behind from last year’s migration. They must have known the conditions would remain ideal as there has been sufficient grass and water throughout the hottest months with rain each month. The Mara seems to have enjoyed rain throughout the last couple of years despite other bordering areas going without, and as we know it makes for slippery conditions!!
The cats are as active as ever and enjoying the zebras. I hear there are a number of young cats around including the leopard and servals. I am hoping the cheetahs that moved to the Masai reserve will return once the cattle graze the grass, forcing the game to return. The hyena population seems to be expanding. They are the biggest menace to the cheetahs as well as the lions of course. I was watching an old Big Cat Diary episode the other day which highlights exactly the same problems but they survive although the cheetahs don’t really seem to increase in numbers. Last year we had very few cheetah cubs survive, not because mums are bad mothers but because high numbers are killed just because they are cats. For what it’s worth I think the cheetah mum is the best mother out of the larger cats and certainly by far the most enjoyable as she is seen out on the open plains with her little ones. Although, having said that, finding a leopard cub with mum and more than one young is just so exciting and invariably will be a highlight of the safari, if not the season. I have just had an email from Astrid who has been on safari down south and saw a caracal. Now that’s special as we don’t see more than one a year, even in the Mara. But who knows, maybe this year we will see a cub and you will be with us. I am getting more like the Big Cat presenters every year!!
Samburu is its usual self and that’s why we love her. The river is in full flow, the elephants are making the most of it as are all the other animals. The northern game, the gerenuks, the Grevy’s zebras and the oryx enjoyed the grass while it rained. Life is still difficult for them and particularly for the cats. At one time I used to count on seeing a leopard in the riverside glades but not anymore. But they too will return.
As I go for a walk up beyond my house I look down onto Lake Nakuru which is full at the moment. I see pink but not in the numbers I see when the water is richer in algae. It is still a great park and last year we never failed to see both species of rhino and often experienced hyenas running out into the water after a flamingo or two.
It’s not all animals, though, as we have a huge number of birds, lovely birds at that too. So many people say to me that they are not really into birds but by the end of the safari they say how much they enjoyed the birds too. No, we don’t stop for the LBJs, little brown jobbies, we stop for the raptors, the colourful ones, the interesting ones. I am currently putting a book together of photographs of those birds that fall into the above categories and I think at the last count it was over 300. So there are stacks to see and enjoy, even from a seat in the mess tent or your tent in Samburu or the Mara.
As you can see, we have now added video clips to add more interest to our Gallery and Pam has contributed two clips already. If you have special clips that you have taken on safari with me I would love to add them to the site. Ideally they should be submitted to Youtube and the link sent to me. I really look forward to your contributions!
Well I think that’s all for today. I just hope you will join me and my crew out on a ‘yesterday’s safari today’. Come out before it is too late to enjoy the game as it should be experienced in the wild, where its not fenced or farmed, where it supports the local communities. The Mara has the best game viewing Africa has to offer.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me, and to all my friends and clients coming out to join us we say ‘asente sana’ - thank you very much,
Kwaheri
Brian and the crew.
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Jambo sana
Starting a newsletter is always difficult for me as I hate to be repetitive but I must say that once again we had a fantastic safari with several unusual events. But that’s wildlife for you!
I think that for everyone, including me, the highlight was when we were the only two vehicles enjoying a young male leopard as it lay, slowly waking up as the sun’s rays turned pink. Well, he decided it was time to make a move, he had spent enough time lazing about, it was time to think about the night. So he got up and walked straight over to me. I knew by his movements that he was going to jump up onto the bonnet; not out of concern but out of curiosity, his eyes said it all. He was up and in no time at all we were eyeball to eyeball. He came right up to the windscreen and looked in at each one of us in turn. Julia was as usual firing her Canon in rapid bursts, especially when he looked around over the wing mirror. At no time was I concerned for our safety as we all remained perfectly still with no sudden moves. You have to remember that vehicles are considered by the animals ‘as friendly, as safe’ If at anytime we had made any sudden movement or noise he would have made a quick exit. Once he decided he had had enough the performance was repeated on Esther’s bonnet before he departed into the bush with what I thought to be a swagger as if to say ‘that was cool!’ We all then spoke at once, unable to contain ourselves. It was pure magic which I shall never forget. (See Pam’s video clip).
That evening around the fire as we exaggerated the sequences, it brought back very fond memories of Kike on my bonnet. She was a cheetah and a half and is missed by us all.
Whilst waiting for the ‘three boys,’ that is Honey’s boys (Honey was the daughter of Kike) to wake up, we drove off to film hundreds of zebra coming down to drink. Not too sure why so many remained behind from the migration other than that the conditions were still superb. It had rained every month and the grass was green and fresh - what more could a zebra want? Anyway, as they went deeper and deeper into the river that runs through the camp, and just after Pam asked if there were any crocs about, all hell broke loose. Startled zebras were everywhere, running for their lives. Unfortunately for one it was the end of the road, the victim of a croc strike, a croc that was to enjoy a feast that evening, possibly the first major meal for weeks.
As you read in my last Newsletter we had enjoyed the cheetah Mum with her three cubs. She stayed fairly static around Bila Shika until she decided the time was right to move well out into the Masai reserve, well away from the huge numbers of hyenas that were harassing her. I think it had got to the stage where they were pinching one in two of her kills.
Those of you who have enjoyed the ‘three boys’ I referred to above will know that they roam miles every day. Well, they killed a topi just above Bila Shika. It was early in the morning and as we watched the scene unfold, the boys gorged themselves to the point where their stomachs were touching the ground as they periodically stopped eating to look around. A lonely young hyena lay off, patiently waiting. Vultures started to arrive one by one, landing well away. In the distance though, as we watched, we could see hyenas running across the plains, not in ones or twos but in groups. In no time at all I counted over 20. The boys had virtually eaten all the topi and, with very full saggy bellies, decided it was time to evacuate. They waddled off up into Rhino Ridge to shelter from the sun. Once again the scene dramatically changed with the hyenas dashing in, howling and fighting and vultures trying their chances. It was dramatic but at the same time humorous as they all fought for the scraps. Once the action was over it was our turn to find a tree for our tea, sandwiches and cakes!
No newsletter would be complete without mentioning the lovely powerful lions. I think in one day we found 42 and they certainly entertained us as we watched them. We did experience a lion kill in the rain but this was different from the norm as the young mum killed and then dragged the kill for about 800 yard to her young cubs where all the cubs of the large pride tucked in. Although Mum watched over her young cubs she was taken on by a larger Mum and had to move off to lick her wounds. I should explain that this young Mum had lead a solitary life as she had left the pride to fend for herself and her two cubs. She had done this very successfully, I might add, as we had seen her with six different kills. A couple of days earlier and right by us, she gave out a series of huge roars, deciding it was time to return to the pride. Jayne was anxious over the next couple of days for the young mum and her cubs, worrying if they too were going to eat, or had she returned too soon. It was a happy ending as we came upon the pride just before the end of the safari. The young Mum and her cubs had very full bellies.
There were a number of other highlights that kept us going, and not all cats. There were mating hippos in the camp hippo pool, silent elephants eating their way through camp, the hundreds of zebra, topi, wildebeest young, some very small too. They all gave us many laughs as well as photographic opportunities. There were the banded mongooses caught up a tree, raiding honey, peering out of the trunk waiting to make their big escape, plus much more.
I think probably the highlight of the last week was the young cheetah Mum with her two cubs which we came across on the very first day she showed them. And boy, were they fun to watch! I had heard that there was a Mum with new born cubs but she kept herself well concealed and rightly so, right up to the day she showed them. I hope she will move out as the area has a pride of 14 lions as well as a few hyenas, but that’s a story for another day.
Well, once again all good things must come to an end on the 19th March we started to pull down the Mara camp to return it to the rightful owners - the game - till June. The camp was recovered by our recently arrived ex Army Bedford 4x4 lorry and I must say it takes me back a few years to the good old days!!!
We are all back at home and have started the process of sorting out, repairing and servicing equipment, ready for the summer when once again I and my crew will enjoy sharing the bush with you, hopefully out on safari but in any case through my Newsletters.
I look forward to seeing even more of you out in the bush with us so please book up as the Mara is shaping up to have another fantastic year.
From all of us take care and keep safe
Kwaheri
Brian
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Start of the 2009 Safaris
Well, once again we have the bush to ourselves. I thought last year was quiet… well, this year is even quieter with many camps yet to open and those that have are operating at only 40% or less capacity.
The last safari once again exceeded everyone’s expectations. Samburu was very dry, hot and dusty. Nakuru was dry although the lake was full. The Mara was just superb, very green, the gullies were full of water and yes, we had 1 or 2 little storms!
The safari started in Samburu where the river was bone dry except for the parts where the springs flow into the Isiolo River. I am sure most of you remember it as always and I still stop to search for the Malachite Kingfisher. The elephants were as plentiful as ever spending many hours in the river bed digging for water. It was fun to see the babies trying to reach the water only to collapse the holes and to be shooed away by mama. The gerenuks were eating standing upright, the Grevy zebras and oyrx were in the plains but the major sighting for me was the family of greater kudu with two big males, all very close to us.
The camp glade had lions visiting 2 nights in a row and boy, did they roar as they walked down the river bed past all the tents, a noise more common to the Mara! The elephants visited us as usual, spending all day either in the glade or in the river digging for water. Terry was heard to say on more than one occasion ‘pure magic!’. Our male reticulated giraffe was ever present and a male leopard which, although not seen, was heard at night coughing and chasing the baboons.
Nakuru was disappointing as the lake was full of pelicans with hardly a flamingo in sight. They had unfortunately migrated south again. We did, however, see both black and white rhinos as well as loads of birds.
Rather than going to the park for the second day we went into Nakuru town, visiting the markets and doing a little cloth shopping. In the evening we visited the crater up behind the house, which was very pleasant, and the day ended in a Chinese restaurant!
There is no doubt the Mara is the best in Africa and it certainly did not disappoint us. I never stop thinking how central my camp is to all the action. Within a radius of 2 kms. we saw two sets of three leopards, two lion prides of over 14, elephants with a day old baby still very wobbly on its legs, a huge herd of buffaloes as well as the three cheetah boys who still roam the park with out fear. We saw them very hungry one day and the next so full their bellies nearly touched the ground!
