Another bloody safari - Mara and Ol Pejeta October 2015

[twaffle]

Loving the story telling which is getting better with age. You nailed the cheetah hunt series. I had no excuse for my vertigo when crossing the Ngare bridge, none at all. I'm just a scaredy cat.

[pault]

@@madaboutcheetah Nothing concrete I think - just the usual supposition and rumour (i.e. lions). Don't hold me to that though, as Nolari was also one cub lighter - my memory says that one just disappeared like the Fig's leopard cub in Olare Motorogi.

 

Jonathon did tell us Nolari's fourth cub was taken by a Martial Eagle - he was there apparently, watching Nolari hunt. Horror!

 

@@twaffle Thanks. Lucky I have my excuse - although I think over-confidence was as much to blame as the vertigo.

[johnkok]

Spectacular. We usually just sit for hours with cheetah if they look like they might hunt that day. And there you are, just chilling, and along come wildebeest calves.

 

I think we need to go with you on safari now.

[madaboutcheetah]

Spectacular. We usually just sit for hours with cheetah if they look like they might hunt that day. And there you are, just chilling, and along come wildebeest calves.

 

I think we need to go with you on safari now.

 

 

I thought the same thing.

 

Gosh - Martial Eagle taking a cheetah cub! Ouch!!!

Edited November 1, 2015 by madaboutcheetah

[johan db]

Pault, stunning images and sightings

[pault]

Spectacular. We usually just sit for hours with cheetah if they look like they might hunt that day. And there you are, just chilling, and along come wildebeest calves.

 

I think we need to go with you on safari now.

I didn't write about all the "... and then nothing happened" moments. But we're lucky sometimes (crossings for us more than hunts I'd say) and you're welcome.

 

@@johan db Thank you and very nice to see you around here. Hope all is well for you.

Edited November 1, 2015 by pault

[johnkok]

I didn't write about all the "... and then nothing happened" moments. But we're lucky sometimes (crossings for us more than hunts I'd say) and you're welcome.

 

I've had more than my share of "and then nothing happened" DAYS

[johnkok]

 

I have enough trouble remembering where I was yesterday. And you can remember cheetah names, how many cubs each mummy had this season, and how many are extant. Hats off to you all who can do that

Edited December 17, 2018 by Tdgraves
A

[madaboutcheetah]

Oh no  - damn that Martial Eagle stealing not just one - but, 3 of them!

 

Btw, I might be mistaken, I think the Musiara female is also known as Rani?

Edited December 15, 2018 by madaboutcheetah

[pault]

 

You almost lost me at Musiara female, but I looked up the Mara Cheetah project pages to follow you. I should just leave you and Hari to it and not get dragged in - it could get obsessive - but..........

 

The Mara grapevine is maybe not the most relaible source of information in the world (and hey, neither is my office). A story is as good as a fact and if the facts firt together you have a reality. I can live with that.

 

Your three cub story beats my one cub story all ends up, but is slightly less plausible. However, I accept both or neither may be completely accurate - probably both, as I bet you have a decent source.

 

If Nelson and Joanthon independently both say they saw Nolari with four cubs I would say there were probably four cubs. But if there weren't, I'll still respect them in the morning. Haha. For what it's worth, Mara Cheetah Project reported that number too (but maybe their source was Nelson and Jonathon!).

 

 

 

Grand Slam? I feel like you gave me a medal. And of course I have crocodile too! But wouldn't a true "Lifetime Grand Slam" have to include hyena and wild dog? And jackals might take a very young calf, no? That'll keep me going another couple of decades. I'll leave out hippo!

 

Or I now have to start work on the "Warthog Slam" or the "Impala Slam"? Are there badges that we can sew onto our shirts?

 

 

 

@@madaboutcheetah Hope your sleep isn't too affected by nightmares of flying cheetah cubs. I can't go more then a day without thinking about it - one thing I do not want to see.

 

Edited December 17, 2018 by Tdgraves
A

[madaboutcheetah]

@@pault - Nightmares indeed ...........

