Just as we thought we’d seen the end of the hugely anticipated Migration Season, the rains came down, and the wildebeests returned. The Mara’s open plains were again playing host to one of nature’s most spectacular wildlife events.

Weather and grasslands

We received 142mm of rain this September compared to 162.5mm in 2023. On the 3rd, we received a significant downpour of 22mm, which provided some much-needed relief after a dry and dusty August. In September 2022, we recorded just 95mm of rain as the country persevered through another year of failed rainy seasons.

Often regarded as a “transition month” into the short rains, September was marked with late afternoon showers and on the 19th of September, we experienced a heavy storm with hailstones and a whopping 46mm of rain.

On the 8th of September, dark, dense rain clouds gathered over the Governors’ Concession area and eventually parted, allowing striking beams of light to filter through, making for quite an extraordinary landscape shot. The Oloololo Escarpment, part of the Rift Valley fault complex and rising on the western side of the Triangle, was in total silhouette.

A Gift from the Gods – photo credit Dan Palmer

Mornings started out cold, as low as 13°C, before gradually heating up to a maximum of 26°C. The days were primarily overcast with variable cloudiness and interjected with pleasant sunny periods before a noticeable drop in temperature by sundown.

Photo credit Dan Palmer 

Sunrises were at approximately 06:26, and sunsets were at approximately 18:33. The Masai Mara certainly never fails to deliver a beautiful start or end to the day.

A September sunrise – photo credit Dan Palmer 

The sun setting behind the escarpment – photo credit Dan Palmer 

On the plains

Grazers such as topi, impalas, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles have been giving birth on Paradise Plains, where there has been fresh growth of short green grasses due to the controlled burning in the preceding months. Carefully selected areas with long grass are deliberately burnt to remove drier vegetation, reducing the risk of unplanned wildfires and stimulating new growth and fresher pastures.

After some rain, these burnt patches become a hotspot for smaller species of antelope seeking nutritious green grass and an increased line of sight from stalking predators.

An impala fawn – photo credit Dan Palmer

Topis are one of the sturdier species of antelopes that we see in good numbers in the Masai Mara. Powerful, strong, and fast, they are highly sociable, although a “lone topi on a termite mound” is a classic safari shot taken time and time again. They only eat grass (preferably short grass), so they, too, have settled across the Paradise and Topi grassland plains.

Female topis are lighter in colour than the males – photo credit Dan Palmer 

Giraffes stayed closer to the woodlands in the mornings before venturing onto the open plains by about midday. In September, we hosted Adams Kipchumba from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) at Governors’ Camp to support their first-ever detailed survey of Maasai giraffes in the Masai Mara ecosystem (read more here).

The Maasai giraffe population has declined by over 50% in recent decades – photo credit Dan Palmer 

Big Cats of the Masai Mara

We enjoyed plenty of “Big Cat” action in September. Early on in the month, the Marsh Pride was pushing further south along the Mara River and seemed to be enjoying a vast open plain just beyond Governors’ Private Camp. Oleku, the young male, is still with the pride despite taking more and more time away.

Oleku – photo credit Dan Palmer

Born to the late Rembo in March 2021, Oleku has long been regarded as the offspring of the legendary Halftail/Logol coalition, which were the dominant rulers of the Marsh Pride at that time. However, the more Oleku matures, the more we see a striking resemblance to Logol, who died almost exactly two years ago in a conflict with three of the five Engoyanai males in Mara North Conservancy.

Oleku appears to have Logol’s genes – photo credit Dan Palmer

Oleku is a protective half-brother (or some might say “uncle”) to little Nusurika, who is currently the second youngest member of the pride. The Bila Shaka coalition does not tolerate them well, and they will often take off together when the dominant males are around. Nusurika is a remarkably resilient character, and she, too, is looking all grown up these days.

Nusurika – photo credit Dan Palmer

Kito is still at the helm of this pride; her impulsive nature and quick decisions have led to many successful hunts. They continue to take down one buffalo after another, although zebra, topi, and wildebeest were also on the menu for September. Her daughter, Enkerai, looks just like her, with full cheeks and an unrelenting fierceness.

Marsh Pride lioness, Kito – photo credit Dan Palmer

Enkerai – photo credt Dan Palmer

In early September, we shared the exciting news that Kaleo had three new cubs, about one-month-old at that point. She kept them hidden in the thick bushes at the usual denning site for the Marsh Pride and seldom left them alone. We hoped Kaleo would have more luck with this litter after losing three cubs in November last year.

