Weather and grasslands
April has been a relatively dry month with some nice sunrises, there were cool mornings, but the days soon warmed up, often with heavy cloud builds up during the late afternoons; humidity averages at 75-80%. Rainfall for the month was 66mm of which 32mm fell on the 17th this brought the Musiara marsh level up, the tributary rivers that flow into the Talek River and also the main Mara River gained a few feet in height.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Reynolds
Grass levels are still holding in many areas and they are beginning to dry out, the Musiara plains and Marsh have had huge herds of resident zebra since mid month and they remained for the last two weeks of the month. Paradise Plains still holds some long dense grass; buffalo love to graze here and Elephant are also passing through.
On the plains
Early on in the month large herds of resident zebra and a few wildebeest were grazing on Topi plains, Malima Tatu and Olare Orok areas; then on the 18th these large herds of zebra came through into the Musiara Plains, east and west Marsh and north Bila Shaka grasslands. The resident lion prides and Spotted Hyena clans have been feeding off these zebra and wildebeest. On the 19th and 20th an estimated 500 wildebeest and zebra crossed the Mara River coming from the Trans Mara in the west and forded the river at the main crossing point, there were no casualties from crocodile. On the 21st more zebra crossed the Olare Orok River and moved into the double crossing areas. On the 24th the grasslands on the Musiara Plains and East Marsh emptied out with many of the larger herds of zebra moving into the north Masai conservancies. On the 28th more zebra filed back down from the north east conservancies into the west and east marsh grasslands. Large herds have now congregated in the east marsh grasslands
Photo courtesy of Jo Plisnier
Topi herds are congregated in the north Musiara grasslands, Malima Tatu area and the east fan of Rhino Ridge and a small herd on top of Rhino Ridge, they are now quite spread out with the dry conditions again prevailing, the Topi Plains in the south are now quite dry, with short grass. The topi herds that were on the south bank of the Bila Shaka earlier in the month have now moved into the Musiara plains. A few small herds of Cokes Hartebeest will be seen on Topi Plains and the east bank of the Olare Orok River.
The Spotted Hyena clans of Bila Shaka, Silanga and Topi Plains have been very active with two Zebra taken; one on Bila Shaka by the Bila Shaka clan and the other on Topi plains with the Topi plains clan. These two are very big clans.
Hippos are being very vocal in the Mara River as water levels drop; pod densities encroach with resident and dominant males or âDons âconfronting each other. As conditions dry out they have to head out to graze earlier in the evenings and arrive back into the river later in the morning hours. The resident male lion coalition has taken a toll on young and older hippo as they start to come away from the river and whilst still out in the early hours. Many Hippos have died in the river in the last few weeks with the resident crocodiles feeding off them.
The large flock of 47 immature ostriches has been in the East Marsh Grasslands for the last days of the month. Southern Ground Hornbills are also seen in most areas of Musiara. Mosque swallows are collecting nest materials at the moment and the Kori Bustards were displaying earlier on in the month.
Elephant in small family units have been well spread out across the Marsh and grassland plains of Musiara. A few bulls in Musth have been passing through and some younger bulls have been seen sparring in the marsh areas, on the 19th near the north end of the marsh two older bulls clashed for over 30 minutes with one of them being knocked over into the marsh. There have been younger bulls in bachelor herds that move in between the camps, one group of three bulls have been quite destructive when in the camps although they soon move on. Right at the end of the month there was an incident at Little Governors Camp, at lunchtime, 48 elephants moved througb the camp to feed and drink from the Marsh infront of camp, all of a sudden one of the young claves became stuck in the mud. There was much trumpeting and panic amongst the older elephants and eventually they managed to free the young calf. Panic over the herd contined to graze around camp.
Photos courtesy of Dave Richards
The Warburgia fruit have now stopped fruiting and this has meant that the elephant and Olive Baboons have moved out into the grasslands to feed. Olive Baboons and Impala are common residents within the west marsh and riverine woodlands; the main BBC campsite troop has over 150 members along with many young infants of varying ages.
