Kenya Trip One 2009
Trip Report
October 1 –Left for NY, and flight to Amsterdam. Uneventful and successful.
October 2 – Flight to Nairiobi arrived about 45 minutes late, but everyone’s luggage arrived with us.
October 3 – day in Nairobi, resting at Serena. Last two passengers arrive in evening.
October 4 – Morning briefing, and drive to Samburu.
Kenya has been in a drought, and shortly before the trip we had heard unsettling reports about conditions. As we drove north and into the ‘White Highlands’ the land grew increasingly parched, and, for the first time in all our travels here, we saw common zebras near the road in areas where we assumed this species, like most game, has long been extirpated. The road to Samburu has always been one of the horror stories of our trips, dusty and pot-holed, but Chinese road construction is changing that and for most of our trip the roads were good, and the new road like any modern superhighway, smooth and without potholes. Unfortunately, the better roads may have promoted even more degrading of the land for charcoal, and where, just outside of Isiolo, the last big town before Samburu, acacia trees grew in abundance we now passed through an essentially treeless plain. Eventually, as we continued north we entered the mixed desert woodland of acacias, but I suspect that by next year much of these remaining forests will be gone.
Normally, when entering the park one sees a marked difference in vegetation, as the denuded landscape from Samburu cattle and sheep is replaced by the healthy ecosystem of a naturally grazed landscape. Not this year. Instead, the ground cover seemed almost nonexistent, and even most of the low acacia trees are essentially without leaves. Still, we saw a fair amount of animals, and those we saw were healthy.
For the first time in months rain clouds gathered and as we drove into and through Isiolo we passed through several heavy showers. The Samburu Intrepids staff always joke that we were a lucky group that always brings the rain, but this time that joke seemed to have much truth.
We arrived at camp around 5:30, with enough light to see for unpacking and getting ourselves ready for the first game drive tomorrow. As we walked to our tents a light mist fell, the first moisture Samburu had seen since January.
October 5 – Day 2 Samburu
We started at 6, with everyone loading up and organizing beanbags and equipment for the first time, and the process went surprisingly well. The sun was still behind the low mountains when we reached the main track, and, as the sun rose we started the day with dik-diks. These small antelope are independent of water, deriving whatever water needs they have from their browsing, and the antelope looked healthy. With some irony I watched one female pulling up her cud, chewing, and reswallowing the wad of vegetation, knowing that around her we’d seen several withered carcasses of cows that had starved in this same landscape.
The Usaso Nyiro River was dry and was now just a broad sandy, tree-lined band winding through the landscape. We’d seen the river low before, shallow enough for lions to wade ankle-deep across the river, but never bone dry. It hadn’t rained in Samburu since January, and now the only water source was the spring-fed Isiolo River further downstream.
Surprisingly, almost all of the game looked very healthy, and before the morning was out we’d seen virtually all the endemics of Samburu – Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra, Somalia Ostrich, Common Waterbuck, Gunther’s Dik-Dik, Gerenuk, and Vulturine Guineafow. Most years, we may see a dozen to a score of Grevy’s Zebras in Samburu but this year this endangered species is here by the hundreds, if not thousands. It’s estimated there are around 5,000 Grevy’s scattered through northern Kenya, Somalia, and the Sudan, and our outfitter guessed that the Samburu-Buffalo Springs Game Reserve area may be hosting around 1,000.
We received a radio call about a mother elephant hovering around her dead baby and we headed that way, expecting to find a mourning elephant. Instead, we found a 5-6 year old lying on its side near the road, so weak that it looked as if it would soon die. We shot some record shots and moved on, and soon discovered the mother elephant with a very young calf. Nearby lay another dead elephant, a small one we suspected was one of her older daughters. While we watched, that ‘dead’ elephant rolled over and got to its feet, and proceeded to feed on the bare brown twigs until it was just a few yards from our vehicle. When we left, and passed by our first ‘dead’ elephant we found that this one, too, had resurrected itself and was now standing in the shade of an acacia.
With the water supply limited only to the Isiolo River, I expected to see far more animals in distress, and I wondered how water-dependent Vervet Monkeys and Olive Baboons were coping. Apparently, fine, for we saw plenty of monkeys on our game drive and, around camp, several troops of baboons. The only animal that appeared stressed was the impala, and many of these typically slender-looking antelope now showed rows of ribs. We saw one group of three where a baby, a few months old, trailed along, but looked quite healthy, so, somehow, the wild game is coping. In contrast to the Samburu cattle which had been abandoned to fare for themselves, and inside the park we saw at least a dozen carcasses, most only partially eaten, baking in the sun.
PM - It threatened rain as we started the 4PM game drive, but within an half hour the skies cleared, and we had bright light for two male kudus we found near the river. They were tame, and at one point walked right next to one of our vehicles, presenting a tawny butt just feet from the landrover. Later, we had fairly decent immature giraffes, spotted a cheetah that presented no images, and, in poor light, had two very close Pigmy Falcons. We arrived back in camp around 6:30.
October 5 Day 3 Samburu
We crossed the Usaso Nyiro River into Buffalo Springs Game Reserve this morning. En route, and before sunrise, a Greater Kudu crossed in front of us, and minutes later, as the light strengthened, we filmed more Vulturine Guineafowl perched on low shrubs for a few minutes. At the bride, a large troop of baboons played on the roof tops of the guard shacks, pounding the tin roofs loudly as they ran about, before, en masse, the troop paraded across the bridge. In the early light some, crossing the now dry river bed, cast long monkey shadows across the track-pocked sand.
We followed the dry river bed, an eerily disorientating route as I’ve never not had water here, and filmed a very cooperative Palm Nut Vulture perched in a dead snag. Later we did well with a dozen or so male Reticulated Giraffes of varying ages, with horn tufts that were, in some cases, still almost covering the bony knobs that mark the male.
Hoping for cats we headed downstream along the Isiolo River, but aside from some crocodiles, including a female we suspect was guarding a nest in a sandy, open clearing, the route was fairly empty. On the way back, retracing our route we encountered a pair of mating lions. The lighting, while high, was back-lighted and Rembrandt-ish, and fairly spectacular in that sense. We had some debate about the stage in the mating cycle, but regardless, the lioness was hungry and attempted to stalk a large herd of Oryx and Grant’s Gazelles. Unsuccessfully, as the male tagged along, sniffing her backend and pausing to flehmen, without regard or care of the prey. Eventually she gave up, and as she retreated she paused, with the male almost knocking her over with chest-bumps as he tried mounting her, and she squatted and they mated, facing us and in the open. Afterwards they retreated to thicker cover and, despite an Oryx that may have approached within her range, we headed out.
On our way home we spotted two vehicles moving through an Acacia grove and we turned in to investigate and, as we hoped, they were following a leopard. When we arrived it was hidden in the brush and I thought I saw something – perhaps a bird, but from the shadows the cat rose and materialized against the dead branches, stepped into the open and trotted across an hundred yards of clearing before climbing another, very heavily branched, tree. Although everyone had a chance to see this cat the views were compromised, but we cracked the nut, we now had our first leopard of the safari.
Carcasses were unsettlingly common on this side, and I saw three dead African Buffalo, one Oryx, and one Grevy’s Zebra, their bodies only partially eaten and now mummified in the sun.
When we returned to camp we were told to call the home office, and learned, to our horror, that a good friend’s wife had just been killed by their captive black bear, an animal they had raised from a cub many years before. That shock, to us, still has not worn off and it was a bit trying to conduct business as usual as we met the group for lunch and group highlights.
PM – Left at 4 and had a fairly successful early evening game drive with Reticulated Giraffes, but the evening ended wonderfully when Mary radioed that she had some tree-climbing lions. Two two-three year old lions had climbed a dead snag, with the lioness perched somewhat precariously at the end of a long, slender trunk. The other, a lioness, was plastered against the bottom portion of the tree, almost invisible in the golden light, tawny against the weathered wood. The lionesses turned several times for some nice shooting, but we had to leave to make curfew before the cats finally left the tree.
October 6 Day 4 – We headed back over to Buffalo Springs, hoping to find the leopard. We found a small group of elephants with a very young baby that performed wonderfully, running about and lurching, acting so awkward that we wondered if it was sick. It wasn’t, but as the only baby in the group it was bored and playful. Later, along the upper reaches of the Isiolo River we found a herd of 16 elephants at an oasis-like waterhole, which was the highlight for several. Downstream, we encountered another lioness with two well-spotted but year-old cubs. One was a bit shy but the lioness worked well for several vehicles.
Covering new ground, we passed multiple carcasses of cows and African Buffalo that have died in the drought and the poor forage. Still, with the exception of a few thin Impala, all of the naturally-occuring game, the wildlife, looked healthy and stress-free.
October 7 Day 5 – Headed to Nakuru, arriving around 1:30PM to a sky that looked promising, considering the last three days Nakuru had had rain much of the time. We left at 4 and, instead of going directly to Cormorant Point where we hoped to film white pelicans and other birds at the inlet, we headed East towards a leopard that had been in a tree. Since the morning, we learned later.
The leopard was still there, in clear view but facing away from us, but as we waited she turned several times and presented multiple shooting opportunities. We were hoping that she would leave her perch, climb down the tree, and perhaps approach us, but as the light completely failed shortly after six, with a heavy cloudbank to the west, we headed back to camp.
October 8 Day 6 – Nakuru to the Mara
The skies were overcast and remained so throughout the morning, indeed, the entire day, but Nakuru was very productive. A nice herd of Rothschild’s Giraffes grazed on acacia trees close to the road and later a four-month old white rhino baby performed wonderfully, along with its mother, quite close to the road. The drought’s effect on Nakuru was evident – we passed a African Buffalo lying almost upside down along the roadside, slowly dying, and the lake itself had receded about 100 yards from its usual shoreline. There were few flamingos, but in a sheltered bay we had some fairly close opportunities, and great reflections.
As we headed out we encountered a group of male baboons where one, presumably the dominant male, had captured a baby Thompson’s Gazelle that he was eating. Other baboons hung near but didn’t try to steal the prey, and I suspect they were either hoping he’d share or abandon the carcass when he was full. Nonetheless as the small group progressed they came quite close to the road for the ‘best ever’ shots of a baboon feeding on an antelope. As we drove to the gate we found 5 Colobus Monkeys out in the open in the acacias, and while we filmed and watched they must have discovered a snake as they gathered about and focused towards the ground, emitting sharp alarm barks. We never spotted the snake, which we suspect was either a small python or a puff adder.
We arrived at our lodge in the Mara in record time, around 4:30PM, which gave us plenty of time to get settled. The skies were gloomy and dull and we were not tempted to attempt an evening game drive after an arduous overland drive to the Mara.
October 10 Day 7 Lower Mara
We headed to the kopje rocks and the Sand River, hoping to find lions. We were successful, getting a total of 11 by the end of the morning, and 1 shy leopard. The lions – three females and four large cubs, two big black maned lions, and, along the river, three thin lionesses and a young male that yawned several times, much to Sandra’s delight.
The leopard was shy, and when Henry’s vehicle got close the cat slipped down the tree and, reaching bottom, tensed, muscles coiling, and charged, eyes locked on Victor. It only took one stride before swerving into the brush, but it was enough to make a lasting memory, and the morning’s highlight, for Vic. Our vehicles tried finding the cat again but it trotted off, and not wishing to stress the cat further, we drove off.
Several vehicles had good luck with Lilac-breasted Rollers, including birds in flight, a Martial Eagle, and a courting pair of Masai Ostriches. We returned to the Lodge by 11:30, with skies beginning to cloud up and threatening an afternoon rain.
PM - Shortly after leaving the lodge we spotted a large cluster of tourist vehicles, which we suspected were gathered for a lion. They were not – three cheetahs were close to the road, a mother and two fully-grown young that were actually larger than her, although they still sported the juvenile’s neck mane. As we drove up we discovered that the cheetahs were hunting, stalking a small group of impalas and two reedbuckclose to the road. The female cheetah crept up to a termite mound, her attention focused on the entire group. One of the cubs hung behind, watching, while the other cub moved up a small gulley, intent on the impalas. This cub didn’t know that it was walking right by the reedbuck, and the reedbuck, sensing danger, stood alertly, watching. I thought that they’d certainly spot the cheetah and run off, but before the reedbuck did, the cheetah noticed the reedbuck, and how close they were. The cheetah immediately gave chase, and for a few seconds they ran away from us, through brush and high grass, presenting no opportunity for shooting.
The reedbuck turned, and headed our way, and for a second or two we were challenged as to what animal to follow. I stayed with my 70-200 to be sure to follow the action – it was so close, and luckily the reedbuck, and now, all three cheetahs, headed our way, catching the antelope right in front of us in the ditch. The reedbuck struggled to clamber over the top, almost directly in front of us, and I got several shots with the animal, tongue lolled out in distress, along the rim, with three cats piled on his back. Miliseconds later, they dragged the antelope back into the ravine and proceeded to feed, not bothering with a suffocating throat-hold, and, for a minute or so, the reedbuck’s bleet could barely be heard above the roar of minivans all jockeying for position.
What followed was tourism at its worse, with as many as forty vehicles attempting to get a view of the cheetahs now mostly hidden in the gulley. People stood atop roofs, on top of ‘budget safari’ buses, and hung out windows. The cheetahs were oblivious, and from our favored position we shot some wonderful portraits of the cats when they left the kill.
Eventually we headed out, too, as we were told a leopard had been spotted in a tree. At least 34 vehicles were gathered there, and probably far more at different times, and again it was an exercise in tourism excess, with minivans losing traction on the grasses, people climbing out of their buses and onto roofs, while the leopard barely moved, sometimes raising its head to change resting positions. We shot a little and moved on, to another leopard with a cub, but although we staked it out we never saw the cats.
Still, despite the clutter, it was a good afternoon, with a cat tally of 2 leopards for the day, 3 cheetahs, and 11 lions.
Afterword: That night our lodge had a special barbeque, for former President Moi’s birthday, and something served, perhaps the chicken, was rife with Salmonella. 78 tourists got sick that night, including one of our driver/guides, Mary, me, and two participants, Nik and Leslie. Mary and I were sick in the early part of the night, and then wiped out and miserable for the rest of the night. One of our others was sick all through the night, and, unfortunately, left the safari two days later, still wiped out and weak. The rest of us, sitting out the next day, recovered for the travel/shooting day to our next lodge.
Day 8 – Lower Mara
Mary and I, one of our driver/guides, and several participants missed either the entire day, or at least one game drive due to the food poisoning of the night before. Those that survived had a good morning, seeing ‘The Big Five,’ lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, and buffalo on a single game drive.
On the PM game drive several did very well with lions, and Sandra’s vehicle had a lioness grab, but slip off of, a zebra she was hunting.
Day 9 – Lower Mara to Mara Triangle
Our departure was delayed as we organized one ‘ambulance’ vehicle, taking two of our participants directly to the lodge. One, still very weak from the food poisoning episode, and the other suffering an unrelated malady, a pancreatic inflammation that required the lodge’s doctor to administer an IV of saline solution last night. This was professionally done and required since the patient was unable to keep fluids down and was dehydrating. Sadly, after arriving at the next lodge both continued on, to fly home.
The morning game drive was another good one, again with the Big Five, and with two leopards, one which climbed a tree right next to the road and another, in a spot we haven’t had many, or perhaps any, leopards, walked right passed our vehicle, completely unconcerned. Mary’s vehicle stayed with a buffalo kill, where two males and a lioness had been feeding and where, after they left, about forty vultures swooped down to feed.
PM – Mara Triangle
Perhaps one of the most productive afternoons in the Triangle, ever.
We headed down the to the river where small groups of gnus were gathered, and within minutes of our parking at one of the Crossing Lookouts zebras started towards the water. At first the zebras and gnus simply drank, but within minutes the first zebras crossed and, before it finished, probably several hundred crossed.
While that was interesting, what was exciting were the crocodiles, as five large crocs swam up and positioned themselves next to the animals. Some crocs kept their mouths agage, and one did a full swinging head swipe at a gnu that leaped, arching, out of harm’s way. Many gnus actually leaped over the crocs backs, and I saw a few actually bump and shove a croc’s head as they passed. It appeared as if the crocs were selecting zebras, and perhaps the missed gnu occurred because a small zebra had been approaching and was directly behind the gnu that was attacked. At any rate, not a single animal was killed in this crossing.
