The month normally begins hot and dry and ends with the arrival of rain accompanied by dramatic thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening. The rain fills the Musiara Marsh, savannah grass begins to grow, and wildflowers like fireball lilies and flame lilies bloom.
What Wildlife Can I See?
With the grasses grazed down, the great herds of the wildebeest migration congregate and prepare for their long trek south. As the waiting herds begin to leave, large river crossings, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand, begin.
With grass depleted, the elephants switch their diet to leaves and bark, getting most of their nutrition from the trees. The Warburgia trees in the forests begin to fruit, drawing the elephants back in, and they spend much time around the Governors’ family of camps.
There are newborns everywhere, such as topis calves, closely followed by impalas and giraffes. Warthogs are seen throughout the landscape. Bat-eared foxes have young in their dens, as do black-backed jackals – both of whom are seen out and about on the plains. Defassa waterbucks are in breeding herds with 3-6 month-old calves in the woodlands around the Marsh, and bushbucks are seen at dusk.
The diospyros trees start fruiting, drawing baboons and blue monkeys into the woodlands to feed. Giraffes move together in reasonably large herds, with younger males sparring by necking for mating rights. The large breeding herd of Cape buffalos has many young calves and spends much time in the Bila Shaka riverbed, where the red oat grass grows well. Up on the plains, there are spotted hyenas, some with very young cubs in their dens.
The Marsh Pride of lions find plenty of food if the migration is still around, and the Paradise Pride spend their days close to the river crossing sites, taking advantage of the late traffic from wildebeests and zebras in the area. With the arrival of the rains, the resident male lions begin to travel again, patrolling the borders of their rangelands and scent marking to make sure everyone knows that this is their turf. Cheetahs are seen on the short grass plains; as the wildebeests disappear, they work hard to keep their meals away from prowling hyenas. Some cheetah mothers have tiny cubs that are well hidden in the croton thickets.
Birds
The Teclea nobilis tree begins to fruit in the riverine forests, attracting many birds, such as the double-toothed barbets, to feed. Small groups of white storks pass through the Reserve while pallid harriers join Montagu’s and marsh harriers around mid-month. Small groups of common kestrels start passing through the area mid-month.
Green sandpipers are usually found along the Mara River, while in the Musiara swamp, wood sandpipers, common snipes and the odd greenshank are present. The passage of Eurasian bee-eaters slows, and a few Eurasian rollers are seen. Yellow wagtails were very common, and by the middle of the month, they are joined by red-throated pipits.
Out on the open plains, Northern (common) and Isabelline wheatears are pretty common and they are joined by a few pied wheatears later in the month. Other migrants can include spotted flycatchers, willow warblers, blackcap and red-backed shrike.