Giraffe have seen a come back with large male herds being seen and they are sparring with each other. Female herds with calves are more likely to be closer to the acacia woodlands outside and on the periphery of the main National Reserve. There have also been some good sightings of a tower of giraffe as they walk across the open grassland plains, this makes a beautiful iconic African sight. Giraffe are browsers and will also feed on herbs and fresh shrubs on ground level, they also enjoy the cucumis species (a spiny vine that covers the ground;) ostriches, elephant and rhino all eat this vine too. Older and dominant male giraffe tend to follow female breeding herds and can travel great distances, males also will browse upon the leaves of the Warburgia trees whose leaves are very hot and other aromatic leaves like the Croton dichogamous, the leaves of the croton are pungent and aromatic, all these hot and aromatic leaves that are browsed upon leave the coat of the giraffe often with a distinct odor.
Photo courtesy of Moses Manduku
Warthogâs sounders with one or two females of last yearâs off spring and young piglets that are 8-9 months old are well spread out on the open plains, about 40% of piglets die before they reach 4 months old with weather and temperature conditions causing a high mortality rate. Predation is also an important factor; the camps harbor many warthogs and the resident lion prides have worked this out.
Thompson Gazelles are also in large numbers; females with young fawns are being seen in loose scattered herds across the short grass plains, males have been sparring for territory status; sparring of Thompson males is often a short affair the males often interlocking horns and freezing them to ground level. Impala herds are seen in all areas of the reserve and along the East marsh. There are a few herds of Grants Gazelles with female and bachelor herds of males. Topi have moved back and forth within the West Topi Plains and South East Topi and Rhino Ridge plains, moving as and when the rain falls. Small herds of Cokes Hartebeest are resident across Bila Shaka, Paradise Plains and Topi Plains. There are two herds of eland one on the Lower Topi plains and the other below Emartii hill; these Eland herds are small in the Mara with a breeding herd to exceeding 100 animals and males will be seen in bachelor herds or individually is when they reach full maturity.
We have had two sightings of the African Wildcat this month, both sightings were short since these are small cats and often very shy. Serval cats are the more common grass cat and this month we have had regular sightings of them on the Bila Shaka river bed and on Paradise Plains, the three legged female Serval Cat has also been seen on the south bank of the Bila Shaka and she looks very healthy.
Lion
The marsh pride have split up this month with lioness Charm and her two three month old cubs, Lioness Kito with her 4, two month old cubs and lioness Rembo have all moved north east to leopard gorge. The three older cubs are with Kabibi and Dada they are six months old and have spent much time away from the Marsh. On the 19th they returned via the north marsh and passed through IL Moran Camp at 6.00am in the morning, they crossed the Oxbow River and killed and ate a baboon on the other side of the dried oxbow. Since then they passed through the camp again on the 25th when they had tried to hunt one of the resident camp warthogs but the warthogs took off too quickly, these two lionesses and their three cubs passed through the camp and killed a Zebra later in the morning close to the west marsh. They have been hunting along the river and as far as the north marsh areas, the other two marsh lionesses are on the East side of the Marsh and had also been feeding off the many zebra around the East Marsh, they were last seen on the 29th resting in the East Marsh reed bed, they both looked well fed.
Yaya and her two 23 month old female cubs are residing in the Bila Shaka river bed. On the 8th of the month the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust team treated Yaya for a wound she had sustained on her right rear lower leg; she has since healed well and was eating a zebra with her two cubs in the early hours on the 21st of the month, she had killed a Topi on the 24thand is improving daily.
The two marsh male lions Jambo and Bahati had been seen earlier on in the month near the escarpment in the north Marsh area; On the 5th a young Giraffe had died close to the Little Governors crossing and was being fed on by the marsh lion and many hyenas, the two marsh males Jambo and Bahati were seen feeding off this giraffe in the early morning of the 6th. A few days later they went further north into the Masai conservancy and have since been with the three lionesses Charm, Rembo and Kito, they were last seen on the 26th in the double gorge area of the Mara North conservancy.
The six Paradise male lion coalition have been seen often this month; they had come across again from the Trans Mara and moved up via the Paradise Plains. In the latter two weeks of the month these six paradise males have been hunting and eating buffalo, hippo and giraffe, on the morning of the 17th the six males stalked two sleeping Cape Buffalo, one of the male lion put his paw on the rump of one the two buffalo males, the buffalo obviously shocked suddenly shot up, both buffalo then ran into the dense riverine woodland thicket, the six male lions pursued and killed one of the buffalo very quickly; everything prey species that are within the sights of these six nomadic males is taken down. In the last week they have been on Rhino Ridge hunting zebra and topi.