We were also very privileged to see the star of big cat dairy, the cheetah with her three cubs, now not so little, make a kill and feed till they were all full. The kill took her over an hour with a longish stalk but it was never clear cut; one minute it was going her way, the next the Tommy moved well away only to return to within striking distance. He then made the fatal error of turning his back on her, but it was still touch and go as a long chase followed and we were perfectly placed to see it all.
We were also able to also witness a failed kill two days before, the Tommy just getting away. We didn’t witness her next attempt, though, when she managed to make a kill only to loose it a hyena.
In total we saw nine leopards including two that had not been seen for a while, one of which was a huge male. Both sets of three leopards gave us fantastic photographic opportunities in light you would die for, one family up a tree on a kill and the other out walking. And guess what? we were one of the few people to enjoy both occasions, in fact all the leopards were enjoyed with very little interference from others.
I shouldn’t brush pass the lions as they too were entertaining. We spent some time watching a Mum hunting. We had seen her on two previous occasions with different kills feeding her two cubs. On this occasion, despite stalking a warthog to within striking distance, she decided to abort the chase when she saw the warthog’s family of six. I think she chose to make a rapid retreat when she saw the male with huge tusks, rather than risk the possibility of sustaining an injury for sake of her two cubs. Better to live to fight another day! Nevertheless it was exciting and totally absorbing.
There were many other wildlife experiences; the banded mongooses, the hippos out in the open, grumpy with each other but never engaging and the fighting Topi. As for the little dik-diks, now that was total war and you could hear their heads thumping to the point of concussion and on occasions they were even unable to get up again instantly.
All these experiences make up a true safari and I must say, despite my many years in the bush, I find each wildlife experience as exciting as those of you seeing it for the first time. Nothing can be better than being out most of the day being able to enjoy the situations to the full. Ok, I am preaching again, I know .…please forgive me!!
Well, before I get too carried away, it’s better to end but before I do I have to say I still have a number of vacancies for the summer. Please do come out and enjoy the migration; you won’t be disappointed.
Would you believe it, in the current financial climate the park fees have been increased by 33% and I am trying very hard to maintain my prices as we also have high inflation. Therefore, much as I would like to discount, I’m afraid I can’t, so I may just have take myself out alone on safari!
On a positive note I won’t be cancelling any safaris so be prepared for an exclusive safari, we will enjoy the empty parks together!
Take care and Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo!
Although life here is not yet affected too much, unfortunately the economic prospects for 2009 don’t look good and no doubt this will mean another downturn in travel activity for this country that needs it so much.There is no doubt that here will be no different to any other destination but, as before, there is a silver lining for those that do come – the game will be just as brillliant and you will have it all to yourselves again!
Since returning to enjoy the new year at home in Nakuru we have been preparing for the forthcoming winter safaris and, as I look out of the window, I see all the tents erected on the lawn being checked, repaired and cleaned. The vehicles are being given a thorough service with the odd modification here and there!
It is my plan to further improve our camps during the spring in preparation for the migration without changing their character at all. We will still be totally open and, as I write, Frances my Samburu man is in our Samburu camp reporting 34 elephants in the glade! Those of you who experienced our track into the Mara camp after a rain storm last year will see a repaired track using local materials. The hippo pool is full with a new young bull in charge and we have added a safe low level photo area. Talk about looking into a wide yawning throat!!
I am positive we will experience as many wildlife opportunities this year (if not more) as we did last year and the years before. I am also positive we will look back at the end of the year and reflect on the many fantastic sightings, but with the added bonus of enjoying them even more on our own.
To those of you who have booked, thank you very much for your support, we will try very hard to exceed your expectations. To all our friends who come out annually we look forward to you joining us again. To those of you who are undecided - go for it, join us as I am sure you won’t be disappointed!
Best wishes to you all for 2009. I sincerely hope the current situation will not affect you too much. Me, I will just spend time in the bush and be amongst the animals I love so much.
Kwaheri,
Brian
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Jambo sana
Well I hope you all are getting ready for some Christmas cheer and boy, do we need some, that’s for sure.
I look back over the past year and, despite the sad beginning, feel very positive. Kenya is booming once more, we have had superb safaris, the fact we have been able to document each safari so well brings it all back to me week by week, I can’t wait to start again.
Very shortly I am off home to Nakuru to get back to the bush so if anyone would like me to call me before I depart please email your contact details. I have had a great stay, it’s been fantastic seeing your pictures, thanks Martin, Jo and Richard, Graeme, Terry, and John.
I am delighted so many of you are returning yet again this year. As I have said many times it is going to be a great year. Sadly for Kenya the parks are not going to be anywhere near as full, not because it is Kenya but just because of the current world economic situation. I cannot emphasis enough that Kenya has never been so good, the people are so welcoming, the parks are full of game, the beaches are superb and the weather is fantastic.
In the coming year I hope to add a number of options that mirror my safaris - to see the gorillas, to see selected game or birds by visiting other parks such as the Aberdares to see the Bongo, and also selected beach resorts.
I always promise that by the following year I will be organised and send out our own special greeting cards but every year seems like the last and I fail yet again!!
We all, Esther, I and the entire crew wish you all a lovely Christmas and lets hope 2009 is not going to be as bad as anticipated.
Kwa heri
Brian
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Jambo sana
Well, I am back in the UK for a couple of months or maybe only a couple of weeks as I must say I find the current situation so depressing it’s enough to send you to drink. So, as there ain’t any ‘Tusker’ I had better go home!!! If Kenya has seen only 30% of its usual tourists this year all the early indications for next year point to a difficult 2009, as I am sure it will be for most long haul destinations. If I said to you 2008 would be a great year to see Kenya, and it was! then 2009 is going to be even better, of that there is no doubt in my mind.
Thank you Chavaunne for your great newsletter and photographs. I must also thank all my 2008 clients very much for joining me out in the bush, and what a year it has been! The Mara in particular has been just superb. You have only to read the Newsletters as well as the introductions to the photo galleries to know that the Mara is the best Africa has to offer and this has been confirmed by many of you who have experienced the South on so many occasions. Yes, I know I never waste an opportunity to say it but a fact is a fact!! I have tried to analyse why this year has been so good but if I am honest it has been only marginally better than previous years. What has made a huge difference is being able to write about it to remind ourselves of the many daily sightings, updating the daily story to give continuity. Thanks, Andy, for all your hard work which made it all possible.
The migration was extremely good this year. We had more than the usual number of river crossings in both directions and this was all due to the weather. Earlier on in June the Mara was dry, forcing the wildebeest to move on. But when the heavens opened in early August we experienced big return crossings and boy, were they spectacular! They continued right up to the first week in November and even as I write I am getting reports that they are still crossing now.
Yes, the weather was a major feature of this year and it was difficult and even miserable very occasionally. However we never let it stop us even if it gave one or two of you anxious moments when crossing the rivers or trying to get up the slippery slopes. What excitement though, holding on for dear life – OK, I’ll stop exaggerating now!! Those on the last Samburu safari heard my daily quote ‘you are so lucky to see it all so green and to be able to enjoy the park without dust’ It is still hot but we know it never rains in Samburu!!
I think for me the disappointment of this year was the high fatality rate of the cheetah cubs. You were able to keep up with some of this in the Newsletters and Big Cat Diary which seems to have received mixed reviews ranging from ‘Very good’ from those who have not spent time with the stars, to ‘I had to switch it off as too much time was spent talking’ or ‘I didn’t like the new format or the ‘hyping up’ of the stories’. Come on guys, it was worth a try and as far as I am concerned it benefits the stars and that must be our first concern. We need the visitors to sustain the eco-system and that’s the important issue. Enjoy the wildlife bits and forget the way it was portrayed!
I have not told you, Chavaunne and Gabrielle, but the lioness we spent time with on your last evening, as shown in your newsletter, was very sadly attacked by a pride of 6 lions that night as she had killed an Oryx. She was, as we commented at the time, a young lioness in her prime, but that night she made the fatal error of defending her kill and in the end couldn’t get away. So she paid for her bravery with her life. Despite my years in the bush I still find these occasions very sad, but that’s the way of the wild.
Returning to our theme of ‘the young ones’, it was just pure magic to see the young lions, cheetahs, leopards, servals, elephants, hyenas, jackals, plus many more, survive into adulthood and go on to make their own lives. We were so fortunate to spend time with them and the story will continue into 2009.
In Nakuru Park we never failed to see black rhino and the flamingos returned in their thousands, although good light was often a problem. As usual, the elephants in Samburu were very active in the river and it was a joy to spend time with them as well as the gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra, oryx and, of course, birds. If you are into big, colourful and interesting birds, Samburu is the place. Unfortunately the leopards have moved from the glades and I have not seen a single one on a really nice big branch this year. As you will have read, though, we are seeing many leopards in the Mara and often very close to our camp.
Yes, we have experienced many, and I emphasis many other wildlife experiences which have not featured in any of the Newsletters, especially as many of you have spent days out with the stars of BCD.
All your feedback on our Newsletters has been very positive. I am just so pleased we have been able to share them with you. I hope you are enjoying the Photo Galleries too and I am so pleased we are seeing more and more of them. Thank you and please keep the photos coming.
All the kit and vehicles are now back home in Nakuru undergoing repairs and maintenance for next season, so please come out and join me in the bush and enjoy next year as much as we enjoyed this year. You won’t be disappointed! I know it will be tough for the majority of us in this financial mess but the Mara and the migration are something very special. You all deserve a break so enjoy a wildlife wonder and don’t wait for another year - come on out!.
I will be posting another newsletter before Christmas so keep visiting us and please email me if I can be of any help.
Kwa heri,
Brian
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Jambo!
It seemed we had timed our safari perfectly, Big Cat Live had been on the BBC the week before and gave us a taster of what to expect. We hoped to see some of the cats from the programme and we weren’t disappointed, in fact the trip exceeded our expectations in every possible way. On the 1st afternoon we caught up with the cheetah ‘Shakira’ and her 3 remaining cubs. We were lucky enough to see her and the cubs every day we were in the Mara, often at very close proximity. One morning they came right up to the Landrover, one cub even jumping up into the wheel arch!
