11th August 2004
The migration never fails to impress or surprise! The Serengeti wildebeest have been arriving in the Mara now for over six weeks and they still keep coming!! After an incredibly hot week the heavens have opened and we have had over two inches of rain this afternoon which will have a dramatic effect on the ecosystem during the next few days. It will also bring on more wildebeest and we are fortunate to still have plenty of grass, so lots of action to come.
The recent highlight was a few days ago when James Sengeny found a ten foot python that had just caught a male Thomson's gazelle. Our camp guests then spent most of the afternoon watching the python slowly but surely swallow the animal whole before slipping into a termite mound. To witness this really is a once in a life time event and there was a lot of excitement amongst the camp residents that evening.
Lions are nearly as common as wildebeest at the moment! It is has not been unusual for our three local prides to make at least two kills a night. The 'camp pride' has a new member - a three week old cub so they have been resident on chui lugga for a while now. The cheetah are also in their element as a large portion of the paradise plain was burn't last month and now has the new growth and with it thousands of 'tommies'. A female with three nine month old cubs has taken up residence there and we've have been lucky enough to witness several kills as well as the cubs having hunting lessons. Leopard had been few and far between until the 3rd when five different leopard were sighted in one day, three by Jimmy in the valley around the Cottages and a mating pair in Camp which we were able to view from the dinner table!!
We have had no black rhino sightings since June which is not uncommon at this time of year. The rhino don't seem to enjoy the company of the wildebeest and remain in the forests until later in the year when the wildebeest move on. Elephant and Buffalo are frequently being seen around camp and in good numbers.
With the rain in the area and the plentiful grass it looks as though the wildebeest will be with us for for at least another month,
and hopefully as late as October if the rain continues for a few more days. It really is an exciting time of year in the Mara,
plenty of predator action at any time of day, crossings and a symphony of nocturnal voices. With barely a tent free until late
October it will be a challenge to accommodate any last minute trips so any of you who are interested in witnessing the eighth wonder
of the world, don't leave it too late for next year.
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