Governors’ Camp Game Report, Masai Mara
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Weather and grasslands
In the last month we were treated to gorgeous pastel dawns with the sun rising at 6.41 am. The early morning temperatures were averaging 17°C and mid day 29-31°C. The water levels are very low in the Mara River with hippo pods congregating into deeper pools with much resonating honks from dominant bulls as the sounds reverberate down the river. There is still reasonable dew on the grass in the early morning and this burns off relatively quickly. A few light showers of rain fell mostly in the evenings with a 10-12 mm being as much at any one time, the total rainfall of 73.5mm.
Elephant in their related family units can be seen within the Marsh grasslands and woodlands. Midday is a good time to see them in the Marsh itself. Large bulls pass back and forth with a few of the larger and older bulls in Musth. There are many claves some of which some are very young and very entertaining. Many of the fruit from the Warburgia trees (African green heart or pepper tree) have dropped and eased off, although some large bulls will still rattle a tree for the little fruit that is left.
Many of the wildebeest and calves that came through in mid February have moved back out to the Eastern short grass plains in Maasai land by mid March the Musiara and Bila Shaka grassland plains seemed suddenly very quiet.
We have seen many giraffes even within the camps as they move through the riverine woodlands browsing from trees to shrubs. Within the riverine vegetation is a robust woody climber called Capparis Tormentosa which can grow to the top of the canopy. It may also be a straggling shrub or small tree. The stem has sharp, paired, and hooked spines. Young stems and spines are covered in dense velvety yellow hair and the fruit is orange when ripe. This shrub in many areas of Kenya is not popular with pastoral people and they say that there are toxins in the leaves and fruit which affect cattle and camels. Although giraffe have been seen browsing off the leaves of this shrub with little to no affect. There are many eland with calves who come and go, a lovely herd was seen in the Marsh and riverine woodlands and whist in the woodlands they have also been browsing for limited times off this shrub. Within a breeding herd of eland calves will often be seen in crèches while mothers graze and browse nearby. The larger bulls move within these breeding herds.
Bohor’s reed buck are seen on a daily basis particularly in areas of long coarse grasses like the Marsh verges. Males have horns and the females do not and will often be seen in a group. Male calves are driven away from the herd after six months, and form bachelor herds until they become fully mature at the age of four years. These males then often form their own groups or older males can be on their own.
The large herd of buffalo who’s last count was 286 animals are at Bila Shaka sometimes moving into the bottom grassland areas of Rhino Ridge and Paradise Plains. There are a many calves in this breeding herd, two of which were taken by predators one by hyena and the other by lion. A few cows have also been taken by the Marsh Pride as well as two large breeding bulls.
Topi and their five month old calves are spread out with good congregations of them on Paradise Plains and also on Topi Plains. Male topi who are a little darker and bigger can be seen on their breeding grounds with individuals standing on well trodden leks. Topi can go for long periods of time without drinking if there is dew on the grass this will sustain them. Topi also have a shiny coat which looks like it has been polished, this is typical of a short haired coat and it deflects heat. Cokes Hartebeest are also in small groups on Paradise Plains and Bila Shaka. The calves are the same age as those of the Topi who calved down in October to December. Impala breeding herds with fawns of varying age groups are within the woodlands and on the open plains, a few females are heavily pregnant so hopefully some fawns will be seen soon, fawns are suckled for 4-6 months, and the doe will look for a secluded spot to give birth. Males are the ones who have horns only and stay on their own in bachelor herds while still sparring with one another over hierarchy. The males are very vocal and will snort and roar. This roaring in the males only suggests that the males have a more modified skull and larynx so as to amplify a perhaps weak bleat into a loud roar that carries far. Impala are among the dominant species in many savannas. They can adapt to different environment by being grazers in some areas and browsers in others. They graze when the grass is green and growing and browse at other times. They will also browse on shoots, seedpods and foliage. Impala have fetlock glands and these will expand as they jump purposely from side to side as they flee from all possible adversaries. Herds will use specific areas for their excrement. Impala are active during both day and night and are dependent on water. The presence of an Impala herd is generally an indicator of water close by. Impala and eland are similar in that they can thrive in areas where pure grazers cannot survive. Warthog with 2-3 young piglets that are now 4-5 months old are in most areas of open grassland. Lion, cheetah and leopard prey on warthog regularly.
On the 21st March we received a huge influx of zebra as large numbers of them poured into the Masai Mara National Reserve from the Conservation areas that lie to the east of the reserve. Zebrahave also been seen crossing over from the Mara conservancy in the west, some individuals have been seen with large wounds on their flanks and shoulders which are more than likely from crocodile attacks. Many remain throughout Bila Shaka, Musiara Plains and the Musiara Marsh and through into the Masai conservation areas to the north east of the Reserve. Lion have taken many of these zebra now with 8 of the Marsh pride females taking a zebra at 4.30pm on the 22nd February with the zebra ending up in the Marsh.