We also saw the 3 cheetah brothers several times, one morning they caught a gnu that was then taken by hyena, so they caught another, which was stolen by lions! A couple of hours later we were watching the mother and her cubs when 4 cheetah ran over the hills behind us – it was the 3 brothers chasing a female. They cornered her in a bush which resulted in a standoff that lasted all day. They were more successful the next day, we found them eating a freshly killed gnu; by the time they had finished their stomachs were so full we were surprised they could even move.
The leopards proved more elusive, we didn’t see our first until several days into the safari! However, they then came thick and fast; we saw 7 in all. We spent one morning watching a mother (Olive) and cub (Kali) feast on a gnu the mother had killed. Once they had eaten their fill the mother called for her adult cub (Binti). It was fantastic to watch the 3 leopards greet and play with each other by the river, at one point mother and cub were drinking from a pool right next to the Landrover, our driver John having chosen the perfect position once again. According to Brian this was one of the best leopard sightings of the year.
Lions were also plentiful, we saw several prides every day, including one with a tiny cub. It was lovely to watch the lioness carry her cub to the safety of the bushes, although the cub was not very impressed with being carried and was much happier when he was allowed to walk!
Other highlights of the Mara included seeing a tiny day old elephant calf, watching a newborn topi literally minutes old and listening to the hippos munching round the tents at night.
It was then on to Lake Nakuru, where we saw flamingos in their thousands, and I spent ages trying to take a decent photo! Also saw both black and white rhino and many beautiful birds. It was an unexpected bonus to see another leopard and not one but 2 lions up trees!
The last days of our safari were spent in Samburu, which was unusually green due to the recent rains. The elephants were in abundance; one day we must have seen about 500, many of them crossing, splashing and playing in the river, often accompanied by tiny babies.
The funniest moment of our trip occurred on our last afternoon game drive. It had been a (rare) quiet afternoon and we had stopped to look at some sand grouse by the side of the Landrover. Just as we were about to drive on I turned round to see a lioness standing right behind us! It was a young female, lit beautifully by the last of the evening light
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Our last game drive was no less eventful than any other. We had requested a leopard in a tree and as usual Brian delivered, finding us a leopard with a recent kill up a tree! We spent the last hour watching yet more elephants cross the river – one calf almost was swept away but thankfully was rescued by the rest of the herd. It was a great end to what was certainly the trip of a lifetime, and we are determined to return to the Mara with Brian in the not too distant future.
Chavaunne & Gabrielle Thorpe
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Habari (how are you?),
Sorry it has been such a long time since we posted Ann and Iain’s newsletter. Thank you both very much. To get it all done within a couple of days of returning home too, that’s a record. I hope you are also enjoying Iain’s photo gallery. Since I last wrote the galleries have been an addition to the website so a huge thank you, Andy and all of you who have contributed. The pictures are superb, and I mean all of them, as they are a record of your safaris which we can all share. So don’t be shy, let’s have them and I will be chasing soon. You’ve got until the end of November when I return to the UK!
You have probably all been keeping up with Big Cat Diary. I am looking forward to seeing the episodes although I hear that going live may not have been too successful. We have spent some time with them enjoying ‘our cats’ as our story started months ago and continues now. For example, we were lucky enough to see the BBC cheetah with her three cubs meet up with the three boys, brother and sister reunion. We continue to enjoy them as well as the other kittens as five cheetahs gave birth this summer. Only the other day we spent some time out in the plains above ‘cement crossing’ with the cheetah mum who Andy and John saw the day she gave birth to 6 kittens. Ann and Iain were there the first day she showed them but there were only three as, unfortunately, buffalos killed the others. If you remember, Chloe the mum (my name) was always returning to one of the cubs as it would appear she couldn’t see very well. We caught up with Chloe and she is now down to two healthy cubs and we enjoyed them all to ourselves.
The big pride of lions on the Talek river which Graham photographed killing in the rain is as active as the Marsh lions you have been watching. So, also is the young lady leopard down on ‘cement crossing.’ All are continuing to entertain us and allow us to get some fabulous pictures. We also managed to see the young leopard with mum plus another two in the same morning. As I write David, out with Lesley, Lee and Roy, has come across mum sun bathing.
The story of the Cats is for ever unfolding and that is why I believe, in fact I know, that the Mara just cannot be beaten in Africa. You have seen the daily action on Big Cat Diary as well as having your own experiences and boy, we are still and will continue to enjoy them, watching them play, hunt, kill and defend themselves!
Lets not forget the migration and the fact that it is because of the migration that our whole eco systems survives. We have seen all the cats and even hyenas kill gnus from big to small! It is surprising - and I include myself here - we all hope, as the cheetah chases a young wildebeest, it will be able to eat well; yet when the hyenas go for a kill we hope they will miss, ok it is the way they kill that makes the difference!!
Although the crocs get a few, and boy, have we seen some fantastic ‘strikes’, more mums and calves are usually separated than die in the crossing. It is usually they who provide the cats with their meals although some survive by sheer courage to live another day.
The migration this year has been fantastic. The wildebeest have been back and forth and continue to do so as I write; huge herds are gathering on the plains above the Mara River below Lookout Hill as well as on Paradise Plains. They crossed in large numbers yesterday and will continue to do so for days. We have our last clients arriving just in time to see large numbers cross south and yesterday we saw a very big crossing indeed.
The migration has been voted the 7th ‘Wildlife Wonder’ by an American poll. I’m not too sure which poll it is but in our opinion it should be much higher than that!!
Also let me not forget Samburu as we were there for nine days and boy, were they good! Elephants gave us their usual great sightings and were very active and in huge numbers as the river was flowing well. They also kept us company in the camp glade. Unfortunately I missed out on a leopard for a first time in four years but the elephants made up for it as did the birds. It was hot, but guess what? it rained a shower or two - who says it never rains in Samburu!!
For those of you who know our Samburu camp we have moved around the corner further along the glade where the elephants cross and away from the camp on the other side. I just wish I had done it years ago.
Well that’s it for now. I know I have missed a few happenings but Andy is ‘on my back’ so I will write again shortly.
Kwaheri
Brian
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From Ann and Iain Brownlee (Please also see Iain’s photo gallery )
My Mara memories
The Young Ones theme mentioned in Brian’s last newsletter continued on our trip. But we saw the strength side of the cats as well. Within a short time of touching down at Ol Kiombo airstrip we were out on our first game drive. We watched a leopard catch a hare and then donate it to her youngish cub. She even managed to pose with her catch against the setting sun – very thoughtful!
A few days later we caught up with the cheetah with 4 young cubs mentioned in an earlier newsletter (they were now about 7 weeks old) on Lookout Hill. She was resting in the grass in the soft evening light. The 4 cubs were gorgeous - very fluffy with long hair down their backs. They were playing – leaping on each other, chasing each other and generally being mischievous. Even in their play you could see them starting to practice stalking and other skills. But then they just decided to settle down and relax.
Throughout our trip we knew that a cheetah had given birth to 6 cubs. Everyone was waiting for her to show them to the outside world. On our last day in the Mara we saw them. Unfortunately now just 3 cubs – we don’t know what happened to the other three. They had yet to master the intricacies of staying down or even behaving – everything was clearly just so new to them! But every now and then they would do as they were told and walk sedately alongside Mom – well almost.
Another two young ones who kept us amused were two serval kittens. They were very shy and we had to wait for a long time before one emerged from the den – it then persuaded the other one to join it – and gave a kiss of greeting.
In addition we watched 4 young jackals, some young elephants and of course some young lions. But as well as the enchantment there was some sadness reminding us of the dangers faced by young wild animals. A very young lion cub was seen with the Marsh Pride – we think it was the only one remaining of the three cubs born a few weeks earlier.
It was clearly not happy – wandering from lioness to lioness seeking comfort and food – but all rejected it. Sadly when we returned to the Marsh Pride a few days later there was no sign of it.
But these memories are balanced by ones showing the strength of these magnificent animals – exemplified by the three cheetah brothers described in an earlier newsletter. Brian nicknamed them ‘The Boys. We first saw them in playful mode as the sun was setting. They were clearly well fed and were undertaking some heavy relaxing, rolling on the grass, mutual grooming and jumping on and off a log. The following morning Esther found them showing some interest in some gazelles and zebras nearby so we zoomed over.
They were very relaxed but then their stance changed. One began to stare at the zebras several hundred yards away. The other two stopped playing and they all began to move stealthily through the long grass towards them. The next few minutes passed in a flash. The Boys started to move more purposefully then the zebras looked up and started to run. The cheetahs leaped into action and started to run – surely they couldn’t catch it – but yes they could. Just as Brian had predicted they tripped up the young zebra and then one of them held it down by the throat until the struggling stopped. I tried to ignore the frantic pitiful noise made by the zebra – this is nature in the raw after all.
The Boys then took it in turns to eat, guard the catch and rest in the midday sun – often underneath the vehicles now around them. At one point we could hear one of them panting underneath our Landrover. The vultures started to take their places in nearby tress – just watching and waiting. Finally the cheetahs had eaten as much as they could and decided that enough was enough. The vultures by this time had massed on the ground about 50 yards away. As the cheetahs walked away the vultures moved in on the remains. Soon over 100 vultures were cleaning the carcass and within 15 minutes the job was done.
On another morning we saw the three male lions from the local pride. Despite showing signs of a recent fight between two of them they soon decided all was well between them really and swaggered down the track – kings of all they surveyed – and the epitome of power.
Of course we saw lots more than this during our 12 days. But to recount everything would take up far too much space. We did see a river crossing of zebras on the Mara – although frustratingly the enormous herds of wildebeest and zebras were just building up as we left. Indeed they crossed the Talek river the day after we left! But frankly we had seen so many other things it didn’t seem to matter – and after all we will be back!
