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This Week At Angama #137

Nature can be such a tease at times – she offers you a taste, and then pulls it all away. She knows how to give just enough to leave you chomping at the bit for more
A topi is silhouetted against a magnificent Mara sunrise
A topi is silhouetted against a magnificent Mara sunrise

The word ‘unpredictable’ comes to mind when I think about the greatest migration on earth. The wildebeest and zebra move in ways that are nearly impossible to predict. One day there can be thousands of animals grazing in a clearing, and the next morning you return to find an empty grassland with nothing but a fat-bellied male lion, asleep on his back. But keep driving, keep looking around the next corner, and over the next hill, you could find the pot of gold. Enjoy This Week at Angama.

 A small column of wildebeest on the march
A small column of wildebeest on the march f 4.5, 1/400, ISO 200, -0.3

As I write this, the majority of the wildebeest are just south of the Kenyan border. Rains pull them across the grasslands like iron filings attracted to a magnet. Of course not all iron filings feel the magnetic force and we are still seeing herds of wildebeest scattered throughout the Mara Triangle.

Like ants across the short grasslands
Like ants across the short grasslands f 4.0, 1/400, ISO 200, +1.0 Photo by Adam Bannister

The river has been fairly quiet of late, but just when you think that things may be slowing down, and the herds heading south, you hear reports of a sudden change and a short but dramatic crossing. Are we possibly in the midst of a short interval? Are the wildebeest taking a brief break before they start to tackle the Mara River gauntlet once more? Until we know for sure, I personally continue to search the grasslands for treasure.

Zebra cool off in the heat of the day in a crocodile-free pool
Zebra cool off in the heat of the day in a crocodile-free pool f 5.6, 1/800, ISO200

For me this treasure often takes the form of male lion. In a quest to document and understand the male lion dynamics of this region I photograph each and every individual – slowly the jigsaw puzzle is becoming clearer and more complete. My favourite coalition at the moment are the Inselbergs. These five males are in the middle of a land-grab, launching skirmishes on neighbouring prides. To see all four of these males in a single week brings much delight.

Manywele of the Inselberg Coalition
Manywele of the Inselberg Coalition f 5.6, 1/2500, ISO500, -0.33

Manywele is one of the Inselberg Coalition members, and in my opinion one of the biggest lions in the Mara at the moment.

The fifth, and seldom seen male lion from the Inselbergs
The fifth, and seldom seen male lion from the Inselbergs f 7.1, 1/1250, ISO400

My last confirmed sighting of this individual was in January this year. Where has he been for nine months I wonder?

Ruka, on a kill of his own
Ruka, on a kill of his own f 5.6, 1/2000, ISO400, -0.33

Ruka, seems to be spending more and more time alone instead of with his coalition mates.

Splitlip, after Scarface, is one of the most distinctive male lions in the area
Splitlip, after Scarface, is one of the most distinctive male lions in the area f 5.0, 1/800, ISO400, -0.67

Of course, as we all know, male lions are nothing without their prides, and the phenomenal lionesses. The sisterhood that binds them all; shadows moving through the grasslands...

Focus
Focus f 5.6, 1/1600, ISO400, -0.67
Determination
Determination f 5.6, 1/2000, ISO400, -0.67

It is these females who often provide the hunting machinery, allowing the males to go walk-about. The Migration, fortunately, allows an easier time for hunting. And a good chance for the youngsters in the pride (male and female), to start to hone their skills.

A young male from the Military Pride enjoys some fresh wildebeest
A young male from the Military Pride enjoys some fresh wildebeest f 5.6, 1/8000, ISO250, -0.33

It is also a time of plenty for the vultures. Poisoning, often indirectly, outside of protected areas is a very real issue for the scavengers and has decimated their numbers across all of Africa. The clean-up crew plays such a fundamental job in the ecosystem and I have been quietly pleased as to their numbers this year.

Various Ruppell’s Griffon and white-backed vultures come in to land and squabble over a wildebeest carcass
Various Ruppell’s Griffon and white-backed vultures come in to land and squabble over a wildebeest carcass

The most exciting find of the week, however, came in the most unexpected way. I was watching a single lioness feeding on a wildebeest carcass. She looked agitated and kept staring into the thickets at the edge of a drainage line.

Nervous and oh so small, these cubs were the reward after waiting quietly for over an hour
Nervous and oh so small, these cubs were the reward after waiting quietly for over an hour

Of course as a photographer I would have loved closer, clearer photographs of these cubs, but I am well aware that these things take time. They have seen very few cars and it is during this time that they need to be treated with care. We need to slowly habituate them to vehicles, but being sure not to force or rush things. It is a fine line, but always err on the side of caution and sensitivity. I left with a huge smile on my face. Nature had given me a taste of these cubs, and tomorrow I will be going back to look for them again. [f 5.6, 1/1250, ISO320, -0.33]

This Week Two Years Ago

A lioness and her cub photographed by Adam Bannister
A lioness and her cub photographed by Adam Bannister f 4.5, 1/6400, ISO 400 -0.33

As unpredictable as the wildebeest migration may be, there are a few things that are a little more set – one such thing is the topi. Year after year, with out fail they drop their young at the beginning of September, and this year is no different. What is also quite fascinating is that going back in the photo records two years ago and it was this week that I also had the fortune of finding another set of lion cubs, this time belonging to The Sausage Tree Pride.

Filed under: This Week at Angama

Tagged with:

Birds of prey , LIons of Angama , Lions of the Mara , Maasai Mara , Mara Triangle , This Week At Angama

About: Adam Bannister

A South African-trained biologist, safari guide, author, filmmaker and photographer, Adam is, above all else, a gifted storyteller. After spending the past 10 years working in some of the world’s most beautiful wild places – the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa, Rajasthan in India, Brazil’s Pantanal, and the rainforests of Manu National Park in Peru – he is delighted to share his stories of one of the loveliest game reserves of them all, the Maasai Mara.

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