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Bush Report Archive
April 2010 - Wildlife and activities experienced in March
Migration and Weather in the Serengeti Early March the southern plains were dry and dusty, with wildebeest moving frequently between Kusini, Maswa, Ndutu, Gol Kopjes and Naabi Hill. By the second week in March, rain was beginning to fall in some areas and in the late afternoon and evenings. By the third week in March, rains were more frequent with heavy rain at night in some areas. Unfortunately one of those areas was Kusini, which has black cotton soil which is extremely slippery to drive on. One driver guide described it “it was like being in a boat in bad waves.” By the last two weeks in March, clients were reporting seeing massive numbers of wildebeest in the Gol Kopjes, Ndutu and Naabi Hill areas. Very large concentrations of gazelles were located in Gol and Barafu Kopjes, moving to Lemuta and Nasera Rock. Eland were also abundant in these same areas in March. It is important to point out that rain often falls from specific clouds and does not necessarily cove large areas with each rainfall. This is why the herds move so frequently and actually follow rain clouds. Wildebeest can move 30-40 miles overnight in search of new rain and good grass, so the movement in the month of March is often very frequent. Huge numbers of zebra were being seen both on the Kusini Plains and in the Barafu Kopjes, just north of the Gol Kopjes and heading in the direction of the central Serengeti. The last part of the calving was still being seen in early March with a few late calvings still being seen at the end of March. There were also huge herds of buffalo seen in the central plains, many of the males breeding during this time. As you read the highlights of the Serengeti in March, take notice of some of the areas that Unique Safaris drives to. We pride ourselves on our knowledge of this huge park and our ability to navigate far from the traditional tourist tracks to find interesting wildlife away from other vehicles. Migration and Weather in Tarangire National Park Tarangire remained wet with tall grass, making it hard to see predators, but easy sightings of elephant and giraffe and of course, wonderful birds. The heavy rain also brought out the tste-tste flies in the areas that have acacia woodland, along the swamp areas. This time of the year is not peak or ideal for Tarangire, unless you are a serious birder or want to enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery and the resident elephants and giraffe in the park.
Safari Highlights » Many of our clients made Buffalo Luxury Camp and northern Loliondo their first stop on their safari. While the large herds are in central and southern Serengeti, there are still resident animals in northern Loliondo and clients enjoyed large herds of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, impala, hartebeest, topi, baboons and vervet monkey are always in the area. Smaller resident herds of zebra and wildebeest are seen. There is a pride of 24 lions in the area, many hyenas and the birdlife at this time of the year is spectacular as well, including great spotted cuckoo, lilac breasted roller, shrikes, Bare-faced Go-Away bird, tawny eagle, black eagle, red-billed hornbill, grey hornbill, crowned cranes, wattled plover, ground hornbill and blacksmith plover. Sundowners overlooking the vast Serengeti Plains were extraordinary and the game walking was ideal and quite a work-out! » During the calving season, kills are abundant and clients often feel as if they are moving from one predator feast to another. For most of us, we never seem to tire of this sight and wonder what unusual things we might see from the various predators. Vultures are traditionally scavengers and it is unusual to actually see vultures feast on live prey. This did happen, however, in the area near Lemuta Hill, east of the Gol Kopjes. Clients watched while a Thomson gazelle that was giving birth was attacked by a flock of vultures. The vultures swooped down on the female and fawn, who was not even fully out of the vulva. Usually the birth of a fawn is relatively fast, but this seemed to be a difficult birth and perhaps the vultures knew the two were extremely vulnerable. The vultures were quickly and aggressively consuming the prey, when they were interrupted by six hyenas that chased the vultures away and each grabbed a piece of the carcass that remained.
» At times, it is a welcome relief for some clients to observe majestic animals that are not hunting, killing and eating! Clients saw giraffe mating near Banagi Hill, close to the Retima Hippo Pool. Before mating, the male giraffe frequently tests the female’s urine to ensure that the female is receptive to mating. » Hidden Valley is a lovely area in the Kusini Plains in southern Serengeti that harbors a large pride of lions and is often filled with zebra and wildebeest at this time of the year. One day in March, clients watched seven hyenas swimming and playing in a water pond in Hidden Valley. Watching seven vicious predators playfully swimming and sparring was a stark parallel to the previous scenes they witnessed with this predator. » The Kusini plains is home to an aardwolf, but it is rarely seen due to it nocturnal behavior and very elusive nature. Clients were incredibly lucky to leave Kusini Camp very early in the morning and seeing the aardwolf returning to his den.