Ann and Iain September 2008
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Jambo Rafikis
The song that comes to mind is ‘The Young Ones’ (that dates me!) as we have seen so many young ones from leopards to warthogs to really small giraffes - you name them, we’ve seen them. Once again the Mara has been fantastic. Every day is as exciting as the last. I have to keep saying to myself ‘we must have a quiet day’ but no, we roll on finding more exciting things. Mind you, you never know from one day to the next how the ‘game’ will pan out. For example, we left the Mara for Nakuru on the 1st Sep. and the migration was everywhere. When we returned on the 5th Sep there were no large herds to be seen and, guess what, Adrian and Yvonne were on the only safari last year that never saw a crossing, and they arrived on the 6th so we keep our fingers crossed!
If you remember we first saw the young leopards on the evening of the wedding day. Well, since then we have spent some time with them on anthills, on rocks down on the Talek River, and eating a young gnu…. now that was just fascinating to watch despite the odd piece of grass!
The Mara leopards are showing themselves well this year. I can’t remember a year when we have enjoyed so many sightings. It’s certainly been better than Samburu this year - mind you the Samburu elephants are excellent and they continue to excite us.
The cheetah with her young cubs below were way out on the plains behind Lookout Hill. It was our first sighting of them as she has only shown them very recently. They are so sweet and instinctively knew to lay low when their mother shot off after a Tommy which strayed too close. But it was not to be this time as something spooked the cubs who called for their mum and she immediately responded, calling them to her.
We have 3 other Mums with cubs, none of which have ‘come out’ although we meet the Mums on occasions out hunting. It is going to be a great winter for cheetahs and maybe those coming in October will be able to enjoy them as well, I’ll keep you posted. The Mara in Feb/Mar next year will be good!
As you know the lions are doing well and I have posted pictures of the Marsh lions who have 3 sets of cubs. We are expecting the 4th set to show themselves any day now. The Talek pride made a kill the other day in the pouring rain and the cubs played on the kill – boy, did we get wet!
I know I tend to concentrate on the cats as that’s what the most of you want to hear about but I must just say we have had fantastic sightings of other youngster who are just as sweet, just as playful and make us laugh just as much. Here are a few pictures:
No newsletter can be complete without mentioning the migration which was in full flow with massive columns marching from horizon to horizon out on the plains. It’s a scene that is difficult to capture on still film, but is just great on video.
The crossings are now going away from us which once again is unusually early but I hope that, as last year, there will be enough left for the rest of the season. The crossings are normally associated with the Mara as the Talek has very little water. Well there was a huge Talek crossing and I mean BIG, which unfortunately we missed, although having said that it wouldn’t have been a sight to linger with for long. The entry and exit points were a little steep but nevertheless good. It was just due to sheer numbers that over 200 wildebeests died in the river. There must have been complete panic with pressure from behind causing mayhem. Here is a picture of the results taken the next day, I am told the lions also had a field day, killing eight.
Andy has done a great job with the photo gallery so please have a look at Pete and Graeme’s fantastic pictures and send me yours too. They don’t have to be world beaters, just your pictures, and I emphasis your pictures with the highlights of your safari. Come on, I dare the first person to show a human! I have more non-photographers than photographers so come on guys, let’s show your pictures as I have seen some great shots, illustrate your safari please!
That’s it for now. You all take care and I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Kwaheri
Brian
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Jambo sana
Not too sure where I start this newsletter as so many exciting ‘things’ have happened, I can’t remember the last time we had a uneventful day.
I think it is worth quoting Manoj and Anup Shah, the East African Wildlife Photographers and authors of the book ‘African Odyssey 365 Days’ (Another new book of theirs on the way is ‘The Great Rift Valley of East Africa’), both well worth buying - sorry digressing. Manoj said to John, who is also a fantastic photographer, that there is no better place than the Mara to experience the game anywhere else in Africa in his experience, having travelled extensively throughout Africa over many years. The variety of animals, the opportunities, the ease of movement, the open plains, the sheer beauty is unmatched.
I suppose I had better mention the weather. It has rained on average every other day, but not for long and usually in the evening, filling the gullies. I suppose we must be thankful for, as a result, the migration re-crossed the Mara River eastwards (that is, back to our side) as there is no shortage of grass and now water. Some say the grass is too high but that’s the challenge!
No doubt you have read about Jo and Richard getting married on Rhino Ridge overlooking Paradise Plains. Well, they also saw 3 leopards on the evening of their wedding out of a safari total of 8 leopards and 11 cheetahs. Jo, do you remember the pregnant cheetah you watched making a kill? Well, the day after you departed she gave birth to 4 lovely minute cubs who thankfully have now been put out of bounds.
The marsh lions are showing themselves well with 3 sets of cubs making a total of 9. We hear there are another 3 very small cubs but we are waiting for their mum to show them. I remember most that the mothers played with the cubs stalking, running, tripping, falling over and grooming each other. They certainly made us all laugh. The males of this pride have huge black mains and one them is enjoying himself with one of the ladies!
The leopards in our area of the Mara are really showing themselves this year and yet there are some we have yet to find. Last June we saw a young mum with 2 small cubs. She has shown herself since but we have failed to find her. Although the male near our camp makes himself known nearly every night we have yet to see him since his kill at the end of June.
The migration is everywhere, and I mean everywhere, since they returned to our side of the Mara River in tens of thousands. It is the best I have seen for many years and every morning we come across well-fed vultures and hyenas skulking to their dens with bellies inches from the ground. Here the gnus look on as this female cheetah walks by to later kill a Tommy - and we were the only vehicle to witness this from start to finish.
On a personal note, my lovely Shaba past away peacefully on Sunday 10 August at midnight. I knew it was coming as she was the ripe old age of nearly 15, but it didn’t made it any easier. She had a wonderful life especially in Ulu during her younger years where she would run for miles on her daily walks. I miss her greatly.
Kwa heri,
Brian
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2nd August 2008 – Wedding Newsletter (See also further images in Photo Gallery)
The 2nd August is now a date that I will not be allowed to forget, for it is the date that Jo and I got married on the plains of the Masai Mara.
We have always thought that we would like to get married somewhere special to us. That special place is the Mara.
It started with an email to Brian in June to see if he had space available in his August schedule. When we emailed Brian we were concerned that he wouldn’t have enough time to make the arrangements for a Mara wedding. But Brian’s enthusiastic response spurred us on to go for it. We knew Brian from our Best of Kenya Safari in 2007 and were more than happy to leave our wedding plans in his capable hands.
We met Brian in England to discuss our basic ideas and we kept in touch once Brian was back in Kenya.
Before we knew it we were departing from Heathrow on the 25th July. We met Esther in Nairobi to complete some of the paperwork. We envisaged that this would take some time but by 1pm we had eaten lunch and we were on our flight down to the Mara.
Landing in the Mara is always special. You feel as if you have been transported to another world. Brian picked us up and we settled in to our tent. Before long we were refreshed and heading out on our first game drive. It was amazing to be back. When we are back home in Kent there isn’t a day that goes by where I do not find myself day-dreaming about Africa.
Throughout the next few days we got into the camp routine and started to relax. But the 2nd August arrived and it would be my last day as a free man. We had a leisurely breakfast watching hippos play in the river and then proceeded to get ready for the main event.
While Esther helped Jo with her hair and make up, I did some bird watching around camp and took some time to chill out before married life.
I was picked up around 12ish and driven to the wedding site. Believe me, Brian had picked the perfect spot on Paradise Plains. To the south the views stretched to the Mara River and to the west the Olooloolo Escarpment, simply breathtaking. Included in the vista were plains game such as Wildebeest and Topi. Whilst enjoying the view I took some time out to enjoy a cold Tusker, my last beer as a free man.
Jo and I had decided that we would get married without fuss and on our own. Probably the main reasons for this were that we have been together a long time and we wanted something special for us. What was great was that Brian and Esther had gone the extra mile to make the day truly special. Jo was driven to the site in a decorated Land Rover and Masai singers serenaded her as she walked down the ‘aisle’.
As she walked towards me Jo took my breath away, she looked great. The sun was shining and we were in the middle of the Mara, this was our idea of a perfect wedding. Brian had succeeded in pulling it off.
I must admit that there were a few nerves and a stumbled line or two. I may have said “in sickness and in Hell” or something, but the registrar was great and made us feel at ease.
As I was fluffing my way through my lines I was reminded to look at Jo and not the view and when I did I am sure I noticed a tear in her eye, maybe she was beginning to realise she would be stuck with me for a while now.
Once the rings were exchanged Masai singing broke out and applause from the assembled audience of Brian’s staff. We had eloped and not told our families back home!
We were extremely fortunate in that an excellent wedding photographer, John Dale, also happened to be on safari with Brian. John got us all organised and took some amazing photos. He must be good to be able to do the view and the bride justice.
The fizzy stuff was opened and we enjoyed a glass or two whilst taking stock of what we had done. With photos taken and handshakes all around we sat down to a delicious Kenyan traditional wedding meal of curry - did I forget to mention that the cook house was brought up to the plains?
Our evening game drive began well enough, we got some excellent views of buffalo and huge numbers of wildebeest that had just crossed the Mara River. But it got better as the evening wore on. In a forested area of the park our excellent spotter, Esther, saw a Leopard kill in a tree, but there was no leopard to be seen. So we staked it out and whilst doing so we spotted another kill in a distant tree. What happened next was quite amazing, the kill in the distant tree twitched, when we looked closely, there were two leopards, a mum and a cub that were feeding on the wildebeest.
We started taking pictures and then, unbelievably, Esther spotted another leopard to our right. It climbed the tree and fed off the impala that was stashed earlier in the day. All in all a day to remember for the rest of our lives. I just hope our families will forgive us!
This is my third attempt at finishing this newsletter, the first was interrupted by the sighting of a male leopard that we really didn’t want to miss so we jumped in the Land Rover to get some shots. That evening I tried to finish it off. I fell asleep though - photographing all this game is hard work! That edition was later lost because of a bit of ‘data clean-up’ to make room for our photographs. Cue our first argument as a married couple, I am sure it will not be the last.
I suppose this brings us to the honeymoon. We are still in the Mara and having an awesome time. At the time of writing we have notched up three Cheetah kills, too many lions to mention and seven Leopard. That is on top of the huge numbers of wildebeest on their annual migration. Some of the crossings of the Mara river this year had to be seen to be believed.
Brian asked us today what had been our favourite moment so far. I couldn’t answer as we have seen so much in our two weeks that to separate out one event is impossible.