Just minutes later, another crossing started downriver, and we drove down, this time getting a much different view of the crossing with nearly over-the-shoulder light. A croc did catch a gnu at this crossing, but did not immediately succeed in drowning it and eventually let it go. The gnu apparently made it to shore, but was so injured that it was later recaptured and killed by another croc.
Towards sunset we were working on silhouettes when David spotted antelope intently looking in one direction, at a lion that had made a kill. As we drove up we discovered that the lioness had captured a baby topi, and was merely playing with it, wrestling it in what would normally be kill holds, then releasing it. At some times it almost seemed affectionate – a lioness in Samburu habitually ‘adopted’ oryx calves for several days, before she, or another pride member, ate her adopted baby, while other times, as she hooked the baby with a talon and dragged it along, she seemed anything but. Eventually she picked up the baby and trotted away, the topi baby swinging in her jaws, though still alive.
Day 10 – Mara Triangle
While El Nino rains have been forecasted for weeks the skies were again crystal clear, and as we headed out we looked for a good sunrise acacia tree, unsuccessfully. In the early light, however, we found a young lioness that actively trotted at least a quarter mile to displace vultures at a sun-weathered carcass. Backlighted the image was still striking, and the cat had wide, alert eyes, and to me, she looked lost and concerned with finding her pride.
Later, near the kopje-like plateaus we found several lionesses and two males, and one cub. Another cub, we’re fairly certain, was killed by one of the males and the lionesses with the cub repeatedly visited the area, as if attempting to draw her cub back. This, after she had visited and sniffed and pawed at the carcass. The lioness, when greeting one of the males, swatted him away – we had expected a head-butt and an introduction to the cub, but subsequent observations, ie the dead cub, may account for that behavior.
We spent a fair amount of time near the Tanzania border and the gnu numbers were large, and we all shot lines and masses, depicting the migration. Later, at the ‘mortuary’ we found over six massive crocodiles, all feeding on parts of, or whole, Thompson’s gazelles. We must have missed the crossing by less than a half hour, and the crocodiles massacred these small antelopes as they attempted to swim the river. We waited nearly an hour for another crossing, and although herds of gazelles, impalas, and gnus passed in the croton bushes nearby, none moved back to the sandy bank of the crossing and, as noon approached, even the crocodiles swam downstream. The largest, males by the appearance of their girth and head, must have been 15 feet or so.
Meanwhile, Mary’s vehicle had discovered a female cheetah that was being harassed by a jackal. She was hunting, and although the jackal almost blew the hunt, when the jackal swerved off it diverted the attention of the oribi the cheetah stalked, and she made her kill. While she was still strangling the oribi the jackal rushed in and bit the cheetah’s backside, and the cheetah swung around, oribi still within her jaws, and chased the cheetah a few bounds.
One other noteworthy sight – an elephant with a twisted tusk that extended back towards its neck, and crossed over onto the same side as the other tusk. Should we see this female again, we’ll know her. And, good news, Clark, who had to evacuate for a medical emergency, will rejoin our group this afternoon, being released from the hospital.
PM – We headed back to the river as it looked as if gnus might be gathering. A small, perhaps 200, herd had gathered, with a few close to the water but as we waited they moved off. David said it’d just be a matter of time and so we waited.
A few minutes later a few zebras approached the shoreline as did a large crocodile, that did so, of course, from the water side. The croc submerged and moved in, and for the next number of minutes zebras and gnus came to drink, with the occasional tell-tale bubble of the hidden crocodile nearby. Eventually, as a few colts and two adult zebras drank, the croc lunged. The zebras leaped back, arching, and in the shots the croc’s head appears to actually be touching a zebra, but all escaped. For the duration of the motor-drive blast the croc stayed visible, mouth wide and empty, while in the background the receding stripes of zebras merged with the dust.
We headed towards another crossing, which did not materialize, but had a fairly decent serval en route. Later, a male black rhino, the first I’ve ever seen here in the Triangle, was heading towards the cow rhino that resides upstream. A tame family of warthogs rounded out the afternoon, which concluded with beautiful orange, angular light, but no real subject to do it justice.
Day 11 – Mara Triangle to Upper Mara
We headed out at dawn under another clear sky. Henry’s vehicle found a gnu kill with lions, but two of our vehicles couldn’t follow the radioed directions and eventually gave up – my vehicle being one of them. But that set back proved fortuitous. The kill had a male lion, two lionesses, and later, vulture and jackal activity.
Meanwhile, we drove back towards where we had the lioness and cub yesterday morning, and about an half mile from that location we spotted a lioness moving down a hillside. Periodically she would stop and look back, and half snarl. Three male lions appeared on the ridge and two descended, moving at a trot to follow her. She trotted off, and the males, trotting rapidly, were in pursuit, which gave us multiple opportunities over at least an half mile track for shooting running – trotting – lions. At one point, Felix saw the male catch up to the female and swat her down, but she regained her footing and ran off, even faster. The males gave up, and headed back, eventually reaching the site where we believe a cub had been killed yesterday. The lioness, we suspect, was the mother of the cub, and we fear that cub was also killed. Accordingly, these males may be new to the pride and the lionesses, one, haven’t accepted them yet, and two, the males are killing cubs.
Later, as we entered the upper Mara we spotted 14 more lions, returning from a kill where, based on the distended bellies of the males, the males ate while the females and cubs looked thin. Two lionesses branched off to hunt three warthogs, but a lioness started the run too early and the hogs escaped.
In total, we had at least 21 lions on the game drive.
PM – We headed out, hoping to find leopards. Not far from camp we found six lions, including two cubs about five months old, feeding on a gnu. Later, nearby, we found our mother cheetah with three cubs – the same cubs we’d seen last year, now about 16 months old and large. They were sprawled atop a termite mound, beneath croton bushes, but as we watched the cubs got up and moved, and posed, onto several termite mounds. They were attracted to two adult warthogs that they stalked, with the warthog spotting them and completely ignoring them, actually dropping on to its forelegs to graze just thirty or so yards away. Eventually one of the cubs charged and the warthog sprinted off, but the cats, knowing the chase was hopeless, barely broke a jog. Another warthog flushed and they chased it, too, with the same results.
At the conclusion of the game drive I had to have a talk with our guides about teamwork and some problems they were having. Hopefully that is resolved.
Day 12 – Upper Mara
We were still hoping for a good leopard, or, more accurately, still another good leopard since we did fairly well at Nakuru and in the Lower Mara. Here, a very habituated female we’ve known for years resides, and presently has two cubs.
We were told of a recent leopard kill at the Double Crossing, out of range for ‘our’ leopard, and we headed there. Unsuccessfully, at first, as our directions were vague, but Carlo spotted a large male leopard that presented some nice profiles as it walked down a trail on the opposite side of the lugga. Later, one of our guides spotted the leopard we were after, a small female in a tree with a male Thompson’s Gazelle. By the time my vehicle arrived she was seconds from accidentally dropping the kill from the tree, and we arrived in time to film her as she climbed down from her perch. She retrieved the carcass and headed off, and all of us had opportunities to shoot the leopard as she dragged the half-eaten carcass between her legs. Eventually, after stashing the kill behind a mass of tree roots, she buried into a thicket and retired.
We continued looking for the leopardess with cubs, while three other vehicles spotted another leopard in a tree, with the mother lying beneath. The shooting was marginal, and a vehicle’s movement through the bush may have spooked a baby waterbuck that the leopard then killed. That was a low light to the morning, and the driver responsible got a talking to.
We didn’t find the leopardess, but encountered a very tolerant immature Martial Eagle that eventually took off and soared over a mob of banded mongoose that chirped an alarm but did not run. I wondered if they felt secure as a group, and their mass may have discouraged an attack.
PM – A very productive afternoon for everyone, and for some, like Kevin, the entire game drive was a highlight. We found the cheetahs again, who had killed a T Gazelle, and a very cooperative serval, and the group did well with Kirk’s dik-dik, baby giraffes, various birds, and the cheetahs.
One long, thin row of heavy leaden clouds traced across the sky, and almost directly over head, and as we started our game drive it sprinkled, then rained fairly heavily for minutes, but before we could even think of putting up the vehicle lids it’d stop, and then resume again. After about an half hour the rains passed, and as we drove along we once-again passed through parched areas where this spotty shower missed.
Day 13 Upper Mara
Yesterday’s winds and afternoon showers foreshadowed this morning’s skies, overcast and, once, a misty drizzle. Lenticular clouds, formed by high atmospheric winds that shape the clouds into flying saucer shapes, hung below the cloud ceiling, and as the morning progressed it drew windier and duller. As I write this, at noon, the skies are completely overcast and the light dull and poor.
Our vehicle followed much of the Talek River, still looking for the leopardess and cubs. Without luck. However, through the morning we filmed baby hyenas, young jackals, baby giraffes, three eagle species, a black and white crowned hornbill, one cheetah, and several lions.
Mary’s vehicle headed to Paradise, and en route had frame-filling headshots of bat-eared fox, and later outstanding images of a male lion interacting with a cub. Three vehicles spent the latter part of the morning at the Maasai village, where Clark ‘was almost killed’ when he photographed Maasai that were not part of the village. After getting more money (no doubt, the reason for the Maasai’s behavior), everything smoothed out.
PM – Afternoon game drive was slow and anti-climatic, and people commented that this was the first slow or unproductive game drive we had had. No wonder – the usual subjects, gazelles, gnus, zebras, we all had, and we were searching for the leopardess and cubs but without success.
The evening farewell dinner went well, with plenty of good jokes after dinner, and final good byes to the guides.
Day 14 – Return to Nairobi
Flight back, via two chartered planes and plenty of room, went smoothly, and our final slide show of participants’ work went wonderfully. Everyone got off without a hitch, although with some sadness to see everyone saying farewell.
Kenya Trip One 2009
Trip Report
October 1 –Left for NY, and flight to Amsterdam. Uneventful and successful.
October 2 – Flight to Nairiobi arrived about 45 minutes late, but everyone’s luggage arrived with us.
October 3 – day in Nairobi, resting at Serena. Last two passengers arrive in evening.
October 4 – Morning briefing, and drive to Samburu.
Kenya has been in a drought, and shortly before the trip we had heard unsettling reports about conditions. As we drove north and into the ‘White Highlands’ the land grew increasingly parched, and, for the first time in all our travels here, we saw common zebras near the road in areas where we assumed this species, like most game, has long been extirpated. The road to Samburu has always been one of the horror stories of our trips, dusty and pot-holed, but Chinese road construction is changing that and for most of our trip the roads were good, and the new road like any modern superhighway, smooth and without potholes. Unfortunately, the better roads may have promoted even more degrading of the land for charcoal, and where, just outside of Isiolo, the last big town before Samburu, acacia trees grew in abundance we now passed through an essentially treeless plain. Eventually, as we continued north we entered the mixed desert woodland of acacias, but I suspect that by next year much of these remaining forests will be gone.
Normally, when entering the park one sees a marked difference in vegetation, as the denuded landscape from Samburu cattle and sheep is replaced by the healthy ecosystem of a naturally grazed landscape. Not this year. Instead, the ground cover seemed almost nonexistent, and even most of the low acacia trees are essentially without leaves. Still, we saw a fair amount of animals, and those we saw were healthy.
For the first time in months rain clouds gathered and as we drove into and through Isiolo we passed through several heavy showers. The Samburu Intrepids staff always joke that we were a lucky group that always brings the rain, but this time that joke seemed to have much truth.
We arrived at camp around 5:30, with enough light to see for unpacking and getting ourselves ready for the first game drive tomorrow. As we walked to our tents a light mist fell, the first moisture Samburu had seen since January.
October 5 – Day 2 Samburu
We started at 6, with everyone loading up and organizing beanbags and equipment for the first time, and the process went surprisingly well. The sun was still behind the low mountains when we reached the main track, and, as the sun rose we started the day with dik-diks. These small antelope are independent of water, deriving whatever water needs they have from their browsing, and the antelope looked healthy. With some irony I watched one female pulling up her cud, chewing, and reswallowing the wad of vegetation, knowing that around her we’d seen several withered carcasses of cows that had starved in this same landscape.
The Usaso Nyiro River was dry and was now just a broad sandy, tree-lined band winding through the landscape. We’d seen the river low before, shallow enough for lions to wade ankle-deep across the river, but never bone dry. It hadn’t rained in Samburu since January, and now the only water source was the spring-fed Isiolo River further downstream.
Surprisingly, almost all of the game looked very healthy, and before the morning was out we’d seen virtually all the endemics of Samburu – Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra, Somalia Ostrich, Common Waterbuck, Gunther’s Dik-Dik, Gerenuk, and Vulturine Guineafow. Most years, we may see a dozen to a score of Grevy’s Zebras in Samburu but this year this endangered species is here by the hundreds, if not thousands. It’s estimated there are around 5,000 Grevy’s scattered through northern Kenya, Somalia, and the Sudan, and our outfitter guessed that the Samburu-Buffalo Springs Game Reserve area may be hosting around 1,000.
We received a radio call about a mother elephant hovering around her dead baby and we headed that way, expecting to find a mourning elephant. Instead, we found a 5-6 year old lying on its side near the road, so weak that it looked as if it would soon die. We shot some record shots and moved on, and soon discovered the mother elephant with a very young calf. Nearby lay another dead elephant, a small one we suspected was one of her older daughters. While we watched, that ‘dead’ elephant rolled over and got to its feet, and proceeded to feed on the bare brown twigs until it was just a few yards from our vehicle. When we left, and passed by our first ‘dead’ elephant we found that this one, too, had resurrected itself and was now standing in the shade of an acacia.
With the water supply limited only to the Isiolo River, I expected to see far more animals in distress, and I wondered how water-dependent Vervet Monkeys and Olive Baboons were coping. Apparently, fine, for we saw plenty of monkeys on our game drive and, around camp, several troops of baboons. The only animal that appeared stressed was the impala, and many of these typically slender-looking antelope now showed rows of ribs. We saw one group of three where a baby, a few months old, trailed along, but looked quite healthy, so, somehow, the wild game is coping. In contrast to the Samburu cattle which had been abandoned to fare for themselves, and inside the park we saw at least a dozen carcasses, most only partially eaten, baking in the sun.
PM - It threatened rain as we started the 4PM game drive, but within an half hour the skies cleared, and we had bright light for two male kudus we found near the river. They were tame, and at one point walked right next to one of our vehicles, presenting a tawny butt just feet from the landrover. Later, we had fairly decent immature giraffes, spotted a cheetah that presented no images, and, in poor light, had two very close Pigmy Falcons. We arrived back in camp around 6:30.
October 5 Day 3 Samburu
We crossed the Usaso Nyiro River into Buffalo Springs Game Reserve this morning. En route, and before sunrise, a Greater Kudu crossed in front of us, and minutes later, as the light strengthened, we filmed more Vulturine Guineafowl perched on low shrubs for a few minutes. At the bride, a large troop of baboons played on the roof tops of the guard shacks, pounding the tin roofs loudly as they ran about, before, en masse, the troop paraded across the bridge. In the early light some, crossing the now dry river bed, cast long monkey shadows across the track-pocked sand.
We followed the dry river bed, an eerily disorientating route as I’ve never not had water here, and filmed a very cooperative Palm Nut Vulture perched in a dead snag. Later we did well with a dozen or so male Reticulated Giraffes of varying ages, with horn tufts that were, in some cases, still almost covering the bony knobs that mark the male.
Hoping for cats we headed downstream along the Isiolo River, but aside from some crocodiles, including a female we suspect was guarding a nest in a sandy, open clearing, the route was fairly empty. On the way back, retracing our route we encountered a pair of mating lions. The lighting, while high, was back-lighted and Rembrandt-ish, and fairly spectacular in that sense. We had some debate about the stage in the mating cycle, but regardless, the lioness was hungry and attempted to stalk a large herd of Oryx and Grant’s Gazelles. Unsuccessfully, as the male tagged along, sniffing her backend and pausing to flehmen, without regard or care of the prey. Eventually she gave up, and as she retreated she paused, with the male almost knocking her over with chest-bumps as he tried mounting her, and she squatted and they mated, facing us and in the open. Afterwards they retreated to thicker cover and, despite an Oryx that may have approached within her range, we headed out.