» The Gol and Barafu Kopjes were wonderful by the 3rd and 4th week in March. Huge concentrations of wildebeest with tens of thousands of calves just a month old were grazing in the area with zebra and large numbers of eland. The sounds of grunting, watching babies nurse and everyone running in different directions, is a sight no one ever tires of, especially our driver guides. » Near the Sametu Kopjes of the central Serengeti, clients watched a mother cheetah and her four young cubs paying on a termite mound. They were approached by a strange female cheetah, invading their territory. The mother and cubs ran quickly from the termite mound to our vehicle, seeking shelter from the intruder. It took about 30 minutes before the cubs settled down and the intruder continued in another direction. Two to three male cheetahs defend a territory in which a number of different females collect. Females remain solitary except with their cubs, but females “belonging” to other males will share this territory.
» The central Serengeti was filled with big herds of buffalo (estimated at 300), giraffe, topi, hartebeest and a herd of about 100elephants. Clients watched elephants mating as well. » Leopards were surprisingly abundant in March. One leopard was sighted lying in a hammerkop nest in a yellow-barked acacia tree. » Central Serengeti is home to some of the largest prides of lion. Part of the Makoma Hill pride was seen near the Seronera River with 16 members of the pride by the water. There were two males, 4 females and 10 cubs. » In Ngorongoro Crater, a solitary male cheetah was so annoyed by two jackals that were yipping and chasing him (likely there were puppies nearby) that he abruptly started to chase them both, nearing catching one of them! » March in the Crater continued to be excellent for seeing rhino. Once family saw eight rhino in one day, including mother and very young calf. The mother was not comfortable with nearby buffalo and she charged a small group repeatedly until they moved away from her vicinity. » One of the highlights in the Crater in March was an early morning sighting of 20 hyenas feeding on a buffalo kill. » Although we did not have serious birders in the month of March, some of the species seen that were impressive to our guests were black bishop, ground hornbill, lesser masked weaver, woodland kingfisher, African hoopoe, Verreaux eagle owl, bataleur eagle, blackshouldered kite, Montague’s Harrier, black-headed heron, Goliath heron, kori bustard, black-bellied bustard, Fischer’s lovebird, lilac-breasted roller, blacksmith plover, crowned plover, spur-winged plover, two-banded courser, African pied wagtail, hammerkop. We welcome you to submit your images for our next Bush Report. If you have a photograph you are particularly proud of or want to share with others, please email images to meg@uniquesafaris.biz and we will be happy to include them in the next reports and credit you for the image. It is wonderful to share your pictures and experiences and we would love to include them in our future reports. March 2010 - Wildlife and activities experienced in February
Migration and Weather in the Serengeti It has been a wild and wonderful February with wildebeest calving in full swing in the Serengeti, as well as in Ngorongoro Crater. The beginning of February was quite dry, with the zebra herds moving to central Serengeti for the long grass and the wildebeest moving down to Kusini near the Maswa area for about the first 10 days of February. Calving began in the Maswa area but by the third week in February, rain re-appeared and herds moved back to the Ndutu woodlands, Naabi Hill and the Gol Kopjes, providing clients with the spectacle they had been hoping to see. Calving continued in the month of February on the more accessible southern plains of Naabi, Ndutu and Gol. By the end of February, the Gol Kopjes were filled with wildebeest and calves. Main road were in good condition, but some areas of the southern plains were very difficult to drive on with the rain toward the end of the month, with travel being especially difficult near Kusini. One driver guide described the southern plains as “the maternity ward.” Migration and Weather in Tarangire National Park The grass is quite high in Tarangire National Park but clients have been seeing large numbers of elephants and giraffe. At this time of the year, when the grass is high, some of the best viewing for elephants is along the Tarangire River. The birding in Tarangire has been wonderful as well and serval cat was seen as well. Clients saw all species of hornbills, Fischer’s lovebird, Orange-bellied parrot and Yellow-Collared lovebird, red and yellow barbet, open-billed stork, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, African jacana, martial eagle, bataleur eagle, tawny eagle and long-crested eagle. Roads in Tarangire were more difficult to drive on due to the wet conditions.