Three of the Musketeers (Scar, Morani and Hunter and Sikio) have been habituating the southern areas of Paradise Plains; they have been feeding off hippo and buffalo.
The Paradise Pride of six lionesses and many cubs of varying ages are split into two units; some have crossed the river into the Trans Mara while the others are south from the main crossing point and have taken up residence here near the Chinese Hill. They have been feeding off buffalo and warthog. One of the younger breakaway lionesses has two cubs that are estimated at 4 months old. Three other lionesses have 9 cubs altogether of which three are 10 months old and five are 14 months old, these lionesses and their cubs are now being seen on the open Paradise Plains areas.
The Madomo pride of 16 lion have taken up residence near the Malima Tatu and on the east side of the Olare Orok River, Madomoâs sister has three cubs that are estimated at two months old, the four nine month old sub-adults of Madomo, Madomoâs daughter the pale lioness has two cubs that are five months old. Madomoâs other sister has one cub that is two months old and this little cub being single has attitude. On the 17th and 18th the fourth lioness was being mated by male lion Lipstick.
This is the most active pride of all the lion in the Musiara areas and will take in the southern hill of Rhino as part of their home range. The two males Lipstick and Blackie are often seen below Emartii Hill although they will join the pride to feed and mate. They have been feeding off topi, zebra and eland.
Leopard
Siri the female leopard with her two 5 month old cubs has been residing within the rocky Kopjes, she has been seen often in the early mornings, and we have had glimpses of her two cubs. She has been hunting and feeding off Impala, Thompsons Gazelle and also the rock Hyrax that inhabit the rocky Kopjes. On the 6th Siri was seen on the western fan of Rhino Ridge; she kept moving from thicket to thicket and appeared to be hunting, she timed herself wrong for she walked straight into four lionesses from the Paradise Pride, Siri quickly backed off down towards the river side.
Saba of the Olare Orok and her two nine month old cubs a male and female are still are very popular, the female seems to like her photo being taken she is very photogenic. Saba has taken on feeding off Impala, Warthog and Topi. Saba and one cub were seen trying to hunt Thompson Gazelles on the 29th on the Olare Orok River they were not successful this time around.
A young female leopard (daughter of Saba) has been seen hunting close to Sabaâs home range on the 8th of April she was seen walking almost the length of the Olare Orok River, she has been seen again on the 22nd near the river bed that flows into the Olare Orok, she had killed a young Thompson Gazelle that morning. On another occassion she was not able to drag her kill to safety intime and had to share her meal with a pack of hungry hyenas.
The large male leopard of the lower Ngiatiak River has been seen more often. He is an active leopard, on the 14th he was seen with a topi half eaten up a Fig tree.
Romi the female leopard of the BBC campsite and riverine woodlands area has been seen twice this month, she seems to be pregnant again.
Cheetah
Malaika with her two cubs, a male and female who are now ten months old; have been hunting on both sides of the river, she has taken many Thompson Gazelles and Impala.
The young female cheetah who is the daughter of Malaika has been hunting Thompson Gazelles within her mothers home range, on the 18th she was seen on the open plains west of the Olare Orok river, on the 25th she had been seen on the south back of the Ngiatiak river both areas have short grass with Thompson Gazelles in good numbers.
Musiara the female cheetah has had cubs and we estimate them to be around one month old, two have been seen to date, we are not entirely sure if there are more. She has hidden them in a deep croton thicket on top of Rhino Ridge. A few times she has been seen out hunting taking young Thompson Gazelles and impala ewes.
Noraâ the single female has the one 15 month old male cub; she has been seen far south of the double crossing and sometime she has been into the conservancies in the north east, earlier on the month on the 7th and 9th she was seen hunting Thompson Gazelles and was very successful on the 9th with a young female gazelle, later in the month guides saw her again near the Ol Keju Ronkai area of the southern Mara she was resting under some croton thickets. She moves around and was for some time between the double crossing and the Olare Orok conservancy.