On our way home we spotted two vehicles moving through an Acacia grove and we turned in to investigate and, as we hoped, they were following a leopard. When we arrived it was hidden in the brush and I thought I saw something – perhaps a bird, but from the shadows the cat rose and materialized against the dead branches, stepped into the open and trotted across an hundred yards of clearing before climbing another, very heavily branched, tree. Although everyone had a chance to see this cat the views were compromised, but we cracked the nut, we now had our first leopard of the safari.
Carcasses were unsettlingly common on this side, and I saw three dead African Buffalo, one Oryx, and one Grevy’s Zebra, their bodies only partially eaten and now mummified in the sun.
When we returned to camp we were told to call the home office, and learned, to our horror, that a good friend’s wife had just been killed by their captive black bear, an animal they had raised from a cub many years before. That shock, to us, still has not worn off and it was a bit trying to conduct business as usual as we met the group for lunch and group highlights.
PM – Left at 4 and had a fairly successful early evening game drive with Reticulated Giraffes, but the evening ended wonderfully when Mary radioed that she had some tree-climbing lions. Two two-three year old lions had climbed a dead snag, with the lioness perched somewhat precariously at the end of a long, slender trunk. The other, a lioness, was plastered against the bottom portion of the tree, almost invisible in the golden light, tawny against the weathered wood. The lionesses turned several times for some nice shooting, but we had to leave to make curfew before the cats finally left the tree.
October 6 Day 4 – We headed back over to Buffalo Springs, hoping to find the leopard. We found a small group of elephants with a very young baby that performed wonderfully, running about and lurching, acting so awkward that we wondered if it was sick. It wasn’t, but as the only baby in the group it was bored and playful. Later, along the upper reaches of the Isiolo River we found a herd of 16 elephants at an oasis-like waterhole, which was the highlight for several. Downstream, we encountered another lioness with two well-spotted but year-old cubs. One was a bit shy but the lioness worked well for several vehicles.
Covering new ground, we passed multiple carcasses of cows and African Buffalo that have died in the drought and the poor forage. Still, with the exception of a few thin Impala, all of the naturally-occuring game, the wildlife, looked healthy and stress-free.
October 7 Day 5 – Headed to Nakuru, arriving around 1:30PM to a sky that looked promising, considering the last three days Nakuru had had rain much of the time. We left at 4 and, instead of going directly to Cormorant Point where we hoped to film white pelicans and other birds at the inlet, we headed East towards a leopard that had been in a tree. Since the morning, we learned later.
The leopard was still there, in clear view but facing away from us, but as we waited she turned several times and presented multiple shooting opportunities. We were hoping that she would leave her perch, climb down the tree, and perhaps approach us, but as the light completely failed shortly after six, with a heavy cloudbank to the west, we headed back to camp.
October 8 Day 6 – Nakuru to the Mara
The skies were overcast and remained so throughout the morning, indeed, the entire day, but Nakuru was very productive. A nice herd of Rothschild’s Giraffes grazed on acacia trees close to the road and later a four-month old white rhino baby performed wonderfully, along with its mother, quite close to the road. The drought’s effect on Nakuru was evident – we passed a African Buffalo lying almost upside down along the roadside, slowly dying, and the lake itself had receded about 100 yards from its usual shoreline. There were few flamingos, but in a sheltered bay we had some fairly close opportunities, and great reflections.
As we headed out we encountered a group of male baboons where one, presumably the dominant male, had captured a baby Thompson’s Gazelle that he was eating. Other baboons hung near but didn’t try to steal the prey, and I suspect they were either hoping he’d share or abandon the carcass when he was full. Nonetheless as the small group progressed they came quite close to the road for the ‘best ever’ shots of a baboon feeding on an antelope. As we drove to the gate we found 5 Colobus Monkeys out in the open in the acacias, and while we filmed and watched they must have discovered a snake as they gathered about and focused towards the ground, emitting sharp alarm barks. We never spotted the snake, which we suspect was either a small python or a puff adder.
We arrived at our lodge in the Mara in record time, around 4:30PM, which gave us plenty of time to get settled. The skies were gloomy and dull and we were not tempted to attempt an evening game drive after an arduous overland drive to the Mara.
October 10 Day 7 Lower Mara
We headed to the kopje rocks and the Sand River, hoping to find lions. We were successful, getting a total of 11 by the end of the morning, and 1 shy leopard. The lions – three females and four large cubs, two big black maned lions, and, along the river, three thin lionesses and a young male that yawned several times, much to Sandra’s delight.
The leopard was shy, and when Henry’s vehicle got close the cat slipped down the tree and, reaching bottom, tensed, muscles coiling, and charged, eyes locked on Victor. It only took one stride before swerving into the brush, but it was enough to make a lasting memory, and the morning’s highlight, for Vic. Our vehicles tried finding the cat again but it trotted off, and not wishing to stress the cat further, we drove off.
Several vehicles had good luck with Lilac-breasted Rollers, including birds in flight, a Martial Eagle, and a courting pair of Masai Ostriches. We returned to the Lodge by 11:30, with skies beginning to cloud up and threatening an afternoon rain.
PM - Shortly after leaving the lodge we spotted a large cluster of tourist vehicles, which we suspected were gathered for a lion. They were not – three cheetahs were close to the road, a mother and two fully-grown young that were actually larger than her, although they still sported the juvenile’s neck mane. As we drove up we discovered that the cheetahs were hunting, stalking a small group of impalas and two reedbuckclose to the road. The female cheetah crept up to a termite mound, her attention focused on the entire group. One of the cubs hung behind, watching, while the other cub moved up a small gulley, intent on the impalas. This cub didn’t know that it was walking right by the reedbuck, and the reedbuck, sensing danger, stood alertly, watching. I thought that they’d certainly spot the cheetah and run off, but before the reedbuck did, the cheetah noticed the reedbuck, and how close they were. The cheetah immediately gave chase, and for a few seconds they ran away from us, through brush and high grass, presenting no opportunity for shooting.
The reedbuck turned, and headed our way, and for a second or two we were challenged as to what animal to follow. I stayed with my 70-200 to be sure to follow the action – it was so close, and luckily the reedbuck, and now, all three cheetahs, headed our way, catching the antelope right in front of us in the ditch. The reedbuck struggled to clamber over the top, almost directly in front of us, and I got several shots with the animal, tongue lolled out in distress, along the rim, with three cats piled on his back. Miliseconds later, they dragged the antelope back into the ravine and proceeded to feed, not bothering with a suffocating throat-hold, and, for a minute or so, the reedbuck’s bleet could barely be heard above the roar of minivans all jockeying for position.
What followed was tourism at its worse, with as many as forty vehicles attempting to get a view of the cheetahs now mostly hidden in the gulley. People stood atop roofs, on top of ‘budget safari’ buses, and hung out windows. The cheetahs were oblivious, and from our favored position we shot some wonderful portraits of the cats when they left the kill.
Eventually we headed out, too, as we were told a leopard had been spotted in a tree. At least 34 vehicles were gathered there, and probably far more at different times, and again it was an exercise in tourism excess, with minivans losing traction on the grasses, people climbing out of their buses and onto roofs, while the leopard barely moved, sometimes raising its head to change resting positions. We shot a little and moved on, to another leopard with a cub, but although we staked it out we never saw the cats.
Still, despite the clutter, it was a good afternoon, with a cat tally of 2 leopards for the day, 3 cheetahs, and 11 lions.
Afterword: That night our lodge had a special barbeque, for former President Moi’s birthday, and something served, perhaps the chicken, was rife with Salmonella. 78 tourists got sick that night, including one of our driver/guides, Mary, me, and two participants, Nik and Leslie. Mary and I were sick in the early part of the night, and then wiped out and miserable for the rest of the night. One of our others was sick all through the night, and, unfortunately, left the safari two days later, still wiped out and weak. The rest of us, sitting out the next day, recovered for the travel/shooting day to our next lodge.
Day 8 – Lower Mara
Mary and I, one of our driver/guides, and several participants missed either the entire day, or at least one game drive due to the food poisoning of the night before. Those that survived had a good morning, seeing ‘The Big Five,’ lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, and buffalo on a single game drive.
On the PM game drive several did very well with lions, and Sandra’s vehicle had a lioness grab, but slip off of, a zebra she was hunting.
Day 9 – Lower Mara to Mara Triangle
Our departure was delayed as we organized one ‘ambulance’ vehicle, taking two of our participants directly to the lodge. One, still very weak from the food poisoning episode, and the other suffering an unrelated malady, a pancreatic inflammation that required the lodge’s doctor to administer an IV of saline solution last night. This was professionally done and required since the patient was unable to keep fluids down and was dehydrating. Sadly, after arriving at the next lodge both continued on, to fly home.
The morning game drive was another good one, again with the Big Five, and with two leopards, one which climbed a tree right next to the road and another, in a spot we haven’t had many, or perhaps any, leopards, walked right passed our vehicle, completely unconcerned. Mary’s vehicle stayed with a buffalo kill, where two males and a lioness had been feeding and where, after they left, about forty vultures swooped down to feed.
PM – Mara Triangle
Perhaps one of the most productive afternoons in the Triangle, ever.
We headed down the to the river where small groups of gnus were gathered, and within minutes of our parking at one of the Crossing Lookouts zebras started towards the water. At first the zebras and gnus simply drank, but within minutes the first zebras crossed and, before it finished, probably several hundred crossed.
While that was interesting, what was exciting were the crocodiles, as five large crocs swam up and positioned themselves next to the animals. Some crocs kept their mouths agage, and one did a full swinging head swipe at a gnu that leaped, arching, out of harm’s way. Many gnus actually leaped over the crocs backs, and I saw a few actually bump and shove a croc’s head as they passed. It appeared as if the crocs were selecting zebras, and perhaps the missed gnu occurred because a small zebra had been approaching and was directly behind the gnu that was attacked. At any rate, not a single animal was killed in this crossing.
Just minutes later, another crossing started downriver, and we drove down, this time getting a much different view of the crossing with nearly over-the-shoulder light. A croc did catch a gnu at this crossing, but did not immediately succeed in drowning it and eventually let it go. The gnu apparently made it to shore, but was so injured that it was later recaptured and killed by another croc.
Towards sunset we were working on silhouettes when David spotted antelope intently looking in one direction, at a lion that had made a kill. As we drove up we discovered that the lioness had captured a baby topi, and was merely playing with it, wrestling it in what would normally be kill holds, then releasing it. At some times it almost seemed affectionate – a lioness in Samburu habitually ‘adopted’ oryx calves for several days, before she, or another pride member, ate her adopted baby, while other times, as she hooked the baby with a talon and dragged it along, she seemed anything but. Eventually she picked up the baby and trotted away, the topi baby swinging in her jaws, though still alive.
Day 10 – Mara Triangle
While El Nino rains have been forecasted for weeks the skies were again crystal clear, and as we headed out we looked for a good sunrise acacia tree, unsuccessfully. In the early light, however, we found a young lioness that actively trotted at least a quarter mile to displace vultures at a sun-weathered carcass. Backlighted the image was still striking, and the cat had wide, alert eyes, and to me, she looked lost and concerned with finding her pride.
Later, near the kopje-like plateaus we found several lionesses and two males, and one cub. Another cub, we’re fairly certain, was killed by one of the males and the lionesses with the cub repeatedly visited the area, as if attempting to draw her cub back. This, after she had visited and sniffed and pawed at the carcass. The lioness, when greeting one of the males, swatted him away – we had expected a head-butt and an introduction to the cub, but subsequent observations, ie the dead cub, may account for that behavior.
We spent a fair amount of time near the Tanzania border and the gnu numbers were large, and we all shot lines and masses, depicting the migration. Later, at the ‘mortuary’ we found over six massive crocodiles, all feeding on parts of, or whole, Thompson’s gazelles. We must have missed the crossing by less than a half hour, and the crocodiles massacred these small antelopes as they attempted to swim the river. We waited nearly an hour for another crossing, and although herds of gazelles, impalas, and gnus passed in the croton bushes nearby, none moved back to the sandy bank of the crossing and, as noon approached, even the crocodiles swam downstream. The largest, males by the appearance of their girth and head, must have been 15 feet or so.
Meanwhile, Mary’s vehicle had discovered a female cheetah that was being harassed by a jackal. She was hunting, and although the jackal almost blew the hunt, when the jackal swerved off it diverted the attention of the oribi the cheetah stalked, and she made her kill. While she was still strangling the oribi the jackal rushed in and bit the cheetah’s backside, and the cheetah swung around, oribi still within her jaws, and chased the cheetah a few bounds.
One other noteworthy sight – an elephant with a twisted tusk that extended back towards its neck, and crossed over onto the same side as the other tusk. Should we see this female again, we’ll know her. And, good news, Clark, who had to evacuate for a medical emergency, will rejoin our group this afternoon, being released from the hospital.
PM – We headed back to the river as it looked as if gnus might be gathering. A small, perhaps 200, herd had gathered, with a few close to the water but as we waited they moved off. David said it’d just be a matter of time and so we waited.
A few minutes later a few zebras approached the shoreline as did a large crocodile, that did so, of course, from the water side. The croc submerged and moved in, and for the next number of minutes zebras and gnus came to drink, with the occasional tell-tale bubble of the hidden crocodile nearby. Eventually, as a few colts and two adult zebras drank, the croc lunged. The zebras leaped back, arching, and in the shots the croc’s head appears to actually be touching a zebra, but all escaped. For the duration of the motor-drive blast the croc stayed visible, mouth wide and empty, while in the background the receding stripes of zebras merged with the dust.
We headed towards another crossing, which did not materialize, but had a fairly decent serval en route. Later, a male black rhino, the first I’ve ever seen here in the Triangle, was heading towards the cow rhino that resides upstream. A tame family of warthogs rounded out the afternoon, which concluded with beautiful orange, angular light, but no real subject to do it justice.
Day 11 – Mara Triangle to Upper Mara
We headed out at dawn under another clear sky. Henry’s vehicle found a gnu kill with lions, but two of our vehicles couldn’t follow the radioed directions and eventually gave up – my vehicle being one of them. But that set back proved fortuitous. The kill had a male lion, two lionesses, and later, vulture and jackal activity.
Meanwhile, we drove back towards where we had the lioness and cub yesterday morning, and about an half mile from that location we spotted a lioness moving down a hillside. Periodically she would stop and look back, and half snarl. Three male lions appeared on the ridge and two descended, moving at a trot to follow her. She trotted off, and the males, trotting rapidly, were in pursuit, which gave us multiple opportunities over at least an half mile track for shooting running – trotting – lions. At one point, Felix saw the male catch up to the female and swat her down, but she regained her footing and ran off, even faster. The males gave up, and headed back, eventually reaching the site where we believe a cub had been killed yesterday. The lioness, we suspect, was the mother of the cub, and we fear that cub was also killed. Accordingly, these males may be new to the pride and the lionesses, one, haven’t accepted them yet, and two, the males are killing cubs.
Later, as we entered the upper Mara we spotted 14 more lions, returning from a kill where, based on the distended bellies of the males, the males ate while the females and cubs looked thin. Two lionesses branched off to hunt three warthogs, but a lioness started the run too early and the hogs escaped.
In total, we had at least 21 lions on the game drive.
PM – We headed out, hoping to find leopards. Not far from camp we found six lions, including two cubs about five months old, feeding on a gnu. Later, nearby, we found our mother cheetah with three cubs – the same cubs we’d seen last year, now about 16 months old and large. They were sprawled atop a termite mound, beneath croton bushes, but as we watched the cubs got up and moved, and posed, onto several termite mounds. They were attracted to two adult warthogs that they stalked, with the warthog spotting them and completely ignoring them, actually dropping on to its forelegs to graze just thirty or so yards away. Eventually one of the cubs charged and the warthog sprinted off, but the cats, knowing the chase was hopeless, barely broke a jog. Another warthog flushed and they chased it, too, with the same results.
At the conclusion of the game drive I had to have a talk with our guides about teamwork and some problems they were having. Hopefully that is resolved.
Day 12 – Upper Mara
We were still hoping for a good leopard, or, more accurately, still another good leopard since we did fairly well at Nakuru and in the Lower Mara. Here, a very habituated female we’ve known for years resides, and presently has two cubs.