Safari Highlights » Many of clients made Buffalo Luxury Camp and northern Loliondo their first stop on their safari. While the large herds are in central and southern Serengeti, there are still resident animals in northern Loliondo and clients enjoyed large herds of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, impala, hartebeest, topi, baboons and vervet monkey are always in the area. Smaller resident herds of zebra and wildebeest are seen. There is a pride of 24 lions in the area, many hyenas and the birdlife at this time of the year is spectacular as well, including great spotted cuckoo, lilac breasted roller, shrikes, Bare-faced Go-Away bird, tawny eagle, black eagle, red-billed hornbill, grey hornbill, crowned cranes, wattled plover, ground hornbill and blacksmith plover. Sundowners overlooking the vast Serengeti Plains were extraordinary. » The best highlight was seeing 8 wild dogs near Lake Masek, successfully hunt a wildebeest calf. There is a small pack of wild dogs that have been in the southern Loliondo area and near Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Wild dogs have been sighted near Nasera Rock, which is in this area. It is believed that these dogs are part of this pack and they ventured as far as Lake Masek and Lake Ndutu woodlands while hunting for food. The dogs are unable to penetrate further into the Serengeti because of the high population of hyena and lions in the southern and central Serengeti. Wild dogs are unable to protect their kills from these powerful predators. The Frankfurt Zoological Society has collared the entire pack (from the area of Sanjo in southern Loliondo), but has been unable to collect them to translocate to the Western Corridor. They are following this pack with great interest because they are highly endangered, with requests from the Sanjo to please remove the dogs to protect their herds. » Many of our clients enjoyed a trip to Nasera Rock, a holy site for Maasai to the east of the Gol Kopjes. Here they were able to walk with Maasai and it was particularly wonderful because of the large herds that were in the area at the end of February. » At the beginning of February, clients were seeing the large herds near Kusini, which is a scenic area of the southern Serengeti. Kusini has a particular type of black cotton soil, which when wet becomes very difficult to drive on. As the rains started again, some clients had long difficult drives in this area, but the wildlife yielded excellent herds, large prides of lion, good kills, bat eared fox, jackals, hyena, cheetah and a lucky find of a caracal. » Our clients often report that their private mobile experience was the highlight of their safari experience. One set of clients were amazed to hear lions close by in the middle of the night, but were even more surprised to drive less than 1 km from the camp and find a pride of 10 in Ndutu feeding on their wildebeest kill. » Other clients were lulled to sleep listening to the barking zebra and grunting wildebeest that surrounded their private camp at Naabi Hill. » The southern plains were awash with European storks. Interspersed among the flocks were other birds, including a black headed heron that has hunted a grass snake, but had to hurry to swallow it alive because another heron was chasing it to steal the snake away. » Clients witnessed a Crowned Eagle feeding on guineafowl chicks while the mother was screaming and trying to chase the eagle away. » There were a number of successful hunts seen, including lions, hyena and cheetah. Food is abundant and often easier for hunting due to the vulnerability of pregnant wildebeest and zebra, as well as the many Thomson gazelles. » Clients were treated to a mother and 6-month leopard cub less than 20 meters from the vehicle and with no other vehicles nearby. » The Seronera River Valley is always wonderful for leopard, elephant, buffalo, lions, zebra and the many other gazelles and antelopes. » Huge herds of more than 300+ buffalo were seen in the central Serengeti near the Seronera airstrip.
» There are many areas of the central Serengeti to explore, including the Maasai and Sametu Kopjes, the Moru Kopjes and access to the Barafu Kopjes as well. Cheetahs were abundant near the Maasai Kopjes in the middle of February. » In three days, one family recorded 35 lions, 12 cheetah including one very pregnant female, 3 leopard, 10 bat-eared fox and the full view of the huge wildebeest herd calving. » Rhino in the Crater were amazingly abundant for viewing in February. This is due to the rhinos coming into the central area of the Crater floor for excellent grasses to feed on. Clients were seeing between 6-14 rhino on the Crater floor. » The flamingos on the soda lake inside the Crater were in huge numbers in February. » When the Crater is ‘good’, it is an amazing place to be. February appeared to yield wonderful sights. Clients watched a tawny eagle feeding on a recent kill of a small newborn Thomson gazelle.
» Many of our clients want to experience all aspects of life in Tanzania and be exposed to different tribes to learn about the country’s make-up. Clients are able to visit the Hadzapi tribe near Lake Eyasi. The Hadzapi are Tanzania’s Bushmen, still speaking in clicks and living a nomadic life of hunting and gathering. On one such visit, we stopped to purchase maize flower, cooking oil and tobacco to bring to the family being visited. The younger boys were out hunting and came back with a young kudu, which they skinned and roasted the meat over the fire. In the area, it is also possible to visit the DaToga tribe, who are pastoralists like the Maasai, but they also have the skill of blacksmithing. DaToga used to live in the Crater, but constant conflict with the Maasai forced the government to move them to Lake Eyasi, where they herd cattle and produce metal goods as well.