The stripes of a zebra have caused much speculation as to the why the stripes are present. Certainly in dappled light, in a herd, they help to dazzle a predator. The white stripe would most aptly act as a window to deflect heat. All zebra patterns are like our finger prints in that they are all individuals and foals have to imprint their mother’s coat pattern at an early stage in life. The plains zebra are highly social and usually form small family groups called ‘harems’, which consist of a single stallion, several mares, and their recent offspring. The adult membership of a harem is highly stable, typically remaining together for months to years.
Large troops of Olive Baboons are seen all over, specifically in areas with good tree cover and or rocks, being omnivores baboons have a varied diet so whatever is available they will eat from roots, flowers, fruit, leaves and meat. Often when they start to forage in the early hours of the morning one can see bush buck among them. Defassa waterbuck are also found on the Marsh verges or close to the woodlands. Waterbuck particularly the defassa waterbuck are very water dependent. They will eat a variety of grasses, both medium and short in length. Their diet is high in protein. When the amount of available grass is low, Defassa waterbuck will venture further a field and will supplement their diet with herbs and small shrubs to satisfy their needs.
The large African Rock Python has been seen again from the hole of the termite mound at Bila Shaka. We think that it is a female as a driver guide thought he saw s a cluster of eggs deep in the hole, female pythons lay their soft shelled eggs typically in old aardvark holes and will lay up to 50-100 eggs and she will incubate them for 2-3 months. This Python killed and ate a full grown male Thompson Gazelle on the 5th of August last year.
There have been some good sightings of two male black rhino on Paradise Plains. On the 21st another male Black Rhino was seen moving fast through the Marsh in the afternoon but we have not seen him since.
On the 26th there was a large hatching of caterpillars of the family (Pieridae) and could well be of the genus Dixeia Sp, and they are everywhere. There are also some rather attractive colored caterpillars that are in fact the larval stage of Hawk Moths (Family: Sphingidae) who are strong fliers.
Lion
Bila Shaka / Marsh Pride
There are up to 23 lion in this pride which includes the four males. There is one sub adult female who is approximately 2-3 years old and she has two brothers who are most often seen near paradise plains and below Bila Shaka river bed. The dominant females all mated with the new males in February. We often see the four males Scar, Hunter, Morani and Sikio and they have all also been mating with the four young lionesses. Scar has fought a few times with Hunter and both are still together but a little ways apart. Morani and Sikio also seem to spend time together when lionesses are in oestrus. On the 26th the lioness that was being mated by Scar killed a warthog and all four were there although Scar dominated the situation. They have been feeding well off buffalo, zebra and warthog.
Four lion of the Ridge Pride; 2 adult lionesses and two sub-adults (a lion and a lioness) have been seen frequently, although earlier on in the month near Topi Plains two of the adult lionesses and two 4 month old cubs have also been seen.
There is a lioness of the Olkiombo Pride that has a 5 week old cub and she has been seen often. Notch and his four sons have been seen near the Talek River and double crossing area. Notch was seen on the 27th near the Olkiombo air strip.
There are two new males lion that have been seen on the Paradise Plains, on the 16th March the larger of the two males was seen on a termite mound near the Bila Shaka crossing.
On the 13th March a young 10 year old elephant died in the open grassland plain between the riverine woodland of Il Moran and the Marsh, this brought in two male lion and they fed off this elephant for a number of days. The four Marsh females also fed of this elephant and so did 30 odd spotted Hyena. These lion moved away towards Paradise Plains a few days later and were seen again at the bottom end of Bila Shaka on the 29th.
Another male was seen on Rhino ridge on the 29th at 9.00am with a fresh zebra Kill, there were three lionesses and two sub adults nearby and many Spotted Hyenas but with the male lion present these hyena were holding back and eventually eased away. There are two large hyena den sites on Rhino Ridge and hyena can number up to 50 when challenging lion over a kill site, if there were no male lion present hyena can often have the upper hand. Male lion given the chance will kill hyena and this phenomenon is known as ‘predatory aggression’ He was again seen at 4.30pm with the zebra kill almost finished. This is now in the last two days three different male lion between Rhino Ridge Bila Shaka and Paradise Plains.
Cheetah
There have been good sightings of cheetah over the last month. We often see the female of Paradise and Rhino Ridge as well as the two males from Topi Plains, they have been feeding off impala and Thomson Gazelle. Cheetah prefer open areas with short grass being a cursorial they need space to run their prey down. Another young male was seen near Musiara gate on the 21st and this male may have come on from the Mara North conservancy, according to driver guides he has been seen hunting Thomson Gazelles more often north of the Musiara plains.