We were told of a recent leopard kill at the Double Crossing, out of range for ‘our’ leopard, and we headed there. Unsuccessfully, at first, as our directions were vague, but Carlo spotted a large male leopard that presented some nice profiles as it walked down a trail on the opposite side of the lugga. Later, one of our guides spotted the leopard we were after, a small female in a tree with a male Thompson’s Gazelle. By the time my vehicle arrived she was seconds from accidentally dropping the kill from the tree, and we arrived in time to film her as she climbed down from her perch. She retrieved the carcass and headed off, and all of us had opportunities to shoot the leopard as she dragged the half-eaten carcass between her legs. Eventually, after stashing the kill behind a mass of tree roots, she buried into a thicket and retired.
We continued looking for the leopardess with cubs, while three other vehicles spotted another leopard in a tree, with the mother lying beneath. The shooting was marginal, and a vehicle’s movement through the bush may have spooked a baby waterbuck that the leopard then killed. That was a low light to the morning, and the driver responsible got a talking to.
We didn’t find the leopardess, but encountered a very tolerant immature Martial Eagle that eventually took off and soared over a mob of banded mongoose that chirped an alarm but did not run. I wondered if they felt secure as a group, and their mass may have discouraged an attack.
PM – A very productive afternoon for everyone, and for some, like Kevin, the entire game drive was a highlight. We found the cheetahs again, who had killed a T Gazelle, and a very cooperative serval, and the group did well with Kirk’s dik-dik, baby giraffes, various birds, and the cheetahs.
One long, thin row of heavy leaden clouds traced across the sky, and almost directly over head, and as we started our game drive it sprinkled, then rained fairly heavily for minutes, but before we could even think of putting up the vehicle lids it’d stop, and then resume again. After about an half hour the rains passed, and as we drove along we once-again passed through parched areas where this spotty shower missed.
Day 13 Upper Mara
Yesterday’s winds and afternoon showers foreshadowed this morning’s skies, overcast and, once, a misty drizzle. Lenticular clouds, formed by high atmospheric winds that shape the clouds into flying saucer shapes, hung below the cloud ceiling, and as the morning progressed it drew windier and duller. As I write this, at noon, the skies are completely overcast and the light dull and poor.
Our vehicle followed much of the Talek River, still looking for the leopardess and cubs. Without luck. However, through the morning we filmed baby hyenas, young jackals, baby giraffes, three eagle species, a black and white crowned hornbill, one cheetah, and several lions.
Mary’s vehicle headed to Paradise, and en route had frame-filling headshots of bat-eared fox, and later outstanding images of a male lion interacting with a cub. Three vehicles spent the latter part of the morning at the Maasai village, where Clark ‘was almost killed’ when he photographed Maasai that were not part of the village. After getting more money (no doubt, the reason for the Maasai’s behavior), everything smoothed out.
PM – Afternoon game drive was slow and anti-climatic, and people commented that this was the first slow or unproductive game drive we had had. No wonder – the usual subjects, gazelles, gnus, zebras, we all had, and we were searching for the leopardess and cubs but without success.
The evening farewell dinner went well, with plenty of good jokes after dinner, and final good byes to the guides.
Day 14 – Return to Nairobi
Flight back, via two chartered planes and plenty of room, went smoothly, and our final slide show of participants’ work went wonderfully. Everyone got off without a hitch, although with some sadness to see everyone saying farewell.
Kenya Trip One 2009
Trip Report
October 1 –Left for NY, and flight to Amsterdam. Uneventful and successful.
October 2 – Flight to Nairiobi arrived about 45 minutes late, but everyone’s luggage arrived with us.
October 3 – day in Nairobi, resting at Serena. Last two passengers arrive in evening.
October 4 – Morning briefing, and drive to Samburu.
Kenya has been in a drought, and shortly before the trip we had heard unsettling reports about conditions. As we drove north and into the ‘White Highlands’ the land grew increasingly parched, and, for the first time in all our travels here, we saw common zebras near the road in areas where we assumed this species, like most game, has long been extirpated. The road to Samburu has always been one of the horror stories of our trips, dusty and pot-holed, but Chinese road construction is changing that and for most of our trip the roads were good, and the new road like any modern superhighway, smooth and without potholes. Unfortunately, the better roads may have promoted even more degrading of the land for charcoal, and where, just outside of Isiolo, the last big town before Samburu, acacia trees grew in abundance we now passed through an essentially treeless plain. Eventually, as we continued north we entered the mixed desert woodland of acacias, but I suspect that by next year much of these remaining forests will be gone.
Normally, when entering the park one sees a marked difference in vegetation, as the denuded landscape from Samburu cattle and sheep is replaced by the healthy ecosystem of a naturally grazed landscape. Not this year. Instead, the ground cover seemed almost nonexistent, and even most of the low acacia trees are essentially without leaves. Still, we saw a fair amount of animals, and those we saw were healthy.
For the first time in months rain clouds gathered and as we drove into and through Isiolo we passed through several heavy showers. The Samburu Intrepids staff always joke that we were a lucky group that always brings the rain, but this time that joke seemed to have much truth.
We arrived at camp around 5:30, with enough light to see for unpacking and getting ourselves ready for the first game drive tomorrow. As we walked to our tents a light mist fell, the first moisture Samburu had seen since January.
October 5 – Day 2 Samburu
We started at 6, with everyone loading up and organizing beanbags and equipment for the first time, and the process went surprisingly well. The sun was still behind the low mountains when we reached the main track, and, as the sun rose we started the day with dik-diks. These small antelope are independent of water, deriving whatever water needs they have from their browsing, and the antelope looked healthy. With some irony I watched one female pulling up her cud, chewing, and reswallowing the wad of vegetation, knowing that around her we’d seen several withered carcasses of cows that had starved in this same landscape.
The Usaso Nyiro River was dry and was now just a broad sandy, tree-lined band winding through the landscape. We’d seen the river low before, shallow enough for lions to wade ankle-deep across the river, but never bone dry. It hadn’t rained in Samburu since January, and now the only water source was the spring-fed Isiolo River further downstream.
Surprisingly, almost all of the game looked very healthy, and before the morning was out we’d seen virtually all the endemics of Samburu – Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra, Somalia Ostrich, Common Waterbuck, Gunther’s Dik-Dik, Gerenuk, and Vulturine Guineafow. Most years, we may see a dozen to a score of Grevy’s Zebras in Samburu but this year this endangered species is here by the hundreds, if not thousands. It’s estimated there are around 5,000 Grevy’s scattered through northern Kenya, Somalia, and the Sudan, and our outfitter guessed that the Samburu-Buffalo Springs Game Reserve area may be hosting around 1,000.
We received a radio call about a mother elephant hovering around her dead baby and we headed that way, expecting to find a mourning elephant. Instead, we found a 5-6 year old lying on its side near the road, so weak that it looked as if it would soon die. We shot some record shots and moved on, and soon discovered the mother elephant with a very young calf. Nearby lay another dead elephant, a small one we suspected was one of her older daughters. While we watched, that ‘dead’ elephant rolled over and got to its feet, and proceeded to feed on the bare brown twigs until it was just a few yards from our vehicle. When we left, and passed by our first ‘dead’ elephant we found that this one, too, had resurrected itself and was now standing in the shade of an acacia.
With the water supply limited only to the Isiolo River, I expected to see far more animals in distress, and I wondered how water-dependent Vervet Monkeys and Olive Baboons were coping. Apparently, fine, for we saw plenty of monkeys on our game drive and, around camp, several troops of baboons. The only animal that appeared stressed was the impala, and many of these typically slender-looking antelope now showed rows of ribs. We saw one group of three where a baby, a few months old, trailed along, but looked quite healthy, so, somehow, the wild game is coping. In contrast to the Samburu cattle which had been abandoned to fare for themselves, and inside the park we saw at least a dozen carcasses, most only partially eaten, baking in the sun.
PM - It threatened rain as we started the 4PM game drive, but within an half hour the skies cleared, and we had bright light for two male kudus we found near the river. They were tame, and at one point walked right next to one of our vehicles, presenting a tawny butt just feet from the landrover. Later, we had fairly decent immature giraffes, spotted a cheetah that presented no images, and, in poor light, had two very close Pigmy Falcons. We arrived back in camp around 6:30.
October 5 Day 3 Samburu
We crossed the Usaso Nyiro River into Buffalo Springs Game Reserve this morning. En route, and before sunrise, a Greater Kudu crossed in front of us, and minutes later, as the light strengthened, we filmed more Vulturine Guineafowl perched on low shrubs for a few minutes. At the bride, a large troop of baboons played on the roof tops of the guard shacks, pounding the tin roofs loudly as they ran about, before, en masse, the troop paraded across the bridge. In the early light some, crossing the now dry river bed, cast long monkey shadows across the track-pocked sand.
We followed the dry river bed, an eerily disorientating route as I’ve never not had water here, and filmed a very cooperative Palm Nut Vulture perched in a dead snag. Later we did well with a dozen or so male Reticulated Giraffes of varying ages, with horn tufts that were, in some cases, still almost covering the bony knobs that mark the male.
Hoping for cats we headed downstream along the Isiolo River, but aside from some crocodiles, including a female we suspect was guarding a nest in a sandy, open clearing, the route was fairly empty. On the way back, retracing our route we encountered a pair of mating lions. The lighting, while high, was back-lighted and Rembrandt-ish, and fairly spectacular in that sense. We had some debate about the stage in the mating cycle, but regardless, the lioness was hungry and attempted to stalk a large herd of Oryx and Grant’s Gazelles. Unsuccessfully, as the male tagged along, sniffing her backend and pausing to flehmen, without regard or care of the prey. Eventually she gave up, and as she retreated she paused, with the male almost knocking her over with chest-bumps as he tried mounting her, and she squatted and they mated, facing us and in the open. Afterwards they retreated to thicker cover and, despite an Oryx that may have approached within her range, we headed out.
On our way home we spotted two vehicles moving through an Acacia grove and we turned in to investigate and, as we hoped, they were following a leopard. When we arrived it was hidden in the brush and I thought I saw something – perhaps a bird, but from the shadows the cat rose and materialized against the dead branches, stepped into the open and trotted across an hundred yards of clearing before climbing another, very heavily branched, tree. Although everyone had a chance to see this cat the views were compromised, but we cracked the nut, we now had our first leopard of the safari.
Carcasses were unsettlingly common on this side, and I saw three dead African Buffalo, one Oryx, and one Grevy’s Zebra, their bodies only partially eaten and now mummified in the sun.
When we returned to camp we were told to call the home office, and learned, to our horror, that a good friend’s wife had just been killed by their captive black bear, an animal they had raised from a cub many years before. That shock, to us, still has not worn off and it was a bit trying to conduct business as usual as we met the group for lunch and group highlights.
PM – Left at 4 and had a fairly successful early evening game drive with Reticulated Giraffes, but the evening ended wonderfully when Mary radioed that she had some tree-climbing lions. Two two-three year old lions had climbed a dead snag, with the lioness perched somewhat precariously at the end of a long, slender trunk. The other, a lioness, was plastered against the bottom portion of the tree, almost invisible in the golden light, tawny against the weathered wood. The lionesses turned several times for some nice shooting, but we had to leave to make curfew before the cats finally left the tree.
October 6 Day 4 – We headed back over to Buffalo Springs, hoping to find the leopard. We found a small group of elephants with a very young baby that performed wonderfully, running about and lurching, acting so awkward that we wondered if it was sick. It wasn’t, but as the only baby in the group it was bored and playful. Later, along the upper reaches of the Isiolo River we found a herd of 16 elephants at an oasis-like waterhole, which was the highlight for several. Downstream, we encountered another lioness with two well-spotted but year-old cubs. One was a bit shy but the lioness worked well for several vehicles.
Covering new ground, we passed multiple carcasses of cows and African Buffalo that have died in the drought and the poor forage. Still, with the exception of a few thin Impala, all of the naturally-occuring game, the wildlife, looked healthy and stress-free.
October 7 Day 5 – Headed to Nakuru, arriving around 1:30PM to a sky that looked promising, considering the last three days Nakuru had had rain much of the time. We left at 4 and, instead of going directly to Cormorant Point where we hoped to film white pelicans and other birds at the inlet, we headed East towards a leopard that had been in a tree. Since the morning, we learned later.
The leopard was still there, in clear view but facing away from us, but as we waited she turned several times and presented multiple shooting opportunities. We were hoping that she would leave her perch, climb down the tree, and perhaps approach us, but as the light completely failed shortly after six, with a heavy cloudbank to the west, we headed back to camp.
October 8 Day 6 – Nakuru to the Mara
The skies were overcast and remained so throughout the morning, indeed, the entire day, but Nakuru was very productive. A nice herd of Rothschild’s Giraffes grazed on acacia trees close to the road and later a four-month old white rhino baby performed wonderfully, along with its mother, quite close to the road. The drought’s effect on Nakuru was evident – we passed a African Buffalo lying almost upside down along the roadside, slowly dying, and the lake itself had receded about 100 yards from its usual shoreline. There were few flamingos, but in a sheltered bay we had some fairly close opportunities, and great reflections.
As we headed out we encountered a group of male baboons where one, presumably the dominant male, had captured a baby Thompson’s Gazelle that he was eating. Other baboons hung near but didn’t try to steal the prey, and I suspect they were either hoping he’d share or abandon the carcass when he was full. Nonetheless as the small group progressed they came quite close to the road for the ‘best ever’ shots of a baboon feeding on an antelope. As we drove to the gate we found 5 Colobus Monkeys out in the open in the acacias, and while we filmed and watched they must have discovered a snake as they gathered about and focused towards the ground, emitting sharp alarm barks. We never spotted the snake, which we suspect was either a small python or a puff adder.
We arrived at our lodge in the Mara in record time, around 4:30PM, which gave us plenty of time to get settled. The skies were gloomy and dull and we were not tempted to attempt an evening game drive after an arduous overland drive to the Mara.
October 10 Day 7 Lower Mara
We headed to the kopje rocks and the Sand River, hoping to find lions. We were successful, getting a total of 11 by the end of the morning, and 1 shy leopard. The lions – three females and four large cubs, two big black maned lions, and, along the river, three thin lionesses and a young male that yawned several times, much to Sandra’s delight.
The leopard was shy, and when Henry’s vehicle got close the cat slipped down the tree and, reaching bottom, tensed, muscles coiling, and charged, eyes locked on Victor. It only took one stride before swerving into the brush, but it was enough to make a lasting memory, and the morning’s highlight, for Vic. Our vehicles tried finding the cat again but it trotted off, and not wishing to stress the cat further, we drove off.
Several vehicles had good luck with Lilac-breasted Rollers, including birds in flight, a Martial Eagle, and a courting pair of Masai Ostriches. We returned to the Lodge by 11:30, with skies beginning to cloud up and threatening an afternoon rain.
PM - Shortly after leaving the lodge we spotted a large cluster of tourist vehicles, which we suspected were gathered for a lion. They were not – three cheetahs were close to the road, a mother and two fully-grown young that were actually larger than her, although they still sported the juvenile’s neck mane. As we drove up we discovered that the cheetahs were hunting, stalking a small group of impalas and two reedbuckclose to the road. The female cheetah crept up to a termite mound, her attention focused on the entire group. One of the cubs hung behind, watching, while the other cub moved up a small gulley, intent on the impalas. This cub didn’t know that it was walking right by the reedbuck, and the reedbuck, sensing danger, stood alertly, watching. I thought that they’d certainly spot the cheetah and run off, but before the reedbuck did, the cheetah noticed the reedbuck, and how close they were. The cheetah immediately gave chase, and for a few seconds they ran away from us, through brush and high grass, presenting no opportunity for shooting.
The reedbuck turned, and headed our way, and for a second or two we were challenged as to what animal to follow. I stayed with my 70-200 to be sure to follow the action – it was so close, and luckily the reedbuck, and now, all three cheetahs, headed our way, catching the antelope right in front of us in the ditch. The reedbuck struggled to clamber over the top, almost directly in front of us, and I got several shots with the animal, tongue lolled out in distress, along the rim, with three cats piled on his back. Miliseconds later, they dragged the antelope back into the ravine and proceeded to feed, not bothering with a suffocating throat-hold, and, for a minute or so, the reedbuck’s bleet could barely be heard above the roar of minivans all jockeying for position.