 

Overall, I'm also saddened by Malaika's lost cub at such an age where one would think he's almost as good as safe.......

[pault]

A night out - Mara North style

 

Dalla dalla rider on the plains.

 

Serian have some very cool activities that differ a bit from the norm. On of them is to take a packed dinner out on your evening game drive and then do a night drive after dinner. We heard about this from another couple who had really enjoyed the "romantic" dinner - complete with sunset, camp fire and table, but hadn't seen anything interesting on teh night drive. That didn't sound so good, but Jonathon was keen and in the end what was the downside? Worst that could happen is that we effectively drove back to camp very slowly a couple of hours later than usual, right? That was no bad thing.

 

So around 4.30 (leaving a bit later by choice) we were dressed and packed for the big night out, Serian style, and saying farewell to the hippos.

 

 

Don't be too late.

 

 

 

The drive wasn' the best we'd had. It seemd unusually quiet that evening. However, we did start off with three younf giraffes in a row, of which this was the smallest.

 

 

 

 

However, our target for this evening was Leopard George where unsurprisingly we hoped to find a leopard. I think Jonathon was getting a bit frustrated at not finding one yet - although we'd had luck in every other way to compensate. The expedition was a success, as we found out leopard, but not all that exciting, as he was resting in the cool of the evening, sheltered a bit from the wind. I thought I recognised this guy with his huge neck and big face and Jonathon told me a story that after his Big Cat Diary famous Mara mother died (that would be Zawadi I guess, since it wasn't Bella or Olive or Halftail) he raised her cub to maturity himself, feding and protecting her. How far that is true of course I don't know, but I see no reason why it wouldn't be true since there two other closely followed leopards (Bella and Olive) both had male and female members of the family around into adulthood (Olive was photographed at two different times in family groups of four - once with what guides who should know said was the father of the cubs).

 

Anyway, that is by the by. He's no youngster any more himself, but he still looks a powerful beast and I wish he had been a bit more active.

 

 

 

There are twoparticularly lovely trees in Leopard Gorge, and since this was actually our first visit here (surprisingly) of course I had to have some pictures of them.

 

 

 

 

AS it was getting dark by the time we left Leopard Gorge, we headed staright for where we were going to have dinner. By the time we got there it was very nearly dark and I am not sure whether that, the strong wind, or the fact that Jonathon (correctly) saw us as people who preferred simple and quick (but not rushed) at mealtimes, was the reason our romantic bush dinner tableau was two chairs sheletered from the wind by the Landcruiser,, with not a table or a campfure in sight. The cups were for the (fresh of course) tomato soup. The main course was spaghetti bolognese, which was a real surprise from Serian, whose food tends towards the fancy and healthy. But it was a perfect choice for eating one handed in a chair.

 

Dinner is served... and a nice clear shot of the vehicle for you.

 

 

The flash batteries were getting a little flat though.

 

 

It would have been a much nicer dinner with better weather, but I though perhaps the partial cloud cover (there were some stars bit far from the whole show) would be potentially good for the night drive.

 

 

Things started a bit slow, with most sightings being flashes of diurnal animals who we quite rightly tried not to spot and disturb. Without much to see we stopped for some (incorrectly named I am told!) Scrub Hares.

 

 

And then we had 4-5 sightings of Springhares in a row. Panning at ISO 16000 +

 

 

 

 

And then a Zorilla! Great. Second sighting for me and first for my wife. It posed like this a couple of seconds and then scurreid off with us in pursuit.

 

 

We also had a couple of good sightings of White-tailed Mongooses and saw a couple of hippos and a couple of hyenas, but after the first half hour we had a very, very quiet 30 minutes, with little nocturnal seen at all. We saw a genet, but it hid in some bsuhes and with the quality of tyhe light you just couldn't make it out any more. Definitely a genet though.

 

And then, just when we were starting to get cold and bored and almost ready to ask "How much further, Daddy?" we spotted what we had been looking for, without ever saying it's name in case we cursed it.