From the moment we stepped off of the plane everything has been perfect, so many thanks to Brian, Esther and all the staff who made the whole trip an unforgettable experience. Special thanks also to John who took time out of his safari schedule to photograph our special day.
We really do hope to see you all again and who knows, maybe it could be a good way to spend our first anniversary!
Asante Sana……. Mr and Mrs Knight.
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The Migration has arrived big-time!
Jambo sana,
Well, If there were ever any doubts, these have been well and truly dispelled as we have been seeing huge numbers of wildebeest crossing the Mara river in spectacular style! On Friday morning, in excellent light, large numbers crossed towards us, sometimes in as many as five or six separate streams. The action has to be experienced to be believed with the noise of the animals, the splashing of the water, the sound of the hoofs as they scramble up the banks and run past us away from the dangers of the water and the ever present crocodiles lying in wait to pounce on the unfortunate few.
We saw several successful attacks and also one in which a wildebeest, caught by the nose, managed to regain sufficient dry ground to struggle free after a fierce fight, raising quite a cheer from the onlookers.
Yesterday saw even larger numbers spread over several of the different crossing sites simultaneously and prospects for the future look good with huge numbers building up.
Lion kills have been frequent and we followed a pride with six cubs, two females and two males. We came upon them in the tall grass near the Talek river. They had spotted a herd of wildebeest far on the other bank and we followed them as they strolled casually down the hill, the cubs playfully running ahead and then affectionately greeting their mothers.
They had their timing just right as the two females climbed the opposite slope, well hidden in the long grass. They started their chase and the wildebeest scattered. One made the wrong move, turned back, and it was all over.
The whole pride joined in at the kill although the females, having done all the work, now became submissive and the males would growl fiercely if they tried to approach too closely. The cubs were generally allowed to join in the feast.
We have also had a safari wedding! A wonderful event held under a tree in the plains with a panoramic view over the Mara river but that will be the subject of a special Newsletter which will be coming to you very soon.
Kwa heri till then,
Brian
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Jambo sana
Website
Thank you all for your kind words on the new website. Andy did do a very good job despite the huffing and puffing. Now it is your turn as I am after your pictures. The next stage is to develop the photo gallery by adding your gallery to the page with a link to your own website if you wish. Your gallery can be as little or as many as you like and they don’t all need to be masters, just your own pictures, pictures that are unique to your safari, like Lesley’s lion falling out of the tree. I may even offer a price and it won’t be African Champagne!!
Samburu
Those of you who have been with me to Samburu know that it never rains in Samburu. Well, this has become something of a joke now as it poured once very heavily on each of the two recent safaris. It did keep the dust down, though! Unfortunately the Ewaso Nyiro river was, unusually, bone dry for our first safari and Ian was desperate to see water flowing during his week there. Guess what - as we were driving back from seeing him off home a huge wave came rushing down the river and within seconds it was full from bank to bank. I hope you saw it from the plane, Ian. That’s twice in one year now. I would expect for this time of the year that it would flow only in the main channel.
I think what has been unusual on the last two safaris is the number of cats we saw although the leopard was only seen once. I need to spend time trying to fathom that out as the leopards are not in their usual haunts by the river glades.
Driving into Impala glade one morning we saw two lionesses in the final throws of killing a young Impala buck right down beside the dry river bed. Suddenly a third lioness appeared, all hell broke out as the three lioness fought over the kill within yards of the Landrover, 2 against 1!! Well, the commotion was heard by a herd of elephants drinking
in the river. They all charged, trumpeting loudly, towards the fighting lions who themselves were roaring. The kill was divided into 3 uneven parts and the lions made a very hasty retreat, each with a peace of impala. The elephants charged the bushes, running up and down in total anger and they certainly showed that they were in charge. It was one of those situations where we were in the right position for the kill but unfortunately missed most of the elephant charge, but it’s in our memories and ours was the only vehicle present!
The elephants as usual were great to watch which we did numerous times. I must say I never tire of doing so especially when the young bulls charge about. Camp was just full of elephants, all peacefully going about their business, and not at all interested in us. Many an afternoon I would be sending emails, munching elephants within yards - pure magic.
During the last safari we saw Greater Kudu at least 3 times all close range.
Mara
Well, the Migration has arrived big time, they have crossed the Mara River in their 1000s below Lookout Hill, walking round in a big loop to re cross below the manyatta on the hill and we have seen them to-ing and fro-ing. This is very unusual at the beginning but I hope it will be the pattern through out the migration. If that is the case then we are going to be in for a real treat. The massive crocs have been out in force and in some cases there have been 8 in a line. I tell you it is breath-taking! Every time they go under we wonder, will they strike? We’ve seen zebra kick their way out of trouble, we’ve seen young wildebeest dashing for the shore with crocs in hot pursuit and we’ve seen some great strikes. After all, the crocs have to live! I could go on about it but you just have to come and see for yourselves!
Leopards have given us a great show - 3 kills in the last 10 days. I am told there has been a mating but we were not here at the time. Today we drove past the tree without going to look after the 3 cheetah boys. They are Honey’s boys and yesterday they killed 2 wildebeest calves but only ate one. Honey is the daughter of Kike, from Big Cat Dairy, the lovely cheetah on my Landrover bonnet on the Home page. I am hoping we will be able to find them throughout the migration as they really walk around as if they own the place - fabulous!
I must never forget all the other just as exciting happenings, like the aardvark on an ant hill early in the morning, the little hyena cubs by their den, the newly born giraffe, the fight between the Bateleur and tawny eagles. So it goes on with too many to highlight in the limited time I have to write between game drives - which reminds me, due out in 10 minutes so have to go!
The Big Five
Just have to end on a personal best. Emily, George and I saw the big five before 0815 on the 21 July, followed by a crossing. On leaving camp at 0630 we came across a pride of lions who had just killed. In the same frame a huge male leopard disappeared into the long grass and we tracked him for about a kilometre, finally loosing him in the rocks. Not too sure whether he had killed the young zebra and was forced off. On the hillside an old bull elephant grazed and as we neared the Mara River we saw in the distance a herd of buffalo, at least 500, and finally beyond one of the main river crossings a group of 3 black Rhinos. Just pure magic and we spent about 90 minutes with them. That can only happen in the Mara and all out on the plains, not hidden by any bushes. That’s why we all say ‘the Mara is the best in Africa for wildlife.’ From there we returned to the river after tea during which we saw 8 crocs fighting over a kill and a cat fish! The crossing was traumatic as a very young Zebra lost his mom on crossing. She returned and crossed again. How she got away with it I just don’t know. After checking the bank it decided to cross yet again and a huge croc closed in. Just short of halfway the baby zebra turned back, the croc gained speed and lunged, just nipping the baby on the leg. It reared up and bolted out of the water. It survived this time but I’m not sure if it ever found mom.
You all ‘chunga’ yourselves and here’s to the next instalment
Kwaheri
Brian
Limited places are still available for the Migration so book now!
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Early Season Newsletter 2008
Jambo
Well, this is my first newsletter of the post-rainy season, although unfortunately we did not have that much rain and even now the river in Samburu is dry.
I hope this newsletter will be the first of at least one a month as I am going to try very hard this year to keep you informed as well as involve you all more. Here is what we have done.
New Website
Andy has spent a huge amount of time writing a new website which he is going to launch very shortly or may even have done so before you receive this newsletter.
It will be very much on the lines of my existing site but it has more content, more pictures and at long last will be right up to date! We will update it more frequently, include more pictures and will shortly be opening up a blog page – scary stuff! I think you will find it more informative and I hope it will encourage you to visit and participate more. I have been threatening for some time to include a client’s photo gallery. Well, at long last it is about to happen and all we need is your pictures. Our aim is to include a link from your photo gallery to your own website so that you can show everyone what you have seen and, if you wish, sell your pictures on-line. So let’s be having your great pictures as I brag enough about them - let’s show them!
My Last Safari
We continue to enjoy having the parks to ourselves and see very few vehicles out and about. This is extremely good for us and you so we are making the most of it. Most of the sightings we enjoyed we had to ourselves all the time.
Lesley, on her second safari of the year, called it her ‘Leopard Safari’ as she had 10 leopard sightings in the Mara! Unfortunately she missed the best one as she had flown out the day before. It was the male, a lovely specimen in great shape, she had seen 2 days before, who in fact visits the camp on a regular basis. He had killed a male Impala, sadly just, and I mean just, before we saw him. Watching him dragging it into the trees was just as exciting.
Despite staking out a young female leopard that we saw on at least 2 occasions, we never managed to see her two small cubs, despite hearing them calling. Though frustrating, it was nevertheless exciting just being there, always hoping that next time we’d be lucky! Lesley did get Mum as she came down from lying on her kill in the tree to drink from the river.
Despite Lesley’s many safaris she still managed to see a few ‘firsts’ - an adult male lion in a tree canopy 20 feet up, higher than most leopards go. We just had to wait for it to come down and eventually he did. His descent was a scarcely controlled fall but fortunately he did not hurt himself despite hitting his head on the ground. He couldn’t turn round so he had to come down head first and his weight was just too much for his grip, see Lesley’s pictures.
The migration is on its way and thousands of zebras have crossed the Sandy River although they are nowhere near the Mara River. However, the huge crocs were up and about as small groups of zebras had crossed and re-crossed the Mara river. The crocs attacked in numbers, literally tearing their victims apart. We did see a huge croc with half a zebra in its mouth. There is no doubt they are awake after their long sleep and we will see action this migration - watch this space for more news!
Lions were all over the park, well hidden in the long grass, but I have to say the grass just added to the pictures especially in the morning and evening light. We came across young 2 month old cubs and another six of about 4 to 6 months old who entertained us for some considerable time.
Whilst out in the open plain having our morning tea and sandwiches, miles away from others, a cheetah popped its head up out of the grass about a 100 metres away. Despite knowing her rough position, it took us a while to find her again. She was pregnant, hungry and hunting, which unfortunately was disturbed by 2 lionesses. This was the second time we saw a cheetah running away from lions and we stayed with her until she decided it was safe to take a breather under a small acacia tree. The first was a very healthy male cheetah who had attempted to make a kill running amongst hundreds of Tommies, Topies and Wildebeest but gave up when he saw a huge black maned lion coming after him. We stayed with the two of them until the lion gave up. We did come across a young female on her kill, which she had nearly finished, but decided to give it up to an approaching hyena. Following her I managed to hole the front diff on the Landrover!!