What followed was tourism at its worse, with as many as forty vehicles attempting to get a view of the cheetahs now mostly hidden in the gulley. People stood atop roofs, on top of ‘budget safari’ buses, and hung out windows. The cheetahs were oblivious, and from our favored position we shot some wonderful portraits of the cats when they left the kill.
Eventually we headed out, too, as we were told a leopard had been spotted in a tree. At least 34 vehicles were gathered there, and probably far more at different times, and again it was an exercise in tourism excess, with minivans losing traction on the grasses, people climbing out of their buses and onto roofs, while the leopard barely moved, sometimes raising its head to change resting positions. We shot a little and moved on, to another leopard with a cub, but although we staked it out we never saw the cats.
Still, despite the clutter, it was a good afternoon, with a cat tally of 2 leopards for the day, 3 cheetahs, and 11 lions.
Afterword: That night our lodge had a special barbeque, for former President Moi’s birthday, and something served, perhaps the chicken, was rife with Salmonella. 78 tourists got sick that night, including one of our driver/guides, Mary, me, and two participants, Nik and Leslie. Mary and I were sick in the early part of the night, and then wiped out and miserable for the rest of the night. One of our others was sick all through the night, and, unfortunately, left the safari two days later, still wiped out and weak. The rest of us, sitting out the next day, recovered for the travel/shooting day to our next lodge.
Day 8 – Lower Mara
Mary and I, one of our driver/guides, and several participants missed either the entire day, or at least one game drive due to the food poisoning of the night before. Those that survived had a good morning, seeing ‘The Big Five,’ lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, and buffalo on a single game drive.
On the PM game drive several did very well with lions, and Sandra’s vehicle had a lioness grab, but slip off of, a zebra she was hunting.
Day 9 – Lower Mara to Mara Triangle
Our departure was delayed as we organized one ‘ambulance’ vehicle, taking two of our participants directly to the lodge. One, still very weak from the food poisoning episode, and the other suffering an unrelated malady, a pancreatic inflammation that required the lodge’s doctor to administer an IV of saline solution last night. This was professionally done and required since the patient was unable to keep fluids down and was dehydrating. Sadly, after arriving at the next lodge both continued on, to fly home.
The morning game drive was another good one, again with the Big Five, and with two leopards, one which climbed a tree right next to the road and another, in a spot we haven’t had many, or perhaps any, leopards, walked right passed our vehicle, completely unconcerned. Mary’s vehicle stayed with a buffalo kill, where two males and a lioness had been feeding and where, after they left, about forty vultures swooped down to feed.
PM – Mara Triangle
Perhaps one of the most productive afternoons in the Triangle, ever.
We headed down the to the river where small groups of gnus were gathered, and within minutes of our parking at one of the Crossing Lookouts zebras started towards the water. At first the zebras and gnus simply drank, but within minutes the first zebras crossed and, before it finished, probably several hundred crossed.
While that was interesting, what was exciting were the crocodiles, as five large crocs swam up and positioned themselves next to the animals. Some crocs kept their mouths agage, and one did a full swinging head swipe at a gnu that leaped, arching, out of harm’s way. Many gnus actually leaped over the crocs backs, and I saw a few actually bump and shove a croc’s head as they passed. It appeared as if the crocs were selecting zebras, and perhaps the missed gnu occurred because a small zebra had been approaching and was directly behind the gnu that was attacked. At any rate, not a single animal was killed in this crossing.
Just minutes later, another crossing started downriver, and we drove down, this time getting a much different view of the crossing with nearly over-the-shoulder light. A croc did catch a gnu at this crossing, but did not immediately succeed in drowning it and eventually let it go. The gnu apparently made it to shore, but was so injured that it was later recaptured and killed by another croc.
Towards sunset we were working on silhouettes when David spotted antelope intently looking in one direction, at a lion that had made a kill. As we drove up we discovered that the lioness had captured a baby topi, and was merely playing with it, wrestling it in what would normally be kill holds, then releasing it. At some times it almost seemed affectionate – a lioness in Samburu habitually ‘adopted’ oryx calves for several days, before she, or another pride member, ate her adopted baby, while other times, as she hooked the baby with a talon and dragged it along, she seemed anything but. Eventually she picked up the baby and trotted away, the topi baby swinging in her jaws, though still alive.
Day 10 – Mara Triangle
While El Nino rains have been forecasted for weeks the skies were again crystal clear, and as we headed out we looked for a good sunrise acacia tree, unsuccessfully. In the early light, however, we found a young lioness that actively trotted at least a quarter mile to displace vultures at a sun-weathered carcass. Backlighted the image was still striking, and the cat had wide, alert eyes, and to me, she looked lost and concerned with finding her pride.
Later, near the kopje-like plateaus we found several lionesses and two males, and one cub. Another cub, we’re fairly certain, was killed by one of the males and the lionesses with the cub repeatedly visited the area, as if attempting to draw her cub back. This, after she had visited and sniffed and pawed at the carcass. The lioness, when greeting one of the males, swatted him away – we had expected a head-butt and an introduction to the cub, but subsequent observations, ie the dead cub, may account for that behavior.
We spent a fair amount of time near the Tanzania border and the gnu numbers were large, and we all shot lines and masses, depicting the migration. Later, at the ‘mortuary’ we found over six massive crocodiles, all feeding on parts of, or whole, Thompson’s gazelles. We must have missed the crossing by less than a half hour, and the crocodiles massacred these small antelopes as they attempted to swim the river. We waited nearly an hour for another crossing, and although herds of gazelles, impalas, and gnus passed in the croton bushes nearby, none moved back to the sandy bank of the crossing and, as noon approached, even the crocodiles swam downstream. The largest, males by the appearance of their girth and head, must have been 15 feet or so.
Meanwhile, Mary’s vehicle had discovered a female cheetah that was being harassed by a jackal. She was hunting, and although the jackal almost blew the hunt, when the jackal swerved off it diverted the attention of the oribi the cheetah stalked, and she made her kill. While she was still strangling the oribi the jackal rushed in and bit the cheetah’s backside, and the cheetah swung around, oribi still within her jaws, and chased the cheetah a few bounds.
One other noteworthy sight – an elephant with a twisted tusk that extended back towards its neck, and crossed over onto the same side as the other tusk. Should we see this female again, we’ll know her. And, good news, Clark, who had to evacuate for a medical emergency, will rejoin our group this afternoon, being released from the hospital.
PM – We headed back to the river as it looked as if gnus might be gathering. A small, perhaps 200, herd had gathered, with a few close to the water but as we waited they moved off. David said it’d just be a matter of time and so we waited.
A few minutes later a few zebras approached the shoreline as did a large crocodile, that did so, of course, from the water side. The croc submerged and moved in, and for the next number of minutes zebras and gnus came to drink, with the occasional tell-tale bubble of the hidden crocodile nearby. Eventually, as a few colts and two adult zebras drank, the croc lunged. The zebras leaped back, arching, and in the shots the croc’s head appears to actually be touching a zebra, but all escaped. For the duration of the motor-drive blast the croc stayed visible, mouth wide and empty, while in the background the receding stripes of zebras merged with the dust.
We headed towards another crossing, which did not materialize, but had a fairly decent serval en route. Later, a male black rhino, the first I’ve ever seen here in the Triangle, was heading towards the cow rhino that resides upstream. A tame family of warthogs rounded out the afternoon, which concluded with beautiful orange, angular light, but no real subject to do it justice.
Day 11 – Mara Triangle to Upper Mara
We headed out at dawn under another clear sky. Henry’s vehicle found a gnu kill with lions, but two of our vehicles couldn’t follow the radioed directions and eventually gave up – my vehicle being one of them. But that set back proved fortuitous. The kill had a male lion, two lionesses, and later, vulture and jackal activity.
Meanwhile, we drove back towards where we had the lioness and cub yesterday morning, and about an half mile from that location we spotted a lioness moving down a hillside. Periodically she would stop and look back, and half snarl. Three male lions appeared on the ridge and two descended, moving at a trot to follow her. She trotted off, and the males, trotting rapidly, were in pursuit, which gave us multiple opportunities over at least an half mile track for shooting running – trotting – lions. At one point, Felix saw the male catch up to the female and swat her down, but she regained her footing and ran off, even faster. The males gave up, and headed back, eventually reaching the site where we believe a cub had been killed yesterday. The lioness, we suspect, was the mother of the cub, and we fear that cub was also killed. Accordingly, these males may be new to the pride and the lionesses, one, haven’t accepted them yet, and two, the males are killing cubs.
Later, as we entered the upper Mara we spotted 14 more lions, returning from a kill where, based on the distended bellies of the males, the males ate while the females and cubs looked thin. Two lionesses branched off to hunt three warthogs, but a lioness started the run too early and the hogs escaped.
In total, we had at least 21 lions on the game drive.
PM – We headed out, hoping to find leopards. Not far from camp we found six lions, including two cubs about five months old, feeding on a gnu. Later, nearby, we found our mother cheetah with three cubs – the same cubs we’d seen last year, now about 16 months old and large. They were sprawled atop a termite mound, beneath croton bushes, but as we watched the cubs got up and moved, and posed, onto several termite mounds. They were attracted to two adult warthogs that they stalked, with the warthog spotting them and completely ignoring them, actually dropping on to its forelegs to graze just thirty or so yards away. Eventually one of the cubs charged and the warthog sprinted off, but the cats, knowing the chase was hopeless, barely broke a jog. Another warthog flushed and they chased it, too, with the same results.
At the conclusion of the game drive I had to have a talk with our guides about teamwork and some problems they were having. Hopefully that is resolved.
Day 12 – Upper Mara
We were still hoping for a good leopard, or, more accurately, still another good leopard since we did fairly well at Nakuru and in the Lower Mara. Here, a very habituated female we’ve known for years resides, and presently has two cubs.
We were told of a recent leopard kill at the Double Crossing, out of range for ‘our’ leopard, and we headed there. Unsuccessfully, at first, as our directions were vague, but Carlo spotted a large male leopard that presented some nice profiles as it walked down a trail on the opposite side of the lugga. Later, one of our guides spotted the leopard we were after, a small female in a tree with a male Thompson’s Gazelle. By the time my vehicle arrived she was seconds from accidentally dropping the kill from the tree, and we arrived in time to film her as she climbed down from her perch. She retrieved the carcass and headed off, and all of us had opportunities to shoot the leopard as she dragged the half-eaten carcass between her legs. Eventually, after stashing the kill behind a mass of tree roots, she buried into a thicket and retired.
We continued looking for the leopardess with cubs, while three other vehicles spotted another leopard in a tree, with the mother lying beneath. The shooting was marginal, and a vehicle’s movement through the bush may have spooked a baby waterbuck that the leopard then killed. That was a low light to the morning, and the driver responsible got a talking to.
We didn’t find the leopardess, but encountered a very tolerant immature Martial Eagle that eventually took off and soared over a mob of banded mongoose that chirped an alarm but did not run. I wondered if they felt secure as a group, and their mass may have discouraged an attack.
PM – A very productive afternoon for everyone, and for some, like Kevin, the entire game drive was a highlight. We found the cheetahs again, who had killed a T Gazelle, and a very cooperative serval, and the group did well with Kirk’s dik-dik, baby giraffes, various birds, and the cheetahs.
One long, thin row of heavy leaden clouds traced across the sky, and almost directly over head, and as we started our game drive it sprinkled, then rained fairly heavily for minutes, but before we could even think of putting up the vehicle lids it’d stop, and then resume again. After about an half hour the rains passed, and as we drove along we once-again passed through parched areas where this spotty shower missed.
Day 13 Upper Mara
Yesterday’s winds and afternoon showers foreshadowed this morning’s skies, overcast and, once, a misty drizzle. Lenticular clouds, formed by high atmospheric winds that shape the clouds into flying saucer shapes, hung below the cloud ceiling, and as the morning progressed it drew windier and duller. As I write this, at noon, the skies are completely overcast and the light dull and poor.
Our vehicle followed much of the Talek River, still looking for the leopardess and cubs. Without luck. However, through the morning we filmed baby hyenas, young jackals, baby giraffes, three eagle species, a black and white crowned hornbill, one cheetah, and several lions.
Mary’s vehicle headed to Paradise, and en route had frame-filling headshots of bat-eared fox, and later outstanding images of a male lion interacting with a cub. Three vehicles spent the latter part of the morning at the Maasai village, where Clark ‘was almost killed’ when he photographed Maasai that were not part of the village. After getting more money (no doubt, the reason for the Maasai’s behavior), everything smoothed out.
PM – Afternoon game drive was slow and anti-climatic, and people commented that this was the first slow or unproductive game drive we had had. No wonder – the usual subjects, gazelles, gnus, zebras, we all had, and we were searching for the leopardess and cubs but without success.
The evening farewell dinner went well, with plenty of good jokes after dinner, and final good byes to the guides.
Day 14 – Return to Nairobi
Flight back, via two chartered planes and plenty of room, went smoothly, and our final slide show of participants’ work went wonderfully. Everyone got off without a hitch, although with some sadness to see everyone saying farewell.
Kenya Trip One 2009
Trip Report
October 1 –Left for NY, and flight to Amsterdam. Uneventful and successful.
October 2 – Flight to Nairiobi arrived about 45 minutes late, but everyone’s luggage arrived with us.
October 3 – day in Nairobi, resting at Serena. Last two passengers arrive in evening.
October 4 – Morning briefing, and drive to Samburu.
Kenya has been in a drought, and shortly before the trip we had heard unsettling reports about conditions. As we drove north and into the ‘White Highlands’ the land grew increasingly parched, and, for the first time in all our travels here, we saw common zebras near the road in areas where we assumed this species, like most game, has long been extirpated. The road to Samburu has always been one of the horror stories of our trips, dusty and pot-holed, but Chinese road construction is changing that and for most of our trip the roads were good, and the new road like any modern superhighway, smooth and without potholes. Unfortunately, the better roads may have promoted even more degrading of the land for charcoal, and where, just outside of Isiolo, the last big town before Samburu, acacia trees grew in abundance we now passed through an essentially treeless plain. Eventually, as we continued north we entered the mixed desert woodland of acacias, but I suspect that by next year much of these remaining forests will be gone.
Normally, when entering the park one sees a marked difference in vegetation, as the denuded landscape from Samburu cattle and sheep is replaced by the healthy ecosystem of a naturally grazed landscape. Not this year. Instead, the ground cover seemed almost nonexistent, and even most of the low acacia trees are essentially without leaves. Still, we saw a fair amount of animals, and those we saw were healthy.
For the first time in months rain clouds gathered and as we drove into and through Isiolo we passed through several heavy showers. The Samburu Intrepids staff always joke that we were a lucky group that always brings the rain, but this time that joke seemed to have much truth.
We arrived at camp around 5:30, with enough light to see for unpacking and getting ourselves ready for the first game drive tomorrow. As we walked to our tents a light mist fell, the first moisture Samburu had seen since January.
October 5 – Day 2 Samburu
We started at 6, with everyone loading up and organizing beanbags and equipment for the first time, and the process went surprisingly well. The sun was still behind the low mountains when we reached the main track, and, as the sun rose we started the day with dik-diks. These small antelope are independent of water, deriving whatever water needs they have from their browsing, and the antelope looked healthy. With some irony I watched one female pulling up her cud, chewing, and reswallowing the wad of vegetation, knowing that around her we’d seen several withered carcasses of cows that had starved in this same landscape.
The Usaso Nyiro River was dry and was now just a broad sandy, tree-lined band winding through the landscape. We’d seen the river low before, shallow enough for lions to wade ankle-deep across the river, but never bone dry. It hadn’t rained in Samburu since January, and now the only water source was the spring-fed Isiolo River further downstream.
Surprisingly, almost all of the game looked very healthy, and before the morning was out we’d seen virtually all the endemics of Samburu – Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra, Somalia Ostrich, Common Waterbuck, Gunther’s Dik-Dik, Gerenuk, and Vulturine Guineafow. Most years, we may see a dozen to a score of Grevy’s Zebras in Samburu but this year this endangered species is here by the hundreds, if not thousands. It’s estimated there are around 5,000 Grevy’s scattered through northern Kenya, Somalia, and the Sudan, and our outfitter guessed that the Samburu-Buffalo Springs Game Reserve area may be hosting around 1,000.
