Month: April/May 2007
Weather and grasslands:
April and May was on the whole quiet but some quality game
viewing was still to be had. There were scattered clouds and rain with intervals
of good weather for most part of the off season, rainfall for the month of April
161 mm and for May 85 mm. Most species of grasses within the grassland plains of
the reserve and parts of the Masai conservation areas are still long. The Mara
River has barely changed and rose up one meter and went quickly down on the 19th
of May.
General Game:
Many species of plains game are still dispersed due to the
long grass; the daily game drives are often long with a picnic aboard so to
spend more time out.
Good sightings of Elephants can be seen in
the Marsh and also through out the riverine woodlands of the Mara River often
while having your lunch or dinner one can see or hear them pass through the
Governors’ camps. Good many of them move out and will spend long periods of time
in the acacia woodlands of the Masai conservation areas. Elephant are very fond
of the acacia Gerrardii which is the prevalent acacia here and one can see many
trees within these woodlands that are stripped of their bark or else a specific
tree is often quite stripped down. The Masai peoples through out their pastoral
home ranges of East Africa use many acacia species in their day to day lives of
which the Acacia Gerrardii bark has few uses and attributes, the inner fibrous
bark tissue is rubbed together to form a cord or string that is used to bind the
wooden frame work of their houses, there is also a pungent smell when the bark
has been exposed by elephant feeding off it and this is what the elephant like
to eat and the Masai here will also use the sucrose as an aid to beer
fermentation. The fruits of the Warburgia Ugandensis trees have stopped fruiting
so this has eased off the presence of Elephant in the camps. Good numbers of
Topi with their 6-7 month old calves are seen on the eastern
plains of Paradise and also on the slopes of Rhine Ridge, many also may be seen
in the Masai conservation areas. Cokes hartebeest can be found
in small scattered herds through out the reserve and conservation areas.
Masai Giraffe can be seen through out the
reserve and conservation areas with the Riverine and acacia woodlands being
favoured due to their high cellulose intake of browse value. Warthogs
will be seen throughout the reserve; the shorter grass plains of the
conservation areas are perhaps better places to see them although good numbers
can be seen on Paradise and within the Musiara marsh, more often a sow and her
two offspring averaging 7-8 months old are the more common sightings to be had.
The resident Impala are ever present within the Camp woodland
habitats; the Musiara marsh, riverine and acacia woodlands are also good places
to see them, there area few fawns of which a few have been seen taken by the
resident Black Backed Jackals. Grant’s and Thomson
gazelles can be found on the shorter grass plains with the Grants Gazelle
encroaching more so into the longer grass areas. A small breeding herd of some
females and a male can be seen on the verge of the woodlands in the Marsh.
Eland in small breeding herds of approximately 10-40 animals
have been seen on the Paradise plains and towards the double crossing area in
the south of the reserve close by to the Masai group ranch’s, small scattered
herds of cows and calves can also be seen in Koiyaki to the east of the reserve.
Newsflash:
Early on in May many Zebra were seen moving through
the Eastern Koiyaki conservation areas and stayed for a short time on the
Musiara plains of the reserve, they are more so being seen on the shorter grass
plains of the conservation areas.
Spotted Hyenas are still seen through the
Mara ecosystem with good numbers on the shorter grass plains in the conservation
areas where there is still a reasonable abundance of plains game. Spotted Hyena
compete strongly with the larger predators such as Lion and with good numbers of
Lion in the reserve the Hyena are better off where there is not so much pressure
and competition from the other large predators. Off the three large Hyena
species the spotted Hyena is the most advantageous as it is a proficient
predator where as the other two the stripped Hyena and the Brown Hyena of Sub
Saharan Africa are more opportune in their scavenging and foraging habits.
Silver Backed jackals are also commonly seen all over as the
habit here is favourable for this little monogamous canid, early mornings are
still good times to see them, they have a catholic diet and like many of the
canid species they will eat most things from fruit, insects to young gazelles
and one has to give them their dues, they are very determined predators in that
many professional guides have photographed and witnessed s single Jackal
struggling and often succeeding in pulling down adult Thomson gazelles.