We enjoyed many other happenings and stayed with many – bat-eared foxes, a hyena den with 2 sets of cubs, a jackal family chasing impala young, and so it goes on… Not to forget the birds who as usual were numerous and difficult to get full frame!
Situation in Kenya
Kenya is very stable, trouble free with everyone getting on with their lives. Employment is difficult but everyone is trying hard to make things work. Inflation in Kenya is quoted to be 50% and our fuel is extremely expensive. If you compare like for like, our fuel would be the equivalent of £1.60per litre in England. Food is getting more expensive by the day as indeed it is elsewhere, but here in the third world it sadly has more of an effect.
Safaris in 2009
You may have noticed I have added next year’s safaris to the website. I have tried, by reducing the travelling, to keep my cost down, however I believe that, with inflation running so high, I will be forced to increase prices so, if you are thinking of booking, please do so now as I will honour the prices quoted for the present.
And finally, I still have a few safaris available for this year so come and enjoy the migration and the whole wonder of the Mara as it is the best that Africa has to offer.
Kwaheri
Brian.
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Freeman Safaris Newsletter
Jambo sana,
First of all I would like to mention that I have run every scheduled safari this year as I felt it was safe to do so. I can also say with pride that no one cancelled and, do you know what? - we had the parks all to ourselves.
Recent Events
If you read my earlier Newsletters you will remember that I was of the opinion that the problems here were mainly tribal and events have shown that to be the case. The largest tribe, the Kikuyus, are the majority group in the Internally Displaced Camps but this is a situation I do not see continuing as law and order returns to the rural areas. I think it is worth pointing out that the Kikuyus are the hardest working people who have settled all over Kenya and therefore took the brunt of the incidents. Recent events have shown that they are now reacting to the earlier situations which caught them off guard; they are fully prepared to show their strength and are not prepared to accept a repeat of the earlier clashes, and this will be a stabilising influence.
The differences are tribal and go back many years. The successful, the hard working are paying for those who have not prospered but believe that their right to own land is a historical one. I do believe there is a will for all to work together and to accept that everyone is entitled to own land wherever they wish and my experience out and about confirms this willingness at grass roots, to return to the values of yesterday.
No tourists or expats have been involved, and the fact that we do not safari anywhere near the troubled areas and are as far as one can be from them, makes it extremely safe to safari with me.
How has it affected the safaris? Well, as Mike said in his letter, the parks are empty of tourists and for the 3 months after Christmas we had the them virtually all to ourselves. Would you believe that we hardly saw a vehicle in Samburu from one day to the next? - that is truly unique. I honestly believe that this will continue throughout the summer which is great for you but not for the people here as we need all the support we can muster to generate and provide employment. I did see a Channel 4 documentary the other day blaming population growth with 50% of the population under 15 years, a frightening statistic, but a good reason to try to persuade you to come and support the people of Kenya.
I hope I have not harped on too much, but I do think it is important to set the record straight as the media have failed to report the situation accurately. Kenya has come a very long way in the last 5 years, improving the well being of everyone.
Well, lets return to the bush and leave the politics to others who know best or should that be like everywhere else in the world and the politicians fail miserably!
Safari News
The Ewaso Nyiro river in Samburu was as dry as it could be with animals desperate for water on the earlier safaris and yet by mid March it was full to overflowing with water cascading so fast that huge waves of at least 3 feet where heard well before they were seen. Who said it never rains in Samburu! By mid march the long rains had arrived well ahead of schedule but nevertheless a welcome respite particularly up in Samburu where for a whole week there was no dust. Mind you there was no one but us to enjoy it.
In January we saw huge herds of elephants down on the dry river bed digging for water, a task that took them hours. We would spend hours parked up watching the river bed activities - elephants digging , being pushed away by the larger girls, the youngsters trying to get down on their hands and knees to drink, still unable to use their trunks. The charging, the fighting and the loud trumpeting was all absorbing. Yes our drives into camp at lunch were held up by the elephants in the camp glade blocking the route in but with a little negotiation we were never too late in – well, not often! With the rain and river full by mid March it was a very different story with elephants enjoying the water and huge herds all bathing together.
The Mara and Samburu as well as Laikipia camps all enjoyed leopard activity, especially the Mara where a young female would enter most nights to lie up within sight of the mess tent. Her partner, a young but mature male, was seen on at least 3 occasions just outside camp or on the road in. One evening at last light as we drove through the trees to the camp we saw a lioness disappearing. She was followed by our young leopard half an hour later, seen by the crew of the water truck as they drove into camp.
The Mara was, as usual, very rewarding and more exciting than normal. Some evenings there would be huge rain and thunderstorms. The tracks were awash and the Talek River in low box was a sit-down hold-on jobbie!! The cat activity was fantastic and it was lovely spending time with Honey’s three young male cubs. Honey was Kiki’s daughter who sadly died as a result of a KWS vet’s error when one of the cubs was ill. The great story is that they have survived and remain together.
The birds were just fantastic wherever we went and a number of firsts were enjoyed, Schalow’s Turaco, huge flocks of White Storks, fighting and displaying Kori Bustards, long tailed Widow birds in big flocks just to name a few. The raptors have been many including migrating Harriers, Falcons and Kestrels.
Please come while the parks are still empty - you will enjoy them even more. I believe the Mara has the ingredients for a fantastic migration and we need your support to provide for the many people who depend on our income.
Please do not hesitate to contact me
Kwa heri,
Brian
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Summer 2007 Safaris
Once again I am afraid I have failed to write newsletters throughout the long summer safari season although I did manage to keep up with my e-mailing! It was listening and watching Jo in the Mara sending back her blogs that gave me the idea of including a blog on the website. Then, rather than continually failing with newsletters, I will write more regular reports, including contributions by clients of accounts of their safaris. I think these accounts would be more interesting and in more detail and, I hope, would be accompanied by photographs. It may even help solve all those promises one makes to record details of a safari that don’t materialise as the real world takes over and the time spent just working on ones pictures is under pressure - let alone keeping a diary!!
I must first of all thank David Wood for standing in for me when I returned to the UK for medical check ups on my arm and Andy Diamond for holding the Mara fort when I went off travelling to Samburu.
Move to Nakuru
I am writing this in Nakuru from my new house, having moved from Naivasha. The plot
I was buying fell through and on reflection would not have been right, Naivasha is
changing with the huge numbers of workers pouring in to work on the flower farms.
My new house, which was built in the early 1950s and is situated on the hillside behind State House, is very convenient for Nakuru Park as well as all the shops and of course the bank. Esther no longer spends an 18 hour day shopping for the safaris but instead has everything delivered. Civilization does have its advantages and I am told living in a lovely town for 3 months a year is a small price to pay! Having said all that I am very happy and am enjoying my house. My pictures, carvings, heads and personal items all fit very well. So from now on all my clients will be accommodated here whilst in Nakuru.
As usual there have been so many highlights, we have seen so many special happenings, and I just don’t know where to start – maybe, then, with the sad things.
Those who were fortunate enough to meet up with the cheetah and her lovely partially sighted daughter with her great big blue eyes will never forget the way Mum loved her daughter, always coming back even after the shortest chase to greetings more associated with a long absence. They would play together for hours and the cub would show its natural instinct never to leave mum’s side. Well, unfortunately early one morning they were surprised and attacked by a female lion. Mum cheetah had to flee for her life and in the chaos became separated from her daughter who, unable to see her attacker, was killed instantly. It was so sad seeing mum trying to revive her cub.
You may recall in last summer’s newsletter that we were privileged to see a cheetah show her 6 cubs and ever since I have been able to follow their progress throughout the months. In the end there were four cubs which we were fortunate enough to see going through ‘cheetah school’. One even climbed onto the spare tyre of the Disco with Lesley looking up into her eyes! Sadly Mum received a serious neck wound which we believe resulted in her death but the good news is that the four cubs survived, having learnt to hunt for themselves.
I think that is enough sadness so I won’t dwell further. Every safari had many fantastic wildlife experiences - I know I say it every time but it is true! To quote Andy, who spends about 10 weeks with me every year, “This summer was the best with more wildlife happenings than I have ever experienced before on a single safari”. Rather than quote the many “specials” each safari experienced I have chosen a few highlights that stand out above the rest.
In Samburu we were lucky enough to enjoy a leopard and baby cub, as you will see from the picture below, who entertained us for hours on one safari eating a baby impala on a big tree in Impala glade. She was tugging the contents from within the rib cage with so much force that she had to use all four paws to push with, but when the meat came away she struggled to hold on, nearly falling on several occasions. Just a wonderful experience.
Staying with the cats, a number of safaris were able to enjoy ‘cheetah school’, cruel but very necessary with the cubs being given a baby Tommy to play with, learning to knock it over and eventually grab it by the throat. Once again it kept us amused as the cubs found it all very difficult, even patting the Tommy on the head whist holding it down.
On at least four occasions we witnessed a cheetah mum with her two elderly cubs playing, chasing each other and running under, and in some cases on the vehicles - one cub in particular will be taking over where Kike left off, actually sitting on our Landrover bonnet.
As usual lions never failed to entertain us, from roaring nearly every night in the Mara to passing through the camp and even standing guard at the entrance. Their kills were plentiful as you would expect with millions of wildebeest about, but not many people can say they experienced a lion walk over and rip off the mudguard from a Landrover!!
The migration was once again fantastic - don’t believe everything you read Charles, as it was reported on the official Mara web site early October that the migration had moved on to Tanzania. It is true, though, that unfortunately Adrian and Yvonne never did see a crossing despite our best efforts. We had 18 days without a single crossing, then in late October the herds once again massed on the Mara River and we all enjoyed the exciting event once more and in most cases on more than one occasion. I always chuckle to myself as I hear the oohs, aahs and shouts as the crocs go in for the kill - funny how we support the wildebeest when it’s a croc or a hyena but when it’s a cheetah or leopard - well that’s another story!!