We received a radio call about a mother elephant hovering around her dead baby and we headed that way, expecting to find a mourning elephant. Instead, we found a 5-6 year old lying on its side near the road, so weak that it looked as if it would soon die. We shot some record shots and moved on, and soon discovered the mother elephant with a very young calf. Nearby lay another dead elephant, a small one we suspected was one of her older daughters. While we watched, that ‘dead’ elephant rolled over and got to its feet, and proceeded to feed on the bare brown twigs until it was just a few yards from our vehicle. When we left, and passed by our first ‘dead’ elephant we found that this one, too, had resurrected itself and was now standing in the shade of an acacia.
With the water supply limited only to the Isiolo River, I expected to see far more animals in distress, and I wondered how water-dependent Vervet Monkeys and Olive Baboons were coping. Apparently, fine, for we saw plenty of monkeys on our game drive and, around camp, several troops of baboons. The only animal that appeared stressed was the impala, and many of these typically slender-looking antelope now showed rows of ribs. We saw one group of three where a baby, a few months old, trailed along, but looked quite healthy, so, somehow, the wild game is coping. In contrast to the Samburu cattle which had been abandoned to fare for themselves, and inside the park we saw at least a dozen carcasses, most only partially eaten, baking in the sun.
PM - It threatened rain as we started the 4PM game drive, but within an half hour the skies cleared, and we had bright light for two male kudus we found near the river. They were tame, and at one point walked right next to one of our vehicles, presenting a tawny butt just feet from the landrover. Later, we had fairly decent immature giraffes, spotted a cheetah that presented no images, and, in poor light, had two very close Pigmy Falcons. We arrived back in camp around 6:30.
October 5 Day 3 Samburu
We crossed the Usaso Nyiro River into Buffalo Springs Game Reserve this morning. En route, and before sunrise, a Greater Kudu crossed in front of us, and minutes later, as the light strengthened, we filmed more Vulturine Guineafowl perched on low shrubs for a few minutes. At the bride, a large troop of baboons played on the roof tops of the guard shacks, pounding the tin roofs loudly as they ran about, before, en masse, the troop paraded across the bridge. In the early light some, crossing the now dry river bed, cast long monkey shadows across the track-pocked sand.
We followed the dry river bed, an eerily disorientating route as I’ve never not had water here, and filmed a very cooperative Palm Nut Vulture perched in a dead snag. Later we did well with a dozen or so male Reticulated Giraffes of varying ages, with horn tufts that were, in some cases, still almost covering the bony knobs that mark the male.
Hoping for cats we headed downstream along the Isiolo River, but aside from some crocodiles, including a female we suspect was guarding a nest in a sandy, open clearing, the route was fairly empty. On the way back, retracing our route we encountered a pair of mating lions. The lighting, while high, was back-lighted and Rembrandt-ish, and fairly spectacular in that sense. We had some debate about the stage in the mating cycle, but regardless, the lioness was hungry and attempted to stalk a large herd of Oryx and Grant’s Gazelles. Unsuccessfully, as the male tagged along, sniffing her backend and pausing to flehmen, without regard or care of the prey. Eventually she gave up, and as she retreated she paused, with the male almost knocking her over with chest-bumps as he tried mounting her, and she squatted and they mated, facing us and in the open. Afterwards they retreated to thicker cover and, despite an Oryx that may have approached within her range, we headed out.
On our way home we spotted two vehicles moving through an Acacia grove and we turned in to investigate and, as we hoped, they were following a leopard. When we arrived it was hidden in the brush and I thought I saw something – perhaps a bird, but from the shadows the cat rose and materialized against the dead branches, stepped into the open and trotted across an hundred yards of clearing before climbing another, very heavily branched, tree. Although everyone had a chance to see this cat the views were compromised, but we cracked the nut, we now had our first leopard of the safari.
Carcasses were unsettlingly common on this side, and I saw three dead African Buffalo, one Oryx, and one Grevy’s Zebra, their bodies only partially eaten and now mummified in the sun.
When we returned to camp we were told to call the home office, and learned, to our horror, that a good friend’s wife had just been killed by their captive black bear, an animal they had raised from a cub many years before. That shock, to us, still has not worn off and it was a bit trying to conduct business as usual as we met the group for lunch and group highlights.
PM – Left at 4 and had a fairly successful early evening game drive with Reticulated Giraffes, but the evening ended wonderfully when Mary radioed that she had some tree-climbing lions. Two two-three year old lions had climbed a dead snag, with the lioness perched somewhat precariously at the end of a long, slender trunk. The other, a lioness, was plastered against the bottom portion of the tree, almost invisible in the golden light, tawny against the weathered wood. The lionesses turned several times for some nice shooting, but we had to leave to make curfew before the cats finally left the tree.
October 6 Day 4 – We headed back over to Buffalo Springs, hoping to find the leopard. We found a small group of elephants with a very young baby that performed wonderfully, running about and lurching, acting so awkward that we wondered if it was sick. It wasn’t, but as the only baby in the group it was bored and playful. Later, along the upper reaches of the Isiolo River we found a herd of 16 elephants at an oasis-like waterhole, which was the highlight for several. Downstream, we encountered another lioness with two well-spotted but year-old cubs. One was a bit shy but the lioness worked well for several vehicles.
Covering new ground, we passed multiple carcasses of cows and African Buffalo that have died in the drought and the poor forage. Still, with the exception of a few thin Impala, all of the naturally-occuring game, the wildlife, looked healthy and stress-free.
October 7 Day 5 – Headed to Nakuru, arriving around 1:30PM to a sky that looked promising, considering the last three days Nakuru had had rain much of the time. We left at 4 and, instead of going directly to Cormorant Point where we hoped to film white pelicans and other birds at the inlet, we headed East towards a leopard that had been in a tree. Since the morning, we learned later.
The leopard was still there, in clear view but facing away from us, but as we waited she turned several times and presented multiple shooting opportunities. We were hoping that she would leave her perch, climb down the tree, and perhaps approach us, but as the light completely failed shortly after six, with a heavy cloudbank to the west, we headed back to camp.
October 8 Day 6 – Nakuru to the Mara
The skies were overcast and remained so throughout the morning, indeed, the entire day, but Nakuru was very productive. A nice herd of Rothschild’s Giraffes grazed on acacia trees close to the road and later a four-month old white rhino baby performed wonderfully, along with its mother, quite close to the road. The drought’s effect on Nakuru was evident – we passed a African Buffalo lying almost upside down along the roadside, slowly dying, and the lake itself had receded about 100 yards from its usual shoreline. There were few flamingos, but in a sheltered bay we had some fairly close opportunities, and great reflections.
As we headed out we encountered a group of male baboons where one, presumably the dominant male, had captured a baby Thompson’s Gazelle that he was eating. Other baboons hung near but didn’t try to steal the prey, and I suspect they were either hoping he’d share or abandon the carcass when he was full. Nonetheless as the small group progressed they came quite close to the road for the ‘best ever’ shots of a baboon feeding on an antelope. As we drove to the gate we found 5 Colobus Monkeys out in the open in the acacias, and while we filmed and watched they must have discovered a snake as they gathered about and focused towards the ground, emitting sharp alarm barks. We never spotted the snake, which we suspect was either a small python or a puff adder.
We arrived at our lodge in the Mara in record time, around 4:30PM, which gave us plenty of time to get settled. The skies were gloomy and dull and we were not tempted to attempt an evening game drive after an arduous overland drive to the Mara.
October 10 Day 7 Lower Mara
We headed to the kopje rocks and the Sand River, hoping to find lions. We were successful, getting a total of 11 by the end of the morning, and 1 shy leopard. The lions – three females and four large cubs, two big black maned lions, and, along the river, three thin lionesses and a young male that yawned several times, much to Sandra’s delight.
The leopard was shy, and when Henry’s vehicle got close the cat slipped down the tree and, reaching bottom, tensed, muscles coiling, and charged, eyes locked on Victor. It only took one stride before swerving into the brush, but it was enough to make a lasting memory, and the morning’s highlight, for Vic. Our vehicles tried finding the cat again but it trotted off, and not wishing to stress the cat further, we drove off.
Several vehicles had good luck with Lilac-breasted Rollers, including birds in flight, a Martial Eagle, and a courting pair of Masai Ostriches. We returned to the Lodge by 11:30, with skies beginning to cloud up and threatening an afternoon rain.
PM - Shortly after leaving the lodge we spotted a large cluster of tourist vehicles, which we suspected were gathered for a lion. They were not – three cheetahs were close to the road, a mother and two fully-grown young that were actually larger than her, although they still sported the juvenile’s neck mane. As we drove up we discovered that the cheetahs were hunting, stalking a small group of impalas and two reedbuckclose to the road. The female cheetah crept up to a termite mound, her attention focused on the entire group. One of the cubs hung behind, watching, while the other cub moved up a small gulley, intent on the impalas. This cub didn’t know that it was walking right by the reedbuck, and the reedbuck, sensing danger, stood alertly, watching. I thought that they’d certainly spot the cheetah and run off, but before the reedbuck did, the cheetah noticed the reedbuck, and how close they were. The cheetah immediately gave chase, and for a few seconds they ran away from us, through brush and high grass, presenting no opportunity for shooting.
The reedbuck turned, and headed our way, and for a second or two we were challenged as to what animal to follow. I stayed with my 70-200 to be sure to follow the action – it was so close, and luckily the reedbuck, and now, all three cheetahs, headed our way, catching the antelope right in front of us in the ditch. The reedbuck struggled to clamber over the top, almost directly in front of us, and I got several shots with the animal, tongue lolled out in distress, along the rim, with three cats piled on his back. Miliseconds later, they dragged the antelope back into the ravine and proceeded to feed, not bothering with a suffocating throat-hold, and, for a minute or so, the reedbuck’s bleet could barely be heard above the roar of minivans all jockeying for position.
What followed was tourism at its worse, with as many as forty vehicles attempting to get a view of the cheetahs now mostly hidden in the gulley. People stood atop roofs, on top of ‘budget safari’ buses, and hung out windows. The cheetahs were oblivious, and from our favored position we shot some wonderful portraits of the cats when they left the kill.
Eventually we headed out, too, as we were told a leopard had been spotted in a tree. At least 34 vehicles were gathered there, and probably far more at different times, and again it was an exercise in tourism excess, with minivans losing traction on the grasses, people climbing out of their buses and onto roofs, while the leopard barely moved, sometimes raising its head to change resting positions. We shot a little and moved on, to another leopard with a cub, but although we staked it out we never saw the cats.
Still, despite the clutter, it was a good afternoon, with a cat tally of 2 leopards for the day, 3 cheetahs, and 11 lions.
Afterword: That night our lodge had a special barbeque, for former President Moi’s birthday, and something served, perhaps the chicken, was rife with Salmonella. 78 tourists got sick that night, including one of our driver/guides, Mary, me, and two participants, Nik and Leslie. Mary and I were sick in the early part of the night, and then wiped out and miserable for the rest of the night. One of our others was sick all through the night, and, unfortunately, left the safari two days later, still wiped out and weak. The rest of us, sitting out the next day, recovered for the travel/shooting day to our next lodge.
Day 8 – Lower Mara
Mary and I, one of our driver/guides, and several participants missed either the entire day, or at least one game drive due to the food poisoning of the night before. Those that survived had a good morning, seeing ‘The Big Five,’ lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, and buffalo on a single game drive.
On the PM game drive several did very well with lions, and Sandra’s vehicle had a lioness grab, but slip off of, a zebra she was hunting.
Day 9 – Lower Mara to Mara Triangle
Our departure was delayed as we organized one ‘ambulance’ vehicle, taking two of our participants directly to the lodge. One, still very weak from the food poisoning episode, and the other suffering an unrelated malady, a pancreatic inflammation that required the lodge’s doctor to administer an IV of saline solution last night. This was professionally done and required since the patient was unable to keep fluids down and was dehydrating. Sadly, after arriving at the next lodge both continued on, to fly home.
The morning game drive was another good one, again with the Big Five, and with two leopards, one which climbed a tree right next to the road and another, in a spot we haven’t had many, or perhaps any, leopards, walked right passed our vehicle, completely unconcerned. Mary’s vehicle stayed with a buffalo kill, where two males and a lioness had been feeding and where, after they left, about forty vultures swooped down to feed.
PM – Mara Triangle
Perhaps one of the most productive afternoons in the Triangle, ever.
We headed down the to the river where small groups of gnus were gathered, and within minutes of our parking at one of the Crossing Lookouts zebras started towards the water. At first the zebras and gnus simply drank, but within minutes the first zebras crossed and, before it finished, probably several hundred crossed.
While that was interesting, what was exciting were the crocodiles, as five large crocs swam up and positioned themselves next to the animals. Some crocs kept their mouths agage, and one did a full swinging head swipe at a gnu that leaped, arching, out of harm’s way. Many gnus actually leaped over the crocs backs, and I saw a few actually bump and shove a croc’s head as they passed. It appeared as if the crocs were selecting zebras, and perhaps the missed gnu occurred because a small zebra had been approaching and was directly behind the gnu that was attacked. At any rate, not a single animal was killed in this crossing.
Just minutes later, another crossing started downriver, and we drove down, this time getting a much different view of the crossing with nearly over-the-shoulder light. A croc did catch a gnu at this crossing, but did not immediately succeed in drowning it and eventually let it go. The gnu apparently made it to shore, but was so injured that it was later recaptured and killed by another croc.
Towards sunset we were working on silhouettes when David spotted antelope intently looking in one direction, at a lion that had made a kill. As we drove up we discovered that the lioness had captured a baby topi, and was merely playing with it, wrestling it in what would normally be kill holds, then releasing it. At some times it almost seemed affectionate – a lioness in Samburu habitually ‘adopted’ oryx calves for several days, before she, or another pride member, ate her adopted baby, while other times, as she hooked the baby with a talon and dragged it along, she seemed anything but. Eventually she picked up the baby and trotted away, the topi baby swinging in her jaws, though still alive.
Day 10 – Mara Triangle
While El Nino rains have been forecasted for weeks the skies were again crystal clear, and as we headed out we looked for a good sunrise acacia tree, unsuccessfully. In the early light, however, we found a young lioness that actively trotted at least a quarter mile to displace vultures at a sun-weathered carcass. Backlighted the image was still striking, and the cat had wide, alert eyes, and to me, she looked lost and concerned with finding her pride.
Later, near the kopje-like plateaus we found several lionesses and two males, and one cub. Another cub, we’re fairly certain, was killed by one of the males and the lionesses with the cub repeatedly visited the area, as if attempting to draw her cub back. This, after she had visited and sniffed and pawed at the carcass. The lioness, when greeting one of the males, swatted him away – we had expected a head-butt and an introduction to the cub, but subsequent observations, ie the dead cub, may account for that behavior.
We spent a fair amount of time near the Tanzania border and the gnu numbers were large, and we all shot lines and masses, depicting the migration. Later, at the ‘mortuary’ we found over six massive crocodiles, all feeding on parts of, or whole, Thompson’s gazelles. We must have missed the crossing by less than a half hour, and the crocodiles massacred these small antelopes as they attempted to swim the river. We waited nearly an hour for another crossing, and although herds of gazelles, impalas, and gnus passed in the croton bushes nearby, none moved back to the sandy bank of the crossing and, as noon approached, even the crocodiles swam downstream. The largest, males by the appearance of their girth and head, must have been 15 feet or so.
Meanwhile, Mary’s vehicle had discovered a female cheetah that was being harassed by a jackal. She was hunting, and although the jackal almost blew the hunt, when the jackal swerved off it diverted the attention of the oribi the cheetah stalked, and she made her kill. While she was still strangling the oribi the jackal rushed in and bit the cheetah’s backside, and the cheetah swung around, oribi still within her jaws, and chased the cheetah a few bounds.
One other noteworthy sight – an elephant with a twisted tusk that extended back towards its neck, and crossed over onto the same side as the other tusk. Should we see this female again, we’ll know her. And, good news, Clark, who had to evacuate for a medical emergency, will rejoin our group this afternoon, being released from the hospital.
PM – We headed back to the river as it looked as if gnus might be gathering. A small, perhaps 200, herd had gathered, with a few close to the water but as we waited they moved off. David said it’d just be a matter of time and so we waited.