» Lake Manyara is always spectacular for viewing baboons and clients can often watch their antics for hours on end. On one particular safari, clients were also able to watch a lioness kill a warthog in the Majimoto area of Manyara National Park, with the pink flamingos serving as a backdrop. The Sykes or Blue Monkey is also easily seen in Lake Manyara. » Clients had a more rare sighting of the Palm Nut Vulture at Lake Manyara National Park, a highlight for serious birders. » There were beautiful views of a pride of seven lions in Tarangire, drinking from the Tarangire River with the sun setting in the background. Nearby was a lioness from the same pride nursing two very young cubs in clear view of the clients. » As one driver guide wrote, “Although there were no wildebeest and zebra in Tarangire, the quantity of the elephants, giraffe and the variety of the birds plus the lushness of the grasses and the baobab and date trees made the park a unique experience for my clients.” » Clients should not overlook Arusha National Park and it is often a good idea to plan an extra day in Arusha to recover from the long flights. Arusha National Park is an ideal ‘first game drive’ with beautiful views of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, excellent giraffe that are very habituated to vehicles, black and white colobus monkey and wonderful birding. Clients were treated to see violet-backed starling, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Ross’sTuraco and Bare-Faced Go-Away Bird. Clients can also walk in the lower forest of Mount Meru with an armed ranger. We welcome you to submit your images for our next Bush Report. If you have a photograph you are particularly proud of or want to share with others, please email images to meg@uniquesafaris.biz and we will be happy to include them in the next reports and credit you for the image. It is wonderful to share your pictures and experiences and we would love to include them in our future reports. » Back to Bush Report Archive February 2010 - Wildlife and activities experienced in December and January
Migration and Weather in the Serengeti
November 29, 2009Short rains were good in December and early January and the male wildebeest herds have arrived on the southern plains. I saw many males in the Gol Kopjes and areas of the Ngorongoro Conservation Land between Olduvai Gorge and the entrance to the Serengeti National Park. The females spent most of December in the Seronera area and have now been moving between Naabi, Ndutu, Gol and Kusini. The large zebra herds were enjoying the long grass near the Moru Kopjes in December, due to the good rains. The last few weeks of January have been quite dry on the southern plains and the majority of the females were moving back and forth to Kusini and the nearby woodlands. Toward the end of January clients were witnessing masses of the huge herds near the triangle of the southern plains, but in just a few days the females were in the Kusini area with calving having begun. Everyone is hoping for a good dose of rain, to bring the females back to Naabi and Ndutu for the remainder of the calving period. Calving was just beginning the first week in February, although calving in the Crater is in full swing. Rain has been good in the northern Serengeti and the grass is green and high, especially near Lobo and Loliondo. I counted 32 giraffe just outside of the Klein’s Gate on the way to Buffalo Luxury Camp. Good locations for accommodations have been Unique Safaris’ private mobile camps, Kusini Camp, the new Lake Masek Tented Camp and Ndutu Lodge. The road between the Crater and Serengeti is in good condition, in fact one of the best road conditions I have seen in a long time. The drive only took about 1.5 hours. Migration and Weather in Tarangire National Park Clients have been visiting Tarangire, mostly to enjoy birding and elephants. There are few herd animals in the park with the exception of the resident elephants and the few remaining resident zebra and antelopes. Grass is high, but the park is stunningly beautiful and the European migration of birds is in full swing. Update on Buffalo Luxury Camp, Black Rhinos and Wild Dogs
We are excited to announce that Buffalo Luxury Camp, a new permanent tented lodge in northern Loliondo, will be opening the beginning of March. For the past year, Unique Safaris has been booking this property as a semi-permanent mobile camp until the main lodge and tents have been completed. I conducted a site visit the first week in February and was impressed with the surroundings, the staff and the activities, not to mention the unique design of the main lodge nestled beneath one of the hills of northern Loliondo with stunning views of the Serengeti. While most people might not have heard much about northern Serengeti and Loliondo, the area has resident game (wildebeest, zebra, elephants, buffalo, impala, tons of giraffe, hyena, a large pride of lion and a resident male leopard up on the hill). A pack of 18 wild dogs is being tracked near Ololosokwan. There are 12 adults and 6 young puppies, but the pack is moving the den frequently, so it is still unpredictable if the trackers can locate them on any given day. If you do sight the dogs, we are working cooperatively with the Frankfurt Zoological Society to provide documentation about the day, time and location of the sightings. Any photos of wild dogs should be taken from the side so that identification can be made. It is the pattern of the spotting that allows researchers to identify each individual. Northern Serengeti and Loliondo will be even more exciting in 2010 as the Tanzania National Parks gets ready to release 32 black rhino into the area. This will be the largest rhino release ever in Africa with all 32 individuals being flown in from South Africa. The first six rhino will be released near the Lobo airstrip on May 21st. The rhino will be released into a large man-made enclosure for a short period of time before they are fully released. We will keep you posted on potential future release dates and encourage you to try to plan a safari to coordinate with these dates.