I have never seen as many servals as we did this summer and on so many occasions with kittens. Derek and Sally, who have been on safaris all over Africa over the years, many of them with us, said it was a first for them and even, as a bonus, watched a young female pounce and kill right in front of them. Have a look at the pictures.
I suppose the highlight for me this summer was the mating black rhinos in the Mara. That was an epic in itself, going on for some considerable time right out in the open. I suppose, because it is such a rare event which I have never seen in the Mara before, this made it my highlight - not all the action and excitement as, after all, we know how difficult it is even to see a black rhino now!
Finally I took Andy and Charles to Lake Bogoria particularly to look for the greater kudu. We had a fleeting glimpse of a really big male but he got away. We did, however, enjoy seeing a good size herd which posed well out in the open feeding and drinking from a waterhole, despite the poor light.
I could just go on and on highlighting experience after experience - like the hyenas chasing flamingoes at Lake Nakuru, but I think it is time to stop before this letter becomes a book. Suffice to say next year will be different as I hope our blog will keep you up to date safari by safari.
I would like to thank all my clients very much for choosing to join me on safari, you all have been wonderful and I have enjoyed your company in the bush. For those returning next year as well as my new clients I look forward to sharing my back yard with you.
I know it’s early but as I will be away in Australia with my sons and their families for Christmas, may I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and successful 2008.
Brian
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Newsletter May 2007
I am writing this Newsletter in the UK as there never seems to be enough time whilst in the bush in Kenya. The main news is that despite the rain we had very good sightings on safari and that I am going to be moving house.
I have never known the ‘short rains’ to continue for so long. They started in late October and have not really stopped since. The state of the grass and the level of the water in the Mara are as they would be at the end of the long rains, ready for the migration. Should the ‘long rains’ in April and May fail, conditions will be perfect for a fantastic migration. In January and February of this year, after terrific storms, the ground was saturated causing the black cotton soil to become unbelievably slippery. The rivers and gullies swelled up, making crossings very difficult. Andy took the following photograph and as you can see the water was over the bonnet – no room for failure here. I often wonder if I should run 4 x 4 driving courses in the rainy season!
Although conditions were difficult and very different to the drought of last year, we still managed to make the most of the sightings – big cats in long grass which certainly made focussing difficult! Lions, leopards and cheetahs made good use of the grass when stalking. My year runs from June to March and in the last safari year we had a cheetah kill on every single safari. The last one in March was really spectacular. We had watched three males from just after first light to about midday. After morning tea, taken in the vehicle, the three cheetahs started to move off, crossing the open plain using the long grass and stopping to take a drink. Continuing again to a patch of short green grass they spotted a male impala grazing some distance away. The lead cheetah started to stalk and what a fantastic stalk it was, freezing whenever the impala looked up and getting in close for the final charge. The impala then doubled back as the lead cheetah closed in but by this time the other two were close and the second cheetah made the kill – who said they never hunt as a group! – well, there’s always a first! They were so hungry they immediately tucked in with one always on the lookout. Cheetahs are not selfish eaters and do share.
In fact that was not the final kill of the season. When Tim and I returned to the Mara to close the camp we came across the same three cheetahs in the process of making a Tommy kill which they devoured within seconds. They then used the shade of the Landrover to rest. On a sad note, we saw a dead young female cheetah in Impala Glade, Samburu. I believe she had made an impala kill and had then been killed herself by a lioness who had taken the kill and was eating it only twenty yards away. On another occasion my Landrover was used as shade by a pair of lionesses, one getting right underneath. I tried to move her by starting and switching off the engine, but the whole ignition switch unit fell apart! It was some time before I could fix the switch so I had to call in the second Landrover to push me away.
The rain was not restricted to the Mara. Once again, when the crew were dismantling the Samburu camp, it poured buckets. Rain in March is a first here – quite unheard of!
Samburu was full of elephants and still provides the best leopard sightings and I want to mention Yvonne’s amazing spot, in failing light, of a leopard in a tree some distance away – a very difficult spot indeed and surely the best of the safari. It was the last evening and the leopard was just a silhouette with the classic twitching tail. What a way to end a safari – please come back, Yvonne!
I am moving house once again, to some land further round the lake, purchasing a plot
of 6 acres or so, a fantastic place with huge acacia trees and clear views down to
the lake. The plot is within a conservation area so we have eland, zebra, tommies,
giraffe and hippo to name but a few – all passing through.
The house is the usual
old property in need of modernisation and expansion. Water should not be a problem
as there is piped water and also our own borehole.
Finally, the crew are already out in the Mara, setting up the camp for the season and improving the area around the mess and kitchen. I am looking forward to a busy season, and there are just a few vacancies left so, if you have not already booked, please contact me soon!
I am also looking forward to meeting my new clients and to seeing old friends again.
You can expect my crew and me to go the extra distance to match your expectations,
but be prepared to work hard!!
Well, the rains over the festive season, which have
been exceptional this year, caught everyone by surprise. This is, of course, the
period of the ‘short rains’ and that is why I don’t run safaris between November
and the end of December.
You may well have noticed that there has been a lot in the news recently about overcrowding in Kenya’s Wildlife Parks and the Maasai Mara in particular. I have been waiting for such an outcry for a number of years now as I have seen the ‘white ants’ increase each year, fuelled by cheap bed prices which in turn has generated even further bed capacity. This vicious cycle fuels further demand to maintain occupancy and tour operator capacity and so it marches on to the point we have now reached in the Mara. We all know the importance of tourism to the world and I know of few countries not intent on increasing their share. We are no different and I note that capacity to Kenya has increased again this year with additional charter flights from the UK and a couple of other EC countries.
That’s great news for our country but it has to be ‘horses for courses’ and not at the cost of the environment. By this I mean that those who come to such a unique wildlife ecosystem as the Mara should come for the right reasons - come because they are interested in that uniqueness, in the whole wildlife cycle, because they are lovers of wildlife. To come just because it is part of a tour with minimum time out and about is surely wrong. Nothing makes me more angry than seeing visitors who quite clearly have no real interest other than to simply tick their visit off as a place they have been to. Unfortunately that seems to sum up 90% of those who visit our fantastic game parks.
It is not really the fault of the tourist, more how the product has been marketed over the years. Now the authorities have, at long last, seen the errors of the past. Capacity has been hiked to the point where it has had an adverse impact on the environment. The Mara is not a ‘South Africa Game Farm’, it is one of the last remaining wildlife ecosystems in the world and it needs managing in a positive way so as to maintain its ‘naturalism’. However, sadly the priority seems to be maintaining the level of income rather than considering the real long term view. How best to achieve this? Well, by penalising those most interested. So I am afraid we are the ones who are going to pay for the errors of the past.
The question is who will talk the loudest, the environmentalists or the businessmen controlling the money? Will changes take place quickly? Who knows, as those making the most noise seem to be the ones it will affect the most. Do they have the incentive to see it through quickly? So, to get down to the nitty gritty, how will all this affect you out on the ground? Very little. We operate well off the normal routes, not even visiting where ‘white ants’ fly. Yes, that’s what they do, they fly from one sitting to another. Other than at a few river crossings we are hardly disturbed by others, and then only by like-minded people. We hunt for our own game, we are out for hours on our own not seeing anyone. We just don’t tread where others do.
This is our uniqueness, this is why we are out all day, this is why we use Landrovers to get there in the first place. This is why we visit parts others don’t have time to. We have the experience to anticipate, we have the patience to wait, and this is why we match your expectations, this is why we are successful. Experience has taught me that nothing is absolutely predictable when working in the wild, but what I can guarantee is that we won’t stop trying and we will go that extra distance to get you results.
Of course, ultimately there could be cost implications in all this. If Park fees are doubled, I will have to pass that on, but I will look at every possible way of minimising the impact. But don’t let’s end on a sad note! All the foregoing should have no impact on our safaris out on the ground and as wildlife enthusiasts we must be positive that it is for the best. I am sure we will all benefit and, like so many of my clients, you will love the Mara and return again and again.
If you have any comments I look forward to hearing from you.
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Newsletter June to October 2006
It is 7 November and I am now back in the UK agonising over this newsletter which I should have written month by month. But you know, it was just too difficult as so much was happening in the bush - getting back late and just being too excited didn’t help. The pictures illustrating the events were taken, as most of you know, under the difficult conditions a safari leader finds himself – your pictures will, of course, be far superior! You could also have a look at Pete’s pictures go to http://www.pbase.com/juninho03/kenya06
So now how should I start? Well, I suppose, just as it comes to mind and therefore in no set order.
Naivasha House
We are now well settled and I love the house. My aim is to spend more
time enjoying the lake the birds and just the peace and quiet. As so many of you
have said you would like to spend a day recovering and enjoying the lake, I hope
from next year to spend an extra day at Naivasha going out onto the lake.
Internal Flights
What a difference flying in and out of the Mara and Samburu has made.
I just wish we had done it earlier - mind you the flights were not so frequent then.
Other than for poor Mel it worked extremely well; our agents in Nairobi got everyone
of you on the internal plane and you all arrived fresh despite the overnight flight
and, in the end, got in an extra day’s game viewing. Trust me, the 7 hours to the
Mara by road (what road? I keep saying), is extremely bumpy and dusty and totally
exhausting. I shall follow the same pattern next year and so will not be collecting
anyone from Nairobi.
Camps
Thank you all for being so complementary about my new camps which are as eco-
friendly as they can be; no fences, no permanent structures, no concrete, no rubbish
as all is taken out. I must say I also love my camps and agree that their natural
beauty far exceeds the glossiness and prettiness of what I call ‘the posh places’-
or am I too cynical? OK, horses for courses! I know I go on but sharing our sites
with the animals is so very unique, a privilege, it is important we do the minimum,
returning and leaving the areas as if we had never visited. The camps are now also
benefiting from the short rains.