Kaleo with her three cubs in early September – photo credit Dan Palmer

The latest litter was sired by the Bila Shaka males, but the general opinion is that these cubs belong to Kiok specifically, who was seen mating with her on most occasions and never left her side. By the 13th of September, we realised Kaleo had lost two of her cubs in the night; this was most likely a result of conflict with a nearby herd of buffalos that had been seen incredibly close to her den as the sun was setting.

That morning, we found Kaleo wandering around the Musiara airstrip, looking quite distressed and minus two of her cubs. However, we later found out that one cub had been badly injured and appeared to have a broken back, as it was unable to walk. Kaleo’s healthy cub was transported to a safer den, and we kept our eyes open for the injured cub. The Musiara park rangers closed off the area to minimise vehicle activity and create a safe space for Kaleo to regroup her family.

Kaleo carries her cub to a safer den site – photo credit Dan Palmer

The area remained closed for some time, and by the 16th of September, Kaleo was seen reunited with the injured cub. Unable to move around like its energetic sibling who kept trying to play, the cub remained close to Kaleo, who continued to nurse it and carried it everywhere she went.

The injured cub – photo credit Dan Palmer

The future was uncertain, and we did not expect this cub to survive. However, Kaleo did not give up on it, and by one miracle or another, the cub was seen happily bounding ahead of Kaleo at the time of writing this report. Sadly, the second cub had been missing for a few days, and we cannot speculate on what happened this time. About 80% of lion cubs in the wild do not make it.

In the world of Yaya’s family, it seemed to be one disaster after another. The much-loved trio had been casually moving in and out of Paradise Pride territory, and disaster was looming. Openly feasting on buffalos and more, it was only a matter of time before they ran into trouble and on the 12th August, they did. Our last game report covered a territorial conflict involving females from the Paradise Pride and Yaya and Pamoja2.

Yaya has thankfully recovered with a lot of help from the Mara Veterinary Unit and the Musiara Park rangers. We have seen her several times on the verges of the Governors’ Concession area, limping but looking otherwise healthy considering her setback. On the 30th of September, she was seen feasting on a wildebeest kill that was so fresh that we assumed she had taken it down on her own.

On the other hand, the story of young lioness Pamoja2 is too unfortunate for words. She fought bravely following the territorial attack in early August but finally succumbed to extensive injuries and weakness despite the dedicated efforts to save her. Unprecedented rainfall in the final days of September, followed by a significant drop in temperatures, was too much for her, and she passed away on the morning of the 30th. Thank you to the Musiara Sector Warden and his team for doing their best for Pamoja2.

Pamoja2 after her second treatment – photo credit Dan Palmer

We had some excellent cheetah sightings in September, including the male known as Ranger (the son of Risasi) and the remaining ‘border boy’, Ruka, who we found tearing into a Thomson’s gazelle.

Ranger – photo credit Dan Palmer

Ruka – photo credit Dan Palmer

Birds of the Masai Mara

The vast open plains, wetlands and riverine forests of the Mara are home to over 450 bird species, including 45 birds of prey. Around the Musiara Marsh, we noticed a surge in storks, herons, sandpipers, ibises and egrets, all actively feeding and nesting after the onset of rain. A pair of ostriches and their eight chicks were spotted close to the border.

The grey heron has a powerful, dagger-like bill – photo credit Dan Palmer

The rufous-bellied heron is usually a solitary, quiet bird – photo credit Dan Palmer

The greater blue-eared starling is a glossy, blue-green, medium-sized starling with a dark ear patch, iridescent flanks, and a violet belly. It is a very common species found in open woodlands. They are particularly vocal and enjoy mixing in large flocks with other species of starlings, especially on the ground foraging for insects. A regular sight around our Mara camps, they make for a striking photo without venturing far.

The greater blue-eared starling is a gregarious bird – photo credit Dan Palmer

Another pretty starling you can identify from camp is the Ruppell’s long-tailed starling, which is also glossy but with a longer tail and sometimes appears almost black in low light.

They have creamy-coloured eyes, which are in stark contrast to the bright yellow eyes of the greater blue-eared starling. Resident in good numbers around camp, you are most likely to find them feeding on fallen Warburg fruits or an army of ants crossing a path.

A Ruppell’s long-tailed starling – photo credit Dan Palmer

Our Masai Mara weather and wildlife for September 2024 is by Jess Savage, with supporting imagery by Dan Palmer.