Safari Highlights » Lions, lions and lions galore! Lazy lions and full-bellied lions are being seen everywhere. Pride of 8 females and 6 cubs were seen playing on the open southern plains near Naabi Hill. It is hard to find hungry lions during this time of the year and it is more likely to see lions lying around, cubs playing and individuals relaxing or sleeping for almost 20 hours a day. » Near Ndutu Lodge a leopard was seen in a tree nearby four hyenas that were finishing a kill. It appeared the leopard had made the kill but could not get the carcass into the tree before the hyena appeared and stole the kill away. » A highlight for one client was finding a cheetah near Lake Masek. The cheetah was lying down but when she heard the vehicle approaching she woke up and came straight toward the car, jumping on the hood to be able to have a taller vantage point for scanning for gazelles. The cheetah spent about 5 minutes looking for animals and of course, this was thrilling for the clients. » Toward the end of January, there were many wildebeest that had crossed Lake Masek (near Lake Ndutu) and became stuck in the mud. It was quite the sight with many carcasses and many vultures feeding on the wildebeest. » There is always time to stop and enjoy the smaller species that play important roles in the eco-system. One client was fascinated by the many dung beetles and the many butterflies that were emerging. I was also impressed with how many butterflies I saw on this recent safari – blue pansy, brown pansy, diadem and African monarch butterflies were easily seen. » There were enormous numbers of European and Abdim’s storks throughout the area between the Crater and Serengeti. The past few years, there have not been as many European (or White) storks due to the lack of good rains. Guides are hoping this is a sign that the rain will continue to be abundant this year.
» Leopards were seen significant times in central Serengeti. Leopards were spotted in Seronera Valley, the Moru Kopjes, the Maasai Kopjes and the Boma Kopjes. » One of the leopard highlights was actually witnessing a leopard kill of a reedbuck from stalking to bringing the kill up into a tree in the Seronera River Valley. The driver guide noticed the leopard in the tree, but also noticed he was scanning the area where a reedbuck was hiding. The leopard came down from the tree quickly, stalked the reedbuck which was foraging, and then jumped suddenly to strangulate the buck. The leopard plucked some of the fur before he started to open the belly to begin feeding. The leopard is the only big cat who is known to remove fur before eating. » Elephants were also abundant in the central Serengeti and clients was able to watch a bull in musth mating with an adolescent female. » Rhino were seen along the Sand River in northern Serengeti near Bologonja. » Other sightings in northern Serengeti and Loliondo included large herds of elephants, huge herds of eland, buffalo, many giraffe, large numbers of topi and big prides of lion. » In December and early January the wildlife near the Klein’s airstrip was quite exciting. Planes were flying over large herds of elephants and big groupings of giraffe. It is quite a sight to fly into the Serengeti area for the first time in your life and see so much as you land. » Clients being accommodated at Buffalo Luxury Camp enjoyed going into the town of Ololosokwan for the Maasai market, which is held every Saturday. This was quite a highlight for a number of guests at Buffalo Luxury Camp. » The night drives at Buffalo Luxury Camp included sightings of hyena, large herds of impala, black backed jackal, elephant, white-tailed mongoose, lions and one aarkvark! The lion was especially exciting because the guide heard lions roaring and asked the spotter to shine the light in a particular direction, catching the eyes of a lioness. She passed right in front of the vehicle and they followed her for a bit as another two females approached her and greeted each other. The guide continued to follow the three females across the river and heard more calling and they managed to find the rest of the pride consisting of another 22 individuals, feeding on a very recent buffalo kill. There were two males, eight females, four sub-adults, five cubs around 5 months old and three more very young cubs of not more than 2 months old. Now, that was a great night drive. » In the Crater, it is babies, babies and babies. Wildebeest are calving and zebra are foaling. Clients observed a zebra giving birth, watching for over 20 minutes, until the mother began to clean the foal and the foal began to suckle. The Crater boasts the densest population of hyena and given the small size of Ngorongoro Crater, births are often detected by hyena due to their amazing sense of smell and ability to detect afterbirth. This particular zebra was quite lucky because a hyena approached in the distance, but the mother and foal were able to move closer to a larger section of the herd.