A few minutes later a few zebras approached the shoreline as did a large crocodile, that did so, of course, from the water side. The croc submerged and moved in, and for the next number of minutes zebras and gnus came to drink, with the occasional tell-tale bubble of the hidden crocodile nearby. Eventually, as a few colts and two adult zebras drank, the croc lunged. The zebras leaped back, arching, and in the shots the croc’s head appears to actually be touching a zebra, but all escaped. For the duration of the motor-drive blast the croc stayed visible, mouth wide and empty, while in the background the receding stripes of zebras merged with the dust.
We headed towards another crossing, which did not materialize, but had a fairly decent serval en route. Later, a male black rhino, the first I’ve ever seen here in the Triangle, was heading towards the cow rhino that resides upstream. A tame family of warthogs rounded out the afternoon, which concluded with beautiful orange, angular light, but no real subject to do it justice.
Day 11 – Mara Triangle to Upper Mara
We headed out at dawn under another clear sky. Henry’s vehicle found a gnu kill with lions, but two of our vehicles couldn’t follow the radioed directions and eventually gave up – my vehicle being one of them. But that set back proved fortuitous. The kill had a male lion, two lionesses, and later, vulture and jackal activity.
Meanwhile, we drove back towards where we had the lioness and cub yesterday morning, and about an half mile from that location we spotted a lioness moving down a hillside. Periodically she would stop and look back, and half snarl. Three male lions appeared on the ridge and two descended, moving at a trot to follow her. She trotted off, and the males, trotting rapidly, were in pursuit, which gave us multiple opportunities over at least an half mile track for shooting running – trotting – lions. At one point, Felix saw the male catch up to the female and swat her down, but she regained her footing and ran off, even faster. The males gave up, and headed back, eventually reaching the site where we believe a cub had been killed yesterday. The lioness, we suspect, was the mother of the cub, and we fear that cub was also killed. Accordingly, these males may be new to the pride and the lionesses, one, haven’t accepted them yet, and two, the males are killing cubs.
Later, as we entered the upper Mara we spotted 14 more lions, returning from a kill where, based on the distended bellies of the males, the males ate while the females and cubs looked thin. Two lionesses branched off to hunt three warthogs, but a lioness started the run too early and the hogs escaped.
In total, we had at least 21 lions on the game drive.
PM – We headed out, hoping to find leopards. Not far from camp we found six lions, including two cubs about five months old, feeding on a gnu. Later, nearby, we found our mother cheetah with three cubs – the same cubs we’d seen last year, now about 16 months old and large. They were sprawled atop a termite mound, beneath croton bushes, but as we watched the cubs got up and moved, and posed, onto several termite mounds. They were attracted to two adult warthogs that they stalked, with the warthog spotting them and completely ignoring them, actually dropping on to its forelegs to graze just thirty or so yards away. Eventually one of the cubs charged and the warthog sprinted off, but the cats, knowing the chase was hopeless, barely broke a jog. Another warthog flushed and they chased it, too, with the same results.
At the conclusion of the game drive I had to have a talk with our guides about teamwork and some problems they were having. Hopefully that is resolved.
Day 12 – Upper Mara
We were still hoping for a good leopard, or, more accurately, still another good leopard since we did fairly well at Nakuru and in the Lower Mara. Here, a very habituated female we’ve known for years resides, and presently has two cubs.
We were told of a recent leopard kill at the Double Crossing, out of range for ‘our’ leopard, and we headed there. Unsuccessfully, at first, as our directions were vague, but Carlo spotted a large male leopard that presented some nice profiles as it walked down a trail on the opposite side of the lugga. Later, one of our guides spotted the leopard we were after, a small female in a tree with a male Thompson’s Gazelle. By the time my vehicle arrived she was seconds from accidentally dropping the kill from the tree, and we arrived in time to film her as she climbed down from her perch. She retrieved the carcass and headed off, and all of us had opportunities to shoot the leopard as she dragged the half-eaten carcass between her legs. Eventually, after stashing the kill behind a mass of tree roots, she buried into a thicket and retired.
We continued looking for the leopardess with cubs, while three other vehicles spotted another leopard in a tree, with the mother lying beneath. The shooting was marginal, and a vehicle’s movement through the bush may have spooked a baby waterbuck that the leopard then killed. That was a low light to the morning, and the driver responsible got a talking to.
We didn’t find the leopardess, but encountered a very tolerant immature Martial Eagle that eventually took off and soared over a mob of banded mongoose that chirped an alarm but did not run. I wondered if they felt secure as a group, and their mass may have discouraged an attack.
PM – A very productive afternoon for everyone, and for some, like Kevin, the entire game drive was a highlight. We found the cheetahs again, who had killed a T Gazelle, and a very cooperative serval, and the group did well with Kirk’s dik-dik, baby giraffes, various birds, and the cheetahs.
One long, thin row of heavy leaden clouds traced across the sky, and almost directly over head, and as we started our game drive it sprinkled, then rained fairly heavily for minutes, but before we could even think of putting up the vehicle lids it’d stop, and then resume again. After about an half hour the rains passed, and as we drove along we once-again passed through parched areas where this spotty shower missed.
Day 13 Upper Mara
Yesterday’s winds and afternoon showers foreshadowed this morning’s skies, overcast and, once, a misty drizzle. Lenticular clouds, formed by high atmospheric winds that shape the clouds into flying saucer shapes, hung below the cloud ceiling, and as the morning progressed it drew windier and duller. As I write this, at noon, the skies are completely overcast and the light dull and poor.
Our vehicle followed much of the Talek River, still looking for the leopardess and cubs. Without luck. However, through the morning we filmed baby hyenas, young jackals, baby giraffes, three eagle species, a black and white crowned hornbill, one cheetah, and several lions.
Mary’s vehicle headed to Paradise, and en route had frame-filling headshots of bat-eared fox, and later outstanding images of a male lion interacting with a cub. Three vehicles spent the latter part of the morning at the Maasai village, where Clark ‘was almost killed’ when he photographed Maasai that were not part of the village. After getting more money (no doubt, the reason for the Maasai’s behavior), everything smoothed out.
PM – Afternoon game drive was slow and anti-climatic, and people commented that this was the first slow or unproductive game drive we had had. No wonder – the usual subjects, gazelles, gnus, zebras, we all had, and we were searching for the leopardess and cubs but without success.
The evening farewell dinner went well, with plenty of good jokes after dinner, and final good byes to the guides.
Day 14 – Return to Nairobi
Flight back, via two chartered planes and plenty of room, went smoothly, and our final slide show of participants’ work went wonderfully. Everyone got off without a hitch, although with some sadness to see everyone saying farewell.
Kenya Trip One 2009
Trip Report
October 1 –Left for NY, and flight to Amsterdam. Uneventful and successful.
October 2 – Flight to Nairiobi arrived about 45 minutes late, but everyone’s luggage arrived with us.
October 3 – day in Nairobi, resting at Serena. Last two passengers arrive in evening.
October 4 – Morning briefing, and drive to Samburu.
Kenya has been in a drought, and shortly before the trip we had heard unsettling reports about conditions. As we drove north and into the ‘White Highlands’ the land grew increasingly parched, and, for the first time in all our travels here, we saw common zebras near the road in areas where we assumed this species, like most game, has long been extirpated. The road to Samburu has always been one of the horror stories of our trips, dusty and pot-holed, but Chinese road construction is changing that and for most of our trip the roads were good, and the new road like any modern superhighway, smooth and without potholes. Unfortunately, the better roads may have promoted even more degrading of the land for charcoal, and where, just outside of Isiolo, the last big town before Samburu, acacia trees grew in abundance we now passed through an essentially treeless plain. Eventually, as we continued north we entered the mixed desert woodland of acacias, but I suspect that by next year much of these remaining forests will be gone.
Normally, when entering the park one sees a marked difference in vegetation, as the denuded landscape from Samburu cattle and sheep is replaced by the healthy ecosystem of a naturally grazed landscape. Not this year. Instead, the ground cover seemed almost nonexistent, and even most of the low acacia trees are essentially without leaves. Still, we saw a fair amount of animals, and those we saw were healthy.
For the first time in months rain clouds gathered and as we drove into and through Isiolo we passed through several heavy showers. The Samburu Intrepids staff always joke that we were a lucky group that always brings the rain, but this time that joke seemed to have much truth.
We arrived at camp around 5:30, with enough light to see for unpacking and getting ourselves ready for the first game drive tomorrow. As we walked to our tents a light mist fell, the first moisture Samburu had seen since January.
October 5 – Day 2 Samburu
We started at 6, with everyone loading up and organizing beanbags and equipment for the first time, and the process went surprisingly well. The sun was still behind the low mountains when we reached the main track, and, as the sun rose we started the day with dik-diks. These small antelope are independent of water, deriving whatever water needs they have from their browsing, and the antelope looked healthy. With some irony I watched one female pulling up her cud, chewing, and reswallowing the wad of vegetation, knowing that around her we’d seen several withered carcasses of cows that had starved in this same landscape.
The Usaso Nyiro River was dry and was now just a broad sandy, tree-lined band winding through the landscape. We’d seen the river low before, shallow enough for lions to wade ankle-deep across the river, but never bone dry. It hadn’t rained in Samburu since January, and now the only water source was the spring-fed Isiolo River further downstream.
Surprisingly, almost all of the game looked very healthy, and before the morning was out we’d seen virtually all the endemics of Samburu – Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra, Somalia Ostrich, Common Waterbuck, Gunther’s Dik-Dik, Gerenuk, and Vulturine Guineafow. Most years, we may see a dozen to a score of Grevy’s Zebras in Samburu but this year this endangered species is here by the hundreds, if not thousands. It’s estimated there are around 5,000 Grevy’s scattered through northern Kenya, Somalia, and the Sudan, and our outfitter guessed that the Samburu-Buffalo Springs Game Reserve area may be hosting around 1,000.
We received a radio call about a mother elephant hovering around her dead baby and we headed that way, expecting to find a mourning elephant. Instead, we found a 5-6 year old lying on its side near the road, so weak that it looked as if it would soon die. We shot some record shots and moved on, and soon discovered the mother elephant with a very young calf. Nearby lay another dead elephant, a small one we suspected was one of her older daughters. While we watched, that ‘dead’ elephant rolled over and got to its feet, and proceeded to feed on the bare brown twigs until it was just a few yards from our vehicle. When we left, and passed by our first ‘dead’ elephant we found that this one, too, had resurrected itself and was now standing in the shade of an acacia.
With the water supply limited only to the Isiolo River, I expected to see far more animals in distress, and I wondered how water-dependent Vervet Monkeys and Olive Baboons were coping. Apparently, fine, for we saw plenty of monkeys on our game drive and, around camp, several troops of baboons. The only animal that appeared stressed was the impala, and many of these typically slender-looking antelope now showed rows of ribs. We saw one group of three where a baby, a few months old, trailed along, but looked quite healthy, so, somehow, the wild game is coping. In contrast to the Samburu cattle which had been abandoned to fare for themselves, and inside the park we saw at least a dozen carcasses, most only partially eaten, baking in the sun.
PM - It threatened rain as we started the 4PM game drive, but within an half hour the skies cleared, and we had bright light for two male kudus we found near the river. They were tame, and at one point walked right next to one of our vehicles, presenting a tawny butt just feet from the landrover. Later, we had fairly decent immature giraffes, spotted a cheetah that presented no images, and, in poor light, had two very close Pigmy Falcons. We arrived back in camp around 6:30.
October 5 Day 3 Samburu
We crossed the Usaso Nyiro River into Buffalo Springs Game Reserve this morning. En route, and before sunrise, a Greater Kudu crossed in front of us, and minutes later, as the light strengthened, we filmed more Vulturine Guineafowl perched on low shrubs for a few minutes. At the bride, a large troop of baboons played on the roof tops of the guard shacks, pounding the tin roofs loudly as they ran about, before, en masse, the troop paraded across the bridge. In the early light some, crossing the now dry river bed, cast long monkey shadows across the track-pocked sand.
We followed the dry river bed, an eerily disorientating route as I’ve never not had water here, and filmed a very cooperative Palm Nut Vulture perched in a dead snag. Later we did well with a dozen or so male Reticulated Giraffes of varying ages, with horn tufts that were, in some cases, still almost covering the bony knobs that mark the male.
Hoping for cats we headed downstream along the Isiolo River, but aside from some crocodiles, including a female we suspect was guarding a nest in a sandy, open clearing, the route was fairly empty. On the way back, retracing our route we encountered a pair of mating lions. The lighting, while high, was back-lighted and Rembrandt-ish, and fairly spectacular in that sense. We had some debate about the stage in the mating cycle, but regardless, the lioness was hungry and attempted to stalk a large herd of Oryx and Grant’s Gazelles. Unsuccessfully, as the male tagged along, sniffing her backend and pausing to flehmen, without regard or care of the prey. Eventually she gave up, and as she retreated she paused, with the male almost knocking her over with chest-bumps as he tried mounting her, and she squatted and they mated, facing us and in the open. Afterwards they retreated to thicker cover and, despite an Oryx that may have approached within her range, we headed out.
On our way home we spotted two vehicles moving through an Acacia grove and we turned in to investigate and, as we hoped, they were following a leopard. When we arrived it was hidden in the brush and I thought I saw something – perhaps a bird, but from the shadows the cat rose and materialized against the dead branches, stepped into the open and trotted across an hundred yards of clearing before climbing another, very heavily branched, tree. Although everyone had a chance to see this cat the views were compromised, but we cracked the nut, we now had our first leopard of the safari.
Carcasses were unsettlingly common on this side, and I saw three dead African Buffalo, one Oryx, and one Grevy’s Zebra, their bodies only partially eaten and now mummified in the sun.
When we returned to camp we were told to call the home office, and learned, to our horror, that a good friend’s wife had just been killed by their captive black bear, an animal they had raised from a cub many years before. That shock, to us, still has not worn off and it was a bit trying to conduct business as usual as we met the group for lunch and group highlights.
PM – Left at 4 and had a fairly successful early evening game drive with Reticulated Giraffes, but the evening ended wonderfully when Mary radioed that she had some tree-climbing lions. Two two-three year old lions had climbed a dead snag, with the lioness perched somewhat precariously at the end of a long, slender trunk. The other, a lioness, was plastered against the bottom portion of the tree, almost invisible in the golden light, tawny against the weathered wood. The lionesses turned several times for some nice shooting, but we had to leave to make curfew before the cats finally left the tree.
October 6 Day 4 – We headed back over to Buffalo Springs, hoping to find the leopard. We found a small group of elephants with a very young baby that performed wonderfully, running about and lurching, acting so awkward that we wondered if it was sick. It wasn’t, but as the only baby in the group it was bored and playful. Later, along the upper reaches of the Isiolo River we found a herd of 16 elephants at an oasis-like waterhole, which was the highlight for several. Downstream, we encountered another lioness with two well-spotted but year-old cubs. One was a bit shy but the lioness worked well for several vehicles.
Covering new ground, we passed multiple carcasses of cows and African Buffalo that have died in the drought and the poor forage. Still, with the exception of a few thin Impala, all of the naturally-occuring game, the wildlife, looked healthy and stress-free.
October 7 Day 5 – Headed to Nakuru, arriving around 1:30PM to a sky that looked promising, considering the last three days Nakuru had had rain much of the time. We left at 4 and, instead of going directly to Cormorant Point where we hoped to film white pelicans and other birds at the inlet, we headed East towards a leopard that had been in a tree. Since the morning, we learned later.
The leopard was still there, in clear view but facing away from us, but as we waited she turned several times and presented multiple shooting opportunities. We were hoping that she would leave her perch, climb down the tree, and perhaps approach us, but as the light completely failed shortly after six, with a heavy cloudbank to the west, we headed back to camp.
October 8 Day 6 – Nakuru to the Mara
The skies were overcast and remained so throughout the morning, indeed, the entire day, but Nakuru was very productive. A nice herd of Rothschild’s Giraffes grazed on acacia trees close to the road and later a four-month old white rhino baby performed wonderfully, along with its mother, quite close to the road. The drought’s effect on Nakuru was evident – we passed a African Buffalo lying almost upside down along the roadside, slowly dying, and the lake itself had receded about 100 yards from its usual shoreline. There were few flamingos, but in a sheltered bay we had some fairly close opportunities, and great reflections.