Leopard
Olive and her two cubs that are 4-6 weeks old are being seen in a rocky croton thicket on the Talek River, we had good sightings of them 8th-12th and just recently Olive has been seen but not her cubs. She has apparently moved them to another location not far away. This is often common with female leopard and their cubs and will be moved about quite often in the first two months of giving birth.
Olive’s daughter has been seen often the other side of the Talek River to where her mother is a very good sighting of her was on the 29th at 10.15am. The female leopard near the croton thickets at Paradise, has two cubs a male and a female which are estimated at 6 months old now. She has not been seen often and the 8th at 8.30am she was seen walking back to the river. A male was seen at 9.30am on the 16th near the paradise crossing points. A driver guide saw a male and female mating in a croton thicket on the 22nd near the crossing point at Paradise.
Walking in the Mara North Conservancy.
Lovely sunrises started the walks on a good footing. Early mornings are cool with dew on the grass. We have had lovely sightings of elephant in family units of 6 -12 animals, they spend much of their time feeding off grass which is the main part of a savannah elephants diet. Their dung contains fruit from the Warburgia trees (Elephant pepper tree) that are common on the Mara River and also on the banks of the Olare Orok and Ntiaktiak Tivers in the Mara North Conservancy. There are many calves within these family units and the interesting to note is that at birth, a calf’s trunk has no muscle tone; it will suckle through its mouth. It takes several months for a calf to gain full control of its trunk.
Zebra in good numbers can be seen crossing the Olare Orok River and it appears that they have come from the east. Many of these zebra have also continued into the Mara Reserve.
There have been lots of giraffe with a herd of 26 being seen at any one time. Calves are often in crèches similar to that of eland and females will browse from tree to tree. Giraffe have also heavily browsed the acacia Hockii which are in small groves all of these trees are now very stunted. This Acacia has a very pretty yellow flower that is scented. There is one large male giraffe who we call white face and he will, like many bull giraffe travel large distances looking for females in oestrus. Impala breeding herds within the acacia woodlands are ever present and a joy to see.
Thomson Gazelles are abundant on the open plains above and below the fly over ridge with females aggregating between loose associated herds while males holding and marking territory boundaries with olfactory communication. Male Thomson Gazelles have a prominent pre-orbital gland that contains a black sticky substance which they will paste onto a grass stem with intricate accuracy, this secretion is made up of two clear substances apocrine and Holocrine and held together with melanin. Grants Gazelles are also in similar areas to that of the Thomson and males will hold bachelor herds or dominant males will escort his herd of females.
There is a breeding herd of buffalo who numbered 110 individuals at our last count. There are a few old bulls that are sedimentary in their movements and will be found quite often in roughly the same place. There are two herds of eland one of 8 females a two breeding males and the other of 24 females and five bulls of varying ages. The bulls of breeding age are very large and sexually dimorphic with a velvet mat on their forehead a well developed dewlap, are larger and grey in colour, a bull eland will be as heavy as or heavier than that of a bull buffalo.
Lion have been seen on a few occasions with 4 adult females and their nine cubs of which 4 are 6 months old and 5 are 7 months old, they were seen briefly on the 12th in a croton thicket and it appeared that they were feeding on wildebeest. There is also a male that was seen on the fly over on the 14th and he was seen again on the 23rd on the little croton hill below the white highland ridge.
Three different cheetahs have been seen altogether. There is a female with two cubs that are estimated at 4 months old. They were seen on the 14th near the fly over and again on the 19th near the lone Balanites tree and on this occasion there was only the one cub, they had killed and were feeding off a female impala at approximately 6.30am. Many of these Balanites trees show the giraffe browse line and so does the Gardenia ternifolia who’s white and yellow centred flower has a sweet smell. The fruit of this tree is used by the Maasai as a drinking cup when cut open and scraped out.
I hope to read from you soon.
Yours Sincerely, Steve,MD EYES ON NATURE EXPEDITIONS LTD(TOURS AND TRAVEL) COMMERCE HSE,MOI AVENUE 3RD FLOOR ,SUITE 311 P.O BOX 79456-00200,Nairobi,Kenya. TELFAX: 254-20-2229781 CELL PHONE: 0722-761587,0734-939308 E-MAIL: info@eyesonnatureexpeditions.com http://www.eyesonnatureexpeditions.com Blog :http://www.eyesonnatureexpeditions.com/blog http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294206-i9216-k4272070-o10-Eyes_on_nature_expeditions-Kenya.html
We hope to share the magic of our corner of the Mara with you sometime soon.
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Weather and grasslands
The little critters
A mass of candles for earth hour