 

A is for............

 

 

So nice you need two pictures that are basically the same, no?

 

 

 

And then we rushed back to camp to tell everyone we could find. Unfortunatelty everyone except Roisin and Sophie (sorry if I spelled that wrong Sophie) had gone to bed, but they were suitably excited as we told them after they gave us our cocoa. What a cool touch that was - two beautiful women waiting with cocoa for you as you complete your night crossing of the bridge... and Wifi was there too, still looking for someone to play "fetch" with.

[fictionauthor]

You have such an eye. That first photo is stunning.

What a treat to see the aardvark!

[madaboutcheetah]

OMG - Zorilla and Aardvark!!!! Awesome ............

 

You've seen two Zorillas? Speechless - but, atleast I know someone who's seen one.

 

Love the BW pics from Leopard Gorge - although, I've not been in maybe 10 years, I sure recognize the landmark from Big Cat Diary.

Edited November 2, 2015 by madaboutcheetah

[twaffle]

An aardvark at last. How satisfying.

[pault]

 I"m sure Ping is right. Four cheetah cubs that guides know of. Eek!

Edited December 17, 2018 by wilddog

[Treepol]

@@pault you had one A-Z of a night drive!

 

Aardvark and zorilla in one drive - unbelievable!

 

I'm really enjoying the TR, lots of big cats and some stunning cheetah photos.

[Zim Girl]

Really love the B&W Leopard Gorge pictures.

 

How wonderful to find an aardvark!

[bettel]

When we saw Nora she still had 4 cubs, and an hour after we left guys from Cheetah project called Jonathan and told him that Nora lost one cub to an eagle (I am actually extremely glad we did not see it!)

 

Here they are:

 

 

UPD: WOW! Safari is getting better and better with every post . That is incredible!

Edited November 2, 2015 by bettel

[ravipatel888]

Brilliant panning shot of the spring hare!! Oh and also the aardvark sighting...and the zorilla....and the leopard....and the cheetah kill sequence. It really is turning out to be just another bloody safari!!!

[johnkok]

Zorilla and ardvark - and I had not even heard the name zorilla before

Amazing sightings

[SafariChick]

I am extremely jealous of the aardvark - and I know @@Tom Kellie is going to be similarly jealous when he hears about the zorilla! (Unless he has managed to see one on his recent safari??)

[Tom Kellie]

I am extremely jealous of the aardvark - and I know @@Tom Kellie is going to be similarly jealous when he hears about the zorilla! (Unless he has managed to see one on his recent safari??)

 

~ @@SafariChick

 

When I arrived at Leopard Hills last month, I softly asked about any zorilla sightings.

The ranger staff laughed, saying that was not going to happen.

It didn't...

Nonetheless, I'm very glad that Safaritalk has a fresh zorilla image posted!

All the more incentive to return to Kenya in 2016. Who knows? I may someday see one scampering past.

Tom K.

[pault]

@@Tom Kellie. That is two zorilla sightings from three night drives in the Mara area... could be coincidence of course!

 

@@Treepol. A to Z... I completely missed that! Haha

 

@@bettel. Sorry for bringing more bad news. So that is the story? Yes, Jonathon said he was there that day rather than specifically that he saw it, when I think back to what he said... so we will give him a pass for accuracy! Wish I had seen four.

 

@@SafariChick You are teasing Tom? Haha

 

 

Thanks everyone. My luck will come to a crashing, bloody end in my next post.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie. That is two zorilla sightings from three night drives in the Mara area... could be coincidence of course!

 

@@SafariChick You are teasing Tom? Haha

 

 

Thanks everyone. My luck will come to a crashing, bloody end in my next post.

 

~ @@pault

 

In the context of a safari, “bloody end” could be literal, figurative or both!

You've hooked me — whatever happened next sounds interesting, even if not so favorable.

Loved the zorilla shot. As @@SafariChick correctly surmised, it struck the pangs of my heart. I'm glad that you and your wife saw it.

Tom K.