As we headed out we encountered a group of male baboons where one, presumably the dominant male, had captured a baby Thompson’s Gazelle that he was eating. Other baboons hung near but didn’t try to steal the prey, and I suspect they were either hoping he’d share or abandon the carcass when he was full. Nonetheless as the small group progressed they came quite close to the road for the ‘best ever’ shots of a baboon feeding on an antelope. As we drove to the gate we found 5 Colobus Monkeys out in the open in the acacias, and while we filmed and watched they must have discovered a snake as they gathered about and focused towards the ground, emitting sharp alarm barks. We never spotted the snake, which we suspect was either a small python or a puff adder.
We arrived at our lodge in the Mara in record time, around 4:30PM, which gave us plenty of time to get settled. The skies were gloomy and dull and we were not tempted to attempt an evening game drive after an arduous overland drive to the Mara.
October 10 Day 7 Lower Mara
We headed to the kopje rocks and the Sand River, hoping to find lions. We were successful, getting a total of 11 by the end of the morning, and 1 shy leopard. The lions – three females and four large cubs, two big black maned lions, and, along the river, three thin lionesses and a young male that yawned several times, much to Sandra’s delight.
The leopard was shy, and when Henry’s vehicle got close the cat slipped down the tree and, reaching bottom, tensed, muscles coiling, and charged, eyes locked on Victor. It only took one stride before swerving into the brush, but it was enough to make a lasting memory, and the morning’s highlight, for Vic. Our vehicles tried finding the cat again but it trotted off, and not wishing to stress the cat further, we drove off.
Several vehicles had good luck with Lilac-breasted Rollers, including birds in flight, a Martial Eagle, and a courting pair of Masai Ostriches. We returned to the Lodge by 11:30, with skies beginning to cloud up and threatening an afternoon rain.
PM - Shortly after leaving the lodge we spotted a large cluster of tourist vehicles, which we suspected were gathered for a lion. They were not – three cheetahs were close to the road, a mother and two fully-grown young that were actually larger than her, although they still sported the juvenile’s neck mane. As we drove up we discovered that the cheetahs were hunting, stalking a small group of impalas and two reedbuckclose to the road. The female cheetah crept up to a termite mound, her attention focused on the entire group. One of the cubs hung behind, watching, while the other cub moved up a small gulley, intent on the impalas. This cub didn’t know that it was walking right by the reedbuck, and the reedbuck, sensing danger, stood alertly, watching. I thought that they’d certainly spot the cheetah and run off, but before the reedbuck did, the cheetah noticed the reedbuck, and how close they were. The cheetah immediately gave chase, and for a few seconds they ran away from us, through brush and high grass, presenting no opportunity for shooting.
The reedbuck turned, and headed our way, and for a second or two we were challenged as to what animal to follow. I stayed with my 70-200 to be sure to follow the action – it was so close, and luckily the reedbuck, and now, all three cheetahs, headed our way, catching the antelope right in front of us in the ditch. The reedbuck struggled to clamber over the top, almost directly in front of us, and I got several shots with the animal, tongue lolled out in distress, along the rim, with three cats piled on his back. Miliseconds later, they dragged the antelope back into the ravine and proceeded to feed, not bothering with a suffocating throat-hold, and, for a minute or so, the reedbuck’s bleet could barely be heard above the roar of minivans all jockeying for position.
What followed was tourism at its worse, with as many as forty vehicles attempting to get a view of the cheetahs now mostly hidden in the gulley. People stood atop roofs, on top of ‘budget safari’ buses, and hung out windows. The cheetahs were oblivious, and from our favored position we shot some wonderful portraits of the cats when they left the kill.
Eventually we headed out, too, as we were told a leopard had been spotted in a tree. At least 34 vehicles were gathered there, and probably far more at different times, and again it was an exercise in tourism excess, with minivans losing traction on the grasses, people climbing out of their buses and onto roofs, while the leopard barely moved, sometimes raising its head to change resting positions. We shot a little and moved on, to another leopard with a cub, but although we staked it out we never saw the cats.
Still, despite the clutter, it was a good afternoon, with a cat tally of 2 leopards for the day, 3 cheetahs, and 11 lions.
Afterword: That night our lodge had a special barbeque, for former President Moi’s birthday, and something served, perhaps the chicken, was rife with Salmonella. 78 tourists got sick that night, including one of our driver/guides, Mary, me, and two participants, Nik and Leslie. Mary and I were sick in the early part of the night, and then wiped out and miserable for the rest of the night. One of our others was sick all through the night, and, unfortunately, left the safari two days later, still wiped out and weak. The rest of us, sitting out the next day, recovered for the travel/shooting day to our next lodge.
Day 8 – Lower Mara
Mary and I, one of our driver/guides, and several participants missed either the entire day, or at least one game drive due to the food poisoning of the night before. Those that survived had a good morning, seeing ‘The Big Five,’ lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, and buffalo on a single game drive.
On the PM game drive several did very well with lions, and Sandra’s vehicle had a lioness grab, but slip off of, a zebra she was hunting.
Day 9 – Lower Mara to Mara Triangle
Our departure was delayed as we organized one ‘ambulance’ vehicle, taking two of our participants directly to the lodge. One, still very weak from the food poisoning episode, and the other suffering an unrelated malady, a pancreatic inflammation that required the lodge’s doctor to administer an IV of saline solution last night. This was professionally done and required since the patient was unable to keep fluids down and was dehydrating. Sadly, after arriving at the next lodge both continued on, to fly home.
The morning game drive was another good one, again with the Big Five, and with two leopards, one which climbed a tree right next to the road and another, in a spot we haven’t had many, or perhaps any, leopards, walked right passed our vehicle, completely unconcerned. Mary’s vehicle stayed with a buffalo kill, where two males and a lioness had been feeding and where, after they left, about forty vultures swooped down to feed.
PM – Mara Triangle
Perhaps one of the most productive afternoons in the Triangle, ever.
We headed down the to the river where small groups of gnus were gathered, and within minutes of our parking at one of the Crossing Lookouts zebras started towards the water. At first the zebras and gnus simply drank, but within minutes the first zebras crossed and, before it finished, probably several hundred crossed.
While that was interesting, what was exciting were the crocodiles, as five large crocs swam up and positioned themselves next to the animals. Some crocs kept their mouths agage, and one did a full swinging head swipe at a gnu that leaped, arching, out of harm’s way. Many gnus actually leaped over the crocs backs, and I saw a few actually bump and shove a croc’s head as they passed. It appeared as if the crocs were selecting zebras, and perhaps the missed gnu occurred because a small zebra had been approaching and was directly behind the gnu that was attacked. At any rate, not a single animal was killed in this crossing.
Just minutes later, another crossing started downriver, and we drove down, this time getting a much different view of the crossing with nearly over-the-shoulder light. A croc did catch a gnu at this crossing, but did not immediately succeed in drowning it and eventually let it go. The gnu apparently made it to shore, but was so injured that it was later recaptured and killed by another croc.
Towards sunset we were working on silhouettes when David spotted antelope intently looking in one direction, at a lion that had made a kill. As we drove up we discovered that the lioness had captured a baby topi, and was merely playing with it, wrestling it in what would normally be kill holds, then releasing it. At some times it almost seemed affectionate – a lioness in Samburu habitually ‘adopted’ oryx calves for several days, before she, or another pride member, ate her adopted baby, while other times, as she hooked the baby with a talon and dragged it along, she seemed anything but. Eventually she picked up the baby and trotted away, the topi baby swinging in her jaws, though still alive.
Day 10 – Mara Triangle
While El Nino rains have been forecasted for weeks the skies were again crystal clear, and as we headed out we looked for a good sunrise acacia tree, unsuccessfully. In the early light, however, we found a young lioness that actively trotted at least a quarter mile to displace vultures at a sun-weathered carcass. Backlighted the image was still striking, and the cat had wide, alert eyes, and to me, she looked lost and concerned with finding her pride.
Later, near the kopje-like plateaus we found several lionesses and two males, and one cub. Another cub, we’re fairly certain, was killed by one of the males and the lionesses with the cub repeatedly visited the area, as if attempting to draw her cub back. This, after she had visited and sniffed and pawed at the carcass. The lioness, when greeting one of the males, swatted him away – we had expected a head-butt and an introduction to the cub, but subsequent observations, ie the dead cub, may account for that behavior.
We spent a fair amount of time near the Tanzania border and the gnu numbers were large, and we all shot lines and masses, depicting the migration. Later, at the ‘mortuary’ we found over six massive crocodiles, all feeding on parts of, or whole, Thompson’s gazelles. We must have missed the crossing by less than a half hour, and the crocodiles massacred these small antelopes as they attempted to swim the river. We waited nearly an hour for another crossing, and although herds of gazelles, impalas, and gnus passed in the croton bushes nearby, none moved back to the sandy bank of the crossing and, as noon approached, even the crocodiles swam downstream. The largest, males by the appearance of their girth and head, must have been 15 feet or so.
Meanwhile, Mary’s vehicle had discovered a female cheetah that was being harassed by a jackal. She was hunting, and although the jackal almost blew the hunt, when the jackal swerved off it diverted the attention of the oribi the cheetah stalked, and she made her kill. While she was still strangling the oribi the jackal rushed in and bit the cheetah’s backside, and the cheetah swung around, oribi still within her jaws, and chased the cheetah a few bounds.
One other noteworthy sight – an elephant with a twisted tusk that extended back towards its neck, and crossed over onto the same side as the other tusk. Should we see this female again, we’ll know her. And, good news, Clark, who had to evacuate for a medical emergency, will rejoin our group this afternoon, being released from the hospital.
PM – We headed back to the river as it looked as if gnus might be gathering. A small, perhaps 200, herd had gathered, with a few close to the water but as we waited they moved off. David said it’d just be a matter of time and so we waited.
A few minutes later a few zebras approached the shoreline as did a large crocodile, that did so, of course, from the water side. The croc submerged and moved in, and for the next number of minutes zebras and gnus came to drink, with the occasional tell-tale bubble of the hidden crocodile nearby. Eventually, as a few colts and two adult zebras drank, the croc lunged. The zebras leaped back, arching, and in the shots the croc’s head appears to actually be touching a zebra, but all escaped. For the duration of the motor-drive blast the croc stayed visible, mouth wide and empty, while in the background the receding stripes of zebras merged with the dust.
We headed towards another crossing, which did not materialize, but had a fairly decent serval en route. Later, a male black rhino, the first I’ve ever seen here in the Triangle, was heading towards the cow rhino that resides upstream. A tame family of warthogs rounded out the afternoon, which concluded with beautiful orange, angular light, but no real subject to do it justice.
Day 11 – Mara Triangle to Upper Mara
We headed out at dawn under another clear sky. Henry’s vehicle found a gnu kill with lions, but two of our vehicles couldn’t follow the radioed directions and eventually gave up – my vehicle being one of them. But that set back proved fortuitous. The kill had a male lion, two lionesses, and later, vulture and jackal activity.
Meanwhile, we drove back towards where we had the lioness and cub yesterday morning, and about an half mile from that location we spotted a lioness moving down a hillside. Periodically she would stop and look back, and half snarl. Three male lions appeared on the ridge and two descended, moving at a trot to follow her. She trotted off, and the males, trotting rapidly, were in pursuit, which gave us multiple opportunities over at least an half mile track for shooting running – trotting – lions. At one point, Felix saw the male catch up to the female and swat her down, but she regained her footing and ran off, even faster. The males gave up, and headed back, eventually reaching the site where we believe a cub had been killed yesterday. The lioness, we suspect, was the mother of the cub, and we fear that cub was also killed. Accordingly, these males may be new to the pride and the lionesses, one, haven’t accepted them yet, and two, the males are killing cubs.
Later, as we entered the upper Mara we spotted 14 more lions, returning from a kill where, based on the distended bellies of the males, the males ate while the females and cubs looked thin. Two lionesses branched off to hunt three warthogs, but a lioness started the run too early and the hogs escaped.
In total, we had at least 21 lions on the game drive.
PM – We headed out, hoping to find leopards. Not far from camp we found six lions, including two cubs about five months old, feeding on a gnu. Later, nearby, we found our mother cheetah with three cubs – the same cubs we’d seen last year, now about 16 months old and large. They were sprawled atop a termite mound, beneath croton bushes, but as we watched the cubs got up and moved, and posed, onto several termite mounds. They were attracted to two adult warthogs that they stalked, with the warthog spotting them and completely ignoring them, actually dropping on to its forelegs to graze just thirty or so yards away. Eventually one of the cubs charged and the warthog sprinted off, but the cats, knowing the chase was hopeless, barely broke a jog. Another warthog flushed and they chased it, too, with the same results.
At the conclusion of the game drive I had to have a talk with our guides about teamwork and some problems they were having. Hopefully that is resolved.
Day 12 – Upper Mara
We were still hoping for a good leopard, or, more accurately, still another good leopard since we did fairly well at Nakuru and in the Lower Mara. Here, a very habituated female we’ve known for years resides, and presently has two cubs.
We were told of a recent leopard kill at the Double Crossing, out of range for ‘our’ leopard, and we headed there. Unsuccessfully, at first, as our directions were vague, but Carlo spotted a large male leopard that presented some nice profiles as it walked down a trail on the opposite side of the lugga. Later, one of our guides spotted the leopard we were after, a small female in a tree with a male Thompson’s Gazelle. By the time my vehicle arrived she was seconds from accidentally dropping the kill from the tree, and we arrived in time to film her as she climbed down from her perch. She retrieved the carcass and headed off, and all of us had opportunities to shoot the leopard as she dragged the half-eaten carcass between her legs. Eventually, after stashing the kill behind a mass of tree roots, she buried into a thicket and retired.
We continued looking for the leopardess with cubs, while three other vehicles spotted another leopard in a tree, with the mother lying beneath. The shooting was marginal, and a vehicle’s movement through the bush may have spooked a baby waterbuck that the leopard then killed. That was a low light to the morning, and the driver responsible got a talking to.
We didn’t find the leopardess, but encountered a very tolerant immature Martial Eagle that eventually took off and soared over a mob of banded mongoose that chirped an alarm but did not run. I wondered if they felt secure as a group, and their mass may have discouraged an attack.
PM – A very productive afternoon for everyone, and for some, like Kevin, the entire game drive was a highlight. We found the cheetahs again, who had killed a T Gazelle, and a very cooperative serval, and the group did well with Kirk’s dik-dik, baby giraffes, various birds, and the cheetahs.
One long, thin row of heavy leaden clouds traced across the sky, and almost directly over head, and as we started our game drive it sprinkled, then rained fairly heavily for minutes, but before we could even think of putting up the vehicle lids it’d stop, and then resume again. After about an half hour the rains passed, and as we drove along we once-again passed through parched areas where this spotty shower missed.
Day 13 Upper Mara
Yesterday’s winds and afternoon showers foreshadowed this morning’s skies, overcast and, once, a misty drizzle. Lenticular clouds, formed by high atmospheric winds that shape the clouds into flying saucer shapes, hung below the cloud ceiling, and as the morning progressed it drew windier and duller. As I write this, at noon, the skies are completely overcast and the light dull and poor.
Our vehicle followed much of the Talek River, still looking for the leopardess and cubs. Without luck. However, through the morning we filmed baby hyenas, young jackals, baby giraffes, three eagle species, a black and white crowned hornbill, one cheetah, and several lions.
Mary’s vehicle headed to Paradise, and en route had frame-filling headshots of bat-eared fox, and later outstanding images of a male lion interacting with a cub. Three vehicles spent the latter part of the morning at the Maasai village, where Clark ‘was almost killed’ when he photographed Maasai that were not part of the village. After getting more money (no doubt, the reason for the Maasai’s behavior), everything smoothed out.
PM – Afternoon game drive was slow and anti-climatic, and people commented that this was the first slow or unproductive game drive we had had. No wonder – the usual subjects, gazelles, gnus, zebras, we all had, and we were searching for the leopardess and cubs but without success.
The evening farewell dinner went well, with plenty of good jokes after dinner, and final good byes to the guides.
Day 14 – Return to Nairobi
Flight back, via two chartered planes and plenty of room, went smoothly, and our final slide show of participants’ work went wonderfully. Everyone got off without a hitch, although with some sadness to see everyone saying farewell.