» Due to the good rain, rhino were easily spotted during this time period. In fact, clients were treated to baby rhino only 200 meters away from the vehicle. At the end of December, clients were regularly seeing the three young calves that are down in the Crater and one clients saw 8 different rhino in two days.
» A few of our clients planned to visit different villages, NGO projects and the Children for Children’s Future Orphanage in Arusha. One mother and daughter purchased food for a special Christmas meal for the kids at CCF and they had an incredible time helping to cook, serve and eat with the children, who enjoyed a holiday pilau, chicken, roasted goat and a cake! We welcome you to submit your images for our next Bush Report. If you have a photograph you are particularly proud of or want to share with others, please email images to meg@uniquesafaris.biz and we will be happy to include them in the next reports and credit you for the image. It is wonderful to share your pictures and experiences and we would love to include them in our future reports. » Back to Bush Report Archive Wildlife and activities experienced mid-October through November
Migration and Weather in the Serengeti
The end of October and the month of November have seen some of the more dramatic changes in weather and movement of the large herds of wildebeest and zebra. By the third week in October, short rains were falling in the northern Serengeti and parts of the Western Corridor. There were large numbers of wildebeests in northern Serengeti, crossing from the Maasai Mara and traveling between the Sand River and Bologonja River. Clients continued to game drive further in the north to see thousands of wildebeest along the Mara River as well. At one point, the vehicle parked in one location and clients watched for two hours as herds continued to move past them in large numbers. For the second year in a row, rain was falling in the Western Corridor before falling in the central Serengeti, so there were also large numbers of wildebeest in the west and crossing from the Grumeti Reserve and toward Mwamnevi and the Handajega Hills and the Mbalageti River. Both of these areas are south of the Grumeti River and near Kirawira Tented Camp and Mbalageti Tented Lodge. There were signs that good rain that would be coming soon to the Moru Kopjes and hopefully the Seronera Valley and by the end of November, the herds indeed were moving into Moru, Makoma and the area around the Serengeti Sopa. The southern plains remained quite dry in October and November, all the way to Ngorongoro and the roads are more corrugated due to the lack of rain. All other roads in the Serengeti were easy to travel until more consistent rain began to fall toward the end of November and the black cotton soil has become more slippery. Central Serengeti and the Seronera River Valley remained absolutely outstanding for cats of all kinds and much of the zebra herds were moving from Lobo into the Seronera Valley. The large Makoma Hill pride and the Sametu Kopjes pride were all visible and impressive. In the north, the very large Wogakuria pride was seen regularly with 13-22 individuals being seen at one time. Keep in mind that some of the wildebeest herds move directly south from northern Serengeti and other parts of the herds, including a significant number of males, move across the north, through Loliondo and around the Gol Mountains, entering the southern plains of the Serengeti by the end of December or early January. As we continue to report on the movement of animals, this is always a good reminder that while there is a general pattern that is usually repeated, the migration is a dynamic process that is guided more by the specific rain patterns that appear each year. Animals move to find food and water and where and when they move, is determined by rain, which produces the growth of the grasses that sustain them.
Migration and Weather in Tarangire National Park
Update on Buffalo Luxury Camp and Wild Dogs
Migration and Weather in the Serengeti
Safari Highlights Here are some of the more interesting, exciting or unusual things that were experienced in this time period. » In just two days, one family saw 70 lions, 6 cheetah and two leopard in the Seronera Valley.