Serval Cats have been seen in the grasslands within most areas of the
reserve, Servals are excellent jumpers and with their large ears have very good
hearing so rodents provide a large portion of their diet.
There have been some very good game sightings in the
Mara Conservancy and as this is a drier area there is
better game distribution with good sightings of general plains game.
Elephant are recorded being seen in larger numbers with many calves.
Many Cheetah are being seen notably a female with three cubs
who are estimated at 6-8 months old. Another female has been seen with two cubs
that are estimated at 3-4 months old. A lone female and another male are also
being seen and driver guides are saying that up to 7 different cheetahs can be
seen in a mornings drive.
Cats
Lion:
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The Bila Shaka/Marsh pride has been spending much of
their time in the conservation areas to the east of the reserve and
latterly they can be seen in the Bila Shaka and marsh grasslands. In
early April a few changes have happened here starting with three large
males who arrived from the Paradise/Rhino ridge areas, there was
evidence of a fracas with the resident pride male. He subsequently moved
out with a few scratches only. Three of the 25 month old male sub adults
have also moved away and can be seen often between the Marsh and
Paradise. Some time later theses new males were seen in their own
territory which is within the Paradise plains and southern grasslands of
Rhino Ridge. Strangely a few weeks later the original pride male moved
back and one could see most of the pride together. This behaviour was a
little odd in that these males went back and forth. The new males are
back as this is written with the Bila Shaka females and the old pride
male has not been seen for a few days now. The three 22 month old sub
adults of three females and one male have kept their distance and can
often be seen up to a few kilometres away. This pride originally
consisted of one pride male, four breeding females, four 26 month-old
male cubs, 1 male and 3 female 23 month old cubs and one 7 month old
cub. This lone cub of 7 months has not been seen lately and could be the
result of infanticide from any one of the three new incomers. The
Single female with her male and female ten-month-old
cubs who were with the Bila Shaka pride have also been seen away from
the other females as her two cubs and the 7 moth old cub belong to the
old pride male, these were the only cubs he sired out of this pride, the
other 8 sub adults were from his brother who was killed by the present
three males from Paradise 2½ years ago. The Bila Shaka females have been
seen feeding off Zebra and on the 2nd of May they were all seen with the
pride male who had killed a Zebra. The three young males have been seen
feeding of Topi, warthog and Zebra.
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The Paradise pride of three males, five breeding
females, three sub-adults, six 16 month old cubs, four 12 month old
cubs, one 10 month old cub and two 6 month old cubs. Lion in the
paradise plains areas have been seen but apparently this coalition has
split with some members perhaps on the other side of the river. On the
16th of May three females were seen feeding off the remains of buffalo.
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The Rhino ridge pride of two breeding females, two
males; three 19-month-old cubs and would be seen within the eastern
Rhino ridge plains and the southern side plains of Bila Shaka. No
further reports to confirm pride numbers although many would or
suspected have split up but unlike other felids lionesses of pride
coalitions consist mainly of related members and it is not uncommon for
members of a pride to wonder apart sometimes for long periods,
environmental conditions can often determine this.
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No new sightings of the Single Gorge/Acacia pride of 5
breeding females, three 8-month-old cubs and two males. They were last
seen in the top end of the double gorge and on the ‘fly over’ plains in
Koiyaki.
Walking in Koiyaki Conservation Area.
The walking area lies north east of the Masai Mara game
reserve.
There were not many walks this last two months along with the
long grass and morning due wet shoes were not uncommon, although within a few
hours it would all dry up. Giraffe are commonly seen as they
wonder from one woodland belt to another. Many Zebra have been
seen moving through and they first noticed on the 7th of May. Elephant
come and go with average herd sizes of 6-18; they can spend quite long periods
of time in these Acacia woodlands. Topi are also about but in
small numbers, mainly being territorial males who stand out like figure heads in
the long grass. Lion have been heard and their tracks seen
which indicates they are about, on the 21st there were the leftovers of a male
buffalo more than likely killed by lion the evening before in the Acacia
woodlands. Many Impala will be seen in the grasslands and also
within the woodlands..