Mara Camp
It is very surprising that such a wild site can still be found in the Mara,
so central yet totally off the beaten track. The twisty short road through the bushes
conceals the camp well; the mess tent overlooks a hippo pool, a great platform from
which we enjoy the animals and birds. The nightly activities inspired some interesting
stories at breakfast so thank goodness my Maasai askaris were there! The lions would
start as early as pre-dinner drinks and would continue throughout the night, on occasions
getting very close; we all agreed it was ‘the African night at its very best’
With the camp so central all our hunting areas, the Mara and Talek river crossings, the various plains and outcrops are much more easily accessible, and the beauty of it all was that we were on our own for the vast majority of the time. Most of you seemed very surprised that we saw so few vehicles. Certainly this area is a place ‘where no mini buses fly.’ It is too far from the lodges and river crossings, and just too difficult with miles and miles of lovely Africa where you have to look for the game. Other than ‘Bella area’ we were out on the plains enjoying the game all on our own. I just cannot describe how exhilarating and privileged we all felt. Certainly the events I describe below were for us and no one else - well maybe one other!
I have changed the daily routine in the Mara and we are now able to return to camp for lunch without affecting our game viewing but with the advantage of having time to sort pictures or just take time watching the hippo pool.
Samburu Camp
I have just moved the camp into the next glade as we had outgrown our
old site. We now have more trees and it is so much bigger. All the tents still over
look the river with the mess tent under an old acacia tree and the fire out on the
sand bank. Mind you we’ve had to move that a couple of times! The glade is shared
with a number of elephants, yes Baby Jayne still visits with her Mum, preferring
the shade of the tents. Impala, waterbuck, baboons, giraffe give us the once over
each time we drive in and out. The flow of the river has been anything from full
flow to just a trickle. Each phase has its unique happenings from hippos wallowing
to lions crossing. Would you believe the lorry managed to get terribly stuck on the
last camp strip-down with the river rising to such a height it flooded the cook’s
area. Luckily there were no tents still up. I am told the camp further down on the
other side was totally washed away, so it must have rained hard in the Aberdares.
Migration and Mara River Crossing
There is no doubt in my mind that the migration
is one of the wildlife wonders of the world. It has to be seen to be believed. It
is not just sheer numbers, it is all that is part and parcel of it, the interaction
with the cats and the environment. People often say ‘how can you capture this’, or
‘a picture will not do this justice’. Well, to me that summarises how wonderful the
experience is and why it must be seen. As so much has already been written about
this world wonder, I will stop now. But on the other hand, earlier on in the year
we had a huge number of wildebeeste who chose to remain behind and we saw more cubs
between Jan and Mar than during the migration. I believe that will be the case again
this coming year. So now I just can’t wait for January - hurry up Christmas! By the
way, if anyone has any spare cash mine’s a 300 IS f2.8 Canon lens!
It seems to me that the vast majority are under the impression that the migration crosses the river once on the way in and once on the way out. This is not so and as we saw this season crossings happen often and can even be daily when the grass is short. I was concerned that the last safari would not see a crossing as the wildebeest had started to cross in their 100,000s by mid October resulting in some really good photographic opportunities. Mind you I must train them next year to consider the light when deciding where to cross! The only reason for the early departure was the lack of water in the gullies, grass was not a problem. However, when it did start to rain in the Mara the wildebeest turned and re-crossed by the millions. My last day was right out in the middle of the largest herd I had seen this year. I was sitting and enjoying a farewell drink to celebrate our safaris and it was just pure, unforgettable magic.
All animals are skittish and the degree of skittishness is in proportion to the size of the herd so we all tend to think of the wildebeest as lacking in intelligence. They don’t, however - well not all the time! No, I can’t answer why they cross and then return, other than they must be like us - the grass is greener on the other side until you try it. The Mara is just so unique - it is large enough but it is all accessible and therefore by far the best place to see the migration. I just cannot understand why so many miss this spectacular wildlife event. Come with me and I won’t fail you.
Laikipia
Just as beautiful as ever and equally as hard. Sorry Stan, we failed to find
you the Wild Dogs in the 5 days you were there which emphasises just how tough it
is. I must say, despite the size of the area, local land issues and politics make
the search even more difficult. So you can imagine the sheer delight when we do make
contact - and in most cases we do. It took 3 days to find them with Derek and Sally
who have visited various African countries in the last 10 years and have never found
them. On the other hand David struck lucky on the 2nd day out of 3. Unfortunately
and sadly, one of the dogs had been caught in a snare and despite our sending a note
immediately to the Wild Dog team at Mpala, the poor animal died due to lack of instant
attention.
Wildlife Moments
Rather than mention every major happening I think it best if I highlight
a few that come to mind so I apologise if I have not included yours. Here goes!
Cheetah and Leopard kills all in one day
To me seeing a leopard kill in the open is
in itself just fantastic and very exceptional, but to see that just after a cheetah
kill is indescribable. I hate to think of the odds. This is why we spend whole days
out as the cheetah kill was at about 11:00 and the leopard was at about 13:00. On
every safari we enjoyed a cheetah kill so rather than explain the action have a look
at these pictures.
On the other hand leopards are a different ball game. I see probably one kill a year but come across many ‘just-misses’. So when Jock came into camp all excited, it had to be a biggy. A young wildebeest, separated from his mother, was with a herd of zebras and all alone. He chose to go down for a drink just at the wrong time. Just look at the picture - in the open and easily seen.
Kike
Having experienced Kike on ‘Bush Basher’s’ roof earlier in the year it was so
exciting to see her again, alive. It was pure joy as she had been very unwell. When
we found her she was recovering well although looking her age as you will see from
the pictures. We came across her way out in the middle of the plains well away from
anyone. I just have to say experiencing her on the bonnet was just out of this world,
unbelievable. Let’s hope we see her again at the beginning of the year.
Lion Kill
I mention this as it was such a special finale to the season. A lioness
with 3 beautiful cubs made a kill at about 11:30 on the last morning of the season
- what a way to end!
Finally, it just remains for me to thank you all so much for joining me in my back yard and for those of you joining me next year I just can’t wait to share our beautiful country with you. But before I go I would just like to remind those of you who have not visited Kenya that our game is not farmed or fenced; it is wild and free to roam. Where we roam off the beaten track you won’t get the crowds. Silly seasons are more down south. Pictures say so much more than words so here are a few moments to cherish
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Safari News Letter for January to March 2006
Jambo Sana,
WHAT A BEGINNING TO 2006 – A CHEETAH ON THE ROOF
Just back from three really great safaris! Here is what Tony and Cathy had to say:
“For Cathy and me it was our 3rd safari with Brian and for Pam her first, and what a first - you’ve seen it on the BBC but to experience a cheetah on the roof of your vehicle is an unforgettable experience! Kenya in January is hot and dry this year, we understand a little more than usual as the short rains had failed, yet some parts were still green. The wildlife was just amazing, we saw tiny lion cubs by the dozen in the Mara and had the experience of watching a cheetah kill. Excitement, adrenaline rush - all these things can’t describe how the event left everyone shaking. At the other end of the scale the fun and humour of watching a baby white rhino at Nakuru playing just like any other spoilt child; and seeing many different species in a short space of time drinking from a man-made waterhole – it was all fantastic! Samburu gave us our leopard sighting in the early morning on our first game drive and last thing at night in the golden hue of the setting sun. Also another first, two dik-dik, the tiniest and most placid little antelope, fighting like gladiators with their manes raised, trying to look bigger than they really are. We saw the Big 5 plus many cheetah and way too many birds to list them all. If anyone ever comes up with a ‘little 5’ we probably saw them too. We go home with our photos and videos, but best of all our memories. I think that, rather than going into greater detail, let me just finish by saying we thought it impossible to imagine this safari could be better than our previous one. Well it was, Cathy, and I have already decided it won’t be our last. So keep 2 places in 2008 and, who knows, the usual crew will probably join us and we very much hope Pam will too”.
And from Lesley: “I just want to write to thank you for a fantastic safari, the best I have been on. It was lovely spending time out watching and enjoying the game, large and small. As you know I have been visiting Africa for many years – it’s in my blood. Every safari has been a wonderful experience. This was my 4th visit to Kenya and was by far the best, so now I am looking forward to my safari with you in July. Let’s hope I have sorted all my photographs by then!”
Every safari is different but I must say that the four areas, Mara, Nakuru, Laikipia and Samburu lived up to my usual expectations and confirmed without any doubt that they are the best in Kenya and the Mara is by far the best in Africa.
Yes, it was extremely dry - dryer than usual - but you have to remember that this is a very dry and hot time of the year for us. It is a fantastic time to travel, to see the game and to take pictures as the animals are more focused on water, the grass is short and the light superb. I was just amazed at the number of wildebeest and zebra as well as all the other plain game - and all with calves, far more than usual. There is sufficient grass to see the game through. As Tony said, there were lion cubs by the dozen from every age. The excitement of seeing a lone lioness with 4 very small cubs fighting off a lone old crotchety bull buffalo - well, it had all our hearts in our mouths for some time but was an experience I certainly will never forget.
I think it is probably best if I touch on the drought, as I understand it has recently been in the press on a number of occasions. Lets put it into context. We all know how misleading the press can be. Certainly, locally, we do not see it in the same light that you may as drought in dry areas is not uncommon in Africa. That is not to say we should expect it as a norm, far from it. It is so unpredictable and therefore difficult to plan for, especially with limited resources. Despite all the dramatic reporting nothing changes on the ground and everyone involved knows it has to be met head on and tackled on a daily basis. There is no immediate solution and it is not just a shortage of food or grazing for the herds.
The situation in Africa has changed for those most affected by drought. Land allocation no longer allows a nomadic lifestyle. Schemes of range management, large scale wheat growing projects, selling off land to land-hungry small scale cultivators – all these things are depriving those most affected of resources essential to their way of life. This change, coupled with the huge increase in population and a considerable increase in their wealth in terms of flocks and herds has resulted in large areas being overgrazed so that they are hardly able to recover in normal rains, let alone failure of the short rains.
What is the answer to this huge problem? What is for sure is that to survive is to adapt. The abolition of tribal distinctions and blending of all into one united people is most Government’s long-term aim. However this is not an easy way forward as the loss of traditions is having adverse effects in the short to medium term, and I see these situations every day in many different ways.
I am positive we will overcome our current hardships. We have come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Education is changing parochial and tribal views, people are leaving their home towns and settling elsewhere to marry outside their tribes. This merging will take time. It will, however, change the face of Africa. Nations will become united countries rather than a collection of tribes.
So don’t be put off, be positive and look to our long term future. The country needs your mone