» Lions are frequently feeding on gazelles and warthogs along the Seronera River and the marsh area of the Maasai Kopjes. » There were frequent hunting attempts for buffalo by large groups of lions, as this would be a substantial feed for this time of the year. » The dry conditions do make it easier to spot cats; clients saw two cheetah crossing the main road by the Simba Kopjes and then spotted two leopard together in one tree at the Maasai Kopjes with a waterbuck kill in the tree with them. » In a 3-day period of time, two photographers who were focusing on cats were able to see the Makoma Hill lion pride with two buffalo kills together (the Makoma Hill pride has almost 30 individuals), watched a leopard dragging a Bohor reedbuck up a sausage tree, another leopard playing with a tiny cub in the branches of a sausage tree, 15 cheetah and 4 serval cats. They also witnessed two successful hunts by cheetah. One was a coalition of 3 males killing a Thomson gazelle and the other was a female successfully chasing and killing a reedbuck. However, this last kill was short-lived as 3 hyena spotted the kill and chased the cheetah off of the prey. » Northern Serengeti and Loliondo are becoming wonderful at this time of the year. Although the conditions have been dry, by the middle of October, there has actually been some rain in the north and herds are congregating along the Mara River, Kogatende and even to Lobo. At the beginning of October, there was a small but significant herd of wildebeest just west of Bologonja Gate. » Clients were amused and amazed to watch one male lion in the Lobo River Valley being quickly surrounded by a big cow/calf herd of elephants, as he tried to drink from the river. The elephants had many young calves and they aggressively surrounded and charged the lion, who was lucky to be able to escape. Clients stayed to watch the large herd palying and wallowing peacefully. » Some clients were incredibly lucky to see a successful lion hunt along the Munge River in the Crater when the lions took down a wildebeest not more than 30 meters from the vehicle. » Black rhino is hard to see in the Crater when the conditions are this dry, as they move further up in the forest instead. » In Tarangire, due to the number of elephants in the Silale Swamp, rock pythons are being spotted. Clients were able to see a large python climbing up an acacia tree right next to the vehicle. » Over 300 elephants were seen in the Silale Swamp together early one morning in Tarangire. » At Gurusi Swamp, near Swala Camp inTarangire, there were many large male elephants, often considered residents of Swala, as well as large numbers of lesser kudu, hartebeest, grant gazelle and impala. Lions were seen very close to Swala Camp and their calling was heard in the night. » The Tarangire River allows clients to see a great variety of animals together, drinking and bathing in the River. One client sat and recorded all of the animals she saw at once; elephant, eland, waterbuck, warthog, giraffe, grant gazelle and baboon. This is what we truly would call a "mixed species exhibit". »One of the highlights in Tarangire was watching the birth of an Impala gazelle. The female was observed as the baby was coming out and clients watched only for a short time while the mother licked the new baby and attempted to nudge the baby up on its feet. The driver left the gazelle for awhile to avoid her leaving the baby to protect it. We welcome you to submit your images for our next Bush Report. If you have a photograph you are particularly proud of or want to share with others, please email images to meg@uniquesafaris.biz and we will be happy to include them in the next reports and credit you for the image. It is wonderful to share your pictures and experiences and we would love to include them in our future reports. » Back to Bush Report Archive September 20, 2009
Migration and Weather in the Serengeti
During this time period, our clients have focused on northern and central Serengeti, as well as Loliondo. The weather has remained hot and dry; dryer than usual for this time of the year, which has been difficult for wildlife. Wildebeest and zebra herds have been concentrated north in Lobo, Bologonja and Kogatende areas, with occasional river crossings that have been observed. There are many hippos and crocodiles in the Mara River, where it borders Tanzania and Kenya. There have also been large concentrations of elephants, buffalo, eland and baboons. Although also very dry, the central Serengeti remains outstanding for cats of all kinds and the dry conditions have in fact made the cats more active during the day as they search for food. Much of their food source is reduced to smaller gazelles, which means the large cats must hunt even more frequently. During this time lions and cheetah have been seen hunting and marking territory very often. There is a decent supply of water in the Seronera River Valley, attracting elephants, gazelles, zebra buffalo, reedbuck and of course, all the cats that are hunting. We anticipate larger amounts of the big herds will begin crossing more frequently in October and starting their movement to the central and southern Serengeti plains. Road conditions are good, but very dry and dusty. The road between Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater is being graded, but at the moment is in very bad condition. Driving between these two areas can take 2-3 hours until the grading is completed. Migration and Weather in Tarangire National Park » One of the better lion sightings in the Serengeti was in Lobo area, where 12 lions had a successful hunt of zebra and were waiting their turns to eat. » The Makoma Hill pride was seen as well, with 14 individuals together at one time. » One of the more interesting events was watching 3 lionesses and 6 cubs enjoying a reedbuck kill, but there was one dominant female who did not allow other members of the pride to eat until she was completely satiated. The cubs were very vocal to attempt to get their share, but they were not successful for a long time. » Many of our clients did see wildebeest crossing the Mara River, but only a few saw any crocodiles actively hunting or eating animals. One family at the end of August did see a stampede at the Mara River when large numbers of wildebeest were crossing for more than one hour. They watched as a few wildebeest fell and broke their legs and crocodiles moved in quickly for the feeding. » The area near Mbuzi Mawe (northern tip of Seronera and bordering Lobo area) had amazing numbers of cats being very active. A huge leopard was seen at the top of one of the kopjes, looking out for where the prey might be. Leopards were seen in the trees and a solitary lioness was seen dragging a freshly killed Thomson gazelle into the shade
» Clients witnessed something a bit unusual in the Serengeti as they saw a black-backed jackal casually walk toward a herd of Thomson gazelle and without warning walked next to an adult female and jumped on the young calf, successfully taking its kill away. » One of the best Crater sights was watching two male lions (brothers) hunt and successfully kill a wildebeest. As they began to eat, they were soon surrounded by more than 100 spotted hyena trying to take the carcass from the lions. The numbers were overpowering and the hyenas were able to chase the lions off of the kill. Ngorongoro Crater has the densest population of hyena in all of Africa. Lions and hyena do not co-exist peacefully at all and depending upon the numbers, each can successfully steal a kill away from the other species. » Rhino are harder to see in the Crater during the dry season, because the primary food sources are higher up in the Crater and they retreat to these areas more frequently. However, at the end of August, as we descended in to the Crater at 6 am, we say a mother and calf just standing up and they walked 20 meters in front of the vehicle. » In Lake Manyara National Park, there were many elephants and one young male was walking on the track and would not allow the vehicle to continue to drive through. It is always best to just wait until the elephant will allow the vehicle to proceed and in this case, he took his merry time. He would move to the side of the track to pull down some branches, but would again block the road if the vehicle moved forward. The driver guide allowed the male to have his way and backed the vehicle up to join with a different track. » Hippos are abundant in Lake Manyara by the soda lake and clients had the highlight of watching bulls fighting trying to chase each other from the pool. They were biting each other by locking their jaws and using their heads like a battering ram. » Tarangire is just amazing right now. Due to the dry weather, many different species will come to the river or the swamps for water, so you are able to see some interesting combinations of animals and behaviors. One of the things that always surprises and amazes me if predators and prey can peacefully co-exist more often than I think. Lions and antelopes will drink close by, but the prey is always on guard to judge if the lions are hungry. As one vehicle was watching lions drinking at the river, elephants approached from the other side of the vehicle and surprised everyone by charging, trumpeting and chasing the lions away. » In addition to Silale Swamp, there is also Gurusi Swamp near Swala Camp and this smaller swamp also attracts good numbers of animals. A fairly rare sighting of lesser kudu and oryx was made at Gurusi Swamp. These antelopes are very shy and quickly ran off, but the clients had a good first sighting and were very excited. » The best sighting of lions in Tarangire was very early in the morning near the Silale Swamp, where 18 lions had recently killed a big male buffalo and were feasting. Hundreds of vultures were in the trees waiting for a turn, but with a pride of 18 individuals, there would not be all that much left for scavengers. Clients stayed at this sight for about two hours, watching the multitude of vultures, jackals and other scavengers that were making their way to the site. » Other sightings in Tarangire included large numbers of giraffe, bat-eared fox, rock pythons and a tawny eagle hunting banded mongoose. » Many of our clients enjoy a private mobile camp in Tarangire National Park and they are often rewarded with elephants coming very close to their tents. One set of clients had the time of their lives camping in Tarangire because they had elephants during the day, baboon in the trees at night and lions roaring very close to their tents in the evening as well. We welcome you to submit your images for our next Bush Report. If you have a photograph you are particularly proud of or want to share with others, please email images to meg@uniquesafaris.biz and we will be happy to include them in the next reports and credit you for the image. It is wonderful to share your pictures and experiences and we would love to include them in our future reports. August, 9, 2009
Serengeti National Park and Loliondo Game Controlled Area
» Sean and Daniel had a "unique" experience visiting one of the Maasai villages while in Loliondo. Their driver guide had them wake up and leave Buffalo Luxury Camp by 5:30 am to drive to the village and be there just as the Maasai were waking up. Being able to see the children their own age come outside of their huts rubbing their eyes awake just as they were also doing, was a meaningful experience. They helped to milk the cows and goats before they were led to graze and then accompanied the boys into the bush to herd the animals. They spent almost 6 hours with the herd and chasing many of the goats all over the land. We are not sure who was more tired, the boys or the goats!
Some extra special things |
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Unique Safaris. 2009 1562 Oakbrooke Terrace, Eagan, Minnesota 55122, USA USA Phone: (612) 201-4461 USA E-mail: meg@uniquesafaris.biz Tanzania Office Phone: 011-255-27-255-3843 Tanzania E-mail: uniquesaf@cybernet.co.tz |
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